A Day Trip to Yarra Valley - Innocent Bystander, Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery, and Yering Station

Can you believe it? I've lived in Melbourne for the past 8.5 years but I've never been to Yarra Valley up until last weekend.

I am embarrassed to admit it considering how close Yarra Valley is to the CBD, but I guess better late than never?

The Boyfriend and I took a short drive down to Yarra Valley and headed straight to Healesville for lunch at the popular Innocent Bystander Restaurant of which I made sure to book a day prior.

We kick started with these beautiful drinks. The Boyfriend had the Moscato & Sipsmith Summer Cocktail ($11) and I, on the other hand, chose the Moscato Granita ($11).

Both the drinks were brilliant! My Moscato Granita was sweet (but not overwhelmingly so) and very refreshing. I also had a sip of The Boyfriend's cocktail and I like how thirst-quenching it was.

To say that I love Innocent Bystander's pink moscato would be an understatement. Even though I've never been to the Yarra Valley, I've had the moscato a few times before and absolutely adore it.

We bought two big bottles home and I can't wait to open them! I may not a big wine drinker, but I do love my moscato and dessert wines. ;)

I've also heard a lot about Innocent Bystander's wood fire pizzas, so The Boyfriend and I decided we'd order one to share.

We opted for the spicy pork sausage, buffalo mozzarella, San Marzano tomato and chilli on organic sourdough base ($24).

It was divine; the base was thin, and the pizza although full of flavour, wasn't too heavy. If you're a big eater, you could easily finish one whole pizza by yourself.

My only complaint would be the lack of buffalo mozzarella. It would have been perfect with just an extra dollop or two of the cheese.

Three slices of pizza later, I was filled up, but The Boyfriend wanted more so we ordered the truffle and parmesan frites to share.

It was fantastic, yes, but I thought $11 was a lot to pay for a bowl of French fries. Plus, I found the fries a tad too salty for my liking.

The Boyfriend on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed it. I guess if you love your fries, then this is a must-order.

To wrap up, we ordered a canelé ($4) to share. It was my first time trying a canelé and I absolutely LOVED it! I really like how soft and custard-like the inside of the pastry is.

Paired with a thick and dark caramelized crust, I now finally understand why others rave about this little gem. It was also The Boyfriend's first try, and I could tell he was very impressed. ;)

Just as we were walking out the door, I spotted their bread stand and could not resist the organic sourdough loaf.

The Boyfriend and I bought a loaf home for dinner, and he claims it to be one of the best. That's a big claim considering how much he loves his sourdough. One day I will learn to make it for him, so he gets a loaf each week. I should get cracking on my starter soon! ;)

All in all, we both had a great experience at Innocent Bystander. Food and drinks were both great, and the wait staff were also very attentive and friendly. We'll definitely be back to try the other items off their menu. I promise it won't be another 8 years before I visit again. ;)

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Next stop after lunch was a short 15 minutes drive over to the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery. As its name suggest, there were a HUGE variety of chocolate, desserts and ice cream available to have in-store and to take-away.

It was a lot of fun seeing how chocolate was made, and just to see how much one can do with chocolate.

The Boyfriend and I were like kids (we're after all pretty young at heart) as we stood watching bars of chocolates going through their final chocolate coating as they travel along on a long conveyor belt at 8°C before emerging on the other end, all ready to be packaged.

There were also big, gigantic bowls of dark, white and chocolate chocolates to sample. But as I was immersed in all the chocolate, imagining myself in Willy Wonka's world, I've conveniently forgotten to take any other pictures of the chocolaterie.

The Boyfriend and I were still full from lunch, but thought we should at the very least try the ice cream.

We opted for the praline milk chocolate flavour to share and boy, it was one of the biggest scoop of ice cream we've ever been served, but divine, creamy goodness nonetheless.

A group of old ladies about 70-ish in age, were going all "OHHHH MY LORDDDD!!!" at how massive each scoop was. One of them said it at least 10 times and it was very cute of them - bless their little heart.

Before we left, The Boyfriend also bought me some premium hand-crafted truffles to take home. I love how pretty each individual chocolate looks and the packaging is really beautiful too.

I chose (clockwise from top) the macadamia, strawberry, mango, hazelnut, raspberry sweetheart and apple cider. I've yet to try them yet, but I will dig into them tonight. ;)

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Before we headed home, we made it a point to stop by Yering Station Winery on our way as I remember seeing how beautiful the winery looks in pictures.

I wanted to do a bit of wine tasting, but there were way too many people in queue, so I didn't get a chance. Although I didn't manage to do any wine tasting, I'm glad we stopped by anyway.

Yering Station is beautiful - the view from the restaurant in particular was stunning. I am hoping to return one day to dine here *wink wink at The Boyfriend* hehehe.

We took a slow stroll around the art gallery, digesting that massive ice cream and taking a couple of pictures along the way before we headed back home.

A big thank you to The Boyfriend for taking me on this short day trip - it was loads of fun! We should get out of town a little more often. ;)

As for you, my fellow readers, I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it. And if you haven't already been to Yarra Valley, I urge that you plan a visit soon. Maybe this weekend? The weather's looking pretty good with a top of 26°C. ;)

If you're keen on visiting the Yarra Valley, check out Wine Compass for private tours that can be tailored to suit you. Mention 'TheBakeanista' when you enquire with Wine Compass and if you book, they will buy you a bottle of wine of your choice (up to $40) on the day of your tour. :)

Third Wave Cafe, Prahran

Holla!!! How is everyone? I am finally back from my trip to Malaysia and feeling very very homesick. :( I thought, to take my mind off home and my parents, maybe I'd blog and keep myself busy.

This post on Third Wave Cafe has been saved as a draft for about two months now, so I thought best to actually finish writing it.

I was invited along with my +1 to the (then) newly opened Third Wave Cafe in Prahran late last year when they expanded from their Port Melbourne branch.

After I learned that Third Wave Cafe in Prahran was headed by Chef Ryo Kitahara, who is a protégé of Iron Chef Sakai, I accepted their invitation excitedly.

I dragged The Boyfriend along with me and we arrived at their bright, spacious cafe with clean setting one fine Saturday arvo.

For caffeine addicts, Third Wave Cafe offers 5 Senses coffee. However, we were not up for coffee that day so I went for the Hazelnut Hot Chocolate and The Boyfriend on the other hand, had an Ice Chocolate (not pictured).

It was very nutty - a little like Ferraro Roche in a drink! ;)

What I was also really pleased with is the option to go for lactose free milk, something most cafes do not offer.

Being able to pay that little extra (70 cents) for lactose free milk means I am able to have any drink I so desire. If only more cafes would offer lactose free milk too... (>.<)"

Anyhoos! We kick started our meal with a Russian Platter. I've never had Russian food before so I wasn't sure what to expect, nor do I have any benchmark to compare this with.

The Russian Platter includes Russian salad, two types of blintzes (mushroom & meat), syrniki (savoury pancakes) and meat dumplings.

The savoury pancakes were fluffy but nothing spectacular to shout about. It wasn't really what I had expected; eaten with sour cream and blueberry jam, it was more like a sweet pancake rather than savoury.

I freaking love the mushroom blintzes though. Don't bother going for the sample platter, just go ahead and order the mushroom crepes - it was amazeballs! ;)

These Russian meat dumplings, also known as 'pelmeni' served with a dollop of sour cream were a part of the sample platter.

As you can see, the skin was a little too thick (or maybe it is meant to be like that, I'm not sure) but I guess it was pretty alright. A little different if compared to Asian dumplings, I'd add.

At this stage we were already quite full, but we had another upcoming dish. Well you see, Third Wave Cafe offers their diners an extensive menu (which consist of American, Russian, Australian, Mexican, and even Paleo dishes) with a huge variety of choices.

Although I personally feel, with over 70+ items on the menu, it was really hard to decide what to have. I was contemplating between the Texan Fry Up or the American BBQ ribs, so The Boyfriend being the carnivore that he is, made the pick.

Served with beer battered chips, two house made sauces (spicy bourbon and horseradish) and coleslaw at the side, the American BBQ Beef Ribs arrived at our table smelling oh-so-good!

Meat was flavourful and smoky, but somewhat too salty for my liking. Plus, The Boyfriend and I also felt that the meat was a tad dry. It would have been better if the meat was a little more tender and juicy.

But those chips were good - super crispy! Wished I had more tummy space to have more, not that my waistline would thank me for it haha!

Our experience at Third Wave Cafe was overall pleasant, but I guess I've had better brunch elsewhere. Not sure if I'll be returning again.

Okay wait, I take my words back, maybe for those mushroom blintzes, I might. I won't make my way all the way to Prahran though, but I might consider if I'm already in the area.

The Merrywell at Crown

My parents were down for a short trip couple of weeks ago but considering they've been to Melbourne numerous times already, there weren't many tourist attractions left for us to take them to.

So as most Malaysians do, we took them out for meals, one after another. ;) My dad said towards the end of his trip, "Aiyo so fat already! All I do is eat and sleep only!" :P

We did return to several of their favourite places but we also managed to introduce a couple of new restaurants to them, with one of them being The Merrywell at Crown.

We started off with the Mini Wagyu Burgers which we absolutely loved! The buns were soft like baby's bottom, and the wagyu beef patties so tasty and succulent... My only complaint? These aren't great for sharing! I mean, they were too tasty, I could eat all three of them by myself! :P

Excuse this poor quality shot, the Firey Mojito Lamb Chops caught me by surprise when the waitress set the flames alive - I didn't expect that it would literally be "firey".

But hey, served along with toasted tabouleh, the lamb chops was delish and perfect eaten with the mint jelly - so so delicious! Except I would say $38 for 4 pieces of small lamb chops is a tad too pricey.

Dad wanted something more simple so we ordered the Rotisserie Chicken served with mashed potatoes and tomato olive jus. 

I took a small bite the entire drumstick (oops!) and really enjoyed it - the chicken meat was so juicy and tender!

These were only teasers. The highlight of the night then appeared a while later *jeng jeng jeng*...

The Caveman 1200g wet-aged for 35 days rib-eye! Despite its size, the meat was cook perfectly well and every bite was so heavenly good.

The Crispy Onion Rings that came with it were the best onion rings I've ever had too! Every thing that we had was really satisfactory. We were so super full and satisfied, I was already planning our next trip back! 

And to top it off, we got 25% off the total bill from using the Entertainment Book. ;) So, damage done for 5 at the end of the night was at a reasonable price of $140.

Definitely worth a visit if you haven't already been - The Merrywell did a good job and well exceeded my expectations. :)

PM24

It's been a while since I last posted a restaurant review. I have so many posts sitting in my draft folder, I don't know if they'll ever get the chance to see light. #lazyblogger :$

Whilst I don't usually head out for dinner on week nights (especially not on a Monday), it was an exception this week as my dearie Cheryl whom I met at uni has returned to Melbourne for a couple of days visit.

Cheryl is as much of a foodie as I am, and have suggested we try PM24. I thought why not? :)

I arrived 20 minutes before their opening hour of 6pm after work, but they were so kind to seat me whilst I await Cheryl's arrival.

Thankfully she is Singaporean and doesn't run on Malaysian timing (aka being fashionably late). :P

Glad we arrived early because we kicked start our meal with some warm bread, which was fresh out of the oven. :)

I LOVE the fragrant aroma of freshly baked bread - and got a tad excited as soon as I heard the oven go "ding! ding!" and saw the chef removing a tray of bread. Ahhhhhh! ♥

Anyhoos! Moving on to the food...

Cheryl and I decided to go with an entree and two mains to share. We (or more like me) thought for the entree, we should give the Burgundy Style Snails a go.

I've never had snails before, but I've read several fantastic reviews so I figured no harm trying. At most Cheryl can eat it all! :P

But these escargot cooked in garlic and parsley butter; and served with mouillettes were delish! I'm glad PM24 did a good job in helping me set a good first impression on em' snails.

It didn't take long after they've cleared the plates before both our mains arrived. I couldn't go past the rotisserie chicken served with a super cheesy macaroni gratin at the side!

The chicken was really tasty and flavourful! Being the food snob that I am, I cannot help but add that I would prefer for the chicken to be a tad more juicy, but otherwise it was perfect.

Cheryl and I also really enjoyed the super tender daube beef cheek bourgignon served with garlic mash.

PM24 did a really great job and the meat had the melt-in-your-mouth texture - just how I like my beef cheeks.

Although I have to add that the sauce was a tiny weeny bit too salty for our liking. I think it might be an Asian thing. :|

As much as we love desserts, we could barely stomach anymore food. Either portion size was huge or both Cheryl and I have small tummies.

I was so full I could almost roll home! All the way on our walk home, Cheryl must have at least heard me say "OMG I AM SO FULL" more than 10 times. Her poor ears! xD

All in all, I couldn't really fault (not majorly that is) all the dishes that we had at PM24 - it was a very satisfactory dinner. Even service was top notch. I would highly recommend that you give PM24 a go if you haven't already tried it! :)

And allow me to end my post with a picture of my bee-dohhhh-bee-dohhh buddy, Tom the minion and my favourite Korean grape lolly. Just because he is super cute. Heehee! ;)

Weekend is almost here now - can't wait to sleep in! I hope you all have had a great week thus far. Till the next post! :)

Cafe Sydney with my love!

As mentioned in my previous post, my very lovely (and generous!) Boyfriend took me on a short escapade to Sydney for my birthday.

Yeap, an all expense paid trip, and I got to choose a list of restaurants where I'd like to dine at throughout our 3d2n stay. Felt like the luckiest girl! *beams gleefully*

I chose Cafe Sydney for my birthday dinner date with the Boy, because like I've mentioned in my older post, the perfect atmosphere at Cafe Sydney itself sets you in a fantastic mood, that even before I was served with my food, I already felt happy.

And I did also say that hopefully the next time I visit, it'll be with my future (non-existent then) boyfriend, because I like how the ambience is quite romantic and it's a place I'd love to bring my him to, so I did!

Because he is nice like that, he suggested that instead of walking it, we take the ferry from Darling Harbour to Circular Quay because although I've been to Sydney about 9-10 times now, I've never rode on the ferry before.

Boy, was I glad that he did! Enjoyed the lovely breeze from cruising on the top deck, and enjoyed the lovely view of the harbour. :)

We finally arrived at Circular Quay after a 20 minutes ride, which on a side note, costed us $6 each! Why are public transport in Sydney so freaking expensive? It's madness really! Now I understand why my Sydney friends often say that they gotta walk a lot.

Anyhoos! We were greeted by friendly staff members who escorted us to our table by the window (yay!), overlooking the beautiful view of the Harbour Bridge where we watch the sun slowly set into the horizon.

A tip if you're keen to dine at Cafe Sydney, remember to always make a booking. Try asking for an outdoor table if you're up for it. Even in winter I think you'd be pretty comfortable as there will be heaters and they will even offer you with blankets. ;)

We started off with some mocktails (yes, I'm a weirdo who does not like cocktails) and spiced caramelised onion naan which tasted fantastic.

We didn't want to fill our tummies up with any more entree as the Boyfriend knew how much I was eyeing the dessert platter. So, we jumped straight into mains.

The brother swore by the Wagyu beef tenderloin. He has always dubbed this to be the best steak he has ever had, in his life. Mind you, he's one helluva fussy eater so for him to say that it's the best, it must have tasted pretty awesome.

So, of course the Boyfriend who does appreciate his steak couldn't have gone past not ordering this Wagyu dish. It was needless to say flavourful, tender and juicy!

But! It's not the best I've had, and also especially with a hefty price tag of $66, The Barn does better.

My brother has definitely missed out on the best. :P He needs to follow us up to The Barn. Maybe when we make another trip up to Mount Gambier again. One day.

I, on the other hand, had this super yummy South Australian pink snapper served with spanner crab cannelloni, atop a bunch of asparagus, green pea and crustacean bisque.

Can I just say that this was the best asparagus I've ever had in my life and the bisque was so good that I almost licked every drop that my spoon wasn't able to scoop up? So so yum!!

And to the best part of our night!!! I was quite full but I still couldn't go past the dessert platter which consist of three different desserts!!! Ahhh.... how amazing does that look, hey? *rubs belly*

My ultimate favourite was the warm raspberry tart served with raspberries, honey cream and raspberry ice cream. It was so refreshing and needless to add, DIVINE!!!

I also really enjoyed the peanut butter parfait, served with fried banana, salted caramel peanuts and chocolate ice cream. I don't know about you, but I love the PB + choc combo - so indulgent!

The final dessert was the double chocolate slice which was served with candied orange, orange sorbet, and cream fraiche.

It was quite yum, but at this point, I was feeling so stuffed, I couldn't stomach any more food.

Plus, it was too rich for my liking and the boyfriend, although a big fan of rich chocolate, was too full, so we didn't finish this last piece. :/

I know right, I am not usually one who would waste desserts but I was that full I could roll back!

T'was a very satisfying dinner and I had a really good time, but I'm not sure if I'll be returning again any time soon now that I've been there twice already. There are so many places in Sydney that I'd love to try! 

For those who have never been, it is a must go. Especially if you're on a date! Your partner would definitely be impressed. ;)

 Thank you my love, for the wonderful night! :)

And here's one last shot of the pretty Harbour Bridge view before we took a short walk back to our hotel.