Dog-Friendly: Alfresco - Mr. Hyde, Geelong

Decided to go down to the Great Ocean Road over Cup weekend with a bunch of mates. A really good friend of mine, E, who came along, travels heaps around VIC and knows her way around cities, towns and their good food. She had been raving about the Wagyu Steak Sandwich so we just had to give it a shot!

Mr Hyde has two outside areas - A verandah, and some benches set up on the big sidewalk on Malop St. We were going to sit on the verandah, but Little Angus decided that he didn't quite like the Rottie that was there, so we went outside. Sat there a bit until Rottie and his parents left, when we decided we would have lunch on the verandah as it looked like it was going to rain any moment. Staff were happy to accommodate and were happy to have dogs on the verandah.

Peeking into the restaurant

Of COURSE we had to have the Wagyu Steak Sandwich, but we decided to give the Wagyu Burger a go too.

Wagyu Burger w/ beetroot salad

The Wagyu Burger was nice, but beetroot salad that came with it was awesome! The Husband preferred the burger, while I preferred the steak sandwich. I reckon I wasn't tremendously impressed with the burger because it tasted very similar to the ones I make at home (A Jamie Oliver recipe, with lots of spices). The Steak Sandwich on the other hand was yum!

Wagyu Steak Sandwich - even Angus agreed it smelled and looked yummy!

Mr Hyde
(The Age Cheap Eats Country Champion 2010)
11 Malop St, Geelong

A Poem

Eye have a spelling chequer,
It came with my Pea Sea.
It plane lee marks four my revue,
Miss steaks I can knot sea.

Eye strike the quays and type a whirred,
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am write oar wrong
It tells me straight a weigh.

Eye ran this poem threw it,
Your shore real glad two no.
Its vary polished in its weigh
My chequer tolled me sew.

- sauce unknown


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

My Two Cents worth to Starbucks

Was asked to complete an online survey of Starbucks Malaysia with the incentive of a free tall-sized beverage. This is my blurb - notice how I got increasingly impassioned towards the end?

Less than a week prior to this experience, I had the grande-sized "Extra coffee java chip frappuccino" - I was told it contained 5 shots of espresso, and it was excellent. Then at this recent visit the guy at the counter had no idea what I was on about when I ordered it again and told me they only had a "java chip frappuccino" - I assumed that the 'extra coffee java chip frappuccino' was a promotional seasonal item, so I then ordered the "java chip frappuccino" that was on the menu board and added extra coffee.
Ugh - it tasted like all they used was coffee syrup and added coffee syrup - it was sweet, uncoffee-like and NOTHING like the 'extra coffee java chip frappuccino'!

You are supposedly a coffee establishment, STARBUCKS! Give your free-trade coffee farmers something to trade and use REAL ESPRESSO coffee in your coffee-based drinks! If i wanted a chocolate milkshake tasting thing I'll go to McDonald's! BRING BACK THE COFFFEE!!

Dog-Friendly: Alfresco - Duchess of Spotswood

We came by a month or so ago with Angus, hoping to get a seating outside. There were just too many people waiting, and so we left for elsewhere.

Last Saturday, we decided to try our luck again, but without Angus. We were seated in 15 minutes, despite the constant stream of people waiting.

I did think that the menu alone was enough to give you coronary heart disease, but we had to experience it for ourselves.

We shared between us two, the Idle Tongues:Idle Tongues -
braised ox tongue w/ semolina puree and sourdough bread

as well as the fabulous, Duchess of Pork ( I must admit, I was half-expecting Fergie to be served :X )

Duchess of Pork -
pork belly w/ crumbed poached eggs, rich truffle sauce and sourdough bread

Lovely place, and would love to go again, but we might let the cholesterol ease down for a while first!

Duchess of Spotswood
87 Hudsons Rd
Spotswood
 

FOOD-OUT: Roule Galette French Creperie

After dinner with a very dear friend of mine last Friday, we (friend, the Husband, and I) found ourselves at Roule Galette - a delightful little joint that served crepes - both sweet and savoury.

I really liked how this place is set up - it's tucked into a very quiet alley and the staff all speak French - the Husband remarked that it felt like we were in Paris itself (or what we perceive as Paris, as neither of us have been there).

As we were greedy piggies and we WERE after dessert, we ordered a sweet crepe each.

I had the Lucie crepe (ice-cream, almonds, braised apple):-

The Husband opted for the Anne So (lots of vanilla ice-cream, hot chocolate sauce, flaked almonds):-

As much as we loved the Lucie and Anne-So crepes and would gladly, happily, greedily eat them again, the piece de resistance was, in my opinion, the caramel with salted butter, topped with a scoop of ice-cream.

Gawd, I'm drooling just thinking about it!!

Roule Galette French Creperie
Scott Alley, 241 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
http://roulegalette.com.au/ 

Dog-Friendly: Macedon Regional Park

We must endeavour to go there again and give it another shot.

We decided to go up Mount Macedon with Angus yesterday, but it turned out to be a bad decision. The weather was forecasted to be cloudy in Melbourne, but we didn't factor in the likelihood that it'd be colder up in Mount Macedon.

Well, it wasn't JUST colder, it was raining too! And misty.

Bah.

Major Mitchell's Lookout point - look out to where?!

Mount Macedon is home to the Memorial Cross, Victoria's most significant war memorial only second to the Shrine of Remembrance:


I reckon if it wasn't wet or too cold, it would be quite lovely to walk.

Oh well, maybe next time!

**Note to self, though - Top of the Ranges Tearooms does not appear to have an alfresco area if you're bringing pooch along, so bring a picnic along next time!

Macedon Regional Park

Dog-Friendly: Alfresco - Social Roasting Company, Flemington

Have been here many a-times for brunch, but it was the first time we've brought Angus. They have about 4 tables on the wide sidewalk, and there was ample space. Some places have tables crammed on the narrow sidewalk, and it can be really quite cumbersome to have dogs around, but this was fine - Angus seemed comfy, and wasn't being pesky to others!

They usually have the most amazing sweet muffins ever, but we were certainly after something way more substantial:


It wasn't an easy choice, as they have an awesome massive brekkie/lunch menu:


What I love about this place, apart from the great food, is their social conscience - in addition to aiming to provide work to the long-term unemployed, they also try to reduce their carbon footprint by delivering their roasted beans (coffee bean roaster seen below!) by bicycle.


Awesome food, good coffee, and wonderful conscience - what is there not to love? Plus, your furry friend is welcomed too!

Social Roasting Company
307 Racecourse Road, Flemington, VIC
Cash Only
Monday-Friday, 7am-3.30pm; Sat & Sun, 8am-4pm