Going With The Wind

A day of unplanned outings followed us yesterday as all my "want to try" cafes were still closed for the Christmas/new year's break, and sadly so was Michael's "want to try" Pasticceria Pappa, home to the best ricotta cheese cake apparently (pictured below). Even I was tempted, because although I don't like cheesecake, ricotta is always a Russian love affair. 

http://ppapa.com.au/

After that disappointment, our wild goose chase ended up in Rhodes shopping centre, having not found a good café that was open after several unanswered calls.We ate at a little café called Lilly's, next to Oliver Brown (the "new" Max Brenner). Their coffee was standard, I don't think anywhere can beat Melbourne coffee unfortunately. The atmosphere was lovely, very popular for the 12pm lunch rush. The staff were quick with service and friendly. Something I found strange was that we had to order from menus at the counter and pay upfront, which I suppose is common for shopping centre food service, but just something I haven't experienced at an independent café.

Big breakfast to share. Chorizo was lovely, not the fullest flavour I've had, but for breakfast, mild is preferred. Poached egg was lovely and runny, although egg white was slightly undercooked for my liking. Apart from that, a delicious filling meal for the price tag ($17 if i remember correctly) p.s. image is of half the serving.

We scoffed these down too fast, before I remembered to take a photo. But their Portuguese tarts were to die for. I believe the price was decent. I imagine it would've been in the $1-2 range, but I wouldn't mind paying more for them. The pastry was a bit soggy, I guess from just being kept in the glass cabinet and not heated, but the filling made up for it 100x. Creamy, sweet, eggy and just melt in your mouth delicious. I will never grow sick of the humble Portuguese egg tart.

Pistachio biscotti was lovely, crunchy on the outside, still a bit moist and gooey on the inside. The flavour was quite artificial and just tasted of essence that I wouldn't really call pistachio, but still a nice taste. (Price unknown sorry)
Red velvet cupcake we were too full to devour, however, I had 1 bite and it was nice, good but not great. I loved the cream however, It was made with cottage or cream cheese I assume and was just a lovely blend of creamy, sweet and cheesy. ($3.90)

After all that sitting, talking and eating, we - will more like I - needed to find a way to digest all that food, so we drove to Parramatta Lakes where we wandered around the bush and sat and admired the serene beauty of nature. I just love the great outdoors, the beautiful flora, fresh air, sounds of fauna and natural landmarks are just pleasing to the soul.

After we cleared our stomachs and completed our "daily exercise", we thought we could fill our stomach's more with gelato, so off we went to Canley Heights, so I could try Caravelle gelato, that Michael recommended.

The flavours we tried were coconut pandan and lychee. Supposedly the coconut pandan was meant to be really good, I, however was not a big fan. It was a mix of salty coconut and sweet pandan that just did not blend well. I've never had savoury ice-cream before and I don't plan to again. I suppose the appeal will differ according to taste buds but mine are not capable of handling too much of that flavour. 

The lychee however, was very freshening, tasted just like the Asian lychee tea drinks I had as a kid. Although again, too much could be a bad thing as it was very sweet, which is what lychee is meant to be, but I would've preferred a milder flavour. Overall I loved the lychee and would eat it in small quantities. The coconut pandan flavour was creamy as expected and the lychee, icy and refreshing. 

I would recommend Caravelle to people that love Asian flavours e.g. taro as many of their flavours are Asia oriented. I for one, will definitely be going back as the staff were friendly, decor lovely and flavours abundant (which I can't wait to try more of!). Price was $6.90 for a double cup which is on the cheap-average side. I don't remember if they served in cones, would be a shame if they don't.

 

Lastly, my outfit of the day. NB: definitely not bush walking material.

Top: Free fusion @Target open back dual chrome collar shirt

Bottom: Quirky Circus by Mink Pink @Myer floral skirt

(skirt + wind = not a good combination for bushwalking)

Shoes: Soles white leather ankle boots

(sadly white + dirt + rocks = ruined shoes already)

Hehe...sorry for the long post, but I hope you enjoy and find the info interesting and helpful :)