Dining the way it should be

I probably have mentioned this a number of times that I'm a hop, skip and jump kinda girl. So it says quite a lot when I say I will travel to the otherside just to dine at Little Deer Tracks, a cafe and gallery in Coburg. Two trains will get me there or a rather long bike ride or lets compromise, 1 train ride and a reduced bike ride!

There is much to list as to why Little Deer Tracks has found a way to my heart. I've always had a soft spot for Italian family home style dishes (Da Noi in South Yarra being my ultimate favourite restaurant of all time... get the picture?!), but it also doesn't hurt that the cafe is the brainchild of Marco Sellitto, a veteran known for iconic venues such as the Continental, Marios and the Italian.

You wouldn't know until someone decides to order bacon on side that this is a meat-free cafe. Being meat-free however, doesn't mean boring and blah. Far from it. Spaghetti with lentil ragu, brocolli saffaron lemon fetta risotto, fetticinni with wild porcini mushoon and truffle are a just a few dishes to tempt you with. Yes I love my carbs and naturally those dishes linger in my memory more so than any carb free ones!

Little Deer Tracks is a place where one can expect healthy, fresh food, organic, free-range, pure olive oil used for frying, rennet-free cheeses, homemade and slow cooked but without any of the "hippie" tags or labels. Coz at the end of the day it's all about good food. No "faux" meat, just real food.

Should you cave and order a pasta dish, I recommend that you throw in the towel and load up on the cafe's infamous sourdough bread, which Marco calls ''Pascoe Vale brew'', where he nurtured the starter for four years on his window sill. I would never have thought bread could be sooo amazing but it can.

Btw, staff are mighty charming, unpretentious and knows a thing or two when it comes to dressing vintage!

Quirky love, the cafe is scattered with loads of little piggie figurines. But don't think it's just for decoration, one has gone missing and continues to be soarly missed.

Could I, will I eventually become a Coburgher, who knows? But what I do know is that this is how cafes and restaurants should be. A fine example, something for the government to consider when selling climate change?

Round the Corner I find 2 Bushrangers

Two-ish months ago, I moved into new shin digs and while I miss having the yarra river right at my door steps (now I’m 10 minutes away from it), I am however rewarded with a new local. I do love Tofu International on Bridge Road but I consider that a little far for me. I’m a hop, skip and a jump kinda gal. So coming across Gypsey and Musquito was like finding gold at the end of the rainbow!

Why I am in love with Australian bushrangers from Van Diemen’s Land? The story of Musquito, an Aboriginal, and Gypsey, an British, uniting to fight for indigenous rights, teamed with servings of free-range eggs and pork, offerings of 6 types of bush teas, use of leatherwood honey from Tasmania and bush tomatoes (for chutney) from the Northern Territory, basically keeping it short and sweet, they work under the banner of local, native and iconic produce.

Recycle, reuse, upcycle, all things that encapsulates sustainability and tables that faciliate communal bonding, makes this local treasure a home away from home.

For coffee connoisseurs, 5 Senses is the choice of brew. And for those who have a soft spot for childhood favourites, Spiders (the drink) are also on offer but with a twist. Mineral sodas such as blood orange together with ice cream in jim jam jars, helps make Summer not seem so far away.

NB - KeepCup friendly yes they are!

i eat green

I don't deliberately seek out green foods nor do I solely eat green foods. It just so happens broccolli pasta is one of my favourites, a childhood favourite to be more exact.

I grew up in a neighbourhood where as kids we would roam the streets on our bikes whether it be to the park, the local milkbar or to the creek to fish for tadpoles and yabbies. We would pop over to each others houses via the back fence as much fun was always had by the pool. Like That 70's Show, we would all generally converge at the Cardamones, as did the 70s kids gathered at the Foremans. Lucy (mother Cardamone), would always welcome us with open arms and feed us wholesome homestyle Italian meals. Broccolli pasta being one of them.

Twenty years on, broccolli pasta still goes down a treat. The simplificity, flavours and memories that comes from this dish will always remain a winner in my books!

Broccolli Pasta:

Standard bag of Frozen/Fresh broccolli (in this instant I used frozen)

125g Butter

5 tbls Olive Oil

500g Pasta

1/4 cup of grated Parmensen cheese

Salt, Pepper and extra parmensen to taste

1. Boil brococolli til soft and mash


2. Melt butter in a pan and add olive oil


3. Add broccolli mash


4. Mix in cooked pasta


5. Toss through grated parmensen


6. Salt and pepper to taste


7. Serve

Haigh's chocolate is not just chocolate

I work a part-time job to pay the bills and so that I can truly spend MY time working towards a sustainable future. Afterall, David Suzuki did say we needed to slow down, and slow down I have, no longer am "I heading towards a brick wall at 100 miles an hour."

What makes my part-time job tolerable is my manager. She understands my motivations in sustainability and lends her support to it. Bless her as my actual work and the organization I work for is far from accepting to environmental sustainability. An organization with offices nationwide and abroad, it's quite disappointing they are without a sustainability policy. This is something I hope to change... but will leave that for another blog post.

Anyhoo, with Easter drawing near, my manager gifted a Golden Murray Cod to my team in-place of Easter Eggs. No, it wasn't literally a slimy fish but a chocolate shaped fish from luxury chocolatier Haigh's. Such a lovely gesture. You see the Murray Cod is an iconic fish. It is the largest freshwater fish in Australia, growing up to 1.8 metres long and has an estimated life span of over 100 years! But it is now in danger. Numbers are in great decline and it has been classified as a vulnerable species. So what Haigh's has done is produce a Chocolate Murray Cod made in honour of the native Murray Cod. Part proceeds from the sale of every Haigh’s Chocolate Murray Cod goes to Healthy Rivers Australia (previously known as The Waterfind Environment Fund). This not-for-profit organization works to improve the health of Australia’s river systems and support the survival of our precious native fish species.

A lovely gesture as my manager did not just give me chocolate, she gave her support to a vulnerable specie.

click the above image to find out more on
Haigh's Green scheme

The Atlantic - Ocean to Plate with a game to play

The Atlantic at Crown, the latest addition to Crown's monstrosity, has been in the works for a number of months but as we were told by one of the visiting managers, it was only a couple of weeks ago that it officially open. While the place looked beautiful, I do question whether it has been all smooth sailing (excuse the pun).

Even though I may call Crown a monstroscity, I am however rather curious to find out if what the Atlantic prides itself on, "a team who hand selects an unrivalled selection of wild and sustainable fish, unique oyster varieties and pristine shellfish", truly justifies the price and the hoohar surrounding its arrival. I do give it the benefit of the doubt since the intention to be sustainable is there, right?

Conclusion, overated. Quality, decent but for the price and teamed with inexperienced staff makes this over priced dining experience quite laughable. Seriously. Watching my brother get taken on a tour of the restaurant unintentionally, taking away the place setting when we were still waiting on one, placing the napkin on all laps but mine, watching bimbos juggle plates, even with all this, the piece of resistance was the game we played or rather I played. Counting the number of times dishes went back and forth from table to table, an unintentional game of musical dishes perhaps?!

This of course has nothing to do with chef Donovan Cooke. The menu is crafted with great thought and does cater for all. Those with acquired taste to cashed up bogans who not surprising will alway pick the seafood platter (at $85 per person and requiring no skill at all to cook..hmmm...). The unfortunate thing however was we had to send a plate back for it was undercooked.

On a better note, desserts were of a fine selection. Much to choose from, I wanted them all! But if given a choice, I could probably do without them, as my heart still belongs to Dai Noi.

This is a place to be seen and possibly the "green" intention is there (though I am not fully convinced). Sadly these two factors just doesn't cut it in my books. Billy Kwong can you please come to Melbourne... pretty please.