N2 Extreme Gelato

I have walked past this popular gelato shop countless of times but have not had the courage to find out what the fuss was all about until many years after their opening.

It looked a lot like my chemistry lab back in school - even the people working there had lab coats as part of their uniform. The use of beakers and cylinders added to that science lab feel.

What made it more Einstein-ish was the smoky effect from the evaporation of liquid nitrogen, the main ingredient in what first made them a hit in Sydney, as liquid nitrogen is what makes it achieve its ultra-smooth texture.

I decided to start my N2 experience with their signature flavour, the Ferrero Reveal. It was an overflowing cup of chocolate hazelnut gelato jam packed with chopped hazelnuts and rice bubbles wrapped in more rice bubbles dipped in chocolate and finished with a warm chocolate ganache syringe.

I loved the flavours and good balance of opposite textures. Although I appreciate the extra chocolate in the syringe, I could hardly get any of it out, as it was all frozen in the syringe!

N2 Extreme Gelato
43/1 Dixon Street, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
E-mail: sydney@n2extremegelato.com.au
Daily 1:00pm to 11:00pm 

Caffé Bom

Caffé Bom is strategically located just across the road from the train station at Eastwood and right where the 545 (Chatswood to Parramatta direction) bus drop off is. When they first started, they only had a handful of home-made gelato flavours, the usual coffee and tea, as well as waffle on the menu.

I found it interesting that even their furniture and fixtures are for sale, too.

Now, their menu has grown to also include full meals of Korean and Italian fare. However, to me, it is still a dessert place. Here are some of the many combinations of dessert that we have tried:

Churros fondue

Waffle gelato

Twin Waffle Gelato

Green tea frappe (Stellina's favourite)

My top three favourites would have to be the ginseng latte, Belgian chocolate waffle and yoghurt gelato. Oh, and their friendly service.



Caffé Bom
15 Railway Parade, Eastwood (Korean side), NSW 2122, Australia
Tel: +61 2 9874 3363

From Brisbane to Hervey Bay

We were pretty excited to start our long northbound drive. The first stop on our itinerary was Glass House Mountains National Park, 70km north of Brisbane. In The Genesis of Queensland (1888), the following extract from Lieutenant Captain James Cook's journal on Thursday, 17 May 1770 noted:

These hills lie but a little way inland, and not far from each other, they are remarkable for the singular form of their elevation, which very much resembles a glasshouse for this reason I called them the Glass Houses...

And so that was how the mountains were named.

It consists of a flat plain punctuated by rhyolite and trachyte volcanic plugs, the cores of extinct volcanoes that formed 27 million to 26 million years ago. The mountains would once have had pyroclastic exteriors, but these have eroded away.

This area is home to koalas, goannas, echidnas and grey kangaroos. We were lucky to spot one grazing in the bushes.

Many birds such as kookaburras, cockatoos, lorikeets, rosellas and peregrine falcons can also be seen. The glossy black-cockatoo, which is considered vulnerable to extinction, could also be found in the Glass House Mountains area.

After a short hike, we headed to Noosa Heads to look for lunch. We were not expecting many places to be open. It was Boxing Day, after all. From far, we saw a noodle bar and approached it. Surprise, surprise, it was a Malaysian place!

Apparently, A Taste of Spice is the place to go to for noodles in town. For dessert, we had some top-notch gelato from Massimo's Gelateria.

We checked-in at Pialba Motor Inn and after checking the place out, we went out to look for more food.

The most sensible place to start looking would be town and that was where we went. We stopped at all the restaurants along The Esplanade to quickly browse through their menus. My, my, they were all really pricey! Oh, and we found another Malaysian restaurant but ended up dining at Thai Diamond Restaurant. Due to the small portions (and expensive charges), we headed to The Beach House Cafe for some dessert.

Hm, let's just say there's room for improvement in the food section but no complaints with their service.

Perth (Day 3)

I had a few hours to kill before boarding my flight back to Sydney. Luckily for me, Joe had an off day so I had the convenience of going around in his car. First important stop was at Corica.

Why did we stop here? Located at Northbridge, this bakery is famous for its strudels. Of course, they have other traditional Italian pastries available, as well but strudels were what made them much talked about by foodies.

Corica Apple Strudel
106 Aberdeen St, Northbridge, WA 6000
08 9328 8196 (Tel), 08 9328 4647 (Fax)
Monday - Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm and Saturday 8:00am - 12:30pm

Joe then brought me to Fremantle, which according to him is one place every tourist to Perth must set foot on. We hardly had time to explore this port city but with it strategically located at the mouth of the Swan, we had delectable seafood. It felt like Fish Market with many establishments for you to pick but Joe recommended Kailis'.

Look at what Joe ordered! It is enormous for something that serves two!

The seafood platter comes with 2 fish fillets, 4 prawn cutlets, 4 squid rings, 4 scallops, chilli mussels with chips and salad.

He also ordered a bowl of seafood chowder, which was just a burst of flavours in the mouth. I loved it!

Also on the waterfront is a brewery. Whose?

Think of cupid... haha... yes, it is Little Creatures Brewery!

I liked the naturalistic feel of the brewery, as they recycled much of the barrels they use.

As we were pressed for time, I did not get to sample any of their beer. Pity. Next time perhaps (haha, I actually foresee myself returning to Perth... money in my bank account, please find a way to duplicate yourself faster).

Little Creatures Brewery
40 Mews Road, Fremantle, WA 6160
08 9338 8500 (Tel), 08 9331 4087 (Fax)
Monday - Friday 10:00am - 12:00am
Saturday & Sunday 9:00am - 12:00am
Closed Christmas Day

Quickly, we walked into town.

I wanted my gelato, so Joe brought me to Dolce Vita Gelato for my dose of sugar.

Dolce Vita Gelato
6 South Terrace, Fremantle, WA 6160
(08) 9355 4647 (Tel)

And then it was off to the airport!

I was so taken in by the 'new technology' of electronic check-in. Everything is machine-operated for Qantas, even for luggage. Can you tell that I am a Qantas virgin? Haha, yes, laugh at me for my ignorance.

Our worries of engine failure and other reports in the news recently seemed to have diminished, as we approached out seats. The aircraft felt new and I wondered if it was our misconception that the seats were actually more spacious than those on MAS. Hmm....

Not only that, they had wider touchscreens complete with a USB port! Okay, I very sua gu.

The best part had to be the part with food. How can any part of my day be good without it?

And for the price I paid for this flight, I welcomed the stir fried chicken with oyster sauce with open arms (even after that huge seafood platter!).

I would have preferred more greens but it was plane food so I should really not complain. Xin Wen finished the whole thing, which is a good sign because she hardly finished her MAS meals.

But seriously, what was there to complain about if we were served a bar of Duo mango and vanilla premium ice-cream as dessert?

Glad I went on this whirlwind trip because I found out that
1) Perth is worth a second visit and
2) Qantas makes a comfortable journey (when all engines work!).

Now, I have to recharge my batteries for my much-anticipated year-end roadtrip with my roadtrip kaki!