Dessert Train at Adriano Zumbo (The Star, Sydney)

After 483 years (exaggeration! hehe), I finally got to share with you my Dessert Train experience at Adriano Zumbo's newest venture at The Star.

Say what?  Dessert train?  Did I read that right?  Is that what I think it is?

Yes, yes, yes!


Newly-renovated The Star (formerly known as Star City, Sydney's premiere Casino) now has new fancy shops and restaurants and Sydney rejoiced that Adriano Zumbo was part of the addition.  Opened on the 4th quarter of 2011, the Adriano Zumbo at The Star looked the part of a glittery signage of a theatre, the concept very apt for a casino place. 

The store that looked fun and whimsy inside was divided into two: the Patisserie and the Dessert Train.  The Patisserie is merely for take-aways.  You get to choose desserts and macaron flavours of your choice displayed in playful cabinets.

Inside the "In Case of Emergency  Break Glass" cabinet are macarons!!!! Brilliant!  

On our second visit, we made sure that the Dessert Train was fully-operational. While the Patisserie is open everyday from 11am onwards, the Dessert Train is only open from Tuesday to Sunday, afternoon onwards (please check their website before visiting).

We lined up for the Dessert Train at about a quarter to six in the evening and we were third on queue already.  Good thing we were early as the line was getting longer by the time they opened the Dessert Train area.


And just like kids, the Husband and I oohhed and aahhed as the desserts came out.  We felt like kids in a Willy Wonka movie! Haha.

And to add to that childlike ambience, they had little anime figures on the side of the conveyor.

Just like the concept of a Sushi Train, each dessert plate was coloured and equivalent to a cost.  They also have ice cream for AUD$3.50/bowl.

The Husband grabbed a plate of this rich chocolate cake covered in smooth chocolate cream.  

I was being boring that day so I grabbed a pink plate that had my Zumbo favourite, The XIWT.  

Crunchy pastry that housed gooey innards of caramel and chocolate.  

Once a few plates of macarons were out, we couldn't resist getting at least one even if we were already full.  We got the orange-milo-salted caramel combo and it turned to be a good finale to our dessert rendezvous.

A little disappointed that they didn't offer coffee or tea.  I thought they did and was actually looking forward to having a cuppa as we savour our dessert.  I thought maybe they didn't want people to stay for long.  Seating was limited to about 20 (just my estimate) and customer turnaround was quite fast since one can't really handle that much dessert (not unless that was your dinner).


The Husband and I had a cake each and a plate of macarons (which we shared), plus a bottles of orange juice and water to cleanse our palate from all the sugar.  We thought of getting a bowl of ice cream but passed...maybe next time.  

Some days, I say 'No to desserts' as I have a bit of aversion to sweets (especially in big amounts).  But who would say "No" to experiencing a Dessert Train?  Not me.  It was sugar overload (at least for me) but I loved the foodie experience.  



Adriano Zumbo at The Star
Shop 1, Cafe Court
The Star
80 Pyrmont St., Pyrmont, NSW 2009
Entry Via Edward St


Patisserie Opening Hours:
Monday to Thursday, 11am till 11pm
Friday & Saturday, 11am till Midnight
Sunday, 11am till 10pm


Dessert Train Opening Hours:
Monday, CLOSED
Tuesday to Thursday, 6pm till 10.30pm
Friday & Saturday, 6pm till 11.30pm
Sunday, 12pm till 5pm

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Hooked on "AVATAR: The Last Airbender"

...the anime version, that is, and not the film.

After the watching the film "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and feeling the anxiety to know what happened during the characters' journey to saving the world, we decided to get a copy of the anime version.  We initially started Book 2 and realized that the film left out a lot of pieces in the story that made sense.  So we got Book 1 and started all over again.  And I swear, it was amazingly addicting.  The anime version is so much better than the film (which really sucked pala).  In just two weeks, we finished Books 1-3 and we're watching it all over again.  Yes, it's THAT good. 

In the anime version of "Avatar: The Last Airbender", you will get to know each of the character better:

Aang - the only Airbender and Avatar tasked to save the world.

Katara - the only Waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe who believed that the Avatar can put the war to an end.  

Sokka - he doesn't have bending abilities but he turned out to be a great warrior and leader of Team Avatar.

Toph - a blind Earthbender who became Aang's earthbending teacher.

Zuko - banished prince of the Fire Nation.  He started out as someone who wanted to capture the Avatar but in the end his destiny was to be Aang's firebending teacher.

If you liked the film version, I highly recommend that you watch the anime version and I'm sure you will love it!

A spin-off from this series is coming out this year, "The Last Airbender: The Legend of Korra", and we can't wait to see it.

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Discovered Inspirations: Even Crazy Dreams Come True

Since Chuck ended, the Husband and I have been on the lookout for a new TV series worth watching.   This weekend, we were happy to discover SMASH, a TV series about what goes on in producing a theatre show in New York.

As theatre enthusiasts, we got interested with the storyline when we read about it online.   We got ourselves a copy of the first episode and towards the end, we were hooked.  We finished three episodes of the Season 1  in one day and we can't wait to see how the story will unfold.  At this early too, we are already loving the songs featured in the series.

If you like Glee and if you are a theatre enthusiast, I suggest you have a go at watching the first episode and see if you'd like SMASH too.

{image source}

At the end of the third episode, one of the lead characters named Ivy Lynn (portrayed by Megan Hilty) sang an inspiring song that calls out to dreamers like me.  Read the lyrics below and if you have time, please play the video to hear the song.

Crazy Dreams 

(originally by Carrie Underwood)

Sung by Megan Hilty in SMASH

Hello you long-shots, you dark horse runners,

Hair brush singers, dash-board drummers,

Hello you wild magnolias, just waiting to bloom.

There's a little bit of all that inside of me and you,

Thank God even crazy dreams come true.

I've stood at the bottom of some walls I thought I couldn't climb.

I felt like Cinderella at the ball, just running out of time.

So I know how it feels to be afraid, and think that it's all gonna slip away

Hold on, Hold on.

Here's to you free souls, you fire-fly chasers.

Tree climbers, porch swingers, air guitar players.

Here's to you fearless dancers, shaking walls in your bedrooms

There's a lot of wonder left inside of me and you,

Thank God even crazy dreams come true

Never let a bad day be enough, to go and talk you into giving up.

Sometimes everybody feels like you, oh, feels like you, just like you, yeah.

I've met some go-getters, some difference makers.

Small town heros, and big chance takers.

I've met some young hearts with something to prove.

Oh yeah.

Here's to you long-shots, you dark horse runners

Hair brush singers, dash-board drummers

Here's to you wild magnolias, just waiting to bloom.

There's a little bit of all that inside of me and you.

Thank God even crazy dreams come true.

Thank God even crazy dreams come true, yeah.

Have a great week and may we all be inspired to dream the crazy dreams!

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101 Practical Fasting for Lent Season

I received a this forwarded email from a dear friend and found the suggestions below very insightful.  May we all have a blessed season of Lent. 

Fasting, praying and almsgiving are the three penitential practices that we are asked to engage in during Lent. In addition to fasting and abstaining with the rest of the Church on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent, we are also challenged to make individual sacrifices appropriate to our own spiritual condition. However, before we choose something to give up for Lent, it’s important to assess our current spiritual state:

• What habits do I engage in that are destructive to my spiritual health?
• To what material things am I too attached?
• What areas in my life are unbalanced?
• To what do I devote too much or not enough time?

Only after asking questions like these are we are ready to decide what to give up or what to add to our lives during Lent. The following list is meant to be an aid in this process. Use it as you need based on your current circumstances.

“Through fasting and praying, we allow Him to come and satisfy the deepest hunger that we experience in the depths of our being: the hunger and thirst for God.”

–Pope Benedict, Lenten message, 2009

The Usuals:
1. Give up candy/sweets.
2. Give up television time.
3. Give up eating snacks between meals.
4. Give up or limit soda or coffee.
5. Give up or limit video games.
6. Spend more time with family.
7. Give to the poor.
8. Do an extra chore each day.
9. Perform a random act of kindness.
10. Spend more time in prayer.

Prayer:
1. Pray a book of scripture using lectio divina.
2. Attend Mass on a weekday (every day if possible).
3. Pray the rosary each day, alone or with your family.
4. Prayerfully read Abandonment to Divine Providence.
5. Make a special prayer notebook and list all the people in your life who need prayers; pray for them each day. Add someone new every day.
6. Learn to pray the Liturgy of the Hours.
7. Make a commitment to attend Eucharistic Adoration regularly.
8. Commit to examining your conscience each evening.
9. Pray the Jesus Prayer throughout the day.
10. Pray the Angelus each day at noon.


For Those Addicted to Popular Culture:
1. Switch from regular radio to Christian music radio or Catholic talk radio.
2. Avoid shows with gratuitous sex or violence.
3. Give up or limit watching sports on television.
4. Listen to only classical music for the next 40 days.
5. Drive to work in silence each day.
6. Read a work of classic literature.
7. Read a Catholic classic.
8. Read a story to a child.
9. Sit in fifteen minutes of silence each day.
10. Write a letter to God each day.


For Internet Users/Bloggers:
1. Set time limits on overall online time.
2. Limit Facebook time.
3. Limit Myspace time.
4. Resist making or adding to lists that rank people.
5. Share one spiritual video with your online network once a week.
6. Blog about the poor once a week.
7. Add a spiritual blog to your blog reader.
8. Subscribe to a prayer podcast like Pray As You Go or Pray Station Portable.
9. Leave an encouraging or positive comment on a different blog each day.
10. Help a new blogger by sending traffic their way.


For Those Who Need to Be More Grateful:
1. Each week, write a letter of thanks to a different member of the clergy, beginning with your bishop and parish priest.
2. Each week write a thank-you note to your parents.
3. Write a poem of praise for each person in your family.
4. Get a stack of sticky-notes and write one sentence of thanks each day and stick it to the bedroom door of each person in your family so that by Easter they each have 40 sticky-notes.
5. Find the psalms of thanksgiving or praise in the Bible and pray them.
6. Write a list of the ways God has blessed you and add to it each day. This could be done in a notebook or on a big poster hanging on your wall.
7. At dinner each evening ask your family to share one thing for which they are grateful.
8. Make a CD or iPod playlist of praise and worship music and listen to it each day.
9. Make a point of saying “Thank You” a certain number of times per day.
10. Help your children write thank you letters to their teachers.


For Those With Lives Out of Balance:
1. Go for a walk each day with a loved one and talk about life and faith.
2. Take the kids to the park each week for some carefree time.
3. Give up fast food and give the money to charity.
4. Exercise each day.
5. Spend at least half an hour each day in meaningful conversation with your spouse.
6. Go on a Lenten retreat.
7. Pray with Sacred Space each day.
8. Commit to a daily 3 Minute Retreat.
9. Begin the online 34-week Retreat for Everyday Life.
10. Give up your most unhealthy habit.


For Those Who Need Spiritual Nourishment:
1. Read the documents of Vatican II, especially Gaudium et Spes.
2. Read The Cathechism of the Catholic Church or The United States Catholic Catechism for Adults.
3. Sign up for adult formation classes at a local parish.
4. Join a Bible study.
5. Attend Stations of the Cross at a local parish.
6. Find a spiritual director.
7. Read The Imitation of Christ.
8. Listen to a free Catholic audio book from Maria Lectrix.
9. Read Introduction to the Devout Life.
10. Read a spiritual autobiography (i.e., Augustine’s Confessions, Story of a Soul, Journal of a Soul, Witness to Hope)


For Those Who Need to Increase Their Service to the Needy:
1. Volunteer at soup kitchen or other food program.
2. Coordinate a food drive at your parish, school or place of employment.
3. Find out who in your parish is sick and offer to visit them or bring them food.
4. Call your local Catholic Charities office and volunteer.
5. Begin making visits to a nursing home.
6. Help an elderly or disabled person in your neighborhood with yard work or other difficult chores.
7. Become a hospital volunteer.
8. Become part of a prison ministry team.
9. Coordinate a clothing drive.
10. Make rosaries and give them away.


For Those Who Need to Be More Active in Their Parish:
1. Become a lector.
2. Volunteer to become an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist
3. Volunteer to help with the parish youth group.
4. After each Mass stay awhile and introduce yourself to someone you don’t know.
5. Join the Knights of Columbus.
6. Offer to be a Confirmation sponsor.
7. Volunteer to be an usher.
8. Offer to help with funeral dinners.
9. Help with the RCIA program.
10. Volunteer to do lawn work, cleaning or other needed maintenance for the parish.


Potpourri:
1. Begin to receive the Sacrament of Penance weekly.
2. Give up foul language.
3. Give up gossiping.
4. Read and study Healing the Culture.
5. Study the life of a different saint each day.
6. Cook dinner each night for your family if someone else normally does.
7. Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
8. Carry extra food in your car, purse or backpack to give to street corner beggars.
9. Begin practicing socially conscious investing.
10. Spend a week meditating on each of the seven principles of Catholic social teaching.
11. Make breakfast each morning for your family.


Conclusion:
Lent is a tremendous opportunity for spiritual growth. I hope these suggestions re-energize you on your spiritual journey. If you try one or more of these ideas, or if you’d like to share your own Lenten practices, please leave a comment. 
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Last Week's "Fri-date"

It's been awhile since we've had a day-out in Sydney and it was refreshing to spend the whole day of Friday last week walking around with the sun hovering above us.  Summer is very weird this year as most days, we are bombarded with cloudy skies and rains that won't stop for days.  We're glad that the day we picked to have a day-off together, the sun was shining for most of the day so I took this chance to be in my most laid back ensemble.

First stop was lunch at Eating World Food Court in Chinatown that serves the best Hainanese Chicken (more on that later).  Been craving for awhile so the Husband indulged me with food that I wanted.  The best thing about food courts is the cheapness of food and lots of choices.  The Husband on the other hand got himself some fried Pork Belly with Broccoli from a Thai restaurant.  Both dishes came in big servings for not more than AUD$10.00.

 

The main reason why we took a day-off was to see the Harry Potter Exhibition.  It was a pleasant and exciting afternoon as we remember scenes the Harry Potter film series by seeing more than 200 artefacts and replicas from the movie.  My HP article will come out in Ang Kalatas and later I will share more photos from the exhibition here in AWCL, so please watch out for that.  

Since we were at the Powerhouse Museum, we also got to see the Love Lace Exhibition.  It was a beautiful and poignant exhibition that made me fall in love with lace all over again. 

It seemed that it was an "Indulge Your Wife Day" last Friday as the Husband brought me to the Little Korean Town in Eastwood.  Since we've had an electric smokeless grill, we've been having our Korean BBQs at home but once in a while, we still crave to dine out...well, because we just want to have a break from washing the dishes hehe.


We had time to explore the two sides of Eastwood.  On the West Parade exit of the train station, you will find Eastwood's Little Chinatown.  Walked thru streets full of shops, bakeries, butchers and restaurants. That's where we found a woman juicing and selling Sugarcane.  The Husband told me we have this in the Philippines but I can't remember drinking it so he bought me a large cup.  I loved it!  It was refreshing and sweet.

On the Railway Parade exit of the train station, you will find the Little Korean Town.  Just like in Little Chinatown, there were shops, bakeries, cafes and restaurants but only in Korean flair.  We had early dinner at Jonga Jip Korean where we experienced the most number of Banchan Dishes, it filled up the whole table.  We had two plates of meat (pork belly and beef) for BBQ and a small pot of Kimchi Stew.  

After dinner, we explored the shops and bought a few bars of our favourite Lotte chocolates.  We wanted to have coffee before we left but changed our minds because we were so full from dinner.   

We decided to just go home and have some tea as we watched Friday's sunset in our balcony.

What a lovely day.  And as always, my heart is grateful for days that turned extraordinary because of the things my Husband does to make me happy.

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Japanese Restaurant: Makanai (Sydney, NSW)

Makanai Japanese Kitchen is one of our places to go to when it's a little too late to eat at the food courts in Pitt Street. 

The place was previously housed a different Japanese restaurant named Asakaze so when we noticed that it had been replaced by Makanai, we went in to try it.  

The improved sushi train is longer and has more selections.  We sat ourselves on a normal table so I just had to stand up and get our choice of sushi: a plate of prawn and tuna.  Their sushi was lovely and flavourful.

The Husband ordered a Bento Box set which includes a bowl of miso soup, small plate of salad, slices of fresh salmon, Chicken Teriyaki, Sushi rice and a siding of fried dim sum and tempura.  The Bento Box was good enough to be shared (in our case) since we've already eaten a bit of sushi while waiting.  I'm not a fan of Teriyaki Chicken but theirs were juicy and flavourful.  

We loved that the sushi train has a few dessert options so we tried the Japanese cheesecake.  It wasn't as rich or cheesy like the normal cheesecake.  It seemed more like sponge than cheesecake.  It tasted good and was moist.

This is a good place for a quick bite or long meals with friends.  Food is tasty, freshly-made and reasonably-priced.  

Makanai Japanese Kitchen
239 Pitt St
Sydney New South Wales 2000

The Australian Open 2012 Experience

On the day of my birthday this year,  a lot of my wishes came true:

• to spend the day with the love of my life
• to be greeted by the people I love
• to be in one of my favourite cities in  the world 
• to experience the Australian Open once again
• to watch a game at the Rod Laver Arena
•  to watch Roger Federer play 

-oOoOo-

After three years, we came back to Melbourne to experience the Australian Open once again.  In 2009, we just followed the yellow brick road to Melbourne Park because the excitement of tennis fans at Federation Square allured us.  I've always liked the sport but after watching games the whole day at the ground courts of the Australian Open, I fell in love with it.  See my first Australian Open adventure here and some photos of the games and players we watched here.


Compared to 2009's adventure, we were prepared to watch this year.  We planned to watch in 2010 but because of our indecisiveness, we were too late and couldn't book ourselves a room in Melbourne. Late last year, after Sunday coffee and pancakes, we made up our minds and finally sat ourselves in front of the computer and did a turbo search for our travel.  Booked the cheapest fares and decent accommodation we could find in Melbourne and in a few minutes, I was exchanging squeals with our dear Melbournian friend Lui telling her, "We will see you soon!!!".  Yes, simple pleasures.


The nice thing about having a birth date like mine is that there will always be an Australian Open game happening on this side of the world.  I think that is very very cool and convenient.  It was my wish to be somewhere nice on my birthday.  I was hoping for Seoul, Korea but we didn't want to spend that much money at the start of the year.  So we opted for our second favourite city in Australia--Melbourne!


When we've finalized our itinerary (restaurant bookings, friends we will see, etc) and found that we definitely have time to watch on my birthday, we then bought our tickets to the 4th Round Game, Sunday, 7:00PM at the Rod Laver Arena.


Since the game will be at night, we had a relaxing day on Sunday.  We attended mass and had brunch at my favourite brunch restaurant, The European.  It was a hot day so I decided to have a nap back at the hotel while the Husband had his "Me"time hanging out at the shops.  He picked me up in time for us to have a meal at Il Pomodoro at Federation Square where we had pizza and cake.

 

As much as we wanted to sashay along the sides of Yarra River, we were kind of running late so we weren't able to walk leisurely towards the entrance of Melbourne Park.


Other than security people checking the length of our camera lenses and what we have inside our bags, we had no drama when we breezed thru the entrance of  Melbourne Park.


The Rod Laver Arena Forecourt & Entrance were full of people waiting for the 7:00PM game to start.  For those on a budget or weren't able to get a ticket to any of the courts, you can buy Ground Pass tickets and still watch the games at Melbourne Park at Rod Laver Arena Forecourt & Entrance.  Games are televised via a giant TV.  You can bring mats or blankets and lie down while watching the games.  For ticket prices, click AusOpen Ticket Prices.


It was nearly 7:00pm when we arrived at Rod Laver Arena.  By this time, I was beaming with excitement.  In 2009, we only got to watch at the ground courts so my dream was to watch a game at Rod Laver Arena.  

As soon as we got in, we made a trip to the toilet and then bought two bottles of water.  Evian was one of the sponsors of AusOpen so the only brand available inside Melbourne Park was Evian.  If I remember correctly,  a small bottle costs AUD$3.50.  Hot food was also available like hotdogs, chips, etc but since we've just eaten, we didn't bother buying food anymore.

It took awhile to get to our seats.  The afternoon game just finished and people coming in and out got stuck in the halls of RLA.  No need to worry though because tickets to RLA are reserved seating.  Also, the AusOpen ushers tried their best to gain smooth traffic in the halls to avoid delays.


And then at last we got in and saw the marvel that is the Rod Laver Arena.  For a tennis fan like me, it is a big deal.


As fate would have it, Roger Federer played that night against Bernard Tomic.  It was a memorable game as tennis fans said it's like Dumblerdore vs. Harry Potter of the tennis world, which was so true.  

To watch a legend like Roger Federer is a gift.  For someone like me who's far away from any Grand Slam or Masters venue, it is a once in a lifetime blessing.  The minute Federer walked inside the court, the crowd was in awe.  One will feel the air of royalty alluded to him by many but he didn't look intimidating at all.  He looked relaxed and down-to-earth.  He has this certain grace that only a Master exudes.

Federer was that he doesn't look breathless even if he ran around the court.  His composure and grace is really admirable. I told my Husband, "Grabe si Federer, kahit ang paghingal niya graceful pa rin!"

We noticed that most of the time, the photographers are dead set on capturing every move Roger Federer makes inside the court.  It's amazing.

A big support was given to Bernard Tomic that night.  Australia loves Tomic and Federer but being an Australian weighed more so the cheer for Tomic was louder.  The fans would cheer Tomic to give him more encouragement but the crowd cheered when Federer makes an impressive shot too.  Federer was gentleman enough not to play his tricks on Tomic, careful not to offend Australians.  Over-all, it was a great game and entertaining show because both players played well.  I hope Bernard Tomic continues to be great in tennis because the boy has talent.

Group of Aussies who cheered for Tomic and provided entertainment to the crowd

The second game at the Rod Laver Arena that night was the Women's where we got to watch Caroline Wozniacki and Jelena Jankovic.  We only watched the 1st set because it was not an exciting game.

Caroline Wozniacki

Jelena Jankovic

Went around the Melbourne Park and saw the Wilson Tent.  Wilson stays open until the last game of the night is finished.  This is where the rackets of all tennis players are taken for restringing.

The Australian Open Shop was still open when we went out (thank God!) so we went inside to buy a few items.  The shop offers a lot of Australian Open souvenir such as shirts, caps, towel, bags, fridge magnets, iPhone 4s cases, jackets, etc.  They also sell a few shirts worn by the players.  We saw Roger Federer's shirt and I offered to buy it for the Husband but he didn't want one.   (Tip: The Australian Open merchandise in Rebel Sport are cheaper!)

We didn't come home empty-handed as I bought a few AusOpen items: the Australian Open Official Program, fridge magnets and an iPhone 4s case.

Trams to and from Flinders Station are available to all AusOpen ticket holders for free so we got on and bought my favourite Churros from the Spanish Doughnuts outlet before going home.

When we got back to the hotel, the Wozniacki vs. Jankovic game was still on so we watched it on TV while we packed our stuff.

-oOoOo-

I have a few friends who are very much interested to know more about travelling to Melbourne during Australian Open so I will be sharing some tips.  If you have any questions, let me know by leaving a comment here and I will try my best to answer them.