Three Bags Full

I always look forward to the end of a semester. The sensation of being stress-free and not feeling guilting for eating out days and days on end excites me. So, on the second day post exams, A and I decided to head to Abbotsford and treat ourselves at Three Bags Full.

No surprises here, I already had my eye on the Overnight Braised Pulled Pork. Still, I decided to have a quick scan of the menu as I waited for A to decide on her order. Truffled eggs, mixed mushroom ragu, and Thai chicken and mango meatballs all sounded extremely inviting, but I could not say no to pulled pork.

Overnight Braised Pulled Pork

The overnight braised pulled pork was served on a brioche bun with celeriac remoulade, and house made barbecue sauce. Together, the juicy and melt-in-my-mouth pulled pork , crunchy sweet celeriac with the fresh soft brioche made thick and juicy bites, with pork juices dripping as I ate. Adding a slice of of pickled tomato or two added yet another flavour and texture, which made a great combination to the sweet celeriac and pulled pork.  Certainly impressive, but did not trump Two Birds One Stone's version.

Toasted Roast Pumpkin

Pillowy, yet crispy, the cypress bread was overflowed with roast pumpkin, caramelised onion, feta, cashew pesto, and rocket. The friend found the thick slices of sweet pumpkin together with the caramalised onion made the overall taste of the sandwich predominantly sweet and overpowered the cashew pesto and feta. Nevertheless, it was delicious, but we both agreed that the Overnight Braised Pulled Pork was the winner for the day.

Three Bags Full was everything I expected it to be.  Coffee and food here made an enjoyable brunch and though extremely busy, I could still feel the warmth emanating from this esablishment. Here, coffee, food and ambience filled three bags full.

Three Bags Full

60 Nicholson Street

Abbotsford

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Mamasita

In celebration of finishing exams, my friend, E and I decided to have lunch at the one and only, Mamasita. As Melbournians, we all know Mamasita as the restaurant on Collins street that serves Mexican cuisine. But restaurant aside, 'mamasita' in Latin-American sling translates to 'hot mama', 'hot babe', or 'hottie'. Go ahead and try it on Google images. And after 142 blog posts on Urbanspoon later, here's my two cents.

Elotes Callejeros

Out first were our piping hot street style chargrilled corn. Beautifully charred, the corn was generously covered in chipotle mayo with queso melted over. A generous squeeze of lime added a dash of citrus to the juicy sweet bursts of corn and spicy smokey chipotle. The smell, taste and appearance was all mouth-watering. These were absolutely demolished.  

Just as we finished munching on our corn, a waitress popped over to place down some toothpicks. This was exactly what we need to wrestle out the corn bits that were unattractively stuck in our teeth. 

de Cabra a la Tinga

Piled high and full of flavour was the braised goat on fried tortillas. Having soaked in tomato chipotle juices, the goat went nicely with the salsa roja, white onion and coriander. Again, with a generous spritz of lime, these tostaditas made a tasty mouthful.

de Arrachera

Taco number uno consisted of a six inch soft shell tortilla with grilled flank steak, tomato frijole salsa & queso fresco. Even E, someone who doesn't usually like red meat agreed that the steak was cooked perfectly.

de Lengua y Cachete

The star of the show certainly went to taco number dos. Filled with braised ox tongue & cheek, pickled veg & ghost chilli mayo, this taco was hands down the favourite dish of the day. Both ox tongue and cheek was soft, tender and melted in our mouths - so good I was tempted to lick my plate clean.

In such a bustling and fun atmosphere, with fast and prompt service, and zestful food, Mamasita was an easy place to love.


Mamasita
Level 1, 11 Collins Street
Melbourne

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Spilt Milk

Welcome to Carnegie's very own Spilt Milk. A newcomer to Carnegie, Spilt Milk has certainly made an impression with the locals. And not just the locals have they got tied around their little finger, having made a name for themselves in The Age Good Cafe Guide 2013, Spilt Milk is attracting coffee enthusiasts far and wide.

Rosella

For me, I chose the Rosella - a chicken salad with cherry tomatoes, avocado, walnuts, croutons, and cranberries drizzled in honey, with a side of spiced aioli. All of which were attending a party in my mouth. In just one mouthful, there was a wonderful play in taste and texture, from the buttery walnuts, sweet cranberries to the creamy spicy aioli. However, one thing I did notice was that the salad leaves were a little bruised. No doubt that they were fresh, I assume the chef was just a little rough when handling these delicate greens. Nonetheless, a very impressive salad !

Toucan

When I think of toucans, I think of brightly marked colourful bills. And here, we see Spilt Milk translate those characteristics of a toucan to this dish. Vibrant colours of red juicy tomato, freshly picked green basil,  a spread of earth green nutty avocado, and buffalo mozzarella on rye toast with reduced vinegarette and olive oil. 

With such personal friendly service, affordable pricing and amazing coffees,  Spilt Milk is now my definite go to for caffeine hits.  Here, there is definitely no crying over spilt milk.


Spilt Milk
288 Neerim Road 
Carnegie

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