Laurent - Australia famous pastry store

Melbourne - Lesley was finding for this pastry store up and down the street - Laurent.   Famous no doubt as the store was immaculate in design and look upmarket.

Store front

My cappuccino

Our waiting number is 14, our table is 4 - seems like Lesley favourite number.

Mercadante restaurant @ Lygon Street

Melbourne - We walked from Queen Victoria market to Lygon street and it was a distance.  But worth the stroll on a cool Melbourne night.   You hardly will break a sweat as the weather is around 15-17 degrees.

Stop at Mercadante restaurant - an Italian restaurant serving Pizza and Pasta.

Spaghetti Aglio Olio

This was Lesley's order and he commented that there is an unfamiliar taste to this dish.   I tried a fork full, and indeed there was an unfamiliar taste but could not put a finger on what to make out of that taste.  Lesley finish his dish clean without a single strand of the spaghetti.  He must be really hungry.

Spaghetti Vongole

This Spaghetti Vongole should have been called 'Spaghetti Seafood' as it has lots of squid too.  I prefer olive oil and garlic stir fried lightly with Vongole 'clams'.   It was a big portion and could only finish slightly more than half.

Still hankering for desert, we got ourselves each a scoop of Italian Gelato from the famous Gelatissimo.   We walked from Lygon Street all the way back to our Hotel - a good exercise.

Steakhouse - The European restaurant

Melbourne - We went to one of Australia's steak house so named ' The European Restaurant'.   From our Hotel it was a short walk down Bourke Street towards Elizabeth Street till you hit Spring Street; then turn left.

There is nothing European about this restaurant which was oozing all Australian character from the menu, waitress to decor.

The steak I chose was black pepper steak around 250g it was medium well done and it tasted really good.  Lesley had the trout fish char cook and it look char burnt.  For appetizers, I had 1/2 dozen of fresh oysters @ A$4 each - expensive by any standard and it turned out disappointing for being small. I just came back from Tokyo and the Oysters I had was big and so succulent.    A good restaurant would have indicated the origin and type of the Oysters they offered us.

The meal was simple, below expectation and expensive.

Address: 161 Spring Street,   

Spicy Fish restaurant @ Melbourne

Melbourne - We were hankering for some good Chinese tim sum but since it's dinner - I doubt many restaurants serve this breakfast and lunch meal.   We finally settled on this restaurant at Melbourne Chinatown area - Spicy Fish restaurant located at 209 Little Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia.   It was very crowded with a mix Chinese and local Australians.   The prices are steep but the portions are big.

Scrambled egg white with dice fish and scallops

It was a big bowl with generous portions of scallops.   It was done deliciously and very smooth to the taste.

Pork spare ribs with potato in chili sauce

The pork spare ribs was very tender and nice but there was no taste of chili at all.   At A$22.80 it was a big portion.

Stir fry shredded eel with tea tree mushroom

The eel was shredded too small and not much taste of the Eel but with big portions of the tea tree mushroom.  It should have been named as 'Tea tree mushroom with shredded eel'.

South Melbourne Market

Melbourne - since the exhibition starts at around 12 noon, we ventured to South Melbourne Market took the tram 96 just outside our Hotel and took around 30 mins to reach.

With the myki pass travel within Melbourne is very convenient.  My 2 other trips was via taxi and having to endure traffic, high price and taxi drivers that seems to take you round numerous blocks. The trams are so clean, efficient and on time.

We stopped at station # 127 just outside South Melbourne Market and a short walk to the market.  This market opens only on Wed to Sat.

This is one of the many entrances to this vast market.  The stalls are various from butchers, poultry, fresh vegetables and fruits, deli and cafe.  There are also many boutique selling soaps, bags, clothing and shoes - mostly handmade and from Melbourne.

Boutique coffee

rows of shops

We had lunch at a Spanish restaurant since they are opened for lunch.

The restaurant called 'simply Spanish' serves as the namesake Spanish dishes.  We had the meal of the day 'flathead fish'.

delicious flathead fish

Surprising my first time eating the flathead fish which is found in most parts of Australia.  The meat is tender and sweet, and was nicely cooked.

steaming paella

Wow! the paella is delicious and we finished the plate clean....

Quanjude Beijing Duck

Melbourne - The famous Beijing duck restaurant opened a branch in Melbourne - Quanjude Beijing Duck.   We walked from our hotel to the restaurant in the cold and windy Melbourne weather.  It's at the junction of La Trobe and Queen Street.  The entrance and reception looked very grand and you have to walk downstairs to the main restaurant.   We ordered half a duck with vegetable.

Dou Miao with scallops and mushrooms

half of Beijing Duck

A plate of nicely sliced Beijing duck, pancake and condiments.   The roasted duck was succulent and juicy.

Fried ice-cream

inside of the fried ice-cream

Famous Australian Burger @ Grill'd

Lygon, Melbourne - Today is the end of Cisco Live 2013, by 2:30pm everyone is packing and leaving the Exhibition area.  Prior Cisco was flying this remote control craft and dropping free gifts for attendees to exchange for mugs, T-shirts, etc.

I think the next ehibition was Harley bikes as they had lovely and huge bikes parked inside the Exhibition area on display.

After thinking about eating this famous Melbourne burger for a while, we decided to walk our way to this Burger store along Lygon street.    We have to taste the burger to know why it is re-known in Australia.   The weather was hot and thus making the walk to our destination seems long.   From Elizabeth Street => Russell => finally reach the junction of Lygon Street.   Home of the RMIT University.

The Burger restaurant is called Grill'd and it is located at a quaint corner of Lygon Street.   There was queue formed in from of us and when it was our turn I ordered Moroncon Lamb Burger + 1 Pure Blonde premier beer and Lesley Simon Say (Chicken Burger) + 1 Pure Blonde Premier beer.  Add a small chips and the bill came up to AUD 43.90.  Very expensive for burgers which you can get good burgers in USA for 1/2 the price we paid.

Lesley and his Pure Blonde....

Morocan Lamb Burger with small thick fries

'Simon Says' (Chicken Burger)

Delicious Italian food @ Cafe Notturno

Lygon, Melbourne - We took a taxi to have our dinner at Melbourne's famous Italian street with many Italian restaurants.   There are so many restaurants to choose from but decided to go to this because there were so many people having dinner outside on the restaurant patio.   We walked into Cafe Notturno and the waiters were very friendly and helpful. 

The Ceasar Salad was delicious and well stired but a bit salty because of the smoked ham and anchovies.

My beer is VB and Lesley's is Pure Blonde Premium. 

Margherita Pizza - much differently prepared compared to the ones I have tasted,  The cheese is great but I generally do not like so much burnt stuff on my food....

Pineapple Pizza commonly called Hawanian Pizza elsewhere....very good ham and deliciously cooked pineapple.

Yummy Steaks in Melbourne @ Rare Steakhouse

Melbourne -  We went to this Steak restaurant along Little Collins Road called 'Rare Steakhouse'.   You walk in a narrow alley and you will find this steakhouse.

Ordered the following apetitisers Oysters of 4 different types.  Fresh Oysters, Frizpatrick, Thai Style and Baked Oysters.

These are delicious Baked Mushrooms...topped with cheese

My 300g Scotch Fillet Steak @ AUD 34.50 plus they charged you the sauce.

Australian beers are the best with wide choices like Boags Premium Beer from Tasmania.  This beer taste very nice and smooth.

Melbourne Visitor Shutter & St Paul's Cathedral

Melbourne - The weather today was hot and sunny but it was worth the walk down from Elizabeth street to the Melbourne Visitor Centre at Flinders station.   It was a friendly environment and we waited for our number to be called and was greeted by a guest relations officer.

There were many restaurants around the Melbourne Visitor Centre and pop into one for our lunch.

This is a boutique drink in Australia under the company called Redrock.   This was my drink a refreshing grapefruit carbonated - nice but too sweet. 

Lemonade drink

Lesley's lunch

It does not look apetitising on photo - in fact; it was worst when they sent it the first time.  I rejected because the breaded pork cutlet was burnt in black. 

Since we had the afternoon open, we were advised to take their free Melbourne Visitor Shuttle which is a red bus that travels around the perimeter of Melbourne City - takes about 1 and half hours.  Waited outside the St Paul's Cathedral and already a small queue was forming.   Lesley waited whilst I took a peek inside St Paul's Cathedral - an Anglican Church.

Back in Melbourne - PJ O'Briens

Melbourne - arrived on an A380 on time and waited for Lesley at the same place as last year PJ O'Briens.  2nd floor of the Melbourne airport terminal.   Ordered Irish Stew and a small glass of Carlton Draught.  The Irish Stew taste is not fantastic but the beer is delicious - draft beer.  I should have ordered a bigger mug.

Our hotel was the Somerset on Elizabeth Melbourne and it was a service apartment managed by Capitaland.  Nice sizable apartment for both of us.