Coffee break@Coffee Smith, Seoul, Korea

http://foodventuras2.blogspot.com/2013/08/coffee-breakcoffeesmith-seoul.html

Campos coffee oh so good!@Sydney

Our gracious host, Mr Trav says that this place serves the best coffee ever. That strong statement got us caffeine addicts excited altogether. This cafe is located in the viscinity of colleges and universities, hence packed with students, lecturers and then ...us!

A cuppa costs between 3-5 AUD. All 4 of us have a specific coffee preference. Myself, long black. Joy, latte. Neets, double shot cappucino. Trav, ice coffee with a scoop of ice cream, if possible.

Mr Trav was right. By far the one of the best brews I'd tasted. A little bitter yes, but the aroma was fragrant and the most importantly, the coffee wasn't burnt which happens quite regularly on long black nowadays.

When I took a sip of Neet's cappucino.. fuh! Deliciouso! Besides the perfectly roasted coffee beans, I believe the other key ingredient was its fresh milk. The milk in Australia is unlike the crappy, thin skimmed milk we get back home. The creamy, frothy milk really made the cappucino cuppa star quality material.

I'm missing Campos already!

They sell their beans too, if anyone wishes to barista in their own backyard. Some pastries and desserts were also sold there to complement a good cuppa coffee. We skipped the pastries, as our next destination..... big greasy fatty breakfast with bacon and eggs!

First Sydney lunch@Lumiere Cafe, Sydney

Finally, the long awaited all-girls trip had finally arrived! The 8-hour flight on the AirAsia A330, was horrendous. Too cold and too tight. But it was all worth it when we finally stepped on Sydney soil. The first meal we had was in Lumiere Cafe. And boy oh boy, the awesome food totally fired up our Sydney mood!



Neets, with her all-time favourite eggs benedict. Based on her facial expression, this must have been one chart topper egg benedict. Do not be fooled by the eggs and holondaise sauce camoflauge, hidden underneath were thick layers of bacon. OMGOSH. AUD 19.

All I know was that, I NEED COFFEE. Without a single dose since we arrived, I was alive, but mentally asleep. And finally, a long black! Kau kau style. A waking booster right away, alright.

Joy and I shared the BigBreakfast. At first she was reluctant to share, hunger pangs. But luckily I succeeded persuading her to share the meal with me. The portion was so big! The thick layers of bacon were hidden underneath the greens and beans. Tastewise, 9/10. YUMS! Total damage was quite bad though: 22 AUD.

This was the STAR dish. By far the best cheese cake I've ever tasted in my life. It was nicely thickened, slightly sourish only to match the sweetness of the strawberries.. and most of all, it was SO creamy. Thumbs up!

Here goes my buddies with our gracious host, Mr Travis, bred in Sydney for nearly a decade now. Without him, Lumiere would've missed us and we would have missed one of the greatest cheesecake moments.

Kudos to all!

Coffee that ruined my morning@Dome cafe, The Intermark

This take-away cup was poorly designed. The cup cover did not tightly fit the cup and the material could not hold on the hot beverage long!

The coffee leaked out, burning my hand and I endured an embarrassing moment messing the entire lift area walkway.

Thank gosh for The Daily Sun, to wipe the mess.

I wrote a complaint letter to the management and all I got was a generic 'we will look into it' courtesy reply. BAH!

Banning Dome this point onwards. No courtesy to keep every customer satisfied!

Magnum, Stroopwaffles and all things Ben@Home&Solaris Dutamas, Publika

 

Seriously, Eva Longoria's advert really makes you crave for a Magnum. Despite its costly price of a tiny stick for RM 4, I do have the urge to splurge myself with this luxurious ice cream every now and then. Today, is one of those days. Sometimes, the urge comes along with the level of stress I faced for the day. 

This new chocolate truffle flavour is lacking complexity and character. Just another normal chocolate ice cream. I recommend sticking to the original flavour. I tried the hazelnut flavour once, also disappointing.

 Now, moving on! To.....

 

 

WOW WEE!!! A gigantic stroopwaffle from Starbucks Indonesia, courtesy of Dogma. Half of the waffle was dipped with chocolate sauce. The size was big enough to let it sit on top of my hot cuppa home brewed coffee, allowing the steam from the fragrant aroma Maxwell coffee to seep into the caramelized layers of deliciousness.

WOW WEE!!! I really can't wait for June to arrive for stroopwaffle stock replenishment!

 

 

One of those working Saturdays again. Came over after working out in the gym. A rainy stormy Saturday, coupled with a hot cuppa cappucino, served with a slice of biscotti. Nicely prep-ed coffee but taste wise was average.RM 6 for a small cuppa. Mai hiam la.

This was the almond banana cake. RM 11. So so la.

Tasted like an expensive version of the sliced banana cakes we get from high school or university cafeterias.(The sliced ones came from those really long block of banana cake by suppliers. I'm sure many of you know what I mean). I've yet to taste a good cake from BEN's with the exception of the macadamia brownie.

These desserts play an important role on a working Saturday. Else, working gear can't start running!

Shanghai March 2012 part 1

The weather was exceptionally cold in shanghai this early spring, with tempearature hovering between 6 to 7celcius.
Brrrrrr.

Everything is expensive in Shanghai.
Except some food.
The xiaolong bao was 3.50ringgit for 6biji at a nearby restaurant.

Coffee is generally overpriced. Starbucks charges close to rm20 for a latte venti.
How ever, I was lucky to get a 50cents espresso@Ritazza Pudong Airport...

Eric Kayser Artisan Boulangerie@EK Plaza, Seoul

Stumbled upon this petite, yet posh looking bakery situated along the underground walkway between one MRT stop to the other. There were only 2 to 3 tables placed inside the bakery. Patrons were mainly females. Like a 'desperate housewives' pit stop for gossips before going back to their hubbies/ boyfriends. We had to wait for quite while for a table because these chatty ladies just wouldn't stop their sizzling hot gossipy chats. 

The pastries looked delicious. Actually, more beautiful than delicious. The waitress by the counter told me that Eric Kayser's signature pastry was the chocolate eclairs. One eclair cost nearly RM 5!

Within two gulps, these smooth, soft, creamy eclairs disappeared. Very good eclairs I must say. Deliciouso!

Total damage. Coffee cost 2000 won..nearly RM 8! Coffee, on the other hand was nothing to shout about. Without conversion, and if I was earning Korean won, I would say cost of food here is considered cheap. Heck, for a cuppa coffee and eclairs in a nice cafe in KL, would cost me nearly RM 20! And local Koreans would only need to pay 4300 won.

50cents coffee@BIG, Solaris Dutamas

Greeted by a pleasant surprise!

On the way to church to receive spiritual blessing for the week.. BIG also helped give my church members and I physical caffeine awakening....

With their opening promo RM 0.50/any coffee. Limited to only 2 purchases per person. Only until 10th november.

People living nearby or like hanging out in solaris and love a steal-deal coffee.. Pop by for a a coin's worth of coffee :)