FOOD!

In an attempt to add a few more posts about something other than my weekend festivities I have decided to include a post on one of my favorite things – FOOD! (Mom this is for you since you think I do nothing but drink here!)  There is no shortage of food in Melbourne, you can’t walk far without finding a café or restaurant.  There are of course your normal chain restaurants, but what I love most are the little cafes that line the streets with outdoor seating .  It will be months before I find a place I decide is my favorite.  In the meantime I am having fun trying out different places.

Here are a few of the restaurants I have enjoyed so far:

The Esplanade Hotel (the Espy) is in St. Kilda just a few blocks from our apartment.  Serves breakfast all day on the weekends and good nightly specials.  I had the fish and chips...yum :)

Hairy Canary - I went here for lunch with George and Kaz (we actually sat at that back table where you see people sitting!)  Lots of tapas.  We had the lamb, corn, and onion pizza......I'm from Iowa and even I don't think I've had corn on pizza before!

The Seamstress

World Bar in Southbank - best white sangria I've ever had.  And the red was good too!

A few other random food finds:

·         Tuna.  I’ve been eating a lot of tuna here, mostly because lunchmeat is expensive and the turkey from the deli tastes strange (but turkey at Subway is fine).  Anyway, the tuna isn’t anything special – it just comes in a can.  But the best part is you can buy different flavors of tuna.  On my last grocery run I bought sweet chili tuna, Mexican style tuna and tuna with tomato and capsicum.  Maybe they have this at home and I just never knew.  It makes tuna so much more exciting!

·         Sweet Chili Sauce.  I included this mostly because I love it but also because I figured it would ensure that Betsy would come visit me. They have sweet chili flavored everything:  chips, crackers, tuna (as mentioned above), and sweet chili sauce at Subway.  Sweet chili sauce also accompanies a lot of appetizers – chicken strips, wedges, etc.  (As you can see I’ve been eating very healthily for the past month!)

·         Pumpkin.  I have probably mentioned this one to some of you before, as my first experience with pumpkin other than Halloween or Thanksgiving was during my visit to Australia in 2007.  Although I am not a fan of pumpkin pie, I love real pumpkin!  Mashed pumpkin is delicious!  I’ve also had pumpkin risotto and even saw a pumpkin pizza but did not try it (yet).

·         Turkish Bread.  I have seen this on menus nearly everywhere I go.  Restaurants are always sure to point out that they have Turkish bread – “chicken sandwich on Turkish bread,” “Turkish bread and dips,” “bruschetta on Turkish bread.”   I didn’t care for the bruschetta on Turkish bread.  It just didn’t seem to blend right, but this also could have been because I ordered it from room service and it was a bit soggy by the time it arrived.  My other experiences with Turkish bread have been delicious!

·         Coffee.  People love their coffee (and coffee breaks) here.  It took me awhile to get used to how to order – black, flat black, white, long, short, skinny, etc.  My regulars have become a skinny latte or a white coffee (with milk).  We have a new coffee machine on my floor at work and I love the hazelnut cappuccino.  I’m guessing it’s not the healthiest option either.  Another strange thing about the coffee is that they often serve them in glass or ceramic cups with no handles.  How am I supposed to hold that??

That’s all I can think of for now until I venture out and try more new dishes!