Smooch Food: Love Letters to Every Bite

Qantas Economy Meals, Sydney to Vancouver Location: Onboard the 14-hour Qantas flight from Sydney to Vancouver (economy class) Featured Items: Beef BBQ Mac and Cheese, Chicken Chow Mein, Focaccia, Wicked Sister Vanilla Panna Cotta, Hot Breakfast Plate (chicken sausage, frittata, hashbrown, tomatoes and mushrooms) Note: Dinner had three economy choices: vegetarian lasagna, beef BBQ mac and cheese, and chicken chow mein. Dinner was served shortly after a delayed departure, and breakfast came two hours before landing. Both meals were included with the economy fare. Verdict: Comforting and satisfying airplane meals. The chicken chow mein was the best dinner, and I loved the chicken sausage at breakfast. I cannot wait to come home. Before that, we needed to conquer the 14-hour Qantas flight from Sydney to Vancouver. Shortly after departure (which was delayed), dinner was served. There were three choices in economy: vegetarian lasagna, beef BBQ mac and cheese, and chick...

Campos, Sydney International Airport Location: Food court common area, Sydney International Airport (Terminal 1), after security Featured Items: Chunky Steak Pie ($11.90 regular price), Angus Beef Sausage Roll ($10.90 regular price) Note: A handwritten "50% off pies & rolls" sign was up at the counter, so we paid $5.95 for the pie and $5.45 for the sausage roll ($11.40 total). Prices are in AUD. Verdict: Both were excellent. If you only try one thing after security at Sydney International, go with the steak pie. What an adventure! Our flight from Melbourne to Sydney was delayed by more than an hour, and we had a connecting flight from Sydney to Vancouver to catch. When we landed in Sydney, we got priority disembarkation and ran to Gate 15. That meant the transfer from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1, security and immigration, all in a rush. We arrived at our gate at exactly 7:35 PM, which was boarding time, but thankfully (?) the flight was delayed by 20 ...

Little Ramen Bar Location: 369 Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Featured Items: Medium Spicy Miso Ramen ($20.90), Pork Shio Ramen ($19.90), Okonomiyaki ($12.90) Note: The spot where Celine's Melbourne team goes for team lunch when the theme is ramen. Prices are in AUD. Verdict: A comforting bowl for a scratchy throat. The pork shio ramen and the okonomiyaki were the highlights for me. As I mentioned in my previous post , I have been coughing and my throat has been itchy, so soup was needed. We decided to grab an early lunch at Little Ramen Bar in Melbourne because this is where the team goes for team lunch when the theme is ramen. Medium Spicy Miso Ramen ($20.90) I went with my usual medium spicy miso ramen ($20.90) and it was good. It is not any better than what we can get in Vancouver, but good enough. I quite like the chewy, springy noodles in the creamy, spicy broth. Medium spicy miso ramen ($20.90) at Little Ramen Bar Melbourne I...

Chai Biskit Location: 59 Elizabeth St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Featured Items: Hot Immunitea, large ($8), Classic Chai, large ($8), Assorted Biscuits ($3.50), Samosas ($3.50) Note: Newly opened in the old Dropout Chaiwala location. Prices are in AUD. Verdict: A cozy, comforting breakfast stop. The not-too-sweet biscuits and the soothing Immunitea were exactly what I needed. Happy Wednesday morning, Melbourne! It is our last morning in the city for this trip, as we fly out later today. My throat has been itchy and I was coughing all night, so for breakfast we decided to try Chai Biskit. They recently opened along Elizabeth Street in the old Dropout Chaiwala location. Our cozy breakfast spread: Immunitea, classic chai, assorted biscuits and samosas Hot Immunitea and Classic Chai ($8 each, large) As much as I wanted chai, their soothing hot Immunitea ($8 for a large) was what I needed to calm my throat. Hubby went for a large classic chai ($8), a cream...

Tokyo Motto Location: Shop 23&23A, MidCity, 200 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Featured Items: Deluxe Omurice ($24.50), Katsu Omurice ($19), Takoyaki ($10.40), Veggie Tempura ($12.35) Note: Our last-resort dinner on a public holiday, when many other places were closed. Prices are in AUD. Verdict: A good meal, but the curry sauce was too sweet for me. The katsu and chicken karaage on the Deluxe Omurice were the highlights. For our last dinner in Melbourne on this trip, I really needed rice and my pre-flight meal of Japanese curry. Since it was a public holiday, it was difficult to know which stores were open and which were closed. As a last resort, we went to Tokyo Motto for their curry omurice. Deluxe Omurice ($24.50) Hubby went for the Deluxe Omurice ($24.50). It is rice covered with a fluffy, silky omelette, swimming in rich curry sauce and topped with crispy prawn katsu, sweet sukiyaki beef and crunchy chicken karaage. The katsu and karaage ...