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It was a Saturday, Hamsley and I were feeling sleep deprived from not enough sleep, yet needed to fill our day doing something productive. We decided it was finally time we went to Ikea to get our bookshelves. I wanted to try a place in Balwyn for breakfast, but once plotting it out on googlemaps, I realised I really couldn't be assed driving so much out of the way for breakfast. So we headed for Bridge Rd, Richmond, which was far more on the way to Ikea.

We walked a little and I was getting grumpy due to lack of sleep and hunger so we walked into Groove Train. I had had good experiences at another Groove Train, so I thought this place would be a winner. There were plenty of other diners in the restaurant which is often a good sign too!


Hamsley went for the old breakfast favourite, but was rather disappointed with the hollandaise sauce that covered his eggs. It was more of a yellow flavourless cream with no tang at all. It's lemon juice and vinegar that gives a good hollandaise a nice sour tang, but this chef either left them out, or used them very sparingly.



So I bet you are asking…"why didn't she get eggs benedict, instead of ordering this?"…. I like my eggs scrambled okay? I'll admit. I haven't tried them any other way, but it's the way my mum made them for me, and I'm sticking with it for now. Turns out I got more in my serve than Hamsley did with his eggs benedict, and it was cheaper! But much to my disappointment, the hollandaise was pretty much a yellow cream.

The chai came out when I was about half way through eating my eggs. I would have preferred to have started it before eating, as most places I've been to always bring out your drink first.
With hopes of having a nice spicy chai to go with breakfast, I was extremely disappointed to have what seemed just a warm cup of milk with a side of honey. The chai flavour was so weak, I added the whole tub of honey just to add flavour. But then my milk just tasted of honey. I didn't even finish it. It must have been the first mug of chai I've never finished.

I have been to Groove Train at Doncaster for dinner on two occasions and found the food to be fantastic. However, breakfast at the Richmond location seemed to be very lacklustre.

http://ironchefshellie.blogspot.com/2010/08/panasonic-lumix-tz10-review-giveaway.html

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Neil and his wife Majella McKenzie, are responsible for bringing Melbourne it's very own slice of Paris. A trip to Parisian Patisserie Boulangerie, will have you wanting more. If I had my way, I would have taken home one of everything available, for research purposes... of course!


Parisian has only been open for about 12 weeks, but sell 160 almond croissants and sells out of his many other moreish pastries by 3pm daily. Going through 30kgs of the finest Warrnambool butter, and 1620 free range eggs a week; you know it's bound to be good!

Neil started out as an apprentice chef at the age of 15. After many years as a restaurant chef, he started baking cakes and decorating them for friends and family, as well as learning all the great traditional country cakes from his mother-in-law. He then started making wedding cakes and cakes to supply to local cafes.
Neil was adopted, and in 2001 met his birth parents, and grandparents. It turns out his grandmother used to make intricate wedding cakes, so being in the cake business was in Neil's blood.


After selling their previous patisseries; St Germaine in Essendon and French Quarter in North Melbourne, Neil and Majella moved to Paris in 2001. Neil enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school to start the art of pastries and cakes.
They completely immersed themselves in the French culture, planning their own pastries and drawing inspiration from Neils' culinary hero, Pierre Hermé and their local Parisian community. Neil tells us they went to every French patisserie and tried the cakes. After hearing that, you'd expect him to be the size of a house, but not with the portion sizes in Paris! Neil said they asked a waiter for more cake, as the serving sizes were so small (2 bites and it's finished), and the waiter replied "You Australian's! You eat too much!" I'd be happy to go and research every French patisserie too, if anyone out there wants to fund such a trip for me.... and the liposuction at the end of the trip! 

Neil also collected a massive amount of cookbooks. It took six years to perfect the brioche recipe that Parisian uses. If you ask me, it was six years well spent, as it is so good, words alone cannot describe.



Parisian has a custom made Synchro expresso machine for all you coffee lovers out there. But what really impressed me was the tiny $80 teapots the organic tea comes in. Majella an avid tea connoisseur made things perfect for tea drinkers at Parisian, from sourcing these amazing teapots, to the fine blend of organic tea leaves.


The fine china cups to drink from, then tea pots themselves that are handmade in China. The tea is steeped for 2 minutes before bringing it out to the customer, which makes it the perfect time for the customer to pour straight away. And the organic tea is amazing, and doesn't get bitter towards the end like normal tea leaves do. As a tea nut, I would like to thank Majella for going to such efforts, it does make all the difference.
Chai is also on offer, so next time it looks like I'll be having me a chai!


Neil bakes everything on site and also has an extensive made to order list of French cakes and desserts, including the notorious Croquembouche and luxurious chocolate truffle cake.



Baked daily at Parisian Patisserie Boulangerie
  • Croissants d'amande
  • Mille Feuille
  • Tartes de Frangipane de baie (Berry Frangipane Tarts)
  • Tartes de fraise
  • Tartes aux citrone
  • Tartes aux macadamia
  • Brioches mélangées de baie (Mixed Berry Brioches)
  • Brioches d'abricot et d'amande (Apricot and almond brioches)
  • Baked cheesecakes
  • Beignets de chocolat
  • Beignets de crème
  • Pane au chocolats
  • Egg and prosciutto brioches
  • Roasted vegetable and pesto brioches
  • Torsions de fromage (Cheese twists)
  • Petite fours
  • Éclairs
  • Escargots de choclate
  • Traditional French lemon tea cakes
  • Chocolate truffle cakes
  • Brownies
  • Brioche loaves
  • Charlotte au Fraise (Strawberry Charlotte)

I took my mum down for the drive, and luckily Penny and her boy were down at Parisian too, so this helped us try the maximum amount of pastries possible. Here is what we ate:


The famous almond croissant! Yes, it was amazing. There is a damn good reason Neil sells out of these everyday. Infact he has trouble keeping up with demand even! Filled and topped with almond meal, the sweetness is just perfect. No almond essence is used. The croissant itself is not too flaky, it's just perfection.
Neil had told us of a batch that didn't make the cut the morning we were there. As a result, it doesn't go out to the customer, as they will know it's not right. The duds get sent home with staff.... not a bad perk!


The apricot brioche was highly recommended by Eugiena from Harvey Publicity, a frequent visitor at Parisian. It wasn't hard to see why, it was so light and full of gorgeous apricot flavour. Flaked almonds over the top just made it perfect.


I was expecting the cream filled doughnut to be heavy, but it was surprising and incredibly light, thanks to the brioche recipe! The cream was so light and silky smooth... next time I must try the chocolate one.


So light again thanks to the brioche recipe. The pain au chocolat uses couverture chocolate so that it doesn't melt, but retains it's shape whilst cooking. Like most things baked at Parisian, it is sprinkled with snow sugar not icing sugar. As icing sugar tends to melt away and disappear, snow sugar stays visible.


Mum ordered something from the fridge, and boy am I glad she did. This strawberry tart was amazing. The freshest, sweetest strawberries topped a beautiful creamy center and perfect crust.


With gorgeous French decor and a cosy setting, we lost track of time and headed into the kitchen.


Four chefs squeeze into the little kitchen at Parisian. The small kitchen means more dining space for customers. It's like they have carefully co-ordinated their movements and dance around each other. We seem to be getting in the way, so don't stay in there for too long.


I got to take home 2 of these almond croissants, fresh from the oven! Can't get fresher than that!


Apart from the huge range of sweets available, there are some of the most amazing looking sandwiches and baguettes to choose from too. Alas, next time I shall try that fantastic looking chicken ribbon sandwich.


I got some pastries to take home, the brioche savoury pizza, the roast vegetable and pesto brioche, and almond crossiants. Can i just say, savoury flavours with brioche dough..... FAN_FREAKING_TASTIC!! I only got a couple of bites, as I was a good girl and shared, but wow, I was so wanting more. I woke up wanting more... I must HAVE MORE!!
Parisian only uses gruyere and swiss cheese.


How could I not go home without macarons?!


Macarons were perfect, just like everything else; nice and chewy with crunchy shell.

Green: pistachio -  best pistachio macaron i've had! Lovely almond tasting filling.
Purple: cassis -  nice balance between sour and sweet as well. Flavours just pop in your mouth.Light Pink: rose - better than lindt, flowery notes do not over power.
Brown: coffee - i don't usually like coffee but the flavours are lovely. Reminds me of a really like coffee flavoured milk I once had.
Pink: strawberry- wow, fantastic strawberry flavour, taste like a very good strawberry jam and definitely uses real strawberries.
Yellow: lemon - nice tart flavour but the creamy filling mellows it out for a nice balance of sweet and sour. 



All waitstaff at very helpful, and with the lovely atmosphere, it's no wonder the locals are flocking here. If only it was closer to home, I'd be going their every week myself. I'd probably become enourmous in size too... everything in moderation!
I can't wait to go back, if anyone needs a lift to the airport, a trip to Parisian is on the way!




Parisian is open from Monday to Friday from 7am to 6pm and Saturday from 7am to 4pm


Iron Chef Shellie was a guest of Parisian Patisserie Boulangerie thanks to Harvey Publicity. 
Thanks to Eugiena and Neil for their gracious hospitality.

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Ever wondered if that dodgy looking Asian takeaway place near your house is any good? It could be authentic and a fantastic hidden gem you will never discover, or it will be an MSG filled grease hole, that you regret you tried. Sadly I've had the experience of the MSG bastardized hole too many times!

Saipon is the dodgy looking Thai takeaway/restaurant near our place. We had driven past a few times wondering if it was any good.

It was a cold, wintery, rainy night. I had an epic headache, and we had no food to cook. After a quick trip to the shops to pick up Hamsley's new specks, I really felt like Thai food. That night was the night we tried Saipon (obviously… it's what the title of the post is!)

We pulled up infront, and there was a Westerner at the counter…. could this be a bad sign? We checked the menu in the window and it had the dishes we wanted to order. Hamsley said we could try somewhere else if I wasn't happy with how it looked, but I saw Thai people cooking in the kitchen, so I had faith.

As we waited for our food to be cooked, a few orders were picked up. Thai music played through the micro stereo, and a fake aquarium added to the typical cheap Asian decor. I love at places like this. And the quirky sign that hung in the window made me feel transported back to somewhere in Asia.

Our food was ready and we took it home…. with a free bag of prawn crackers! Gotta love free prawn crackers.. I don't care where you come from!


Apart from the slices of onion that are far from authentic, it was a great pad thai! I squeezed some lime into it for a bit more moisture and sourness.


We also got a large coconut rice for $4.00
When pouring into the bowl, it was a bit runny and watery compared to other panning curries I've had. It did smell good though. Teamed nicely with the coconut rice, this curry was packed full of chilli but tasted just like any other panang curry I've loved.

There was alot of food, we are having the leftovers tonight!
I'm SO glad we have a good Thai place near us! It will be handy on those cbf nights, and the fact that it is so close to home makes it even more appealing!



We followed it up with the new delice flavours from Lindt since I had a coupon.


To be honest we weren't that impressed. The olive oil one had a funny taste, even when teamed with a white chocolate filling. And the salted caramel just seemed way too salty, but it was my preferred of the two flavours. I'll stick to passionfruit for now, until I can get to Zumbo!

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The plan was, Miss A and I would have a girls day; brunch and maybe spot of shopping. We thought brunch up at one of our favorite cafes in the hills... but after much thought, we realised we needed to go shopping to get birthday presents and spend vouchers. Sick of hitting up Chadstone, we decided we would shop at Doncaster; but where to have brunch? Then I remembered Moka Pot! I had such a great experience there last time, and I knew Miss A would like it.

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I was lucky enough to be invited to the Langham's kitchen for Christmas in July, to make my very own Christmas pudding, along with 5 other food bloggers, media and other personalities.
I love the Langham. I did alot of my year 12 photography folio based on the fountain the grand entrance. I have also come various times for the buffet. I unfortunately missed out on the bloggers high tea as I was moving house, but am making a special trip there with Miss A at the end of next month to indulge our taste buds.


We all met in the Little Collins Room. It has a lovely warm feeling with a giant wooden table in the centre of the room, tea candles, and Christmas decorations. We were doted on with champagne and a fantastic array of canapes. 


After a bit of a mingle, we donned on our Langham aprons, chef hats and headed down to the kitchens. There were two kitchens, both decorated in the Christmasy style; one making truffles and various chocolates, the other kitchen making puddings. We were split into two groups, and my group started off with truffle making.


Pastry chef Zara told us all about tempering chocolate, and showed us how to dip the perfect truffle, as well as how to get the fancy spiky pattern. The white chocolate truffles had raspberry ganache and elderflower liqueur, they were simply divine.
When tempering chocolate, to check the temperature, you put the back of the spoon on your bottom lip. You shouldn't feel a difference in temperature.... this makes tempering chocolate a delicious exercise!


Then we had the rum truffles coated in Lindt milk chocolate and topped with cocoa nibs.
Needless to say, it was awesome!


We ran out of time to learn how to make the nut clusters, but us bloggers sampled quite a few of clusters on display. You can't let good chocolate go to waste!

We then changed over kitchens and headed in to pudding making 101 with Chef Anthony Ross. Anthony was a fantastic entertainer, and really made the group come alive as they squished their hands into the dough.


We started with pretty much all the butter in the world, mixed with hazelnut and almond meal. No flour in these puddings, they are gluten free! It is tipped all down the bench for everyone to get involved and start mixing. Anthony jokes "this is what you do when you don't have a mixer!". He then pours over a mass mixture of dried fruits that have been macerating in St Remy brandy with a mixture of spices, citrus juice and zest; the smell is phenomenal. The group then makes a well in the mixture and Anythony proceeds to pour in two cans of Guinness to give it a rich flavour.


We each then chose a charm, wrapped it in aluminum foil, and put it in our puddings. The puddings will be steamed for 2 hours and matured at the Langham for 5 months. We will then be delivered our puddings just in time for Christmas. I can't wait, it's my first pudding!

Luckily for us the canapes and champagne kept following when we were in the kitchens, making the whole night a blast.


315g butter
185g almond meal
185g hazelnut meal
250g sultanas
250g raisins
320g currants
65g mixed peel
190g brown sugar
50ml water
135ml brandy
65g chopped figs
30ml water
8g mixed spice
1.5g salt
155ml eggs
1 large lemon (zest and juice)
1 large orange (zest and juice)
80ml stout
30ml milk

1. Make a syrup with the brown sugar, water and brandy.
2. Add to the fruit and let fruit soak for up to a month.
3. Mix butter, hazelnut meal and almond meal.
4. Mix spices, salt, eggs, zest, juice, stout and milk together, then add to nut and butter mixture.
5. Finally, add figs and brandy soaked fruits and mix.
6. Grease pudding moulds with butter.
7. Fill in pudding mixture.
8. Cook in water bath for 4 hours.
9. When cooled, remove from the mould and store in a cool dry place.

To cook when serving:
1. Place 1 layer of baking paper and 1 layer of foil around the top of the pudding and tie securely with kitchen string.
2. Lower into a saucepan of boiling water (pudding needs to be 3/4 submerged)
3. Cover the saucepan with a lid and allow to boil for 2 to 3 hours.
4. Top up water if required.

Serve with hot custard.

Makes 1, 2kg pudding.

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Hamsley and I decided to take a break from all the moving stress and took a Sunday morning trip down to the Flemington craft market on Sunday. We were hoping to go back to the Healesville market or even the Mornington market, but they weren't on; thus us ending up checking out the Flemington market instead.

Wondering around it was pretty obvious this was a popular market for the parents with prams. Lots of kid based stalls, trying to walk around, weaving around prams became a little annoying after a while. We bumped into Katie and her boy who also couldn't help but notice the abundunce of prams!

We didn't have breakfast before we headed down so I found it rather hard to be enthused by craft stalls on an empty stomach. We found the Crabapple Cupcake Bakery had a stall, and I nearly bought some as I've got their cookbook (never made a think out of it yet), and I wanted to see if they were dry like I've heard alot of people say. But the line was too long and they cupcakes looked like a candy tree had vomited on them. At $4 a pop, for something I wasn't too sure on, I didn't bother joining the queue.

So after wondering around for a while, finally feeding ourselves with delicious pies, we stumbled onto a store that had FAR more impressive looking cupcakes on offer; Cupcakes by Paolo. With a special offer of buy 6 get 1 free, I couldn't resist this offer to try the many tempting favours before my very eyes.


The lemon meringue looked amazing, which then led my eyes to the pineapple flavour. I love pineapple but never thought to have it as a cupcake flavour. I couldn't resist red velvet, whilst Hamsley helped me pick the remaining flavours; orange, cookies and cream, choc malt teaser and mocha. There were a few berry flavours I would have gotten; alas, there is always next time.

The main thing about Cupcakes by Paolo is how incredibly light and fluffy they all are. Not dry at all, even after keeping them for 3 days in an air tight container. Usually the red velvet I make can be quite heavy, but Paolo's version was so light. So light infact I didn't feel it go to my thighs!


Uh-maze-ing! Lovely lemon flavour with such a light Italian meringue to top it off. My favorite of all 7 cupcakes eaten.


Nice chocolately coffee flavour; not overpowering, but nice and subtle.


Looks like a work of art, tastes as good as it looks! ..... how can you go wrong when chocolate is involved?


The flavour I wanted to try most! I would have liked a bit more of a pineapple punch in the face flavour with this one, but it did not disappoint. It was still heaven in a cupcake wrapper.


... excuse the orange cupcake smeared into the red velvet... transportation played a part in that.
LOVELY light and fluffy red velvet. I'm quite fussy with my red velvet, and this one had a perfect amount of cocoa for my liking.


Chocolate + Malteasers (more chocolate) = win.
... that is all.


How cute is it with it's little orange on top? Subtle but lovely orange flavour.

We got a good range of chocolate and citrus flavours. I can't wait to go back and grab the other flavours we didn't try next time!

For more contact information and flavour choices check out their website:
Cupcakes By Paolo
www.cupcakesbypaolo.com.au

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