I haven’t really been in the kitchen much lately and when i am, i’m mostly baking stuff i’ve made before which explains why it has been so quiet around here lately. I promise i’ll pick up the slack and start attempting to make a dent in the huge collection of recipes (which i’ll need to clone myself five times over and cook and bake every day to even have a shot at trying them all this lifetime) i’ve been meaning to try since forever next week on.
But for now, as promised, here are more photos from my most recent trip to Melbourne. I was out and about a lot so be warned that there are tons of photos in this post.
During most of my five years in Melbourne, i shopped at the Queen Victoria market mostly because it was just a twenty minutes walk from my place. While the Vic Mart absolutely cannot be beaten for variety- it has tons of your regular fruit and vegetables stalls, a whole food hall of stalls selling dried pasta, cheese, baked goods and practically you could want as well as a huge non food section selling clothes, jewellery and the likes- it can get really messy and crowded. So the first time i dropped by Prahan Market, i loved how organized and quiet it was in comparison to Vic Mart. I couldn’t resist going back a couple of times this trip.
The meat and seafood’s a little pricey here than in Vic Mart but it’s worth every penny- the quality’s just top notch.
Part of a huge variety of Indian spices available at one of the stores- they apparently blend their own spices. They had really interesting stuff like mango powder and panch phoran.
The mushroom specialist- this stall has any kind of mushroom you could possibly want. I was so tempted to get an array of variety to make mushroom soup.
A stall selling just potatoes- and pumpkin for Halloween which was approaching then. I stood there for ten minutes just browsing at the varieties he had and observed him walking two ladies, obviously long term customers of his, through how to best cook the potatoes they wanted. I left the stall with two different varieties- one for roasting and the other for mashing- at his recommedation.
Incredibly tiny spuds the size of a golf ball. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the cheeky little sign he had up.
One of my favourite shops in the whole world. This place has all sorts of ingredients, culinary equipment and kitchenware you might possibly need.
This is truly a chocoholic’s dream. They have huge bags of Lindt, Kennedy & Wilson and Callebaut chocolate. Of course, i couldn’t resist getting a couple of bars- which eventually found their way into GT’s hand carry luggage 
A skinny flat white to rest my weary shoulders from my huge grocery bag laden with the weight of fresh meat and seasonal fruits before making my way home.
The gorgeous Princess Theatre, where we caught Phantom of the Opera last year.
Entering the Carlton Gardens, where a friend and i had lunch while catching up and reminscing over how we used to dread walking into the park as it only meant one thing- we were about to sit for another examination. There is no quicker way to kill the appreciation of the beauty of a park, i tell you.
The Royal Exhibition Building, in all its glory. It does seem a lot more gorgeous when i’m not part of the mobs of students waiting outside the hall, saying last minute prayers that i knew enough to pass the paper.
Melbourne Central. A mere six years ago, this place used be really empty, with people going in and out only because there was a train station in the building. It has since been given an major overhaul and now has tons of shops, restaurant and even a cinema.
The only university that has a campus right smack in the city- RMIT. Has it changed much from when you were studying there, Jane?
After all that talk, let’s get down to the stuff that really matters, shall we? Pictures of the glorious food we had!
One of the best burgers i’ve ever had- this is a must have every time i’m in Melbourne. The beef patties are incredibly lean, flavourful and juicy. Just thinking about it has got me hungry.
Dining at our favourite Italian restaurant in Melbourne.
A really cosy Italian place i had dinner at with a couple of friends. It’s so authetically Italian that even the menu’s in Italian- no English translations provided which is why i went with one of the only few Italian dishes i know- the spaghetti bologneise 
Our last weekend in Melbourne, i dragged GT down to Brunswick, a suburb home to some pretty good cafes i’ve heard about.
The sweetest little kittens we saw enroute.
We had brunch at Poached that was soon packed shortly after our arrival. We could certainly see why; the food was really good and totally worth the long route we took to get to the cafe.
We then popped a couple doors down into Sugardough (isn’t that the cutest name?) They’re known for their hot chocolates and donuts. I honestly wasn’t too impressed by the custard donut i had- the donut was far too dry and the custard too thick for my liking. Their chai latte was really good though. I love the display of freshly baked bread and baked goods- i wanted to get them all!
So that concludes this very long post and the series of posts on Melbourne. Phew! Now back to (not so) regular food posting we go!
