Tag: writing

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Blog Desserts Snacks

Peanut Butter Acai Bowl

Is it a peanut butter Christmas tree? A model of Mount Everest sculpted out of chocolate ice cream, perhaps?

Understandable, if that’s what you’re guessing is in my photo above. You’d be wrong, however – it is in fact an Acai Bowl. I bought this at the Drip Bar in Melbourne. The purply-chocolatey coloured acai is topped with fresh banana, crushed cacao, coconut, ground almonds, granola and a drizzle of peanut butter.

Some of you will be very familiar with acai, and some may never have heard of it. Acai (pronounced ah – sa – ee) is a berry that is produced in Brazil. It is rich in antioxidants, fibre and healthy fats, and believed to support heart health and cognitive function, while being low in sugar and calories. It is also suitable for vegetarians and vegans. It therefore ticks all the boxes to be called a surefire superfood.

What’s more, it tastes really good! At the risk of sounding like some sozzled sommelier, I would describe the taste as having dark chocolate tones, with deep red wine and a hint of blueberries. When you hear that description, it’s hard not to at least give it a try.

In the UK, my experience is that acai is still mainly the preserve of specialist juice bars and health food shops. An internet search reveals that there are slightly more outlets than I was aware of, but it is still nowhere near the mainstream in the way it is here in Australia. Most towns have a cafe or takeaway in the high street selling a variety of acai bowls, with chains established for the purpose, such as Oakberry and Yo-Chi.

As far as I understand, the acai is blended with chopped banana and yoghurt (or coconut milk for a non-dairy version), giving it a rich texture with a beautiful purplish colour. It is eaten ice cold, swirled in a bowl, looking like ice cream or sorbet with toppings added. Fresh fruit is most common, while sprinkling over granola or muesli makes it an option for breakfast.

A danger with acai bowls is that the base is topped up with treats high in sugar or non-healthy fats, that cancel out the health benefits of the acai itself. However, this doesn’t need to be a problem as long as the toppings (such as a good quality peanut butter) are added with thought and moderation.

The berries do not travel well, so outside of Brazil they are sold in pulp form or as powder. I have bought a pack of powder from Coles Supermarket, where it was available on the shelf, in several varieties. I will be taking it home to make some acai bowls of my own. I also have an idea to sprinkle some into the mix when baking, to make blueberry and acai muffins. Watch out for future posts!

Due to its health benefits, great look and taste, I feel it is only a matter of time before more of us are eating acai as part of a normal diet. Do let me know, via the comments below, if you have tasted acai, and what you thought of it. I am interested to hear how readily it can be found and eaten in your part of the world.

Here’s a Melbourne band that was recommended to me by the assistant in a cool vinyl records shop and cafe in the Hawthorn district of the city (a big shout-out to Alley Tunes). This band play experimental electronic music, and go by the name of Big Yawn. Here they are with Ragazzo.

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Blog Snacks

Picnic at Hanging Rock

On my travels around Australia, I have been reading the famous story Picnic at Hanging Rock, by Melbourne’s Joan Lindsay. When I learned that Hanging Rock is, in fact, a real place about an hour’s drive north of Melbourne, I jumped at the chance to visit.

What’s more, being a dedicated foodblogger, I made sure our party of 4 took a picnic 😋. More about that, and the unexpected guest who turned up to it, in a moment.

The result of major volcanic activity thousands of years ago, Hanging Rock is bigger than I had anticipated. On arrival, one is greeted by vertical rock faces shooting up through the ferns and eucalypts.

The steep path winding to the summit traverses crevices and tunnels through a haphazard jumble of rocks and massive boulders, resting just wherever the volcanic eruption threw them as lava, all that time ago.

It is very easy to get lost, which is why it makes such a fitting setting for the famous story (which has also inspired a film and TV drama series of the same name). In summary (and without any plot spoilers), Picnic at Hanging Rock tells of a group of schoolgirls from a local college, who picnicked here on St. Valentine’s Day in the year 1900. Some of the girls then set off on a walk to the summit, and mysteriously go missing, never to be seen again.

While published as fiction, the author was very coy about whether it may actually be based on true events. Consequently, a whole legend has grown up around the place.

Some visitors have reported feeling the presence of the missing girls as they climb the Rock. Certainly, with a little imagination, the angles, pock marks and shadows in the rocks can give the impression of faces, with eyes and mouths, watching as you clamber over the stones.

I’m including a few photos, and will let you make up your own mind about that.

The eerie display in the Visitor Centre does its best to ramp up the feeling of unease.

And so to the picnic. We chose mainly local food from the surrounding Macedon Ranges area. I bought this savoury cheese and spinach muffin at the Trading Post in Mt. Macedon. It had the texture of a scone, with roast pumpkin (it’s coming into autumn here) and feta.

We stopped off along the way at the Farmer’s Market in Kyneton, and picked up some treats made in a Bendigo bakery: Anzac biscuits (an Aussie staple with coconut and chewy oats), and shortbread made with lemon myrtle (a bush plant) and chopped macadamia nuts.

We also had local olives and cheese from the King Island Dairy. The picnic reached a hurried end, however, when this intrepid kookaburra began showing too much interest in our spread for my liking.

I reckon he was after the hot cross buns 😉

The view from the summit over north Victoria is reward for the climb.

Hanging Rock is both beautiful and mysterious. With the lingering scent of eucalyptus on the gentle breeze, it needs to be experienced with all the senses.

Musical choice this time is a suitably haunting duo by Aussie pop royalty Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue: Where the Wild Roses Grow.

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Blog Mains

G’day Melbourne

This week we’ve been enjoying the food and cafe culture in Melbourne, having flown here from the Sunshine Coast for the next stage of our travel around Australia.

Coffee is a central part of the Melburnian way of life – the many, many independent coffee shops across the city doing a busy trade every morning.

The regular fix for me on this trip has been a creamy hot latte. The main photo above shows the barista at work while I waited for my drink to be made at a cafe in the Glenferrie district.

We’ve also been sampling some modern Australian cuisine at a restaurant called Mister Sandrino in Hawthorn. This pairing of locally made chorizo and lima beans, with a fresh parsley pesto-like dressing, tasted great.

On the same menu, we chose the classic Aussie fish, barramundi. It came with a crispy, edible skin, which I liked, and found interesting as I usually just discard the skin on a fillet of fish. Served also with slices of crispy pancetta and a pea puree, it complimented the soft, just-cooked flakiness of the tasty fish.

Another imaginative combination I liked was this creamy buffalo mozzarella, with dusting of pistachio crumb, served with figs and salad leaves.

I find it very inspiring to see how innovative chefs from other cultures come up with new ways of cooking and pairing ingredients. You never know – you may see some of these ideas reflected in future creations from the ADK kitchen!

While on a theme of taking a fresh look at things, here’s a photo I took one evening of the Melbourne city skyline, from high up above the banks of the Yarra River.

Time to feature an indie band from Melbourne whose raw sound I’ve come to like. This is Drunk Mums with New Australia.

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Blog Breakfast

Sunshine Breakfast

Our Australian road trip has now reached the area known as the Sunshine Coast, just over an hour’s drive north of Brisbane.

The name is very apt, there being no shortage of beautiful bays with near-deserted golden sandy beaches and, of course, plenty of surf and warm sunshine. Here’s Alexandria Bay viewed from the coastal headland in Noosa National Park.

The sunshine does wonders for the abundance of fresh fruit growing here. As you can see from my main photo at the top of the post, I just had to put together a fresh fruit salad, with juicy mango, golden kiwi, red grapes, red plums, blueberries, raspberries, apple and banana – all local Queensland produce.

It has helped make what I call my Sunshine Breakfast, shown here over toasted Australian-grown oats and grains, and with thick, creamy Australian yoghurt. The crowning touch is a drizzle of honey from a jar I bought in the Blue Mountains. It is made from beehives in the eucalyptus forests there.

A bowl full of all-Australian Sunshine Breakfast. What a super way to start any day!

From one all-Australian classic to another, with the latest addition to the ADK playlist: this is Icehouse with Hey Little Girl.

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Blog Mains

G’day Brisbane

Brisbane, the latest stop on our Australian road trip, is very much a city on the up.

Built around the meandering bends of a wide river, the layout is a model of good city planning. A great way to get one’s bearings on arrival is to see the city from the completely free hop on/hop off Kitty Cat ferry that runs between the main points of interest, daytime and evening.

On the north side of the river is the glass and steel might of the commercial and business district (CBD), packed with skyscrapers and malls.

The south bank, meanwhile, is the home of  an extensive cultural centre, with museums, art galleries and a performing arts centre. I especially enjoyed the exhibition by Judy Strong, whose multimedia art is influenced by the stories and struggles of Australia’s indigenous people. It was in the Queensland Art Gallery, which is itself a work of art, with marble paths flanked by shimmering pools leading to spacious, airy halls.

I also enjoyed the south bank’s well laid out gardens and riverside boardwalk. Gardens in Queensland tend to have something of a rain forest feel. You are never quite sure what might slither out of the undergrowth to say hello, while you’re having your picnic lunch in the shade!

There is a free public access city beach and pool, which is clean and life guarded. It provided a welcome place to cool off in the Queensland heat, while looking across to the dramatic backdrop of the CBD.

The south bank also hosts numerous restaurants representing many world cuisines, and a buzzing nightlife after dark.

Naturally,  I just had to check out some of the food on offer. Settling at Spanish-influenced restaurant Olé, we shared this tapas dish of crispy roasted cauliflower florets with a chilli mayo dressing.

Also delicious was this excellent vegetable paella.

Brizzy (as it is affectionately known) is due to host the Olympic Games in 2032, when it will join the elite cadre of world cities bestowed that honour. Infrastructure developments are already under way, including two new metro lines, and a vast new bridge over the river, connecting the CBD with Kangaroo Point to the east.

Confident in itself, modern with an excellent offering to visitors, and looking positively to the future – the rest of the world can expect to be hearing a lot more about Brisbane in the next few years.

The city also has talented indie musicians! The name of this band is a play on the name of the suburb from which they hail, Redland Bay. This is Beddy Rays with Sobercoaster.

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Blog Snacks

Surfer’s Paradise

Most of Australia’s Pacific Coast could be described as a surfer’s paradise, given the seemingly never ending stretches of golden sandy bay with wave after crashing wave. However, Surfer’s Paradise is the actual name given to a beach front district in the city of Gold Coast, the next stop on our road trip (see the welcoming gate below).

I’m not a surfer, though I do enjoy jumping in the waves and swimming in the relatively warm sea, when the occasionally vicious currents and riptides here allow. All along the Pacific Coast, however, there is no shortage of people who do.

Take these diehard souls pictured at Noosa, walking their boards barefoot to the sand…

…and waiting patiently on the rocks for that perfect swell.

On the way here, we stopped off at Byron Bay, the upmarket surfing and wellness haven that is famously home to Chris Hemsworth, well known for playing Thor in Marvel’s Avengers.

We stayed a night and hung out for an evening amongst the beachfront bars and cafes. We enjoyed the surf vibe, though we didn’t bump into Chris. Maybe he was off on filming duties in Hollywood. Or possibly Asgard 😉

Back to the Gold Coast, and our latest foodie experience, amongst the skyscrapers that line the golden sands. O Bagel, in the Broadbeach area of the city where we are based, came highly recommended, and certainly lived up to its billing.

The bagels were freshly baked, and came with various coatings and flavours. The texture was just the right combination of soft and chewy.

I chose an everything bagel, generously filled with home made egg salad, wood smoked ham, swiss cheese, crunchy lettuce and smoky tomato relish. It tasted great, taken down to our picnic lunch stop at the beach.

Musical choice this time around comes from an Aussie indie band that I have featured before, and who I saw play live over in the UK supporting Queens of the Stone Age back in November. I like the fact that they have a good punk sound, while (as anyone who has seen their  videos on You Tube will know) do not take themselves too seriously.

They are from Queensland, so it seems right to play them while here on their home turf. This is The Chats, with their ode to chicken schnitty, parmi and all other great Australian pub fare: Pub Feed.

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Blog Mains Snacks

Pacific Coast

Leaving the Blue Mountains, our Australian road trip headed next through the Hunter Valley wine-growing region, to reach the Pacific Coast at Newcastle, just north of Sydney. The plan is to make our way along the Pacific Highway up to the Sunshine Coast in tropical Queensland, just north of Brisbane, over the next week or so.

First stop was at Merewether Ocean Baths, just outside Newcastle. Fed by water from the ocean, it is the size of 8 Olympic swimming pools. We parked the car across the road and enjoyed a refreshing swim. It was the perfect way to break up our journey in the 30C heat. The pool is free to use and open all year round – what an asset for the local community.

The onward journey has been one of discovering one glorious golden sandy bay after another. My main photo at the top of the post shows Nambucca Heads. My photo below is taken at Coffs Harbour.

There are many forms of wildlife that call this coast their home. Flying foxes (large wing-spanned bats) are a regular sight overhead, as dusk settles. At the intriguingly named Look At Me Now headland we spotted some humpback whales out at sea, making their way north. Best of all, though, we came across this lovable family of kangaroos.

Foodwise, we’ve been keeping meals light and cool because of the heat, and making the most of Australian produce. My photo below shows Tasmanian (generally called Tazzie – the Australians abbreviate most things) smoked and hot-spiced salmon, with salads made from veg grown in tropical Queensland.

Most fruit and veg seems to grow well here and the choice in food shops and markets is plentiful. As a lifelong banana fan (banana on toast is a particular fave of mine) I loved seeing bananas actually growing on trees, for the first time.

This was on a banana plantation just outside Coffs Harbour. Next door is a family fun park called The Big Banana, where all the rides and attractions are (you guessed it) banana-themed. We stopped to sample their speciality dessert – a fresh banana on a stick, coated in chocolate and dipped in chopped nuts (or sprinkles) and then frozen.

It was delicious and helped us stay cool. The frozen fruity centre tastes like banana ice cream and, along with the dark chocolate and nuts, it is actually a relatively healthy snack. This is another piece of foodie heaven I shall be trying to recreate when I get back home.

Our Pacific Coast journey will continue in my next post. Time now, however, for another Aussie indie band to feature on the ADK Playlist. I very much like the exciting sound of this band. This is These New South Whales with Changes.

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Blog Mains

The Blue Mountains

The start of our Australian road trip takes us around an hour’s drive west of Sydney, to the Blue Mountains National Park in New South Wales.

The Park is so named because the mountains are said to take on a bluish hue, as a result of light being refracted through the air rising from the eucalyptus forests that line the landscapes.

There are many awesome views to behold. My main photo above shows the Grand Canyon viewed from the Look-out at Govett’s Leap. The photo below is of the Grose Valley shot from the Evans Look-out.

The most famous sight in the Blue Mountains is just outside the central town of Katoomba. I was a little sceptical when we arrived as to whether we would see it, as it was a very misty morning. As an example, my photo below shows the Skyway, which takes visitors to the rainforest floor of the Jamison Valley, attempting to navigate the swirling fog.

However, as we reached Echo Point, the mist suddenly rolled back to reveal the Three Sisters rock formation. This is one of the most visited destinations in Australia – a claim borne out by the number of coach tours arriving every hour, bringing day-tripper passengers from the cruise ships temporarily docked in Sydney Harbour.

We made Katoomba the base for our visit, and enjoyed its fiercely independent culture – the main street lined with vintage clothes shops, second hand bookshops and antique warrens. Pick of the hipster cafes was the Yellow Deli, where I enjoyed this bowl of hot chilli, with freshly baked cheese and jalapeno bread, and a green chai latte.

I also liked this aubergine parmigiana at the Gourmet Cafe and Deli in neighbouring town Leura. It tasted like lasagne, but with aubergine in place of the pasta and bolognese sauce. Excellent to find a vegetarian dish that is low on carbs. I will definitely try recreating this when I get home.

I’ve also been discovering some new Australian indie bands for the ADK Playlist. I like this new track from The Rubens, a band who hail from New South Wales. This is Liquid Gold.

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Blog Breakfast

G’day Sydney

After a 7 hour flight from Singapore, we arrived in downtown Sydney just before 8am. What better way to begin our stay in Australia than by having breakfast at one of the city’s excellent cafes.

My wife’s order is shown in the photo below: eggs benedict with spinach and bacon on sourdough toast, with balsamic drizzle.

I ordered smashed avocado on sourdough toast, with soft poached eggs. I especially liked the addition of crumbled feta and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

These were accompanied by a couple of long blacks (what we in the UK would call an americano) with milk.

There is a very strong cafe culture in Australia, and standards are high. The making of a cup of coffee is something of an art form.

Singapore also had a distinct culture in its kopitiams (coffeeshops). One very popular dish there was 2 lightly boiled, and still runny, eggs, served cracked into a shallow bowl, making a dip for kaya toast – toasted bread sandwiches with coconut jam.

Also a little different was kopi (white coffee made with condensed milk), and kopi C (white coffee with evaporated milk). Both had a pleasant enough taste, and seemed to work as part of the overall quirky kopitiam experience, though I can’t see either catching on back in the UK.

Or Australia for that matter – I shudder to think what the barista’s reaction would be if I asked them to open a tin of Carnation milk, and pour it into that long black they’ve been carefully crafting for the past 10 mins.

After breakfast, we’ll be picking up a hire car and heading out past the Opera House (see my main photo above) and Sydney Harbour Bridge into New South Wales. There really is only one song to be played when setting off on the start of an Australian road trip, so it’s time to add this track to the ADK Playlist: AC/DC with Highway to Hell.

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Blog Food

Satay by the Bay

Satay by the Bay is one of Singapore’s many hawker centres – places where a variety of independent food and drink outlets congregate around a central area with tables and chairs. The idea is that you buy as much or as little as you wish from any of the stalls, then take a seat to eat it.

Access is through Gardens by the Bay, a beautiful and lush green park built on reclaimed land between the Marina Bay area and the waterside. It has two vast domed greenhouses, each of which maintains a bespoke climate to suit plant life that would not thrive here otherwise. It’s a bit like Cornwall’s Eden Project, but set in 30C year round temperatures.

The vast pipe outlets that help maintain the indoor climate of the domes have been dressed up as Supertrees. A 22m high walkway connects them, and gives terrific views over the Gardens with a backdrop of the glass and steel of the CBD.

Some of the many walks allow views of Marina Bay Sands, the vast triple-towered Hotel with a viewing deck across the top. Its design reminded me of my visit to Stonehenge a few months back. It also looks like a huge cricket wicket. Howzat.

In the evening, the Gardens are the venue for an impressive sound and light show, with the Supertrees choreographed to light up to the rhythm of classical music.

All of which makes a pretty good after dinner show for the diners at the hawker centre.

We chose plates of chicken and beef satay, that are cooked to order over hot coals.

The skewers are then served with a spicy peanut dipping sauce, as shown in my photo at the top of the post.

Now, sat here in Singapore’s Changi Airport, our flight is being called, so it’s time to stow my laptop and get to the departure gate.

We have had fun and eaten well in Singapore, but it is time to move on to our next stop. To find out where in the world that will be, check back here this weekend.

Keeping up the current international theme on the ADK Playlist,  here’s Transglobal Underground with the catchy Temple Head.