Ananas Bar & Brassiere- Let's do Dessert!

As I hinted earlier, October has been a fairly busy month for me with assessments contending with each other for priority and my newly found society responsibilities. I wish I could profess that I had exceptional time management skills, I’d like to think that they are quite commendable but with all that said, I could really only indulge in one Let’s Do Dessert event. Perhaps, this would be the trend for quite some time as I still have another 3 years of uni ahead of me. 

After indulging in so much dessert this year (note here, here and here), my waist line hasn’t fared so well so and after sporadic exercise attempts I was rather selective with what I wanted for dessert. I definitely tend to gravitate towards dessert platters, smaller portions but to compensate you get to sample much much more. I have to say that in comparison to where I went last year for Let’s do Dessert, I was preferred this one.

Even though this was originally intended to be a dessert focused post, coming straight from uni, a dessert only couldn’t quell my appetite. I initially wanted to get Wonderbao again from the Night Noodle Market (link here) but that long line discouraged me and so I took the more expensive option. 

I joined my last year’s Let’s do Dessert companions in sharing a main and a side- fortunately there was no fuss in sharing it between the three of us.

Night Noodle Market 2014

October is almost over and one my favourite months of the year is about hit its close. That's right guys, it is time to get out those tissues because Good Food Month is almost over. I joined the band wagon a little late this year mainly because of university work and other commitments, I did however  let myself go a little at the Nigh Noodle Market and yes I couldn't help but take an obligatory lantern photo. I have to flag that you should go the the Night Noodle Market loaded with cash (avoid the ATMs at all cost) and prepared to pay a premium. There is a huge mark up here, take for example last year where I just toured the market without buying anything, instead of going to the Din Tai Fung store, I went up to the one in Westfield Sydney which is actually bigger and offers a bigger serving as well.

So if you're especially frugal like me, only go here for the specialties and I really only had 2 to go to place and they were Wonderbao and Gelato Messina.

I still am to this day astounded at how a gua bao can cost $7, buying all 3 flavours for $20 was perhaps one of those decision that I resigned myself to make. I mean after all, Wonderbao is a Melbourne store...

Amongst those that I have talked to regarding these baos, the consensus has been mixed but I alike many others actually found this to be overhyped. I'm not saying that they are bad, not they were nice but not nice enough to justify their $7 price tag. My main issue was with the bun, yes not with the filling; the pork belly as faultless and I loved the flavour combinations. Having tried Ippudo's pork bun the softness and slightly sweet taste just cannot compare and being Chinese I am most definitely a bun/bao junkie and so no ordinary bao can impress me. I would be open to the possibility of trying these guys in store to see if it was the change in location that resulted in the drop in quality.

Korean chips on a stick $6

I had no idea if these are really Korean or not but my friend (pictured above) wanted this so we conceded to her request. It's pretty much spiced potatoes, they're nice but I'm frugal remember so this will really be a one off.

Some photography snaps, enjoy~

Sweets sandwiched in between savouries but I'm good with that. Dutch pancakes, 12 pieces for $10 with caramel and red bean sauce. The red bean sauce was more like a paste- makes me wonder how they made it. I think the only time I eat these are at markets, again another once off.

Rows and rows of coconuts for $6 --> that's shocking in light of this post

Harajuku Gyozas 5 for $8 

Again, slightly overpriced (sorry I can't get over this, the inner Asian in me is screaming) but still as delicious as always.

Obligatory noodles because I'm at the Night Noodle Market plus we had to also get something Viet.

Luke Nguyen lemon grass beef vermicelli noodles $12 

Really loved the flavours that they got into this and the generous serving of beef but sadly there were little vegetables in comparison. Unfortunately by the time the food was ready, the beef was already overcooked and very tough.

L to R: 

Happy Taste Bud Time- Lychee sponge, mango puree, rambutan & coconut gelato, whipped salted coconut cream, coconut macaroon (not macaron)

Street Hawker- Lime & chocolate brownie, peanut gelato, coconut & caramel jam, fortune cookie clusters, peanut cookie

Bangkok Holla- Kaffir lime sponge, pandan & coconut sorbet, pineapple & lemongrass mousse, chilli coconut cookie

All $9 each and comes with a fortune cookie

Someone should really do a coconut Ctrl + F to see how many times the word coconut appears.

So I chose the Happy Taste Bud Time, overall it was really nice but it got very sweet after several bites. The servings are actually quite big and it's definitely enough for 2 people. I'm not sure if anyone else experienced this but that lovely yellowish cream isn't gentler but rather the coconut cream. Imagine the shock I had upon getting a giant mouthful of cream. The lychee sponge is hidden inside though it would have been so much better had they served more of it just purely because it offer some relief against all the other sweet elements.

C is for Coconut

Join the Coconut Train- Choo Choo

Say no to packaged 'Coconut water' and say I choo choo choo-se you to Coconut juice out of what else but for a coconut. I'm not sure if this is a blessing or not but I kind of spammed my friends on snapchat with so many coconut related photos (poor them).

The journey all started in Country Growers Parramatta when they were having a 3 for $3 coconut sale  . Mind you, prices like this only exist in countries like Thailand were it not for the fact that they were about to best before. And with one sip the love affair began. Unfortunately coconuts and I soon had a bit of a tiff as I couldn't reconcile myself with their price tag. 

The price hasn't changed, I was the one that had to sadly compromise in this relationship. Note: If you're seriously after a coconut, then you're guaranteed to find them in every Top Juice. The downside is that they are expensive, $5.50 but they are bigger than the ones you'll find in the supermarkets. But because I'm too cheap for that, I don't have photographic proof for you guys.

Bitter's Coconut Guide:

Country Growers Parramatta $3

A bit on the small side but they are always in stock and they can pierce the coconut for you. Straw is also included. That said, if you love coconut meat like I do then that will be a problem for you because they don't slice the coconut up.

Beautiful coconut meat, one of my favourite parts when drinking a coconut. I was a bit crazy and took this home with me so that I could hack it open. 

The health benefits of a packaged coconut juices cannot compare to a legit coconut. Photo of prices in the IGA store in Westfield Parramatta. They also have whole, young coconuts there as well for $2.50 but they won't cut it open for you.

My favourite place for coconuts is Coles in World Square

I love this place so much that I just had to write the above in a bigger font and underlined as well. There is so much to rave about when it comes to buying coconuts in World Square. First of all, how amazing is that cut, like seriously it is so beautifully defined and clean. Apparently they have a special machine/knife in this store which is why they can do it so nicely. Another plus is that they kept the glad wrap so you can carry it away without it spilling. Straws are also provided so you don't have to awkwardly plan a way to steal straws from some other store. Finally, because it is cut so well (I'm sorry but I have so much appreciation for it) you can also enjoy the meat as well. Their straws are quite durable and so they can kind of double up as spoons.

Price $3

Selfie because I have a coconut. My friend was judging me for this but you guys can understand right?

Woolworths sell coconuts for $2

Bought a few from Woolworths in Parramatta but note that not every Woolworths will stock them- only the bigger stores. Size wise they are comparable to that of Coles which is bigger than that of Country Growers. I do have a few issues with Woolworths though or at least from my two experiences at this particular store. I first bought these on a Monday because at $2 they are ridiculously cheap except then you need to factor in the fact that you don't get a straw and the cutting of the coconut is subpar as evident in the picture below (straw from a different store). I went again on Friday in hopes of buying coconuts for the whole office but I was told that they can no longer cut coconuts because of an OH&S issue (which I understand). 

Since the Woolworths coconut train halted, I switched to good ol' trustworthy Coles. Unfortunately Coles Parramatta don't give you straws either (which is why Coles World Square is the best) but you can get your coconuts cut with them but as you can see from the photo, the cut cannot match up to its World Square counterpart.

$3

Enjoying my trustworthy Coles coconut at work. Coconut train has travelled to work now (:

Because Asian grocers also stock coconuts- Burwood Road, Burwood

Young coconuts 2 for $5, old coconuts $3.49 each

Didn't get any because my mother dragged me about before I could take them over to the checkout ):

Because the coconut train goes everywhere 

Excuse my bed hair, I kind of eat ice-cream for breakfast sometimes

Does this look scary? This is my coconut piercer that I bought off Ebay for like $3 including shipping. Did you know that this whole coconut train was spurred from this one impulsive online buy combined with my research online into health benefits of coconuts and where I could buy them online as well (don't ask- I'm weird).

Anyhow I hope this is helpful, be sure to let me know if you've encountered any issues in getting them coconuts. Also if you're in a supermarket and want the coconut cut, ask for someone who works in the fruit and vegetable section because it is pointless to go to the checkout as the people there know nothing and cannot help you at all.

Pink Panther comes out in Spring

For some reason I can't help but play with my hair in these photos. Since I fail at smiling (no really I do), I suppose the only thing I can do with my flailing limbs is to pretend that I'm fixing my hair when really it has been immaculately straightened and then hair-sprayed but enough on that. 

Before I showed you my Spring whites and now it's time to unveil my other go to Spring look-pastels. If you think you're wearing too much pastel, chances are you can do with another pastel item. Pretty much everything in this look is pastel and I think as long as you stick to a particular colour scheme then it will all work out. I actually found this trench coat online and in the past I used to steer well away from pink but lately I'm come to grow fond of it. If you, like me, hate the cold and always feel like you need an extra layer then the trench coat is your answer, it's chic, light and provides protection against the cold. To be honest, as soon as I bought this coat, I knew that I had to wear with it other 'pink' items and perhaps I wasn't ready to let go of my pink aversion but an apricot peach works quite well doesn't it? And with that I'll leave you with:

Be bold. Be Pink. Be the Pink Panther and wear Pastel! 

Details:

Trench Coat- Lauren for Ralph Lauren

Shirt: Ralph Lauren

Pants: Mossman Clothing

Watch- Triwa

Bag: Salvatore Ferragamo Zucco Bag 

Shoes: Giuseppe Zanotti Bianco Tomala sandals

Sunglasses: Vintage Pierre Cardin, from 1960s to be precise (this is one of my vintage items that I can actually date)

Photos taken outside Parramatta Law Courts- a spontaneous location shoot.

On Sale: Connoisseur Ice-cream

Oops I did it again.

And that is about all I remember from Britney Spears's song a part from "Hit me baby one more time" which isn't really appropriate... correction I suck at pop culture

Anyway if thought I was just a tad bit crazy in this post with all that grocery shopping then Bitter strikes again and this time it is with Connoisseur ice-cream which are on sale this week at Woolworths at 20%. Perhaps I should add Connoisseur ambassador to my list of potential careers following this post. I really should stop using 'study food' as an excuse to buy one of everything but seeing Connoisseur on sale is the equivalent of finding a unicorn though the former has a more credible chance of occurring (just a bit). So when those flashy yellow tags (as below) popped up, I grabbed the opportunity to finally try their Gourmet selection. If I can be bothered or if there is enough interest I may end up writing so thoughts down but no guarantees on that one.

I know that I usually don't double up on photos but I couldn't help but add this one because of my mother's sneaky duck face in the background. I absolute suck at duck face (what duck face? It's practically a pout of some sort...?) and I've never taught her so I guess she's just a natural at it.

hehehe

Emperor Nero (decadent coffee, chocolate coated hazelnuts and hazelnut liqueur) was all but sold out. I actually got the second last one as it was hiding in the back. I actually wished they stocked Emperor Jing Zong as well because my mum would enjoy that more so than the coffee which I kind of doubled up on by buying mocha ice-cream.

Look at those lovely yellow tags!

I also have to add that if my arithmetic skills are still in tact, Woolworths failed in their calculations as $2 from an original price of $8 is not 20% but rather 25% off.

Sepia Review

Alright prepare yourself because this will be another content heavy post which may or may not be the length of the essay that I should be writing up instead (don’t remind me about it please) --> well this is a bit outdated given it took me a week thereabouts to write this all up. Named Good Food Guide Restaurant of the Year 2015, Sepia has been at the top of my restaurant-to-eat list (yes it does exist in real life) ever since I first laid eyes on their Japanese Stones dessert (featured below)

I love everything about degustations, everything but for the wait; I suppose you cannot expect a kitchen to churn out 8 courses one after another nor can your stomach withstand the onslaught of food that quickly (let’s be honest here). For my latest degustation adventure, I decided to make a trip to the 3-hatted Sepia. Est. is known for their safe flavour combinations and Modern Australian cuisine with a touch of Asian (Cantonese) inspiration, Sepia on the other hand is famous for their Japanese-French menu and desserts (and rightly so, just see below). I have been looking for an excuse to dine here for ages, sadly I am forever alone and so my degustation companions are limited to Mother and Father. 

Open 6 days a week Tuesday-Sunday, by popular demand, they are also open for Saturday lunch where it is degustation only. I actually like the idea of degustation for lunch mainly because I have real affinity for the Mediterranean lifestyle when it comes to meals. In Western and Asian cultures (as far as I know), dinner is the biggest meal of the day; to me that seems ridiculous because you’re eating a big meal only to sleep some of it off, and in the end, you are just storing up unused energy otherwise affectionately known as fat (you’re welcome). In the Mediterranean, lunch is their biggest meal so that way you can have energy to work for the rest of the afternoon. Dinner is proportionately smaller because you at night you really don’t need all of that energy in you. All in all, I can proudly vouch for bigger lunches and smaller dinners!

On a side note, I will be partaking in the ballot for Heston’s Fat Duck Melbourne but $525 for a meal not including tips and return flights is ridiculously expensive. I kind of wish they would reject me so I won’t have the option of deciding whether to make the trip to Melbourne especially when some of my uni friends are trying to organise a AUS Open 2015 trip- I won't have any money left in me.

Okay, let’s start!

Degustation is priced at $190 per person