Tag Archives: Reviews

A slice of France

May 13, 2015 Virginie the Frenchie 4 Comments

Don’t you love the smell of a French baguette, still warm from the bakery shop? As I am walking back home, I can’t resist biting in it and feel it crunching under my teeth. I like this particular sound and the taste of it, promise of a delicious breakfast with butter, jam, pains au chocolat and croissants!

Sometimes I miss home and I need to reconnect with familiar flavours. It is not easy to find bread or croissants that have the same texture and taste as in France. You would think it is because of the unique technique or maybe a special oven…etc but actually the explanation is way more simple: it is the flour! It is too expensive to import French flour that is why bakeries use local flour to bake their baguettes. Don’t get me wrong, I have tried many kind of breads at the Adelaide Central Market and I liked them a lot: I mean they are good but different! And when you are experiencing home sickness, you want to bite into a piece of bread that would remind you of the nice mornings at your family home, beautiful pastries at the corner of your street, the intoxicating smell of the warm and fresh bread from the oven… you see?!

As for the perfect croissant, it is not easy to find it either! I tried a few places but so far, the one I enjoyed the most was at Cannelle French pastries! When I bit into it, it took me back for a couple of minutes to Paris ❤ The flavour was definitely here and I had croissant crumbs all over me which is how it is supposed to be 😉 The baker is a sympathetic French man who felt in love with Adelaide and has been living here for many years! So if you are a croissant lover, try to get to Cannelle bakery early in the morning as these little treats don’t last very long!

Cannelle French pastries

123b Magill Road

Stepney SA 5069

http://www.cannelle.com.au

australia, food

Spread the love

May 8, 2015 Virginie the Frenchie 4 Comments

When it comes to spread, Americans have peanut butter, Europeans have Nutella and Australians have Vegemite!

Vegemite has a special and unique flavour. It is like the sword in the stone: only true Aussie hearts can enjoy it 😉 So I took my chance and bought a pot of this Australian sacred delight. This is how bad I ❤ Australia!

Vegemite is a kind of brown paste, very thick and dark in colour like waste oil. To me it smells like a loaf bread which stayed all the morning on a table outside a beach house. As for the taste, it was nothing like I would have imagined, it is VERY salty… maybe as salty as the sea but with a kind of meat juice flavour.

It is really a hit in Australia: people enjoy it on their toasts, in their sandwiches, crumpets… I must confess I wanted to like it too so I really tried hard: spread on a toast (Ew), with tomatoes (Ew), with cucumbers (Ew), with walnuts (Ew). Nothing worked and it was so salty that I spent the whole night drinking water like if I had walked hours in the desert. I am sorry but honestly I did not like it at all 😦 it has a weird taste and the texture is not easy to work, I had difficulties to spread it!

Maybe there is something I am not doing right or maybe the legend is true: you have to be born and raised in Oz world to fully appreciate Vegemite, if not you are condemned to keep an horrible taste in the mouth and looking with envy at Aussie people savouring the mythical black paste as it was the best treat in the world!

What about you, are you a vegemite addict? Do you have any tips to enjoy it? Any techniques? I am curious to hear about it 😉

australia, food, lifestyle

Hot cocoa, boots, jeans and pink cheeks

May 4, 2015 Virginie the Frenchie 4 Comments

“Autumn is a second spring, when every leaf is a flower” – Albert Camus

This is my first Autumn in Australia and also my very first Autumn in March when my family in France is embracing spring time 😉 The weather has changed in Adelaide and it is getting chilly. I am glad I have a fireplace in my living room: it is so cosy! I love to hear the crackling sound and the smell of the wood burning. I enjoy gazing at the joyful flames dancing on the logs, warming slowly the atmosphere. What a lovely setting to curl up comfortably on the sofa under a wool blanket with your favorite book!

It is also the perfect time of the year to enjoy nice walks in the crispy air. Put your boots and your jeans on and have a peek at all these wonderful colours where the trees enter an enchanting parade. Don’t you think the gold, brown and red leaves are just beautiful? Adelaide Hills is the place to contemplate this magical scenery… if you have the chance like me to go to Stirling, your breath will be literally taken away. This charming village only 20 minutes away from Adelaide CBD is a real gem!

Stirling village and its adorable restaurant in summer time!

It is full of cute houses, shops and gigantic trees celebrating gloriously autumn season at the moment. My Australian friend Ann took me there and it was absolutely delightful. The fresh air was so energizing, so pure… I liked the feeling on my cheeks! We enjoyed a hot beverage in a fancy place called Red Cacao chocolatier and I indulged myself with a cup of chili cocoa, one word: delicious! This is the perfect place for chocolate connoisseurs: they offer a wide range of exquisite high quality chockies (Aussie slang for chocolate, sorry guys I could not help it). Well this is the place to go to spoil yourself!

I also do believe that it is very appropriate in this season to enjoy hot and comforting drinks! You can be creative at home like my friend Nasim (from Iran) and add fruits and Haigh’s chocolates on the side: all Adelaide flavours in a cup of tea!

Nasim’s tea: a poetic celebration of Autumn’s colours!

Chocolates, nice walks, chatting with a good friend, reading and snuggling: this is definitely what I like about Autumn season ❤

Red Cacao chocolatier

Shop 3, 41 Mt Barker Rd

Stirling, Adelaide Hill

http://www.redcacao.com.au

australia, lifestyle

Adelaide Zombie Walk

April 15, 2015 Virginie the Frenchie 1 Comment

Have you ever seen a zombie walk? Basically it is a social gathering of people dressed as zombies walking around the city! It is becoming more and more popular and a lot of cities such as London, Montreal etc… are hosting a walking dead procession around Halloween time! I have seen a zombie march when I was living in Montreal and I must say despite the cold it was really entertaining some people were really into their “characters”.

I moved to Australia early September 2014 and when I heard there would be a zombie walk in Adelaide CBD in October, I decided to make it count! This time I would not just watch, I would be one of them: walking crooked, looking disconnected, groaning… But first, I had to find a costume, a character that would express my story… how did I become a zombie, what was I doing last before being bitten? Since I had just moved to Adelaide I did not have much (no accessories or clothes to trash) so I decided to go to a charity shop or like they say here an “Op shop” (opportunity shop)! For less that $10 I found a girly pink top and a dress that made me think of a gardener apron… I decided that it would be perfect since there were some gardening tools in my fully furnished house that I could use to complete my costume! Now I had my story: I was a garden lady taking care of my roses when I got suddenly attacked and bitten by a crazy zombie! Then the trick is about make up, then laminating my costume (using a cheese grinder!) and make it look dirty like I spent weeks wandering in the streets of Adelaide (I scrubbed it on the pavement and in the grass outside)… the result was absolutely perfect!

Zombie Walk - 2014 - 131 — Hungry and scary zombie!

Then I joined my peers and it was really good fun. Some costumes were unbelievable and very realistic! I could swear some people have been zombies in previous lives… if it does make sense! Thousand of zombies got together to raise funds for Foodbank SA which is a noble cause (you can donate money or non perishable food)! The event is very well organized with policemen closing the roads where the march takes place (East terrace, Rundle street, Pultney street and Pirie street)… it is hilarious to see people faces when you are walking down the streets: some are curious, some are excited and others are totally speechless because they have no idea what is going on, why all this blood and these strange faces… I am still smiling when thinking of this old couple who nearly had a stroke when they saw me 😉

Zombie Walk - 2014 - 059 — Marie-Antoinette had it coming!

I think it is so cool that Adelaide can compete with other major cities by hosting a really amazing and entertaining zombie walk with thousands of walking dead marching on our streets! When you think it all started a couple of years ago with a few people who were passionate about it and decided they will make it happen no matter what… at the beginning it was a really discrete and small event but as the years go by it is getting more and more famous and important and I think it is wonderful to be part of it!

Zombie Walk - 2014 - 234 — Did you ask for a pizza with anchoves?

Adelaide Zombie Walk

Every year in October

http://www.adelaidezombiewalk.com/index.html

australia, lifestyle

Peaceful Adelaide Himeji garden

April 6, 2015 Virginie the Frenchie Leave a comment

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden”

Do you have a secret place where you enjoy going to dream and clear your mind? A poetic place where you feel free and inspired?

I know a lovely garden in Adelaide that is an invitation to inspiration. It is as beautiful as it is peaceful with its enchanting trees and flowers. It is a Japanese style garden celebrating religiously the beauty of nature. I like to walk slowly surrounded by the sound of silence on the stepping stones so I can admire every tiny detail. I enjoy gazing at the calm water of the lake and listen to the birds singing happily in the deep blue sky. I love the sound of the chanting waterfall melting poetically into the beautiful landscape. Everything is in harmony with nature and my heart feels at peace here.

I like to kneel in front of the magic stone bowl and feel the fresh water on my hand and my face. It is said that the holy water will purify your spirit and your soul: it is like leaving all my worries behind me and starting from fresh with a humble attitude.

Water bowl (Chozubachi) so visitors may purify themselves

I like to contemplate the sea of sand. It is the perfect spot for contemplation thinking of the immensity of the sea, the waves, the continents. If you close your eyes, you can hear the sea… As Buddha said “With our thoughts we create the world” and it is up to us to make it beautiful!

I could spend hours in this enchanting garden: dreaming, reading, having a picnic, doing yoga… but suddenly I hear the ‘clack” of the Shishi-Odoshi: a large bamboo tube filling with water until horizontal and then emptying causing one end to hit a rock with a deaf noise. It brings me back to reality: happier, rested and aware of the beauty and power of nature… already time to go but I will be back soon, I promise 😉

Adelaide Himeji garden

South Terrace

Adelaide SA 5000

http://www.postcards-sa.com.au/features/himeji_garden.html

australia, food

So glamorous, so girly!

April 1, 2015 Virginie the Frenchie Leave a comment

I think our lives should be more often like in the TV shows when it comes to have a latte with a good friend! Don’t you think?! Let’s face it: the Gilmore girls have “Luke’s dinner”, Friends have the “Central Perk”, Zoe Hart (Hart of Dixie) has the “Rammer Jammer”… and sometimes when we watch these programs we wish we had a place like that too! A place that feels welcoming, cosy and warm. A place that feels like home and different at the same time. Your place!

Well, a couple of days ago, my friend Nasim (from Iran) and I discovered an absolutely charming tea salon called BTS! It is the perfect place to do some catch up with your girlfriends. I must say that the decoration, very “boudoir” style, reminded me of the film “Marie-Antoinette” from Sofia Coppola and we just felt like royalty!

We sat on a beautiful and comfortable black sofa and we were heavenly treated by the friendly staff. It is a very girly chic cafe where the pink and the black bring an elegant and feminine touch to the place!

We spoiled ourselves with delicious latte: Nasim picked a coffee and I chose a tchai. We had a really interesting conversation and we did not see the time flying by, we were in another world. There were appealing and colourful cupcakes dancing on the counter… they looked delicious and from what I heard they are a real treat! I wish I had one… next time I will! If Blair Waldorf (from Gossip Girl) was having a tea party with her friend Serena, I bet this is exactly the place where they would meet!

So next time you are in Adelaide CBD and you are looking for a chic dessert to share with a good friend, don’t look any further and head to this intimate tea salon to share all your little secrets ❤

BTS

61 Gouger Street

Adelaide CBD, 5000

http://www.btscafe.com.au

lifestyle, School

Fifty shades of Grey book critique

March 24, 2015 Virginie the Frenchie 4 Comments

Fifty shades of grey – E.L. James – 2011 – 528 p. – 100 million sale

Erotic romance novel written by British author E.L. James. The story traces the unconventional relationship between the naive college graduate, Anastasia Steele and the mysterious business magnate, Christian Grey.

The reader becomes the voyeur of this singular initiatory journey featuring elements of sexual practices involving bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism and masochism. The author uses this taboo universe to explore basic themes such as: How far would you go for love, can love change someone, opposites’ attract.

E.L. James is placing her characters in uncomfortable situations: struggling with their emotions, fighting and finally compromising. The interest of the story lies on the conflict of sentiments between the two central characters. Besides all of their differences and deviances, they share a universal feeling: LOVE. That feeling cements their relationship and helps them to grow together and to explore new shades of their physical and emotional boundaries as the story progresses.

It could be a tale of love that triumphs over the odds. Unfortunately the characters are not believable and dialogues are dull. The author’s style is colourless and the plot is blindingly obvious.

Fifty shades of grey, despite all the leather and spanking, is pretty harmless!

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This text is one of my assignments from creative writing class. I was asked to write a book critique in 200 words. I have picked “50 shades of Grey” first because I read it not so long ago (so I remember it quite well) and also because this assignment was scheduled in February at the exact time when the “steamy” film inspired from this book was released and everybody was talking about it for Valentine’s day… so I thought it could be interesting and fun to write my critique about it!

australia, food, lifestyle

Please summer don’t go!

March 20, 2015 Virginie the Frenchie Leave a comment

Adelaide is so lovely at the moment… it is not too warm, not too cold, it is perfect time to enjoy beautiful walks in the city and reward yourself with a nice iced tea sitting at the terrasse of your favorite cafe enjoying the sun and the life going by!

Lovely iced tea and waffles at cafe Troppo

I wish summer time could stay a little bit more… When I used to live in the north hemisphere the 20th March was a happy day for me because it was the first day of spring and I could already think about the nice places in Paris where I would go, the outdoor restaurants by my work place where I would eat, the cute summer dresses I would buy, the markets, the beautiful flowers and the lovely sun on my face ❤ but now it is different I live in Australia and today it is the first day of Autumn! What does Autumn look like in Australia… I have no idea… it is my first time here!

I have been told that after mad March, Adelaide needs to recover and it will be very quiet. People will stay at home, cook and relax! I am not sure I want to do that… I enjoy walking around, exploring the city, going to the beach, spending time with my new friends! I guess I can still do that even if the weather is colder… right?!

So here are a few activities I intend to do now the weather is getting cooler:

Rent a free bike and ride next to the beautiful Torrens river!
Keep on exploring the city thanks to the City council self guided Tours and Trails: http://www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/explore-the-city/see-do/maps-and-trails/tours-and-trails
Go more often to the Food Court in China Town (by the way I love Mum Kimba Korean cuisine), so nice and yummy!
Buy nice teas at T2 on Rundle street and enjoy the new comforting flavors (Choco Tchai with almonds milk mmm).
Climb on Mount Lofty, in the hills, everywhere… Sport is good for your soul and your body!
Take the train more often and start exploring the surroundings (I wish I could go back to Peninsula Fleurieu, so beautiful… and in autumn the colours must be lovely).
Do more shopping at the Central Market and buy cheese and bread (when winter is coming I generally start to dream about “raclette” or “fondue”: French dishes involving a lot of CHEESE).
Treat myself with some mouthwatering milk rocky roads from Haigh’s chocolates: they only produce them during the cold season and they are to die for!
Find a cosy cafe with a fire place where I can read new books and write beautiful pieces… hey wait a minute, there is a fire place in my new house in the living room 😉 I am already picturing myself with a cup of tchai latte and a nice blanket… too bad I don’t have a cat to complete this perfect winter scene!

Well… it sounds like a good plan to me! What about you? What are your favorite activities when the weather gets colder? What do you recommend me to do in Adelaide in Autumn?

PS: maybe I am being a lit bit too dramatic… Autumn does not seem very cold in Australia… actually this weekend is going to be very hot with 27 degree on Saturday and 32 degree on Sunday… I think I can still wear my summer dresses… the umbrella, the boots and the pullover can wait, YOUPI 🙂

australia, food

In the mood for indian food?

March 18, 2015 Virginie the Frenchie 6 Comments

I recall a time of my life when I was addicted to Bollywood films and had a poster of Shahrukh Khan (also known as the Indian Tom Cruise) on my wall… YES, I confess I enjoy this kind of movies because they are romantic and lively, full of happy people dancing and singing and it is nearly as long as a cricket match 😉 …but what I enjoy more is Indian cuisine and its beautiful colours!

As you know I am always keen on trying new restaurants! So a couple of days ago, I went to a place called Jasmin in Adelaide CBD and I spent a lovely time there I must say. This award winning restaurant is pretty popular and well located on the corner of Grenfell and Pultney street. The atmosphere is warm and cosy… very intimate! The night I ate in this restaurant there was a couple in a corner holding hands and having a romantic dinner… I bet they were celebrating an anniversary! As for me, I was in good company and we all had a delightful evening.

Delicious North Indian cuisine, lovely intimate atmosphere

Each dish was flavory and so appealing with beautiful colours. I particularly enjoyed their “feed me” menu where they prepare a wonderful selection for you based on your tastes… I am terrible at making decisions with food since everything looks amazing so for me it is the perfect option! Furthermore I like to be surprised and discover new flavours! So they kept bringing a variety of mouthwatering dishes and I felt bad I could not finish all these delicious plates but it was a lot of food! It was also the opportunity to taste new things that I would probably not have picked myself like the Tandoori mushroom! What a beautiful discovery! Basically it is a large thick and tender mushroom marinated in spices and it tastes absolutely marvelous! Definitely a must try!

So next time you are in the mood for Indian food, don’t look further and let the Jasmin Chef surprise you and prepare a memorable meal that will delight your eyes and your palate ❤

Jasmin Indian Restaurant

31 Hindmarsh Square

Adelaide SA 5000

Ph: (08) 8223 7837

http://jasmin.com.au

food, School, Short trips

Highway to heaven

March 14, 2015 Virginie the Frenchie 9 Comments

I was 30 years old and it was my first time in the USA. My Californian friends had invited me on a road trip on one of the most scenic drives in the entire world: the iconic Highway One. We drove from San Francisco to Los Angeles and each day was a combination of natural beauty, breathtaking scenery and acknowledging life’s quality.

One of our final stops was in Santa Barbara, in a restaurant called ‘La Superica’. It looked like an old Mexican barrack with its white walls and blue windows. It was not fancy at all and it was nothing like what I would have picked to conclude a mind-blowing trip. But as soon as I went inside I felt that the atmosphere was very welcoming. It was packed with joyful people enjoying lively dishes and for a minute I forgot that my journey was nearly over. I ordered tacos and as soon as the food was placed on the table I understood why my friends took me here.

The fresh handmade tortilla was beautiful with a golden shade of yellow contrasting with the different mouthwatering ingredients sitting on its heart. I could smell the fragrant odour of the corn flour with a zest of lime tickling my nose. The meat had a lovely brown caramelised tint and smelt heavenly. It was tender, smoky, juicy and cooked to perfection. The red salsa was thick, creamy and attractively opaque in colour. I could tell the tomatoes had been cooked slowly and mixed with toasted Mexican chilles and chipotle peppers. The topping was a symphony of colours where the chopped green vegetables were dancing with the fresh herbs under a moon of white creamy cheese. I could see the finely minced onions blending with the minced crisp cabbages promising a textural crunch.

No sooner had the fresh taco touched my palate that I felt shivers and stopped. It was absolutely divine! An exquisite pleasure invaded my senses filling me with all California. Each bite, each colour, each flavour had the taste of my trip on the mythical Highway One. I could see the sunny valleys, the Spanish missions, the rugged beach and the surf towns. I could smell the farmers’ stalls on the side of the road, I could hear the Pacific Ocean crashing down below the steep cliffs and I could feel the intoxicating warmth of the Californian sun and the presence of my friends forever with me.

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This text is one of my assignments from creative writing class. I was asked to write about a vivid memory in 400 words so I picked a special moment I had the chance to experience a couple of years ago with my dear Californian friends: Teresa and John. My roadtrip in California was an amazing journey and I hope someday I will write the full story and share with you this beautiful and breathtaking adventure!