The story of Movenpick by Katherine

There are two Movenpicks in the city. One of them is in QV and the other is in Melbourne Central. I went to both and I compare which one is better.

Movenpick is a Swiss ice cream brand and already they have quite a few stores in Australia. They are also stocking their ice cream in many places.

QV

This one is at the QV Square and already it seems quite popular with the students and workers alike. They had their grand opening some time ago.

This one sells coffees as well as ice cream and desserts.

I went there with Sally and we both got ice cream. She for two scoops of chocolate and me for the three flavour tasting plate of banana, mango and vanilla. Personally I think the tasting plate is of better value at $7.95 for three as opposed to $4.95 for one scoop.

I observed other tables orders and I loved the look of the milkshakes.

Melbourne Central

This one is in a foodcourt hence there is no coffee sold.  It is just a little kiosk. But like the QV one the staff were lovely. But there were no queues as it was just after 11am.

Their focus was more on ice cream and shakes rather than coffees and the like.

Which one do you prefer? I'd leave this up to you but for me if I wanted to dine in I'd do it at QV. If I wanted take away Melbourne Central would be the best spot. Thank you Movenpick for coming to the city and I hope you stay there for a long time.

Little Lamb Hot Pot by Katherine

As part of our "At home and Abroad' series
Little Lamb Hot Pot is a place in Chinatown. They are a hotpot place which specializes in Mongolian style. This is about a one minute walk from RMIT.

They have two levels of seating. We were ushered upstairs as downstairs was quite busy.

In all parts of Asia hotpot is common especially in wintertime. This is where guests cook at the table. A number of food items are shared and cooked at the table.

I went with Sally last night and we both the Groupon together. The Groupon was a $39 All you can eat dealwhich includes beer and ice cream. Normally the hotpot costs $20-$30 per person.

They were busy at dinnertime which was a good sign.

The bathrooms were small and unclean. They are also at the top of a flight of wooden stairs.

Sally and I both found our waitress to be of no help and really broken English. I was there quite early and watched people have their hotpot. Basically you go up and you serve yourself. But we didn't know where to find the clean cutleries etc.


Not that it really mattered, they also forgot our beers. Sally and I don't drink. The juice tasted more like cordial.

But at least the food was good. Whilst I was waiting for Sally I had a chance to try out the dumplings and the pancakes. They were yummy.

We loved the smell of the bbq and the seafood.

You can choose between spicy and non spicy for the hotpot broth. Or you can have a mixture.

It was fun cooking the food at the table. Unlike Chinese hotpots these Mongolian ones don't have rice.

There was lots and lots of varieties and they cater for vegetarians and meat eaters alike.

It was fun, but I wouldn't do it again anytime soon. For the management please put some signs up as to where to find the clean cutleries, plates etc. And at least help the first time users like ourselves.

Crabapple Kitchen

As part of our "At home and Abroad" series
Crabapple Kitchen was opened last year. But I only just discovered the place recently.

It is near Swinburne Uni and Glenferrie train station.

They are a small coffee shop which looks very homely. When I saw the cooking books and the wine it reminded me of Julia Child's kitchen.

They have won many outstanding awards for good food.

Their coffee is by Campos and I was happy to sit by the bar and watch them make the coffees. That and the juices and milkshakes.

The food is Mediterranean inspired with some American influences such as the HB sauce and sliders. Their menu changes seasonally. They always have daily specials.

Here I had their Breakfast slider with fried egg and fries as well as a short black. To take away I got a Turkish delight and a friand ($2). Their breakfast slider was perfect and you can get this without bacon.

The breakfast slider was a little on the small side, but with the fries it was just perfect for me.

I ate the lovely friand and the lovely Turkish delight on my way home. The friand was a mouth popping sensation.

I'm glad that Glenferrie and Swinburne has many good coffee places. Only I wish that RMIT had the same. I would love for Meld to review the place as they do decent coffees and they support the local community (and yes that involves Hawthorn football club)
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