[Travel Tasmania] Pre-Lunch at The Pondering Frog

This was our pit-stop for some hot food after a short wine tasting at Devil's Corner. Yes, seven early eight early at 10+am, me and Tracy sipped Tasmanian wine and now, we need to refuel our tummies.

quaint cafe

The whole place gives out a childhood vibes. Fun and unserious, possibly.

pondering about life, perhaps?

pretty extensive

The cafe was fairly busy as it was near lunch time, though still a tad early. Browsed the menu and looked like they had plenty of options and also Asian food like curry noodles (or was it laksa), and rice dishes similar to those one would find at zichar stalls (Asian stir-fry). 

Salt and Pepper Wings @AUD12

drumlets or winglets for you?

I thought salt & pepper would be 'dryer' version but eventually through out the trip, it seemed to be heavy on garlic and has sauce/glaze.

We were hungry, so ordered rice dishes to share.

Black Bean Beef @AUD20

Honey Chicken @AUD22

Rice was well cooked and the stir-fry tasty. Honey chicken had the crispiest shell and although it could be less sweet, overall very likeable. Black bean sauce was not too salty and lovely to have broccoli and all the vege in that dish.

so cute, Ivan's order

One thing that I wanted to get next at this place, was the ice-cream.

what is your pick?

Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Coated @AUD7.50

It was interesting to see that the ice-cream cone were all ready packed and staff would just need to take it out from the freezer. Oh, the regular cone was huge!

hurry hurry before it melts

It was a nice meal at a nice place. Come say hi to the owner or the staff. Friendly people.

The Pondering Frog

Address: 16494 Tasman Hwy, Bicheno TAS 7215, Australia

Website: http://ponderingfrog.com.au/

Business Hours:

Daily: 8 am–7 pm

Lunch at Birds of A Feather @ Amoy Street

Am no stranger to Birds but it has been quite a while since I last dined there. Went back to enjoy a quiet lunch with Kris and Ivan. Glad that we made time for this quick catch-up.

Starters

Crab and Avocado Bruschetta

Crab and Avocado Bruschetta

The starters came in handy as I was feeling pretty hungry that day, having only had small pieces of pastries and coffee for breakfast. The rendition of "Crab and Avocado Bruschetta" is still visually stunning after all these years. Tasted light and healthy, with small burst of sweetness from bits of pomegranate and green apple slices.

Find the Chicken in the Chillies 

Find the Chicken in the Chillies @$19

You might have noticed that the "Find the Chicken in the Chilies" is my must order at Birds and yes, it still is. Noted that the spice level and numbing factor have been toned down. Still a nice snack especially if you're having ice cold beer or prosecco.

Main Course

Barramundi Chazuke

Barramundi Chazuke @$36

cracker on the side (to keep it crisp), chazuke (bubbling)

Barramundi Chazuke is indeed a dish that whets the appetite. Sour, tangy and deeply flavoured broth that soothes the soul. I liked it with the crackers. Fish taste was clean with firm texture. Be careful when sipping the broth as the hotstone bowl kept the soup bubbling for a short while after it was served. There is an equivalent of one bowl of rice in the pot, hence this is suitable to be eaten by self as main course or shared with a friend, with a side appetiser and a dessert.

Pan Seared Fillet, Classic Sichuan Sour Vegetable Fish Broth, Mustard Green, Japanese Rice

Charred Marinated Octopus

Charred Marinated Octopus @$32

Sichuan Pita, Pork Ragout

Sichuan Chopped Chillies Salsa, Baby Arugula, Joyn Tomato, Feta

Staff has informed us to mix well the octopus with the salsa before packing them onto the sliced Sichuan Pita (the charcoal looking mantou). Topped it up with the pork ragout. Octopus was nicely tender and I liked it with loads of the pork ragout for extra flavours.

Sichuan Pita, Pork Ragout and Octopus

Oxtail Mapo Tofu

Oxtail Mapo Tofu @$38

I believe most of us probably would have tried mapo at some point before, but mapo tofu with oxtail? This is my first time trying this combo! Expect the beefy taste of the oxtail that's fork tender and the lovely savoury bean-paste fragrance of the mapo tofu. Must eat with rice for the complete experience. I think one could eat two bowls of rice with this. This dish was pretty laid back in the spice quotient, so it could be enjoyed by most.

good with rice

Staff are generally friendly and would inform the guests to be careful of hot surfaces, water continuously topped up and would do a brief introduction of the dishes when presented to the table. Thank you Mei Zhen and Yiling for taking care of our table that day. Apologies if I had mis-spelt your name.

We ended our meal with a cup of coffee. Thanks for the nice latte-art! And of course, special thanks to Eugene for your kind hospitality, in making sure we were well-fed as always.

Mocha @$8

Birds of a Feather

Address: 115 Amoy St, #01-01, Singapore 069935

Website: https://www.birdsofafeather.com.sg/

Contact: 97557115

Business Hours:

Mon - Thu: 12–3 pm, 6–11 pm

Fri - Sat: Friday, 12–3 pm, 6 pm–12 am

Sun: Sunday, 12–3 pm, 6–10 pm

[Jeju] Bakery with Seaview @ Seogwipean Bakery 서귀피안 베이커리

It was a day to travel up north, heading towards Seongsan Ilchulbong. We stopped by Seogwipean Bakery for breakfast.

Seogwipean Bakery

sea view

signboard

entering the building

The baked goods and cashier are at Level 1. The freshly baked pastries are on display and one could also check out the baking schedule, for the freshest availability of your favourites.

Level 1

display area

schedule for fresh bakes

There are seats at Level 1 as well as Level 2. The higher level offers a better view of the sea.

so cute

Jeju Black Pork sandwich

Jalapeno bread

matcha croissant

Not sure about you but I felt the urge to buy all those cutesy/delicious looking breads/pastries. Alas, need to refrain as stomach space is limited and we'll be out the whole day and this is just our first stop!

Bring your tray of breads/pastries that you have selected to the cashier and the staff will enquire if you like the bread to be sliced (or to be heated up etc), whether you'll have it dine-in or take-away. For drinks, I ordered the Jeju Green Barley Coffee, one of their indicated signature. I asked the staff if hot or iced is better and he said he prefers it hot, so I got that.

Level 2

view from Level 2

We brought our breads and drinks upstairs to enjoy. Will be keeping the jalapeno bread for tea-break.

takeaway

nice place to stare into space while sipping on a drink

cheddar cheese cookie

The cookie was very flavourful with strong cheddar cheese. Pretty filling too! The Jeju Green Barley Coffee only had a slight hint of barley and loved the matcha cream in it. Comforting and yummy.

Jeju Green Barley Coffee @₩8500

It was a nice place to chill before heading towards the next destination. 

Seogwipean Bakery 서귀피안 베이커리

Address: 17 2F Sinyang-ro 122beon-gil, Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do, South Korea

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seogwipean_bakery/

Contact: +82647837884

Business Hours:

Daily: 8 am–8 pm

[Jeju] Pit Stop at Youdong Coffee 유동커피 Seogwipo

Day 4 of our Jeju travel and it is now time to cafe hop! For our first cafe, I chose Youdong Coffee. No particular reason besides it being along our route of travel. However, this random choice turned out to be a good one!

first view of the cafe

let's chill on a Sunday morning

award winning barista

Arrived at about 920am, and the place was not too crowded. Probably Sundays are for sleeping in! 

interior

We ordered our preferred drinks and shared some pastries. The drinks selection were pretty good but the pastries were somewhat limited. Not an issue as we wanted to have just a quick stop here.

mugwort latte (no coffee) @₩5000

cafe latte @₩4500

maple croffle and sammaebong pie @₩3900 and ₩4800 respectively

The croffle, looks somewhat different from what I had imagined. I think I haven't eaten enough croffle! Tasted pretty sweet, and actually can't remember much of its texture. But definitely more of a waffle than a croissant.

maple croffle

The Sammaebong Pie was interesting and I ordered it, just because it has an interesting name and we don't really know what to expect of it. The pastry was flaky as expected and its taste was somewhat familiar. I pondered on it and suddenly, I knew what it tasted like. Kaya! Hahaha, pretty much unexpected to find a taste of home in Jeju.

flaky

familiar tasting jam

And for my drink, I had the 'Tiramisu' coffee. Inside, was a cup of cold milk cream. Not frothy but like cream cream. I must say, it tasted awesome! Loved it!

Tiramisu Cafe Latte @₩5000

amazing cup of coffee dessert

Felt like that cuppa was a dessert on its own. Satisfying and totally recommend you to try the Tiramisu Cafe Latte.

Youdong Coffee 유동커피 

Address: 406-1 태평로 Songsan-dong, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do, South Korea

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youdongcoffee_company/

Contact: +82647336662

Business Hours: 

Daily: 8am to 1030pm