Banh Mi @ Nhu Lan (Richmond)

Banh Mi @ Nhu Lan (Richmond)

Tuesday 11th April 
On the way to the shows we stopped for a quick and cheap dinner at Nhu Lan. While we're a regular at their Footscray store for years, we've never been to the Richmond one.

This looks interested, though doesn't come in chicken, pork only. 

*click to enlarge*

At 5pm it was dead, though we hope still fresh. Back when I was at school (I graduated in 2011) rolls were $4 though these days they're  $5. With complimentary pate.

We had the onion chicken, in that soft on the inside and crunchy bread roll that nhu lan is known for. Unfortunately it wasn't as crunchy as expected but I'm willing to give it another shot. 

How long ago were these made?

We also ordered the pain au raisin which was a mistake. Instead of been crispy it was floppy and a dud, nothing remotely like Agatha's amazing pastries. I'm very iffy about asian bakeries to be honest, because the rules that apply to us don't seem to apply to them. In that second day baked goods need to be discounted/clearly labelled or just not sold.

Asian snacks, homemade, we often see them in quite a few asian shops.

The glutenous rice was a favorite as always, made off site delivered to some bakeries and shop, like the dessert soups. They range $3-$4.50, and some are more popular/rare than other.

Service was minimal, though adequate.

Two Interviews & Three Shows

Two Interviews & Three Shows

Monday 10th April

Job interview. We got lost, uber maps wasn't great either... fortunately others were late too. Train, bus and uber. The position is for marking standardized tests, the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy 2017 (Naplan). Le beau and the teachers hate this test, as it ranks you against others in the state. Not how good you are, but how good you are compared to others. - That is life, most of the time. 

It's ok not to be smart, some kids have other gifts, but this test is a downer if you're not an academic. This test is hard, how do you do well on it? Have a tutor who specifically trained you for this test.

Update - I got the job. 

Lunch at Samurai end of day specials onion pancake  $4, it's huge! This is a snack for two, it was good though got boring and was thicker than usual, oven baked it was a healthy choices beside the deep fried goodness and oily noodles. 

Tuesday

A day at the office, an interview, crashing and three shows. All in a day, I like to make the most of my time left. I always thought the best compliment was "You're so pretty!" (Which I rarely ever hear, I'm not pretty but I have a great wardrobe and stuff, very materialistic). But then someone said something to me, a line that I've given but never received: you remind me of me when I was younger.

Update - Didn't get the job, but made it to round 2 interviews.

On the way to the shows we stopped for a quick and cheap dinner at Nhu Lan. While we're a regular at their Footscray store for years, we've never been to the Richmond one.

Three shows a night, that's what efficiently looks like. Unfortunately the first two shows were dud, though tickets were $5. The first made plenty of sex jokes and had the big o on stage. Nope. The second was a talk show host, he had no idea what he was doing.

Meanwhile at City Hall.

The third with a trio act with Edinburgh comedians from up left north. That was hilarious! My favorite story? The gf brings crack to a party, an awards night with 500 cops and the best sniffer dog of the year. XD I don't think you could make that up!

Wednesday

My last day of real food, till next Thursday (we've got dinner booked ).

Turns out you can't take pictures at the pool?! I was shooting a donut, if I wanted skin I'd go outside on a Friday night. People wear more to the pool than clubbing.

Temptation is everywhere. I need help. Chatime, the premium with pearls  $5.50, the classic with black tea and light chewy tapioca pearls that have a hit of sweetness. They aren't though marbles of rubber I recall back home. Service was great from Kidson who made an attempt to look me up (forgot the card, as I didn't plan on going out today). At 11.30am it was very quiet. Quieter than Starbucks ever.

Thursday

The day has come. For dental surgery. No pictures were taken before I wasn't fully mentally there and doubt I could have sneaked a camera into surgery, also there was blood everywhere.

They said I can't go shopping on the same day, but I did it! Found a $54 black skirt for dance! Ok for work too, it flows. Only one of the two dresses I wanted was one sale, there's no more free postage if you buy in stores via transfer. :( We've got cherries on white, hoping to swap for black on the forums.

Surprisingly aldi had key lime pie! More like lemon, it really needs that blow torched meringue top. Hospital food is gross, I do wonder how it compares to aeroplane food. A week of rest has been prescribed, but that doesn't stop us from catching up on adventures!

Friday Favourites - Feastively Meal Kits

Friday Favourites - Feastively Meal Kits

Friday 28th April
Charlie & Co. dined as a guest of Feastively, though also purchased a kit afterwards.

It's also a rainy windy day, one of the first autumn days. A couple days ago it was summer, for three days. The weather's definitely stay-in weather, especially as we don't drive. Does Deliveroo deliver in bad weather? Luckily today we've planned ahead and don't even have to take a peak outside, instead we have quick easy and delicious meals straight from the fridge, from Feastivity!

Feastively is Melbourne's fastest and easiest dinner cooking kit. "1 pan, 3 steps and 15 minutes is all it takes to create a chef grade meal for those you love".

Unlike the other boxes which send ingredients for you to prepare, Feastively has everything ready, you just need to put it together really. "All the prep work for you like chopping veggies, cooking rice or quinoa and we even prepare the sauces and marinades." This is wonderful as I'm really not a fan of chopping, IMO the most dreaded part of cooking.

The Kit & Three Steps

These kebabs were quick, fun and easy! Also yummy, though a bit chewy for me.

Mixed Veg Korma with Basmati Rice

One pan cooking!

One of the best kits we've had, on the flip side of the instructions there's the actual recipe so when you have more time you could create this at home yourself. Servings are generous.

Brown packages we love! This one's waxy on the inside, so in case something leaks (we've tried four boxes, they don't leak) but rather the ice blocks melts, it doesn't go through the box.

Seafood Pasta - Yum! Fresh and full of flavour this one is another favourite kit, and one I'm excited about making at home. Relatively easy, the prawns shall be the biggest challenge.

Quicker than boiling an egg (10mins, hard boiled) the seafood pasta was fun and easy to create. Full of flavour you could see from the paasta sauce, packed with herbs and spices. For me it had all the chili it required, though there's a pack of dried chili flakes included if you want more heat.

We're tried four meals from Feastively and this one's my second favorite after the burger. Serves 3-4 I'd say, though I eat small serving. Like with the veg korma the servings for two are very generous. 

Have you tried Feastively? They do burger kits too!

Local Eats - Student Lunch @ Pepper Lunch, Glenferrie

Local Eats - Student Lunch @ Pepper Lunch, Glenferrie

Tuesday 4th April

It took three visits for us to find the pepper in pepper lunch XD our first visit to the Glenferrie branch just up the road from the house. Lured by the student deals we ordered the $7 beef dish. We've had the higher end ones and loved them, and so were interested in ordering what the average person might, to get a full review.

Check out our last visit to Pepper Lunch here.

The Glenferrie restaurant is located on the main street around the corner from the station and Swinburne, hence a student town with quite a few student deals we'll cover before the next big move.

Student deals available 11am - 5pm, perfect for a late lunch!

With the typical terrace style that's popular for houses in the area, it's small but front but goes far back. Everything looks deceptively small from the outside. 

Self serve filtered water, hot and chilled. 

Served in polystyrene cups. We prefer plastic but it's ok.

Upstairs

That's a very small fireplace. There's plenty of seats as the restaurant is a long house in style. My favorite spot? For lunch by the reclusive fireplace and by the window with no view. Great for lighting!

Loving these sauce toppers, so practical. 

How to cook your food, part of the fun.

Student Deal Beef $7

Rice with corn, beef and an egg. As basic as it gets. The beef was chewier than I'm used to (though my love does call me a princess) though fine. Jas says it's similar to in japan as it's not always super tender, as I'm used to.

There wasn't soy sauce but there's garlic and a sweet sauce along with salt and pepper.
On its own the dish was bland with just pepper for seasoning, we need butter miso.
Though there's potential. Crispy rice was a delight to discover the first time!

This is as basic as it gets, it's also my go to dish in my first year at the boarding house  (meals were provided, but there's a play kitchen too. And a division where you'd roaster the kitchen with students). Would I get this dish again? No as I've had it so many times I'm ready to level up! And have through my food journey. But this dish takes us back to basics. 

Service was minimal and prompt, no card minimum and instructions in how to cook your dish is on the table. I was given a spoon, rather than knife and fork till I requested one.

We'll be back for? Dessert! Absolutely I love their soft serves.

Have you had lunch at Pepper lunch? What's your favourite cheap eat in town?

Concerts, Seminars & Chessecake

Concerts, Seminars & Chessecake

Monday 3rd April

An afternoon and evening on set at the studio. Bright lights and noises similar to a casino. We're filming a new tv show, a game show. Something light and fun, fluffy and kinda trivial and silly to me though, as someone who finds reality tv and all the loud ads overwhelming. Why would you fill your time and brain with this? Never been one to fit in I don't know why anyone watches these thing. Other than a wind down from work thing, nope.

We got there around 1pm though didn't start till 2pm due to tech issues. Ushered in, seated and taught to respond to cues, when to clap, cheer, stop and make all the noises. Hence the ringmaster and the circus. Stephen K Amos was there and he was hilarious!

Here's a sneak peak.

Tuesday

It took three visits for us to find the pepper in pepper lunch XD our first visit to the Glenferrie branch just up the road from the house. Lured by the student deals we ordered the $7 dish.

To a meeting, then the house and back for a workshop.

Wardrobe De-Cluttering with Dr Declutter

In the age of consumerism, we all have too much and need to let go, but the struggle is real! It's more about organizing rather than styling tonight, here are some tips:

1. Only things you're wearing now live in the wardrobe. This month. Send your wedding dress into storage. This is prime estate.
2. Look at Howard's - for inspiration. But here they're $$$!! Shop at Kmart, stalk Aldi.
3. Use space bags to store seasonal clothing.

I honestly didn't learn much as I knew a lot if it already, as a type A planner kinda girl. But if you have any questions I'm happy to answer them. 

Wednesday

Lunch at Hooked Fish and Chips. Its been on the list for years.

Today we had a meeting nearby and made it happen.

Chatime. Matcha latte. 50% ice. Full sugar. Wasn't that sweet though there's a powdery aftertaste. $5.50 no toppings. Red bean was the recommendation. I won't be getting this one again, matcha lattes with condense milk are my thing. 

Thursday

We made a light cheesecake crossed with a cake, the texture is very interesting, much like another yellow cake I've had before though can't quite name. The next day the top was dry, so pop it in an airtight box! Best served on the day. The first of a few cheesecakes coming up.

Two shows tonight, an adult puppet show at Crown that was amusing. I can't believe people actually do this, as a guy at the tram stop said, you're basically being paid to travel around the world and getting paid to play with yourself. XD

Upright to the Chinese museum in china town we saw an Indian guy from Sydney, who was quite funny. He spoke of being 30-something and not married, and Indian traditions and things white people have taken and given their own twist. e.g. namesta doesn't mean the light in my soul sees/touches yours bs, for those who do yoga; and the karma suta isn't just a sex guide, it's a guide to life and that's just a tiny chapter of it. He said it was like saying hitler was a painter, there's so much more than that.

Friday
An evening at Hamer Hall, it was pretty awesome though they missed Meet the Robinsons there was UP and all three Toy Stories! Here's what you missed.

Saturday

We were going to go to the ballet, but in the blink of an eye and the thought "we still have time for a last hug" mean 10.15 became 4.30pm before we knew it!

After dinner we made two cakes! The first experimented with egg whites, does it get as big straight from the fridge? Yeah it's about the same. 

We made the same mistake (though I didn't figure it out till afterwards) of lining the sides. This causes the cake not to rise perfectly - I think.

Made another cake, despite the similar method and just the addition of milk and flour, the second cake is a cake cake, while the first is a cheesexcake hybrid. Most of it is cottony goodness - I have had this cake from asian bakeries before, but never homemade....

We're only sharing the first cake as it was a success a second time, minus the sides (next time) while it was our first time making the second cake. 

I love that these cakes were pretty cheap to make, it was just a lot of eggs and pantry items I have already as a baker. 

Sunday

A concert at town hall, a performance that was very good though the venue felt too big for such a thing. Le beau was a Fred & Ginger Rogers fan. They were an amazing couple. #dancegoals