Dong Bang

I was on a quest in Seoul. Having done lots of research before going, I’d discovered that Korea has an equivalent to the Japanese taiyaki, a sweet full of red bean paste in the shape of a fish. The Korean equivalent… isn’t. In fact, the Korean equivalent is known as “poop bread”, because it is shaped as a turd. Who could resist? So I wrote down the train stations dong bang (poop bread in Korean) was meant to be available and set off on my quest. Sadly, the stall had closed at the station I went to, and I despaired of ever finding the mythical poop bread. But, lo and behold, exploring an outdoor mall in Insadong, we walked right up to the top of the spiral (like a knight climbing the spiral stairs to a fairytale tower) and what was there but a stall making fresh, steaming poop bread! I was so excited to buy one that the stall owner produced a huge pink poop bread hat for me to take a photo wearing. Yep. Not even joking. The poop bread itself was well-toasted on the outside and full of delicious red bean paste, the perfect prize at the end of a succesful quest.

Dong Bang, Ssamji-gil, Gwanhun-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, no website

Honeycomb

Honeycomb is the kind of place I wish was my local cafe. Set on a corner at a roundabout in Darlinghurst, it’s a great people-watching spot with fresh, modern decor with a yellow theme. This is carried through their chairs and table flowers with an elegant simplicity. Needless to say I was pretty excited to try the food. On weekends, Honeycomb does all day breakfast, so when we arrived for lunch at 12:30, I could still order poached eggs – it’s great to eat somewhere that caters to what you feel like eating. The eggs were perfectly poached, and the avocado with za’atar was a fantastic mix of textures. Unfortunately the bread was very crusty and hard to cut, but the egg softened it a little. After brunch, we ordered a plate of doughnuts with dulce du leche, which were little bites of happiness – the doughnuts were small spheres dusted in plenty of cinnamon sugar, which were truly decadent with the addition of the sweet dulce de leche. The only downside of the whole experience was that you had to leer awkwardly across the tables sitting in front of the specials menu blackboard wall to see the options. Apart from that, another #cometocanberra campaign needed.

Honeycomb, 354 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst, Sydney NSW http://www.honeycombrestaurant.com.au/

Tiffin Room

As part of my Singapore food odyssey, I booked high tea at the Tiffin Room of the famous Raffles Hotel. I had pretty high expectations of this colonial institution, and I wasn’t disappointed. We were seated in a window booth, and for the first time in my life I was brought a small stool to put my handbag on, so it didn’t have to sit on the floor. Wow. Our tiered tray arrived promptly, with the traditional finger sandwiches in five different flavours (the salmon was particularly good), tarts and cakes. If that wasn’t enough food, there’s also a buffet to help yourself to, including a selection of dumplings, fresh tropical fruit and scones, as well as more cakes and sandwiches. Luckily, you aren’t rushed and can take the time to savour each of the tasty morsels included in the high tea. I had a pot of earl grey served in what I’m pretty sure was a real silver teapot (swoon), and the whole meal was accompanied by a live harpist. The service was impeccable, with our waiter offering to bring any drink we liked from the Long Bar. I can’t recommend this experience enough!

Tiffin Room, Raffles Hotel, 1 Beach Road Singapore            http://www.raffles.com/singapore/dining/tiffin-room/

Cafe Comme Ca

¥1000 is a lot to pay for one piece of cake, and when I was a student in Tokyo I could only bring myself to do it twice – once with friends and once in a train station when I’d arrived three hours early for my train (oops). Both times it was from Cafe Comme Ca, and both times it was worth it. So when I went back to Tokyo I made sure to stop in again and try another slice. Each cake is sculpted with fresh fruit into rosettes or other incredible arrangements – I recommend taking some time to look at the display cabinet before making a choice (fair warning though – the staff, sadly, won’t let you take pictures of the whole cakes). This time I went for the blood orange and raspberry cream cake, which came out on a plate with cocoa dust in the shape of bluebirds (swoon). The fruit was juicy and covered in a sweet glaze, and the cream was light and not too rich. Western-style sweets in Japan are often sickly sweet, but Cafe Comme Ca gets the balance (and the beauty) just right.

Cafe Comme Ca, 5F Comme Ca Store, 3-26-6 Shinjuku-ku, Shinjuku Tokyo  http://www.cafe-commeca.co.jp/ (Japanese only)

Manoffin

We used the metro a lot in Seoul, and part of the fun is peeking at all the shops inside each station. I can’t quite remember which station we discovered Manoffin at, they do seem to be at a range of metro stops throughout the city. While we were there they had a special range of muffins out for Halloween, which were incredibly eye-catching and creative – there were muffins topped with spider webs, bloodshot eyes, creepy faces and fanged monsters. Obviously I had to have one. I decided to try the ‘blue monster’, which was probably the cutest out of the selection with half an oreo biscuit poking out as its mouth. The muffin itself was a plain vanilla flavour, and it was soft and fluffy, as muffins should be. The icing was a nice thickness, and the monster’s eyes were made of  sweet white chocolate buttons. I also went back to try one of their regular muffins, maple flavoured, which was rich and luscious, served with whipped cream and a disk of white chocolate on top. A good value sweet snack when travelling in Seoul, and  fun way to celebrate Halloween!

Manoffin, various locations throughout Seoul                     http://www.manoffin.co.kr/

Re:hab

When one of my friends suggested going to a burger place for lunch in Cairns, I was a bit hesitant – why eat a burger when there’s such good Japanese and Korean food in town? But he insisted this was no ordinary burger place, and so I found myself at re:hab. The first thing that strikes you is that re:hab could fit in quite easily on Lonsdale St – it’s got chalkboard walls with art on them, wooden floor boards with shipping brands imprinted on them, and an ecclectic mix of chairs and tables. We went for the leather armchairs, and I decided to order the tropical burger (being in Queensland and all). The burger was massive, a thick, well-cooked patty topped with tomato, lettuce, aioli and pineapple on a soft and slightly floured bun. Yum-o. It came with re:hab potatos on the side, a bit heavy in the warmth but very tasty. Finally, as if re:hab hadn’t ticked enough boxes, there was a plate of cronuts sitting on the counter, calling out my name (ok, not really calling, more like whispering). Such a great find, a definitely not your average burger place.

Re:hab, 46 Lake Street, Cairns QLD, no website