I used to love sweet stuff a lot that I often ordered the overly sweet caramel frappucino at Starbucks when I was in primary school / early secondary school. I don't eat that much sweet stuff now but I don't mind having it once in a while.

I also enjoyed watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the Oompa Loompas that work there produce the best chocolates and sweets.
So, when I found out that there was a famous chocolate factory at Philip Island, I was thrilled!



There wasn't a golden ticket but there's still a chocolate ticket.
*warning: melts easily, especially during hot summer days*



Rows and rows of chocolate that made up a picture. Which image? Find out for yourself. Heh.



What would it be like to live in a chocolate village?



This contraption that will blow your mind (or make you feel dizzy, at least).



No Oompa Loompas but mini chocolate workers and managers.





And their collection of jokes.



You could play games to get wooden balls, which you could redeem for actual chocolate balls. 2 is enough, don't be greedy. You wouldn't be able to finish 10 in one go anyways.



Place to test your senses.



... and I got more than half of them correct! yay.



Ever seen a ton of chocolate?



Or a chocolate fountain?



OR CUTE PENGUINS GETTING YOU CHOCOLATE COINS? (for free)
You could choose from dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate.



Make your own random squiggles too. Unfortunately, it wasn't easy making a nice one.



And it's even harder to get them to fall out the tray (it takes quite long for your masterpiece to reach the end of the conveyor belt, where you could pick them up and eat your linework).





So there was this make-your-own-chocolate-bar machine. You could pick the type of chocolate that you want (dark, milk, or white) and the flavour(s) that you want.
Note: Payment is required, was 2AUD if I remembered correctly.

Out of curiosity, I took Cola and Vegemite. BECAUSE WHY NOT.



They added strawberry in even though I didn't pick strawberry. Maybe it's to balance out the weird combination?
How does the chocolate bar taste? Not much of the vegemite though. Just a faint hint of it.

Somehow I managed to get my sister to add in wasabi to hers. Could distinctly taste the wasabi but the chocolate wasn't spicy/choking me so I guess it was cool.

Would like to go to another chocolate factory. Hehe.

Visit their website for details on how to get there and other information.





(click on the image above for more posts on my Melbourne trip!)

Of course, there's also the photogenic Brighton Beach bathing boxes in Melbourne. Was surprised that none of my relatives ever heard of it (or maybe it just wasn't their thing).

Of course, a trip to the Puffing Billy Railway is a must if you are visiting Melbourne. It is a century old steam train that runs from Belgrave to Gembrook at the Dandenong Ranges.

They also offer themed train rides in addition to the normal ones. If only we had the opportunity!
Nevertheless, I was still hyped even though it was not my first time on a steam train.





We boarded at Belgrave.




AND WE'RE OFF!
Conductor was really friendly though. Waved goodbye to everyone.

Met some Aussies who were quite unfriendly and racist during my two trips (airport arrival hall officers were terribly rude on this trip) but good to know that it was just a small group and not the majority... right?



I don't know. I just like the composition of the blurry tree. So it's up on this post.



And my subtle blue hair (not that subtle actually).
It was a hot summer day but we were sheltered by the trees and greens so it wasn't that bad.

Did I mention that you're allowed to sit with your legs dangling outside the train carriages? I was surprised at first when people started sitting that way but the train conductor assured us that it was cool if you want to do that despite being an adult with responsibilities.
I mean, how often could you leave your legs out on a train ride, or any other ride for that matter?




Look at the number of legs hanging out of the carriages when we cross the Monbulk Creek trestle bridge.

It was pretty scary at first as there was nothing much to support the whole train and we were quite high above ground. Of course, there were also people on the ground who stopped by to take photos of the Puffing Billy and its passengers.
We saw this same guy thrice taking photographs at three different locations, in the middle of nowhere. Talk about dedication.



Menzies Creek, one of the train stops.



We stopped at Lakeside (approx 1hr from Belgrave station) and had lunch at a small store there. Apparently it was a nice place for picnics and BBQ's too but it was just too hot for lakeside activities so we opted out and headed back to Belgrave. It was quite an experience, really.

*Travelling tip: Get carriages at the front or at the rear of the train to get good photos during the journey.


For ticketing and other information on Puffing Billy, visit their website.




(click on the image above for more posts on my Melbourne trip!)

After visiting TwentyGrammes, we decided to get something savoury and we passed by Hyde & Co. while searching for the former. It was also a small lot but it was spacious enough to walk in. The name reminds me of Mr Hyde from Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Louis Stevenson though. Maybe that was somehow the origin of the name? Heh. Assumptions, assumptions.

But on second thought, that might just be the case as they have different menus for brunch and dinner. Split personality thing perhaps?



They took a minimalist approach- white walls and neutral-coloured furniture. It was quite comfortable and the white walls are Instagram-perfect.



Aaaand... we realised that we were in a tearoom. They wouldn't have a separate menu if they weren't so confident about their tea. So we decided to order some tea (we will probably regret it if we didn't order tea at a tearoom).



What did I say about the white walls being a good backdrop for photos?
P.S. Baby-breaths are just so nice.



French Earl Grey (S$9 for a pot, refillable).
I guess we havn't seen nice tea sets in a while. We were intrigued by the floral designs. However, it didn't occur to us that they were made of plastic until we tried moving them.

I could get a subtle hint of rose from the French Earl Grey and the flavour was good enough for me. Not a tea expert yet though.

I got really upset when I was served with pre-packed commercial teabags a couple of times when I ordered tea elsewhere at ridiculous prices (the type which I could get a whole box at a cheaper price from a supermarket). Not the case at Hyde & Co. though.

They also have lunch promos so we happily ordered..



Miso Salmon Rice Bowl.
It was quite nice and affordable (somewhere around S$10.90 to S$11.90). Salmon was done just well. Teriyaki sauce on the rice added to the taste and prevented the rice from being too dry. However, poached egg was a little overcooked.

Look, Isabel. You're in the background.



Aglio Olio (S$9.90).
Somehow I've started to order aglio olio at almost every cafes/restaurants that I go to, just to find one that will satisfy me and leave me at a loss of words.

When the plate arrived, I was trying to find my tongue. The portion is almost half of the usual pasta portion. It was somehow a fine dining portion.
Pasta lacked a little flavour (I could only taste the chilli). Sauteed mushrooms were delicious nevertheless.



Chilli Crab Pasta (S$12.90).
Can't said that I've tried chilli crab pasta before this. Unable to make any comparisons but the fusion of both was quite good. That said, I wouldn't mind ordering this for myself the next time I drop by.

Will definitely drop by for waffles (we just had waffles earlier and didn't want more at that time but we saw a lot of people ordering them) and the dinner menu.


Food: 8/10
Ambiance: 8.5/10
Price: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Overall: 8.1/10
(based on personal experience)


Hyde & Co.
785 North Bridge Rd,
198753 Singapore.

It was meant to be a visit to Twenty Grammes and it turned into a food trip. Hurray for me but not for my purse (unfortunately).





Twenty Grammes is located at North Bridge Road, somewhere near Haji Lane. Overshot a little and had to walk back because we missed the shop. :(

We were the first customers of that day as the cafe only opens around 12pm and it was a weekday. They were just starting to set up when we arrived.
Mains are quite limited though.



Blackberry Latte (S$5.50). 
Decided to give flavoured lattes another try as I was feeling adventurous.

Blackberry and coffee was a little weird at first but it turned out okay. Wasn't the strangest-tasting flavoured latte I've ever ordered and I actually enjoyed it after a while.



TG Froyo with an extra topping (S$5.70).
The regular ones come with only one topping at S$4.50.
Caramelised cookes and white chocolate sauce with froyo was surprisingly a good combo. Had quite a time trying to not make a mess on the table while sharing.

Maybe it was due to the numerous llaollao's (and tuttifrutti's) but other froyos are starting to taste different than expected. Not that I didn't like it though.





Charcoal Waffle with Salted Egg Yolk Sauce + Single Scoop of Ice-cream (S$12).
This was what we initially came for. We picked salted caramel ice-cream to go with the waffle (we couldn't make up our minds so we asked the guy at the counter for customer picks. heh).

There was a little curry leaf taste in the beginning (just a little) and I was afraid that I would find the dish weird.
However, it didn't disappoint. The salted egg yolk sauce didn't have an overwhelmingly strong flavour. It complemented the salted caramel ice-cream and the charcoal waffles well. The texture of the sauce was just satisfying. Unfortunately, the charcoal waffle wasn't fragrant enough but they were soft in the middle and slightly crispy at the edges, exactly what I look for in a good waffle.

P.S. We were still having the froyo when the waffle was served. Surprisingly, the ice-cream on the waffle didn't melt even after a round of photo-taking/snapchat vids. 

Wouldn't mind going back for more. They have another outlet at AMK btw.

Food: 8/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Price: 7/10
Service: 7.5/10
Overall: 7.6/10
(based on personal experience)

TwentyGrammes
753 North Bridge Road
#01-01 Singapore 198721
Nearest MRT: Bugis (East West Line/Green Line)
Tel No.: +65 67171733
Operating Hours: 12pm - 10pm

Website: TwentyGrammes
FB Page: TwentyGrammes FB