GGP Weekend

Jik came for work and stayed for GGP weekend (also to boost my dwindling mental health). We started with a heart-to-heart, mostly me bitching about work and life stuff, accompanied by a whole bottle of Choya and then soju. Bakmi for dinner, martabak for dessert, and a continuous video call with the cousins running through all of it. I went to bed delirious, happy, and high-key anxious about the workday ahead. The morning after, before we opened our laptops, we had coffee and arroz caldo at Dumbo. Arroz caldo is a Filipino rice and chicken gruel, infused with ginger and garnished with garlic, scallions and black pepper. The name is Spanish and means broth rice; the roots are tied to Chinese congee, and the comfort is entirely Filipino. Three cultures in one bowl, complementing each other. Then we worked

In the evening, we went to Mesob in Northcote for Ethiopian. We had the Sizli, a first for me, and loved it. The rest of the menu was tibs, wot, and berbere, plus a doro wot served on injera. Then drinks and oysters at the pasta bar opposite Northcote Town Hall, which was the pregame for the Cut Chilli show. Back home we smashed leftover martabak and red wine umeshu (not nice) while listening to old Hindi dance songs.

Saturday was coffee at Migrant. Yoga. Soy chai and journalling at Chestnut Tree. Frankie Says Relax in Yarraville, where I bought a fancy bottle opener because Jik got one and I like owning the same household item as her (Same logic when I asked Fafa to get me the Muji journal bag in black, inspired by Jik’s maroon one). I also got a whimsical green fish water pitcher I cannot wait to serve my dinner guests with.

Lunch at Coracle: Asagohan for me, and ramen with clear broth for her —so good I want to go back for it. For drinks, I had the matcha cloud, and she had the kumquat drink, which she loved. Then home, where we rested for zero minutes before heading into the city for an early dinner at Bronga KBBQ, with a photobooth stop first because I am obsessed with it. Home again for more Hindi songs and cake, then Passenger, the horror one, before calling it a (GGP) weekend.

Follow me on Instagram @KultureKween for more recent updates.