Max Brenner 2

We thought we'd go another round of Max Brenner's. We wanted to try something different so we had the pizza... yes chocolate pizza. It seemed strange to me at first but got used to the idea after my first bite. I do have to say though I only managed to have 2 slices as it's VERY sweet. Hubby managed the rest : )




The pizza is a warm thin pastry with double melted chunks of chocolate, melted marshmallows and candied hazelnuts.



It does look good, doesn't it?


Bon Appetite
Cherrie

Fish 'n' Chips

We decided to have a fish and chips night. We went to Rex Hunt's D'Lish Fish in Port Melbourne.


When we got there for dinner, the queue to order was out the door. The fish and chip shop is popular place for not only the locals but also for all Victorians. Hubby, Little one and I shared the D'Lish duet which included 2 fillets of whiting, 2 potato cakes, 2 dim sims 2 seafood sticks and minimum chips. Little one loved the chips.







Bon Appetite
Cherrie

Coconut Flan with Caramel

Firstly... YUM!


Ever since I saw this in one of the blogs I read, I've been really wanting to make this dessert. I'm glad I've finally made it. Thanks for the recipe Lao Cha - JHL!

I really love this. The texture of the flan was melting and spongy. The coconut flavour didn't over power the rest of the flan and the caramel wasn't too sweet. It acutally lifted the flavour of the flan.



This is a MUST make.

Bon Apetite
Cherrie

Max Brenner

Today was cold and wet. It was a perfect kind of day to go to Max Brenner at Highpoint Shopping Centre. This is a cafe specialises in chocolate. They are famous for their hot chocolates served in a hug mug, which is was Hubby got. He said it's the best hot chocolate he's tasted. Now that's saying a lot!



I had the suckao with dark chocolate. A suckao is a special cup with a tea light candle underneath to keep the milk warm. You then given a small plate of chocolate buds and you put as much as you want in the cup to get the texture and thickness you want. You get a special stainless steel spoon that has a straw where you can suck the hot chocolate with. It's very decadent.


Hubby and I had Belgian waffles to share. It was drizzled with melted chocolate and served with fresh bananas and strawberries and vanilla ice cream. The waffle was sweet and sticky. The fresh fruit really went well with it. yummo!

If you get a chance to go to Max Brenner, you should go. The hot chocolate is to die for.



Bon Appetite
Cherrie

Grill'd

I had Friday night off from work so Hubby took Little One and me on a date.

We went to Grill'd in Highpoint .



It's been a while since I've had beef burger so I was quite excited. For anyone who hasn't been to Grill'd, it's a burger bar - be it beef, lamb, chicken and even vegie. Back in 2005, Matt Preston voted the "Mighty Melbourne" burger the best in town. So Hubby had to try it. It was massive - as you can see in the pic below. It had the beef patty, cheese, bacon, egg, beetroot, salad, relish and herbed mayo.

I had the Mustard & Pickled. It had the beef patty, dijon mustard, dill pickle, cheese, salad and relish. It took 4 bites before I even got to the beef patty. It was huge and it was hard to ea but when I finally got there, it was delish.


As a side we ordered Regular fries with sweet chili mayo dipping sauce. The chips were chunky and crunchy. It was cooked with rosemary and garlic. Fantastic.



I will definitely go back.

Bon Appetite
Cherrie

Back to my roots challenge #8

Today I went to the local Filipino Grocery shop in St. Albans. I saw this... Cassava Cake. This is a classic Filipino dessert.


I haven't had one of these is ages. Cassava is a woody plant that is cultivated for it's root which can be used for cassava flour and tapioca.

i've found many different recipes of the cassava cake online. However, the basic ingredients are grated cassava, condensed milk, coconut milk and butter. The toppings can also vary. Some have condensed milk, egg yolks or (my favourite) coconut milk. It's first baked in the oven then placed under the grill to brown the topping.



Bon appetite
Cherrie

Pork a la Cherrie

Sometimes scrounging around in the fridge and pantry for what to cook for dinner can create a yummy dish.

I found pork belly and so I decided to create a rub for the pork and bake in the oven.

The rub consisted of approximately 1 cup of brown sugar, 2 tspns of chinese 5 spice powder, ground cumin seeds, paprika and coriander seeds. I rubbed this into the meat thoroughly and baked in the oven for about 30 to 40 minutes. Basically, you can use any spice mix you like but I think you need to use pork belly. The layers of fat in this pork helps carry the flavour of the rub into the meat.



I served this with rice but you can have it potatoes and vegies.

Bon Appetite
Cherrie

Anniversary Weekend

This weekend was our 6th Wedding Anniversary.

I was very fortunate to have been offered a complimentary stay at the Adelphi Hotel. After reading this post, one of the co-owners, Damien, was kind enough to offer me a free night at his hotel.

Adelphi Hotel is located at 187 Flinders Lane, Melbourne and is an intimate boutique hotel. The interior decor is funky and modern where every room has wifi, broadband, an LCD TV, a Bose iPod Dock and an autographed copy of Teage Ezard's cookbook. I have to tell you, I was sooo tempted to take the cookbook :p



The hotel staff were friendly and helpful. When we arrived there was a small fruit platter in our room and the general manager, Andrew, left a personal welcome note. Personal touches like that is what makes the Adelphi Hotel stand apart from those big multi-chain hotels.


Now, how can I talk about the Adelphi and not mention THAT pool!


The pool is located on the rooftop of the hotel, where part of it hangs over the roof overlooking Finders Lane. The part of the pool that overhangs has a glass floor so you can see down onto the street when you go for a swim. Unfortunately, the day was too cold to go for a few laps of the pool.



Here is hubby's contribution to the worlds most photographed pool...


On the ground floor of the hotel is Ezard's. An internationally acclaimed restaurant. Since we dined at Ezard's a couple of month's back (see this post), we decided to have our dinner at Neil Perry's Rockpool Bar and Grill. We have been here before earlier this year but we enjoyed it so much we decided to return. The menu hasn't changed much since our last visit but that was OK since I planned to have the wagyu beef anyway.

For starters, Hubby and I shared a ham and salami tasting plate. It consisted of Serrano Ham from Spain , Joselito Iberico Ham from Northern Spain, San Daniele Prosciutto from Italy and an Australian Salami. (I'm sorry I can't remember the name). Each ham had a different flavour from each other. Personally I liked the Joselito Iberico Ham. It was full of flavour and it melted in the mouth. (I have to go out and look for some to buy.)

For the mains, Hubby opted for the woodfired Grilled Pigeon with parsnip, pears and radicchio. I ordered the Wagyu. I am so glad I finally had a taste of the wagyu beef. It was tender and luscious in the mouth. For our sides we shared the "mac and cheese" and sauteed Brussel Sprouts with bacon, onions and burnt butter. As the waiter said "you gotta have your sprouts!" That was delish. The reason why it was so good, we found out later, is that fat from the joselito iberico ham was used in it.

And finally for dessert I had Orange Creme Caramel and Hubby had the Strawberry salad with vanilla panacotta. My creme caramel was nice and had a bitter tang to it due to the orange. Hubby's dessert was different. It was served in a martini glass. The strawberry "salad" had pistachios and tiny cubes of jelly. In the middle sat a layer of vanilla panacotta. It was topped off with rose granita. I think I would have liked that if it wasn't for the rose granita.... not a fan of rose flavourings.

Hubby and I had a fantastic weekend for our anniversary. On Sunday morning we picked up the Little One from home and went out for a drive.

Fantastic hotel, fabulous food and great company. That's Melbourne...



Bon Appetite
Cherrie

Lemon Slice

Hubby likes all things lemony. I found a recipe for a choc-peppermint slice but there was a variation of that recipe for a Lemon slice. I decided to make the lemon version for him. I will make the choc-peppermint version next time.

I've included the recipe below of the lemon slice but if you want to try the original recipe substitute the lemon rind and juice for 2 X 35g peppermint crisp chocolate bars and top with 200g chocolate melted with 2 tspns of vegie oil.

This recipe is very easy because apart from melting the butter, there is no cooking or baking involved.

• BASE


• 250g plain sweet biscuits


• 100g butter, chopped


• 1/2 cup (125ml) sweetened condensed milk


• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind


• 1 tablespoon lemon juice


• LEMON ICING


• 1 1/4 cups (200g) icing sugar


• 10g butter


• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Grease 19cm X 29cm slice pan; line base with two long sides with baking paper, extending paper 2 cm over the long sides.


2. Process 200g of the biscuits until fine. Chop remaining biscuits coarsely.


3. Combine butter and milk in a small saucepan; stir over low heat until smooth.


4. Combine the biscuits with the lemon rind and juice in a medium bowl and stir in the butter mixture.


5. Press mixture firmly into the slice pan and refrigerate, covered for 20minutes or until set.


6. Meanwhile, stir the ingredients for the icing in a small heatproof bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water until smooth.


7. Spread icing over the slice and refrigerate until firm before cutting into squares.

Lemon Slice @ Group Recipes




Bon Appetite
Cherrie