Louis Vuitton Time Capsule Exhibition

The Louis Vuitton Time Capsule Exhibition is on at Chadstone Shopping Centre from 24th Feb to 21st March 2018. Admission is free, though you may feel strongly compelled to go straight out from the exhibition to the nearest LV store to get yourself a handbag. 

The exhibition has travelled all over the world, including high LV consumption capitals like Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore. 

The first display to draw the crowds in is the artisan's table where a qualified worksperson from LV sits, sewing handles on LV bags. The person explains that each piece of LV is hand made. The only part that the machines has a hand in (forgive the pun!) is connecting the bottom part of a bag. Even then the machine is operated by a machinist with at least 6 months' training who carefully guides the machine so that the bag is properly shaped as they should be. 

There are many unique pieces of LV in display, all the way back from when LV started to contemporary times. The piece below is an ode to Australia, it is various LV bags forming a kangaroo. It kinda looks scary to me...

LV actually started as a luggage packer. His job was to pack people's bags for trips, unpack them and so on. He soon saw a niche in the market for good quality bags and started his own company to create them. His creations such as the one below are complete mini wardrobes, great for the avid (and well to do) traveller. Even Michael Clarke, former Australia's cricket captain has one of these. 

His creations soon extend to cases of all kinds including a case for carrying caviar. Mother of pearl spoons for consumption of the caviar are of course included..

As the times change, (and LV probably realised that women will spend big for a good handbag) LV branched into smaller items such as handbags, wallets and son on. And so LV evolved into the brand I know of today...

Some of the pieces displayed in the exhibition are from private collections while the rest are from LV's own archives in France.

The exhibition is a very smart way to reinforce and 'educate' consumers on its long illustrious history, the perception of quality and dynamism of the brand. Is it worth $3,000 per bag? That is for you to decide!

Olinda Tea House, Olinda

It was a warm and sunny Saturday afternoon and just perfect for a lunch and walk date. We had to book the lunch at Olinda Tea House about a week in advance as many other people had the same idea. 

To be honest, I was surprised to find a mid-expensive price range Asian restaurant in the foothills of the Dandenong Mountains. But I must say that the combination of a functions venue (OTH also caters for weddings and other functions), beautiful grounds and nicely presented Asian food works well. There is a lunch menu of consisting of a main dish, steamed rice (which counts as a side), and a soup of $28.80. Otherwise, main dishes range cost around $23 - $33. 

We ordered the braised pork belly cubes with sweet soy sauce and signature lamb fillet with cumin, chilli and onions. The pork belly cubes were just delightful to look at. They were perfectly glazed with rich, sticky soy sauce. We could see the distinct and alternate layers of quivering fat and meat. So much collagen! I just wished we had some mantou buns to sop up the delicious rich sauce. This is quite possibly the best looking Tong Po Rou I've seen. 

The cumin lamb arrived on our table shortly after, again presented beautifully with a 'basket' of fried noodles. The fried noodles were too hard to sink our teeth into, even if it was just garnish... (it's still food!)

Thankfully the cumin in the lamb was not too overpowering. There were lots of chilli in the dish, just as the menu promised. Probably a tad too oily but delicious nevertheless.

After our meal, we took a walk around OTH's grounds. There were some outdoor pavilions, good for a group of 4 -6 people to drink tea and just chat. There were also 2 separate function rooms complete with mahjong tables for those who fancy a little social gambling before dinner/lunch. We also stopped by the two ponds on the premises to look at the lazy kois and goldfishes.

Overall we had a good experience dining and visiting the Olinda Tea House.

Bensons Mt Waverley

We had a delicious dinner at Bensons Mt Waverley recently. Tucked away from the main strip of restaurants, cafes and shops on Hamilton Place, Mt Waverley, this restaurant is located on The Highway in an office-cy area a short distance away. Because the offices are closed past 5:30pm, the only buzz of activity can be found at Bensons. 

On the day we tried this place out, the restaurant was full and very busy. There was a whole section dedicated to freshly made pasta and risotto dishes in the menu so I decided to try the seafood linguine. There was a good mix of seafood and meat mains in the menu as well. Gaz decided to go with the beef cheeks and potatoes. 

We also ordered an entree of calamari to share between us. The calamari was tender, and the batter was not too thick. We enjoyed dipping (and double dipping) the calamari pieces into the aioli. 

 

What we really enjoyed were the main dishes, especially the beef cheeks. Slow braised beef cheeks, so tender they melt in your mouth. The chunk of beef cheek was topped with thick red wine jus. Roasted potatoes which were crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. Brocollini was tender but still retained its fresh green colour.

I liked this dish very much and would easily order this again.


The other main we ordered was the seafood linguine. It came with generous serves of seafood pieces - 5 pieces of mussels, 2 scallops, 2 large prawns, a few pieces of calamari, some fish pieces and cherry tomatoes.

The linguine was freshly made and was very tasty. Although there were a lot on the plate, it didn't feel like a chore to eat as the linguine was light and well balanced ratio between seafood and starch.

The mains were $26 each and the entree $10. The pricing was simple, the food was good and there were lots of parking available around the restaurant.

Road Trip to SA - Hahndorf

I heard about Hahndorf from a friend who had done the same road trip to South Australia a couple of years before. I found it intriguing that there is an old fashioned German town in the Adelaide Hills. After our visit, I learned more information of how the town came to be. 

In 1838, German Lutherans were being persecuted by the King for practicing their religion. They were assisted by Pastor Kavel and a South Australian businessman who also provided monetary assistance for them to start anew in South Australia. Hahndorf is named after the captain of the ship that brought them to South Australia, Captain Dirk Hahn. 

During WW1 when anti German sentiments were high, Hahndorf was renamed Ambleside and remained so until 1935. I think Hahndorf holds a certain charm befitting the history of the town, don't you think? 

Today, the town thrives on tourism as well as farm produce and vineyards. Many of the businesses remain family owned and operated by the descendants of the original settlers. For instance, the Paech family who runs the Beerenberg family farm that is famous for their strawberry jams. 

We also visited the Hahndorf Hill Winery for wine tasting. The vines were still looking a little sad, lacking the customary green foliage but we were informed that they usually grow around October and growth is exponential from week to week such that one can come back in a week and find a totally different, lusher scenery to the one below. 

A famous resident of Hahndorf was the artist Hans Heysen. Both his and his daughter Nora Heysen's work are displayed in their property The Cedars. For $10 per person, we were able to tour his studio, and the gardens. A fully guided tour is available for $15 per person and this includes a tour of the house as well. It would have been nice to tour the house because the furniture have been left as is, but we missed the guided tour. But the garden was in bloom, and we enjoyed a meander through the large grounds.

While at The Cedars, we saw Heysen's caravan parked in the garage. He was among the first people who owned a caravan. It was custom made and made of wood. It contained two small single beds and a locker, just enough to sleep the night. What a vast difference with the modern day motor home! Heysen would tie the caravan to his car for overnight trips to locations where he can paint.

Hahndorf is only about half an hour away from Adelaide CBD. On the way to Adelaide, we stopped by Mount Lofty summit which is halfway between Hahndorf and the CBD. Besides a good view of the surrounding area, there are also several walking trails, a cafe and gift shop at the summit.

A parking fee of $4 per car applies. It doesn't come with free viewing of koalas, but we were lucky and spotted this cute mother koala and her little koala perched atop a tree in the carpark. It was probably the best view of the day, surpassing even the view from the summit of Adelaide CBD in the distance.

Road Trip to SA - Mt Gambier

Having a road trip is a real test of a relationship... Two people in a car in an extended period of time with nothing but music on repeat and the long road ahead. So many decisions, or should I say so many opportunities for arguments  - where to stop for a break, is the petrol enough to get to the next stop, which is the fastest way, didn't you see that pothole on the road! Trapped in a car together, there is no where to seek refuge should there be an argument on the way. 

Luckily, we managed to pull through and actually enjoyed our recent road trip to South Australia. This is a relief, since I harbour a dream to travel around Australia in a motor home one day. I have yet to convince Gaz but I'm sure he'll get there one day. Maybe he'll consent if I agree to empty the toilet at the end of each day...

We stopped at Mount Gambier on the first day of our road trip. Mount Gambier is home to the Blue Lake and Umpherston Sinkhole. It is also the second most populous city after Adelaide. Here are some fun facts: 

Population: around 30,000

450km away from Adelaide

17km from Victorian border

Mount Gambier is located on the slopes of a dormant volcano. Once upon a time when the volcano erupted, the rocks were thrown by the erupting volcano and formed craters when they landed forcefully on the ground thus creating the famous Blue Lake and several other lakes nearby such as the Leg of Mutton lake and Valley lake.

In summer, the colour of the lake turns vivid blue while in winter, it is a steely blue. On the sunny spring day we were there, it was dark blue. The water in the lake is so still, it reflects that clouds in the sky perfectly. It almost seemed like an extension of the sky. The water in the lake supplied to the city as drinking water.

There is a walking trail which is alongside the road for vehicles that is 3.6km long all around the lake. As the walk will take about about 3 and a half hours, we decided to stop at Hoo Hoo Lookout, then walked a short distance to Blue Lake Lookout. From lookout, we could also glimpse parts of the Valley Lake.

The Umpherston Sinkhole is named after James Umpherston who once owned the property. It is only a few minutes drive from Blue Lake. It was once a limestone cave then the roof collapsed. It was also once half filled with water but is now dry as water levels receded. A large working bee was organised a long time ago to plant a garden in the sinkhole which has made it the beautiful and mysterious garden that it is today. There are creepers hanging from the sides of the sinkhole and lush calla lily bushes are planted on the terrace. The council has provided BBQ facilities and benches in the garden. 

There is another smaller sinkhole in the city centre, which is also planted with various plants and shrubs to create a beautiful garden. There is a light show each night at 8pm in the garden. 

While visiting the city centre, we stopped by the local library and was very impressed by the services provided. The library was large, modern and had many different zones for the community - cafe area with opportunity for people to have a cuppa and read the library's magazines at the same time, kids activity area, and a quiet area. 

For lunch, we spotted a place with $8.90 lunch special and ordered the roast duck on egg noodles and beef panang curry with rice.