Showing posts with label tea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tea. Show all posts

Thursday, September 29, 2022

[Melbourne 2022] Fairfield Park Boathouse & Tea Garden

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Tracy says this place is for scones. So we had our breakfast at South Melbourne Market, and right after that, we're doing lunch at Fairfield Park Boathouse. WoOhOoo! Eating with foodie gang, is like eating challenges.

I went along with the group and didn't research anything on the places that we'd be going except for some and this place wasn't one of them. Surprising find of such an old school charm in the middle of a park!

let's have some scones

entering the boathouse

Guests are welcomed to take a seat at its indoor area or the outdoor where one could dine with the lakeview and under the trees. 

Paper menu are available at the counter or at designated boxes in the restaurant, so feel free to pick one up and peruse it before ordering at the counter.

food menu


Once payment is made, the staff would handover the foods such as the cakes/dessert and coffee/drinks and guests will take it to their own table. Other food that requires longer preparation time, will then be served to your table later.

Fish & Chips

Fried food served piping hot, what's there not to like? Especially on a cold weather like this, it tasted more delicious! But, can do with a little less salt on the chips though.



The coffee here is from Padre, and it was enjoyable. Not too acidic and adequate strength without it being too bitter.

The hot chocolate here looked thick and rich.

Italian Hot Chocolate Royale @AUD7

We also had the vanilla slice, and I discovered that vanilla slices in Melbourne could taste pretty different at different places. Interesting!

This version here is with a slightly firmer custard.

Boathouse Vanilla Slice @AUD11.90


But we came here for scones, and boy, the Devonshire scone here was lovely.

Devonshire scones, jam and cream @AUD14.90


The scones here are huge! One scone here is of the size of two scones back in Singapore. Hahaa! It is of a different texture as well, and not as 'biscuit' like, more fluffy like soft bread. Generous with the servings of jam and cream. Nice!

boating


One could do a bit of boating (to impress your date, maybe?) at this place, but during my short stay there, I had witnessed at least two different parties where the primary rower having some difficulty in controlling their oars. It was rather comical most of the times and thankfully, all returned safely. There is one or two staff around the bank that could assist, for rowers who had difficulty in returning their boat to the starting point.




Fairfield Park Boathouse & Tea Garden

Address: Fairfield Park Dr, Fairfield VIC 3078, Australia

Websitehttps://www.fairfieldboathouse.com/

Contact: +61 3 9486 1501

Business Hours:

Daily

Mon-Fri: 9:30AM–5PM

Sat-Sun:  8:30AM–6PM


Saturday, December 19, 2015

WANNA CUPPA @ 15 New Bridge Road

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A new cafe located right across the road, opposite of The Central Clarke Quay. Officially opened for business since December 2015. Easily accessible via bus or mrt. Exit Clarke Quay MRT station and head towards the overhead bridge (near BK and the bus stop) to get you across the road safely. Wanna Cuppa is right next to Song Fa Bak Kut Teh. Pretty easy to spot.

Was invited for a tasting there with blogger kakis, so read on to know more about the experience and the food that we tried.

door front
cakes and pastries counter, with drinks menu at the board
tiramisu, lemon merringe and chocolate dome

Was distracted by the glass cabinet showcasing the cakes and pastries. The concept at the shop is semi self-serve, so one could browse through the menu, order and make payment at the counter. Receive a tag and drinks are dispensed right after. Proceed to your table and the staff will bring your food to you. And, this place do not charge for service.

The decor in the cafe is quite interesting. Bold colours, and there are trees in there. Yup, trees! Fancy dining underneath a tree? Well, you can do that at Wanna Cuppa cafe. Those sofa seats looked so comfy.

interior
Breakfast is served from 830am till 11am, and there are a few items that you could choose from including veggie/bacon cup, pancakes, brioche french toast and a variation of poached eggs served on focaccia. Most are priced below $10 except for eggs royale and french toast.

Eggs Benedict @$9.90

The eggs were well poached and hollandaise sauce was flavourful. The ham were pan-fried and tasted like the ones that mom makes at home.

here it comes!
mop it up with the bread

After work, sometimes just felt like having a cold drink to chill and some snacks to bite on while relaxing with friends. Happy Hour is currently from 5pm to 8pm from Mondays to Saturdays.


Yona Yona Japanese Ale ABV5.5% 350ml @ $9 (HH) / $11

This calls for some beer snack, so we had some deep fried items to go along with the drinks. Have you tried deep fried enoki mushrooms? I think this was my first time having it, in a cafe. Interesting texture and pretty addictive. Crispy but could get a tad oily as well. Do not attempt to eat this alone. Share it with at least 2-3 other friends.

Enoki Mushroom Fries @$7.90
Deep fried Onion Rings

Mini Fish & Chips @$8.90

Dory fish is used here and it worked as a non-vegetarian nibble. The tartar sauce was a good accompaniment to this, and of course, a cider will come in handy too.

Alska (Swedish Cider) Strawberry and Lime ABV 4%  500ml @ $10 (HH) / $12

Am more than happy with this new found cider. Attractive colour with those lovely bubbles, neither too sweet nor too sharp, can't go wrong with strawberry and lime flavour plus, its a pint for $10. Refreshing.

Not to worry if you don't do alcoholic drinks. There are iced flavoured teas to choose from. Personally, I like the Elderflower Strawberry the most. Eh, seemed like that is a consistent flavour that I'd go for at the moment. =P

(left to right) Iced Flavoured Teas: Elderflower Strawberry, Lychee Cucumber, Peach Passionfruit @ $5.90 each

The iced flavoured teas would be the perfect thirst quencher on a hot humid weather. The taste for all were pretty subtle though. The lychee cucumber tasted more of cucumber than lychee.

The only main dish that we tried for the night, was the no-frills Pesto Aglio Olio.

Pesto Aglio Olio @ $10.90 (+$3 to add prawns)

To tell you the truth, a simple unadorned pasta (read: without meat or 料) would not be something that I'd order at a restaurant or cafe. At the very least, the carbonara would also come with pancetta.

But my perspective was changed, as soon as I bit into a mouthful of these noodles. Wow. Very good flavours of savoury, some herbs and spice. Highly recommended. I will re-order this the next time and add some prawns to it. [Ed: Wonder how many prawns would $3 fetch these days]

twirl it up, and savour

All satiated from the array of dishes, yet we ought to try some desserts before calling it a night. Saw some colourful macarons on the way in, so had a bit of those. For baked goods, we tried the apple crumble and homemade brownies.

macarons  @$2.50 each (front to back) apricot-fig and hazelnut
eclairons @ $2.50 each (left to right) mango & chocolate, pistachio & morello cherry, speculos & caramel, toffee & banana and blackcurrant & coconut

The eclairons are actually macarons shaped liked an eclair. Haha! Cutesy, colourful and attractive. Interesting flavours too. The apricot-fig flavour stood out for its fillings was tangy, sharp and sweet. Thought the shells were light enough and overall not overwhelmingly sweet. Probably because of its smallish size as well, plus we shared with friends.

The apple crumble was served warm and oh so soft! Really liked the brownie. Though it was not served warm and without ice-cream, the texture was dense and smooth at the same time. Likeable sweetness. Recommended.

apple crumble @ $6.90
chocolate brownie

For hot drinks, we sampled a few. Interesting to see white chocolate mocha, and so we ordered one. So white! My friend said it was very milky. The coffee tasted pretty strong and with a bitter finish. Surely, a drink that will perk you up.

latte @$5.50
Mocha and White Mocha @$6 each


A big thank you to Jeannette for having us in your cafe, and Kris for arranging. Thank you to the friendly and smiley service staff at Wanna Cuppa.


Saturday, December 27, 2014

Antoinette @ Mandarin Gallery Orchard

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Located at Level 2 of Mandarin Gallery. One could take the outdoor escalator up or via the lift, which may take forever to arrive.

Was there on a Friday evening, for a late dinner. Food choice was an all-day breakfast of Classic Eggs Florentine, with a cup of Cafe Viennois. Such decadence.

interior
menu

Was actually pretty cold inside especially if it had rained earlier. Brrr~

Classic eggs Florentine @$16.50++
perfectly runny poached egg

Eggs Florentine came with two beautifully poached eggs, drizzled with ample Hollandaise sauce and sitting atop of plenty of salty serrano ham with some wilted spinach (also salty!). Brioche was thick but a tad too browned/burnt?

Cafe Viennois with chantilly cream @$6.80++

Do let the staff know if you prefer the coffee to be served later as by default, they will bring it to the table along with your dinner.

Colleagues ordered some desserts to go along with their tea.




The younger service crew was pretty friendly.

Expect to spend between $20 to $30 for a desserts or for a meal here.

 
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