[Travel Tasmania] Room For A Pony @ Hobart

We flew from Melbourne Airport to Hobart and this is marks my first time in Tasmania! WoOooHoOoo! Thanks to the meticulous planning by the boys, we hopped onto our rental and off we went in search for lunch.

Decided to go somewhere nearby our would be accommodation for the night.

going to town

Our lunch was at a place called "Room For A Pony". Staff said don't quote her but once upon a time, indeed there was a stable for pony but now, there's none.

The restaurant/cafe looked pretty cosy from across the road, with beautiful lawn where one could feel the breeze and the bright sun. Alfresco dining is available and there were two tables where guests enjoyed their lunch outdoors.

We? Hiding inside the airconditioned place, of course. Hahahaa.

bright and sunny

We decided to go for a couple of pizzas and I thought we would be doing two. Well, I thought wrong. How could this foodie gang stop at just 2 mains? Ended up with one appetiser and three pizzas for the 5 of us.

Grilled Halloumi and Tzatziki @AUD23

Napoletana @AUD25

Eggplant Siciliana @AUD30

Capricciosa @AUD32

The size of the pizza was definitely pretty huge for us. Keke, legendary again! The grilled halloumi was tasty and refreshing with the tzatziki but again, it was a huge plate.

For pizzas, one can't be too dainty when eating this. Fork and knife, if you wish but for casual dining, I'd grabbed one with hands. Easier.

can't fit onto my palm

Napoletana flavours were strong especially if you bit onto the anchovies or black olives. I like it but I think this need to be paired with beer or cider. Eggplant Siciliana was interesting as I never had eggplant on my pizza before. Smokey flavours with occasional slight bitterness and overall, very filling. With some doesn't like olives, some don't like eggplant, the crowd favourite unsurprisingly went to Capricciosa, for the ingredients on the pizza were something that we commonly choose back home.

thin crust, loaded with ingredients, packed with flavours

when in Tassie, drink apple juice

So, did we finish all the food? Answer was no. We packed the leftovers pizza to take back for dinner. Staff was really nice and friendly. It was lovely talking to you!

Room For A Pony

Address: 338 Elizabeth St, North Hobart TAS 7000, Australia

Website: http://roomforapony.com.au/

Contact: +61362310508

Business Hours:

Mon-Fri: 7 am–9 pm

Sat: 8 am–10 pm

Sun: Sunday, 8 am–9 pm

[Travel Melbourne] State Library Victoria, Lunch at Pho Thin and Gelato at Piccolina

steps leading to State Library Victoria

gull

Went to eat grab pho after the visit to State Library.

 

signage

lunch hour

small spaces

The shop was busy as it was lunch hour and we waited for about 15 mins for a table. Scan the QR code to order. I got myself the fatty brisket while Hence got the non-fatty version. 

The brisket slices retained quite a bit of chew and the soup was certainly comforting on a cold day. The noodles were softer than expected and pretty similar to hor fun.

fatty brisket @AUD16.50

softer than expected

fatty, indeed

plenty of greens

There's still water from the dispenser, and cutleries self-service from the counter.

fried donut (cute looking doughstick) 

pickled garlic slices

Pho Tin has another shop opposite the one that we dined in.

Pho Thin 13 Lo Duc MELBOURNE

Address: Shop 3/399 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

Website: https://www.foodbooking.com/ordering/restaurant/menu?restaurant_uid=3336ba80-9783-40f2-977a-d49fbb815e7d

Business Hours:

Daily: 10:30 am–8:30 pm

We saw the gelato shop during the daytime but only Ivan had space in his stomach for some. Then, we returned at night for some more!

time for some sweets

guess which flavour I got

stracciatella and pistachio (double)

Staff said I made a good choice when I wanted the pistachio and stracciatella. Didn't know what's a stracciatella and thought it could be some sort of cheese  but it turned out to be vanilla with some choco bits in it. The gelato was really good and I enjoyed it. Double scoop was a good value too!

Piccolina Gelateria

Address: 43 Hardware Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

Website: https://www.piccolinagelateria.com.au/shop

Business Hours:

Daily: 12–11 pm

[Travel Melbourne] Meatmaiden @ Little Collins Street

We were in the mood for a little bit of steak and one that doesn't requires us to cook it ourselves. Yeah, finally visiting a steakhouse during this Melbourne trip, yay!

It was an impromptu decision and on the very first evening of our Melbourne trip. Lucky us, Salina helped to secure a reservation to the restaurant on super short notice.

Its website stated "Meatmaiden is an underground steakhouse and cocktail bar in the heart of Melbourne where the classics are reimagined, reinterpreted and twisted."

entrance

going underground

Indeed, once we entered the building, we needed to get down the stairs to the restaurant. Somewhat exuding the dark, industrial decor yet classy.

booth seats

The place was bustling on a Saturday evening. We opted for an early dinner at 5pm otherwise the next seating was at 8pm.

menu

Selected a couple of appetisers, and two mains to share amongst the 6 of us as we had late lunch earlier at 2+pm. Staff was helpful with their recommendations as well. For the mains, we enquired about their specials (not in the menu) and Chef shared that we could opt for the Mayura Station Wagyu (full-blood wagyu) 600gm or 1kg as they have that on our day of visit. Ooh, let's try!

I needed to Google to find out more pertaining to the difference between full blood and purebred cattle. Full blood often refers to cattle that are 100% in breed purity. Purebred usually refers to cattle that are bred up fairly close to fullblood (~> 93.75%), but have the genetics of another breed.

Start

Grilled Bread

Grilled Bread, Cowboy Butter @AUD12

Oh my goodness gracious! I am impressed by the grilled bread. So so tasty with its sweet caramelized outer layer and fluffy-chewy bread, and topped with saoury-salty cowboy butter. Must try. Thank you Chef for sending these to our table.

Grilled Octopus

Charred Octopus @AUD26

Octopus was tender and paired well with the potato aioli. 

Roasted Bone Marrow

Roasted Bone Marrow @AUD24

Wow, I liked the bone marrow at Meatmaiden. More flavorful than any other bone marrows that I had in the past. Lovely combination with the raclete custard. Rich and delightful.

Burnt Ends

Burnt Ends @AUD23

Hmm, am not a fan of burnts ends as the ones that I had in the past, tend to be overly seasoned. The version here was strongly flavoured but not overly so. 

Chopped Wagyu Tartare

crisps

Chopped Wagyu Tartare @AUD24

The chopped wagyu tartare was by far, had the most interesting appearance amongst all the dishes served, with that cloak of green on-top of it. Hehe, this sure was a conversation piece. Mix it well and place a some tartare onto the crisps and enjoy. I liked the tartare with its Asian influenced flavours, without the crisps though. So good.

Again, thanks to Chef Jesse for sending the wagyu tartare over to our table for us to try!

Drinks

There's plenty of selection in their drinks menu, but I opted for red wine to complement the steak later.

Malbec, France @AUD17

Thank you the to staff who poured generously into the glass, cheers!

Mains

Smoked Short Ribs

Smoked Short Ribs @AUD54

The smoked short ribs was fork tender yet retained a nice chew for its meat. Loved the pickled cucumber ribbon on its side.

Mayura Station Wagyu Bone-In Ribeye Steak

Mayura Station Bone-In Ribeye (600 gm)

sauces: garlic & thyme jus, beef fat bernaise, three pepper sauce and wild mushroom

After having a taste, this has quickly became my current favourite steak of all-times! Well seasoned, and flavourful on its own. Paired with beef fat bearnaise for that additional oomph! Fantastic.

medium rare

Sides

Lobster Mac & Cheese

Lobster Mac & Cheese @AUD40

First time seeing, mac & cheese served with bisque.

mandatory pour-shot for the bisque

It was an interesting experience to eat the mac & cheese with the bisque.

All in all, it was an enjoyable experience at Meatmaiden where the flavours are very pronounced, and the staff were pretty good in keeping the guests well taken care of. So kudos, and thank you to the team!

Special thanks to Salina who introduced the place to us, and Gan and Jesse who made time to chit chat a bit with us.

Foodie experience with Ivan, Hence, Tracy, Salina and Shermaine. Thank you everyone as we managed to try quite a bit of things here! Legends.

Meatmaiden

Address: 195 Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

Website: https://meatmaiden.com.au

Contact: +61390787747

Business Hours:

Sun - Mon: Closed

Tue: Tuesday, 5–9:30 pm

Wed - Thu: 12–2:30 pm, 5–9:30 pm

Fri: Friday, 12–2:30 pm, 5–10 pm

Sat: Saturday, 5–10 pm

[Travel Melbourne] Biting into Lune and Bakemono

During the last visit to Melbourne 2 years back, we passed by Lune and there was a long line for its bakes. This time, we made it a point to check it out and hence, we were there before the shop opens to see how things are. Well, the queue is still there!

Lune

we were early

get your card ready

When you reach inside the shop, at the payment counter is also where they display their available bakes for the day. Take a quick look and place in your order, and pay by card.

guess which 3 we chose

Happy that the shop offers still and sparkling water dispenser, so help yourself to the water while waiting for the beverages and pastries. There's a long communal table indoor, so everyone who wants to dine-in will stand there to enjoy the pastries.

Thank you to the staff who brought the drinks and pastries to our table.

Carbonara (September Special)

Kouign Amann @AUD9.50

Cheese & Vegemite Escargot @AUD10.70

I was curious about the vegemite and it tasted as it looked. Savoury, salty.

The best tasting was the savoury Carbonara for its bacon bits, and cheese. Yummy.

Hot Chocolate @AUD6.10

White Coffee @AUD5.80 (Salina insisted on the placement of the paperbag =x)

Lune Croissanterie Melbourne CBD

Address: Shop 16/161 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

Website: https://www.lunecroissanterie.com/food-menu-melbourne-cbd/

Business Hours:

Mon - Fri: 7:30 am–5 pm

Sat - Sun: Saturday, 8 am–5 pm

Bakemono

After which, we walked to our next bakery, Bakemono as this was recommended by Salina's friend and was also in our radar for one of the places we wanted to try during this trip.

let's queue

shop front for the curious

We waited in line, and as you approaches the side entrance to the shop, the available bakes for the day are displayed so one could have around that few minutes to decide on what they want before entering the shop.

guess what we chose

Go in, place your order and payment by cash or card. The staff would ask for your name and they will call out for you once the pastries are packed and good to go. Yeah, this place is for take-aways only.

So once you're done with payment, just wait outside of the main entrance for your name to be called.

can't wait to try!

There's a plain croissant, almond croissant, Spinach feta cheese danish and scones. We went to the park at the State Library Victoria to enjoy the pastries.

are you eyeing the pastries?

 

almond croissant

crisp flaky on the outside, and soft inside

this my favourite

Canele

The price range for Bakemono is around AUD6.50 onwards. Loved their croissant and danish with is extra flaky and buttery-ness. Staff was friendly and the queue moves pretty fast.

Bakemono Bakers

Address: 273 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

Website: http://bakemonobakers.com.au/

Business Hours:

Mon - Fri:  7:30 am–3 pm

Sat - Sun: Saturday, 8:30 am–3 pm