My Go-To Food.

Well, I must admit, I do love dining out*, however, I can't always do that cause: 

1. It's EXPENSIVE

2. Normally, it's not healthy

3. It's time consuming

So.. Here are some of my absolute favorite things to chow down when I'm at home or at uni.

BREAKFAST

Poached Eggs on Wholemeal Toast

I was never a lover of poached eggs up until I had a fantastic salad with poached eggs on top at Cafe Sopra with Daryl. There's something about it, soft, silky whites with a oozy center. It's delish! Definitely a must to have bread or some greens with it to soak up all that goodness. I do variations of this with some smoked salmon, spinach, or harissa tofu on side. Sometimes, I also dribble sriracha on the top.

LUNCH

Salad

That picture above shows what a typical meal for me would be at my uni. Basically, this place called Stock Market mixes up some salads according to your specifications. You start with some salad leaves, pick 7 toppings and a dressing then the salad mixologists toss everything together for you. I frequently have a salad with eggplant, double serving of pumpkin, feta, olives, sundried tomatoes, and pumpkin seeds! Salad+eating on the lawn makes my breaks more satisfying, and uni more bearable.

Grounds of Alexandria, Alexandria

This place has been getting a lot of attention lately. I'm not 100% sure, but, I think they do roast their own beans in store. Well, this was the stop right after my friends and I hammered the 2 hour marketing exam. 4 essays, 2 hours, NOT enough time. My brain fully melted after. 

They've got this charming yard outside. But then, everybody is cooped up and dining indoors.

This table of pastries would greet you once you step into the cafe.

Gnome, Surry Hills

Brunch at a cafe is always good.

Last Sunday, I had a rather spontaneous brunch with two of my good mates. Generally, it's not very often that we get to hang out cause the stress from university work is sometimes just too much to handle. You should see Surry Hills on a Sunday, every single cafe is packed regardless of how big or small it is. There's a waiting line for every single cafe, and when you're a fair bit pressed for time, it might not be the best choice.

We were eyeing one of my favourites, Four Ate Five but the place was really swarmed with people. There was a small cozy cafe right across the street that seemed pretty good as well. There weren't a whole lot of things on their menu, just pretty much the basics were present. And on SUNDAY, they serve all day brekkie! 

Skim Cap, my thing.

Adara's Green Tea

Saz's Ice Coffee

Coffee and tea to start. When it comes to brunches and the cafe lifestyle sort of thing, you need some good coffee, duh. Sadly, this wasn't quite up to scratch. The coffee lacked that fantastic pungent aroma.

SPRING PICNIC at Centennial Park.

HAPPY OCTOBER, mates!
(woo yeah, time for oktoberfest! haha.)

Anyway, this was a month or so ago, my friends and I were totally welcoming/feeling SPRING.

Nothing says SPRING like a picnic.

And so we held one at Centennial Park. 

It was a beautiful day.
A tad windy for my taste though.

We hung around there until sunset.


And saw some beautiful swans.

Talk About Croissants.

Croissants are absolutely heavenly.

Buttery, flaky, and fluffy- my goodness.

For a time, they were irresistible to me.

I'd always be tempted to get one before my classes started.

A ham and cheese one, heavily toasted on the panini press.

It was the most comforting thing, alongside coffee.

It was my break and indulgence in the midst of stressful mornings.

Such an indulgence.

So, I mum bought a dozen of croissants at Costco.

Your average croissant.

There are croissants, and there are Chloe-style croissants. 

Happy Chloe

Style

Croissant.

Let me break it down for you.

Chloe-style Croissants

Fluffy huge buttery croissant

Jarlsberg Cheese

Turkey

Dijon Mustard

Alfalfa Sprouts

Mixed Greens


I think my croissants make the world an easier place to live in.

What I've Been Eating

As I've said in my previous post, I am starting on a quest for clean eating and happy living. Here's what I've been pigging out on!

Salad with balsamic dressing, feta, toasted walnuts, and a poached egg

Whole wheat toast with brie and organic honey

Banapple, Katipunan

That's my MUSCULAR sister.

The folks over in the Ateneo have been going loco over Banapple the past few years, and I think the fad has faded a bit. Nevertheless, they still serve some darn decent grub. They've also branched out opening up various satellites over the Metro.*

Cool, sorta greeky tables.

Totally retro interiors with all the
figurines and hippie things gracing the shelves.

Cake selection for the day.

Breads, brownies, and cookies!

There's something about Banapple, maybe it's their charming homy retro interiors, or their over excessive use of smileys, or the perfectly mastered Banoffee pie. It's simple, down to the bare essentials, basic, good grandmomma-kinda home food. Yeah.

Breakfast and Lunch in Egypt

The first leg of our Holy Land tour was in Egypt, because we were following Moses' exodus route. 

The food we had at the hotel in Cairo wasn't probably true-blue Egyptian cuisine-- it was definitely leaning toward Western palates, but as with everything, the local culture always seeps in and makes itself heard, tasted, or seen. 

For breakfast I had a plateful of scrambled eggs, chicken sausage (Egypt's a Muslim country, so there was ZERO pork to be found), grilled tomatoes, and gorgeous pan-fried mushrooms. 

Airplane/Airport Eats, Part 1

So I said I wouldn't post any photos from my new camera until I'd posted all my other photos (from previous meals out) but I just can't bear the thought of making blog entries with less than divine pictures.* Thus, here I am, blogging with sharp, high-quality photos! You like? :D 

I swear, this was the best trip ever. It's been exactly a year since I've last been to HK (which is only my FAVORITE city in the world**) and 7 months since I've gone to Chinaland. So it was a lot of fun! I loved spending time with my grandparents. They are the absolute sweetest... And (most of) the food was FABULOUS!

FABULOUS (with some exceptions) FOOD I ATE AT THE AIRPORT/ON THE PLANE

 (I'm rediscovering my love for lists***)

1. In the Cathay Pacific Lounge in Manila: finger sandwiches. Ham and cheese, pimiento and cheese, chicken. The best was the pimiento and cheese. Everything else was ho-hum!

What I Cooked for Christmas Eve

So it's the one day I actually pull out all the brakes and cook like a mad woman.

It's obviously the season for it anyway, yea?

S helped me fill up the deviled eggs.

As per request of my sister, deviled eggs. It looks messy, but can you blame a 12 year old for putting her best foot forward? I reckon NOT.

DEVILED EGGS: EGG YOLKS+GOOD QUALITY MAYO+MUSTARD+ANCHOVIES+S&P

Vicky Clemente's MAMA'S TABLE, Baguio

Chef Vicky Clemente was a banker who, at 50, decided to follow her true passion (la vie culinaire-- did I just murder the language?) and took up the appropriate cooking classes at some fancy shmancy French culinary institute abroad. She now does private degustations for guests in her own beautiful home. I'm not the type to be impressed by houses (it's a rare occasion that I visit a house or hotel that leaves me truly awestruck) but I was definitely impressed by hers! It had so much PERSONALITY in it, and it evoked a lazy, eccentric, old-rich feeling. It was EXTREMELY high-ceilinged with ENORMOUS windows. The best part was the sofas-- print on print on print! Not to mention they were on Indian rugs. It is one of the most beautiful houses I've ever been to.

My beloved sofas

There was also a fireplace, and a pretty tree with tinsel on it (reminded me of my grandmother, who thoroughly exalted the merits of tinsel), and a beautiful garden outside, absolutely full of hydrangeas and other darling flowers...

Cafe Sopra, Waterloo

Obviously there hasn't been any posting action on the blog recently, and trust me, it's been a busy few weeks. For starters, there were stressful final projects that needed to be handed in, and let's just say we got reunited in Australia. Those twelve crazy days were some of the most memorable I've had. Eating out meal after meal, and consuming mounds of Greek Yogurt, that's paradise, dear! And from here on now, it will be like exploring our epic food journey.

One of the best restaurants we went to was Cafe Sopra in Waterloo. It's located a floor up from Fratelli Fresh on Danks Street. Once you walk into the market per se, interesting things are all around. I just couldn't stop looking at all the goodies on the shelves, they really piqued my interest. After all, Italian is my cuisine of choice cause it has a lot of robust flavors that I adore.

Champagne

When we got to Cafe Sopra, it took them quite some time to sit us down. It was around 2pm, but there was still a fair crowd of people dining there- definitely a good sign. The look of the place I'd say is very rustic, it wasn't at all pretentious which is one of the things that I really liked about the venue. We took a good look at the menu cause there were just far too many amusing things that we just couldn't seem to decide. We settled splitting a salad and pasta. Oh, and we had a glass of champagne each just for the sake of being indulgent.

Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Cavalo Nero, Parmesan, Poached Eggs, and Crisp Pancetta

The salad was nothing short of fantastic. It hit all the right spots, and yes, it's definitely worth trying. Wait, I shall correct, it's TO DIE FOR. You'd never think that a salad could actually be this tasty. For one, I'll admit, I'm not the biggest fan of brussels sprouts just cause I couldn't cook them right. They turn out really bitter and off. But the brussels sprouts and cavalo nero in this dish provided sweetness and freshness. It was then contrasted by the saltiness of the parmesan and the crunchiness of the pancetta. Finally, it was topped with two perfectly poached eggs. This salad made my best friend a poached egg believer- what a life changer.

Ze Pasta

The pasta on the other hand was good but not as exceptional as the salad. It had al dente fusili, compared to the fusili that they serve in restaurants, the so-called rings on this one were tightly coiled together. They caught the sauce flawlessly. The sauce was pretty much a standard red, with a tinge of spiciness toward the end. Tasty, but it didn't jump off the plate. 

It was really pretty <3

I'd definitely go back to Cafe Sopra, they had a stunning selection of food that's mostly organic. And what they served really suited my taste- job well done! I couldn't resist posting a lovely picture of this overwhelmingly huge bougainvillea shrub that was spewing flowers left and right. 

Cafe Sopra

7 Dank Street

Waterloo