Max Brenner (FINALLY!!)

So. Finally, after months (literally) of nagging, my family finally agreed to take me to the very famous Max Brenner's Chocolate Cafe. Chocolate by the Bald Man. Not exactly an appetising slogan, but who cares!? The moment I walked into the Parramatta cafe and saw the huge vats of swirling metal molten chocolate I was a stark raving lunatic screaming to dig into some waffles! FEED ME!!

I was kinda sizing out the place and comparing it to Sydney's other famous chocolate joint, Lindt Cafe (which I have also been to). Mind you, I'm heavily biased towards Lindt, since it just sounds so much cooler, and has that prestigious air, like it's an aristocratic establishment (it's also kewl that Lindt invented conching, although serendipitously...)

ANYWAY.

The Max Brenner place was kinda, er, dark. As in really dark. Maybe they were trying to give it that seedy feel of a nightclub or something I dunno. It was different I suppose. It was very full too. Irrelevant details. All that is important is the FOOD.

ALL HAIL CHOCOLATE LORD.

We ordered crepes, waffles, suckao, hot chocolate, strawberries and melted chocolate (*moans*) and peanut butter milkshakes. It was SO good. I don't really want to compare it to Lindt (I can't really, I haven't tasted everything, and plus Lindt is so friggin' expensive) so I'll just describe the food in all its glories.

The strawberries were so good! They were actually sweet (I'm too used to sour supermarket strawberries.) I wonder where they get them from. And the chocolate! Just TOO good! It finished so quickly. *Sigh*...

Here's a close-up/artistic-shot. Pretty.

Here are the Tutti-Frutti Waffles (or should I say waffle.) Waffle, GODLY chocolate, bananas, those damn good strawberries again and some vanilla ice-cream. It was SO GOOD. Some people (*ahem*) say that it's better than the Lindt waffles but I don't really think so. However, I wouldn't mind someone buying both for me again so I could compare! HAHA.

Suckao. A strange Max Brenner invention. Suck + Cacao = Suckao. Capish? I didn't think it was all that great. Honestly it was kinda lame. Finished far too quickly. But the chocolate was as good as ever. Maybe just a bit over-priced. Hmmm...

And lastly, the peanut-butter milkshakes. Tasted so AMERICAN. Such a strange taste! I don't really understand the American obsession with peanut butter (yes, I do know he's an Israeli chap), but it was quite nice actually. Very heavy. We JUST finished it. Another sip and we would have POPPED.

Very happily too.

Cousin's GONE!!

[WARNING! LOOONG POST!!]

Awww. My cousin, uncle and auntie flew back to Singapore on Thursday. *Sob*. Now life's gonna go back to boringness again. It was much fun having them here. All we did all day was run out catch the train and have fun. It was so awesome.

The first day they came was the day of my finance finals (L-O-L) so I was all too happy to run away from uni and go hang out. I think they really wanted to see all the weird Aussie animals so they went to the zoo. Taronga Zoo. Haven't been there since like Year 4! Haha!

My cousin had this AMAZING camera (digital SLR or something funky that cost $1500+) that takes the most amazing photos. It was so much fun!

Uncle and auntie. Nice shot!

Family on the ferry to the zoo!

Gratuitous tourist-y shot!

Amazingly contrived shot of ME!

Scary komodo dragon. Eats people. Srz! Google it!

Depressed bear. Looked like it needed some loving. Or food.

Compulsory shot with giant koala.

See! I did it too ^_^

And random mountain goats. Who started humping. Seriously.

Then later that day we went to have Chinese food at Neptune's Palace (which, btw, had the best service I've ever had at a restaurant. To the point that I felt awkward. Like there was an actual maître de and everything who pulled out the chair for you and put the napkin on your lap. I'm so ghetto. *Fail*) but the food wasn't that great.

City posing!

Over the course of their stay we ate Chinese, Indian, Thai, Turkish and Lebanese food OMG it was so amazing. You can have quite a gastronomical adventure in Sydney. Win for multiculturalism. Fail for bogans. KEKE.

Anyway!

The next day me, my little sister and my older sister (we're really close. Youngest 3 out of family of 6 kids. A little happy gang!) went to the city and stole our cousin from the hotel and dragged her to Max Brenner chocolate Cafe (which you might remember from this post) and PUMPED her with goodness!

Sigh! Filled my heart with happiness! And robbed my wallet too mind you. We spent like AU$70 on this stuff. HAHA.

Little sister posing with chocs. She sure looks happy. Maybe it's something to do with the fact that she's not paying. KEKE.

Another shot of the chocs I never buy.

Am I not teh SEX?

Then we started ordering:

Banana-praline crepes! GOSH. AMAZING.

The staple waffles! As amazing as ever!

Fondue-for-two. Drool....

Choc PIZZA. Not so great. Novelty wears off quick.

To nom or not to nom; that is the question.

"SCREW YOU ALL! NOM NOM NOM!!" said the greedy girl.

Sipping hot chocolate...

We went to a Turkish restaurant "New Star" @ Auburn (Sydney's Turkish central) and indulged in adanna kebab and all other sorts of joyful expensive meats. Gosh it was so tasty. Food is magical. We talked about random things like how Malays really aren't that bad and how our other cousins are doing. Fun.

Look!

"Meh! I'm not related to you freak!" - says nice brother.

Check out the meat! It's delicious. Poor vegetarians.

They can feast on salads! Really good as well!

Muslim version of "saying grace". Dua!

Haha nutcases.

Anyway, then we left the restaurant and went to the local Krispy Kreme! They don't have one in Singapore so we thought we'd let them have a try of this American devil trap of ultimate sugar seduction. NU!

Cam-whoring on the way there. Duh.

Funny bopples posing outside. Retards LOL!

NU. DOUGHNUT CONTAMINATION!!

Mum and her brother. Cute!

The next day we went bowling and had Thai food but I didn't manage to get hold of the photos of that so I can't post any up. Bowling was heaps fun though! I got crap score and came last out of the boys but ah well. I suck at sport anyway!

Then we had to send them off to the airport the next morning. D: I was so sad. We don't have any family here so seeing them is really rare. We try to make the most of these happy times, and take lots and lots of photos. Hopefully we'll keep all these happy relationships, and all our joyful friendships with everyone, family and friends, even all the "busy-ness" takes over and life threatens to just pass us by....

Hopefully we'll stay friends.

Semester 2 is overrrrrrrr!

Semester 2 is over! And I didn't ditch my last lecture! I am AWESOME. Ending this semester on an unsure note. How will I go!? I need an ultimate ultimate performance in these finals or else I am gonna be analised.

In other more random news, I rode in an Australian taxi for the first time! I know right?? I've been living in this country for more than 12 years and the first time I ever ride a taxi is when my cousin is too lazy to catch the Wynyard train to Circular Quay and so we take a cab. Cost $10! Bejaysus! I wonder how much it would have cost to come back to Lakemba.

I think Singaporean taxis are a lot cheaper. And better.

In other news, I am SUCH a bad employee. My quasi-boss called me up for training on Saturday but my cousin came so I wanted to go to Parramatta and eat waffles with him (Max Brenner *droool*) and so I DITCHED WORK. OMG. I SUCK. I felt so bad afterwards.

But the waffles made me feel all better.