The study abroad diet

Forget the Tim Tams. Forget the Toblerone you can get out of a vending machine. Forget the fake soy ice cream. This these last few weeks (read: semester) have been all about the real food finds. From cafes in Freo to restaurants in Subi to my very own kitchen.

Last Saturday afternoon I found myself in Subi, the super posh district of Perth, on a hunt for some dinner with some friends. Should we try that great pizza place? Or the gourmet burger restaurant? Wait?? No one's been to Nando's yet?

late afternoon and the livin's easy

Nando's is that upscale type of fast food you would only expect to find in a place like Subi. The chicken is marinated for 24 hours before being cooked when you order it and the fries are so good you know they can only come from a fast food joint. And my 'chicken meal' (so fast food) came with a Coke, quite the luxury out here.

But a big dinner on a late Saturday afternoon was well deserved that day. We had to make our way out to the Subi Oval for another footy game, nearly bake in the stands on one of the last hot days of the year (don't you love that though? when you're just getting used to the fall weather, with its crisp, cool days, and then all of a sudden it feels like summer again?) and cheer on our team to victory.

the perfect day for footy

A couple of weeks earlier I headed into Freo to do some studying at a cafe right on the main tourist drag of the town. Hush Espresso was surprisingly hard to find-maybe the Subway next door hid it? It somehow manages to get tucked away in one the busiest streets of Freo and is a great little study oasis. And their all day breakfast menu is just what you need to get through your readings on seagrasses that week.

yeah, the banana nut waffles were great, but see the books??

And sometimes the food adventures happen at home, too. One of my flatmates and I have both been baking a lot more these past few weeks, after realizing that our oven isn't so horrible after all. Sure, the temperature is never constant, or even guessable, and the gas flames in back tend to die out sporadically, but it is capable of making muffins. But, when the oven fails to impress, there is always chocolate mousse. My flatmate made this one, not me, but was kind enough to share the love and it was the best mousse I've ever had. And I've had plenty of chocolate mousse to compare. Maybe it had something to do with the block of Cadbury chocolate she used to make it?

But not everything has to be about sugars and sweets. My other flatmate has turned our walkway/awkward patio into a garden. And the basil was finally harvested last week, just in time for my homemade hummus kick.

distance from farm to plate of less than 30 meters?

And today I headed to another cafe, which has become my favorite one out here, to get some homework done and to cuddle up with some hot chocolate on this rainy day.

eclectic, homey, and just plain comfortable

I've passed Wild Poppy heaps of times on the bus into Freo all semester and have just now discovered how great it is. They have free Wifi, which is quite the find out here, and a combination of tables and super comfy couches/rocking chairs. The first time I went I felt more productive than I had all semester, and it felt great!

So I headed back today with the friend who recommended it to me in the first place, but got distracted by my new favorite magazine (of which they have the last 3 issues) and just people watching on a rainy day in Freo. As soon as the weather shows any signs of cooling down and raining, out come the closed toed shoes and wool sweaters! And the so-chic-you-know-they-never-get-used umbrellas that everyone totes around. The change in weather was nice, but can it clear up for the weekend please? I have some parasailing to do on Saturday!