Pavlova

So Pavlova is a traditional Australian dessert. It's basically a gigantic meringue with fruit and cream. I have been wanting to try one since before I came to Australia, but unfortunately I really had a hard time finding them anywhere. I think that is because they are something that is more accessible and nicer restaurants, instead of the places that I was usually frequenting. Fortunately, when I was with my family we were eating at really nice restaurants. So our last night in Sydney, on our way back from New Zealand, Pavlova was on the dessert menu. So naturally, I had to order it! It was pavlova with passionfruit. Now, I can take or leave passionfruit, but it was the meringue that I really wanted to taste. It came out in an enormous slice, and we all had some. It. Was. Fantastic!!!! The meringue had a different consistency throughout, light and fluffy in the middle, cake like and then chewy on the outside. I loved it! I was also really happy that I could end my time in Australia by tasting a dessert that I had wanted to try for so long. I was the perfect treat to end my journey. 

Vegetable Buns in Sydney's Chinatown

Let me begin this post by saying that Australia is an EXPENSIVE country. Everything costs more. Food costs more. Beer costs more. Housing more, utilities more, you get the picture, it's expensive. Fortunately, the reason for this isn't actually a bad one. First of all, minimum wage is 16 dollars here, and secondly, tax is included in the price. Regardless, if you are an American studying here and not being paid the higher minimum wage (like me) that means it costs more. So after the first day of our time here we realized that when it comes to food, it's good to go cheap. 

Our third night in Sydney, we were in charge of our dinner and decided to go to Sydney's chinatown because it was two blocks away from where we were staying. We went to a place called the Chinese Noodle House…and there were actually 3 Chinese noodle houses all next to each other. Each had a women at the door trying to convince us to go to her restaurant. We ended up picking the one on the far left. However, they didn't have enough space for our large group. So they led us down the stairs up and onto a back street… and what do you know, into yet another Chinese Noodle House. They hurriedly put one giant table together for all of us. As we sat down they placed kettles of free tea on the tables instead of water (and it was really yummy tea), and a man with a violin played pop tunes by the door way. It was a really fun place.

All of the restaurants in chinatown have these colorful pictures of the food that they sell in the windows and I noticed they had Bao (or steamed buns) on my way in. I love bao, it's filling an tasty. So it was the first thing I looked for on the menu. I was surprised and pleased when I saw that they did indeed have vegetarian bao, and it was only $1.50! Even if I got 5 pieces it wouldn't be as much as an entree. I excitedly decided to order two veggie buns and two red bean buns. when I ordered the veggie buns and then went to order two more of the red bean ones the waitress looked at me in surprise, so I asked how big they were. As you can see from above much bigger than what I had thought. I decided to order one of each, but they were out of the red bean ones so I ordered two veggie bao. They were amazing! Stuffed with cabbage, celery, carrots, and mushrooms, they were filling and tasty. I don't think I even needed two. In the end I got a yummy and filling meal in Sydney for $3, quite a feat if I do say so myself. 

Australian Pies

When I think pie, I think blueberry, apple or pumpkin. America is famous for it's large sweet pies. Apple pie and cherry pie are American traditions for the Fourth of July, and pumpkin pie and pecan pie are Thanksgiving staples. America loves it's pies. But in the States pie is a dessert.

In Australia, a pie is a small savory pastry stuffed with meat, cheese, potatoes, and/or vegetables. And here beef pies are as uniquely Australian as apple pies are american. They are something you grab for lunch, or a light dinner. And boy are they fantastic!! I've been in Australia for a week and I've already had two pies. the first was a veggie pie (above right), and the second was a pumpkin lentil feta pie (top left). Because of my flexitarianism I really liked that most pie places have at least one vegetarian pie!

The veggie pie had carrots, celery, broccoli, and potatoes in it. It had a crunchy crust and melted cheese on top. I was so yummy. I tasted like a hand held chicken pot pie, minus the chicken. We ate them in Manley while waiting for the ferry to take us back to Sydney.

The second pie was my favorite of the two. The pastry was soft and flaky and it covered the top of the pie. This pie had to be eaten with a fork. It was so savory and oh so good. The lentils made it taste really homey and I loved it. I should note that pumpkin in Australia is a bit different than what we have in the states (see below). They're like a cross between a squash and a pumpkin. To me they tasted like a cross between them as well. I really liked it actually. It's nice to try something different from what we have at home and still like it.

Pies are so big here that they have a pie chain restaurant called Pie Face. They are here as frequently as McDonalds are in the states. I have yet to try a Pie Face pie but I can't wait because I can't wait to eat more of these!