An Australian mango icecream
Lewis the Lion felt excited as he approached Australia as it was clear that warm weather was to follow if the ice lolly he was given on the flight was anything to go by.
A refreshing fruit ice-lolly
He noticed that the food in any country seemed to reflect the environment and as Australia was a hot and sunny country, it seemed only natural that they had their own, unique brand of fruit ice lollies.
Lewis the Lion licks his lips at this Australian ice-cream
They also had a very special type of ice-cream parlour which was a nationwide store.
The ice-cream is smashed up to mix in your choice of extras
Here you would choose your preferred flavour of ice cream and then extras like chocolate caramel or smarties and then have them smashed up into the ice cream: delicious!
St Kilda is famous for its cake shops
Ice cream wasn’t the only sweet treat that Lewis the Lion indulged in whilst in Australia but so too were the famous cakes in the bakeries of St Kilda, outside of Melbourne.
Lewis the Lion chooses his favourite cake with Marion
Lewis the Lion could hardly make up his mind when he was confronted with such an array of wondrously tempting patisseries.
Lewis the Lion with an Australian lemonade
Like the ice lollies and ice-cream, Lewis the Lion discovered in Australia that there was an even greater choice of soft drinks, such as this refreshing lemonade. For adults there were also lots of fine wines but Lewis the Lion didn’t taste any of those although he did pretend to drink some Australian champagne when he was at the Melbourne Cup!
Lewis the Lion cheekily pretends to drink champagne!
Whilst in Australia Lewis the Lion recognised that the Australians had been influenced by many of its immigrant population in terms of its cuisine. You could find all types of international foods like sushi, churros and pizza. He discovered that Italian style coffee bars are particularly popular serving all sorts of fabulous coffees, (one of his favourites being a Flat White – a type of milky coffee without too many bubbles).
Lewis the Lion’s first Australian coffee at the Site Café
Breakfasts too seemed to be big business in Australia, especially hearty brunch style breakfasts, as seen on this typical menu.
A typical Aussie menu
Lewis the Lion was really lucky that his first introduction to Australia involved the best coffees and the best brunches at Helen’s cousin’s café bar. This is a photo of a delicious breakfast he tried that was a mixture of salmon, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce called ‘Eggs Montreal’ – very tasty indeed!
Eggs Montreal – a deliciously filling breakfast at the Site Café
One time whilst Helen was at the airport, Lewis the Lion had a real laugh at her as she tried to open a sachet of tomato ketchup to put on her breakfast bacon sandwich.
Lewis the Lion laughs at Helen’s battle with the ketchup sachet!
Unlike most sachets which peel back this one squirted out right from the centre…all over her top! Lewis the Lion killed himself laughing at such a funny sight!
Front opening sachets of tomato ketchup?
Lewis the Lion discovered that like in New Zealand both pies and lamb were popular food choices in Australia. (And surprisingly enough, Lewis the Lion discovered that there are more sheep in Australia than in New Zealand!).
Pies are a popular snack in Australia
However, being surrounded by miles and miles of coastline, it only seemed fitting that fish was a popular choice on an Australian menu, and like in New Zealand, Lewis the Lion discovered that different types of fish existed, such as Ocean Barramundi and Coral Trout.
Typical fish from the North-East Coast of Australia
An Australian-Greek fish and chip shop!
However, perhaps the most acclaimed Australian food of all that Lewis the Lion encountered was a yeast-based extract, Vegemite. (A bit like Marmite). Australians seemed to be very proud of this product but like Marmite,it seemed to divide opinions: people either seemed to love it or hate it!
Vegemite is perhaps the most famous Australian food
But the biggest surprise that Lewis the Lion got when he was in an Australian restaurant one time was when he read this menu:
Lewis the Lion spots something interesting on this Aussie menu. Can you?
Can you spot the Australian surprise too?
If you were visiting Australia, which Australian foods would you like to try?
