Smooch Food: Love Letters to Every Bite

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...

Dooley's Premium Ice Cream Location: 89 Great Ocean Rd, Apollo Bay VIC 3233, Australia Featured Items: Vegemite Ice Cream ($6.90 AUD per scoop) Note: A fun, quirky stop on the Great Ocean Road with many unusual flavours. Prices are in AUD. Verdict: It tastes exactly like Vegemite. Worth trying for the novelty if you have tried the spread. Yes, there is such a thing as Vegemite ice cream. Even my Aussie colleague was surprised that it exists, and yet here we are in Apollo Bay. Our tour guide mentioned that one of the shops here, Dooley's Premium Ice Cream, serves Vegemite ice cream, so of course the foodie in me needed to try it. The Flavour Lineup Dooley's has a fun display case full of award-winning flavours, from classic creamy vanilla and rich chocolate to honey malt, honeycomb and sweet blackberry. There is also a playful Unicorn Poo with colourful M&M's, and right in the middle, a jar of Vegemite sitting proudly on top of the Vegemit...

Apollo Bay Bakery Location: 125 Great Ocean Rd, Apollo Bay VIC 3233, Australia Featured Items: Mornay Scallop Pie ($15 AUD), Beef Pie ($8 AUD), Meat & Vegetable Pastie ($8 AUD), Wholemeal Cheese & Veggie Pastie ($8 AUD) Note: A popular lunch stop on the Great Ocean Road, famous for its scallop pie. Prices are in AUD. Verdict: The scallop pie is excellent, and the beef pie is the best meat pie I have had in Australia. We booked a tour to drive the Great Ocean Road, with the end goal of seeing the 12 Apostles. For our lunch stop, we pulled into Apollo Bay, and our guide suggested we try Apollo Bay Bakery, which is famous for its scallop pie. We liked it so much that we went back for more. Mornay Scallop Pie ($15) Of course, we got the mornay scallop pie ($15), and it is absolutely excellent. Plump, tender scallops are covered in a creamy white sauce inside a flaky, golden pie crust. It is rich and comforting, and I can see why locals and tour guides re...