Cooling down in Summer [Story in a Cup]

4/9 Yarra Street
South Yarra, VIC 3141 

Hello everyone :)
It's been a while since the last post, been busy with uni and work :(
This is just a short post and hope you enjoy! 
Finally managed to get around to going to this Frozen Yoghurt place I heard of. If you haven't noticed, Melbourne has been heating up and some Frozen Yoghurt just seemed like the perfect choice to cool me and a few friends down ! :D

The place is called 'Story in a Cup'. It's a self-serve yoghurt place similar to Tutti Frutti. Their concept is that you make your own story with your yoghurt. I thought this was a really good concept and proceeded to make my story.

As I come up to the store, I see the interior of their store through the front window. The front window's text is simple, clear and straight to the point. No confusing jargon here. :)

As I entered, I can see the self serve machines. They currently have 6 flavours. Still, 6 flavours is more than enough for me.
I was really having a hard time choosing which one I really wanted! ):<

For their menus, they show the types of yoghurt they have two by two along with suggestions for the toppings. You can choose from the original and then to special ones like the organic coconut!

Do I even need to say they have lots of toppings?
They have your normal ones like strawberries and mango fruit but they also had interesting ones like gummi bears! :O

For seating you have these small doll house like chair and tables. They're not bad, they fit in with the feel of the shop :)

The one on the right is a regular cup with all the yoghurt flavours except the orginal. You can see I went a bit overboard with the toppings ...
All the yoghurt is really nice though, they're not overly sweet or strong in their respective flavours compared to other frozen yoghurt places like Tutti Frutti and Cacao Green. My one was about 330 grams and it set me back $8.25. Fair price in my opinion.

 


The one on the left is my friend's one; he got coconut yoghurt with walnuts :) He kept going on about how amazing it was, so that should tell you his story haha

If you end up going here and want to come back, make sure you get one of these! Buy more and get discounts, what more can you ask for? :)

Wrap Up!

Story in a Cup

The frozen yoghurt was really nice in my opinion. Not too sweet but not too strong. The belgian chocolate had a fair amount of flavour, the organic coconut gave a smooth consistent taste, the mango mojo was like an extra kick, the blueberry dream melted incredible well and the cool watermelon finished it off making them all an amazing story in a cup.

Food: 9/10
Service: 10/10
Price: 8/10
Overall: 9/10

I hoped for more flavours and the price was a fair price as I said before :)
Nonetheless, it's a must try!

Til next time I crave,

~R.

'The World in a Bun' [Bao Now]

119 Hardware Lane
Melbourne, VIC 3000

Hello everyone :)

Just a few things to note from now on. I am using my own personal watermark for this blog's picture (hoorah~) and I shall be trying to keep each post to one restaurant only so I will add more information about the place if possible! Also since I'm at it, going to change the format a bit too! :)

This post is about 'Bao Now', an up and coming restaurant that takes the traditional Steam Buns and gives them an international twist! :)

A Bit of a Back Story

The owners of the store, David and Ricky, came up with the idea of putting the world's flavours into a bun three years ago. Well initially they thought to do it in a taco since at that time there was no good Mexican food around but they got set back by costs of working in Melbourne. They changed from tacos to buns since by the time they had set up a solid business as a cake distributor, Melbourne got overrun by Mexican food. Through lots of experimentation of the dough and the fillings, they have set up in Melbourne for about a month now! :)

Everyone has heard of the typical steamed bun with the pork or chicken filling, or even the red bean and custard fillings.

However if you're like me, then something new wouldn't hurt once in a while. This is where this small restaurant comes in, they have taken your stereotypical steamed bun and thrown in some ingredients that you wouldn't normally expect.

The interior design is small and quaint. They have a small restaurant area inside and outside as you can see.

It really has a welcoming atmosphere starting from the warm lights to the smell of the food to the cheery owner that greets you and gives you a good chat while you eat :)

While you're eating, you can check out what they have in store for the future of their business.

On the wall is a map of the world and what flavours that they have or are going to incorporate into the steamed buns :D

It's such an interesting range of foods that could be the next 'Bao'. They even welcome suggestions!

Me and my friends have contributed a few suggestions and we look forward to see if any of them become part of their menu :9

Once you've taken in the atmosphere of the quaint little store, you are welcomed by the menu on the wall. Damn, is that a menu.. There's so many choices!

You have four options from each savoury, san choy or dessert baos and also four options for rice dishes.

Luckily if you can't make a decision, they have these meal deals for all the sorts of baos.

The individual baos are $3 each and you have a variety of choices from the savoury buffalo chicken filling to the dessert style cheesecake fillings.

They certainly have thought an interesting concept of inheriting the orginal Chinese Baos and giving them a twist with international fillings.

The meal deal I got was 3 Baos and a drink for $9. That's a pretty good deal in my opinion since the baos and drink are a fair size :)

As you can see in the picture to the right, my friend got the same thing ~

But they do have other deals too! Another deal was 2 San Choy Baos, 1 normal Bao and a drink for $10. Really good value all of this :)

My choices: Buffalo Chicken (back left), Bacon Cheeseburger (back right) and Vanilla Custard.
The Buffalo Chicken was moist and full of flavour which was finished off with the spicyness you'd expect from buffalo wings. I'll admit I was skeptical about the bacon cheeseburger when I first heard of it but I have no regrets of choosing this one. It really felt like you were eating a bacon cheeseburger just with a slight change in its exterior.

Oh! I had to try the cheesecake bao too! It was too tempting not to try it. So in the end I tried the Vanilla Custard and the Cheesecake Baos from their Dessert Baos.

The Vanilla Custard was a cold Bao but that doesn't imply that it was bad or anything. It's just that it worked better cold. The custard was creamy and blended well with the dough.

The Cheesecake was a hot Bao. I was lucky enough to get a fresh one and it was totally worth it. This is an indescribable one. Truly like heaven in your mouth for the sake of a bad comparison.

I really loved these Baos so I had to go back the next day. The image to the left is their BBQ Pork bun but it's not like the typical BBQ Pork one. It tastes more similar to an actual piece of Pork on the BBQ, which was the initial thought I had when I ate the Asian one in the beginning. It's nice in it's own perspective.

The second time I went I also got some of the San Choy Baos. It was part of the $10 deal (2 san choys,1 normal and a drink) so really good value for money :)

I was really doubting that I would like these in the beginning. Thankfully I was wrong. They really go well with the ingredients! I chose the Buffalo Chicken and the Thai Chicken Curry. A tad messy to eat but they were both very flavourful and went well together!

One last Bao before I left. The Mexican Pork Bao. This really confused me because like .. What is Mexican Pork? It was quite good, it reminded me of pork floss but just a different texture in the meat. Still very delicious :D





 Wrap Up!

Bao Now

I really don't have much complaints about these. They are certainly a different turn on your normal 'Bao'. They were a tad small so I ended up spending more than I would of preferred but even though I say that, they make up for the small size with the burst of flavour and amount of filling in eat bun! The dough is actually less than the normal one so the ratio between the dough and the filling is overpowered by the filling (they fill it up, there's no empty space like the asian ones haha).

Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Price: 9.5/10
Overall: 9.83/10

I only took 0.5 off for the price only because I've spent way more than I should of at this store over the last two days D:
The owner did say he was looking into bulk ordering so that would be awesome *.*
This is a definite must try! It's something new and different so don't go into the store with the mindset of comparing it to the original Asian Steamed Buns because you'll be disappointed if you think like that. Go into the store with an open mind and you'll be amazed at their creations!

I've placed their address at the top right of my post as I will be doing that from now on.

I'll definitely come back whenever I have cravings for these buns or even to try their new ones :D

Til next time I crave,

-R

Adelaide~ [Bracegirdle's House of Fine Chocolate & Mamma Carmela Restaurant and Pizza Bar]

Hellloooooo~

I've just come back from Adelaide a few days ago for University Games. It was an interesting place I reckon.
The good things were:

• Stayed right next to beach
• Good time with friends
• Found this awesome chocolate shop (Bracegirdles) 

Bad things:

• Shops close at 5pm weekends and 9pm weekdays (blasphemy D:)
• Not much to do ..

Rather than talking about that~ I found two places that I liked in Adelaide :D
An amazing chocolate shop and a fairly decent restaurant~

The Chocolate Cafe is called 'Bracegirdle'.
It gives off a warm welcoming atmosphere when you enter :)
Oh and the rich smell of delicious chocolate too~
I ended up coming here twice :9

They have this at the front of their store...
I was somewhat skeptical..
Because you know, when places put these up; it's usually not that great.
However this place lived up to it :)

As you enter you can see their wall full of chocolate delights :O
Absolutely heaven for anyone seriously ._.

Then when you get to the counter... You see these bite sized chocolates D:

Oceania: $2
I ended up trying this one.
It was chocolate and caramel but was very nice :D
The shell broke apart quite easily in my mouth and everything melded together quite nicely~

Hot Chocolate: $6.00
Chilli Hot Chocolate: $6.50
They came in the same cup so I didn't see the point of having two pics of the same cup.
Their hot chocolate is really good! One of the bests I've tried in a long time.
The hot chocolate was full of flavour and simply amazing :D
For the chilli chocolate one.. I'm usually not inclined to try chilli chocolate..
However these guys made it quite good. The chocolate was warm and a bit frothy which was then
hit by the slight taste of chilli, not too strong but strong enough :9

Short Chocolate: $4.50
It's basically a shot of their chocolate with milk.
This is SOOOO good D:
This is the main thing from this store that I will be craving I think
For this price you get a fair amount and it was worth it ..
I mixed the milk and chocolate together to get the picture above so then I could
scoop the chocolate out and eat it :9
It was creamy and satisfied my chocolate cravings ~

Bracegirdle's Cooler Bag: $15 normally. $5 if spent over $50 and free if over $75
I got it for free... So yeah you can tell I bought a lot of chocolate :\

White, Milk, Dark, Darker Chocolate: $9.00 or $12.50
These are the chocolates I bought!
They're blocks of chocolate for my friends in Melbourne.
Trying to stop myself from eating these T.T

Mamma Carmela is a restaurant of mixed reviews ~
Reviews said only good pizza.
End of the night.. I reckon the pizza wasn't that great but other things were~

Seafood Platter: $33.00
Hmm... skeptical...
Chips were below standard and seafood was okay?

Sweet Chilli Chicken Focaccia: $12.50
Chips: $5.00
The chips wasn't the best choice.
The Focaccia however was a good choice.
The Focaccia was massive and worth the money. It filled me up in a good way :9
Chicken was well cooked, the vegetables complimented the chicken and to the top it off; the melted cheese /drool

Gourmet Calzone $18.90
It's basically their Gourmet Pizza in Calzone form.
The Calzone itself didn't have empty air inside, full of ingredients and flavour.

Wrap up! :D

Stop #1: Bracegirdle's House of Fine Chocolate

Best chocolate in Adelaide? I think yes. In Melbourne? It's in the top chocolate places for me! :D
Amazing chocolate products, great service and awesome atmosphere ~

Food: 9/10
Service: 9/10
Price: 8/10
Overall: 8.67/10

It's a must try! Cannot miss this if you're in Adelaide (not like there's anything else there).
They have a few stores but the one I went to was in Glenelg.
They are at: 31 Jetty Road, Glenelg, SA 5045

Stop #2:  Mamma Carmela Restaurant and Pizza Bar

Not a bad restaurant. I guess this place is good depending on time and what you choose? Seafood platter and some Pizzas weren't good choices. Calzone and Focaccia were good choices. It depends on what you order here in my honest opinion. Service was okay, not the best though.

Food: 7.5/10
Service: 6/10
Price: 6/10
Overall: 6.5/10

Not a bad place. I reckon try it out if you're ever in Glenelg, South Australia.
They're at: 4 Jetty Road, Glenelg, SA 5045

 

I'm glad to be back in Melbourne though. I miss this place with it's changing weather and bad public transport a lot haha

Til my next post,

-R

Preparation Food :9 [Shanghai Street Dumpling]

Haiii! :P
Apparently there are people who read this :O
I am shocked honestly...
Anyways tomorrow I'm heading to Adelaide for a bit and like... there's nothing there so I thought might as well catch up with my friend Jasmin for lunch :9

Place of Lunch this time? Shanghai Street Dumplings!
I saw this place ages ago, like start of year or something but every time I go,
it is full on packed D:< A fair few people keep telling me to go
so I prepared myself for the line and went ahead with it.

Damn that line -.-
It is really like this or worse all the time.. D:
The design of the area is quaint though. :)

The inside is kind of small and a bit cramped but oh smells so nice :9
You can't resist that once you get in.

 Okay I lied. I didn't wait in line. I'm not that patient. Me and Jasmin went for takeaway :P

Homemade Boiled Peking Dumplings (Pork); 15 Pieces: $8.80
This was Jasmin's choice. Pretty good. The dough was soft but wasn't to the point
where it just fell apart all over the place. It was just right and then the Peking Pork inside was pretty flavorful.

Chinese Spinach & Pork Wonton Soup; 12 Pieces: $8.00
My choice :) I personally always like the spinach dumplings/wontons.
It gives a slight different taste to the normal ones.
These ones were alright, I could taste the spinach but the pork had too much flavor
which overpowered the spinach in my opinion :(

This is how we ate. Going back to our asian ways ;D
I'm glad they did takeaway, really saved me and Jasmin since we were pretty hungry!

Introducing Jasmin ;)
Look at that concentrated face LOL
Glad she could come with me, was good to see her again ^^

Wrap Up!!

Shanghai Street Dumplings 
Okay, so the food first.. I enjoyed what I got. Not too bad. Both sets of dumplings were very flavorful and decently priced for the amount we got. Service I can't really say much since it was just passing takeaway order. Overall I liked it, it's not the cheapest place in Melbourne but for value-wise; it's good :)

Food: 8/10
Service: 6/10
Price: 8/10
Overall: 7.33/10

I'd recommend you try it and see what you think! :) Pretty good for a dumpling place.
They're at: 342 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000

My next post will be about a restaurant in Adelaide hopefully! Look forward to it :P

Til next time,

-R ;9

A Lazy Saturday [Mocha Jo's & Chimmy's Bakery & Café]

On a lazy Saturday no one has any motivation for doing practically anything.
Well fortunately I did have some motivation, only because it involved food though :P
Me and a couple of friends got together for these two restaurants :9 Please enjoy.

Stop #1: Mocha Jo's
Was suggested by a friend and looked it up on urbanspoon.
Good reviews and pictures so why not? :9

They display their menu outside like this :O
It looks professional and neat.

Their outside dining area is simplistic and looks great!!

Their inside doesn't lose in appearance either.
Various decorations and the atmosphere is most welcoming :)

Butter Chicken Curry $24.90
Tandoori marinated chicken breast pieces simmered in house made butter curry,
jasmine rice and warm roti bread.
This was what I decided to get. A tad expensive yes but filled me up so much :O
The chicken was a bit firm but just right, it went well along with the butter curry.
The roti bread was quite nice, a bit difficult to tear apart but that's the fun of it :)
The rice was nothing special in my opinion but it went well with the curry when I mixed it in ~

MJ Chicken Burger $19.50
Mustard marinated chicken breast, smashed avocado, sun dried tomato, crispy cos lettuce,
Spanish onion, melted tasty cheese, chunky chips and house mayo.
Clarinna decided upon this and she gave me a part of it.
All the elements melded well together making a fairly tasty burger :9

Lemon Pepper Calamari $21.90
Fresh calamari dusted in lemon & pepper seasoning, cherry tomato, roquette & parmesan salad
along with chunky chips and mustard mayo.
Ellyana got this, we were all eying this one though :P
The calamari was crisp and had a good amount of flavour with it!!

Ellyana with her Calamari D:

Clarinna with dangerous knife.. .____.

Me with straight face because that's how I am 8D
Nah, Ellyana just took the picture when I was telling her how to use my camera lol

Stop #2: Chimmy's Bakery & Café
We had time so we headed down to Richmond and urbanspooned this. :9
Low ratings but still had a lot of people going to it so we were intrigued.

Damn, look at them food & drinks /drools

White Heaven $6.40
Soft and creamy just like how it should be ~

Chocolate & Caramel Mousse $6.40
Can't pass off this.. just read that name again ;D

This cake cut quite easily and all of it just melted in my mouth, really like heaven~

If the other one is heaven, then this must be hell tempting us and succeed in that it did D:
The caramel was just right and not too chewy and the chocolate was soft enough to compliment the dessert.

Wrap up! :)

Stop #1: Mocha Jo's
The food was great; really filling and delicious ~! All the staff were really friendly, they made us feel welcomed even though they were really busy too! :O My only regret here is not coming on a weekday and saving myself around $10 on my meal :(

Food: 9/10
Service: 9/10
Price: 7/10
Overall: 8.33/10

I'd recommend you to go here for a weekday lunch, no regrets for that :)
They're at: 87 Kingsway, Glen Waverley, VIC 3150

Stop #2: Chimmy's Bakery &  Café
We came at the closing time which was quite unfortunate. They were packing up but they still allowed us to have our desserts on the table outside which was very nice ^^ Both cakes were delicious and I was quite happy with both of them. Decent pricing for them as well :9

Desserts: 9/10
Service: 9/10
Price: 8/10
Overall: 8.67/10

Another definite recommendation!
They're at: 342-344 Bridge Road, Richmond, VIC 3121

Clarinna has a food blog as well so please check her blog out too! :)
Just click here --> Clarinna's Blog
 
Well that's all from me this time ! :)
Hope you enjoyed my reviews and pictures~

Til next time,
 -R :9