I am still in the honeymoon phase of my travel experience so I don’t miss much about home yet. Well except this one thing that I didn’t know I’ll miss – tea. The desi, strong, “truck hotel wali” chai that gives you a kick and makes you feel like its going straight to your brain rather than your stomach. I am not a Chai/tea fanatic so I found it strange that I miss it. My brother has an assortment of Twinnings teas stacked in his kitchen but none of them seem to do the trick. (Probably because they are meant to soothe rather than caffeinate.)

This post is about how I found something resembling the Pakistani Chai, something closer to home in the countryside of Bilpin, Australia and much more.

Starting out with a beautiful drive alongside acres and acres of agricultural land. If Wordsworth were tagging along he would’ve written 3 to 4 poems by the end of the journey.

We made a stop at this cozy little place called Tutti Fruitti in Bilpin. A small cafe that serves homemade meals made from organic ingredients straight out of their garden. The ambiance is to die for, just pure nature and ‘rural bliss’.

The orchards were unfortunately off limits, but I managed to get a sneak peak.

The inside has a warm and farmy feel with chalkboards, stacks of home made jams, funny little stuffed puppets and an old lady that humbly welcomes you and asks you how your day is going.

We ordered Pumpkin and Sweet Potato soup, a Vegetarian Mushroom sandwich and some English Tea.

Meanwhile, we took in the atmosphere and familiarized ourselves with the flora and fauna of the place.

The autumn red was flaring through bright red Maple trees topped with the satisfying crackle of dried leaves on the grass.

Hello Birdies.

Our tea arrived in these bright blue and yellow cuties. You could serve poison in these and it will taste good (enter my fettish for brightly coloured crockery).

As I took the first sip I felt this happiness taking over me. You know the kind of feeling when you’re cleaning your room and you find something that you didn’t realize you had lost? Finally, the taste of tea that wasn’t alien to my taste buds. Still a little lacking but as close as English tea can get to Desi Chai I guess. It wasn’t until I tasted it that I realized how much I craved it.

A match made in color coordinated heaven.

The Pumpkin Soup was enjoyable with a creamy texture. Although I wouldn’t have minded a little more salt and spice. The highlight for me was the Turkish bread on the side. Hands down the best thing I have tasted in Australia up till now – buttery and delicious.

The prime ingredients of the Vegetarian Mushroom sandwich were mushrooms, avocados and onions within the same divine Turkish toasties. A vegetarian delight for sure.

By the end of the breakfast I could swear by farm fresh ingredients and the depth of flavour they bring to the food. So we decided to take some homemade stuff with us.

Little sweet and sour jammy jars, bought mostly because they looked adorable and were the last bunch of the stock. Hehe.

Now that our food and consumer hunger was satisfied it was time to move ahead. The day was still young and had much more in store for us. A story for another day though.

To be continued…