Australia Adventure Day 12 - Mount Dandenong

7 February 2018 -

Breakfast at Cafe Excello -

Big breakfast (A$17.50) at Cafe Excello nearby was quite a mistake. I am not talking about the taste here but the amount of food served was too much! We ordered two BIG breakfasts somemore!

While their breakfast is not the best in Australia, their long black (A$3.90) is pretty good. I had two cups of the black coffee while my bf had 1 mocha (A$3.90) and 1 ice coffee (A$5.50). We had a pretty chill breakfast before we head up to the mountains.

We hired our car through our hotel from Avis or Hertz. I think we went for the cheapest ride - a Kia (A$115.30). It was parked outside the hotel entrance for us. 

The ride up to Mt Dandenong - 

My bf was the driver but I held on to the GPS aka my phone. The battery usage is a lot for an approximate 1 hour drive? I honestly cannot remember already because I absolutely disliked the whole road trip :x. Going towards Mt Dandenong was still okay but I was relieved when we finally arrived. Almost car sick already. Driving up the slope and looking at the trees along the way was a pretty sight though :).

Ms Marple's TeaRoom was not opened yet when we arrived. So we went to look for a toilet and walked around. There are quite a few nice shops in that area. A traditional toy shop, a candy shop, a fragrance shop, a souvenir shop, a tea shop and etc. We bought the blue mountain coffee beans (A$12) in the tea shop, some soap bars (A$13.90) in the souvenir shop and I had 1 gumball at the candy shop. 

As I sang along to "A dream is a wish your heart makes" in the toy shop, the shop assistant asked me for the song title and the disney story. She said she finally got to know it! Haha why didn't she download Shazam or something? Anyway, I double confirmed on Spotify that it is indeed Cinderella! She had thought it was for Sleeping Beauty since it was about a dream.

Ms Marple's TeaRoom - 

The little cafe is very popular indeed. The place was almost filled up when we went in. The scones are raved upon and there we were! Actually, it was my bf's GP doctor who recommended Mt Dandenong. "Bring your gf to eat the scones!"

We were still so full from our breakfast and only ordered 2 scones with the cream and jam, and a teapot of hot fulfiling tea. The scones is shaped like a cake, rather than the usual scones we see. It is soft and flaky, and does not have a crispy crust. Intially, we tried it with the cream only, and it just taste very weird, like tasteless. However, when we mixed the jam in together, it turned in to a yummy sweet treat.

The total bill was A$21.50 and I think the scones already costs around A$12. The rest of the food on the menu and what I see being served at other tables did not really look appetizing. If you ask me whether going up the mountain just to try Ms Marple's Tearoom is worth it, I would say no. In addition, the service provided was just meh. I think I prefer the normal scones I find outside. 

Down the mountain - 

Somehow I feel quite full and sick on the way back. It was especially so as we drove down in the windy path. I felt so carsick and nauseous all the way. Thankfully, I fell asleep for a brief moment. 

We had to refill the petrol (A$18.60) on our way back and it was such a weird experience. We are so used to having an attendant assist us with filling up the tank with petrol that we were a bit clueless when we had to DIY. We did not know whether it was diesel or petrol lol. Eventually, my bf got some guide from the staff in the convenience shop to look at the inner side of the petrol tank cover. Then he attempted to fill the tank but I have no idea how to tell whether it was enough. Saw some fuel dripping down also O.O. 

We were quite near our hotel after the fuel refill. The sun was shining down and it was so scorching on the skin. There was a bit of a jam when we returned about 4pm. I was so relieved, once again, to finally step out of the car! I felt like vomiting already. I think to spend the money to hire the car for the day was totally not worth it since it was not enjoyable at all (To me). At least my bf commented that he enjoyed driving at the mountain. Relaxing, he said.

As we went back earlier than expected, we could actually request for the car company to come collect the car (Our plan was to return the car directly at the company, and train back). However, the company was not answering to the calls of our hotel staff, so we went up to the room to wait. 

And then I fell asleep and awoke suddenly to realised my bf was not in the room! I knew he left without me to probably drive the car back. True enough, he left a whatsapp message for me. I felt a little upset though because I wanted to go with him. Did not like the idea of him going alone in a foreign country. 

Within like a few minutes, he was back! Wahaha. Our hotel staff told him that the car company has replied and will send someone down to collect the car. So he came back :D. That little happiness in me. Hehe.

Dinner at Hakata Gensuke - 

We saw the queue and we were attracted to Ramen! However, I think we got our feelings cheated. The meal was not satisfying.

Similar to Ichiran concept, you get a slip a paper whereby you can customise your bowl of ramen with options for the noodle texture and the saltiness of the soup. Basically, we ordered one Signature Tonkotsu (A$14) + egg (A$2) + beansprout cabbage (A$2), one God-Fire + special topping (A$8), Chicken Karrage (A$5) & Gyoza (A$5).

I don't exactly remember the taste of the tonkotsu but I know I did not finish my portion. It was not that bad, but not very good either. On the other hand, the God-fire was too much. At level 2, the spiciness level was unbearable. The overall taste was not that great either. The chicken karrage was too cloying, even though they look like cute round meatballs.

New customers came in and sat beside our table. And we immediately identify them as Singaporeans lol. Slippers and singlish yo.

After dinner, we had a frozen coke at Hungry Jacks. But frozen coke is always generally so diluted! Same experience when we had it at Macdonalds in Cairns.

As we walked back to our Hotel, we noticed there was a crowd of people sitting at the steps of the Parliament house. They had their cameras all ready. There were even policemen. Being kaypo Singaporeans, we also joined in the fun. We eventually found out that they were all waiting for the "Melhenge". It is one of those days whereby the sunset aligns perfectly with the city grid. We did not really capture anything or experience it.

So you may google Melhenge to see some nice photos. That was what I just did. :)

Australia Adventure Day 11 - Yarraville

6 February 2018 -

Breakfast at Wonderbao - 

If you are craving for some Chinese breakfast, Wonderbao is a good alternative to the eggs and toasts. Although it was located near the Melbourne Central Shopping, we had some problem locating it due to the renovation going on. There was a small alley through and the small cafe is located in a corner. 

If you take a look at their menu online, you will be spoilt for choice! There are just so many flavours I want to try. They serve the traditional Char Siew Bao to the exotic flavours like the soft shell crab. If you, like me, want to try several flavours, they do have special combos for your selection.

We decided on a Gua Bao Box (A$14.80) with 3 flavours - Fried Chicken, Braised Pork, Crispy Eggplant. For our beverages, we ordered a hot Soybean Milk (A$3.50) & cold Soybean milk (A$4).  I thought the baos are quite delicious but at the same time, pretty normal tasting. I think for us, it is quite common to use the "kong ba bao" bao skin to wrap any type of ingredient. We added on a Char Siew Bao (A$2.70) to try how traditional their bao can taste like. Unfortunately, the outer bao layer is too thick, with only a small amount of filling. In fairness, the overall taste is decent though. 

The cold soymilk is a bit funny tasting to me, but the hot one is thick and creamy. 

After our breakfast, we went over to Melbourne Central Shopping Centre to have that Sumo Salad (A$14.95) I was craving for the previous day! The baos did not fill me at all. I had a mixed of 3 flavours of salad in 1 bowl, and an add on of chocolate chia seed dessert. Oh boy, was I so stuffed!

A trip to Yarraville -

The reason for our trip down to Yarraville is actually for Goje - a self-served frozen yoghurt place! They provided free samples for the flavours before we decided on what to get. We decided to have separate bowls since I tended towards fruity flavours, which are generally sourish. I took a modest serving of both flavours each, with the very-nice sweet macadamia, some nuts and coffee beans. My cup of froyo was already A$5.80.

My bf decided on coffee, chocolate and hazelnut in a large cup. He was too ambitious and that amount (A$13.20!) he took was too overwhelming and creamy on the whole! He had a hard time finishing it all and I wasn't of much help either. The flavours are really delicious though! We later saw a couple ordering two big cups of yoghurt and we were wondering how they could even finish that crazy amount.

We visited the Sun Theatre but did not watch any shows. It is one of the older vintage cinemas around. If you complain about the expensive movie tickets at Golden Village, check out the price at Sun Theatre. A$19! Not sure if it is because of the special cinema or is this the standard across Australia. There are good reviews of comfortable seats in Sun Theatre though. I think it is worth the try if you are around the area.

We roamed around the streets and it feels really laid back and relaxing. My bf got me my vday card in one of the shops at only A$2! There is also a "Creative House" which sells interesting gifts and souvenirs. You might want to drop by to get some unique stuff to bring back home. We thought of having something at the cafe but was so full from our yoghur still. I was still craving very much for my cold sandwich! As we sat down and captured a selfie, we even got photobombed by some students chilling at the back. :p

 Hunting for my cold sandwich -

We went back to the CBD area and explored. We alighted at Flinders Street station and walked our way back. The Melbourne Visitor Centre is nearby, for those who would like to find out more about the attractions in Melbourne. And then I finally found something closest to the cold sandwich made by Raging Thunder. Presenting to you - the Starbucks Chilli Chicken Focacia! I specifically asked the staff whether I can eat it cold instead of toasting it. At the same time, I finally got to indulge in bitter iced Americano (all the soury long blacks before this)!

When we headed back to our hotel, we found our requested pillows, in addition to our originals! If you love to sleep with numerous pillows, Hotel Windsor is for you. :D

 Dinner at The Mess Hall -

It is another Italian cuisine night! The food looks really good when we passed by the other night. They served the classic bread with olive oil and vinegar. The black and white taglietelle (A$29.50) is delicious and so well flavoured. The roast duck (A$31.50) is tender and well cooked. The only thing I did not like is the sauce that comes with it. It has a rather strong taste.

We wondered what are polenta chips (A$11.50) on the menu and googled it. It is a kind of cornmeal and it looks rather appetizing when it is deep fried, like a another type of french fries. Sprinkled with cheese flakes and paired with their cream sauce, I think the overall taste is good. It has a grainy texture which not all can get used to.

I think our dinner was well worth even though it was on the pricey end.

A Walk at Night -

So we chose this night for a walk by the river. We were all prepared for the possible cool night weather in our hoodies and all. 

However, it turned out that the weather was so warm that night. Even the presence of the wind was minimal. Regardless, the walk along the river was romantic as we indulge in the music from the restaurants by the waters. We stood at the bridge and immersed ourselves in the music played the baskers, and watched the sun slowly go down.