Chik's Crib

05 December 2014

Bendigo (Part 4): Our Food Trail

Travel December 05, 2014 0

One thing good about cold weather is that ice cream doesn't melt, and I can take all the time in the world to enjoy. Which was exactly what I did, as I tried my best to eat an ice cream a day. I didn't succeed; but boy, did I give it all I could. Which was not hard, considering that Favourite Flavours was a stone's throw away from our accommodation.

Mango and Hazelnut

Another day, another ice cream cone.

Pistachio and hazelnut

Bendigo! (Part 3): Old Green Bean

Travel December 04, 2014 0

Old Green Bean is located right near the heart of Bendigo city area, and is one of the more renowned cafe options over in Bendigo.

Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence 2014

We tried several of their dishes over the two weeks that we were in Bendigo. Their Moroccan Chicken Wrap was fantastic, with a wonderful blend of spices. I didn't care for the salad that came along as a side, but I'd imagine that people who didn't mind the taste of rocket leaves would enjoy it. The spices of the Moroccan wrap can get a little heady though, so I'd recommend splitting the dish with a friend.

Moroccan Chicken Wrap

Their poached egg

BendiGO! Part 2 (The Curriculum)

Travel December 03, 2014 0

Well, this Monash trip is not meant to be all fun and games, lest people get the wrong impression.

As we learnt during Monash’s pre-departure briefing, there'll be several projects we have to do there. Or at least, as one of my friends said pointedly, that’s what we would had learnt had we paid attention to the pre-departure briefing. I, for one, didn't get the memo because I was too busy googling my own pre-departure briefing during the lecture.

"76? That's surprisingly many" - My friend from Bendigo. This does not seem to bode well at all.

A couple of weeks later, when we reached the Monash campus in Bendigo, we were encouraged by Graham (our program coordinator) to explore Bendigo in our downtime during weekdays and in the weekend. Still, a few days later, as I sat behind Graham on a bus to a farm, I don’t think he was quite expecting me to quiz him about his favourite wineries and for local cheese recommendations. My friend seated beside me may have begun to have second thoughts about her choice of travelling companion. Graham was a good sport though, and offered the names of a couple of wineries operated by close friends of his, as well as a few restaurants.

BendiGO! Day 1 + Beechworth Bakery

Travel December 02, 2014 0

The challenges of providing health care in rural areas is always emphasised in my studies in Australia. This semester, my curriculum at Monash had brought me to a rural region in Victoria for two weeks. A road-trip with friends and Monash-sponsored accommodation? It’s going to take a major health crisis to keep me from the trip!

Our enthusiasm started early from Day 1, when we woke up bright and early to travel out of Melbourne to Bendigo. I have to admit though, some people (read: everybody else) woke up feeling fresher than others (ie: me). Unless I get a good night’s rest, I am a terrible substitute for a human being for the rest of the day.

Have you seen a two-lane road with a posted speed limit of 110km/h before? Me neither:/

Because brunch is the in thing in coffee-centred Melbourne and because we’re such hip and on-the-trend people, I had my first brunch and coffee in a long time 176km away from Melbourne. We made a pit stop on the outskirts of Bendigo, at a charming little place called Beechworth Bakery.

Gelato Messina

Review December 01, 2014 0

Just several blocks down from Jinda Thai is Gelato Messina, purportedly voted 'Australia's Best Gelato'. Gelato Messina is an ice cream place with a hipster-ish vibe. It has a comfortable setting and is good to sit around for a while and relax (MY favourite activity!). We actually went on two consecutive days.

Over our two trips, we sampled several flavours: their Steve Jobs, Hazelnut, Passionfruit, Really Salty Nuts and Coconut & Mango.