The Cupcake Bakery

Anyone who knows me, knows I love cupcakes. The thing is though, I mostly just like to look at them, not eat them. I think they're very cute. I even have a cupcake tattooed on my arm. It, too, is quite cute. Vanilla with strawberry frosting, and a cherry on top!

After learning that Sydney's Cupcake Bakery opened down here in Melbourne, I knew I had to have a look. I was mostly searching for a red velvet cupcake, because they intrigue me. They're so... red! The Cupcake Bakery makes ~18 flavours, even some gluten free cupcakes. They also make "Maxi-Cupcakes" that can feed up to 12 people.

The cupcakes are $3.50 - $4.50 each, depending on which flavour you choose. They have a great deal where you can have a coffee (or tea) and a cupcake for $5. A great deal for cheapskates like me. I chose a chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting. It wasn't too bad. The frosting wasn't super sweet, which is what usually turns me off cupcakes. Next time I hope to try a Hummingbird cupcake.

The Cupcake Bakery

Shop GD006, Menzies Lane

Melbourne Central, LaTrobe St

Melbourne

Choc-Vanilla cupcake and English Breakfast tea

Super-fuzzy photo from my iPhone.

MoVida Bar De Tapas

It took me long enough, but I finally had a chance to visit MoVida on August 19. It was a random choice of places to eat while running some errands in the city. It was a great choice.

Hosier Lane is home to some of the best graffiti around Melbourne so we were happy to score a seat next to the window, facing the alley. We were seated in between the window and the bar, where we had a great view of the whole restaurant.

My friend Lisa and I shared two Tapas (entree size) and two Racion (full size dishes). Then we were greedy and had a dessert each. It was all washed down with some alcoholic pear cider - my favourite. While it's not cheap, the quality of the food is first class and there's a great atmosphere. The staff were very friendly and helpful too.


Although, I hate to say it, but we did have one problem. My friend's dessert had a hair cooked through it. Thankfully they didn't make us pay for the dish and they offered to replace it with a fresh one (which was politely declined). Other than that, everything was super.

Two days after our visit, Katie Holmes and her daughter Suri dined at MoVida, so you know it has to be good. It was well worth the wait and I can't wait to go back.

MoVida Melbourne
1 Hosier Lane
Melbourne

Very blurry photo. This was our view of the bar and restaurant.

The complimentary bread was quite nice. It came with olive oil and some sea salt.

San Jacobo de cordonice. Hunter Valley quail, partially boned, crumbed, and filled with jamon and mahon cheese.

The quail was very tasty. It was quite salty, but not overpowering. The mahon cheese was really oozy when we cut it open.

This isn't on the online menu. It was basically just a lamb chop with some salsa verde. It was a bit on the boring side, but it was cooked quite nicely. We forgot there was a chorizo/mashed potato croquette thing on the menu, so this was our next choice.

Carillera de buey. Slowly braised beef cheek in Pedro Ximenez on cauliflower puree.

This was tasty. I love cauliflower mash and this had so much flavour from the added gravy. The beef cheeks were a bit too gelatinous for me, but the meaty parts were really wonderful and tender.

Cecina. Air cured wagyu beef thinly sliced with a truffle foam and poached egg.

This was the stand out dish for me. The texture of the dry wagyu can be likened to bresaola. The whole dish was so salty and truffle-y, but again, not overpowering. The poached egg just brought the dish altogether and it was amazing. I could eat this every day.

Ganache caliente con turron. Hot chocolate ganache pudding with vanilla bean ice-cream and nougat.

This was Lisa's dessert. There's no nougat as she has a nut allergy. Until she found the hair, she seemed be enjoying it!

Flan con pestinos. Creme caramel served with spiced sherry pastries.

I don't think this description is correct, but it's the dish that's on the menu now. The pastries were cinnamon-y and flakey. They flan was so smooth and filling. The caramel on the top was uber-bitter but that's the way it should be. I think I only managed to eat a third. It was delicious. I <3 flan.

Le Pere Jules Poire Bouche (Pear Cider)

I adore pear cider. I love the massive cans of non-alcoholic pear cider you can buy at Ikea. This alcoholic cider was wonderful. It wasn't terribly strong and it was a nice compliment to the meal and the sunny weather outside.

Our view from the table. Hosier Lane's famous graffiti.

Welcome to, The Buttonwood Tree...

Welcome to my new food blog. My first one was a little neglected so I thought I'd give this one a real shot. I have called it the Buttonwood Tree, because it's a species of the Fig Tree. And, I like figs. And for some reason Blogspot wouldn't let me name the blog the Sycamore Tree. But, I'll probably end up changing the name once I have something good that sticks.

I have ridiculous amounts of food photos to share with everyone, but for now I'm just going to post some random photos taken on my iPhone. Prepare for photo overload once I work out how to use this properly.

Tomodachi, Melbourne Central. Been to this restaurant so many times now. I still love sitting there watching the sushi. It's mesmerising.

Caffe dell'Emporio, Crown Casino. Simple tasty penne with tomato, eggplant, spinach and some chevre on top. It was so massive I only ate maybe half. Not bad for ~$14.

George's, Camberwell. Pumpkin soup. Tasted like Campbell's canned soup or something similar. Deplorable. But it was the cheapest thing on the menu and I was feeling cheap. I can't believe they're even more expensive than they used to be. They still have great massive breakfasts though.

China Bar, Westfield Doncaster. Singapore Noodles. How Australian of me. Working almost next door to a China Bar is bad for my wallet and my waistline.

China Bar, Westfield Doncaster. Mushroom and Vegetable Noodle Soup. My favourite. I've had this so many times that I'm actually kind of sick of it now. Boo.

Sushi Izakaya, Westfield Doncaster. Katsu Don Bento Box. I love this sushi place. The fact that they have hot food aswell as sushi makes them a winner. These bento boxes are only ~$9.50. Great value for money. The nutty sesame dressing on the salad is my favourite part of the whole meal.

Sushi Izakaya, Westfield Doncaster. Sukiyaki. This was so great. Lots of leeks, tofu and mushies in the broth. It was a lot of fun to cook the meat ourselves. And again, great value for money. I think it was ~$12.

Homemade pizza! I used souvlaki breads that you buy at the supermarket. With fresh tomato, fresh basil and cherry bocconcini. Amazing.

Green Tea Cupcakes. This was a gluten-free packet mix, for my Mother's Birthday. I added macha (green tea powder) to the mix, and then mixed some through the frosting mixture too. They were a hit.

Mesh Cafe, Casselden Place, Melbourne. Frozen Raspberry Granita! It was a very hot day so this was a nice treat.

Stay tuned for more posts, including Movida and my trip to the U.S.A!