Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Melbourne CBD


Flinders Street Station


Graffiti in the lanes.



Thai for lunch at Chin Chin on Flinders Lane in Melbourne's CBD. Dishes are meant to be shared so everyone has a variety of tastes to enjoy...


The crispy barramundi and green apple salad with caramelized pork, peanuts, chilli and lemongrass was fantastic (the barramundi is actually hiding under the salad). Cilantro, green onion, and mint rounded out the flavor- spicy, savory, nutty, sweet, aromatic... we unanimously decided we could eat it every day.


Dry curry 'pad ped' with stir fried vegetables, spice crusted organic tofu, kaffir lime leaf, and Thai basil included green beans, baby corn, red chillis and caramelized shallots. While all of us had eaten tofu in the past, none of us would consider ourselves tofu eaters- this was one of those dishes that could change that.  


Aromatic yellow curry of roast pumpkin, chargrilled tofu, and green beans. This one was a little coconut-y, creamy, spiced with cinnamon and star anise, red chilli, and Thai basil. Jasmine rice helps to soak up as much of the saucy curry as possible. 
The pumpkin honestly tasted like it could have been dessert. 


But there was a real dessert, of course. We decided on a palm sugar ice cream sundae with salted honeycomb (maybe you know it as a molasses puff or cinder toffee) and lime syrup. The palm sugar ice cream was slightly caramel-y/burnt taste, the lime syrup added a pleasant tang, and the honeycomb a sweet and crispy contrast. And it all melded perfectly.





There's plenty to see in the lanes and arcades around the area... 



Making rock candy at Suga. 





Melbourne's Chinatown



St. Paul's Cathedral

4 comments:

  1. That food looks amazing! Is that big roll really rock candy? Looks like modeling puddy..

    What does the air in Sydney taste like?

    Anna B.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The big roll is a huge piece of hard candy. It's rolled out to a thin cylinder and cut into small pieces.
    Sydney air? Hmm, I don't remember an air taste, but there are smells.
    The air is fresh. It's generally more fresh than what I'm used to, and I don't know if it's because it's so close to the ocean, or what.
    In Melbourne and Sydney the air can smell spicy, green, fruity and flowery.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Even the flowers are different (and expensive)!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Those are good words and a good combination of smells! Wish I could travel!
    How are the people? Do most of the peoples have that lovely Australian accent?

    Anna B.

    ReplyDelete