To be extremely honest, I’ve never seen/taste/smell/ate Vegemite in my entire life.

Until I came to Australia.

Bardha, Cleefy and I in the kitchen on the night of the challenge

This is how it all began.

One fine day, Konzy and Cleefy decided to ask me a million dollar question.

“Have you tried Vegemite before?”

My answer was an obvious “no”.

However, I’ve heard some pretty horrid stuff about it; that it tasted vile, disgusting and nasty on your tastebuds. Then again, Cleefy insisted I had some, regardless of what I’ve heard.

Allow me to quote him “you haven’t experienced Australia if you leave without Vegemite”.

Looks like a creepy Vegemite ad, no? 😛

He proposed I eat it in front of the camera so that I could always remember the “Australian goodness of Vegemite”. Fair enough. So I decided to take up the challenge of the infamous yucky Vegemite.

Let the camera roll!

One night before we headed out clubbing, Cleefy brought me a jar of Vegemite

& had it wrapped in a cute blue ribbon too! 

I was extremely hesitant after unwrapping it but my mates were pretty persistent.

Fine fine fine. I’ll do it! 

Here’s the short video I made. Enjoy it!

Hahaha. Hope you liked it! So there, my 1st moments with Vegemite, added with laughter, nasty facial contortions and friendship encapsulated in a 6 minute video 🙂

Now, everytime I think of Australia or crave for Vegemite, this video will do the trick!

Ahoy mateys! Arrrr. Vegemite has arrived.

How am I ever gonna forget that?

The next time ANY of you come to Malaysia, I’ll do the exact same thing for yall – not with Vegemite, but with Durians instead. *evil laughter*

Thank you Cleefy bear!

Now that I’ve finished blogging this entire post and editing the VLOG, I’m totally up for some. Only thing that’s stopping me is…. I can’t seem to find my Vegemite.

Who has stolen my jar from me!?  Identify yourself!!

After 2 years of not meeting up, Violet and I were glad to *finally* see each other again!

We were both in Melbourne at that time so it was perfect for a catch-up sesh

Violet and I 🙂

We didn't know where to go at first cos we were practically gushing when we saw each other!

I was happy to see her again! After walking around aimlessly for a bit, we went to Koko Black

What could be better than catching up over glorious, glorious chocolate?

The hardcore chocolate lover was simply delighted! *beams* 

James was there to join us as well! 🙂

We chatted for hours and talked about old times and what we're going and where we should go next when we meet again. So much to do together, so little time!

But unfortunately, all of us have busy schedules plus the fact that I live pretty far from the city! 🙁

Girls doing what we do best 😛

Thanks for the photo dearie! 😀

After our teatime, we went outside for some air and to do a lil shopping.

Also, it's sometimes really cool to have a guy who is into photography tagging along while we do girly stuff or whatever we do. 😛 So I passed James my camera to help me take a few shots!

Hence, we get to actually have candid shots while walking or talking to each other LOL

Thanks for helping us take candids, James 😀

T'was an awesome day catching up with them but alas, something fairly tragic happened!!

I was wearing the new pair of boots which I bought yesterday, and since I've never wore boots before (we hardly ever wear boots in Malaysia) I didn't know we needed to wear socks or stockings or something similar.

So I was badly cut and bled from above my heels. A blister somehow managed to appear in less than an hour and it hurt to the max  

pic courtesy of Violet

Hmph. And this is why I hate wearing new shoes 🙁

Thankfully, they took me to the nearest footwear section and I bought a pair of flip-flops

I also had some band-aids with me (fortunately!) and poor me had to limp back home.

—————————————————–

Our next outing wasn't as tragic as the first one, though. Phew!

We met up at Pancake Parlour this time :D

Before our food arrived!

It was funny how we actually ended up choosing what to eat.

Both of us wanted to suggest Pancake Parlour, but didn't think that the other would want to eat that. But eventually, we both found out that the both of us had Pancake Parlour in mind! @__@

So, Pancake Parlour it is! 😀

I've always been a pancake fan. If you've been a long-time reader, yall would know that if there was any pancake outlet in front of me, I'd hit it. No matter what!

The flooring reminded me of checkerboards!

I liked the interior decor as well!

Don't know why, but ambience plays a part in how much I'd enjoy myself in a restaurant

Perhaps I'm not exactly a minimalist, that's why. I like elaborate or even artsy decorations 😉

While waiting for food!

Since I'm an avid fan of traditional stacks with maple syrup, I ordered that and something savory

Violet had some Pancake Spanakopita while James opted for Blueberry Pancakes!

In the end I was so full I couldn't finish 'em!

Had a great time with them, as I did the previous outing.

Cheers to more catch up sessions the next time I'm up in Melbourne! 😀

Camwhoring against some pretty Pancake Parlour backgrounds

Love their pop art-ish concept!

Yay for good times and good food! 😀

Who goes to Australia without eating their famous game animals at least once?

I certainly do not. I finally managed to eat them before I go, as Konzy brought me to eat those rare delicacies one evening. Yay!

Here we are at The Royal Mail hotel and pub!

It was along Spencer Street.

LOLOL I LOL-ed when I saw Batman Street 

So yup, we heard about this Roadkill Wednesday thingy for quite some time already but never got a chance to go. And since the exams were finally over, we decided to make a trip down to the city to go one fine Wednesday 🙂

The Royal Mail

When we entered, I thought we had come to the wrong place because the first thing we saw was a pub.

But the pub was just the first part of the entire outlet!

We took a few steps into the pub…

… and finally saw the restaurant!

Comfy couch! 😀

Needless to say, I chose a table where it had a pretty background 😀

Moments last longer when it is captured on camera, so I obviously wanted my pictures to turn out nice!

This was pretty enough 😀

I liked how the entire restaurant was pretty classy and dimly lit. Good for romantic dates! 

The decoration were mostly pop art paintings and Andy Warhol's version of Marilyn Monroe. So classic! 

There was a group of businessmen clad fully in suits at the table adjacent to ours

We sat close to the fire. Yes.. FIRE!
A wood-fired fireplace… TO STAY WARM!! You won't see this in Malaysia 😀

We placed our orders and it was a pretty easy decision because we *still* were rather full from this afternoon's Malaysian food (yes, omnomnom I recommended him all my local delicacies) and we just wanted to try/taste the wild, game meat.

So we ordered a  whole grazing platter and sausages to share!

T'was yummy!  I'm glad I finally got to taste them.

Here's what we ordered in detail –

 I

Royal Mail Grazing Plate of Australian Game Meats with Duck Breast, Rabbit Pie,

Braised Venison Stew, Roo Sausage and Roo Pepperoni

From left to right (clockwise), here's my verdict :

I wasn't too excited with the duck breast because we have heaps of them back home anyway. But upon tasting it, the soft, slimy texture made me want to puke and I just had to spit it out. I just couldn't stomach it. But on the contrary, Konzy loved it and how tender it is. I guess, to each their own 🙂 If you favour foie gras (goose liver), you might just like this dish.

The Venison Stew was my favourite amongst all. It had a salty aftertaste to it too. I wished I could have some more!

Olives? Don't ask. We both despise olives in general so we can't exactly be the best judge for this.

The Roo Pepperoni was kinda spicy, but in a good way. I'm not quite a pepperoni and salami person, but this was pretty damn good.

The Roo Sausage served with Rosella Sauce was delicious too. It is a native berry and t'was a sweet and meaty combination.

The Rabbit Pie was just delightful! Really yummy  Although it pains me to think that I'm eating my own domesticated pet – I used to rear a fluffy white bunny – I tried to just savour it without thinking of morbid stuff like animal cruelty etc etc.

Trio of Bush Sausages : Emu, Wallaby and Camel with Polenta,

Brussel Sprouts, Sauteed Mushrooms and Pancetta

Here's my verdict :

The Camel Sausage was the toughest amongst the three. It boasts barbequed-burnt flavour to it (yummy!) and the spices complimented the taste well. I liked the chewy texture to it as well.

The Emu Sausage was the softest and it had the sorta melt-in-your-mouth taste. We found this meat too tender for our liking. It even had a slight bitter aftertaste. Meh. Not something for our palate.

The Wallaby Sausage was our favourite of them all. It was a little spicy as well but the flavour was the best amongst the three. Something I would order again! 

Apart from the meat, the veggies, polenta and sauce that came with this dish was an absolute yum.

I ate ALL of it!

Photo of me with his creepy death-stare face in the background 🙁

He keeps photobombing me T___T

After dinner, we were really stuffed! In fact, we couldn't even finish the whole portion of our meal.

I made a trip to the ladies' after him, and I'm glad I did. You shall see why.

Shot these when I was in the cubicle (hey, I can multi-task)

It was sssssoo pretty, even the toilets had a classic and Victorian feel to it!

What I really liked was these nursery rhymes on the toilet walls – 

It brings back memories! Just read them and smile 🙂

I was pretty sure Konzy was waiting for me outside thinking why on earth am I taking so long.

Well, put me in a pretty restroom with a huge mirror and you won't see me coming out anytime soon.

Whee!

Hello! 😀 😀

I also took my time washing my hands with lukewarm water and washed them with this gentle hand wash

Tralalalaala~ 

And then I noticed there was another moisturizing handwash.

So I washed my hands again. See? I'm trying to be sanitary here 😛 😛

Apparently, the mens' restroom wasn't as awesome as the ladies'?

BWAHAAHAAHA. They don't need a pretty toilet, just give them a hole to pee in. End of story 😛

Kidding!

We left soon after – it was time to hit the casinos!

Ka-Ching! $$$$ After my recent win at Star City casino in Sydney, Konzy wanted to put my luck to the test.

Arriving Crown casino in South Melbourne

We left with a happy smile 😀 😀

Needless to say, we won a couple of hundreds 

Zippadee-doo-dah! 😀 😀 Tag-team FTW.

I don't know what is it with me and casinos lately.

I've been recently bringing much luck to everyone who I tag along with to casinos, winning them more than triple and quadruple their capital amount! They say I'm their lucky charm, but I say luck comes and goes…

…and I've been enjoying my winning streak thus far!

Chilling at Ivy Pub in Sydney CBD

With Cousin Bernice over a pint of cider

Cousin Ken, Bernice and I then headed off for dinner shortly after

Ken wanted to bring us to this fine, classy place called Kingsleys Australian Steakhouse!

Had some garlic bread on the house after we placed our orders

Ken suggested we have some wine but since I've already had the whole pint of cider beer in Ivy already, I figured that I didn't feel like having another alchoholic drink. Besides, for a posh restaurant like this, it's going to cost a bomb!

After much persuasion, we ordered 1 glass of wine. I recommended him the Pedro Ximenez Sherry Spain, one of my faves.
 

You can see a little of the decoration of the restaurant behind us

It was classy and dimly lit.. also full of wine bottles everywhere!

The ambience was fab too – good for romantic dates or to celebrate an occasion

On to the food!

A well-done 500 g T-Bone Steak! It's a 90 day grain fed one too 😀

Loved how the meat was so flavourful and not too tough at the same time

A very happy "laughing Buddha" 😛 😛 It was yummy!

Roast Kangaroo with Italian coleslaw, Fondant Potatoes and Juniper Jam

Although it was tasty, the roo, as you can see, only came in 4 tiny slices

I felt somewhat cheated? How can the main star of the dish be in such a tiny portions?

We were hoping to have more kangaroo on it, at least.

Roast Barramundi with Grilled Zucchini, Bush Tomato and Olive Dressing

T'was absolutely delicious. What can I say? Pretty obvious that I'll order fish again – just like every other time.

The flesh of the barramundi was so soft and the veggies complemented the dish well

Was so happy and satisfied with what I ordered!

And finally! Dessert for the sweet-tooths

Although I'm not really big on sweet, sugary stuff, if there's one thing I can't resist, it's chocolate!

Dark Chocolate Delice with Coffee Anglaise, English Toffee and Sea Salt

That's one crazy combo, but it worked perfectly well! Who would've thought?

Major heaps of love for this dessert!

It was SO SMOOTH and creamy, reminds me of mousse but better!

After a scrumptious dinner (thanks Ken!) with our happy tummies, we decided to go for a spin at Star City casino – Sydney's one and only largest casino! 😀 😀 Hmmm.. let the dices roll!

We arrived and I was pretty impressed by the grand drive-through entrance!

The ushers were so friendly and efficient in greeting everyone/opening car doors too

The insides of Star City Casino

WOW! You gotta even take an escalator up where security will check your IDs at 2 different spots

That's my favorite game I always play at casinos, apart from Roulette and Big vs Small

And guess what? I won triple the amount we put in tonight $$$

Three cheers for good luck and masterful gambling skills!!! LOLOL

I have loads of love for pancakes. Do you?

Back home in Malaysia, I used to go to Paddington's House of Pancakes every so often that the waiters automatically acknowledge me with each visit. I was hoping to eat pancakes whilst in Aussie but there aren't any close by.

So when I first came to Sydney, I've asked on Twitter where would anyone recommend me awesome places for food?

The answer was unanimous – Pancakes on the Rocks.

And so I did as I was told 😀

Thanks guys, for the recommendation!

Had some Iced Coffee with Ice Cream on top while we waited for our orders.

Seriously, when I said OVER-POPULARLY FAMOUS Pancakes on the Rocks, I meant it literally.

It was over-populated LOL

We had to queue all the way up the staircase and the line behind us kept growing!

Thankfully we were allowed to order while waiting – saves heaps of time!

As we came in a group of 4, we decided to share some dishes and have some of our own.

The first dish we ordered was ….

the traditional, famous pancake stack!

Served with maple syrup and ice-cream 😀 😀

We reckoned it wouldn't be enough, since it was too yummy!

So we ordered another stack –

Ommmnomnomnomnom

I know some people may not get what the big deal is on pancakes, as it's only made of flour, milk, eggs and other stuff.

But no, I've attempted making pancakes a few times and although it was edible, it took me a while to actually get ALL the ingredients in the right ratio to achieve that fluffy, soft & melt-in-your-mouth pancakes!

Really, it's no easy feat.

Here's what we ordered next –

Chicken and Bacon Gourmet Pancake Pizza!

Couzzie Ken and I shared it, but it proved too much for the both of us so Uncle Shen and Auntie Julie ended up having some too.

I haven't seen this before, Pancake Pizza? Now, that's something new to me.

Also, sundried tomatoes, marinated mushrooms, tomato salsa on a guacamole & mozzarella cheese base

What's not to love? 😀

Auntie Julie ordered some Macademia Madness!!!

It had a nutty twist to the regular pancake stacks… delish

Check out that nutty pancake! 😀

(A quarter eaten, I stopped her midway LOL)

The vanilla ice-cream complemented this combo well. Thumbs up!

Okay, my turn. Here's what I ordered, one of their famous savory pancakes –

the Monte Cristo!

Chicken with smoked ham and cheese, served on a bed of lettuce and topped with chili sour cream & shallots

It was soooo delicious I wanted to have another helping but was already full to the brim!

Can't take it any more even if I wanted to 🙁

Here's a short VLOG I made whilst in Sydney, enjoy watching the entire 1 minute of it –

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6l0ruW95hc

Wheeeeeeee *spins around*

If you missed it, here's the blog-episode on my visit to Sydney Opera House & Harbour Bridge!

So with our stuffed bellies and satiated appetites, we headed back to the car after a short stroll around The Rocks.

Here's a very amused me by the typical Western-looking red postbox!

Why don't we ever have one of these in Malaysia?

Just like Australia, we were colonized by the British too, so… where's our iconic red postbox? 🙁 🙁

Taking a good rest after a good meal

I love the flowerbed behind me! 🙂 🙂

Next up!

Kingsley's Steakhouse, Darling Harbour & Sydney's popular Star City casino (where I won triple my cash!) $$$ Now, who wants to take me for a spin on their next trip to the casino? Muahaha.