8/28/2018

#Somalieats (Flemington, Vic)

Honest authentic Somali food at reasonable prices. The food is cooked from scratch, home-style, something that always excites me. The place is frequented by first and second generation Somalis, so that's a guarantee of authenticity to me.

I had the tasting platter. It has two yummy fritters,  hearty spiced rice with lamb, and a refreshing yogurt-based dessert with mango, grated coconut and walnuts. I loved everything.  The mains are man-size, so you won't leave hungry. The tasting platter is also man-sized, something that always makes my belly happy.  

The staff are really friendly.

Relaxed atmosphere. 

I would happily give them five stars if it wasn't because some dishes were still unavailable, and on the making, after 1pm; on the other hand, is understandable as there are just a couple of ladies attending to the kitchen.

I love genuine  international food eateries, and this is one of those!

Saint James (Malvern, Vic)

I went all the way to this place due to the high ratings, and I was disappointed except for the coffee, which was excellent. My dish was good enough, but nothing especial. I had the bacon mash cake dish and it was lovely; I especially liked the accompanying sauces and pickles and a the overall dish. However, if you mention 'bacon' together with 'mash, I expect the bacon to be more noticeable. Friendly staff. OK premises

8/11/2018

Ubuntu Vegan Cafe (Hawthorn Vic)

I had a great experience in this vegan cafe. I am not vegan but omnivorous, so I also eat vegan. and I am fascinated by how veganism works with taste. 

I had the Lizzy burger, with comes with a basket of sweet-potato chips. Wow! It is a mix of beetroot brioche bun, pineapple and Portobello mushrooms, an odd mix of things, I thought. However, all the flavours work together and my burger was finger-leaking yummy. The chips were also yummy, crunchy and very tasty.   The main downside is  that, due to the way the burger was assembled, the filling kept sliding out, so I had to use knife and fork to finish my burger. To me, that's a let down because a burger is something I want to eat with my bare hands.

I'm a bit of a coffee nerd. Not having skim milk to have mine was a bit of, I dunno. However, they have an excellent soya milk coffee! The soya barely noticeable.

The staff were totally awesome, genuinely friendly.

The premises lack character, so it is not a place you go to experience the place and ambience.

Pricing is on the high side.

8bit (Footscray Vic)

The place is a bit run down, and needs an update re seating area and interior. However, you don't go there to enjoy the premises. My burger was excellent regarding flavour, easy to eat, well assembled, and the way is presented is perfect not to make a mess on the table. My only criticism is that there was a noticeable difference in temperature between the bun and the filling, something I found odd. Flavour is everything to me, so this was a very flavoursome burger. Onion rings and the accompanying sauce were awesome re flavour, but the rings were a bit oily. Friendly staff. Fast-ish service. I'll be back.

Crux & Co Patisserie (Melbourne CBD)

They have a small selection of cakes but, wow, the yuzu cake is absolutely yummy and beautifully presented. The barista prepares an excellent coffee and he is super-artsy with his coffee art, which he personalises for each client. Nicest coffee art I've seen in Melbourne. This cafe is inside the Sheraton, barely noticeable from the street. It has a very small seating area, but it is very cozy and quiet. Staff were very friendly, especially the boys. I'll be back

Burma Lane (Melbourne CBD)

I had a great experience for lunch in this place. I had some of the grazing tapas-sized dishes, and I was very impressed with the creativity of them all, and the wonderful mix of flavours. Everything I tried was yummy and satisfying. Perhaps the thing that surprised me the most was their tofu dish; tofu is one of those ingredients that, unless you know how to cook it, it can be bland and boring. Not here, the dish was so full of flavour and so silky that I would go there just for their tofu dish. Attentive service and genuinely friendly staff. Beautiful premises. A bit pricey but totally worth it.

11/11/2017

Microsoft Sculpt Mobile Mouse

I can finally say that I have found the right work mouse for me and my small hands. There is a reason why I love Microsoft mice, and the Sculpt Mobile is the perfect example that you don't have to buy the latest super-duper flashy expensive mouse to have a great work mouse.

The Sculpt Mobile, obviously, is designed for people who are on the move and travel frequently, but it is also a  mouse perfect for people with small hands.

This mouse is a pleasure to use. It runs softly and smoothly on a gaming mat, the rugged fabric surface of my sofa, and on the bare surface of my desk. It's quite ergonomic, at least for my hands' shape and size. It is simple,  nothing fancy,  two click buttons, a scroll wheel, and a  Windows button. It's very responsive and accurate, with an excellent tracking system, so I don't have to move my hand much to get the mouse to move on the screen. Clicking is soft and incredibly low pitched, and therefore not noisy at all. Highlighting is quite intuitive and fast. The Sculpt Mobile is not heavy, but not as light as other small mice I own, mostly because the materials are better  quality and less plastic-ish.

Although the instructions on the packaging recommend downloading installing software from Microsoft, I didn't need to do that as my mouse was immediately recognised by my laptop as soon as I plugged the dongle.

The dongle has a storage place on the mouse belly to keep it safely away when moving or travelling.

The main downside of this mouse is the scrolling wheel, not as smooth or sensitive as other mice I own.

Overall, I love this mouse. It is not the flashy type that doesn't work, but the 'normal' does-the-job-to-perfection type. After trying and returning two flashy mice for not being good enough, I am happy to have this normal mouse as more than good.