To Paris for lunch

We escaped the winter cold to the little French Creperie Roule Galette at lunchtime.  No one was game to have the sweet one, but we loved our savory crepes and the french accents that repeated our orders to the chef.

Popeye - bechamel, mushroom, spinach and cheese:

The Paris gang:

The Flore and the Forestiere:

The one from last week... Sara is on to a good thing:

Hanging out in the Paris laneway:

Showing the red and navy blue...

Flowers of the weekend

From Mum's garden:

 

Mum's and James' garden:

Loving chicken

We had chicken sandwiches for lunch and added a capsicum heart (thanks cookie cutter) to the mix... including celery, lettuce, mayo and fresh roast chicken... on turkish bread...

For dinner we had spaghetti bolognese with grated cheese, fresh tomato, onion and garlic... and to make it a little healthier...

We piled on a greek salad... lettuce, feta, cucumber and tomato with balsamic dressing...

A fantastic feast in Hawthorn

We went to dinner at a beautiful home in Hawthorn last night and were treated to a fabulous feast... fish, chicken and pork... sticky rice... followed by an amazing gateau... Yum!

Anzac Day spirits

We had beans and scrambled eggs for lunch... with our first piece of balcony grown parsley... Then wandered to Carlton and bought a tub of crunchy chocolate peppermint Sara Lee icecream... Yum!

Dinner is slow cooked beef stew (with eggplant, celery, tomato, red wine) and pasta in a cheese sauce...

Henry & the Fox

Henry & the Fox is a cafe in Little Collins Street, between William and King.  I had a lunch of four-cheese pizza and salad (walnuts, pear and leaves) with cranberry juice.  It was nice, but the place was packed, so the food took a little while to emerge from the kitchen... No matter... there was time to peruse the board and see that gelati is made there... next time we will try some.  Yum!

Soiree at the Sofitel, Sydney

We took some free tasting vouchers to the Sofitel at lunch time and indulged in olives, dips, chips and cheesey ham sandies... yum! Unfortunately no icecream...

Hazelnut Gelati

Last night I tried the Hazelnut Gelati in a 150 ml tub from the supermarket in the AMP centre... it was smooth and delicious... small, but perfect for a small dessert for one... at around $2 a tub, it makes a reasonable attempt to compete with the fresh gelati in a proper gelati shop... without the drips... 8/10

Vanilla bean and more in Perth

This week took me to Perth and I had several notable foodie experiences.  I tried the vanilla bean icecream from Byron Bay with a baked ricotta cheesecake.  The base was a little dry and tasteless, so I left it behind.  However the icecream was delicious and set off the ricotta and sultanas well.

At a little french cafe, I had a long black with a strawberry cake... the light pink strawberry mousse continued on inside and complimented the sponge cake...

The Green house pays hommage to recycling.  They even have plates made from flattened wine bottles and we tried three dishes, including cauliflower, jungle curry with fish and lamb...

We had drinks at the Hula Bula bar in Victoria street and felt as if we were in Fiji... they played old tv tunes (Batman, the Adams Family) and the place was decked out in island style kitsch... awesome...

For lunch on Thursday we had salmon sandies... yum...

I spotted this funny shoe shop and decided to take a photo of their retro advertising...

Perth has come a long way.... it's fun, cool and quirky all at once...

Breakfast at Miss Maud's Swedish smorgasbord is fabulous... there are spanish tapas bars down lanes... (we tried one off Howard St)...

How to spice up your Tuesday

A step by step guide...

1. Have Peter made some amazing chicken sandwiches with pinenuts, chicken, mayo and seedy German style bread.

2. Ask Ralphy to chop celery and fill the kitchen with nice foodie smells... cooked ionica chicken, turkish bread, Lynch's naughty sauce (caesar dressing)...

3. Dip your biscuits into some lovely pumpkin dip from Maeve...

4. Send Sara to Thomas Dux for strawberries and raspberries.

5. Add schweppervessence from Chris Romano, a drinks-master from the West... (Radelaide)

6. Top it off with the most amazing baked cheesecake from Jen... add sauce...

These are the delicious moments in the Melbourne office today!

Bravo

The team visited CostCo during the week and brought back a special treat from Bravo.... Virgin Vanilla gelato and it is divine... I noticed the Bravo tub of mini cones at IGA this morning...

Breakfast with the Birds was back this week... we tried Journal... the house-made beans and porridge were yum...

We sizzled up some prawns and salmon cutlets for the celebrity hubby's birthday... just butter and a good pan... did the trick... happy man...

Tim Tam Slam

Last night we went to Trunk in Exhibition Street.  I had a Tim Tam Slam (a milkshake made with crushed Tim Tams, icecream and milk).  We shared nachos and chilli cheese fries, then moved on to the Waghu burger with zucchini, lettuce and cheese.  Delicious. 8/10

Crepes in Port

We went to the Port Philip Arcade (228 Flinders Street, Melbourne) for lunch today at the french creperie... it was divine... just like being in Paris...

Peter had the decadent crepe...

Sara, Dan and Chris had the Complete pancake with ham, cheese and egg...

I had the flore... spinach, tomato, goats cheese... sharp, bitey... delicious...

Great for a cold rainy day in Melbourne... 8/10