Coffee frenzy

Sensory Lab








I spotted this joint in David Jones as I strolled past this place on my way to get some groceries. My plan of having a quiet night was immediately dismissed as I stepped into this place. Out of the blue, a friend who was patronising the place called out my name , I joined him and his friend for coffee and we subsequently made our way to a long dinner.

To some coffee lovers, this place might seem a little pretentious and overly commercialised - with the staff wearing lab coats and the expensive interior. But there will always be a tension between keeping it "real" and commercialising it. On one hand, commercialing a place might make it lose its authenticity. On the contrary, commercialising it exposes the world of coffee to non-coffee geeks like me. My usual response to coffee is "mmm...this is good" or "this is not very good/the froth is burnt" - needless to say, very limited coffee vocab.

The girl behind the counter spent an entire 10 minutes kindly and enthusiastically dishing out her wealth of knowledge on coffee. In summary, she told me that real coffee is not the coffee as I know it. She tells me to think of coffee as a fruit and not as a bean. I responded, but isn't coffee grinded from its beans? Yes, but the beans are in the fruit, she replied. The coffee that I've been drinking all this while is brewed by one method - the espresso method. In fact, there are many more ways to brewing coffee. She introduced me to the siphoning method of brewing coffee.

Siphoning method:
Grind the coffee, add it to the top vessel. Add cold (or hot) water to the bottom. Put the bottom on a heat source. Add the top vessel with its attached siphon. Watch. Liquids defy gravity. The brew gurgles, but it's not boiling. Remove from heat source. Watch the coffee move back down, or "south". Watch the bottom vessel's brewed coffee gurgle as air is drawn through the spent grounds to release the built up vacuum. Remove top vessel. Smell. Ahhh. Pour. Taste. More ahhhh.
Source

My reaction to my first taste of siphoned coffee?

It taste nothing like the coffee I know but like bitter fruit juice.

For now, I'm still sticking to my usual coffee - espresso method but I will test new waters once in a blue moon.

Sensory Lab
David Jones
297, Little Collins Street
Melbourne

Dead man espresso












Saturday lunch saw me at Dead man's espresso. The timber shutters and concrete columns provide a very nice, classy ambience.

Again I can't comment much on the coffee, lest I embarass myself. In summary, coffee is good.

A word on the food. A fly on the wall told me that the food here is suppose to be excellent. Matt Preston (THE food critic) gave the food raving reviews - particularly the BLT pork belly sandwich. With high expectations, I ordered my meal enthusiastically. The BLT sandwich came with an absolutely delicious tomato soup. I'm not one for thick sour tomato juice but the tomato soup had an easy and good consistency for swallowing, it was not too sour and the broth they added into it was amazing. The pork belly was sandwiched between two slices of toasted bread that was laced up with some sort of herby-pesto filling. It was light and flavourful. A word on the pork belly. hm...i thought that was the most disappointing bit. I found the pork belly slightly dry and very thinly sliced. Maybe it was suppose to be like that - but the flavours from the pesto filling seemed to have overpowered the pork belly taste. Sigh, almost perfect but not quite.

Overall, I give the place 7/10. Most points for the ambience plus coffee. The food was good but a tad overpriced.

Dead Man Espresso
35 Market Street, South Melbourne


St Ali


















I'm loving this water truck.






St. Ali itself.

Saturday was a brilliant day not only because our happy stomachs were full from all the Dead Man Espresso goodness but because it was St. Ali's live street art and Laneway party. Graffiti artists were invited to paint the lane St Ali was situated on. Good crowd. Met quite a few people. Really kewl stuff. There was a dj playing. Booze. Mmm.. and of course, coffee from St. Ali.

St. Ali
12-18, Yarra Place
South Melbourne

Crue Coffee Lounge, South Yarra

Hello! First, a short note to say that I'm doing well. A couple of people have asked me where have I been and why have I been sounding so crestfallen as of late. I'm here to say that I'm back and well =) I've learnt so much about myself and life in the past few weeks that I can't wait to share it all on my blog. But till I find the right words to say, I'll leave you guys with some yummy-licious pictures.

Last Saturday, Ivy invited me out for brunch with her hubby and the Sohs. They decided to venture out to this new joint, Crue Coffee Lounge which lies on the other side of town. The cafe is well-known for its good coffees. So we were there to test out this theory and also indulge ourselves in their extensive menu.


Spiced fried eggs with chorizo sausages and rocket leaves on flat bread. Absolutely delicious. A fresh change from the usual poach eggs that I usually have. And you can't go wrong with chorizon sausages.


Ives ordered a rhubarb and cream with bananas on bread. (I think there were bananas although I can't spot them in this picture)


Nasi goreng. They have taken nasi goreng to a different level (!). It won't be everybody's cup of tea especially when you have tried the real thing and you would know they have butchered the original recipe and put a western spin to it. But hey, to each his own. The nasi goreng tasted a little sweet and it was fried with bacon (hello? bacon! nasi goreng being a malay dish is suppose to be halal. but who can argue with bacon. yum yum)



They reserved a cozy corner for us. It's always good to make a booking, especially on a busy Saturday morning.





Overall verdict? You'll definitely see me there again! Lovely ambience. With my knowledge on coffee (almost zilch), I can't say too much about the coffees except to give you the standard answer, "its good". But based on all these numerous reviews floating around the world wide web, its safe to say that the coffee its excellent as many are claiming that its one of the best coffees they have tasted in Melbourne. With regards to the food, oh yumm!!! And, apparently, they change the menu quite frequently. Excellent, I always love a good surprise =)

Do pamper yourself at Crue Coffee Lounge, South Yarra.

194 Toorak Road, South Yarra
Melbourne, Australia
03 9827 5058

Of passing days

Yesterday
#1
Yesterday J and I visited the Camberwell flea market. Loved it. Lots of hidden treasures. From lego pieces, vintage dresses, bags to computers.

Of memorable quotes:
a. Me pointing to an unknown object that looked like an extinct computer that’s older than me. “What’s that? Is that a computer?” I asked the man mending the stall.

“It’s the latest computer in the market,” he said with a straight face without batting an eyelid.

b. One seller took a look at the price on one her vases and said to friend, "Hm...I think this vase is too cheap." She then proceeded to replace the price tag of $15 to $30. 100% increment in price. So arbitrary. That was a common trend in the market.


Cute buttons and little trinkets


Vintages dresses hung on a green wooden fence


Second hand books and an old sewing machine at the back of someone's ute


Posing with children's books. I saw lots of pre-owned Enid Blyton books! <3

#2
Yesterday, we also rockclimbed. We have been doing so, two weekends consecutively. I must say that I did pretty badly yesterday. My muscles are apparently still sore from last weekend. I have underdeveloped muscles. Sigh. There was a route (Grade 16) that I tried completing a few times but failed because of my lack of height. I just couldn’t reach the next handhold. It was frustrating because I knew what to do technically but I didn’t have the strength to do what was effectively a chin up.


Attempting the said uncompleted route. Sigh. Was carrying a chalk bag. My palms get really sweaty when I climb.



#3
Yesterday after rockclimbing, we proceeded to watch Wall-E on blu-ray disc. My first blu-ray film. I must say the quality is so much better than a dvd quality. J managed to get it for an extremely cheap price - $20 at the Camberwell flea market. It’s usually about $40.

Memorable quotes from Wall-E:

“Wall-EeEeeEeeEE….”

“EVaaaAaAaaaaaa….”

“Wall-EeEeeEeeEE….”

“EVaaaAaAaaaaaa….”

“Wall-EeEeeEeeEE….”

“EVaaaAaAaaaaaa….”

“Wall-EeEeeEeeEE….”

“EVaaaAaAaaaaaa….”

X 1000000000…..

Enough said.

That was about the only dialogue in the entire film.

My verdict? Hm….it’s great for kids I guess.

Movie theme: Save the earth, don’t pollute, exercise and don’t get fat or else, you’ll start rolling around like bowling balls.

Today

#1
Today I passed by a man who was writing with black ink on an envelope. I peered closer and saw that he was writing an address on it with neat handwriting. More envelopes sat uniformly on his table. I imagined that he was writing to his family who lived 1000000 miles away and that made smile =)

#2
Today I was sent an updated picture of my sponsored child. Attached to the picture is a short update of the child’s profile. It reads:

Thanks for your love and support, D is presently in level 1 of primary school in Honduras, which is equivalent to first grade in Australia. His performance is making steady progress.

Soccer, art and riding a bike are D’s favourite recreational activities…

D lives with his mother. His mother occasionally works as a labourer. D works at home carrying water, doing odd jobs and cleaning. There are 5 children in the family….

#3
Today, I had lunch with Sue. After walking up and down Flinders Lane, we settled at café Frais, a small café in an alley off Flinders Lane. We both have an affinity for little tucked away cafes in quaint lanes. Sue had a quiche filled with a variety of wild mushrooms. The quiche came straight from a piping hot oven. The crust was crumbly. Quite impressive.

I had a penne carbonara. The cream tasted pretty fresh but I’m not the best judge for carbonara dishes as it’s my first carbonara dish in years as I’m slightly lactose/cream/fat intolerant. I didn’t finish it lest I’ll get a tummy upset later.

Café Frais opened three months ago. Everything is freshly made. Do patronise the place. Good cafes are hard to come by in the city these days.


Café Frais
Flinders Lane
Between Swanston St and Russell St


A lane off Flinders Lane


Cafe Frais signboard


Penne carbonara and hidden quiche with complimentary salad in background

Von Haus, Melbourne

On Saturday night, J and I took the opportunity to dine at Von Haus. The first time I was there was two weeks ago for Krystin's birthday. As I didn't try any of the dishes the first time round, I've decided to venture there again.

I must say that the second visit proved to be an equally delightful experience.






I had cacciatore sausauge, chickpea and olive stew with sourdough bread on the side. Price: $16. The cacciatora sausage was relatively strong in flavour. This was balanced out by the mild gravy and chickpeas. The gravy had a tinge of herb-y taste. The tomatoes added a little bit of sweetness to the dish. Overall, it was a pretty light and healthy dish. It's not one for a meat lover but it was perfect for someone like me who preferred simple yet delicious meals.


J had the beef mushroom & casserole with potato salad and sourdough bread on the side. Price: $16. The gravy was relatively rich in flavour, infused in bay leaves and other herbs. The gravy was of the right consistency. However, the beef could be just a tad more tender. Overall, I think the dish was pretty good.

Although the dishes ain't nothing fancy, I give two thumbs up for this place. The dishes looked like something that were whipped up in someone's grandmother's kitchen. This is no surprise, as the restaurant brands itself as "rustic", evident with its red and white enamel plates. With so many commercial restaurants popping up serving artery-clogging dishes, sometimes I prefer simpler meals. J said it right, "taste like a home-cooked meal".

O, apparently they serve different dishes everyday at the chef's fancy. Looks like I'll never be bored of this place with it's ever changing menu.


There are three tables in the courtyard. The picture is blurry because I took a quick, shaky snapshot of it. I was too embarrassed taking so many pictures of the tiny restaurant. I felt like an Asian tourist.


Satisfied customer

Von Haus
1a Crossley Street, Melbourne
(off Bourke St, between Exhibition St and Spring St)
Phone: (03) 9662 2756
Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-11pm, Sat 5pm-11pm

Riverland Bar and Cafe

I spent two hours of my night tonight at this place. It's one of my favourite places to drink beer or coffee (more often beer rather than coffee). Tonight was the perfect night for it. The air was still, the temperature was slightly chilly but not cold enough to warrant a jacket and surprisingly, there was a vibrancy in the air, even though it was a Wednesday. Perhaps the good temperature drew the crowds out.

This bar-cum-cafe is located near Federation Square, adjacent to the yarra river (hence the name, Riverland) The decoration provides a very laid-back atmosphere. The outside is filled with rows of picnic-style wooden tables and benches. Its simple interior/exterior suit the atmosphere perfectly. It's a great place to just chill. It's not flashy at all and it's not a place that you feel a need to dress up for.




I like this picture because it seemed like the waiter was posing for us. Unfortunately, he is not in focus.

Riverland Bar and Cafe
Location: Federation Wharf (near Federation Square)
Opening times: Monday-Sunday, 7 am till late
Price Range: Main meals under $20
When: Monday - Sunday, 7am til late
Phone: +61 3 9662 1771

Krystin's birthday brunch

Saturday morning saw me at Krystin's birthday brunch. It was held at Von Haus, a quaint small cafe-cum-bar in Melbourne. Believe me when I say it was small. It was probably the size of my room. It had just one big communal table in the middle and a couple of wall benches complete with high wooden stools in the corners of the room. But that's exactly what I liked about this cafe. When I walked in, I thought, "This is just so MELBOURNE!" Melbourne is about its little cafes with GOOD coffees hidden in alleyways. Discovering a new hidden gem always sends a thrill of excitement up my spine. This is no exception.

Now, the thing about these hideaway cafes is that you always THINK you're the only one that knows about these hidden treasures. You keep them low-key and perhaps, whisper their names to a couple of intimate friends that you should share the good news with. Lo and behold, you soon realise that those cafes are not such a secret! Then you curse the food blogs and the papers that made you discover those cafes in the first place.

Honestly, I didn't manage to sample much of the food. I think I was too excited upon seeing people I have not met up with in a long, long time. Namely, law school friends. I had a mocha. It was pretty decent. I had some fruits off the fruit platter that Krystin ordered. I tried pomegranate for the first time. YES, first time! It was so yummy. Fruits aside, I didn't eat anything much else. I vouch to go back there again, and will give you guys a decent review.

Picture time


That's the large communal table


Lovely Krystin who looks so happy!


Tony was there as well


Krystin prepared party packs for all of us! In it were chocolates and a note written specifically for each one of us. I was so impressed. It almost felt like it was MY birthday. She's so thoughtful and generous! For most people, birthdays are about receiving. But Krystin was so selfless. She requested for no presents. Instead, if we wanted, we could partner with her and donate some money to specific charity funds that she has chosen.

Krystin, you are really inspirational. You have such a big heart, a laugh and smile that is contagious and you have so much love to give. Oh, and I always love reading your blog. Though sometimes, your fabulous writing puts me to shame. Thanks for everything. I thoroughly enjoyed our friendship. I still remember the day we spent together studying Administrative law. I was such a wreak that day. Without your help, I might not have even passed that subject (omg, another semester of law school. Kill me God) Looking back, it seems even sadistically funny. Remember how we kept complaining to each other about how we hate law school and how we are definitely going to fail this subject. And then we would both tell each other that no, we are not going to fail. We can and will pull through. Following which, we continued studying for another one hour before the vicious cycle repeats itself. That 15 hours with no breaks in between, not even for lunch or dinner, save two rushed toilet breaks, was probably one of the craziest days but I'm glad I went through that with you. haha. Happy birthday sweetie!


Von Haus
1a Crossley Street, Melbourne
(off Bourke St, between Exhibition St and Spring St)
Phone: (03) 9662 2756
Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-11pm, Sat 5pm-11pm