Little Creatures Dining Hall and Ponyfish Island, Melbourne

Earlier in the year I visited Perth for the first time on a business trip. Perth is stunning. I had such a great time; the people are wonderful, the beaches are stunning and the food was great.. expensive, but great. And the red-eye flight back to Sydney.. not so great. But that's a whole other story.  

I was told by several people that I had to visit the Little Creatures Brewery in Fremantle. As a huge lover of beer, I put this on the top of the to-do-list. An amazing set up, great food and the cheapest pints in Perth! After such a great experience in Perth, you could imagine my delight after stumbling upon the Melbourne Little Creatures Dining Hall in Fitzroy. 

After a short wait at the bar we were led to our booth in the dinning hall. In the spirit of trying everything, we opted for a few share meals. Above, fresh cut chips with garlic aioli $8.50.

The eggplant, spinach, dukkah, goats cheese pizza $18 was gorgeous. Also featuring a generous slathering of caramelised onions, the sweetest of both the eggplant and onion was perfectly paired with the cheese and dukkah.

 Carrot, walnut, beetroot, goats cheese salad $15

Later that evening we visited the very new, very trendy Ponyfish Island Bar. Like all good bars in Melbourne, Ponyfish island requires a trained eye to find the entrance. Located under the Yarra River Pedestrian footbridge, access is via what appears to be a set of emergency stairs. The bar itself is decked out in recycled tables and chairs, a few milk crates and lots of fairy lights. There is a limited menu, but we just opted for a few post-dinner ciders whilst enjoying the hipster crowd surrounding us.

Little Creatures Dining Hall
222 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
03 9471 5500
https://www.littlecreatures.com.au/


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Ponyfish Island
Located under the Yarra Pedestrian footbridge
(connecting Southbank to Flinders Street Station)
Entry via stairs.
http://www.ponyfish.com.au/

 
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Cumulus Inc. and Beer Deluxe, Melbourne.

Last month I spent a long weekend in Melbourne with my two besties for my birthday.. nay, OUR birthday. Yes, one of my best friends and I share the same birthday. Highly convenient. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love Melbourne. The culture, the food, the people, the city.. everything about it is fantastic. I would move to Melbourne in a heartbeat. Anyone know any good jobs going down there? Hit me up. I have awesome skills.

Our weekend was predominately made up of eating and drinking. After a hideously horrible and exhausting flight through sever thunderstorms late on Friday night (I have a shocking fear of flying), we were in need of some serious sustenance on Saturday morning for our first official meal in Melbourne. Having received glowing praise from a few co-workers, we decided to head to Cumulus Inc. for a late brunch. Thankfully we didn't have to wait too long for a table, and the seating hostess was extremely friendly and helpful (we nicked named her 'the fox' cause she was so great at her job!)

Soy mocca for the ladies, while I opted for a chai. I made the wrong decision. Bitterly dissapointing, this chai tasted like watered down milk. 

Rebecca, however was very impressed with her coffee choice. I was not amused.

After a good 45 minute wait, and two separate attempts to chase up our food, we finally received our breakfast.  Rebecca opted for the Wagyu corned beef & gruyere cheese toasted sandwich with tomato relish, $14.  The relish was extra tasty, but the cheese was slightly over powering.. tough dish to finish.

Lauren, aka the other birthday girl, aka the vegetarian, ordered the Shakshouka - baked eggs with roast peppers and marinated Persian feta, $16. Seriously, put feta in anything and guaranteed Lauren will order it. She's all about the cheese.  I don't remember trying this, but it resulted in squeals of delight from Lauren. A little on the oily side towards the end, and definitely requires more toast on the side for mopping up the peppery goodness. 

I had read and heard great things about the Grilled lyonnaise sausage, smoked hock, braised beans and 65/65 egg.. I just couldn't resist. And it was perfect. The gooey egg was poached to perfection, the smoked hock was smattered throughout the beans, and the generous slab of sausage and toasted sourdough was the perfect vessel to hold it all together. If I could have licked the plate clean I would have.

Bellies full, we ventured out into the Melbourne laneways for a spot of vintage book shopping,  sunshine and posing in front of street art taking photos like the good lil hipsters we are! I am not ashamed. 

It was well past midday, which meant we were already behind on our drinking so we stumbled into Beer Deluxe at Federation Square for a cheeky drink.. actually, a Cheeky Rascal Strawberry and Apple cider, $9. We drank A LOT more of these throughout the weekend. Super yummy, perfect for a warm Melbourne weekend! 


Cumulus Inc.
cumulusinc.com.au
45 Flinders Lane
Melbourne, VIC



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Beer Deluxe
www.beerdeluxe.com.au
Federation Square
Corner of Swanston and Flinders Streets
Melbourne, VIC



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Drum Cake: Tutorial

Yo kids. Here is the Drum Cake tutorial. Enjoy!

You will need

1 round ganached cake

Rolling pin/corn flour

Fondant (1 batch coloured, 1 batch white for top of drum and accessories)

Tooth picks

Edible silver paint - available from all good cake decorating stores. You can use a luster dust, but I find this must easier to use and results in a better colour.

Water

Paint brush

This cake is pretty straight forward, but a tad bit fiddly at times. Take your beautifully ganached cake and cover it in your chosen colour fondant. Next, take your white fondant and roll out large enough to cover just the top of the cake - this will be the ‘head’ on your drum (also known as a drum skin).

Trim the edges of the white fondant - it doesn't need to look perfectly neat as we are going to add another ring of fondant.

Here is where it gets tricky - roll out a piece of white fondant the same diameter as the cake, about 3cm high (the height is dependent on the size of your cake.. measure a small bit and hold it up to your cake to get a better idea). Wrap this piece of fondant around the base of the cake, attaching it with a small bit of water applied with the paint brush.

Roll out a second piece of white fondant the same size.. this is where it gets tricky. You need to attach this piece to the top edge of the cake, while allowing it to edge above the top of the cake. I didn't do this, but in hindsight I would have measured out a ring of toothpicks that I stick into the cake for the strip of fondant to sit on top of. As I mentioned, this bit is tricky and a bit fiddly as the fondant is still soft. Once you are happy, and the fondant has had a little bit of time to dry and stiffen, paint it with the edible silver paint.

Now that you have the top and bottom ring of fondant attached, it’s time to add the accessories.. also known as the drum lug!

Roll out white fondant nice and thin.. approx 2mm, and cut out rectangles. Mine were approx 2cm x 4cm.. again, this is dependent on the size of your cake.  Using your toothpicks, add two parallel indents in the rectangle (see photo). Paint with edible silver paint and allow to dry before adding to the cake. Also paint a bunch of toothpicks with the same silver paint and allow to dry.

Spacing your lugs evenly around the cake (I used 7.. not actually sure if this is factually accurate for a snare drum??), first attach the toothpicks. Simply slide the pointy end under the rim at the top/base of the cake, with a tiny bit of water. Then place the rectangle over the top. Simple!

I also added a logo/my brothers initials to the cake. I used a template to cut these out of white fondant and attached with water.

(Don't forget to remove the toothpicks before eating the cake!)

JayB's 21st Birthday cake.. Drumroll please.

My first post for 2012. Shame shame shame. Sorry dudes. If you follow me on twitter, you may have noticed that I had a somewhat turbulent start to the new year, and as a result I haven't really felt like blogging. But I am now, finally feeling like my life is on the right path. Hurray for me. Thanks for all the support. Friends, family and twitter peeps - you all rock my world.

So at the end of last year my baby brother turned 21. Oh heck, does that make me feel old or what!? Yes, yes it does. One important fact about my brother you should know, is that he is frickin cool. The coolest most amazing person I have ever met. Seriously. He is my best friend, my partner in crime, my rock.. particularly over the last couple of months. To quote the adorable Ellen Page/Juno, my brother is the coolest person I know, and he doesn't even have to try.

(Seriously, just look at him! He is so cool! Dad, however.. not so much). 

Oh, and he is a super amazing drummer in this wicked band called Mung. So I made him a replica of his very own snare drum. The resemblance was uncanny! He doesn't actually eat cake, but he still thought it was pretty rad. Love you, JayB!

(Drum cake tutorial to follow shortly!)

Zumboron Day 2011

I did something bad. But I liked it. No, I didn’t kiss a girl, a’la Katy Perry (Man, this blog post got weird pretty fast, huh?). Instead, I ate my own weight in macarons. And I liked it. One-of-them tasted like cherry chapstick :)

Tis the season to eat macarons, kiddies! November has rolled around again, which can only mean one thing.. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZUMBO. Now, let’s celebrate by getting freaky with some bizarre flavours..

There were 60 flavours on offer this year and I was keen to sample about 15 of them. Michael and I headed to Zumbo’s newest location at The Star, where we caught up with Laura from StarLoz - she is Ah-May-Zing. We’ve only known each other for a short time but  I’ve already met her mother. I think it’s getting serious :D I also had the pleasure of finally meeting the delightful Rachel from The Creamy Middles. Macarons and new friends? GOOD DAY!

(KayB & StarLoz.. shame about my hair!)

We walked alway with 20 macarons. My favourite of the day has to be the Strawberry Bubblegum. It tasted just like frickin’ hubba bubba!! I almost attempted to blow a bubble with it, because the flavor was so realistic (imagine pink macaron crumbs being spat all over the lounge room).

(Deep Fried Chicken Macaron)

I’m already counting down the days til next years ‘Zumboron Day’. HURRY UP, 2012!!


And just because I'm in the mood, here is Katy Perry to take us out. It's frickin' HANSON! What's not to like about this clip!!! (There goes my street cred). Cheers to Friday!

Beefcake – the greatest cake known to man. Tutorial: How to make a cake that looks like a steak!

It was my Daddy’s 50th Birthday last week and I had no idea what I was going to bake for him. A golf themed cake? Tour de France? Several brainstorming sessions with work colleagues resulted in various ideas being thrown back at me with a giant LAME attached to it.

It was one week out and I was getting desperate. I consulted MummyB. Surely after 20 something years of marriage she’ll know what he’d like. “Remember when his mates gave him the nickname ‘Beefcake’? What about a cow cake? With 50’s on it..? WAIT! A steak cake!!” The woman is a frickin genius.
I scoured the interwebs for inspiration and found loads of it. And it turned out to be one of the easiest cakes I’ve ever made. Everyone at the party loved it, even if they were a little turned off by it.

You will need:
Large slab cake and butter cream (or icing of your choosing)
Paper and pencil (for template)
Large knife
White fondant
Red gel food colouring
Vodka (or any clear spirit)
Fondant smoother
Foam meat tray (ask at your local butcher)
Glad wrap
Paper towel

Have a look at some of the inspiration I found online and draw a steak template on your piece of paper. Keep in mind that you will be covering the cake in two layers of fondant around the edges, so you will need to be generous with your cutting.

Once you’ve cut and filled your cake, give it a basic crumb coat. I followed up with a second layer of buttercream, but you don’t really have to for this cake. Let’s face it, steak doesn’t have that gorgeous sharp edge that we’re all so desperately seeking with our round and square fondant covered cakes. The more bumps and lumps, the better!

Next, roll out your fondant to about 5mm thick and cover the cake. As you can see, I tinted my fondant pink to act as a base for building a stronger colour. I think white underneath would have worked better – a few flecks of white showing through the red would have looked like streaks of fat. Lovely. Now the fun begins!

Grab your vodka, take a giant swig before pouring yourself a glass. Straight up. Then, pour a small amount into a shallow dish or bowl (I use an old jam jar lid). Next, drop a big dollop of red food gel into the vodka and gently mix. The reason why we are using food gel (and not ever, ever liquid colour!) is because we want a stronger colour and we also want some globby, clot-like bits (hence why I also put the vodka first, then colouring).

Rip off a bit of paper towel (or you could use a large, soft brush) and ball it up, dip it in the vodka/colour and sponge onto the fondant, no need to paint the sides. If you want more bloody-clots (and really, who doesn’t want more bloody-clots) then you can always smudge some food gel directly on the cake with your fingers, after you’ve put the vodka solution on.

You may be wondering why I have used vodka to dilute the colouring. It’s not just because it’s a refreshing beverage, particularly when mixed with soda water and lime, and it’s presence on the cake-decorating-table acts as an excuse to fuel my raging alcoholism. Ummm no. The vodka, or any clear spirit, will evaporate quickly and leave only the colour on your cake. If you dilute with water, the water will dissolve the sugar in the fondant and the whole thing will become a sticky, sweaty mess (see my 21st Birthday cake for an example of how NOT to paint a cake).

Once you are happy with the colouring on the top of your cake (don’t worry, we can add more later if need be), set aside to dry, preferably overnight.

Now we are going to add some FAT around the edge. A Niiiiice big ring of FAT! Measure the height of the cake and roll out your fondant so you have a few extra centimetres to work with. Brush a little water on the sides of your cake and whack your roll of fat on the side! As I said, you want some extra fondant on the fat so you have an overhang at the top. Trying to keep a realistic look, there is no need to be delicate – grab a pair of scissors and chop away at the excess. I cannot stress enough how simple this is, don’t try and make it neat and pretty. WE WANT MESS AND GORE!

Now take to the overhang with your fondant smoother and gently smooth onto the top of your cake. If you don’t have a fondant smoother, THEN GET ONE! But seriously, if you don’t then you can just use your hands, maybe a small (CLEAN) book?? Does anyone have any suggestions for substitute fondant smoothers? Anything? But when you do finally buy one, it will change your life forever. Seriously.

Once the sides are finished, grab some excess fondant and roll it in your hands so you have a ‘rope’ of fondant to use for the bone. Using your awesome powers of creativity, place the fondant ‘rope’ on the cake and shape it until you’re happy. Next we’re going to squash and smooth it out using our fondant smoother. Make adjustments as you see fit, cut off excess fat, trim the bone, add more blood, etc.

To finish off, I added a few more blobs of red gel, placed it on the foam tray and covered it in glad wrap. Doesn’t it just make you want to fire up the bbq? I also made a personalised label, with the expiry date as my Daddy’s birthday (this year) which made it look SUPER realistic. Hilarious!! Not unlike this photo..

Win one of five copies of Cake Boss, Season 2 on DVD.

If you’re ever short of cake inspiration, you’ve come to the right place. A moving, flashing robot cake, a seven foot tall solar system and a talking frog cake.. Buddy Valastro and his big, loud Italian family have attempted every type of novelty cake you could think of!

If you happen to be a part of a large Italian family, or even if you’ve watched the movie ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’, then you’ll definitely appreciate the hilarious dynamics of Buddy, his four sisters and three brothers-in-law. That’s correct - they ALL work in the bakery. Together. I have no idea how they do it. There is yelling, screaming and sometimes there are tears (and lots of dropped cakes). But they manage to make it work and create some of the most amazing, extravagant cakes I’ve ever seen (I’m talking a wedding cake with a built in bird cage and real live doves. Inside the cake. Seriously). 

What I love most about this DVD is the bonus features, including tutorials on basic to advanced level cake decorating. Who needs an expensive, overpriced two day cake decorating course when you could just watch these tutorials!

And thanks to the wonderful gals at Adele Feletto I’ve got FIVE copies of Cake Boss, Season 2 on DVD to GIVEAWAY! 

We all like free stuff, yeah? Thought so. OK, this is how it works.. 

If you could put any flavour into a cake, what would it be? 

To go into the draw to win one of five DVDs all you need to do is leave a comment on this post telling me your answer to the above question, then send your comment and full name to kaybscakes@yahoo.com (otherwise I wont know how to contact you to tell you that you’ve won this amazing prize!) The most creative, unique, hilarious, entertaining answers will win. HURRAY! 

Personally, I would love a hazelnut cake, soaked in frangelico, with lime buttercream frosting. Ohhh yeah, that’s it baby. Give it to me!!

Competition ends Monday 5th September, 2011 at 10am (AEST). Winners will be notified by email on Tuesday 6th September, 2011 and you can enter as many times as you like! This competition is open to Australian residents only.