Sunday, January 15, 2012

The day the blues started

I was doing perfectly fine since we got back. I cleaned the house, washed our clothes, folded, ironed and put them away. I threw out brochures that were irrelevant and what not. I was alright.

But on Tuesday, as I waited for Sal to come over with her sister, I was on the laptop checking mails and what not. That is when a sudden melancholy washed over me. Strange but I can remember it clearly. That was when I suddenly felt down. One moment before that, all was fine in Estherville. Next moment, my world was pouring cats and dogs with thunders and lightning.

Aaah... such is the mystery of a female psyche. Even I don't understand myself at times! Lol.
So, it was a really good thing that I was out that day. Went swimming with Sal and her siser at a pool in Cheltenham. Cost me AUD5.90 and boy was the bleach stench overwhelming. From the moment the sliding doors at the main entrance greeted us, my nose was assaulted by the smell of chlorine. Lucky Mr. C for not being around as he usually can't stand such smell.


The toilet, changing and shower room was tidy and functional. Pretty impressed. Lol. And for those who are comfortable with their bare skin can go au naturel, if they like. We only swam for about an hour or so, although it felt shorter. Unfortunately for us, there were no good looking blokes nor sexy ladies. ;p I guess this group of people go to the beach to flaunt their abs and sexy bodies.

It was strange swimming 'cos the pool was divided into lanes. The kind you watch on tivo when there's a swimming competition. Each lane is divided in categories such as 'slow lane' , 'medium lane' , 'fast lane' and even 'recreation lane'! Hence, 2-3 people would have to share a lane. How to swim like that la?? Anyhow, we managed.

I don't know about you but when I swim, I ALWAYS work up an appetite. Even if I swim at a leisurely pace. We headed to Tokyo Deli in Elsternwick. Everytime Sal and I hang out, this is the place we go to appease our bellies.


The pork patty don she and her sister had. Her sister LOVED LOVED it! She loved it so much she wanted to take away a few sets much to Sal's amusement and horror. Sal managed to dissuade her though.

Everytime I make an effort to retain the names of food in my memory, I believe that I'll remember it when it comes to sitting down and blogging about the dish. But once again, my memory fails me. Bugger! And people who think Bugger is a swear word needs to get a life. Isn't a bugger someone who likes to bug? ;p

I decided to be 'adventurous' today and try something different form my usual Beef Terriyaki Don that is oh-so-delicious-my-mouth-waters-just-thinking-about-it! BIG mistake and once again, this is WHY I dislike trying new dishes especially when I know what food I like at that eatery.

Digressing... it's like that one time Miss Bubbly and I decided to be bold and brave at Cha Time. She had some Caramel milk tea whilst I gave English Milk Tea a go. Needless to say, BIG MISTAKE! Just stick to Original Pearl Milk tea always!! If I had to change anything, I'd just add additional pudding topping! Dang! Talking about BBT (bubbletea for the ignorant) makes me crave for a cup of it! ;(

Back to my point, the Tonkatsu Don was just average. The fried part was a bit too thick and the rice was dry ish due to the lack of gravy. And I don't like my rice to be dry. Right. I know rice is a non-wet dish but what I am trying to say is that I usually like to have soup or gravy accompany my rice, easier to swallow. Weirdo me. Whatever. That's just me.

Lesson learnt for the next visit. Stick to safe, awesome tasting Beef Terriyaki Don.

We finished our lunch and hurried a few shops down to Aviv Cakes & Bagels gleefully. It was full house that day! Despite that, after several minutes of wait, Sal managed to secure a table for herself, me and her sister!


Sal and her sister shared the above cake and a vanilla slice. I was feeling greedy and perhaps Miss PMS was kicking in, I told Sal that I wanted a Vanilla Slice all to myself for that day. We usually share. So, my wanting a piece all to myself is a one off thing. Then again, it was SO good and yum that I just might have my own slice the next time I head there.

This delectable pastry is really a taste of heaven. Of course not literally but figuratively speaking! The top crust is crisp and yet not soggy soft despite sandwiching custard cream in between. Dusted on top is icing sugar. Somehow, the combination is just perfect!

It looks sinful and super sweet but it isn't actually! Sal isn't one for very sweet food. Even her sister was the same and was quite hesitant to try out the Vanilla Slice. I told her to just give it a go and she won't regret it! True enough, after a bite, she wanted to devour it and definitely preferred it over the strawberry cake in the above picture.

Vanilla slice elsewhere doesn't taste this superb. Trust me. I know. So, if you're ever around Elsternwick, more specifically Glen Huntley Road... check out this shop! ;)

The above pictures is meringue that looks like white poo! Apparently, this is quite popular with the children and makes an appearance around Christmas and New Year season. It doesn't really look appetising to me but I reckon the kids get sugar rush off this since its generally made of sugar and egg white!

After our fiesta about half past three o'clock, we made our way back to Sal's house in Bentleigh. We hung around and chatted for a bit whilst waiting for Mr. C to finished work and join us. Was rather tired out after the hearty meal and decadent dessert and almost nodded off.

Soon enough, Mr. C arrived, hang around for a bit more chatting and then, we left for dinner. Gosh. These people really couldn't decide where and what to eat. We headed to Momoco in Elsterwick only for Jules to mention he didn't fancy Jap food that day. Mr. C and I didn't fancy Chinese since we just got back from Malaysia.

We went to Salute at a RSL eatery but walked out after perusing the pricey menu much to Sal's younger sister's embarrassment. I told her that I guess 'cos we're older, confident and have lesser need for approval, we aren't ashame to walk out of an eatery when the food and pricing just doesn't agree with us. LOL.

Anyhow, we settled for Limors at Caulfield. The place was huge and every table seated with people! We were fortunate to get a seating without prior reservations. Apparently, the food here is really good and hence, my expectations were raised.

We had the something Combo. Told you I am terrible with remembering dishes names. ;( Basically, it's ribs with chicken and lamb on skewers. There was a debate if the lamb was beef. Majority concensus is that it's lamb. Portion was big and enough for five of us.


Besides that, we also had the Chicken Parmigiana. The picture below doesn't do the actual dish justice. In the picture, it looks all messy and a tad gross, right? Well, in reality, portion was huge with two slabs of Chicken Schnitzel nestled under the tomato sauce. Everyone had enough helpings to leave the eatery full and contented. I rather liked the blanched carrots.

It would seem that Mr. C, Sal, her sister and Jules enjoyed the meal and was pretty satisfied. Where else I didn't. Perhaps there was just too much spice and herbs going on for me. I am an ardent Chicken Parmigiana fan so, not liking this was a surprise for me. Not sure if it's a possibility, but maybe, just maybe Miss PMS had something to do with my warp taste buds for the week.
Bill wise, it came to about AUD80 for all five of us and that's pretty ok for such a huge and filling portion. Cocktails were AUD10 for the evening according to the friendly and nice waiter who served us. Then again, he looked more like the owner.
All in all, I think this was the day the blues begin. Darn it. Hope it goes away soon 'cos it hampers productivity and I have a lot to do. ;(
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