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 ...

Imperial Hotel Location: 2-8 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Featured Items: Chicken Parma ($35), Lemon, Lime & Bitters Schooner ($7.50) Note: A colleague-recommended pub meal, enjoyed on Melbourne Cup day. Prices are in AUD. Verdict: Very tender, flavourful chicken. I still prefer the tomato sauce at the Duke of Wellington. It is Melbourne Cup day, which is a great excuse to hang out at the Imperial Hotel for the chicken parma a colleague recommended. We have been here since 11:00 AM watching Monday Night Football (yes, I am in Australia watching American football, haha). The Imperial is a historic pub at the top end of Bourke Street, with roots dating back to the mid-1800s. You walk in through the original Australian red cedar doors, and the rooftop beer garden overlooks Parliament House. Chicken Parma ($35) For anyone new to it, the chicken parma (or parmi) is an Aussie pub classic: a crumbed chicken schnitzel topped with tomato sauce and m...

Lune Croissanterie Location: 16/161 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Featured Items: Butter Croissant ($7.80), Cheese & Vegemite Scroll ($10.90), Kouign Amann ($10.50), Flat White ($5.90), Mocha ($5.90) Note: Expect a line, and we were happy to join it twice. Prices are in AUD. Verdict: The butter croissant is the best I have ever tried, and the Kouign Amann is amazing. The Vegemite scroll was my least favourite. Happy Tuesday! It is a public holiday in Victoria for Melbourne Cup, so we woke up later than usual and decided to walk to Lune Croissanterie. Our tour guide yesterday called it the best croissant in the world. Bold claim! He also mentioned that the founder, Kate Reid, used to be a rocket scientist, so the same discipline has been applied to croissants. To be precise, she is a former aeronautical engineer who worked for the Williams Racing Formula 1 team before training as a baker, which is close enough for me. Our first round at Lune: bu...

Melbourne International Dumpling Festival Location: Queen Victoria Market, 513 Elizabeth St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Featured Items: Apas Canteen Bhutanese Beef Momo (5 pcs, $15), Dimmie Den Dinkie Dim "OG" (3 pcs, $10), Dapur Lokal Melbourne Indonesian Siomay (7 pcs, $16), Parilya Barbecue Filipino Siomai (4 pcs, $15), Parilya Barbecue Filipino Pork BBQ with Rice ($21.50) Note: Come hungry and plan to graze from stall to stall. Prices are in AUD. Verdict: The Indonesian siomay with peanut sauce was the standout. The beef momo came in a close second. Our tour finished at 1:30 PM, and we asked to be dropped off at Queen Victoria Market, where the Melbourne International Dumpling Festival was happening today. Lunch and dinner were both going to be here, which meant eating as much as we could. We have the BC Dumpling Festival near Vancouver, which we adore, so we were excited to see what Melbourne had to offer. Apas Canteen: Bhutanese Beef Momo ...

Shrine of Remembrance Cafe Location: Birdwood Ave, Melbourne VIC 3004, Australia Featured Items: Anzac Biscuit ($5 AUD), Brown Butter Biscuit ($5 AUD), Lemongrass & Ginger Tea Note: There are no savoury options here, only sweet treats and drinks. Buying a snack helps support the Shrine of Remembrance. Prices are in AUD. Verdict: A small, sweet way to support the Shrine. The coconutty Anzac biscuit was my favourite. Happy Monday! We booked two tours with Go West , and the Ultimate Melbourne Experience came with a free city tour, which we did today. We started the morning watching our Whitecaps win 5-1 against our rivals, the Sounders. Afterwards, we hurriedly ran to the Immigration Museum for our tour. One of our stops was the Shrine of Remembrance. I have been here before, so my priority was food. Anzac Biscuit and Brown Butter Biscuit ($5 each) They do not have anything savoury, so we had to settle with a crumbly brown butter biscuit and a chewy Anzac...

Penguin Parade Visitor Centre Cafe Location: 1019 Ventnor Rd, Summerlands VIC 3922, Australia Featured Items: Egg & Chive Sandwich ($15 AUD), Ham, Cheese & Pickle Sandwich ($15 AUD) Note: A quick grab-and-go dinner before the evening penguin parade. Photos of the penguins are not allowed, so none here. Prices are in AUD. Verdict: Quick and convenient. The egg & chive was the better of the two. Our tour had a little hiccup today. The suspension (?) for one of the wheels broke and the bus was unsafe to drive, so we arrived roughly half an hour late to the Penguin Parade Visitor Centre. We got there around 7:30 in the evening and rushed to find dinner. We quickly grabbed a couple of sandwiches from the cafe. I got the egg & chive while hubby went for the ham, cheese & pickle. Ham, Cheese & Pickle Sandwich ($15) Hubby's sandwich was stacked with sliced ham, mild cheese and tangy pickle on soft white bread. It did the job when we wer...

Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park Cafe Location: 550 Tyabb-Tooradin Rd, Pearcedale VIC 3912, Australia Featured Items: Koala Cookie, Rocky Road Brownie Note: The cafe also offers sandwiches and soup if you need something more filling. Buying a treat helps support the sanctuary. Verdict: Adorable souvenir snack, and a small way to support wildlife conservation. It was a decision whether to blog this one or not, but I really wanted to show you the cute little koala cookie I got from Moonlit Sanctuary. I admire Australia for the number of sanctuaries they have and the conscious effort they make to save all the unique animals they are home to. Today, hubby and I saw koalas, kangaroos, a Tasmanian devil and colourful cockatoos, alongside emus, owls and snakes. To support the sanctuary, we stopped at the cafe and picked up a sweet treat each. Koala Cookie I got the adorable koala-shaped cookie, which is wrapped up in clear packaging and almost too cut...

South Melbourne Market Location: 322-326 Coventry St, South Melbourne VIC 3205, Australia Featured Items: South Melbourne Dim Sims ($4 each), Cheese and Chicken Bôrek ($7 each), Juicello Green Revive and Pine Twist ($12.50 each, large), Cannoleria Sicilian Cannoli ($7), Hot Jam Donut ($3) Note: We had two hours to graze before our Penguin Parade tour pickup, so we followed the lines. Prices are in AUD. Verdict: The steamed dim sims and the cannoli were my favourites. The hot jam donut was the sweetest little steal. Happy Sunday! We have another long day planned today. We started with 8:00 AM Sunday Mass at St. Francis, then debated whether to grab breakfast, lunch or both in the city before our Penguins Parade Tour pickup at 11:50 AM. From 9 to 11, we decided to explore South Melbourne Market. Of course, I have no idea what to try, so we were kind of winging it and seeing which stalls had a line. South Melbourne Dim Sims ($4 each) We started with the famou...

Babil Kebab House Location: 244 Murray St, Colac VIC 3250, Australia Featured Items: Mixed Meal ($18 AUD), Mixed Kebab ($16 AUD) Note: A quick dinner stop in Colac on the drive back to Melbourne from the Great Ocean Road. Prices are in AUD. Verdict: Surprisingly good and filling, with nicely toasted pita. The kebab wrap is delicious but messy. After seeing the 12 Apostles, which are absolutely beautiful, we stopped in Colac for a half-hour dinner before heading back to Melbourne. There are really only a handful of choices, and I am not going for KFC or McDonald's. It was just a matter of whether we wanted Indian, Chinese or Southeast Asian. Since we have tried most of those in Melbourne, we went to Babil Kebab House. Mixed Meal ($18) I got the Mixed Meal ($18), which comes with juicy chicken and lamb doner over fluffy white rice, a fresh salad and creamy tzatziki. It is surprisingly good. The spices are not exactly za'atar, but grilled meat on top of...