Random round-up!

Still in the throes of preparing for some great, big exams *stresses*. So here's another quick quickie post :D

Firstly - Pappa Roti opened in Strathfield yesterday! There's a special offer for a free bun with any drink purchased.

Very nice piping 

Sick of studying, I ventured out under the blazing sun and brought back one of the fluffiest buns I've ever seen. The smell was absolutely incredible. 

Despite trying to spend every waking minute cramming useless knowledge into my brain, I find the time to do some therapeutic baking. I made Portuguese egg custard tarts:

As well as my very first quiche, loaded with bacon, cheese and caramelised onions. Yum! I was supposed to take it to a revision session with some uni friends, but since the date passed and I didn't hear from any of them, I was - ahem - forced to eat most of it by myself.

The quiche got me in the mood to do some more fancy cooking. I don't know if this constitutes as "fancy" to other people, but for a rookie cook like myself it seemed quite involved. Those eggs Benedict from 2042 Deli & Cafe left me craving eggs for breakfast for the next few days, and I took it upon myself to replicate a cafe-style brekkie at home:

Pan-fried eggs with smoked trout, cream cheese, and sauteed baby spinach.

Last but not least, a trip to Balmain led to an impromptu visit to Adriano Zumbo's Patisserie...oh, who am I kidding. I drove to Balmain for the very purpose of acquiring some macarons. Or Zumbarons, as they're now apparently called. I gawked at the cake display:

And came away with three 'Zumbarons': 

Must. Go. Study. NOW!

So, recently...(the Reader's Digest version)

Salutations! As much as I would love to sit down and type out a long and detailed recount of all my fabulous eats over the past few weeks, I still have two huge exams to get through before the holidays. Despite being basically house-bound in the weeks leading up to my first exam, I did manage to squeeze in some nice yummies. I find eating to be quite a good coping mechanism (not to mention procrastination device xD). It's like: oh, stuff it all, who cares about [insert complex scientific concept], I'm gonna get me a big ol' slice of CHOCOLATE MUDCAKE.

Chocolate mudcake from Pasticceria Papa



And another one -

Chocolate mudcake from Pasticceria Sulfaro

Believe it or not, I actually acquired both of these on the same day, to be eaten on the same day. Let's just say I was in a very self-destructive state of mind at the time; blame it on all those disease flowcharts I had to cram into my limited brain space!

While we're on the topic of chocolate, I developed an addiction to Lindt Excellence 85% Cocoa last week. I admit to having a weird obsessive-compulsive personality where I get fixated on one kind of food for a period of time, where I would keep eating it day-in, day-out, until I get sick of the taste. Don't be shocked by this next picture - they were on sale at Woolworths! In the week leading up to my second exam, I (no joke) ate a whole bar every. single. day. It was very liberating...

Note: only the 85% bars were on special; I bought the 99% ones from the Lindt cafe in Martin Place. They're half the size and double the price of the regular bars, so I couldn't afford to develop an addiction to them!

Being a good big sister, I somehow managed to bake and ice 165 cupcakes for my sister to take to her grade at school as part of her birthday celebration. There I was, smothering vanilla cupcakes with thick, buttery icing in semi-darkness, with only my iPad screen (showing my study notes) as the only source of illumination. Good times.

Ahem, yes, I was inspired for the design of these from a well-known cupcakery in Surry Hills...

What else, what else? Ooh, that's right - I turned 21 years old! I celebrated it with a dinner out with friends and family. My birthday cake was a whole ricotta cheesecake from Pasticceria Papa (my goodness, do I love that place or what?)

More recently, I went and had brunch at 2042 Deli & Cafe in Newtown with an old friend who happened to be in Sydney (she studies interstate). It was a delicious affair, and the joy of her company made the food taste all the better.

Perfectly poached eggs in 2042 Deli & Cafe's Eggs Benedict.

Okay, I can no longer stand the voice in my head screaming at me to "GO STUDY", so this is where I will end the entry. Will write in more detail once these exams are over! (soon...soon...)