Delectables @ Confiserie Sprüngli, Zurich

Last April, we were in Zurich for the first part of our epic European trip, and because I had been so busy and occupied with packing up 7.5 years of life in Hong Kong for our big move to Melbourne, hubby was in charge of the itinerary for Zurich. It was no surprise then that come lunch time, sweet-toothed hubby would lead us to Confiserie Sprüngli, a Swiss luxury confectionery manufacturer. This is the same Sprüngli as the world-famous Swiss chocolate brand Lindt (short for Lindt & Sprüngli), sharing the same founding father. This location at Paradeplatz is the confectionery company's headquarters, and upstairs is a cafe and restaurant, apparently a traditional meeting place for the elderly ladies of Zurich's upper class. It is a popular option for lunch, and hubby had the foresight to book a table in advance for us so we did not have to wait. Service was pleasant and efficient, and the menu had a nice variety of food. Our lunch experience at Confiserie Sprüngli was lovely, and even the pickiest eater in our family enjoyed the food.

On the ground level of Confiserie Sprüngli is the bakery. We had a brief walk-through, and the offerings were much the same as the branch we visited in the main train station:

The upper level is the cafe and restaurant space:

Big girl wanted pasta, so she got the kids' tagliatelle, with a separate container of cheese for her to add to her heart's content:

The boy and I shared the Club Sandwich Classic, with chicken, ham, fried egg, tomato, salad and mayonnaise:

My mum ordered the Pan-fried Halibut with tomato risotto and sauteed spring onions:

Hubby's eyes were on the Sprüngli puff pastries, and chicken was the meat filling of the day:

From the display cabinet, hubby selected two desserts: a streuselkuchen (crumb cake) with mixed berries filling...

... and a chocoladen-kuss (chocolate kiss):

Within the chocolate coating for the chocoladen-kuss, was cake with a custard-like filling:

We visited the shop branch at the main train station when we first arrived in Zurich, and bought a few things to try. There were plenty of delectable-looking delights:

A whole display cabinet filled with chocolate truffles:

The bunnies were a special edition of the traditional zopf bread. Such a nice introduction to zopf, and I became slightly obsessed with zopf, buying a loaf whenever I could even after leaving Switzerland and Austria:

The famed Luxemburgerli, Sprüngli's signature mini macarons, of various flavours and a cream filling. These are lighter than the traditional macarons, and smaller, which makes it easy to eat a few of them in one sitting!

Confiserie Sprüngli [Paradeplatz]
Bahnhofstrasse 21
8001 Zurich
Switzerland
Tel. +41 44 224 46 16

Quintessentially Aussie @ Fairfield Park Boathouse, Melbourne

When we first moved to Melbourne in May, and I told my Melburnian cousins where we live, one of them asked if we had been to the Fairfield Park Boathouse. The same boathouse came up again in topic with a Melburnian friend, who used to work in the same area, and she again affirmed that it was worth a visit, though for her it was more for the scenery than the food. We fell in love with the place the first time we visited, and hubby describes it as "quintessentially Aussie". We have visited the Boathouse several times since, usually with out-of-town relatives and friends. The boathouse overlooks the Yarra River, and there are rowing boats, kayaks and canoes for hire to explore the Yarra River. The casual outdoor setting is great for those with restless and energetic children, and there are even 40-cent-kiddy-rides with the option of riding a horse, a giraffe, a zebra or a car!

Beyond the entrance are the first area of outdoor tables, the tearoom (where orders are placed), and a set of stairs down to the boat hire shop and more tables:

Down the flight of stairs is usually where we sit ourselves:

Beaut view of the Yarra River:

There's plenty of food on the menu to suit all tastebuds and appetites. Orders are placed at the tearoom, and then a buzzer is given to notify that the food is ready for pick up. There is a long wait for the food, and the price is relatively high compared to the cafes on Station Street in Fairfield, but we love the beautiful scenery and the food is delicious, so we don't mind the wait and cost too much for an occasional treat.

The Devonshire Scones with Jam and Cream ($11.50):

Beer Battered Fish and Chips with garden salad, lemon wedge and aioli ($26.50):

Boathouse Beef Burger with bacon, onion jam, crisp lettuce, cheese, mustard aioli, and chips ($26):

Lightly Fried Calamari with rocket, herb aioli, Spanish red onion, shaved parmesan, balsamic vinegar & lemon ($25):

Pork Belly with pumpkin mash, apple sauce, crispy pumpkin skin and water cress ($27):

Pulled Pork Roll - 10 hour slow cooked spiced pork shoulder with coleslaw, Carolina rub, barbeque sauce & chips ($25.50):

Fairfield Park Boathouse & Tea Gardens
Fairfield Park Dr
Fairfield VIC 3078
Tel. +61 9486 1501