Restaurant: Aix Cafe Creperie Salon (Melbourne, Australia)

On our last day in Melbourne, we decided to have breakfast on the other side of Flinders Lane.  Centre Place is another busy little lane in Melbourne.  Like Degraves Street, it is a laneway full of cafes and restaurants.  As usual, we arrived at the area with no idea on where we were going to eat.  We passed by all the restaurants in Centre Place twice before we decided to eat at Aix Cafe Creperie Salon. 

The cafe is diminutive.  They have tables just big enough to fit a plate.  It's so cute! 

Here's the Husband sitting at our table so you can imagine how compact it is! 

I like this painting above us. 

The painting up close; a man and woman having a meal on a laneway--a typical scene when you live in Melbourne.  I was a bit nostalgic while looking at this painting.  Since it's the last day of our short getaway, I was feeling the pangs of "Melbourne homesickness". 

We had an exhibition to go to in the morning and a brunch date with our friends so we choose something quick and not so heavy to eat.  The Husband chose the BLT Baguette which seemed massive but since they cut it into half, it was less intimidating.  And before I knew it, the Husband finished it off easily.  When it comes to BLT's of any sort, we love them.  Who wouldn't love bacon???

Now comes the best part.  Their crepes are to die for!!!  You know the feeling when you unexpectedly found something you really really like?  That was how I felt when I tasted the crepe I ordered that morning.  My Hot Salami, Goat's Cheese, Tomato, Capsicum and Olive Tapenade Crepe. Yes, all of those in one crepe!   

The spiciness of salami and creaminess of goat's cheese went well together inside the mouth, with the tomato and olive tapenade bringing more flavour to the whole ensemble.  It was a delicious partner to my Cafe Americano.

I noticed their use of pretty souvenir teaspoons which made eating here more distinct. 

If there was one cafe I would eat again in our next visit, this would be it.



Aix Cafe Creperie Salon 
24 Centre Pl
Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone (03) 9662 2667

A Wife's Charmed Life visited Aix Cafe Creperie Salon as an anonymous guest on 18 September 2010.

Restaurant: Maze Grill by Gordon Ramsay

Let me be honest.  We weren't really prepared when we arrived in Melbourne for my Husband's birthday.  We arrived there with no concrete plans of where to go and eat.  We arrived with no reservations to any restaurants!! (I know, que horror!)   We had inklings, we had ideas, but nothing definite.  However, one thing was clear: we hoped to eat good food while we were there.

maze Grill was just the second option to have my Husband's birthday lunch but it turned out to be the best gastronomical experience we've had on the trip.  One that I could call a happy accident.  I booked lunch at maze Grill a day before and we were lucky to get a table. 

Our reservation was at 12:30 but arrived 30 minutes early.  We were prepared to wait at the bar or lobby (they had this posh waiting area for customers) but the friendly staff told us it was fine and accommodated us to our table right away.

Gordon Ramsay's maze in Melbourne is actually two restaurants--one is maze and the other one is maze Grill.  maze is a fusion of French and Australian cuisines while maze Grill offers sizzling meat and fish hot off the char grill presented on custom made Australian timber boards.

Stylish interiors and high ceilings were the first two things that I noticed.  Although it may seem a little on the formal side, it is actually not.  Smart casual is an acceptable attire for lunch at maze Grill.

An open kitchen located at the far end of the restaurant.  We can see the chefs cooking our food.

maze Grill offers private dining areas for guests who prefer seclusion while dining.  There are only three of this intimate areas so be sure to book beforehand. 

Our choice of drinks:  white wine for the Mr and orange juice for the Mrs.

We were served Rosemary bread and butter.  Very flavourful bread.

For starters, we had Crispy soft shell crab with Harrissa mayonnaise.  This was my first time to try Harrissa mayo and I loved it.  The soft shell crab was crunchy and fresh.

For our salad, we chose the Watermelon, Feta and Avocado Salad with lime dressing.  Refreshing.  I never knew that combining three of my favorites, watermelon, feta and avocado, can be this delicious. 

The Husband's main course was the maze Grill burger with a siding of beetroot, avocado and tomato.  Perfectly grilled and very juicy on the inside.  The best burger we've tasted.  We noticed a lot of guests ordered this burger and once we've tasted how good it was, we knew why.

What's a burger without French fries?

Whole-grilled Poussin with Lemon and Harissa was a delight to the senses.  I smelled it even before it arrived on our table.  The combined fragrance of grilled chicken with the hint of spice, cinnamon and lemon wafted through the air, I almost tasted it.  Truly an unforgettable gastronomical experience right there and then.  And the taste?  Chicken heaven inside my mouth.  The poussin was tender, juicy and flavourful.  Simply a beautiful dish.

There's not much room left in our tummy but I insisted we at least share a dessert.    We ordered Mini Profiteroles with Ice Cream and Chocolate Syrup.  In Australia, we call them Profiteroles but in other countries, they are called Cream Puffs.

I was amused with the presentation of this dish.  The ice cream was sandwiched between six mini profiteroles.  It looked so cute!  The profiteroles tasted a bit bland but the ice cream and chocolate syrup made up for the sweetness I hoped for.

I paired our dessert with Peppermint Tea to help in digesting all the great food we ate and enjoyed so much! 

Our lunch took two hours....two wonderful hours.  We almost forgot about the time.  There's nothing like savouring food and cherishing every moment of a gastronomical indulgence. 

I'm grateful for the staff of maze Grill for their hospitality and I commend their chefs for all the beautiful, delicious food they served us.  They made my Husband's birthday celebration a very happy one.
maze Grill Melbourne
Level 1, Crown Metropol
Corner of Whiteman and Clarendon Streets,
Southbank, Victoria 3006
For online reservations, please click here.
A Wife's Charmed Life visited maze Grill as an anonymous guest on 17 September 2010.

iPhone Applications for Photo Enthusiasts

The Husband not so long ago upgraded to a new phone.  After three years of waiting for the iPhone 4, he finally acquired the phone he wanted.  I know that sounded quite weird--waiting for an iPhone 4 for three years when it only came out this year.  My Husband is a patient man.  When the iPhone came out a few years back, he said he wanted that kind of phone and more.  He knew that in the long run Apple would come out with an iPhone that would cater to all his needs.  And it did.  Patience is indeed a virtue.

Now that he has one, we are now experiencing and enjoying the world of applications and the ones we enjoy most are the apps for photo enthusiasts.

Here are a few of the Apps we like:

Hipstamatic iPhone App gives you the look and feel of lomo-like images.  If you are a Lomography enthusiast, you will love this as much I do.  You can choose your film, lens and and flash, just like you're using a lomography camera.

Here are some samples of the photos we've took:

Diptic iPhone App lets you quickly and easily combine two or three of your photos to create a new image. The resulting photograph is called a diptych (if it is made up of two images) or a triptych (if it is made up of three images). Diptychs and triptychs have been used for many years in art photography. With this app, anyone can quickly and easily create diptychs and triptychs.  Buy this app here and you can make creative collages.

Some sample of the collages we made....

 

Instagram app is an easy way to share your photos online.  Snap a photo with your iPhone, choose a filter to transform the look and feel, send to Facebook, Twitter or Flickr – it’s all as easy as pie. It’s photo sharing, reinvented. You can buy this app here.

Here's a photo we took of a train station in Sydney.  We took this one while we were waiting for the train.  We used a filter to make it look like a lomo photograph.

 

Incredibooth app is your instant photobooth!  Create photo strips wherever you.  A fun app you can enjoy with family and friends.  Buy this app here and start clicking!

Here's a photo strip that my cousin and I took last Saturday.

What about you?  Do you have any favorite photo applications?

Restaurant: Cafe Andiamo (Melbourne, Australia)

We celebrated my Husband's birthday early as we planned to explore exhibitions and do some shopping that day.  Our first stop was breakfast at Degraves Street.  We've dined at a few restaurants in this laneway before but we wanted a new place to try out this time.  May not be a good decision especially on a special occasion but I'm glad choosing Cafe Andiamo turned out to be a good dining experience.

There seemed to be a fast turnover of customers when we arrived in the small but cozy cafe.  I observed a mixture of people dropping by for a quick breakfast before going to work and travelers like us who have more time on our hands to savour our fresh cup of coffee.

For a long day ahead, I started with a cup of Cafe Americano.

While the Husband enjoyed his Cafe Latte.

Big breakfast for the birthday boy!  Generous servings of bacon, beans and mushrooms. 

My Eggs Benedict!  Two halves of an English muffin, topped with ham, poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce.  Eggs were perfectly poached and the sauce not too creamy.  I love that they served their Eggs Benedict with vegetables for that extra healthy factor.

I wouldn't mind going back here to have a taste of their Eggs Benedict again. 

Cafe Andiamo also serves Italian pizza, pasta and risotto dishes for lunch and dinner. 

Cafe Andiamo
36 Degraves St
Melbourne 3000 VIC
Tel.:9650 8060

A Wife's Charmed Life visited Cafe Andiamo as an anonymous guest on 17 September 2010.