AU2012 - Left Bank

Left Bank’s waterfront location by the Yarra river is definitely the ideal place for a relaxing meal, especially on a quiet weekend morning.

 

 

While there, we had the Classic Aussie Breakfast, …

 

 

… French Toast …

 

 

… Crepes Suzette …

 

 

… and Slow Cooked Mushroom Trio.

 

 

And accompanying those are our cappuccinos …

 

 

… and lattes.

 

 

I guess, what surprises us the most, was the portion of the food. I would consider them a little smaller than the average Australian restaurant. Or, maybe we were just too hungry!!!

 

 

Left Bank Melbourne
1, Southbank Boulevard, Southbank, VIC 3006, Australia.
+61 3 9682 4500
http://www.leftbankmelbourne.com.au/

AU2012 - BearBrass

Situated by the Yarra River at Southbank, BearBrass seems to be a buzzy venue for snacks and drinks.

 

 

After a long day’s walk around the Melbourne CBD, we stopped by BearBrass for some evening snacks. Among them included the rich chocolate sundae …

 

 

… and the cured ham pizza, which also consists of roasted garlic, fresh basil, olives and tomatoes.

 

 

Complementing our sweet and salty snacks are the sour homemade lemonade …

 

 

… and the slightly bitter organic ginger beer.

 

 

Four tastes in a meal, within a city of four seasons!!

 

 

BearBrass
Shop G3A, Southgate Arts and Leisure Precinct, 3, Southgate Avenue, Southbank, VIC 3006, Australia.
+61 3 9682 3799
http://www.bearbrass.com.au

AU2012 - Petaling Street

While Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur is famous for their cheap “branded” goods, the Petaling Street in Melbourne is famous for their Malaysian hawker food.

 

 

Since we stumbled upon this “KL’s Chinatown” on our way to Melbourne’s Chinatown, we decided to check it out.

 

 

I suppose, one of the must-eat dishes is the Asam Fish, especially since they show five of those pictures at the entrance!!

 

 

The other dishes that we ordered included the Marmite Chicken Ribs …

 

 

… Fried Koay Teow …

 

 

… and the Malaysian Special Fish Ball Noodle Soup.

 

 

The verdict, I reckon the best dish would be the Fried Koay Teow. And the worst, the so-called “Malaysian Special” noodle soup!!

 

 

Petaling Street
162, Swanston Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia.
+61 3 9639 8264
http://www.petalingst.com.au/

AU2012 - Penguin Parade

The Phillip Island Penguin Parade is one of Australia’s most popular wildlife attractions, where wild little penguins emerge from the sea and waddle across the beach to their burrows every sunset.

 

 

And usually, they numbered in the thousands!!

 

 

The only downside though, is the restriction on camera usage. Since they do not allow cameras, here’s a postcard shot …

 

Postcard shot from Philip Island

 

… and a video from Channel Ten.

 

 

While it was a good experience, I reckon that the Penguin Tour in Bicheno, Tasmania, is more fun and value for money!! Small groups, informative guides, and non-flash photography allowed!!

 

Penguin Tour at Bicheno, Tasmania, back in 2005

 

But of course, be prepared to step onto muddy and uneven surfaces since it is not as “modern” as Phillip Island’s attraction.

 

 

But if you do visit the Penguin Parade at Phillip Island, don’t forget to check under your cars for penguins before you leave!!

AU2012 - Shuji Sushi

With over 20 franchises in Melbourne itself, it looks like Shuji Sushi is slowly gaining popularity.

 

 

And lucky for us, we didn’t had to venture too far away to find one, since they have a franchise at Freshwater Place, just a block away from Quest Apartments.

 

 

During our visit, we decided to try their colourful Bento Box A …

 

 

… Chicken Curry Don …

 

 

… and the Oyaku Udon.

 

 

But surprisingly, it turned out to be an Oyaku Don!! I wondered if it was an error with the menu or the waitress?!?!

 

 

Shuji Sushi
Shop 16R, Freshwater Place, Southbank, VIC 2006, Australia.
+61 3 9645 8841

AU2012 - Quest Southbank

During our most recent trip to Melbourne, we decided to make Quest Southbank our base for exploring the marvellous city of four seasons in one day!!

 

 

Although this 4.5 star property is not located in the middle of the CBD and there’s nothing fancy about it, at least, we had the Southbank Promenade and Crown Entertainment Complex at our door step.

MY2012 - Koong Woh Tong

Famous for their herbal jelly, it seems that Koong Woh Tong is rapidly expanding into most shopping malls in Malaysia.

 

 

While I couldn’t really remember when was the last time I had herbal jelly, this is definitely my first time having it in a shopping mall.

 

 

Due to its bitterness, we were also served a pot full of sugar syrup to be mixed.

 

 

And in case you are wondering what are the ingredients of this herbal jelly, generally, the Gui Ling Gao or Turtle Jelly consists of grinded turtle’s plastron, ginseng, wolfberries, dried rehmannia, licorice root, and other minor additions of Chinese herbs. Yes, you read it right, TURTLE!!!

 

 

Koong Woh Tong
G40, AEON Rawang Anggun, Persiaran Anggun, Taman Anggun, 48000 Rawang, Selangor, Malaysia.
+60 3 6092 4388