Hello Again :)

Salam and Hello All,

It has been a long while since our last update.  Well, that's because we are now back in Malaysia :)  But of course, a part of our heart is still in Melbourne (and it's currently Autumn now over there, my favourite season of all!).  There are still some posts of halal eateries and places of visit pending to be posted, but we'll slowly and gradually share them when time permits.  In the meantime, you can still reach us via email at blogwalkwalk[at]gmail[dot]com . We still sell the Walk Walk Melbourne CBD Halal Map, now in also in e-map version.  Please email us if you're interested in purchasing.

Meanwhile, we'll leave you with some photos of May last year in 2011.  Oh, Autumn! :)

Swanston St sidewalk (before the new renovation) in front of the State Library

A walk through Centre Place

Milky Joe's Coffee from QV food court

p/s: looking at these photos now remind me of the sunny, windy, cool and sometimes rainy Autumn Melbourne weather. for my friends who are still there, I'm sure all of you are enjoying snuggling in your scarves and sipping those hot coffee ;)

Camping at Lorne, Victoria

A group of us recently went on a camping trip.  We wanted to drive off somewhere not too far from Melbourne, and were looking for a site that is located near the water, either the beach or a river.  We found that Lorne, located along Great Ocean Road, has such camping sites.  The driving distance from Melbourne was only about 2 hours away, which is good because there is enough time to enjoy the roadtrip, but not too far that you'd get tired before arriving at the site.

So we chose to stay at Lorne Foreshore Caravan Park (click for detail info), located next to Erskine River and the beach.  It's very near to the small town centre of Lorne, shops, cafes, other hotels and apartments, and Foodworks supermarket is just right opposite of the caravan park.  There is also options for powered and unpowered sites for tents and caravans, and as well as cabins.  As like other caravan parks, there is a centralised toilet facilities, and cooking/pantry room.  There's even children's playground and picnic tables in the area.

At the time that we went, the weather was not the best that it could be.  It was sunny for a while, and drizzling in the next few hours.  Nonetheless, we had the opportunity to enjoy the gorgeous surrounding of Lorne.  Walking by the river, with the ducks and birds passing by, then walking on the boardwalk and taking a stroll towards the beach are definitely worth the stay.  Personally, I felt Lorne was just gorgeous and breathtaking.  Here are some pics from our brief camping experience there:

So what can you do while you're out camping in Lorne?  Well, you can visit Erskine Falls (which we didn't have the opportunity to visit due to the rain), have a walk to the town, go to the beach, have bbq, have a stroll or run around the area.  In this Lorne trip, what I enjoyed was just sitting back near the tent (and in the tent), having a stroll by the river, and just relax and really absorb the gorgeous surrounding.  It's at these kinds of places that we can feel and experience the serenity, calmness and freshness that's probably different from our day to day lives in the suburbs and the city.  So go there and remember that it's totally okay to not be filled with too much activities... but instead, just sit back and relax with your warm companies of family and friends (and a mug of hot chocolate early morning or in the middle of the night would be a perfect addition too!).

Lorne is located on the Great Ocean Road, further ahead after Anglesea.

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Other places along the way that you might want to consider visiting:

• The market by the river at Anglesea (beautiful, scenic river there as well)
• Ripcurl, Quiksilver/Roxy Factory Outlet at Baines Cres, Torquay VIC 3228

Burger Edge @ The Dining Hall, Melbourne Central

Another halal burger place in the city! We were thrilled to hear that Burger Edge at The Dining Hall serves halal burgers. According to their website, "Burger Edge uses only halal beef and chicken, but is not a halal environment. They use salami, ham and bacon in their burgers. Therefore customers are requested to alert counter staff if this is an issue to avoid cross contamination on grills and preparation areas". So please double-check or ask when you order.

We've tried their beef burger with halal beef rasher, spicy chicken burger and chicken tandoori salad. I must say they were pretty tasty!

Burger Edge is located at the upper floor food court in Melbourne Central.

Hobba Coffee + Kitchen on Malvern Rd

We visited a cafe that recently opened on Malvern Rd, Prahran. We loved the environment inside - kind of warehouse-like with wall textures without finishing (you gotta love those earthy brick walls!). The coffee was good as it matched our liking... not too bitter to my taste. The cafe is located near corner of Williams Rd and Malvern Rd, opposite of Budget Car Rental and a car dealership. Opens 7 days a week, from 7 to 5.

Malaysia Hall's Bazaar Ramadhan 2011 is also back!

Wow, Ramadhan bazaar in Melbourne TWICE  a week! What more could you ask for when fasting away from home right? :)

Source via Malaysia Hall's Bazaar Ramadhan Event Page

The bazaar is going to be held EVERY SUNDAY, starting tomorrow August 7, from 3.30 pm until Iftar.

Location: Malaysia Hall, 4K High St, Prahran

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Bazaar Ramadhan Melbourne 2011 is back!

Bazaar Bersama is once again organizing a backyard Ramadhan Bazaar at Kak Sal's Backyard in Fawkner. 

 

Source via Bazaar Bersama Event Page

The next bazaar will be on Saturdays (6, 13 and 20 August 2011), from 12 noon to 3 pm.

The location is at Kak Sal's back yard at 55 Percy St, Fawkner.

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Papparoti in Melbourne!

There's this bun called Mexican Bun.  It's mocha crusted on the outside, and soft, fluffy and buttery in the inside.  And it's so good!  In Malaysia, each time we walk pass by a shop that sells these buns, the aroma is so tempting that it's hard not to stop and buy one.  A couple of months back, I had one of those missing-food-from-home craving for this bun.  The thought of the warm, baked bun was just so tempting that I thought I had to learn to make some myself.  To my luck, on one of the days that we were walking along Elizabeth St, I saw a small sign that said Papparoti will be opening in Melbourne!

We finally found time to visit Papparoti last week.  The buns are Halal, and they taste just like the ones back home.  The buns are AUD2.20 each.  Not to forget, we had them with a cup of hot Teh Tarik.  They also sell some Halal gelato.  The one we tried was Durian Gelato and it was truly delicious.

 

 

Papparoti is located on 349 Elizabeth St, right opposite of Melbourne Central.
They have a couple of outdoor seating, otherwise you can have your Papparoti buns to go.

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For more info, visit their website here.