The BEST Lamington.

In the past, I've never been too big a fan of anything that had coconut desiccated coconut. But OH BOY, times have indeed changed. Living in Sydney has changed my preferences towards certain things.. like DESICCATED COCONUT, duh. 

Lamingtons are a BIG THING in the land down under. I've had my fair share of them, they're usually just a dry piece of sponge to me. But NO, not this one. 

Chateau Hestia, Tagaytay

I absolutely love the old Spanish vibe of the place.

My dad and mum both took the day off for my dad's birthday. The three of us headed off to Tagaytay which was something fairly out of the ordinary especially for us. I had no clue whatsoever where my dad was going to take us, but for sure it was going to be somewhere extraordinary.* Yes, it was the opposite way around, he was the one who surprised us! 

My dad has read about Chateau Hestia in a couple of magazines and he actually knows the owner too. The place is very hard to find but once you do find it, it has that relaxed ambiance and it very airy. I found it beautiful especially cause it had an organic farm out the back. 

The dining area was very simple. It was reminiscent of a chateau as the name suggests. There were plenty of windows that pulled in a lot of natural light. 

Complimentary bread and uhh.. a buttery eggplant dip if I wasn't mistaken. I wasn't the biggest fan of their bread, it wasn't dense enough for me.

My Chocolate Life

I am the biggest chocolate junkie this world has ever seen. I'm sure everyone who knows me will agree – I simply can't resist chocolate. So it's just about time that I actually wrote about my obsession, no? This will probably be the first in a series of many. :)

Chocolates I have been eating lately:

Hot chocolate at Mary Grace. 

Delicious and thick and rich, just the way I like it! Watery hot chocolate is not for me.

Dulcelin chocolate cake, with caramel sauce.

 Again, deeply chocolatey. And very moist too! Plus, the caramel sauce just kills me. I love it with a nice cup of tea! This cake is as brilliant as chocolate cakes come.

Making Banoffee Pie with My Little Monkey

I've been so hooked on Jack Johnson lately. Like really really hooked. He's not gorgeous, but he has such a fantastic kinda husky but soothing voice. Think a sweeter sort of lazier version of John Mayer.

You better listen to that song. It's lazy, it's sweet- it's a sweet lazy afternoon song.

..And I'd totally be listening to it again if I was making another pie.

Let's get rocking.

Chocolate Mousse

Say MOUSSE!

How do you get rid of your stress? I either go to the gym and run like a mad man or cook something totally sinful and appropriate. I'll admit I did both, but THIS came first. The whole idea of making a chocolate mousse came from watching Masterchef Australia. Yes, Masterchef!* One of the contestants cooked a dessert comprising a pannacotta and a chocolate mousse. The judges deemed the chocolate mousse was fabulous, and it was "sex on a plate". How appropriate.  My cousin and I were like OOOhhhh, mousse! And almost simultaneously, we decided to make mousse the next day.

After a drink too many [Why do I keep talking about drinks? I totally didn't have drinks!:)] We started making the chocolate mousse. It was easy easier than pie. 

Dubai Airport Lounge

What was the Dubai Airport Lounge like? Epic. 

Amazing interiors (or ought I say, architecture?)

Beautiful and high-ceilinged.

Now for the equally beautiful food!

Royal Copenhagen Ice Cream and Zumbo, Manly

It's time for a photo dump.

My hair was so flat and messed up from the wind.
So pay more attention to the ice cream!:)
The flavor itself was called Royal Copenhagen.
It had honeycomb and that sort of malted milk taste.
Love it is.

Mocha Almond Fudge
and
Tropical Passionfruit.

Check plus plus plus plus.

With the addition of slivered almonds,
and hot chocolate fudge.

Well, before all the shibang about modern day ice cream and desserts, there was Royal Copenhagen. It's honest to goodness ice cream. They even have a waffle contraption out back where they hand-roll the cones. That's why they're so golden crunchy and flavorful. Then the ice cream is heck creamy like you wouldn't even imagine.  Not to mention there's a self-serve counter where you could douse your ice cream with caramel, hot fudge, slivered almonds, and sprinkles. This is old school bliss. Classic.

Ola, Zumbo.

Are you sick of my ever recurring Zumbo posts? I have to admit, I love that man and his pastry. But this time, Zumbo was a rather unexpected disappointment. Like I've said last time, it was quite unfortunate when I reached Zumbo in Balmain cause they've ran out of macarons. This time, it was nearly 4pm and I was glad to see the display cabinet still filled with trays of macarons. I was anxious to give the new flavors a try.

The Chocolate Room, CBD

I think you wouldn't disagree that The Chocolate Room is a rather catchy name. How bout the goodies though?

RIGHT.

I have a chocoholic friend, and more often than not, she's the one I'm with whenever I visit a chocolate cafe or bar whatsoever. We had a lovely dinner and it was almost impossible to end the night without a sweet note. And of course, ever so predictably, chocolate was on our mind. Great minds think alike.


So far from all of the chocolate cafes that I've been to, this place had the largest range of hot chocolate- from gianduia to zabaione to meringue. Strange, but just equally as intriguing. But I wasn't feeling particularly adventurous that particular night, I went straight for Dark Chocolate.*

DARK Hot Chocolate? $5.95
For the connoisseur, a rich intensely flavored dark chocolate
which contains a richness only found in the finest quality of cocoa beans.
I beg to differ.  

Once our drinks reached the table. We noticed the cups were dopplegangers of the ones they have in Max Brenner. Drinks were hot and the mugs barely had enough insulation for us to cup the mugs in our hands. Now, that is what you call bad design.

Dulcinea Churros Con Chocolate

You know you're tired when..


You fell asleep in the bus on the way to school.


You had to concentrate extra hard to listen to the lecturer who can't even pronounce feature and future properly.


You made up the best excuse to go home early. I'm going to the library. 


You fell asleep again in the bus on the way home.


Your usual bed time is never before 12mn and you plan of collapsing in bed around 9pm.


And you spill water all over your keyboard (thank God it didn't die) at 8:30pm.


It's been a hell of a week and basically, what I wrote above was precisely what happened today. I guess late nights are taking their toll. I intend to have a fantastic night's rest and head straight to the gym tomorrow right before lunch. SOUNDS GOOD, right?

The only thing that could make me feel better would be a brownie with a glass of skim milk or a plate of churros with hot chocolate. Sadly, both aren't in my reach right now. I couldn't say I didn't try, I went brownie hunting in the city, and I didn't get to buy any since I wouldn't settle for cheap nasty stuff.

The Adriano Zumbo Experience!

He's the cover of Time Out this month!
KUDOS!

Three cheers for Adriano Zumbo cause he's a genius. Heck they should give him an award for reinventing desserts. He could full like take over the world- Yes, his desserts are that awesome.

Macaron Tower.
Beetroot & Olive Macarons, specifically!

V8 Layered Cake.
8 Layered White Chocolate Cake!

I first heard about Zumbo from my friend, Min who wanted to be a pastry chef. And the next time was when I was watching Australia's Masterchef.* He made a macaron tower which was composed of beetroot & olive macarons- it totally amazed me. Following that, there was the perfectly crafted V8 Cake. Those two things alone got me hooked onto Mister Zumbo.

It's a hole in the wall, I'm not joking.

And it brings heaps of people in.

Mini Cakes Selection

Trays and trays of macarons, of course!

Finally the Adriano Zumbo Patissier has opened a more convenient and accessible location- Manly. I've been dying to visit the patissier, and obviously jumped at the chance! There wasn't really a whole lot of questioning about what I was going to get, cause macarons are a must since he fully like revived the whole shibang. On top of that, I wanted to get each and every one of those small cakes cause they were equally intricately constructed and all of them looked darn tasty! But there was no way I could- 2 reasons why. First, I'll get fatter- a lot fatter! Second, it will cost a fortune! These sweet treats don't play games, they're serious with your account.

The Chocolate Duo That Makes Me Swoon

CHOCOLATE, CHOCOLATE, CHOCOLATE.

It's incomparable, it's probably like my drug, my ecstasy- it's MY thing. I find each and every reason to have it. I'm picky picky though, I favor dark chocolate over anything else.

Which leads me to my two favorite chocolate picks- The Magnum Temptation Chocolate and Green & Black's 70% Organic Chocolate. They might not be the routine things that you'd buy in the grocery since it will probably break your bank.

Drumroll please!

It's like a block of holy gold!

See the thick coating?
See the oozing ganache?

The Magnum Temptation Chocolate Bar is nothing BUT HAPPINESS. It's the best popsicle out there. Trust me with this, I may eat ice cream every now and then but I do know a good one. The packaging completely sells the product already, it has a very luxurious vibe- WIN. There's an extremely thick chocolate coating that envelopes the whole bar. Small chunks of Belgian white chocolate are constantly present perfectly distributed throughout the popsicle. The brownies are the same story as well. Finally, there's a syrupy chocolate ganache that constantly oozes from within. It's heavenly.

Mochiko: Mochi and Ice Cream

Mochiko at Mercato Centrale

In the midst of unpacking, I found a Mochiko flyer in my little black book.* I know I should get started blogging about my finds here in Australia again, but I still have so many posts up my sleeve.

I first tried Mochiko at Mercato Centrale when I went with my mum. We brought a box of 6 home for the whole family to try. And of course, nothing excites the family like a newly found dessert.

We had:
Green Tea, Red Bean, Black Sesame
Chocolate, Caramel, and Vanilla Rose 

Well, the texture of the mochi wrapper was fine, but because it was folded over  to wrap the ice cream, some parts were annoyingly thick. The people at Mochiko suggested to thaw it for 2 minutes before eating but even after 2 minutes, they were hard as rocks. 

Dear Mister Reese.

So glad I bumped into you when I was at the grocery!
It's been too long.

Dear Mister Reese (Who invented them??)

I get annoyed when people pronounce it REESE as a whole, I say Ree-see's! I love the peanut butter cups that you invented; it's such a revelation. I think it's bigger than Madonna, Britney Spears, President Obama, and P-Noy. I must say I can't keep my hands off them! The slightly salty peanut butter contrasted with the smooth sweet chocolate pushes ALL THE RIGHT BUTTONS. And I think the font you used is totally retro and classic.

Love Lots,
Chloe

If you're wondering, if I did finish the whole lot- NO!

So I've been digesting crazy amounts of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups recently! I mean sometimes I'm too full, and a tend to skip a meal. Then I always end up eating Reese's and bananas. They're such a good couple. They're better than Brangelina- not kidding. But they don't look as hot though.

My Dearest Mum's Birthday at Bagoong Club!

It looks like one of those super secret organizations!
COOLIES.

I couldn't give my mum more props for picking an epic restaurant!:) Just so you know, I'm a bagoong freak. That's explains... everything! And for all the people who don't know about bagoong... y'all are missing out on a LOT! 


Bagoong defined by Wikipedia- Bagoong is a Philippine condiment made by mixing measured amounts of fish (or shrimp) and brine, which are traditionally then left to ferment from between 10 to 12 months until it produces bubbles and acquires its characteristic pungent odor. Err.. Yeah, it doesn't sound too appetizing, but trust me, IT'S REALLY REALLY REALLY DELISH!

If you don't have a thing for this combo...
You better get checked by the doctor!

So, I actually arrived late which is such a bummer cause my mum ordered everything even before I got there! But she has such good taste that went along with everything she ordered! Except, I got hilaw na mangga with bagoong! It's actually one of the things that I constantly crave for! If you were in La Salle a one or two years ago, you might catch me frolicking near the Andrew Building buying some green mangoes with bagoong!:)

There was singkamas- I can't remember what it's called in English, do you remember? Do enlighten me! Wait, is it Jicama? Anyhoo, it was so crunchy and juicy! It was the perfect vehicle for the bagoong. 

There's Always A First Time.

My masterpiece.

So anyway, it's my hands shaking first time to make a... PAVLOVA. It's an all-time favorite Aussie dessert and yet in the many years that I've been there, on & off, I haven't been able to make one. As they say, there's always a first time for everything.


My mom claims she's a Pavlova genius cause she used to make them all the time. But when I asked her for the recipe, she couldn't remember her proportions, RIGHT MUM. Like any other person would do, I googled some recipes and compared them to one another to find the proportions, and so on.

Bar Dolci, The Fort, Philippines

Before heading home after a long dinner at L'Entrecôte, something caught our eyes just as we were heading to the parking area.

BAR DOLCI. There were scores of people inside.

From what I've read and heard, it's pretty good.

So, we headed in for some sweet treats!

All the tempting and colorful flavors of gelato.
I swear I would've had them all if only I wouldn't gain a pound!

There was a whole section just filled with gelato. And there were lots of people cramming to have a look, and some having a taste or two. As for my tasting, I had the White Chocolate-Wasabi, Indochine and the Thai Tea. The flavors are really innovative and amusing.

It's mid-sem break, and I dub this week, COOKIE WEEK.

With a lot of schoolwork on my back, I should be getting to it rather than spending my time online squandering and daydreaming about food. There wouldn't be a day that would pass without me uttering something about these bare necessities. Lately, I've been craving and craving for cookies but I haven't bought any because I know that the packaged stuff just isn't any good at all. Mrs. Fields and other cookie shops are way overpriced. I'll accept no compromise because I'm sure that if I make my own, it'll be the BOMB. 


A month ago or so, I made chocolate chip cookies and they turned out to be a fail because I thought they were too soft so I left them in the oven for a couple more minutes. They hardened a bit too much after cooling, but it was all good cause it was damn tasty. Because of my crazy craving, no matter what I'd eat, cookies will still be on my mind. I've researched a couple of cookie recipes that I'm very much keen to try out. I'll be baking cookies thrice this week since I have the luxury of time. I'd want to bake them everyday but it would just stock up here at home and everybody will gain so much weight.

To start things off, I made OUTRAGEOUS CHOCOLATE COOKIES by Martha Stewart today. They sort of resembled crinkles cause they were cracked. They have a shiny exterior and moist soft centers.

Lovelies waiting to be scooped onto the cooling rack

Still waiting, waiting, waiting.

Outrageous Chocolate Cookies by Martha Stewart- adapted
makes 2 dozen mini cookies


230g semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped

4 tbsp unsalted butter

2/3 cup all purpose/plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs, preferrably free range

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

340 g chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 175C. Line your baking trays with parchment. Heat the roughly chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl- 20 sec increments and stirring in between. Don't worry too much if the mixture starts looking like nutella, that's NORMAL.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.

And in another bowl, beat your eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla on high speed with the handheld mixer. Make sure this becomes light and fluffy! Reduce the speed to low and blend in the butter and chocolate mixture. Once incorporated, beat in flour until it is just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Scoop your cookies unto your lined baking trays then shove them in the oven. Make sure you rotate your cookies halfway through the baking process. Bake for 12-15 minutes!:) Don't worry if they look a bit soft and gooey cause they do harden up as they cool down!:)

Voila, wasn't that easy? The results are crazy satisfying, so if I were you, I'd go to my pantry and check the ingredients and get started! It took me around 30 minutes including the washing up, which was quite fast really!:)

A glass of milk with this cookie and telly flicked on How I Met Your Mother makes me a happy lady!:)

This is what I call bliss