Cow and Moon.... what a strange name but doesn’t it have that dreamlike quality? Does it do justice to the variety of delectable ice cream flavours in the depths within that appear to spiral to the heavens – SURE DOES! Now I’m not sure how you may have heard the whispers and chatter about what is claimed to be home of the best ice cream artisans in the world but I used to pass it every day on the school bus, watching longingly with my friends behind the thick bus window plotting amongst ourselves like Gollum and awaiting our time when exams were over.



Now I can’t compare the ice cream to the other place Messina which I have not had the chance to try yet but I can definitely say the ice cream here is a HIT! It’s always bustling outside whether it’s an afterschool treat for young kiddies, night gelato cravings or weekend wind downs.

Need I really say more. Its just "want, want, want" as soon
as you walk through the front door!!!

I went on a Sunday in the late afternoon and whilst the queue for the ice cream was long – have no fear because it moves rather quickly!! There is a lot of umming and ahhing in the queue though because you are literally bombarded with all the amazing flavours and displays so inevitably sacrifices must be made (i.e. come back for those flavours another time)!

If you can, nab a seat and I mean NAB!! Seating is very limited in such a bustling place! Yes you eyeball those people sipping the last of their coffee in your peripheral vision because they're almost as nervous as you! How can they not when they know all eyes are on them ready to swoop? :P Well how else can you truly enjoy the cafe atmosphere- the excitement of children getting their cones, barristers moving rhythmically at the machines and waiters serving all sorts of mouth watering cakes and sweets.

Yes its all smiles when you get the ICECREAM and the SEAT!
SCORE!

So what I ordered was a large cup of ice cream for $8.50. Pretty good since I could choose 4 different flavours to share with my mum who I dragged along without much objection! After an actual 10 mins of making sure I made the right life decision (you can also request to taste test flavours) we were content with our choice of:

Dulce De Leuche
Walnut
Turkish Delight
Pistachio

Turkish Delight on top where it belongs :P

It's so busy that staff have to replace the
flavours over and over! It's survival of the
fittest around here :D

Main highlight would have to be the Turkish Delight- I’m not a die-hard fan of the more solid form but my gosh was this the crème dela crème (almost literally)! Yes the gelatine texture was missing but the flavour was not overly sweet but it had depth, it wasn’t just one flavour from start to finish (if you catch my gist).

The Dulche De Leuche, what more can I say then a good hit of caramel goodness - the right way to do ice cream!!

Not a fan of the raw or roasted walnut but its ice creamed version was a winning choice for a flavour I was a little sceptic but willing to try! Not too heavy on the taste buds, this flavour was light and had the right level of nuttiness!

My Mum and I love Pistachio flavoured ice cream so we’re always looking to compare which place is best! The Pistachio was really (rather overpoweringly) creamy although I must say I’ve had better at Pure Gelato in Croydon. It was still nice but you couldn’t help tasting a hella more creaminess (a plus for some people) and less of actual pistachio. But wait.... all ice cream is good ice cream right? So we weren't majorly fussed!

What’s there left to say, Cow and Moon is well worth a visit! Sadly there’s no way of tasting all the flavours (a great sacrifice indeed) but they also offer a range of other sweets if you want to expand your horizons a little but then again don’t you want to see what “World's Best gelato artisans” taste like?
So what are you waiting for – mark it down in the diary; a weekend with good weather, friends and of course good food!

Arrivederci!!
Mimi xx

Grounds of Alexandria Date

This is most probably the billionth blog post raving about the Grounds of Alexandria located in Alexandria Sydney on 7A/2 Huntley Street. I’ve even read that this is one of the most instagramed places in Australia so I’ll admit it now -I did do a foodgram and it doesn’t even do justice to how delicious and lovely the dish was!!!


So the love story goes something like this....
Despite the overcast day, my girlfriend and I still made the journey (my first visit) to the Grounds with an empty stomach ready for some feel-good food. We actually had an outfit planned the night before (don’t judge) because 1. Alexandria being in the inner city is full of hipster, stylish people and 2. We were going to head into the city afterwards to check out the new Sephora store and for a little Chrissy shopping!

I know what you’re thinking, cut the talk and show the pictures which I totally agree! So instead of boring you with my attempts at describing how lovely the whole place was, just enjoy the pictures (cause I know we all skip the text for the photos)!
Note: I did refrain from taking too many photos because that was waaay too mainstream there :D

A little florist on site with displays just
spilling onto the walkway - so lovely!

This was the sink for the bathroom, as if
this isn't so country old fashioned I love it!

The courtyard lies beyond with a fountain
where the little kids play

Yes they have a small animal farm and yes
Kevin Bacon is the resident pig :P

Guess who!

There are a few choices for eating at the Grounds, you can choose to dine in the restaurant-style cafe or buy from the little kiosk and enjoy your munchies at the courtyard. Service was so lovely at the restaurant-cafe we ate at (including tres good looking waiters). You get a little buzzer like at the bistro that will buzz when your table (no need to reserve) is ready for you = keep exploring instead of waiting in a queue! Peerfect!

The menu was organised into Breakfast – small and substantial (til 11:30am),Brunch and Lunch (both from 12pm)! They were quite strict (in a kind/reasonable not “you die” kind of way - don’t worry) with the times so sadly one could not order a lunch at 11:30am L

But we did spend a good 10 mins having a long think about what to order because man that was a tough decision! Too many delicious choices!!! We had a look the other tables on the way in to see what dishes looked yummiest – which was all of them!!

My friend's "Petuna Salmon" order for brunch = MEH!!

Oh Lordy - behold the "Healthy Plate"
It definitely packed a punch for the sweet tooth too! I mean check out
that little shot cup of green juice! How do you say no? 

Along the main walkway there’s a wagon selling fresh fruits and homemade lemonade in yellow, pink and peachy colours! We also saw a donut wagon but it wasn't in business at the time!

Now let me put my two cents worth here – that Grounds Granola (as it was called) was actually the substance of my wildest dreams. You tip in the mini milk jug and that’s when the party at the taste buds began. It was your ordinary breakfast transformed into a breakfast of the Gods. Despite the name Healthy Plate and the appearance of assorted fruit and the granola – it was definitely filling!


So what are you waiting for, book a brunch/lunch date with your girlies or mum/grandma on your next free day. Boys take the special women of your life (girlfriends, mums and grandmas) to impress! The place is literally a little archaic, rustic world of its own in the midst of the city and my friends have been raving about this place since forever. We used to fantasize the time when we would finally make the visit (how else do you get through boring uni - you think of your food tours of course)!!!


This is just one of those places you hear so much about and need to see for yourself! There's something for everyone!
Go on a little adventure this weekend!

Until next time!
Mimi xoxo

Week 1: Saigon - Cafe Culture and Jack Fruits

Each morning began very early with women on the streets, gently sweeping with their brooms made of stiff grasses dried in the sun. It was a rhythmic drag of the grasses on the pavement as the throbbing hum of motorbike engines echoed down the street. I spent most of the month we had waking up in Saigon. The first morning I had woken up at 5am and in the house hung a strange aura. I was the only one awake and it gave me time to reflect about where I was – standing on a totally different space on the earth.  I was certainly not the first to rise in the district. Downstairs a pot of Bun Rieu (a classic Vietnamese Street food dish) was brewing and the children’s rides park right next door began playing its nursery songs to the near empty street. Standing there I absorbed the way the foot paths were endless pavement without a spot of grass and no parked cars, the children in their scout-like uniforms hugging their parents in front as they were driven to school, their feet dangling with sandals and multiple doors opening everywhere like an arcade game for their owners to wheel out their bikes. I was very far from the Sydney streets I called home and it was unreal just thinking of what could possibly be in store for the day. 

The Cafe Culture was something to behold in Vietnam giving Newtown and Balmain in
 Sydney a run for their money. Cafe Sua Da (Iced Coffee) was served everywhere not with fresh milk but condensed milk since it was first introduced into the country by American Soldiers fighting in the War. Here was where you could catch up with family and friends as one ALWAYS had time for coffee. It was enjoyed in various ways from lounging on your motorbike  to knocked knees on a low stool. Most importantly was to enjoy your drink while facing and watching the street. This was what it meant to watch the “day go by”. There was no need for the time-lapse option; the streets were an endless whirlwind of passing motorbikes and taxis, chickens strutting around their shop fronts pecking vigorously at the seeds in crevices and street sellers laying the pavement with their wares awaiting the night to finally pack for home.

Crossing the road abides by a few rules.
1. Besides looking for gaps in traffic you must walk with confidence like the locals next to you.
2. Women are more likely to show signs of slowing than men.
3. No designated pedestrian crossings in the outer districts so good luck finding one.
Even in the street, traffic pedestrians crossings still beg lone motorbikes to make the final break.
4. Traffic never stops just for you.
This is the thing - traffic immediately changes the second you step onto the road, a thousand internal calculations erupt around you as engines hum a little less and wheels slightly veer to the sides.
As amateurs we waited for locals to cross alongside other locals – a life skill I had yet to master on my own.

Every morning my dad would walk to the markets only to stop short at a little glass stand by the road where a woman would be selling the juiciest jackfruits a Vietnamese Australian like ourselves would ever taste and see. By the time we left the country (we said our good byes), she had known us to be her regular customers. Dad would come home with the produce and mum and I would begin the tedious and sticky deseeding process and eating the “less pretty ones”.  You couldn’t help getting strange looks on the street when you wore shorts, a t-shirt, your sneakers and tried desperately to cross the heavy traffic like a local. Not even the traditional straw hat could conceal the fact that you were a tourist returning to your roots and my did I reek of it.

Your average homemade dinner of wholesome food

"Embodying" a local next to the Jack fruit stand