3 Degrees bar and cafe

I went to the 3 Degrees bar and cafe in QV with my library group. There were about 25 of us in all. Outside was really chilly so I hoped we did not sit outside. Luckily we sat inside and they were great in accommodating large groups of people. The booking had been made about a week before.
The ambiance was really loud and noisy and loud music was playing. You had to order from the bar and they give you a table number. No water was offered.
The food took a while to come. My guess is because they are so busy, but really the kitchen did not look busy. I had a pinenut, feta and pumpkin pizza ($12.50), Ms A had nachos ($10) which she said that they were quite filling, B had pasta, C had a beef burger and chips ($18 or there about) and D also had nachos. C’s burger was really hard to cut into because it was so big. I think they should have given her a steak knife. I had the chance to try a few of the chips and tomato sauce. The tomato sauce was canned and obviously from Heinz. The chips were frozen and fried in too much oil.

A’s tomato salsa from the nachos tastes like it was canned and from Doritos. Also the chips tasted like Doritos chips. I couldn’t taste the guacamole and the sour cream because they were all mixed in with the salsa.  A and D said that they were quite filling and they couldn’t finish the whole bowl.
B’s pasta was overcooked. I didn’t get to try the other ingredients.
My pizza’s base was thin which I like. But they put too much cheese and not enough vegetables.
All in all I would not come again unless I really have to or if its for just drinks

Miss libertines

Miss Libertines is an Irish pub, which does good Guinness, according to my friend. But I don’t drink. So a big bunch of us went there for lunch today without a booking. It was one of my friend’s birthday. The staff was pretty good in accommodating about 15 of us. We all had to order and pay at the counter. Soup ($8) was big, but it had too much salt in it. My soup was the French Onion soup. The bread was in the soup so it was really soggy. I don’t like soggy bread very much, in soup I generally like them toasted.
But it was not too bad.
There are other $10 meals there too, but I had brought my lunch from home and ate it. I was still recovering from my weekend in the country. Next time when I go back I will have to try the $10 meals.
There was a $13 big breakfast, but I didn’t feel like it. It had eggs, Turkish bread, tomatoes and bacon all swimming in fat.
I got to sample my friend’s wedges and salad. The chicken was a bit dry, but the wedges were perfect.

Country report

 

            I went to the country on a lovely sunny weekend where there was no rain whatsoever and some really lovely sunset. I visited Kilmore and Wallan. Kilmore is about 50 mins from Melbourne by train. You can also drive there from Melbourne using the Hume Highway.  The station is Kilmore East (Vline trains). You would need a car to get from the station to the town. There are no rental places in Kilmore; the nearest one is in Seymour. But you can rent cars online at: http://www.maplandia.com/australia/victoria/mitchell/wallan/car-rental/#nearest-car-rental-locations. Here you just need to select your car and your pick up location and pay by credit card. Taxis are not cheap out here and they are very few in between.  There is one bus, but that too doesn’t run often. I went there by train and stayed at a friend’s place. My friend owns a car. The ticket costed me around $11.60 (includes zone 1 and 2 and the return trip to Melbourne). You can either book online at vline.com.au or you can pay at Southern Cross station. I booked a few days ahead, because it can get very busy during Easter. I stayed in Kilmore for one night in my friend’s place.

The nights in autumn and in winter are colder than in Melbourne. The night that I was there it was only 9C. In winter though, it can get down to about -5C at night and about 10C-15C.  During the day it was warmer: 21C-23C. Like Melbourne, it too can be very hot in summer. One year, they had a few bushfires happening.

It is very orderly here in Kilmore. The people here are generally pretty friendly, just don’t get into any trouble and people will be willing to help you out. It has a community vibe in the town. People love walking their dogs here in town. People also love to keep a garden at their houses and houses are generally a bit old fashioned. At night there are no hoon drivers and it is generally safe at night. Most shops in Kilmore open at 9am and finish at 5:30pm (Monday to Friday). They don’t open on Sunday and on Saturday they open from 9am-1pm.

I got to experience the Irish pub in Kilmore and really loved it. Apparently I heard that they do really good Guinness but I don’t drink so I just had water and a Mediterranean pizza infused with lots of cheese ($12.50). I could have gone for a main ($17), but I wasn’t particularly hungry. However we did share garlic bread ($4.50). The nightlife here is great; there are a few restaurants around here. There is an Indian, Chinese, European, hotels and another pub here. There are two bakeries in Kilmore.

            There is also a park in Kilmore and not many shops in Kilmore. The park here is quite lovely and child friendly. There were heaps of old ladies and families at the park, some were walking their dogs. They however do have a Coles, butchers, newsagent, cafes, nursery, video hire and computer shop. There are no cinemas here; the closest one is in Epping. The closest bowling place and games arcade is in Melbourne. There are quite a few shops in Wallan and Seymour though. If you need to post something the closest place is in Wallan. The petrol station is on the Hume Highway between Wandong and Wallan. There is a McDonalds in the same place. There are a few schools in Kilmore.

There are a lot of houses here and land for sale here in Kilmore and Wallan.

There is only one motel in Kilmore that you can rent a room for $70 per night.

Outside of Kilmore near Wallan, there is a tram museum and a Pure Indulgence place, but we didn’t have time to check those out.

For the weekend you need to budget around $150 cash (without a car or $250 with a rented car for fuel and rent costs) for meals, travel, entertainment and attractions (if staying with friends and family) or $350 if staying in a motel, caravan park etc. There are a limited number of banks and atms in Wallan and Kilmore, so it does help to bring lots of cash. Also some of the places don’t accept  ATM cards.

Apart from clothes and shoes (and maybe toys for the kids), you don’t need to bring much else. You only just need small samples of bath and body stuff and some food stuffs, the rest you can buy here in Kilmore.

Mail Exchange Hotel

I went to the Mail Exchange Hotel with my library group and had lunch there today. Today I wasn’t feeling hungry so I had the potato and leek soup ($8) and a panna cotta ($12). Online I have read that there was a $15.50 (one course), $19.50 (two courses) and about $21(three courses) lunch specials. I have also read that the place is really good.

I loved the decor about this place, its warm and inviting. I wish that there were no pokie machines here, as the pokie machines don’t really fit into the atmosphere of a nice fine dining place and entice people to gamble more than they should. That’s what I think this is.

I can’t see the bacon bits in this and this looks really green. I think that they put a lot of peas into this instead of leek.

Panna Cotta -$12

This is a panna cotta for those of you that don’t know it. Its an Italian dessert (like jelly, but solid), which is made out of milk, gelatin and cream. You’ll find this at many Italian fine dining places in Melbourne. Its really sweet. I liked the fruit compote that went with this.

Some other dishes on offer.

A latte ( which is a type of coffee in Melbourne)- $3.80

White and Dark Chocolate Mousse- $12 each

Fish and Chips -$22