Monday 15th June


I want a Dixie cup. Called 7 stores, nope no one has it. No one. Except online, with a collection fee. It's $2.20 - I just want one. I found someone who knows what it is! But it appears most people in charge of the phone at Coles are Indian and clueless to what is it... 11 stores late and I still haven't got it. :( 



The manager of a store called up Peters, who makes them. Turns out they no longer sell them in sets of 4 in the freeze, only single tubs at $$ prices at convenience stores. I wish head office had told me that when I asked who had stock and they said call around yourself... until I called again after calling 12 stores. 7/11 doesn't have them, but Foodworks does.



The rest of the day was better. Missed the bus, but we caught the next one. Returned books I borrowed a few months ago. Moved lunch to make time for cake from Alice Nivens. 




This is what $6.50 of cake looks like, nice and big - but I also think this cake was designed for two! Next time I'm bringing half home, and only eating half, portion control. The cream cheese frosting was a bit too sweet (even for me, an American, and we love sugar!) and the edges of the cake was dry, but the inside was good. I don't like ginger, other than gingerbread, but I do like this cake. 

Eftpos minimum is $10 at Alice Nivens.

Off to the dentist. She's running late so I saw someone else, waiting time: 25mins, performance: 10 mins or less. We're late!

Lunch/dinner was next on the list, on the way to a meeting and then class. Both of which didn't happen as I passed out at 5.30pm. Dinner was in a cardboard box though ended up leaking though and into the plastic bag. I love that a vegan greenie place does plastic bags! :)





Tuesday



This week I've been so busy/tired, and so it's Saturday night and I'm doing a recap of the week. Tuesday all I recall is I went to a meeting, and dinner. I also took a nap on the way to dinner. In between traveling to dinner and the meeting we stopped by Daiso to get some organization stuff, like trays, boxes and dividers, but the ones I've after they don't stock anymore. The lesson: if you see something you like, buy it. 






Wednesday

Wednesday we went out to lunch, took a walk, then had afternoon tea. Home for a nap then off to class. Yes I have been crashing all over the place, which may have included tea. 




Thursday

A meeting, panel and weekly networking dinner, at Vapiano. 

Vapiano has very good offers for newsletter subscribers, you get a free meal on/around your birthday, the other week we got free dessert & drinks. And this week there was a BOGOF offer on pizza/pasta. Which the civil lawyer and I took up. 

The civil lawyer like most people I've met aren't into reviews, with even less patience for pictures, hence no picture of what he ate. He had spaghetti with chicken and a tomato base. He enjoyed it very much, said it was delicious and he'd be back. It must be very good, as his area of expertise in food is Italian.

The servings were huge! $20 worth of pasta, if we ignore the fact that pasta's pretty cheap. Vapiano doesn't feel Italian to me, as more like a cafeteria where you order then wait at the counter for your order. They're very fast though.



I had the creamy prawn and spinach with spelt flour spaghetti. It was good but twice the amount I normally eat! There was fresh tomatoes as well as the listed ingredients. Good but nothing amazing, unlike the ravioli - the best I've ever had, though I'm no expert on Italian Food. 



Friday

Friday, working/chilling at home. Though we did go out for dinner, as well as a meeting before that, oh and lots of scanning files. 



Dinner was at Mantra Lounge (again), as I have a new goal to complete reviews faster, which means an increase in number of visits in a decreased amount of time. So we'll eat at a place twice within a fortnight.



Dessert was at Chillbro Paletas. I had the pistachio dipped in dark chocolate, sprinkled with nuts (recommended) and rainbow sprinkles (because it's pretty). Jas had the dulce le leche. If you want to read all about it, here's a link to my review.

Charlie & Co dined as guests of Chillbro, and received a discount on return.







Located down Menzies Alley is a new series of restaurants, I don't know what used to be down here, which is funny because we have eaten at Ajisen Ramen opposite Chillbro Paletas before they opened.  



ChillBro Paletas is the brain child of a Mexican dude (Juan) and a Kiwi bro (Matthew) in a collaboration to create the first un-official Australian Paletería  (Spanish for Paleta shop).

But what is a paleta? A Paleta is a Mexican ice cream on a stick. The name comes from the spanish word “palo” (which means ‘stick’) whereas the “eta” is in reference to the flat frozen item. So basically, a Paleta can be anything- a fruit on a stick, a cream on a stick.

The recipies and inspiration is drawn from Mexico, where paletas are very popular. Made with real ingredients, there are a large range of flavours, something fruity, and creamy. There's something for everyone.


Why didn't I get the sign in the picture above? Because there's a limit to how far back I could go in a laneway with a glass window behind me. I will get a picture from the side on my next visit though. 










For $1.50 extra you can get your paleta dipped in dark/milk chocolate and some toppings. As you can see above there are 9 different toppings that are rotated, including peanuts, fairy floss, rainbow sprinkles, crushed oreos and coconut to name a few. The idea reminds me of the pop-up magnum bar last year at the Emporium. 









On our first visit we had the dulce le leche (yes that is condense milk in a crock pot, well at least the homemade version anyway), a condense milk caramel very popular in Mexico, Argentina and other Spanish speaking countries, that within recent years has risen in popularity back home and here. Topped with crushed (Spanish) oreos and coconut, drizzled with milk chocolate. It was perfect! The textures, the smooth creamy ice cream with the textures of the coconut and oreos. It was lovely, very creamy but not dense or too sweet. It was light enough that I still went ahead with the plan to go for froyo an hour afterwards.

As hinted by this ice cream cart Chillbro does events! Which is where we found them next. But first we'd like to share with you how inspiration comes in everyday life. I asked Juan what inspired him, with the old fashioned cart that reminded me of ice cream being sold from an ice box on the beaches decades/centuries ago. It was sparked by seeing a delivery guy with his trolley on Little Collins! Which is something I'd imagine they might do in summer. Ice cream on wheels is always a great idea! 



About a week later Chillbro Paletas was at an event I went to, where we had the chance to try two more flavours! They're creamy though not heavy at all, and so you'd fine to eat two in a row. Though it may not be recommended...





I had the coconut. I love coconut water, and le beau thinks I'm addicted. It wasn't creamy or icy, but reminds me of frosty fruit icy poles,  but less sweet, icy and artificial of course. With bits of shredded coconut in it reminded me of the coconut popsicles from another place that has a cylinder at events, and sells through Mamasita. Though their version doesn't contain the shredded coconut, and hard to find. But if you don't like coconut water I'd recommend you try something else. This one's for summer, though I'm glad there's still coconut popsicles around in winter.

Update - Juan has improved upon the coconut paleta since I had it, we've yet to revisit.

If le beau was here he'd have the snickeroon, a mashup between a snickers and toberone, but it's lighter than your snickers ice cream from the frezzer. While there is the choc, nuts and nougat pieces it takes a different form. A creamy delight with different textures. 








There's more seats upstairs for the three new street food restaurants, which include Chillbro Paletas, and perhaps a bar in the future too. We didn't get a picture of the seating as they were closing up there. Not sure what happened to my picture here, but I do like all those window shutters, which I've seen they have in Mexico (on the Mentalist) :P.








We'll be back for more paletas, the coconut, donut and strawberry are on my list as well as some drinks. I'll update this post after our visit!

Monday 8th June




Tuesday

The day of the exam! We made it, we survived. I had something for every question. One part I didn't have enough info, not cause I forgot stuff, but because I didn't have enough notes on that area in the beginning.




Freedom! And yet busy/lazy. I need to make a list of all these internships and committee things I'm doing.  No day like tomorrow. :P Also planning to paint meringues. 

There is no record of the next few days, because they were spent recharging. 

Friday

Oh dear I'm officially nocturnal again... but that also I'm not going to doze off  during the show. :P



A quick dinner from Sushi Burger, which no longer offers sushi burger bentos. So we ordered a teriyaki chicken modern, which I believe was a. fusion food b. made for a white person, perhaps a fussy toddler looking for something familiar. Like spaghetti. There was spaghetti in the bento, along with a slice of corn cob, tomato, cucumber and bean salad. With the chicken and rice. It was good but nothing amazing. I prefer traditional bentos, and Purple Peanut's teriyaki chicken is still the best I've ever had. 





After a quiet week tonight we were off to see a performance of 'Anything Goes' my second professional musical, and one I saw during high school. We bought the tickets last night, say, midnight? That's when I checked my email and found a 4 for $200 offer (well $210 including fees), which was great as tickets, the cheapest are $70-ish. 

The show was to me one of those Broadway Classics that everyone's seen but we like to relive now and then. I can't recall if they've been in town since I got here in 2008 though. But we saw it in high school (not mine, otherwise I'd be in it :P) where a friend was in it. 




Set in the 1930s above a cruise ship sailing from America to London, nothing ill fated occurred, though there was plenty of drama aboard the SS America. Gangsters and their violin cases, the poor boy falling for the rich girl who's engaged to someone else, purely for financial gain, and a cast of sailors and men in uniforms. Not to mention a very cute captain's assistant. While his character isn't gay I'm pretty sure he is, especially as he wears more lipstick than the ladies. I love the hit song, a Broadway classic along with "Blow, Gabriel, Blow". 



It was a great show, though was a bit racist, but not funny enough for it to be ok. Racism seems to be a minor theme in musicals set in the 30s. But we enjoyed it and recommend you relive this Broadway Classic. There mightn't be the same glitz and glamour as Strictly Ballroom a couple blocks away, but there'll be sequin dresses, sailors, tap dancing and the amazing Caroline O'Connor!



After a show we always like to drop by Father's Office for dessert after 11pm, this week for the pannacotta (because that's what jas wanted) and cherry (pie) tart. It's a tart not a pie, pies always have the top covering, or they're made in a deep dish. Apple pie and ice cream is like our national dessert.



The pannacotta was a bit bland as expected, I have had this before but was happy to give it a second chance. It wasn't that jas didn't believe me, but it's known that I'm a hard marker as a tutor and so he wanted to try it for himself.



Cherry Crumble Tart has changed, there's still the same ingredients but much more crumble and way less cherry, especially the presence of whole cherries. Now it's bits of cherry, and should be crumble tart with cherries. The nutty ice cream on top is still good and unlike the ice cream ordered on its own is not made with an icy condense milk base. Wished we could order this ice cream on its own.

Update - Something went wrong that night, spoke to Father's Office and it's meant to be more cherries, less crumble. Perhaps that night we got the last one and ingredients were running low? 

Thoughts





For tourists Pellegrini's Espresso Bar from the 70s is a classic stop I've read. It's on my list but I have never been there because they don't have prices lists. As a planner I want all the details, and to have the exact change. Once a hairdresser refused to give me a quote and it was $80 (I thought it would be $50-60), I ended up paying $79 and that included all the random coins hiding at the bottom of my bag. It was an awful experience and one I will do anything to avoid, uncertainty is something I can't deal with with it can be avoided. 

I also feel that Pellegrini is a novelty place like Soda Rock (which is filthy). Most review says it's large serves of overcooked slop with dishes around $20. You can get that at Sofia, but it's a bit nicer. We normally pay around $15 for a main, the price combined with reviews, and the lack of certain figures means it's highly unlikely I'll ever eat here. 

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