San Churro Chocolateria

Address: 143 Acland St, St Kilda VIC 3182 (also in various other destinations across Australia, see website for more locations)
Tel: (03) 9534 9819
Website: www.sanchurro.com

Previously only in Melbourne (now everywhere, including Sydney) this is a chocoholic's haven. I thought I enjoyed chocolate but I couldn't even get through one third of the hot chocolate drink (pictured below)! It is so thick & dense & sweet I actually don't think they add milk to the beverage!

For the milder palate, at the very minimum sample their churros - thinly pressed, deep-fried doughy goodness! Good on their own or dipped in chocolate... you might want to get your own so you don't need to share :)

Wine Bank on View (Bendigo)

Address: 45 View St, Bendigo VIC 3550
Tel: (03) 5444 4655
Web: www.winebankonview.com

Readers of this blog will know that I don't like drinking however when in Rome...

The only wine I can tolerate is a moscato (a sweet dessert wine) which is pictured below - being unrefined and ignorant about wines I did not write the name or year down but it was a fresh of breath air and reminded me that one day in this lifetime I might actually bother to become acquainted with wine tasting.

Next door to the main dining area is a wine tasting room, and displayed as part of the main dining area is more wines than you can think of. The interior of this building is exemplar of Bendigo architecture, remnant from the town's prosperous goldrush days.

Pictured below: Thai green curry which was quite a delightful savoury, soupy rendition of the classic favourite.

The menu is not very large (could count on my fingers) but it is quite an experience and a bonus if you are a wine connoisseur travelling through the area to taste and pick a few of the local delicacies.