Food for the soul

It has been a tough week. My grandfather passed away last Sunday night. He had been gravely ill for a few weeks and dad called early Monday morning with the sad news just as I was heading to the Chinese Consulate for an urgent visa back home.
I spent a few days at home trying to come to terms with things, and I realised I am not as strong as I would like to be, and frankly have no clue as to how I am meant to deal with such life events.

Today I decided to visit the Abbotsford Convent today to soak up some sunshine, clear my head and checkout the Farmers Market held there every fourth Saturday.

Arriving at the Convent mid-noon, I first popped into Kappaya for an early lunch before exploring the market.

I noticed the menu had changed slightly since my previous visit. I wanted to get the Saku Saku side dish that I had previously enjoyed but I also wanted to have something sweet afterwards, so I settled for the two onigiri + miso soup set.

Two Onigiris, miso and side salad set ($9.00)

The miso soup was simply beautiful. It wasn't too salty yet so so flavoursome, creamy and super hearty. It instantly warmed every part of my body and soul. I'm curious as to where they sourced their miso from as I don't think I have had better miso soup than this, even in Japan. If I could buy this near work, I would have it every winter morning.

Onigiri (rice balls) 

The onigiris I chose were Sake (salmon) and Takana (pickled vegetables). Both rice balls were just as delicious as I had remembered, the rice was well-seasoned and provided a nice crunchy texture. The side salad was refreshing, albeit the dressing being a tad too tangy.

Sesame Pudding ($8.00)

For dessert I chose to have the sesame pudding.

Yummy syrup!

Without the sugar syrup the pudding was smooth and creamy but a little bit too plain, it really takes the syrup to bring the dish to life. I assume the sesame on top was for decorative purposes and to provide another layer of texture, however I think the dessert would have been better without it.

Organic fruits and pistachios from the Slow Food Farmers' Market

No doubt it's been one of the most saddening, depressing week of my life thus far and I feel this lunch  has helped nourish my soul a little and replenish what was lost. Throughout this week, I thought of my grandpa quite frequently, and now thinking back, a lot of my memories of us involved food. Memories of the delicious congee he used to make, the way he would get up early just to go buy breakfast for the family, the love that we shared for all things sweet..every memory was a happy one and reminiscing my time in China only makes it harder to say goodbye. It was food that brought us closer together and it is food that is going to help heal the pain.

R.I.P. 外公, love you heaps and thank you for everything you did for me. I will miss you dearly.


Kappaya
1 St Heliers St
The Abbotsford Convent
Abbotsford
Ph 03 9416 0070