We didn't have much on the agenda for today apart from a meander through town with no destination so with a late night hangover well slept off, we ambled out of bed late in the morning and just started walking about.
Hobbit was a bit peckish so we stopped at Star Chicken (which was in Perth for a few short months but closed down pretty quickly, no doubt because its location opposite Takas had so little foot traffic)
This place has a great range of little cup sized bites and I remember really liking the mushrooms so I got those and Hobbit got the chicken with Cajun and Chilli seasoning. So crispy, juicy, and tasty. Both our choices were really good!
We cased out some leather shops but couldn't find a belt I was looking for. We then decided to go check out the DFO as we only managed to run through there the other day and didn't have time to really look around.
This time we had time to walk the entire complex, which is huge! Hobbit even had to sit a while and recharge a bit as he was fed up after a while of walking around (and I don't blame him). But I looked in every single shoe shop in the place and couldn't find a pair of sneakers I liked or that fit, and still had no luck with the clothing.... that was until I found a quirky little summer wear shop called Paperkites. I had never heard of it before and absolutely loved the gorgeous little dresses and skirts which were quite decent for an old duck like me but also a little bit cheeky to boot.
Ended up buying three dresses and a skirt. This was my first real haul in Melbourne for clothing so I was quite chuffed about this find. It was a bit hilarious that while I was trying on my dresses coming out feeling all pretty, hobbit sitting on the lounge opposite the changeroom giving me the 'yay' or 'nay' when this young lady came out the change room in this tiny little black dress. She was seriously the most stunning and tallest girl I have seen in a long time, I'd guess about 6'4" with legs from here to Christmas. She has porcelain white skin and this shiny mane of beautiful glossy black hair, not a strand out of place, and her face was like an oil painting someone had crafted from their dreams. Suddenly I just felt old, short, and dumpy. Hobbit had to wipe the drool from his chin (I was tempted to ask him to wait outside hahaha). She had what sounded like either a Russian or Polish background. My gosh, it isn't fair to the rest of us.
I quickly moved my wrinkly old ass our of there and then checked out a few things in Sass & Bide. This is a store I wouldn't normally venture into but the big sale signs beckoned and I figured 'what the hey', im on holiday. They were OK but definitely not worth the price they were asking, and I did see a little silver handbag in Calvin Klein but again not for the price they were asking, I've never been a huge handbag fan so I don't really spend big on them. Moving along we found some awesome Wild Rhino walking shoes for Hobbit, much against his non-shoppers instinct (but I was making sure he got some cool stuff too, he does need it).
Lindt. I know that word needs no explanation. We saw the pristine space with rows of glistening wrappers and the segregated colours of individual flavours on display, all shimmering with beckoning glow under the shop fit downlights. How could anyone walk past without stopping in? Certainly not me, the love of chocolate is the only thing that overrides my love of being thin. It has been a lifelong battle. They had a special on where you could get a box for $20 and fill it with anything you could fit inside so Hobbit and I proceeded to circle the store with careful deliberation. Never have I calculated my options so thoughtfully and packed a box so strategically. I think I fit about 50 kilo of chocolate into that one teeny tiny box hahaha. Poor Lindt, they didn't see me coming.
Did you ever see a happier chocaholic face!
Doing a round of the city, we came across a Hobbit shop called Minotaur, a Pop Culture Shop. Hobbit spent ages ambling about looking at all his sci fi figurines, books, comics, clothes, and other assorted paraphernalia. Hobbit rarely spends money on himself so I always have to give him a nudge to spoil himself. He found a complete set of books he wanted (The Witcher Series by a Polish writer, Andrzej Sapowski, and I was like 'Just go for it!' so he bought them all! With a great big heavy bag in tow and a great big smile on his face, we felt like the day was now a success because he had some treasures to enjoy.
I begged Hobbit to pop back into the Retro Star shop I was in the other day when I had my near brush with Whitesnake (don't even remind me! So close yet so far :( ) so we ambled back in there so I could have a much more relaxed look through the store. No purchases but a very enjoyable fossick. I snapped some photos of the place so I could look back later and remember how awesome it is. One powerball and I will be right back to buy all the cool stuff I want.
We walked back towards our house, with my feet screaming in pain, I really do have to find some sneakers. Even stopped back at Sketchers to see if they still had that black pair that were a bit big but alas they had just sent them to a sale store. Hobbit was fed up at this point so I sent him home to relax and I kept going on my own. Out of the blue I decided to give Myers a try. I know I was avoiding stores we have back home but I just thought what the hell, I don't have time to shop back home.
Myer was amazing! Back in Perth our Myer is about 4 floors, this place was about 8 and so beautifully decked out. I made my way to the shoe section where I instantly found some really cool sneakers and some diamante boots. I tried them on, success! The sneakers were only $85 (way less that I was expecting) and the boots were $145. I did try on the stiletto version but instantly realised there would be only about 10 minutes walk time in them before I would be walking in a squelching pool of blood. So the ones I bought had a shorter square heel - I hate to admit it but I must be getting old :( With my new purchases and a smile on my face I decided that I was done for the day and as Hobbit and I had been talking earlier about getting some Indian food for dinner I did a quick google and found a few in the area. The one that appealed to me was Gourmet Curry Hut because the menu looked simple but it looked like the kind of place where you felt like you were sitting in someones kitchen eating a family meal. I wasn't wrong!
We ordered the onion baji for an entree and at first bite they were not instantly appealing because they had quite a unique flavour to any others I had before. But after a few bites I was actually really addicted, especially with the yogurt dipping sauce. I soon realised that the odd flavour was semolina, normally they use chickpea flour but the semolina really gave them a beaut twist. Next we had our mains which was coconut rice, chicken aloo, and dahl makhani. Now I am a regular eater of dahl makhani as it is my absolute top fave Indian dish, but this one kicked all others ass. It was a lot creamier and the pulses were cooked to perfection. It was sublime, I was in heaven! The chicken aloo flavour was also divine with a strong taste of lovely fresh coriander and a beautiful golden gravy, needless to say Hobbit cleaned out two platefuls.
With full bellies, sore feat, cold bodies, and exhausted faces we wandered back to our beautiful and comfortable little Air BNB flat to have a long hot shower, watch some telly, and rest our aching old bones.
My favourite part of any day on holiday is getting back and sorting through the 'daily spoils'. Opening up every bag and admiring every purchase, trying on clothes and shoes again in the comfort of my own place and admiring them from every mirror and every angle. Today was one of those days.
Another wonderful day of shopping in cold, rainy, but oh so thrilling Melbourne.
MelbourneCBD#MelbourneFashion#MelbourneShopping#IrregularChoice#MelbourneLife#Traveler#Wanderlust#TravelBlog#TravelersNotebook#Australia#DegravesStreet#LifestyleBlogger#ShoeAddict #Myer #GormetCurryHut #IndianFood #IndianFoodMelbourne #TheWitcher #Minotaur #PopCulture #RetroStar #Paperkites #Lindt #Chocaholic #Chocolatelover #DFOMelbourne #DFO #PrelovedClothing