I turned 32 last month. I like to think that I’ve come a long way from last year. With the help of good friends I’ve got my shit (almost) in order, I have a cute little apartment (with a particular emphasis on “little”), and I’m dating someone who’s pretty freaking great.
To congratulate myself on a job well done I booked a weekend away in Melbourne with Mr Gif in tow. We stayed at Hotel Lindrum (which I will recommend forever) where cake and flowers from friends await. The weekend was off to an awesome start, aside from the hangover from the birthday party the night before.
I didn’t take too many photos of the food but here are some I took when I’m not otherwise drunk or feeling too self-conscious.
Mamasita
1/11 Collins St, Melbourne
Chicken tostaditas with avocado, chipotle mayo and queso fresco. Delicious, crispy, more-ish.
Eat ALL the food – pancita de cerdo (braised pork belly), plaintain crisps, beans and tortillas.
A closeup of the braised pork belly cos I love youse all. The green bits are deep fried parsley, genius. It tastes as good as it looks FYI.
Mr Gif and I went to Mamasita very early on a Saturday – about 12pm – so we didn’t run into the infamous Mamasita queue. Service was great and food was even better. I don’t queue for restaurants anymore cos I hardly find any worth the wait, but I’d line up for Mamasita. Only for maybe 15 minutes, though.
Papa Goose
91-93 Flinders Ln
This was a bit of a weird one. The restaurant was completely empty when we went (admittedly it was at 12pm on the dot since we had a plane to catch), and the only other people to show up were a couple maybe an hour or so after we arrived. The food was great, so could just be a city on a weekend emptiness, idk.
This was our last meal of the trip after a LOT of eating, so we were pretty defeated at this point. Foolishly we still ordered the Sunday roast which was good value at the price of $50 p.p. for two courses (you’ll see why in a minute).
Entree of charcuterie board with pickles and croquettes.
MASSIVE roast lamb with Yorkshire pudding and roasted vegetables. Seriously this would’ve fed about four people it was so big. I almost wish I’d gone to the gym that morning so I’d have more space but, y’know, on holiday and all that.
We also went to MoVida on our first night and The European for my birthday dinner. Both incredible as always.
Mr Gif asked me last night if I’m happy. In short, yes. I’m still stressed out and anxious about a lot of things but really, they’re no big deal now compared to the ball of tightly wound rubber band I was a year ago. It’s amazing what difference 12 months make – here’s to another year of kicking ass.
