Hi there! Im back from an amazing 3 week in Vietnam and Cambodia in which I cooked and ate like there was no tomorrow, trekked over mountains, swam in Halong Bay, rode through rice paddies, navigated a motorbike through Ho Chi Minh, climbed over the Angkor Wat temples during the Khmer new year and finished off in Phnom Penh in a fabulous resort by the pool. Stay tuned for upcoming posts on my adventures and lots of new recipes coming your way shortly.
To celebrate, Im launching a new regular post called The Weekend Warrior (by Iphone and Instagram) in which I’ll report back on the weekend that was and that will hopefully give you some ideas for your own adventures for the next one. Some of my friends clearly consider me as one of these at times as I often pack so much into the weekend. Theres just something REALLY exciting about having a whole 48 hours ahead of me as of 5pm on a Friday to do whatever pleases me .
My weekend generally starts on a Thursday. How about yours? What is your idea of the perfect weekend in your little corner of the world? Mine always involves spending quality time with friends, sleep-ins, crossing town to discover something new, attending a market or festival or cooking/ having friends around for dinner and the occasional road trip. I live in the one of the best cities in the world, Melbourne and I intend to make the most of it, always. What about you?
SI SENOR POP UP ART TAQUERIA AND LANEWAY FESTIVAL
As with numerous events in the Melbourne CBD, all the cool stuff happens in the hidden laneways dotted around the city. This festival is no acceptance and is a pop up event running every Friday & Saturday night for the next 4 weeks. It will be showcasing up and coming street artists (all work for sale on the night), tasty regional specialities like ox tacos, tequila cocktails, aztec beats and light projections. If you’re feeling lucky you can also meet the local Shaman in residence to give you his blessing with the holy smoke and feathers. We stuffed our faces with the ox, pork and vegetarian tacos washed down with a pink magarita. Get in there muchachos!
WHERE? GALLERY ONE THREE, 13 Somerset Place, Melbourne CBD
WHEN? Friday & Saturday nights April 27- May 18
THE NIGHT CAP : CAPTAINS OF INDUSTRY
Walking out of Mexico, we saw this door open and decided to find out what was at the top of the stairs. We were immediately reminded of being back in Willamsburg, NYC on a recent trip. Captains is a mix of cafe/bar, barber shop and tailor with an understated ease of service and effortless ‘hip’. Massive bay windows look down onto the street while you get comfortable in your wooden chairs and kick back with whatever is on offer in the bar that night. If you’re not a night owl or up for a haircut, you can visit during the day where the floor turns into a cafe. These guys have been around for quite sometime but still, this is great little discovery for future reference.
WHERE? Level 1, 2 Somerset Place, Melbourne CBD
LATE NIGHT SNACK: 39+ PIZZA
Feeling a little peckish after staying at Captains for much longer than anticipated (its just that kind of place) we headed over to 39+ Pizza for the Diavola. One of my favourite pizzas here with Italian salsa, chilli and salami. Even at 10pm the place is pumping but we manage to find a tiny table all the way down the back. Despite the crowd, service was quick and the pizza arrived soon after to be inhaled. These guys were voted ‘best pizza in Melbourne, 2010’ and its not hard to see why.
WHERE? 39+ Pizza, 362 Little Bourke St, Melbourne CBD
SHOPPING: QUEEN VICTORIA MARKET & VIETNAMESE MARKETS, RICHMOND
Having just come back from an amazing couple of weeks in Vietnam and learning how to cook Pho amongst other things, I was keen to try it out for myself. I headed to the Vic market for the fresh produce, then over to the Minh Phat Supermarket to scope out further ingredients. Picking up a few goodies, I decided to go home via the Victoria Street Vietnamese Groceries as I wanted to buy some noodle bowls for the pho and check out their fresh herb selection. Entering these groceries was just like being transported right back to Vietnam with that same market buzz. What was even more exciting was being in the market with fresh eyes, being able to recognise obscure herbs and ingredients and know exactly what to do with them. Even better, I picked these beautiful bowls for a steal!
WHERE? Queen Victoria Market, Elizabeth St, Melbourne CBD/ Vietnamese Groceries (various), Victoria St Richmond
EAT: PHO- TASTIC!
My first attempt at making pho at home and I must say I was quite chuffed with the result! Stay tuned for my upcoming post and recipe for pho!
Where will your next weekend take YOU?
Until then,
Gillian xo
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Love this post! I’m with you on the weekend starting from Thursday, it’s my favourite day of the week. All of that weekend potential…sigh. If only it was Thursday today.
I’m now dreaming of pizza (+39: Best. Pizza. Ever.) and pho. Can’t wait for the recipe!