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How Amazing is this Quilt? After a hearty breakfast at The European we were off to the Australasian Quilt Convention nearby, in Carlton Gardens. Plenty of calories were burnt up as we walked around. As you can see I liked the … Continue reading
My local singing Barista was telling me about syphon coffee. I ‘d never heard of it. Is there any cafe’s where you can try it in Melbourne, Sydney , Canberra or anywhere else in Australia or New Zealand. If you know any, please leave me a comment or suggestion.
A quick google search shows me that it’s also called vacuum coffee. Wikipaedia has a good explanation, here it is.
A vacuum coffee maker brews coffee using two chambers where vapor pressure and vacuum produce coffee which is clean, crisp, rich, and smooth compared to other brewing methods. This type of coffee maker is also known as vac pot, siphon or syphon coffee maker, and was invented by Loeff of Berlin in the 1830s.
Have a look on YouTube too, there’s plenty to choose from.
My first results
>>>>MELBOURNE….. Found Espresso Melbourne.com with photos showing the making of making syphon coffee at Proud Mary in Collingwood. It looks like you drink it black. Check out the list of cafe’s they like alot too.
>>>> SYDNEY…..Found Crema magazine’s Best Cafe’s has Mecca in King St as their Best cafe for 2009. They have siphon coffee too. Sorry, they don’t in 2011.
>>>> CANBERRA….It took some searching but I finally found Ona Roastery at Fyshwick. I was actually there quite recently & found it a very popular place that locals will travel Km’s too, especially the serious coffee drinkers. No idea they had siphon coffee too.
>>>>Other States??? NZ???
The image above is from coffee craft. Looks like more kitchen clutter to me & a good idea to have elsewhere. Here’s what they tell you about it.
Vacuum Siphon/Syphon Coffee Makers
The most romantic and pure coffee experience available
How they work
Water is heated to boiling point via the burner. Once boiling the water is pushed through the metal pipet. As the water travels to the fresh coffee grounds, it has cooled a few degrees!
The pinicle moment; coffee and water meet at the perfect temperature to extract the best of the oils and flavors, with no burning. The exact beauty of this process is that the coffee is brewed by extended contact with water at exactly the right brewing temperature, the temperature is maintained throughout the process, and then the coffee is immediately separated from the grounds.
The syphons system traps the delicate aroma and flavors in the closed canister to produce a coffee unlike any you’ve ever tasted. The bitter grounds stay in the glass carafe by way of a a filter at the end of the overflow pipe.
They had this one as well. It looks like you have to buy filters for them too.
Finally, we caught our breath after running for the tram & were soon off again in St Kilda. Rumour has it that there’s a world class cake shop somewhere here in Acland St, St Kilda. Our tourist map had the street but we didn’t know the name. How hard could it be?
We’d got off the tram in Fitzroy St so we wandered down to the pier and walked out to the St Kilda Pier Kiosk, which was recently rebuilt after it burnt down in 2004. It’s closed for a private function but we got to the walkway where you see the penguins come ashore at night & watch the city views. It’s too early, so we’ll come back, later. Now, it’s only 4pm & dusk is about 6pm. So we go for a wander past the sea baths which is mostly shops now.
Ever onwards, we forge back UP the alley & the past the Esplanade Hotel. No RocKwiz trivia on here today. UP the hill, round the corner & eventually we’re back into Acland St again. No cake shop here, just a few shops behind the pub, it’s mostly houses. ??? More exercise, back DOWN to Fitzroy St then back UP the BIG hill & past my favourite cafe yet again! (See my Tram Restaurant blog) I’ve just checked google maps & it was probably Cacao chocolates & patisserie where we stopped, a few years ago. Today it was just a landmark. Do Not Pass Go, no time to stop today. Would you believe the chemist had no idea. I couldn’t really ask at any of the cafe’s now, could I?
Back DOWN the hill to Acland Street & we turned right opposite the park. NO! You cry! My sconometer (I just made that up, I like it.) thought so too but where else to look unless we went down to the clothing district we passed on the tram. That’s miles away, and if we did that we’d miss the penguins!!! Feeling tired & dispirited we ventured a little way but could see no hopeful signs of life, so went back to the pier.
I can hear you screaming at me? Why didn’t you look up google maps then, or foursquare or eatability. I know, I learn the hard way too sometimes. We gave up. Another time, but I bet it’s Monarch cakes that I can now see on the map link above. Exquisite since 1934! it says on their website. Why haven’t I heard of them before! Bah Humbug! Leave me a comment if you like!
After a very quick, restorative cup of T2 tea at the sunset kiosk, near the yacht club, we were shooed away by the owner, who was in a hurry to pack up our chairs. Undaunted, we ventured onto the pier & sat in the shed by the fisherman, a lot of people fish here. We tried to finish our tea & stay out of the wind, just a little.
Penguins come out at dusk. Now, there’s only the brides, the grooms & their guests out. They’re very stoic in the wind & it’s getting colder but not quite dark so there’s still enough light for some more wedding photos. Fortunately, the bride & bridesmaids are not too heavy and the fellows bravely resist dropping them, while the photos are taken. Such strength & endurance, and at least they were having a good time.
Quiet & cool for a while. Nobody much here till after dark, except the wedding in the kiosk & the lone penguin hidden in the rocks nearby. He makes funny little noises every now & then but we leave him be. I wonder what the penguins think (?) of the music from the kiosk on Friday & Saturday nights. Fortunately, some little heads pop up & quickly disappear under the walkway. Before long its like a school of fish coming in but they’re very quick, maybe it’s the music. They’re delightful & worth the wait be it’s unfortunate that so many of the visitors are inconsiderate & insist on taking flash photos.
On Kangaroo Island, SA there are penguin tours where you pay & go with the park rangers among the rocks with a special torch. It’s enormous fun on a windy night with strong seas & hopefully, does the penguins less harm. They even have burrows in the roundabouts. Penguins rule there!
Tired & footsore we trudged back up to Acland St where we first started. Sorry, but these were garlic prawns at the Chinta Blues Malaysian Restaurant. OOps.
Tomorrow, we must get to the Australasian Quilt Convention at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton Gardens or I’ll be in serious trouble! Keep a lookout for Hopetoun Tearooms Revisited- it’s scrumptious & 4 stars!
After a brief stint made necessary by us overshooting our tramstop we arrived at the tramstop just in time. The added exercise only served to heighten our appetites & as the weather was beautifully fine & warm a drink was very welcome. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a photo so this one (above) is off their website.
Where to start? A little water first & then some nice sparkling wine (aka champagne). Wasting no time, we tried the appetiser. It was Chicken liver & cognac pate, and Roasted red capsicum dip.
Rumbling along we travelled down to St Kilda & Toorak & then back up & around the city. An occassional local came out to lean on their fence & give us a wave. I wondered if he did this every day. Probably. The trams would be as good as clocks & our 3 carriages carried over 100 people having a very good time. It seemed a lot of money but the atmosphere was convivial, the service & food were excellent, and with plenty of drinks to choose from, it seemed worth the expense.
Kangaroo Fillet was the Entree we chose & the main to follow was Eye Fillet of Beef which were very tasty & tender, and with vegetables too. There must be a real art in menu & timing to have enough in each course to satisfy but not to over indulge, not to mention working in such tight spaces. No worries, we stayed put & just enjoyed the ride. I kept an eye on my map & spied my favourite coffee shop on the hill down to the St Kilda Pier, each time we went past. The waiter even asked if I wanted to get off, but was kind enough to help when I got confused with all our comings & goings, twists & turns.
A range of fruits followed by tea or coffee finished off our meal perfectly. The timing was impeccable as we finished our tea & returned to the Crown Casino, where we had started two hours before. Something to share with someone special.
Now what?
A tram was heading our way. Run! More Exercise!!! Where was it heading? St Kilda!
It must be Fate.
P.S. There is also a Tram restaurant in Bendigo. Unfortunately, the tram that plied the streets of Christchurch is closed for now. The Good news is that last week the Punt on the Avon started up again. It was a great place.
Hopetoun Tea Room’s window is a breathtaking array of wonderful cakes & baked goods. You might have to wait a while to check it out while others ogle the delights, particularly if you want to take a photo. If your lucky, you may arrive just in time to be seated or otherwise have to join the eager diners waiting in the queue. Rest assured, once you have a seat the staff will give you their full attention & assist you with your choices of cakes, meals or drinks and answer any questions. Lovely, not to be rushed when their obviously so busy. As we were lunching at the Tram Restaurant we chose lighter options today such as scones & citrus tart. Sadly, the dazzling array only made the scones look very plain in comparison.
*** 3 stars for scones.
These were quite small, the jam was ok but the cream was nice & thick.
****4 stars for tart.
We’d recommend their wonderful range of teas. We had Fijian Green which had a touch of Pineapple & Papaya; Vanilla & Vietnamese Mint Black Tea; Chocolate & Vanilla Rooibos Tea. These were outstanding & made our cakes so much more enjoyable. Looks like I’ll have to learn about types of tea now too! You can buy the tea here or online from Serendipi Tea.
The tearooms are in ‘ The Block’ in Collins street a fine old arcade full of temptations including Haig’s Chocolates but its small & quite crowded so it’s a challenge to fit everything on the table, as you can see. The staff are very nimble. Exercise is very important for Sconquesters too, so we high tailed it up to the Tram Restaurant which starts near the Casino. As usual, we got a little lost, but that just meant more exercise & we still arrived on time!
Time to catch our breath before we continue our day and venture onto The Tram Restaurant & St Kilda.
P.S. Look out for our further adventures at Hopetoun. **** 4 stars!
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No Easter Eggs here! Rather cool this morning, so I was walking briskly by the Nepean River when I spied these dragonflies made by children during a workshop at the nearby Lewers Galleryyesterday. So delightful! Enjoy the Easter Sunshine!
Melbourne is one of my favourite places.
It’s so vibrant & has a totally different feel to Sydney.
Maybe, it’s because the trams are always rumbling, somewhere nearby.
My friend & I have a busy day ahead. We’ve been looking forward to the High Tea since we booked our King Tutankhamun tickets.
Stop 1. Melbourne Town Hall, Swanston St. Hot Tix. Metshop.
We arrived early to check out Hot Tix but there were no cheap theatre tickets available. At the Metshop next door, we got our ticket for the trams, trains & buses around Melbourne. It’s $7 a day, that’s excellent value as you can get on & off as much as you like or just catch whatever comes next for the fun of it.
Stop 2. Brunetti Cafe at Myers, Bourke Street.
There’s no time to look for new cafe’s so it’s straight to the heart of Melbourne- Myers. The wonderful old Emporium, food hall & cafe are gone but a little help from a friendly staff member directs us to Brunetti on the 3rd floor. No scones for now as we have other plans, so we enjoy a yummy apple strudel, ciambella (lemon donut) & coffee before rushing off to Tutankhamun. Pity the cafe’s at the top of the escalators by the womens underwear, it’s a bad location, and a bit offputting.
Stop 3. Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharoahs. Melbourne Museum, Nicholson Street.
We jumped on a tram up to Carlton Gardens to the Tutankhamun Exhibition. When I’d first arrived last night, my taxi driver had warned me about the long queues, even though the bookings were in half hour intervals. All hype & rather disappointing. I’d suggest you save the money ($35) & just watch the video on the link above.
Stop 4. Ancient Egyptian Afternoon Tea. Hotel Windsor, Spring St.
**** Marvellous fun, but be warned it’s tasty but very filling!
The Papyrus Look Menu has the Hotel Windsor serving afternoon tea since 1883. Its pricey ($59 Week-$79 Weekends) but the service was excellent, the waiters were very friendly & helped to make it all fun. As you can see the fine Noritake china & cutlery added to the overall effect.
The Menu included such delicacies as golden pyramids filled with pistachio ganache, traditional sweet Baklavas, dates stuffed with coconut and walnuts, Katafi with pistachio nuts, rose-infused turkish delight and the ‘perennial afternoon tea favourites of scones and finger sandwiches’. The scones were Plain as well as Raisin & Vanilla and the jam were fine but not very exciting although it was good double cream. Perhaps, it would have been better to have the sandwiches last so we didn’t over power the flavour of the scones & pastries. Even so, the turkish delight was sensational. (Note: Check the etiquette of High Teas)
Sparkling French Rose to start, followed by some amazing teas on a seperate tea menu. These included Green Jasmine with Pear which was great with the sweets, Sultry Chai and a Peony White with Rose. This smelt so glorious I just had to buy some to take home. Fortunately, the waiter gave me a Hotel Windsor tea tin which you usually only get with the Windsor Blend, English Blend or Darjeeling Teas. The tea comes from Madame Flavour in Victoria. I was especially pleased to have two lovely oval teapots, one for tea & the other for hot water. Finally, somewhere that considers the black tea drinker & doesn’t just ignore them. Strange, but it’s a good test of a cafe as more often than not it’s too hard.
Stop 5. Hairspray, the Musical. The perfect end to a really enjoyable day!
Earlier, on the way to the Hotel Windsor, we stopped briefly so my friend could upgrade her shoe options from joggers to heels. I spied a curious looking dome nearby & discovered it was the Princess Theatre. Of course, we had to go in & check for cheap tickets for Hairspray, the Musical tonight. Happily, we were in luck and wondered whether the show would be either great or ghastly. Fortunately, we had a really enjoyable evening & a good laugh.
Stop 6. Flinders St Station Takeaway
After so much sitting we needed a brisk walk to get us moving again & we ended up at Flinders St Station Tram Stop. Our hot chocolates were surprisingly good & most welcome at midnight. Sleep time.
Tomorrow, we’re looking forward to lunch at the Tram Restaurant but we really must get to the Quilt Exhibition before it closes too!
Been considering the cosmic questions of Life, the Universe & Everything.
Are hot cross buns oversized scones? 
Is a scone a yeast free hot cross bun?
(Note: What’s the meaning of scone?)
It’s 7.00am at Central Station, Sydney. Nothing very inviting to eat around here so the cart coffee & a plastic muffin will have to do. At 7.42am the XPT train departs for Melbourne, that’s about 11 hours & 1000 kilometres away. Here’s a map. I ‘ve never done the trip before. It travels inland to Goulburn, then Albury and on to Melbourne, so it’s nowhere near the coast. I’m going to use the time to think about my blog. After considering many names, it emerged quite suddenly while I was sending some Melbourne scone info to a friend.
The trip was apt & educational. Before we’d even left Sydney I was amazed to hear murmurings from other passengers and much talk of scones, and with such anticipation too. Down to the Buffet Car I went. No, only toast and jam on offer.
9.45 am we leave Moss Vale and hear the Morning tea menu, which includes scones. Excellent. I will wait awhile & avoid the rush. Bad idea. In only 15 mins they’re all gone. It’s a bit stressful for the staff who are short handed today. I’m disappointed & get some crackers & cheese. Later I discovered that the scones are actually mixed while we’re at Central, cooked in real ovens onboard and are very popular. Obviously! Fortunately, a second shift starts at Albury & might make some more. That’s only another 5 hrs away!
12.30pm Somewhere past Yass. There’s Roast Chicken & Veges for lunch (& dinner) and nearby there’s passengers in raptures over the curry pies. They even read the package-Outback Pie Co, Queensland. Into Harden we’re running late because there are concerns about the track. The track is fairly flat & follows the highway alot of the way. I don’t mind, you get to appreciate the landscape, the distances, have a little quiet time & dream of scones.
3pm just past WaggaWagga and we still have an hour or so to Albury. I spy a Bakery at Quinty that looks inviting. (Note: Check out if driving. Yes, found Website)
There’s still much talk of food, scones & pies so I consider the more personal & social aspects of eating & sharing. It appears to be about life’s little pleasures. Memories of times, people & places we’ve enjoyed with others , by ourself or yet to come. There seems to be a sense of joy & happiness as we await the next delightful experience. Perhaps, it’s something we all have in common, especially if it’s affordable.
4.30pm Alas, there were no scones after Albury, not even for ready money. It was Roast Chicken & Veges again, as we were getting into Melbourne about 7.30, nearly an hour late. I enjoyed the trip & hopefully, got my thoughts sorted. Having an ipod helps & I’ve been reading ‘The Broken Shore’ by Peter Temple, a whodunnit. But would I do the Ghan from Adelaide or Alice Springs to Darwin? Dunno, we’ll see.
7.30pm The Lights of Melbourne were very welcoming. I was looking forward to tomorrow’s excitement-The Ancient Egyptian Afternoon Tea at the Hotel Windsor.
Sconequest is about people, places & enjoying life’s little pleasures, especially scones. Scones are a reflection of human civilization & show our development from using the simplest of doughs, gathering fruit, domesticating animals & the making of tea or coffee.
Our quest starts in Australia as we endeavour to locate the elusive treasure trove of great scones, delicious fruit jams & cream. Integral to our search is exploring the wonderful places that make our journey worthwhile and help us to burn up the calories we consume.
Everyone has memories & favourite places they visit & seem very happy to share their experiences with us. The idea for Sconquest came while sitting and eating scones under apple trees in an orchard, near Canberra a few weeks ago. Why hadn’t we done this before? We hadn’t know about it, even though it was the 21st Annual Apple day!
The swingbridge in the photo above leads to the Old Mountaineers cafe in Mt Cook, NZ. Hopefully, Sconquest will give us all lots of opportunities to find great scones, explore wonderful places, share stories & have lots of fun at the same time!
Now, let’s start with Australia.
Sconquest. 