Flavored Lindt Lindor Truffle Balls Taste Test 2015 Edition

Are you a chocoholic? My sister and my daughter both are... so thanks to them, I get to try the good stuff.

If you thought flavored Kit Kat from Japan which you can read about here was something to get excited about, wait until you try Lindt Lindor Truffle Balls. They are my absolute favorite among mass produced chocolates!

Imagine my excitement when my sister bought me a whole bag of different flavors to try? I didn't know which one to eat first... I even figured out that I would get to try more, if I shared each ball with Sofia, so this review if actually a collaborative effort from both of us which we did over several days.

Lindor Balls from the Pick and Mix Lidnt Shop in Sydney

Let the taste test begin!!!

Scoring System:

0 - NO

1 - Not Bad with Comments

2 - Love

1. Salted Caramel - 1 Point

Coley:  1 (but a bit too sweet)
Sofia: 0 (she hates salt, which I love)

2. Raspberry - 2 Points

Coley: 0 (too sweet, lacks berry taste)
Sofia: 2 

3. Champagne - 0 Points

Coley: 0 (liquor is not my thing)
Sofia: 0 (Eeeew! - verbatim)

4. Dark Peppermint - 4 Points

Coley and Sof agree: This is love.

5. Citrus - 3 Points

Coley: 2 love
Sofia: 1 (not too sweet, whatever that means)

6. Milk and Sea Salt - 0.5 Points

Coley: 0.5! (too sweet - only the salt is good)
Sofia: 0 (No to salt)

7. Vanilla - 0 Points

Coley: 0 (too sweet)
Sofia: 0 (tastes weird)

8. Coffee - 3 Points

Coley: 2 Love
Sofia: 1 (you only like it mom, because it tastes like coffee!)

9. Strawberries and Cream - 1 Point

Coley: 0 (too sweet)
Sofia: 1 (a bit sweet)

10. Caramel - 2 Points

Coley: 1 (better with salt)
Sofia: 1 (ok)

11. Dark Chocolate - 3.5 Points

Coley: 1.5 (Ok, but extra dark is better)
Sofia: Love

12. Mint - 3.5 Points

Coley: 1.5 (dark peppermint is better)
Sofia: Love

13. Hazelnut - 2 Points

Coley and Sof: Ok, but nothing special

14. Cappuccino - 3 Points

Coley: Love
Sof: 1 (it's Ok)

15. Dark Orange - 4 Points

Coley and Sofia: Love

16. Extra Dark - 4 Points

This is our super favorite flavor! Staple in our fridge.

This can only be made better with Sea Salt. Hahaha.
But then Sof would give it a lower score!

So to recap, our favorites with 3.5 to 4 Points are:

Dark Peppermint, Dark Chocolate, Mint, Dark Orange and Extra Dark Chocolate 

Clearly, the them is Dark Chocolate and Mint!

But if you ask me, I would also recommend sea salt caramel, coffee and cappuccino flavors. 

But I think we can all agree, Lindor Truffle Balls are love. just saying.

P365 TE Day 323

Shopping for Swimwear in Australia 

Travel Bite: I love buying Swim Suits in Australia. Aside from the huge assortment of well known brands, their sizing is also very flexible. If you buy from Seafolly, their bikini tops actually have cup sizes, so you can also find something that fits perfectly.

You can read my post on outlet shopping finds in Sydney here.

Location: Sydney, Australia
Date Photo Taken: March 2012

P365 TE Points for today: 2 out of 3 (for now)
P365 TE Points from Audience Interaction as of Nov 15: 279

P365 TE Running Points: 880 out of 912 (as of posting)

You can read the background of Project 365 Travel Edition here.  

Feel free to come back everyday. just saying...

P365 TE Day 244

Queen Victoria Building

Travel Bite: The Queen Victoria Building (QVB) in the heart of Sydney's Central Business District is a beautiful old building from the late 19th century. It was originally designed as a market place, and has been restored to a more modern shopping mall that has remained true to it's original architecture.

You can read more on my QVB post here.

Location: Sydney, Australia
Date Photo Taken: March 2012

P365 TE Points for today: 2 out of 3 (for now)
P365 TE Points from Audience Interaction as of Sept 1: 241

P365 TE Running Points: 729 out of 732 (as of posting)

You can read the background of Project 365 Travel Edition here.  

Feel free to come back everyday. just saying...

P365 TE Day 223

Surfer's Paradise

Travel Bite: I remember going to the beach in Surfer's Paradise in Gold Coast. It was beautiful, but the wind was so strong, the sand actually felt like we were getting hit by pellets. Definitely must be visited again, but better to go when it's not to go to the beach in Autumn, but I guess in summer you'll never get to enjoy the beach this peaceful.

Sand Pellets vs Not Peaceful Beach. Your choice.

Location: Gold Coast, Australia
Date Photo Taken: March 2005

P365 TE Points for today: 2 out of 3 (for now)
P365 TE Points from Audience Interaction as of August 10: 200

P365 TE Running Points: 666 out of 669 (as of posting)

You can read the background of Project 365 Travel Edition here.  

Feel free to come back everyday. just saying...

P365 TE Day 69

Birkinhead Point Outlet Centre

Travel Bite: There are a lot of Outlet Malls in Sydney, but one of my favorites is Birkenhead Point Outlet Centre mainly because of it's location near the water, and the huge amount of stuff I bought when we went there making it worth the trip. Birkinhead Point has over 120 Premium Outlet Stores.

You can read about my shopping experience here and Birkinhead Point Outlet Centre here.

Location: Sydney, Australia

Date Photo Taken: March 2012

P365 TE Points for today: 2 out of 3 (for now)
P365 TE Points from Audience Interaction as of March 9: 68

P365 TE Running Points: 206 out of 207 (as of posting)

You can read the background of Project 365 Travel Edition here.  

Feel free to come back everyday. just saying...

P365 TE Day 68

Kiama Blowhole

Travel Bite: The Kiama Region has beautiful uncrowded beaches, as well as the famous Kiama Blowhole. It's around a 2 hour drive from Sydney, or easily accessible by train. I was lucky enough to see it for a short while when we passed for work.

You can read about my short visit here and Kiama here.

Location: Kiama, Australia

Date Photo Taken: March 2012

P365 TE Points for today: 2 out of 3 (for now)
P365 TE Points from Audience Interaction as of March 8: 67 

P365 TE Running Points: 203 out of 204 (as of posting)

You can read the background of Project 365 Travel Edition here.  

Feel free to come back everyday. just saying...

P365 TE Day 67

Hunter Valley Wine and Cheese Tours

Travel Bite: Hunter Region, more commonly known as Hunter Valley, is around a 2 hour drive from Sydney. You can come here for the day, bring some steaks to BBQ, picnic, and enjoy the wine and cheese tasting tours.

Hunter Valley Gardens is also quite famous and is a nice place to visit.

You can read about our Hunter Valley Day Trip Adventure here.

Location: Hunter Valley, Australia

Date Photo Taken: March 2012

P365 TE Points for today: 2 out of 3 (for now)
P365 TE Points from Audience Interaction as of March 7: 66

P365 TE Running Points: 200 out of 201 (as of posting)

You can read the background of Project 365 Travel Edition here.  

Feel free to come back everyday. just saying...

P365 TE Day 66

Lucky Plaza in Cabramatta (Vietnamese Town), Sydney

Travel Bite: No, this is not the Lucky Plaza, AKA Philippine Town in Singapore. This is the Lucky Plaza, Vietnamese Edition in Sydney. 

Cabramatta deserves a mention because I never knew that there was a Vietnamese "Chinatown" in Sydney with really yummy Vietnamese Food, and the dollar shops that come with every Chinatown of course.

You can read more about this Vietnamese Heaven here.

Location: Sydney, Australia
Date Photo Taken: March 2012

P365 TE Points for today: 2 out of 3 (for now)
P365 TE Points from Audience Interaction as of March 6: 65

P365 TE Running Points: 197 out of 198 (as of posting)

You can read the background of Project 365 Travel Edition here.  

Feel free to come back everyday. just saying...

P365 TE Day 65

Sydney Opera House

Travel Bite: One of the best ways to get a nice shot of the Sydney Opera House is to take the picture from the water. Ferries frequent operate around the harbor. One of my favorite ferries to take is the one that goes from Darling Harbor to Manly Beach.

Unfortunately, I've never been able to visit Manly Beach during the day. But maybe it better, quieter that way. The ferry ride is nice and relaxing. You can have dinner at Manly, or just go for coffee and dessert, if you're hungry enough to buy fish and chips to eat on the boat like we were.

You can read all about my Sydney Sightseeing Tour at Night here.

Location: Seoul, Korea
Date Photo Taken: February 2014

P365 TE Points for today: 2 out of 3 (for now)
P365 TE Points from Audience Interaction as of March 6: 64

P365 TE Running Points: 194 out of 195 (as of posting)

You can read the background of Project 365 Travel Edition here.  

Feel free to come back everyday. just saying...

Cook Your Own Steak for AU$6

When I was in Australia, we had a really good dinner to cap of a lovely weekend because my aunt brought us to The Village Hotel in Mt Druitt. They are popular for their Cook Your Own Steak nights for AU$6 which is only available on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

You line up to pay at the cashier, then they give you the steak

AU$6 gets you 300grams of Rump Steak

There's an outdoor grill and outdoor tables but depending on the wind, you'll probably end up going home smelling like steak too!

This is me pretending to cook.

Putting the steak on the grill.

In reality, Tita Tess...

...and Pami, did all the real cooking.

They give you salt and pepper to season the steak.

I love the lines on the steak from the grill.
ATTENTION TIMOTHY SEE: Please buy a grill like this for Wagyu Weekends at your place!

After cooking your steak, you're allowed to go through the buffet ONCE to get your hot sides, sauce and salad.

Take Note of the Sign PLS!
It was quite funny watching the people get creative in stuffing their plates to the brim.

This is my plate. This is my version of NOT HUNGRY :)

Thanks Tita Tess and Tito Boy for another lovely dinner.

When in Australia, there's nothing to eat but STEAK!!! Hahaha. Just Saying.

The Village Hotel (formerly Mt Druitt Inn)

64 Mt Druitt Rd, Mt Druitt

Bistro hours: 

11.30am-2.30pm, 5.30pm-8.30pm

Tel No: 9625 8863

The Shopping Lottery at ALDI

I know ALDI as the famous hard discount chain from Germany. I have visited an ALDI store in Hamburg, as well as the ALDI in Saint-Ouen in Paris, because it was quite near the office where I worked for six glorious months of my life.

The only thing I remember about ALDI is that if you see something you like, you need to buy it immediately, because chances are it won't be there when you come back for it. I wasn't really planning on shopping in ALDI on this trip, but out of curiosity, I dragged my aunt to check it out. We went to the branch in St. Mary's closest to her home.

I bought so much stuff that I that did not even know or I probably DON'T that I needed.

Silicone brownie pans in PURPLE!!!
I only wanted to buy one, but it looked so good with the pink one I had to buy both.
AU$3.99 each (SG$5.35 or Php182)

Pizza Pan with holes to make the crust crisp for my mom
AU$2.99 each (SG$4 or Php 136)

Disposable Champagne Flutes for Tim's Weekend Wagyu Dinners

I could not resist getting the Violet Boots for Fif.
I'm sure it will come in handy when we go to London, if it still fits when we finally live in Paris,
or maybe we can just go to Japan for a food trip!
AU$7.99 each (SG$9.35 or Php 319)

My aunt got Sofia a tray of Chocolate Easter Eggs
They go really well with the crackers I got her and the egg coloring kit.

I was so happy with my loot from Aldi... until I realized that I saw a Milk Frother for AU$24.99 (SG$33.30) which I forgot all about when I went back for more Pizza Pans. It looked so much like the Nespresso Milk Frother that I wanted but cost SG$200 at that price, I didn't want it!!! So I googled it and I found out that Aldi has recently launched it's own version of the Nespresso machine and it's dirt cheap (AU$79.90 or just a little bit more than SG$100).

photo credit: www.expressi.com.au

photo credit: www.expressi.com.au

I'm so tempted to buy it but I have managed to convince myself that there are many reasons why I DON'T need one. 

1. I have a Nespresso Machine. 

2. I don't want to worry about sourcing the capsules that are around the same price, but you get 16 capsules, some flavors come with milk just like the Dolce Gusto capsules no idea about the quality though. 

3. I have a Nespresso Machine. 

Hahaha... so that solves it, but I still wanted the Milk Frother though. There are mixed reviews online. Some people are really happy with the coffee machine at that price, but some also are very unhappy with it compared to the Nespresso. I was very mature about it. I decided that I was only going to go back for it before I left, if I have enough cash to pay for it, because then, it would be like getting it for free. If it's still available in ALDI that is. If it's not, then maybe it's just not meant to be. I have a SG$2 milk frother from Daiso anyway. 

Pink Milk Frother from Daiso SG$2

The milk frother was meant to be mine. I had no more time to go back to Aldi because I finished my work early and rebooked my flight a few days earlier than planned, but my friend passed Aldi to buy it for me! Yay... Thanks Pami!

Expressi Milk Frother (Aldi Exclusive) AU$24.99 (SG$33 or Php1,121)
a similar one from Nespresso is SG$199!!!
The gel pens in the background are another last minute buy from Costco for Sofia
50 Gel Pens in a Metal Case AU$13.39 (SG$17.60 or Php600)