TL;DR – We dip our toes into what Melbourne has to offer a little more with round 2.
Disclosure – I paid for all products featured or mentioned here.
PAX Australia & Melbourne 2023 Day 5 –
It was the final day in Melbourne, but unlike last year, I had my flight positioned for the end of the day, so I had some time to explore the city more, which is when I found the most depressing garden in Melbourne.
One of the things that I wanted to do was visit the aquarium that I had walked by every day when I was in Melbourne. Now, going into Sea Life Melbourne, I was warned that their shark tunnel was currently closed for maintenance, and there was a discount on the price while I was there. And please consider that with everything I am about to say. However, I was slightly saddened by my visit there because many of the enclosures did not feel big enough for what they were holding or the number. It actually made me feel uncomfortable in places.
One highlight that I did see was Pinjarra, the Saltwater Crocodile. He decided to chill right next to one of the windows so that you could see all the scales and details in his belly that I had never seen that close before. He was so still that there actually was a debate among those watching as to whether he was a statue or not. The answer of which occurred when one of the children up close screamed in revelation.
Then, honestly, I just spent an exorbitant amount of time watching the penguins swim around. I’d still be watching them if I could.
Walking across the river, I wandered past Five Guys, which I had seen before in Films and movies set in America but had never seen in the wild in Australia. Mini-Review: It’s pretty good as far as burgers go, as long as you don’t look at the price or have a peanut allergy.
It was then time to go back to Federation Square because back on Day 1, we visited the NGV International in their big bunker. The other gallery is The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia.
There were so many beautiful works of art that it was hard not to have an emotional experience. I did love that there was one little girl who did not understand yet the decorum that you are meant to have in a gallery. But her enthusiasm was infectious as she wondered through giving her opinions.
I think my favourite work was Kanaputa from the Pintupi Women’s Collaborative, of which I have only shown a small amount of beauty. I was mesmerised by the work as I explored all the ebbs and flows of the work that works just as well in the micro as the macro.
I then walked around the alleyways of Melbourne to see more of the art that appears on all the walls. The best I found this time was a rendition of Zagreus from Hades.
Before I left Melbourne this time, I knew I wanted to make sure that I had a fancy meal somewhere, and as I had never tried Peruvian food before, so Pastuso was a place to be. Their menu was so extensive that it was almost intimidating, but in the end, I ended up actually charting a course across the country of Peru in food form.
The first was the Tartaleta de Vieira, which my server was very clear before I ordered that it was only going to be a single bite. On that front, my server was so exuberant that he could have sold me anything, and I would have said yes. This was a little bit of scallop sashimi on a corn taco with ponzu jelly and onion salad. It was a salty burst of flavour with these pops of flavour from all the accessories.
The next thing on the menu was Pastel de Choclo, a cornbread from the capital Lima. The cornbread was warm and inviting, which paired well with the smoky vegetables and salty whipped feta concoction. I am not usually a fan of sprouts, but here, they worked well as a source of freshness that it needed.
We then climbed up the Andes to have the Pastel de Papas. This was a Gretan made of Andes potatoes on a smoked cauliflower mash and Ají panca marinated mushrooms. The potatoes were warm and earthy and worked well with the creamy mash. But the star was the mushrooms. I have never had mushrooms as delicious as that before, nor since.
Finally, we dived over the Andes to the Amazon rainforest behind with Coco Pannacotta. Cream, crunchy, and punching you in the face with tropical fruit. It was the perfect thing to finish my meal with.
Alas, like all good things, it must come to an end. It was a wonderful time in Melbourne, and I hope I get to come back next year.
By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.
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Credits – All images are by the author
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