Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens and Cafe

We've started to have such beautiful, sunny days lately and I'm really looking forward to spending more and more time outside enjoying it.  There's so many great festivals coming up (especially the Paris to Provence and the Hispanic Latin ones in November) plus there's some beautiful gardens for picnics in Melbourne and beyond. One garden that I found out about recently and plan to revisit soon is the Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens in Daylesford. I had no idea they existed until I started seeing images on Facebook recently and my family ended up visiting for my sister's birthday.

 

This is the tower that's in the gardens - there's stairs inside so you can climb all the way to the top. I'm a little terrified scared of heights so I didn't give it a go this time but my two nephews and their mum raced up to the top. 

The gardens were so beautiful, there were lots of flowers starting to bloom and so many amazingly massive old trees. If you don't visit the cafe there then it'd be the perfect spot for a picnic.

We got a big table in the window of the cafe to eat at. I just loved that place - from the art on the walls like above to the gorgeous big blue bookshelves with a ladder and cool industrial type stools. The cafe is run by Alla Wolf-Tasker, the very same who owns the Lake House in Daylesford. It has much more of a casual vibe with seating outside in the sun. The cafe serves up simple seasonal food, sourced from the local area.

I tried the Moroccan Meatballs with couscous which was fantastic. It had yoghurt drizzled over the top and a sprinkling of dukkah that added a nice crunch. My skinny latte (not pictured) was really good too,

Of course, any birthday needs cake so we ended up picking this beautiful Hummingbird cake from the large amount of beautiful looking sweets on offer. Mum and I ended up sharing the one above, and it was amazing.

Wombat Hill House
Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens
Daylesford, Victoria
3460

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A Round up of Food

I often visit restaurants and cafes over the weekend, but usually don't get enough photos or try enough food to do what I feel like is a proper review. I thought every so often I'd do a post about these places I've visited to share my feelings about what I'd tried so far.

Hammer and Tong 412

I'm still a little undecided about how I feel about Hammer and Tong. The food that I had was amazing - I just had to try the soft shell crab burger. It was lovely and crunchy, with a slight bite from the sauce, but I thought it would be nice if it had come with a side of some sort - it's quite a small meal. I also tried their coffee, ordering a skim latte which I really enjoyed.

On the other hand though, I didn't think much of the service. The waiter who helped us with our table was lovely, but I felt that the other waiters we came into contact with didn't have much personality. We tried a little banter with them a couple of times but got no smile or no reaction really altogether. The whole cafe was a little cramped, with the five of us being squished onto a table for four. But...it's not enough to put me off completely - I still want to try their breakfast ramen and their french toast sounds really interesting too.

QV Hidden Garden

I accidentally stumbled onto the Hidden Garden at QV, and I'm so glad that I did. It's such a beautiful space. I was hanging out with a couple of friends and when I had to take something back to my car at QV I walked past it. I sent the above photo to my friends asking if they wanted a coffee, with an immediate YES! in response.

Now this is only a pop up garden so I'm not sure how much longer it'll be there but hopefully they bring it back again soon. Each day there's a different thing happening there, including eyebrow shaping, drink mixing classes and on each weekend (like when we were there) it's a cafe, run by Milky Joes that serves coffee, hot chocolate and different sweets. I ordered my usual skim latte and a escargot both which were served up in a cute basket.

The Spotted Owl Cafe, Sunbury

A new cafe has opened up in the town I work in so of course I had to give it a try. While there's a few places I can go to eat during my lunch breaks there's no amazing cafes in the area. I was pleasantly surprised with The Spotted Owl. It's a very light, bright and modern cafe - more of the type you would find in Melbourne, with little potted plants in the entry way which I really liked.

I've been a couple of times since they've opened and have really enjoyed all of my meals. They do some very interesting but tasty combinations that work well.

I think the only thing I've been slightly disappointed with each time I've been has been the coffee. Each time I've ordered my usual skim latte and while it's...okay...there's just a strange taste to it that's not very pleasant. I do love the green plates that the coffees are served on though.

The first time I went I tried the smashed avocado and chickpea on toast and asked for a poached egg on the side. I love avocado so really loved this. The chickpea added that little bit of difference in texture to your usual smashed avocado dish. 

While I was there that first time I spotted people with a dish that looked like Eggs Benedict but couldn't find it on the menu. The second time around I realised that it was on the menu as The Breakfast Stack. This was a little bit of a twist on the usual Eggs Benedict though with the addition of melted cheese, avocado and tomato relish. I liked this version, but I think it was a little too rich because of the cheese - I'd rather stick with the usual Eggs Benedict in the future (with the addition of some avocado - yum!). 

The Spotted Owl Cafe

93 O'Shanassy St

Sunbury, 3429

Sunbury

Thistle Be Good!

I was lucky enough to receive a mixed box of goodies from South Australian company Thistle be Good for Lifestyle channel's Try it, Rate it program. My box included Wild Mushroom & Tarragon risotto, Persian Quinoa with dates & pistachios, Moroccan couscous with currants, a Moroccan rub and a tub of Egyptian Dukkah. What a week of amazing meals I've had since this package arrived in the mail!

I decided to try out the Risotto first, as a side dish to the . I was amazed that such little effort and ingredients, especially compared to cooking a risotto from scratch, could turn out so well. No not just well, but one of the best tasting risottos I've had. The mushroom and tarragon flavours, with the parmesan, really worked well together. The flavours were light, and really tasty - not too rich or salty like some risottos I've tasted.

The couscous was even quicker and easier to make than the risotto, if that's possible. The flavours were really lovely and the couscous itself was very light and fluffy. I could smell the wonderful combination of spices as soon as I opened the packet. There was just the most subtle heat to the couscous too, but nothing too overpowering, just a small amount that grew on the tongue and then faded away as quickly as it came. The currants added a lovely sweetness to the whole dish as well.

I decided to follow the recipe provided on the packet of the Moroccan mayhem rub (except that I used my slow cooker) and I'm so glad that I did. The result was a fantastically delicious slow cooked dish with wonderful flavours and soft lamb falling off the bone. The spices, which were rubbed on the lamb shanks at the start of the cooking process, went right through all of the ingredients and gave off a lovely amount of heat which became more subtle with the addition of greek yoghurt.

We served this on top of the Persian Quinoa which was another star product - and also really easy to make. There was a lovely flavour through this, which was complimented by the crunch of pistachios through the dish.

To be honest I don't know a lot about dukkah, but I'm looking forward to doing some research and making some dishes with it. I did see online the option of having some bread dipped in olive oil and then the dukkah which I tried and really enjoyed. It was just a really simple, lovely idea. I loved the crunch and the flavours of the spices.

These should definitely be a staple in everyone's pantry. They're just fantastic to have on hand in case you need to make a really tasty, but quick meal after work or just when you're in a hurry.

Lunch at Rockwell and Sons

I don't know about you, but I always feel slightly awkward going out to eat by myself, especially when there's lots of couples and other people around. I try not to let that stop me, I mean really why should it? It's just that I don't know what to do with myself, do I sit there and look around or do I use my phone or....? What do you do when you're eating out alone? Or do you try to avoid it? The other day I had a hair appointment and decided to grab something for lunch afterwards. I couldn't decide what I wanted, but ended up choosing to treat myself by going to Rockwell and Sons.

While I did at times feel like I didn't know what to do with myself, and a little awkward, it was worth going outside my comfort zone. I had a really lovely meal and enjoyed relaxing there, especially after having my hair done.

I'm not usually a big fan of soft drinks but I really liked this traditional lemonade. It was more bitter than sweet, which I prefer.

I'd have to say that this is probably the best chicken burger I've ever had. It was actually fried chicken which made the chicken very soft and juicy, with a really nice crunch from the crust. The chicken was topped with iceberg lettuce, buttermilk dressing and hot sauce, which gave it a nice bite - not too hot though!

I ordered some chips to go along with my burger and they were really nice and crispy. They came with a malt vinegar aioli which I really liked but it did become a little too rich (for me) in the end. 

This was the second time I've been to Rockwell and Sons and it's one of those places that I want to take everyone to. Hopefully I'll be able to drag some of my friends along next time!

Information:

Rockwell and Sons

288 Smith St, 

Collingwood, Victoria

(03) 8415 0700

Lunch at Father's Office Melbourne

After seeing a chef on TV preparing foods for the super bowl weekend, I was inspired to do a little research into what American restaurants there are around Melbourne. One that stood out was Father's Office and so after a couple of quick text messages to my friends we'd organised a lunch date. I didn't realise, but I'd actually walked past there countless times when I was in the city. It's actually part of the QV building, right near the State Library. 

I loved the interior of Father's Office, it had a mixture of different features from the big chandelier in the entry way to the dark blue pressed metal roof with rustic lights hanging from it. As you walked up the stairs one of the walls was covered in wallpaper that looked like bookshelves. There were big couches through the middle of the room and tables on the outer part of the room that looked out over the street and the State Library. 

We sat on one of these big couches which were super comfy. It made it easy to sit for hours and we ended up having a really long lazy lunch. 

The menu was set out like a newspaper, titled The Speakeasy Daily. There were definitely plenty of options for food and drink, making it hard to choose. Most items on the menu were very American with things like Louisiana Fried Wings, Philly Steak Sandwich and Key Lime Pie. I liked that while they had the rich American comfort food, there were also some lighter, healthier options. 

We started off with the obligatory cider, pear this time which was really light and refreshing. This and an apple cider were both on tap, but I can't remember the name unfortunately.

 One of my friends ordered pork scratchings to go along with her drink. Boy were there a lot of them! We all trialled them and they were really crunchy and salty - delicious - but I managed to stop after having a couple. 

This is the same friend's meal that she ordered - the buffalo wings with fries and blue cheese sauce. A very messy, but really well done dish. You had the choice of ordering 6 or 12 wings, so it could make a good dish for sharing.

Another friend ordered this very pretty looking dish - Quinoa, Halloumi and roasted vegetable salad which was very light, but nicely flavoured. 

This is the burger that I ordered - the Pork Belly burger which was amazing. The pork was beautifully soft, with some of the crackling left on and it went really well with the soft pear and apple compote and crisp lettuce. 

We couldn't resist the Home Style Mac n Cheese either, which we decided to share amongst us. That was really rich and creamy, so it was difficult to finish. Unfortunately we ordered so much food for our mains that we just couldn't fit in dessert (even in our dessert stomachs) so we'll have to go back one day to try those - especially the Key Lime Pie! 

Information:

Father's Office Speakeasy Bar and Restaurant 

249 Little Lonsdale St, 

Melbourne, Victoria

(03) 9662 3798

Brunch at Du Fermier, Trentham

As I mentioned back here last Sunday was my birthday and one of my favourite birthday traditions that happens most years is going out to brunch with whichever family members are available. This birthday I went with my Mum, my sister and my niece to Annie Smither's Du Fermier, somewhere I'd been wanting to go for a while. Du Fermier is such a gorgeous cafe, it has a rustic French style that I really love with cool artwork on the walls, and some gorgeous products for sale.

I just love this light shade. I'd love to be able to put this in a future house, or even somewhere in my apartment. It's just perfect!

All of the items on the menu are either grown in Annie Smither's garden, including eggs from her hens or are sourced from local suppliers. I love the idea of everything being grown near the cafe, and being so fresh and healthy. The day we were there the berries had just been picked and were being served with the granola. 

I was torn between going for the savoury option of eggs and the sweet of the hot cakes. Both just sounded so good, but the savoury won out (like it does most of the time). I got the toast with avocado, mushrooms and goat cheese with two poached eggs on the side. The eggs were nicely cooked, just runny enough. As you've probably noticed from here and here, I do love the combination of avocado, goats cheese and eggs. Yum!

Both my sister and my Mum ordered the scrambled eggs, with different sides. My sister went with the smoked trout option while my Mum stuck with the more traditional bacon. 

I think I've found another favourite cafe, I can't wait to go back and really want to take my other sisters along. 

Dinner at the Union Hotel, Brunswick

Before going to I, Animal at Melbourne Zoo the other night, I took my friends out for dinner to the Union Hotel in Brunswick. It's one of those cute neighbourhood pubs that does fantastic food. My older sister Danielle introduced me to it a while ago and our family has been there for dinner a few times since then. My friends and I sat out in a garden at the back of the pub which was really lovely.

It's a really nice area that would be great to spend hanging out with some friends and having a drink and some nibblies on a warm day. While we were there there was a band playing inside which we could hear from where we were sitting. It was so nice sitting out there, enjoying an cider (thanks to my beautiful friend Steph) and the music.

I'm one of those girls who loves eating red meat (this seems rare to me - I'm not sure if any of you find that?) At the Union Hotel I ordered myself a scotch fillet which came with mashed potato and steamed vegies. That steak was just amazing, it was so so tender and beautifully cooked.

It's a really great little pub, and I'm really looking forward to heading back there with my friends, especially once I live down that way.