There are many things to love about Thousand £ Bend, the
location, the Pink pop-up store currently in the back, the fit out, the people going about their business, just to mention a few. Sadly, the Chai Latte,
isn't on that list. Though it's bearable, didn't live up to the flat white or the brekky
The Chai Latte tasted as if infused entirely in water with a dash of milk added, as a result
it seriously lacked that sexy creaminess, which gets you up in the morning and was more of a weak Chai tea.
All could have been forgiven if they hadn't forgotten the the CINNAMON grrr!
To date, one might say that three bags full is officially the bah bah black sheep of the bunch!
As you raise the cup to your mouth the hit of cinnamon
tingles the senses before your lips even get a taste. The milk and perfect
temperature ensured the delivery of those sweet spices and the peppercorn
ensured the spices stick around for a little while after the sip.
Though three bags full
has a very yuppie feel to it, I rate
it, and rate it highly as far as the Chai goes!
The brekkie coming out to the tables looked amazing with the
most picturesque avocado halves I have ever seen.
I have always loved milk bars, so comforting and homely. Milk bars have all the good stuff a kid like me could ever want. I love the idea of being able to
actually sit and place an order in a milk bar, and Bendigo St didn't
disappoint.
As far as Chai Lattes go, I hadn't really ever considered
Bendigo St as one that should be given a chance. A lunch meeting there the
other day sparked my interest.
Not too overwhelming in flavour and not to underwhelming
either, Bendigo St has all the makings of a regular local Chai guy. The creamy
milk was great, temperature a little cooler than normal, but not bad. Despite
the Chai missing CINNAMON (sacrilege!), which would have otherwise crippled
their scoring, I think this place has some serious potential.
My Chai rating:
6.5/10 (easily a 7.5+ if cinnamon was present, which I’ll ask
for next time!)
Walking in to Alice I noticed a sign, Jonesy's Dairy Fresh milk, one might say, this is the crème of the crop as far as milk goes, and I thought, I'm in a good place. Though, that's where it ended in the Chai Latte stakes and I was left chasing the rabbit down an endless hole of an illusion.
Though the milk was indeed exquisite and the ANZAC cookie was to die for; not to mention a delicious lunch, the Chai Latte was…powdered…TAAHN, TAHN TAAHHHN...if it wasn't and I made it, the recipe needs to go away.
Soz Alice, that's a fail. The arvo hit such a low, I had to chase it up with a weak Latte (very nice) just to resuscitate my Saturday.
My Chai rating:
3.5/10 (steer clear and ask for a glass of milk instead)
Oh Demitri, you know those places that the second you walk in to, you say to yourself, "This place is going to be good!" Well Demitri, you had me at hello, the problem is, you lost me at goodbye.
A gorgeous milk that was faintly spicy, just didn’t quite cut it in the Chai stakes. Other than the milk, the other positive was the taste of spicy goodness that delayed leaving the palate until a few seconds after you had your sip; that could only be the lovely clove. That lasting aroma alone gave Demitri's Feast an additional +1 in my Chai rating.
Now, I know my cinnamon and the cinnamon used can make or break a Chai Latte, on this occasion though...it broke it. Cinnamon should taste sweet and delicate, the one I had was very flat, in fact I didn't even know it was present until half way through when I opened the cap and noticed a froth filled lid riddled with bad cinnamon dust.
My Chai rating:
6.5/10 (order a coffee instead. If the groans of my colleagues were anything to go by, the coffee was spectacular.)
With a school nearby and Swan St only a stone’s throw away, you may be hard pressed not to find a free car park or worse yet be forced to park illegally and risk getting a fine; and it would almost be worth it.
The look, the feel, the colours and service was what puts Est 1983. Espresso & Panini Bar amongst my top ranked places in Melbourne to quench your Chai Latte thirst.
Loved the classic motor bike shop next door, which really did add to it all; the furniture place next door to that, also made a neat time killer. My chai rating:
8/10 (worth going out of your way for)
If you were walking too quickly you would miss it, but Cheerio is a cool looking place, which despite not having too much room or tables available, it had a very steady stream of business.
While waiting for my Chai, I noticed a woman working in the kitchen who topped off the perfect look for this place. Not sure if it was the warm tattoos on her arms or the look of emotional hurt in her face but I loved it, I must come back for brekky someday soon.
The Chai’s prep looked great and it was set for a winner, though it wasn’t as good as I thought. He over did the milk or something because it was waaay too hot (slang for >90deg). The overheated milk sadly washed out the spices and I couldn't even taste the cinnamon or vanilla meaning I was left with the faint aroma of cloves with the slight pinch of peppercorn (or was it star anise?). I think this place needs to be given another chance, I really loved the look & feel, I’ll try again soon and update you.
My chai rating:
6/10 (marginally better than the powdered Lipton Chai Latte)
So you make a great coffee, but how does your Chai Latte stack up?
I’m part of the silent minority who prefer a Chai Latte to a coffee. But, the best coffee joints don’t always guarantee that you get a quality Chai.
A Chai Latte is a relatively complicated drink so, I’ve taken it upon myself to review a few places based predominantly on the quality of their Chai.
My criteria:
-Loose leaf or powdered
-Strength of the ingredients used
-Temperature
-Of the ingredients, the separation and flavour of my favourites: milk, vanilla, peppercorns and cinnamon.
Current Chai reviews:
-Cheerio (Lennox St, Richmond)
- Est 1983. Espresso & Panini Bar (Cremorne St, Richmond)
- Demitri's Feast (Swan St, Richmond)
- Alice (Napier St, Essendon)
- Bendigo St Milk Bar (Bendigo St, Richmond)
- Three bags full (Nicholson St, Abbotsford)
- Thousand £ Bend (Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne)
- Fifty Acres (coming 23 August 2013)
- Grace Cafe (coming soon)
- Espresso 3121 (coming soon)
- The Fair Foodstore (coming soon)
- Friends of Mine (coming soon)
Want me to review a place or particular Chai? Just let me know, simples :)
3:26AM the alarm rings, nothing unusual here considering the
Euro Cup is on. The game, Greece Vs Germany; the challenge is to get out of bed
try my best to soothe the achy scone (a standard when I’m running on minimal
sleep) pick my folks up, then off to my sister's place to watch the game.
DAMN! I hit snooze twice already, kick-off’s at 4.40AM sharp, it's
about 4 degrees outside, my better half is snug & warm but, I need to start
moving, now!
MADE IT! In fact still have 7 minutes to spare. Greece is
down a captain but hopeful.
Germany score
Greece score
Germany score
Germany score
Germany score
Greece score; that’s 4-2 folks, game over.
Surprisingly in good spirits my scone ache is now gone, the
sun is coming up but it still feels like it's about 4 degrees.
Bake scones, make tea & whip up cream (brownie points
scored, 5)
Prep breakfast in bed for the better half (brownie points
scored, 4)
Doing all this together AND not waking anyone (brownie
points scored, 8)
9 brownie points used... ;)
It's only just past midday, hair-cut, blog a little,
birthday party, sleep then wake up and do it all again...ok not ALL again, just
the soccer and possible try claim a few more of the brownie points...
The simple little scone concoction
THE RECIPE (originally published in 2010 by i-vefa):
cut in 4cm blobs
Ingredients
- 4 cups self-raising flour
- 1 can of lemonade (375ml)
- 300ml Thickened Cream
How to work the magic:
1. Pre-heat over at 170 degrees
2. Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl (if mixture still feels wet, just add more flour)
3. Flour a flat bench / table top, place dough on floured surface and flatten, so it's about 4cm in thickness
4. Just use a little glass to cut out circled dough blobs, then place on a baking tray, bake for 15mins
5. Serve.
I recommend serving with whipped cream, jam or just good old fashion butter.
The day I first made this all but
a few weeks ago, I thanked the heavens and at the same time thought “oh now,
what have I done” make it and you’ll see, it’s so damn good it’s evil!
Mastering the lemon filling .
The inspiration for this came
from my many lunch dates at Dean & Deluca during the month of May 2012;
after finishing my lunch there I would almost always finish off with a small
lemon meringue tart, my one regret being not having tasted the chocolate one
that was a permanent resident next to it, ahhh well, a reason to go back.
Lucky enough to be in New York
City for business, I enjoyed the culinary delights New York City had to offer
and thus was born “My New York Tart”. So I’ve had some fabulous culinary and
gastronomical experiences, many that I’m eager to share, many that I’m eager not
to…
Ingredients:
THE BASE
- 400g crushed /processed to a
powder
- 150g melted butter
MERINGUE
The fun part.
Ingredients:
- 4 egg whites (save the yolks
for the lemon filling)
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 2 table spoons vanilla sugar
- 2 table spoons of corn flour
- 3 table spoons of white vinegar
LEMON FILLING
- 1/3 cup cornflour (approx. 50g)
- 1 cup water (250ml)
- 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (use
1 full cup for extra tang and only 1/2 cup of water)
- 3/4 cup caster sugar
- 65g butter chopped into cubes
- 4 eggs yolks
How to work the Magic:
Ready for the oven.
THE BASE
Just mix the two, then kneed it
for a minute or two and mould it to the tart base and walls, let it cool and
harden for about 30mins in the fridge.
I’ve also cheated and purchased a
‘add butter biscuit base’ but only because the supermarket didn’t have the
biscuits I wanted I promise. This base is similar to that of a cheese cake
base. Another really yummy base can be found here: How to Make a Tart Crust
LEMON FILLING
1. Combine the water, lemon juice
cornflour and caster sugar in a saucepan and place on medium heat and stir with
a whisk until the mixture thickens (approx. 5mins).
2. Immediately after removing
from heat, whisk in the butter & yolks.
3. Transfer to the tart base, cover
with cling wrap and place in the fridge for a few hours or at least until it’s cooled.
MERINGUE
Simply Irresistible.
1. Set oven to 200°C.
2. Place the egg whites in a bowl
and whisk until stiff peaks form.
3. Gradually add the caster sugar
& vanilla sugar, whisking well until the mixture is stiff and nice'en
glossy.
4. Add the corn flour & vinegar
and whisk until combined.
THE DESIGN
1. And now the fun part; just put the
meringue over the lemon filling covering completely.
2. Place it in the over for 10min
or until it gets a slight brown colour on some of the meringue tips.
3. If you can resist, let it sit for an hour and
serve. For perfect results, serve the day after!
ENJOY! (said as I chow down a piece myself ;)
The above pic is actually a piece of the signature sweet 'Lemon Meringue Sponge Cake' from Harry Cipriani in New York City, which I enjoyed on several occasions (available in all the Cipriani Restaurants)
Grease 3 large baking trays. Line with baking paper. Sift almond meal and icing sugar together in a bowl.
Using an electric mixer, beat eggwhites in a bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until dissolved. Add vanilla. Beat until just combined. Fold in half the almond mixture until just combined. Fold in remaining mixture until combined and glossy (mixture will break down a little).
Spoon into a large pipping bag. Snip 1cm from 1 corner. Pipe 4cm rounds mixture onto prepared trays, 3cm apart. Tap trays on bench to remove air bubbles. Set aside until you can touch the macarons without it sticking to your finger.
Preheat oven to 120°C. Bake macarons, 1 tray at a time, for 15 - 18mins or until tops have popped up. Allow to cool on trays.
THE CREAM FILLING
Mix all ingredients in a saucpan and stir until all melted and combined. Once ready, be sure to refrigerate the mix for at least 30mins or until mixture thickens.
Spread filling in macaron shells, though not to eadge and not too high, approx. half a teaspoon should do s fine. Squeeze another of these wonderful shells and sandwich the creame. Set aside until filling sets. Serve.
HINTS:
1. Don't let mixture become too thick, or it will be hard to spread macarons.
2. Macarons can be very 'challenging', they may need some attempts before you get them right.
3. Be careful when adding food colourings, too much can make the macarons too soft.
I had a few attempts at making these, in fact 3 attempts in 2 days with only the last working...just!
Not a dessert for the faint hearted, set a side your time, patients and possibly, your weekend.
Way back when (2010), I was inspired to show you how to create the perfect no frills omelette, this one isn't too different and is more for the people who continually ask me, "so what do you eat in the mornings" and tell me that they don't have any time to make an easy, delicious brekky, and I don't mean just on the weekends
First my day-to-day breakfast consists of either 2 sorts:
1. Giant Smoothy (Prep time: 7mins)
The first (my fav) and most common is my giant smoothy. Once you see what goes in it you'll understand the giant bit.
Let's make one thing clear, this smoothy WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE!
Ingredients
1 Banana (expensive these day I know!)
1 egg (2 if you're not adding the protein powder)
1 Handful of Blueberries (great source of anti oxidants)
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Heaped tablespoon raw cocoa
1 Scoop protein powder (any flavour will do)
300mil of milk (soy works fine also)
1 Hand full of walnuts
1 Hand full of almonds (optional)
The method, simply blend blend blend...!
For some reason, people get frightened thinking it takes ages to do this, it really doesn't, honest! Do it and watch yourself make it through to lunch time without any craving of snacks.
2. Cheese & Mint Omelette (Prep time: 7mins)
Not much to explain here...Though for a great hint of spicy flavour buy yourself some chili infused olive oil
Ingredients
2 eggs (60g)
2 or so table spoons of milk (or water)
3 table spoons of grated cheese (any)
10-15 leaves of fresh mint (chopped finely)
Method
1. Olive Oil in fry pan and heat (Cold pressed oil if possible)
2. Wisc eggs, cheese, milk & half the mint
3. Pour in pan, DONE!
Ok, finally the end of my athletics season spells the beginning of the NEW season of Master Chef, FINALLY!
So far this season has been a bit of a double edged sword in terms of its deliver...It's still fun to watch, YES, some people are annoying and others we can't get enough of, though channel 10 has to ease up on trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Now i dearly love this show and have an enormous appreciation for the power it has (even though the product placement is again taking reign..).
From the online side of things, it's great to see a bit of a refresh as far as their website goes, i like it :)
We've already seen 2 elimination a one contestant beat a chef in one of the Tuesday night challenges. I know they said it last year, bu the bar has been raised to a shockingly high level! I think it'll be great to get more contestants that are a little rough around the edges as opposed to your same old lawyer, Office manager, etc.
My new favourite chef is the great big Italian man Alessandro, one of his recipes can be found by clicking here.
As usual, i'll be trying some of these recipes and some newbies, which i'be been waiting for the Autumn/Winter to get stuck into, where my coach can't say yay or nay about what i eat ;)
In terms of time, flavour and simply getting it all right, this stretched my ability albeit quite limited; though the pay off was great with a stuffed squid that was not only bursting with flavour but came with quite a sense of achievement.
The first achievement was pretty much getting the little buggers clean, it doesn't sound difficult but again, for someone who had never actually done it before, I can assure you, it was!
======================================== Prep time: free up at least 2 hours, which includes cleaning the squid, only about 45min if you opt to purchase pre-cleaned squid (not a bad option!)
Ingredients:
- 2 whole squid
- 1 clove garlic, (crushed & chopped)
- 2 shallots, (very finely chopped)
- 1 cup breadcrumbs (fresh sourdough if possible)
- 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup olive oil (plus a little extra to drizzle)
- 100g kidney beans, refreshed in cold water
- 100g green beans
- 1/2 cup rice boiled
- 5-10 cherry tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- fresh lemon juice to top
- 10 Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- lemon juice from 1 fresh lemon
==============
How to work the magic:
1. If you've never cleaned a squid before click here or left to launch a video. The only thing you have to remember is save the tentacles and cut them into little 0.5cm lengths an any little squid bits that don't make the cute, save them for the filling.
2. Heat half the olive oil in a frying pan; throw in the garlic and shallots until soft. Add tentacles and any little bits and cook until opaque and just cooked, throw in the green beans for a little but ensure they're still crispy and not soggy; season to taste.
3. Just before removing the above mixture, put in the rice for a little to get all the flavours
4. Combine tomatoes, beans, olives, vinegar and a little oil in a bowl, season to taste. 5. Combine rice/tentacle mixture in a bowl with lemon juice, parsley and breadcrumbs. 6. Spoon rice/tentacle mixture into the squid hoods, leaving 1cm at the top to secure with a toothpick, drizzle with a little extra oil. 7. Heat the pan, cook squid, turning until golden and squid is just cooked through. Slice squid. 8. Divide salad among plates and top with squid, spoon over any remaining dressing to serve.
============== HINT: You can place the squid in all sorts of ways, though if you're serving it up, try make them all look the same, it just adds that difference.
About i-Vefa. Vefa is a Greek Chef who essentially taught my mum everything (via TV), a Greek version of Julia Child, Vefa brought it all to the table. Well, I'm no chef nor can I cook nearly as well as most of the population. My difference is that i can follow instructions perfectly and add my own twist to recipes that may seem odd to others. i-Vefa is nothing new or special I guess, just another blog for just another passion. The greater our passions the more fruitful our lives.
Enjoy i-Vefa!
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