Little Creatures Dining Hall

^ LCDH by night. What a lovely image from the crafty pint 

I wish I had a high tech camera and knew how to take photos like that.

^ credits to the crafty pint for the two images above

I have been there on two occasions, the first time it was too dark to take photos because the constant flash would just drive everyone crazy. And the second time with the uni girls I forgot my camera and couldn't be bothered taking photos with my phone. 

^ soy chai latte.

I loveeeeee places that let you do ur own thang with your drinks. The latte was already brewed inside the teapot, it was just up to me and how much I wanted to pour it into my cup. 

^ lunch with the uni babes. 

I am so happy to attend ACU, for it is situated between Brunswick Street and Smith Street. Having everything at your disposal can have good or bad aspects. YOU CAN NEVER WIN.

Good: close to the city / work

Bad: in the city and not close to home

Good: Brunswick Street on the left, Smith Street on the right

Bad: Shopping overload!

Good: Surrounded by fantastic eating/drinking places

Bad: Surrounded by fantastic eating/drinking places which therefore means spending copious amounts of money on eating out... sigh :(

Little Creatures Dining Hall looks tiny on the outside and massive on the birds eye. It would comfortably seat hundreds of people, and it is always packed (for good reason). Good luck trying to get seats on Friday and Saturday nights because those nights are the busiest. It has a very feel good vibe and the music in the background is not too loud. I hate places that play really loud music when it doesn't necessarily have to. The light bulbs at the bar are beer cans! And there are free bikes (to borrow, ride, and return) at the front. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking for a relatively cheap eat. The menu is not mediocre, so be prepared to try something new.

Little Creatures brew their own pale ale and beer! Don't bother asking me what the difference is, because I have absolutely no idea. But from chit chatting with some friends who have tried it, the taste is like no other. I shall add it to my bucket list of things to try.

^ hoooooooo boy. Poached eggs on salmon on spinach on beetroot. 

The bread was a bit too tough for my liking. But everything was justtttttt right.

Little Creatures Dining Hall

222 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy 3065
(03) 9417 5500

Myer Mural Hall - High Tea

High Tea has always been my favourite pass time. Spending a mere $30-$50 to receive a three tiered tray full of sandwiches, scones, quiches, macarons and cake!!!!!!!!!!
Drinking tea out of pretty teacups.
Observing the decor.
Breathing in the sweet aromas.
Why would anyone complain about luxuriously eating food?!

When the ladies from work prompted to attend high tea at the Myer Murall Hall, I could not resist. I must admit I was rather reluctant to pay $70 for the experience, but I do not regret it at all. Going up six levels of the Myer Bourke St building felt like I was entering a whole new world. Hidden away upstairs, the ballroom was surrounded by walls of eight famous murals. It felt as though it was rich in culture from the 18th/19th circa. The feeling was so surreal, imagining people from upper class backgrounds that attended lavish gatherings at the Myer Mural Hall, built and owned by Sidney Myer. We were about to witness this in motion, but with a 21st century spin to it.

Imagine being greeted by good looking male waiters with glasses of champagne, live jazz music, expensive china, and finger food (lots of it). The menu was poorly chosen, but the sandwiches were my favourite! Scones are a given, they are everyones favourite because you get the best of both (jam and whipped cream) worlds.

^ adorable waiters. The uniform makes them look like crazy scientists though.

^ champagne showers

^ Table 17. We were surrounded by strangers but it didn't even matter. Everyone was so happy and lively and relaxed. 

^ Sparkling water, tea, juice and champagne. Everything but normal water.

^ chicken mayo sandwich (how cute is the plate?!)

^ my favourite photo of all time. I love that split second that milk hits the tea cup! It looks like a really cool explosion.

^ the food was really mediocre to be completely honest.
the jam for the scones was delicious though! like something fresh off a farm. 

^ expensive Chinaware. I wonder where you can purchase this from.

^ live music was heaven to my ears

^ view from the top of the staircase. Tables and tables ready for Sunday brunch.

^ the macarons were really bad... I wonder who caters for the Myer Mural Hall because it was really bad. They should invest in La Belle Miette macarons. 

^ panorama photo thanks to Thao's camera! Ignore ma awkward face.

Fonda Mexican

Mexican food. It's everywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Plagued the city streets with Mad Mex franchises and Salsa's Fresh Mex Grill. Mamasita. Senoritas. Touche Hombre. And how introducing FONDA MEXICAN cos I am so fond-of mexican food.

Lame? Sorry. (sorry but not sorry though)

After a long night of work, we decided to drive to Swan Street for dinner. If you toggle down this page and have a look at the photos, do not laugh at us for ordering chunky chips. We could have used that money to buy another taco. I was craving fries (even though I have a ridiculous cold) but the aioli sauce was overwhelming on my taste buds, and the fries weren't even crispy. Taught me a lesson to never order fries with Mexican food EVA AGEN. 

I was pretty happy with the fact that Fonda closes at 10:30pm on Friday and Saturday nights. It also wasn't as packed as I had imagined. Touche Hombre is an absolute nightmare to wait for, especially with the small, dark setting. As you can tell from the photo above of the seats, Fonda has a bright setting. The table where I was sitting on the night was up high against the wall. Felt like I was a baybeh in a high chair all over again.

The image below is a fish taco. They only have three tacos at Fonda. Fish. Beef. Vego. That's it. THAT'S IT??!??!?!

*sad face :(((((((((((((((((((((((

^ Fish soft shell taco - $6

Pretty good but they do it better at Touche Hombre. You can do this at home, buy a box of frozen fish sticks, make an avocado paste and buy a bag of coleslaw salad. WHY AM I NOT A CHEF ALREADY?! hohoho

^ bloody spicy chorizo quesadillas for $12.

The cheese in the quesadillas was not toasted properly so I found myself dealing with chunks of meat dropping at the bottom of my slice (which is rather unappealing).

That brown sauce on the tips of the quesadilla is 'salsa roja', and it is extremely evil for people who cannot handle spicy food (me).

^ fat chips ($6) that were a bit soggy but we forgave them because we did arrive pretty late and they were almost closing

^ Instagram: badasiandriver 

I just HAD TO caption this photo with lyrics from THE Vampire Weekend song because I had no idea what a horchata was until the beginning of this year so I thought to myself where on earth have I been all my life without having the knowledge of what a horchata is and how delicious it tastes because I love cinnamon and milk and now I love horchatas.

At a small price of $4.50 you can't complain.

Fonda Mexican

248 Swan Street Richmond 3121

Just past Church Street

9429 0085

The Little Royal

"A la Folie" means "I love you madly" in French 

- taken from their website

After having a bagelicious lunch at Jungle Juice Bar, a dear friend and I decided to indulge ourselves with some macarons (there is always room for dessert). Whilst walking to La Belle Miette, we walked through the Royal Arcade and stumbled across The Little Royal - a kiosk / permanent stall that sold macarons!!! We originally went to Lindt Cafe on Collins Street, but I'm not a huge fan of Lindt macarons, especially after they removed the apple cinnamon flavour from their range... They're not that great anyways. I hate crumbly macarons.

We bought four fantastic flavours: coconut, matcha with redcurrent filling (my personal favourite), vanilla with caramel filling and opera coffee chocolate. They were excellent but the opera coffee was a bit too rich for my liking.

I wanted to try the large macaron desserts ($8.50) but they don't look as good and as nicely crafted compared the huge macarons at Luxbite. I definitely would recommend this place for a quick fix of sugary goodness.

Very interesting flavours!!! Will have to try them all one day :)

The Little Royal / il Picollino Reale

The Royal Arcade

335 Bourke Street Mall

Melbourne 3000

Miss Marple's Tea Room

Sincere apologies to those who have me on Facebook or Instagram (username: badasiandriver), for I am constantly plaguing newsfeeds with check-ins / images of food. I hope you all appreciate my food adventures by living vicariously through this blog (which I alsoooo hope that you are sharing this with your friends and maybe family... haha)!!! Todays adventure was at Miss Marple's Tea Room , a little old shack on Mount Dandenong Tourist Road. Judging by the visual aesthetics of the website, you can tell what kind of place it was... I found myself in Sassafras with no cellular reception, surrounded by tea pots, tourists and elderly people. Seeing Miss Marple's just gave me a burning desire to open my own sweets store/relaxation place far from Melbourne. Sometimes we really owe it to ourselves to get away from the bustling city and appreciate our surroundings. The sunny weather that Melbourne was blessed with today made me feel extremely happy :)

Since the place does not accept bookings, the four blonde waitresses were running around trying to get everyone settled in their seats, serve and clean all at the same time. They had fantastic memory and were very friendly (bar one)! There was about a 15/20 minute wait to be seated which was a bit of a bummer. Menus are placed on the table so there was nothing to look at and drool over while we were waiting, there was no phone service for us to refresh Facebook or Instagram, and it was way too windy to go and browse. We just sat and properly conversed (which we normally do anyway). Technology really brings out the worst in us.

^ Instagram: badasiandriver 

 Lunch is served after a long wait.

 Devonshire Scones, the biggest scones i have ever eaten in my life

The food was relatively mediocre and unreasonably priced. We paid $50 for two main meals, two huge ass scones and two beverages. The quiche that I ordered was far from pleasant... it was soft, ridiculously soggy and flavourless. It wasn't as firm as quiches are meant to be, and I had to ask for tomato sauce on the side to spread over for more zing. The taste was extremely eggy which I did not enjoy. However, the fresh tasting salad and salty fries made up for the quiche! I probably should have ordered the pie though... 

Devonshire scones (either plain or fruity) were Two for $9 buttttt definitely worth it - they were the biggest scones I have ever seen in my life. Be warned, you should go to Miss Marple's on an empty stomach because you will walk out with a food coma. Take caution with the desserts that you order, because they don't hold back on the portion size. They have huge plates of chocolate and strawberry goodness. It made my mouth water every time the waitress would bring it out to the tables around us, but I was wayyyy too full to order it. Perhaps next time I will visit Cafe de Beaumarchais which is located four doors down in Sassafras, then go to Miss Marple's for dessert nomnomnom.

Wish I ordered these, the waffles looked so big and golden.

English Breakfast Tea ($3.95) and Strawberry Milkshake ($5.00)

Fish and Chips - $17.50

Egg and Bacon Quiche - $16.00

The Menu: Separated in chapters.

Homemade jam and whipped cream

Drinking tea to cure my food baby. 

The place was surrounded by many tourists and elderly people. The establishment has been around for many decades and is a hidden gem in the Dandenong Mountains. Victoria has so many special places to see, it's up to you to go and find them. Even though I didn't have an extremely enjoyable experience at the Tea Room, I would recommend you go there for a day trip just to relax and drink delicious tea.

After the tea room, Giraffe and I went for a walk around the streets. This was definitely my favourite place. I can only hope that one day my house will look like this, I'm already starting to have a mini collection of tea cups and tea boxes that will set me up for life!!!

Giraffe tea pots! How cute :)

Really really really creepy toys.

^ vanilla, peppermint, mango and green tea :) - 20c a packet

^ 100g of Mango Tea for $7

So who was Miss Marple? I will be honest... I HAVE NO IDEA. I assume she was an actress of some sort, because the entire restaurant had images, newspaper clippings and more images of the woman. I want a quaint little place that is dedicated to me!!! Overall, I wouldn't suggest you go to this restaurant if you are thinking of eating fine food, but definitely go for the DELICIOUS RANGE OF DESSERTS and to simply enjoy the experience of driving around nature and getting away from the city to a hidden gem in the Dandenong Ranges.

Miss Marple's Tea Room

Address: 382 Mount Dandenong Tourist Road, Sassafras, Victoria 3787

Contact: 9755 1610

Hours: Everyday, 11am - 4:30pm

Price: $$$

Website: http://www.missmarples.com.au/

Pho Hung Vuong

Everybody loves phở. There ain't no denying.
Vietnam didn't produce multitudes of "I love phở" teeshirts for nothing...

There is no second doubt when I say that my madre makes the best pho (because she gives me a lot of beef balls and does not use MSG).  However, there is a secret to eating pho that is just as good as Mumma Chau's. This pho shop belongs to my best friend and her family, and it is located in the heart of Springvale. What is this place called? Pho Hung Vuong Saigon. 

^ mumma's delicious broth with beef balls yummmy

^ spoilt :)

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You read correctly, my best friend owns dat pho shop PHO HUNG VUONG in Springvale. There is no Asian place (apart from Hoa Tran) that offers fantastic and speedy customer service. The chefs have created a delicious soup, served with a good portion of meat. Some pho restaurants in Footscray and the CBD leave me feeling thirsty an hour later. The MSG really does do evil things. The soup from PHV is of perfect flavour, and no, I am not being bias. I have heard from several others that it is the best pho in Springvale, even some have deemed it to be the best in Melbourne. The hot waitresses (yes I'm looking at u, bestie) are an incentive to visiting. The following images are only a few of the sweet tasting memories that were created at Pho Hung Vuong Saigon.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SARAH'S GRAND PAPI (8th August 2012)

YOU MAKE THE BEST PHO IN MELBOURNE, HANDS DOWN.

THANK YOU FOR SERVING FREE PHO AND DRINKS ALL DAY.

THANK YOU FOR PUTTING BALLOONS UP TO CELEBRATE YOUR ANNIVERSARY.

WE WILL CONTINUE TO GO TO YOUR RESTAURANT PHO DELICIOUS PHO AND SPREAD THE WORD OF HOW AMAZING YOUR RESTAURANT IS. IT MAKES VIETNAMESE REPRESENTATIVES PROUD TO EAT AUTHENTIC PHO :D

w/ my babes jnybeans and ktbeans

^ omgawdddd balloonsssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO AWESOME.

Pho Hung Vuong SaigonShop 2 / 15 Balmoral Avenue 
Springvale, VIC 3171

(next to the cambodian grocery shop)

(03) 9558 5147