Snow Pony Cafe, Balwyn

When I think of snow and ponies, the image of a mystical far away land covered with fluffy white snow comes to mind. There's not a soul in sight, apart from a lone pony trotting in the cold forest. On its back sits a fair skinned princess with blonde long hair, stroking the pony's hair and whispering into its ear. The more I think about it, the more my imagination runs wild. I'm not sure how the owners of Snow Pony Cafe in Balwyn came up with this cute name, but I'm certainly quite taken by it. Not only is its name intriguing, it's simple and funky interior (although totally different to my imagination), mouth-watering meals and friendly staff are all elements that appeal to me.

When I called up at 12:30pm yesterday, I was told the cafe was very busy but they will try to fit the 3 of us in for a 1pm lunch. I wasn't expecting much when I entered the cafe but to my surprise, our table was ready and my friend Racheese was already sitting there.

There's three areas that contain tables - the front of the house with a long communal table, the back room with its cute hanging light and slightly darker and more private setting and there's where we sat, the patio for a casual meal out in the sun.

The patio was just perfect. It was 30 degrees and the sun was shining on our table but in the excitement of trying this lovely place, I didn't feel warm at all. I spent the first few minutes just admiring the decorations and the awesome light fittings. This place was so photogenic!

I was dying for a coffee. For the last few nights, I've been staying up writing blog posts (doing it right now in fact) as Christmas gatherings and shopping took up most of the day and the only time I had to myself was when everyone else had gone to sleep. I'm obviously still getting into the whole posting once a day thing so I was in desperate need of a good caffeine hit. My latte arrived very quickly, far quicker than it took me to photograph it.

It was not a bad coffee at all, although it had a slightly bitter or burnt after taste. This 'burnt' taste was more just the taste of the coffee beans than anything else in my opinion, although Yuye didn't agree. Either way, it was my coffee not his, so I get the say.

Yuye didn't order a coffee like he normally does. I think the heat is finally getting to him. What he ordered though was no surprise - organic grapefruit juice ($5) while Racheese ordered a fresh orange juice ($4.5). They came in the cutest 'medicine bottles' as we called them. If medicines really came in these bottles, I'd have drank enough as a kid to never get sick. They looked especially gorgeous in the sun.

The grapefruit juice gave me more of a kick than my latte by far. It was a burst of sourness with a slight bitter aftertaste and the chunky pulp was oh so yummy. I can get addicted to drinking that all summer. The orange juice was not bad either, sweet and also very pulpy, it was a very refreshing and fitting drink for the hot weather.

There were so many things I wanted to order on the menu! I believe the menu changes seasonally, in fact the menu we ordered from is slightly different to the one on their website. I wanted to try a dish with an interesting name as I was very much into the whole pony deal, especially Giddy Up which featured my favourite poached eggs and roasted tomato. However, Racheese eventually pointed me in the right direction - the Hopkins River eye fillet steak sandwich ($21.90). As soon as I saw 'beetroot' I had made my decision.

This dish had beetroot + blood orange relish, caramel onions, bacon, roast tomato, aged Maffra farmhouse cheddar and a poached egg. It's everything I like, on the one plate! The placement of the ingredients was interesting too, it sort of made it look like a looney clown face with a huge smile, don't you agree?

The steak was very tender and juicy, the tomatoes were peeled and oven roasted (although I found them to be a tiny overcooked and mushy) and the relish was quite sweet. I couldn't really taste the blood orange but that didn't bother me because there's beetroot which is cooler than anything else. The only thing I didn't like about the dish was how the relish and tomatoes made the bread quite soggy in the middle. Perhaps it was better if the steak was placed on the bread before the relish.

this was the first time I only got 1 poached egg and it's probably a good thing as I've been eating a lot of eggs lately. I did find only having one egg a bit less than completely satisfying as I love the bread and meat to be smothered in the runny egg yolks. Only having one egg yolk means I only really had yolk on one piece of bread. Either way, I loved the dish and I was fighting over it with Yuye.

Yuye ordered one of his favourites (and probably also mine), the kransky with asparagus, mustard and potato salad ($18.90). The dish looked beautiful. As it didn't come with bread, I didn't think it would be very filling but it was.

The kransky was as expected, meaty and perfectly salty, although I'd have preferred to eat them with a piece of bread or some pancakes. I was however, surprised at how good it went with the mustard. Yuye agreed that we should eat mustard with our store bored kranskies next time. I found the asparagus a bit overcooked and was too soft. I like my asparagus just cooked and still green and slightly crunchy. Personal preference I guess.

The potato salad was very creamy and had a nice amount of seeded mustard mixed through. I love anything with seeded mustard as it gives the dish that perfect tanginess. The colours of the salad was also quite vibrant.

Racheese ordered a Spanish tortilla with chorizo and lots and lots of rocket and shaved parmesan ($17.90). This is a new dish not on the site menu.

St Ali, South Melbourne - brunch & coffee goodness

Melbourne has become a wonderful place for breakfast/brunch and of course coffees. The coffee culture here is amazing but it's unfortunate that most of the popular and good places seem to be congregated in the CBD or inner city suburbs such as North Melbourne, South Melbourne, St Kilda and Richmond. However, I live quite far away, it takes me about half to one hour to get to the city and travelling there is a time consuming task. Which is why whenever I'm in the city for other reasons, I will always try to fit in brunch and coffee as a side activity.

Yesterday, I went to the city for a friend's pre-wedding video shoot which started in the afternoon. This was perfect timing for brunch and as I don't go to the city often, there were many places I wanted to try, one of them being St Ali. St Ali has been talked about for quite some time and I had many friends tell me the coffee there is superb.

Similar to Three Bags Full and Hardware Societe, there was a line at the door and we were put on a waiting list. Luckily, the wait was only about 10 minutes, although we had to share tables with other people. St Ali's atmosphere is similar to Three Bags Full which has a grungy, warehouse decor and was buzzing with people's chatters and laughter. The photos above actually really reminded me of Thailand or some other tropical Asian country.

Beautiful flowers by the door gave the place a fresher feel and along with the beautiful afternoon sunshine, I was reminded that the festive and hot season is fast approaching.

Water was served in a Coopers Ale bottle and I noticed that all the bottles had different labels! That made me a bit intrigued and almost wanted to go read all the labels on the counter. Someone would definitely have looked at me weirdly.

Yuye and I both ordered coffees to start the meal. I ordered a latte as usual while Yuye ordered a cappuccino. I liked the presentation of my latte, it was clean and there was just the right amount of froth. However, I did find the coffee a little on the weak side, perhaps I was too used to getting double shots.

Yuye's cappuccino was even prettier than mine which was to be expected since the colour of cocoa powder makes it more defined and clear. Yuye, however, also found his coffee to be a bit weak. What a shame as we were really looking forward to this long awaited first grade coffee the whole of Melbourne has been talking about.

Our meals actually took quite a long time to be brought out. I think we waited for around 20-30 minutes and had to check with the waitress twice. When it finally came out, I was starving. After reading the review on I'm So Hungree and a few other blogs that morning, I had already decided what I wanted to get - My Mexican Cousin - secret recipe corn fritters, baby spinach, haloumi and kasundi with poached or fried eggs ($17). I thought corn fritters would go very well with my love for poached eggs and of course, who doesn't love spinach.

I usually find haloumi too salty but here it was just right as the rest of the dish would have been slightly bland without it. The corn fritters were crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside and while I was eating it, a few juicy corn kernels popped out. Not the most traditional corn fritters but I still enjoyed it immensely. Maybe I was very hungry. Yuye on the other hand didn't think too much of the dish, commenting that it was too bland (I hope it wasn't because I ate most of the haloumi).

Regardless of what the dish tastes like, as long as it has poached eggs or any form of eggs with runny yolks, I'd be a happy person. Look at that yolk! It's always the happiest moment when I cut the yolk open and the gooey golden goodness flows all over the dish.

Yuye's order was a great surprise to me as he usually loves his eggs and savoury dishes, especially as a first meal of the day. However, he actually ordered the Napoleon Complex - brioche french toast with coffee mascarpone, chocolate soil and cranberries and blueberries ($18). It was a sweet dish! He used to always tell me off when I try to do the same and as expected, he regretted his choice. This wasn't because it was bad, in fact it was quite the opposite.

The presentation took me by surprise and even the patrons on the next table were eyeing Yuye's plate for quite some time. It was simply beautiful and appetising. It was covered in a layer of thick chocolate sauce which made the dish a bit too rich. The main reason Yuye regretted getting this dish and probably the only fault I could find was how eggy the french toasts were. I think too many eggs were used when making the toasts and as a result, it tasted a bit like an overcooked custard or something similar. Yuye and I don't have much of a sweet tooth (although I love ordering desserts just to look at them) so can't consume too much rich and sweet things in one go. Regardless, we finished the whole plate.

We also ordered a Beatle Juice ($7.50) - watermelon, strawberry, apple and mint, during the meal. It came in a tall glass like that of Three Bags Full and it was delicious. Often when restaurants list the ingredients, I couldn't tell them apart but I could distinctly taste the watermelon, strawberry and mint flavours in this juice.

I still had a little bit of time before I had to go to the video shooting so I decided to order another coffee. The syphon ($6) on the specials board sounded quite interesting so I thought I'd give that a try. I never had syphons before and according to the menu, a syphon is "a clean delicate brew that will enlighten you to the intricacies of specialty coffee". The coffee of the day for the syphon was from Guatemala called El Limonar. It has "cherry acidity balanced by a cane sugar body".

The coffee was a clear, lighter shade of brown and was very very hot. The waiter suggested to wait for it to cool down a little before consuming so that the flavours are stronger. I distinctly tasted the acidity, yes it was very sour, and frankly, it wasn't my kind of coffee. I guess there's a first for everything and maybe I'm just not a specialty coffee kind of person. Nevertheless, it was a very interesting experience.

Belgian Beer Cafe Bluestone, St Kilda

Have you ever felt utter frustration for something that can't be changed? Even worse, having to endure it for many times over. Getting visas for China is one of those frustrating tasks that I loath but must do. The visa application centre used to be part of the Chinese Consulate in Toorak but in recent years changed to a privately owned company in St Kilda. The wait in line became twice as long and the application prices were almost twice as much. Nevertheless, if you want to go to China, you must apply for one. My most recent dilemma was when I dropped off my friend's passport along with mine and as she had never been to China before, they asked for her birth certificate which I didn't know was needed. So, I had to go to the visa application centre 3 times during one week and had to wait 2 hours at both drop-offs and about half an hour for the pickup. It's a sad life it is!

I almost forgot the moral of the story. If you also find yourself stuck in the visa dilemma, fear not because you can take out your anger and frustrations by having a hearty meal and/or a drink or two at the Belgian Beer Cafe Bluestone just across the road from the Visa Application Centre. It was the only thing I looked forward to and we ate there twice in that one week.

It's a nice beer drinking environment with seating both inside and outside. They have a good collection of spirits, wines and flavoured beers for you to choose from if the regular beers don't take your fancy as well as different menus for beer food and proper meals. However I was told only beer food and drinks are allowed to be consumed outside.

First day lunch

We went to the Belgian Beer Cafe the first time I dropped off the passports when it was already 3pm. Lucky it doesn't close in the afternoon like some restaurants do.

We started off the meal with beer of course. Well, to be specific, Yuye had beer. It was a Cheeky Rascal Raspberry & Apple Cider for $9.50 by Rebello Wines, which is a branch of the famous Sunny Ridge strawberry farm in Mornington Peninsula. A few friends and I are actually planning a strawberry and cherry picking day there tomorrow so I will be writing about our adventures some time later. It was a refreshing and sweet drink that tasted like summer, a perfect start to our long awaited meal and soothed our worn souls quite well.

Cheeky Rascal Raspberry & Apple Cider (Mornington Peninsula) - $9.50

I was going to drive home and since I was so tired already, I didn't want to drink anything alcoholic. What do I choose when I don't want alcohol? Lemon lime and bitters of course ($3.50). There was quite a lot of bitters and syrup in the drink but was still thirst quenching enough to keep me happy.

Lemon Lime & Bitters - $3.50

Complimentary bread and butter were served and interestingly enough they're served in paper bags. I love surprises so when I see a bag full of things, I will always smile even if I know what the content is. The bread was fresh and yummy, but I find I always stuff myself with too much bread at the beginning and can't finish my actual meal.

Complimentary bread served in a paper bag

A lot of people go to the Belgian Beer Cafe just to eat their mussel pots and drink the beer. It's weird but it seems that the Belgian Beer Cafe had in fact cured my previous dislike for mussels as Yuye loves them and orders a pot every time he eats there. This time was no different. He ordered his favourite Mariniere pot which is mussels cooked in white wine, celery, onion, leek and thyme for $28. As always, the mussels were perfectly cooked and seasoned. We were licking our fingers and lips and sucking those mussels out of their shells like there was no tomorrow.

Mariniere mussel pot with white wine, celery, onion, leek & thyme - $28

Mussel pots also come with a bowl of chips and homemade mayo. I love fatter chips so these were great with our meal. The mayo was so rich and creamy that I couldn't eat too much of it in one go. It was one of the better mayos I've had in restaurants.

Chips and mayo that came with the Mariniere pot

You get a separate lid like pot to throw all the empty mussel shells in and the waiter will come around every so often to change it when it overflows. The mountains of shells always impress me.

Empty mussel shells ready to be taken away

Look at that white wine sauce at the bottom of the pot! Yuye and I were scooping it up and drinking it like a soup. It was so buttery and rich it actually made me quite full.

I had wanted something different so I chose the pork belly which was twice-cooked with chilli caramel, apple, fennel and salted prawn salad. The skin was perfectly crispy albeit being slightly on the burnt side. The meat I found a tiny bit tough although quite tasty. Obviously it had been cooked long enough for the flavours to enter. It also went quite well with the salad which was sweet and minty. It managed to turn the somewhat heavy meal into a lighter, healthier feeling dish. I know, it's all in my mind…

Twice cooked pork belly - $29

It doesn't look too impressive from the front but boy the dish was huge! It was two whole pieces of pure meat. I thought I was going to fit in dessert afterwards but I was wrong.

Second day lunch

We came here again when I finally picked up the passports a few days later. It was like a celebration for finally getting the visas done. Celebrations can't do without some form of alcohol, especially when the weather was great, so I decided to join Yuye by ordering a beer of my own. I don't really like regular beers so a flavoured one was chosen. It was the Grisette Cerise for $9.50, a cherry flavoured beer that's only 3.5 percent alcohol. It's an imported beer from Belgium that is very sweet, refreshing and not that beer tasting. It was perfect for me since I don't like beer, but avid beer lovers might not give this drink a thumbs up. I thought it looked very pretty too with the bright red colour and huge layer of white foam on top.

Grisette Cerise (cherry flavoured beer from Belgium) - $9.50

Yuye felt like being a bit girly too and chose Monteith's Crushed Pear Cider for $9. This one was not as sweet and stronger in alcohol, which I thought was more refreshing and nicer tasting. Monteith's is an old brand from New Zealand and also includes the crushed apple cider and traditional beers. Their ciders are made from real fruit, not concentrate. This beverage is available from Dan Murphy's if you fancy drinking it at home.

Monteith's Crushed Pear Cider (NZ) - $9

Yuye, not surprisingly again ordered a pot of mussels. This time it was the Espanol with chorizo, green olives, smoked paprika, tomato and red wine also for $28. It was so much more filling than the previous pot because of the chorizo and olives but we both agreed that the Mariniere was better. It was in no way bad, in fact it was quite delicious as I love tomato based dishes. The only flaw about this dish is that it had less sauce than the Mariniere so the mussels themselves were sometimes a bit bland. Eating the mussels with chorizos and olives helped but that made us very full.

Espanol mussel pot with chorizo, olives, smoked paprika, tomato & red wine - $28

I wanted to be smart this time round and 'order less' so I could finally fit in dessert. I really wanted to try the waffles. Was I smart? Not at all. For some stupid reason I thought ordering three beer food dishes would be less than a main. It totally wasn't. Regardless of this, I was still very satisfied with what I ordered since they were all very nice and I managed to taste many different dishes at once! The first dish was steak tartare or what's called Fillet Americain for $14. It came with hand-cut raw steak tartare, croutons and horseradish cream.

Fillet Americain (steak tartare) - $14

The first thing I noticed was the lack of egg yolk on top which was a disappointment. The second thing I noticed was the sheer amount of gherkins and capers mixed into the steak tartare. It was way too much and made it too sour. I think an egg yolk would have softened the sour taste and made it a lot nicer. I did like the pickled onions although I probably preferred to eat them by themselves.

The croutons I believe were made from the same bread as the complimentary ones we got at the beginning of the meal. They were very crunchy and easy to pick up the steak tartare with. The croutons were also very filling, another reason why we shouldn't have ordered this dish even though they were nice.

The second dish I ordered as recommended by the waiter was the crispy chicken ribs marinated in cider, honey and mustard for $9. It came with 4 pieces of fantastic chicken ribs that were heavenly to bite into. Yes it was a bit oily but hey, I wasn't there to eat healthy! The batter was so crispy they crumbled as soon as I sank my teeth into them. The meat inside was a perfect contrast of tenderness and juiciness that I could have eaten them all day. The ribs disappeared instantly. The sauce was nutty, almost like a satay sauce and went well with the chicken, although I preferred a bit of lemon on it to make it less oily (I used the lemon from the croquettes).

Crispy chicken ribs - $9

The last dish of the day was the manchego cheese & smoked cod croquettes for $8.50. This came with 5 small cheesy fried balls that were tasty although a little bland. The lemon helped and so did the nutty sauce from my chicken ribs. Maybe they should include the dipping sauce for this dish too to give it a bit more flavour. It was so creamy though that it was hard to finish, especially with so many other things to eat too.

Manchego cheese & smoked cod croquettes - $8.50

LuxBite - sinfully good desserts, South Yarra

Desserts. One of those words that can conjure up images of all sorts of luscious sweet indulgences. A word that can put a smile on a crying child and brighten up the day of a heartbroken soul. I have a confession to make. I'm a sucker for a pretty dessert, even though I don't have that much of a sweet tooth. Yuye might argue otherwise because I tend to want to order dessert all the time but when I'm hungry, I'd prefer to eat a savoury dish. With that said, whenever I see a good looking dessert I just can't seem to refuse it. This impulsive behaviour has unfortunately caused many an upset stomach and an unhappy Yuye.

After reading so much about the highly acclaimed and immensely popular LuxBite, I have joined the bandwagon and visited the dessert oriented cafe tucked away on busy Toorak Rd in South Yarra last Thursday. The slogan on the door said 'Life is uncertain, eat dessert first'. I couldn't agree more. Never know when that macaron you've been wanting to get will sell out or even worse, gets wiped off the menu entirely! When you feel like it, just go for it, or so that's how I convince myself to order all that I want to order. My friend Rachel, who's one of the talented dessert chefs working at LuxBite, doesn't know about my slight lack of sweet tooth. Lets keep this hush hush because I don't want her to judge me. It doesn't mean I don't like desserts!

The interior of the cafe is comfy although small and has an air of freshness and excitement brought about by all the colours and buzz.

I love LuxBite's slightly cheeky and playful take on desserts which is reflected in the names and descriptions of the little devils sitting behind that glass wall. I also love the beautiful colours of the macarons and huge variety, 16 to be precise, of flavours to choose from. Watch out because the popular flavours sell out quickly!

As Yuye has an even lesser sweet tooth than me, I thought getting something not so rich was a good idea. I decided on the tea set for 2. With this $42 set we got 3 small sandwich fingers, 2 desserts, 4 macarons and 2 drinks.