The silence is deafening.
Once every few minutes, there’s a flurry of clicking sound as my finger dances, making the idea inside my head a reality. The silence would hit again, a sign that this fight won’t end anytime soon.
Week after week, I struggle to ship this newsletter. It’s always a battle. More edits and eh-it’s-good-enough. Expectation and reality. Tiredness and disciple. Quality and quantity. Both sides could come up with victory at any time.
So why do I come back every week? Why, when I don’t get rewards (not immediate ones anyway) for showing up. Why, when my absence doesn’t have any repercussions.
I do enjoy evolving my initial thoughts into an unexpected revelation, but I can get that quicker by reflecting instead of writing. I also love the idea of creating something that’s my own, but making art would be easier.
So what keeps me going?
As I ask myself, I realize that it’s because I still haven’t figured writing out. Once I understand something, my brain goes ‘Thank you, next’ because it loves being challened. Turns out, the struggle is addicting.
You’ve probably never tried these before
Pastuso - a Peruvian restaurant. From top left:
Prawn, enoki, charred corn and quinoa with acevichada sauce
Wagyu croquette
Alpaca ribs/ steak (can’t remember)
Sirloin with a refreshing blend of chilli and spices
Seafood rice (similar to risotto) with soft shell crab, prawns, calamari, black acevichada sauce
Fermented cassava flatbread with cultured corn butter
I was expecting unique and exotic flavours, but maybe it’s adapted to local tastes.
Aru - a modern and blended take on Southeast Asian cuisines
From top left:
Forbidden rice sourdough brushed with palm sugar, accompanied with smoked cultured butter - simple goodness!
Pate en croute, flavours of banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) - the salad perfectly complements the spices used in the main dish
Dry aged duck with black cabbage and bamboo in quandong sauce - cooked to perfection
Claypot rice with duck fat, sausage and egg yolk - bit too salty but the greens really elevated the dish
Green papaya with nahm jim dressing (fresh and spicy Thailand sauce) with kangaroo jerky - works well with other dishes, but just ok on its own
Kaya jam with plum sauce and salted waffle - the best tasting kaya jam in Melbourne!
Excellent service and amazing food, will definitely come back!
Finally got to try Moussaka (Greek eggplant + potatoes lasagna) and it’s not for me. I’m not sure if it’s just the restaurant but the eggplant was bitter and the sauce needs some serious salt! Pro tip: it’s a really heavy dish so get someone to share it with.