Emi and I finally made it to our long awaited and much talked about spa date at the lovely 104 year old Melbourne City Baths, located in the tiny strip between Swanston and Franklin St :) The spa (Smooth Relaxation Studio) is actually a year old business set up by an enterprising Greek lady called Mari-ann. She saw the potential in restoring the original baths and changing rooms, including some very interesting ones such as a Jewish marbled "mikvah bath".

After a nice soak in the ancient bathtub, Mari-ann gave us her signature "De-stress Express" back, neck and head massage with homemade lemongrass and myrtle oils... and it was VERY good :) It was 9pm when we left, blissfully relaxed and hungry for French crepes!

Inspired by the London Taste festivals, MEL and Sydney started their own this year... and I certainly had to be part of the action :P "Taste of Melbourne 2008" was held at the magnificent Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton, one of the world's oldest remaining exhibition venues and the first non-Aboriginal site in Australia to be listed as World Heritage.

It was the last day of the 4 day event and crowds were already waiting 20 min before doors opened at 12pm. For $8 - $12, you could sample a selection of dishes prepared by 13 of MEL's fine dining restaurants. There were also stalls showcasing local produce, wines and a large Moet & Chandon pavilion for that glass of bubbly :)

With my list of "must tries" in hand, fellow food kaki Jocelyn and I headed straight for Interlude. I was buzzing with excitement to see what these "molecular gastronomy" restaurants would offer and I was not disappointed. Their version of "Bacon & Eggs" conjured up a perfectly poached egg in bacon consomme and topped with roasted rice for that burnt flavour! Definitely a promising start to the day ;)

Slow cooked Tasmania Petuna ocean trout with wasabi dressing from Jacques Reymond. Yum, yum, yum!

Another winner from Jacques Reymond, Saddle of Highland venison tataki and soft parmesan polenta.





Verge offered a modern European/Japanese menu, as seen in this Slow cooked Pork Belly "nan ban zuke" with shiitake and seaweed soup. It reminded me of the famous Okinawan pork belly soba!

This was my other favourite from Three, One, Two - Roast quail in vine leaf, cracked wheat, almond and poached lemon :)

We took a break from our mains and checked out the cooking demos sponsored by Smeg and ABC's Delicious food mag. Chefs from the restaurants featured demo-ed a recipe or two.

Time for dessert :) A most interesting example of molecular gastronomy from Circa, the Prince seen with their Cheesecake, crispy brik pastry, poached rhubarb and toasted barley froth. Take your time to figure out which is which!