our sunny valentine's

 on the morning of the 14th, marc and i headed to vic markets to pick up some products for our trip to the country. strawberries, blueberries, french brioche, and caviar were on the agenda- and luckily our lack of time meant that we couldn't deviate from the list :3 (slight tendency to do so). the rest of the groceries were purchased the day before at woolies, together with a bottle of soho, brown brothers moscato, and a coupla rekorderligs! Daylesford was our destination; 'Australia's premier spa country', although we didn't manage to get any professional pampering done due to the fact that we forgot people book in advance for these things on valentine's day... did i mention we've started seeing each other? *cue nawwwws* everything is still veeerry fresh, but our transition from friendship to relationship has proven to be smoother than expected :3 

we became friends through aaron two days after i agreed to start dating my ex (mid 2011)... and, since i have such high moral standards (:, i didn't considered him as anything more than a friend (although, of course there was an initial attraction) while i was with said ex. we did end up talking till 8am on the first night we met though (felt pretty guilty after that). we clicked immediately, but at such an inconvenient time. in hindsight, i'm glad we were able to become so platonically close before anything romantic transpired.

 fresh loaf of white bread, hand cut

 pongpong trying to scab some food!

 swiss cheese, rocket, prosciutto

it took us 2 and a half hours to get there from the CBD cuz we stopped a coupla times along the way :3 bought some milk at the gas station, and pulled over at what looked like a christmas tree plantation!!! i got out of the car, snapped a coupla shots, and got attacked by huge ass-horse flies!!! soooo gross D:::: so we ended up sitting in the car and eating the sammiches he made for our road trip :P there was also chicken/lemongrass+cashew nut+chilli spread/cheese/rocket, and one with turkey++ :3

we got to Hepburn at Hepburn Springs at around 3:30pm and were greeted by an enthusiastic host (: the lady who owns the villas was amiable and helpful with everything we wanted to know, from spas and massages in the area, to how to get to the restaurant i booked us for dinner. our baggage looked like it was enough to last us the week, but really most of it was just food :P marcus planned dessert and breakfast, so safe to say he did it in a most extravagant and romantic fashion~

 complimentary sparkling and still water from the springs in the area, T2 teabags, vittoria coffee powder, raspberry shortbread biscuits, nut mix

the room was huge!! and very open~ the entire bathroom is cased in glass and mirrors. the jacuzzi was huge, with a proper built-in speaker system in the ceiling right above (plus one over the bedroom and in the lounge).

i made dinner reservations at Mercato for 8:30- it's an Australian fine dining restaurant with recommendations for a fair few newspapers and magazines. 

- got my nails done in nude with a black half crescent at my cuticles (: 

the restaurant is a restored 1846 victorian (: very cozy and relaxed atmosphere. the staff were attentive and polite-- nothing i can think of to complain about.

cauliflower and chestnut custard with asparagus salad, eaten on a cardamom and rocket bread roll~ interesting, but the flavour was fairly downplayed... nice and light as a starter though!

 m: western plains pork belly on sweet potato puree, wilted rocket, organic radish and red currant salad, thyme jus

 r: australian prawns on a macadamia nut sambal, with green paw paw and mango salad with asian herbs and fried shallots

aaaaabsolutely. yes. wanna try and make this sambal-- never thought of mac nuts mixed... wonder if cashews would work as well. (see: obsessed with nuts)

the prawns were fresh and the serving was huge for an entreé!

m: grilled fillet of kingfish on roast parsnip puree with baby leeks, yarra valley salmon roe and a carrot and orange sauce

 r: loin of tuki lamb with ratatouile parcel of summer vegetables and meredith goats cheese, basil pesto jus

i have all my meats medium rare- this lamb was so tender and juicy, i wanted to take it behind the middle school and get it pregnant!!! (see: tracy jordan antics)

marcus was taking some pics of me cuz i spent too much time paparrazzing him... and usually the guy takes photos of the girl :3 it took a while for him to get the hang of it, but here we have a selection of 4 out of the 231348739746 outtakes... hehehhee P:

 m:  cherry eton mess; poached cherries with meringue pieces, marscapone and praline

 r: hot mango and frangipane tart with toasted coconut ice cream

for dessert, he made a chocolate fondue (max brenner's) with fruits and biscuits, coupled with wine (: it was delicious, even though we couldn't finish everything. afterwards we soaked in the spa until our extremities were wrinkly, then nestled into our bathrobes and bed~

the next morning, i woke up at 6am to sign up for my classes, and he had to finish his CV for a uni class.

i made a mug of melbourne breakfast tea from T2 and sat out on the balcony to enjoy my book (is everyone hanging out without me?: and other concerns, by Mindy Kaling (it is HILARIOUS!!!)) and strawberries.

he made me a delicious eggy breakfast-

 egg white and prosciutto omelette with brioche (i cut the rose strawberries!! not bad for a first time ayyeee)

eggs benedict- (poached eggs with dill smoked salmon, hollandaise sauce, and caviar, on top of french brioche)

i am soooo spoilt!! definitely HIGHLY recommend this place if you were thinking of going there for a romantic weekend (: on the drive back we played 'would you rather' and 'f•••, marry, kill' haha it was quite amusing. i also entertained him with singing an array of the current pop songs (he listens to indie folk music almost exclusively). he asked me who adele was... :\ oh jeeeez

one thing: remember to bring a toothbrush! luckily i packed mine after he convinced me they wouldn't supply personal toiletries... i bet and lost P:

well, sadly i don't have as much time to blog anymore~ every time life gets busy or there's someone new, i seem to abandon you... i'll keep trying :D

take care,

xoxo 

rach