Should be studying, should be studying hey surprise? not studying (at least for the moment)
Sister's birthday yesterday (she had a cooler birthday than I did hurrh). I was frantically googling restaurant reviews in Melbourne, italian restaurant reviews (because she wanted lasagna - seriously that girl buys frozen lasagna as her quick dinner option, I think she's ate her way through all the various options and her verdict: not great, sometimes terrible, so I wanted to get her good lasagna but wait! detour, let's return to the topic of the sentence) which offered good italian at decent prices (so my dad won't complain I'm some price whore) and a nice atmosphere for a birthday dinner. Settled on Casa Farro (161 Nicholson St) - actually I was planning on Tiamo but they were full on bookings and I wasn't sure we're all in the mood to wait for tables. Anyway the lasagna point was moot because Casa Farro doesn't serve that, on the other hand, lots of lovely wood-oven-baked pizzas and homemade gnocchi ♥. So another time, I guess. I've got a feeling that when I do find a lasagna place and bring her there, she will eat there twice a day until i) the owner changes the recipe and it doesn't taste as good and she is sad. ii) she runs out of $$ iii) her friends are all tired of eating lasagna. Such is the dogged persistence and loyalty of my sister to her food places.
Casa Farro was lovely, the reviews all commented on the rustic, cosy ambience and such - red brick walls, solid wooden furniture and all. Me, I was like cool! Grungy Chandelier! and so many mirrors that Bloody Mary from Supernatural would have a field day. Grungy!Chandelier was interesting, a wooden ring with light bulbs hung from the ceiling - they looped the thick wire around the ring a la Chandelier design which was kinda adorable. Dinner was really good - roast duck pizza (my mom on the phone later: roast duck pizza?! does that really work?; Yes, I gush, it works beautifully. Roast duck, slow-cooked potatoes, onions, cheese, oh the love) and also gnocchi in osso bucco ragout. My sister was full, but I pressed for dessert because birthday!=cake! which is important. So we got tiramisu and a plate of biscotti, sis wasn't too keen on the biscotti but enjoyed the tiramisu - who wouldn't? Plus it was a pretty big serving, lovely expresso sauces mmm. My dad made a crack that one day he'll bring me to Fullerton to try their tiramisu: half the size, three times the price. Oh dad, ♥. The waitress was bubbly and friendly and reminded my dad of my aunt in her younger days. Heh. I suggested ice-cream (oh I know this awesome icecream place! my dad and sis: *look at empty tiramisu and biscotti plate, back up at me, and wave the white flag of surrender* me: bad teenage boy stomach, bad!).
My dad drove there so my sis got chaffeured back home. I cycled there and the bike wouldn't fit in the boot so had to peddle my way home. On the bright side, it might have worked off some of that icing sugar and tiramisu but ye gods, it was bloody cold and cars are freaky in the dark. The good thing about Melbourne is that all ways lead to home (angular, streets cutting into most other streets at 90 degrees) so I found my way to the city and navigated back home safely despite the constant terror of monster!buses! and ocassionally homocidal cars.