The Best Ice Cream ever!

I've probably chosen to write about ice cream today because it's a hot summery day here in Tassie and I'm stuck in my office - looking longingly out the window wishing I was lollygagging in a hammock, eating DELICIOUS VALHALLA ICE CREAM! Yes, I have found the holy grail of ice cream makers right here in Tasmania, right here in Hobart actually - Valhalla. Their ice creams are so good, I can't even choose one flavor as "the greatest ice cream ever". They are ALL good. I suspect the reason for their greatness is that they use mounds of whole cream in their ice cream, probably taking years off my life as I speak, but I don't care. It is creamy, creamy goodness. In my short time in Tassie, I have tried many flavors, including:
-Blackberry cheesecake (divine!)
-Raspberry cream (excellent!)
-Carmel fudge (carmelly goodness)
-Jamaican coffee (oi!)
-Ferrero Rocher (seriously, why has no one else thought of this?? Brilliant!!!)
-Chocolate (the grand-daddy of chocolate ice creams - and I am very particular about chocolate ice cream)

If any of you ever make Down Under, make the trip to Tassie and try Valhalla ice cream. Your arteries may hate you for it, but your stomach will love you forever.

Best Gnocci Ever!

I almost feel like I can't take full credit for this one, since it was recommended by friends as "the best gnocci ever". Well, they were right. It was at the restaurant Smolt, in Salamanca (Hobart), and damn, was it good. Now, I generally like gnocci. But the chef at Smolt has capitolized on the age-old secret: EVERYTHING IS BETTER WITH BUTTER AND BACON. Yes, the gnocci were sauteed in delicious, delicious butter, and served with pancetta, broccolini, and fresh parmesan. Unreal. Seriously, there's no reason NOT to eat gnocci like this. (I tried to take a picture with my camera phone, but no-go, sorry). I'm holding back a little, I really want to go on about the supreme greatness of bacon (and pancetta, of course) and butter, but I think you all know that. I mean, come on - bacon is the thing that breaks vegetarians. Anyway, I believe that gnocci has now found its soul mates in butter and pancetta - never to be eaten separately again.

Best Pasty Ever (+ our introduction to Vanilla Slice!)

Mmm, the pasty! I was actually introduced to the pasty before moving to a British commonwealth; they're quite popular in the Upper Penninsula (say ya to da UP, eh?) of Michigan. Anyway, Reed and I ate the best Cornish pasties at the Ross Bakery, in the sweet little town of Ross, Tasmania (the picture at the left is a church in Ross - sorry, no pasty pictures!). This bakery was a little slice of heaven, everything looked amazing. The pasties though....oh my. The crust was perfect - buttery and flaky. The whole meal was rather noteworthy, considering we followed the pasties with an Aussie dessert delicacy: the Vanilla Slice. The Vanilla Slice consists of two pieces of filo-like dough, dusted in powdered sugar, sandwiching a ginormous slice of vanilla custard (seriously, it was like four-inches thick!). An outstanding meal all around!

Best Burger Ever

Well, maybe not, but this is my most recent exclamation of, "This is the best '____' ever!". And it was only last night...
Reed and I purchased burger patties very similar to those shown on the right from Woolworth's - in the shape of Australia for Australia Day! Who could resist?? And plus, they were made of 100% Australian beef.
After being cooked (not grilled, sadly, as we don't own a grill...) with a little Lee & Perrins and salt and pepper, they were served on a Tasmanian Bakery toasted herbed Focaccia bun, with seed mustard, melted Ashgrove Mature Cheddar, grilled onions and mushrooms, and leafy greens.
Now that's a tasty burger.

Best Malaysian Food Ever (and quite possible the best meal I've ever eaten!)

Whoa, that's a pretty bold statement. But this was a seriously amazing meal. It was almost a year ago, at the Banana Leaf Malaysian restaurant in Vancouver, that I ate Scallops in Gulai sauce with Mango, and declared it then the greatest meal I have ever eaten. Since then, on many occasions, I have proclaimed it's greatness, and have sought out other Gulai sauces, but to no avail. Gulai sauce is described as "... [a] spicy turmeric coconut sauce made of tamarind, galangal, lemongrass & ginger". I describe it as the greatest thing ever. It was similar to a Thai coconut curry sauce, but with more complex flavor - I think the tamarind really added something. And the mango! Oh, the mango....If any of you are ever anywhere near Vancouver, Canada - go to the Banana Leaf! You will not be disappointed. Some day, I will return again...

First Cadbury Creme Egg of 2009: January 12th

This has to be a new record. On January 12th, 2009, I found Cadbury Creme Eggs at Woolworth's in Hobart, Tasmania. I mean, who knows how long they had been on the shelves?? Maybe a few days? So their actually appearance was in early January - incredible.
I have to admit something now, which will probably say a lot about the sophistication of my palate: I LOVE Cadbury Creme Eggs. They are incredible. I don't care how crazy-early they were on the shelves; I immediately bought four and ate two that night. Heaven. I am not a big supporter of the chocolate-filled or caramel-filled varieties, you're just messing with perfection as far as I'm concerned.
So to the Cadbury Creme Egg - you're a legend.

New Blog for 2009

Yes, this used to be my "Adventures in Tasmania" blog. But, seeing as I hadn't actually posted anything here since, say, July, I decided that the New Year required a new vision. Spurred by my partner Reed (who said, in no uncertain terms: 'Your blog should be about food. Almost every day you say "This is the best "____" I ever ate!"'), I have changed the focus of my blog to food.
Now, for a little background, I am a geologist. I am not even a very skilled cook. But, I really like to eat. Particularly chocolate. And Reed is correct; seldom does a week go by where I don't exclaim "This is the best (fill in food item here) I ever ate!". So, I will attempt to record the great food moments of my life here. My first few posts will be past food-events, to bring things up to speed. Don't expect the words such as "palate" or "essence of" or "mouth-feel" here. Expect more like "best-damn-chocolate ever"! Bon apetit!