No Fair share

Ok so here’s the scenario. We go out for a lovely romantic dinner. The setting is perfect, a trendy bistro in the lively Darlinghurst area. The mood is wonderful. We’ve bagged ourselves an outdoors table and we’re sipping on a fruity little Verdello watching the weird and wonderful word of Darlinghurst go by. There are jokes and jests flying. Everything is perfect. We discuss what we will order, making sure we don’t double up so we get to taste as many variations as possible. When the entrées arrive mine is the most succulent Kingfish Carpaccio I have ever tasted. The fish is delicately flavoured and so perfect that I insist on J having half so we both get to enjoy this wonderful dish. We ohhhhhhhhh. We ahhhhhhhhhhh. We laugh and joke some more and the wine is flowing.

Then the main course arrives and the ohhhs and ahhhs are only coming from the other side of the table. When I suggest we share like we did with the entrées I get a ‘There’s no way I’m giving away half of this’. How did that happen? I do get to have a taste but for the rest of the main course I have to look on lovingly as the plate is wiped clean. I couldn’t even tell you what I had because I was so focused on the meal I was missing out on.

This is one of the best fish dishes I have ever tasted (and taste was all I actually did). It is Ocean Trout very lightly cooked and then wrapped in an intense mushroom sauce and a feather light layer of filo pastry. The sauce is creamy and light but I wasn’t allowed to taste enough to hazard a guess as to what the main ingredients were.

I have to go back to this restaurant as soon as possible so I can order the Kingfish Carpaccio and the Ocean Trout. The best bit is there will be absolutely no sharing. Oh well, maybe just the wine and the dessert then.

And this restaurant is Fishface, 132 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst.

Oh Yum

Pork Buns, my favourite

I have a friend, the very lovely M, who I always enjoy meeting up with for lunch, especially when that lunch is yum cha. M and I are like two peas in a pod when it comes to yum cha in that neither of us has the will power to say no when those lovely ladies come by with their trolleys of delicious steamed and fried goodies.

For those who are not familiar with yum cha is a wonderful dining experience where the staff come to your table with trolleys of dumplings, dim sims, roast duck and all sorts of other wonderful treats hidden in bamboo steamers. When you select what you want from the trolley they stamp a little card on your table depending on how much the dish cost. This is then used to calculate your bill or to make you realise what a little piggy you have just made of yourself.

Yesterday we met at the Sky Phoenix restaurant in the city. This is a very plush yum cha restaurant and not like the bright and busy ones in Chinatown (which I also love) . I hadn’t seen M for ages and so we had a lot of news to catch up on. We didn’t even notice how many dishes we said yes to until we realised how completely full we both were. We also drank pots and pots of green tea (to help with the digestion of course). M is about to have a baby next month so I really don’t know where she fitted all that we ate. She is a great woman.

I only discovered yum cha a few years ago and I haven’t looked back since. I love everything about it. It is such a social way to dine. The bigger the group, the better. I think the traditional way to enjoy yum cha is to get together for brunch with a big group of friends and just select away to your hearts content until you can eat no more. Well that’s how I enjoy it anyway. There are some great yum cha restaurants in Sydney and the ones in Chinatown have such a great atmosphere at the weekend. The buzz from everyone eating and chatting is wonderful.

Here is a selection of some of my favourite bites from yesterdays lunch -

Dim Sims and Dumplings

Fried Noodles

Roast Duck

Mince Puffs

Green Tea

Custard Tarts (M's favourite, we had to chase the trolly to get these little babies)

Sky Peoenix,
Lvel 3, Skygarden
77 Castlereagh St,
Sydney
(02) 9223 8822

Food highlights

Ok enough about the holiday I hear you say. But please, let me make one last post and then I promise it is straight back to food after a long hiatus. I wanted to very briefly list some of the wonderful restaurants we visited. Our very insightful apartment owner, Nicole, left us with a list of seven good restaurants and we ended up going to five of the restaurants and all of them were excellent. This woman knows her restaurants. We were also lucky to be in Paris with a good friend who also knows his restaurants too, so he had a few little gems for us. I am just going to give a list with a very brief description. This list is as much for my own records as for the blog.

Brasserie Bofinger was a wonderful old style brassiere that specialised in seafood and Alsatian style dishes. We arrived at the restaurant late and only started dinner at about 10:30pm. We finished up at about 1:30am at which time the restaurant was still buzzing with people eating. This is one things I miss in Australia. Over here people eat very early in the night and you would seldom see a restaurant open past midnight.

One of the specialities of Bofinger is Choucroute, sauerkraut laden with cured and boiled meats. This is a monster of a meal and I was such a greedy guts here that I didn't have to eat at all the next day.

Brasserie Bofinger
3, Rue Bastille 75004 Paris
+33 1 42 72 87 82

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Chez Michel was a gorgeous little restaurant that was only 5 minutes from our apartment. We arrived late and were led to a table downstairs that had an old world feel to it with all the stone walls, large wooden tables and cellars of wine. The menu was very gamey and the food was delicious. What we ordered was all slowed cooked meats with rich sauces and delicious vegetables. The desserts were excellent too and my Paris-Brest was a wonderful introduction to this old favourite.
Chez Michel
10, Rue Belzunce 75010 Paris
+33 1 44 53 06 20

Chez Casimir can be found just a few doors down from Chez Michel and it was only when I googled this restaurant to find it's website that I realised that it is owned by the same guy as Chez Michel. This was great little cheap eat restaurant that was just around the corner from where we were staying. They have a wonderful menu with lots of good hearty food on it. We enjoyed a slow cooked stew where the meat just feel apart. The staff here were wonderful. Especially when we kept wanting change tables because more people were joining us.
Chez Casimir
6 rue de Belzunce 75010 Paris
+33 1 48 78 28 80

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Restaurant 404 was a treasure of a Moroccan Restaurant that our friend T had booked for us. It was recommended to him by another friend. Isn't 'word of mouth' great. The decor was so impressive. We arrived for dinner at 8:00 and there were a few other people there. By 8:15 the whole restaurant was full so I reckon it would be a good idea to book here. We started the night off with a round of fresh mojitos that got us in the mood for the meal to come. We ordered a selection of tagines and cous cous dishes that were all great.

If you are booking ask for the tables upstairs which have the big cushions and the round moroccan trays for tables. You get a great view of the festivities in the main part of the restaurant.

I couldn't find a web site for this restaurant but I did find this article which was talked about it Ny times article

Restaurant 404
69, Rue Gravilliers 75003 Paris
+33 1 42 74 57 81

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Chez Louisette is an absolute gem of a cafe. If you can find it in the market you are over the first hurdle. our friend, T, had been here and with the help of a few locals we stumbled across it tucked away in the corner of one of the markets at Les Puces. The day we decided to visit the flea markets we were all very hung over after an all night session of dancing and drinking. We needed hangover food and we needed it immediately. Thank god we weren't after anything too up market because this food was good wholesome fare with not even a smidgen of fancy thrown in. We did have the necessary escargot (when in France) that were juicy and oozing with hot garlic sauce. The mains were a little bit too greasy for all our likings so maybe go for a salad or something that doesn't call for oil in the cooking process.

The decor in here did absolutely nothing for our hangovers and it was almost necessary for us to keep our sun glasses on. I've never been in a place more gaudy in my life with tinsel, Christmas balls and shiny paper as far as the eye can see. But this is what makes this restaurant so fantastically unique. Of course the wait staff shouting the orders to the chef upstairs was also quite unique but nothing beat the dulcet tones of Emmanuelle singing her heart out as she did
her best Edith Piaf impersonation.

Chez Louisette
136 avenue Michelet 93400 Saint-Ouen
+33 1 40 12 10 14

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The Moulin Rouge was everything we hoped it would be and I'm not even talking about how happy J was to see all those topless young ladies. We arrived a little late for our reservation as we got delayed in the queue to go up to the top of the Eifel Tower. We had made a reservation for dinner and a show and to be honest we didn't realise the dinner was going to be so good. I only wish we had had more time to enjoy it as we only had an hour before the show started the waiters were giving us super speedy service. They did allow us to take our time over the dessert and of course there was always that second bottle of champers to enjoy.

There are a few different set menus depending on how much you are willing to pay. Our menu started with some succulent lobster which had already been removed from the shell - no hard work for us thank you very much. For mains we both had an almost perfect fillet steak with shoestring fries and creamy béarnaise sauce.

Dessert was eaten in the dark as the show had already started but I have a recollection of a dark chocolate torte and a fruity little number which we both shared.

The show was wonderful and was a lot less tacky than I thought it was going to be. I loved watching all the girls in their magnificent costumes but not as much as I suspect J loved watching them. This is a tourist attraction that is a definite must-see.

Bal du Moulin Rouge ®
Montmartre
82 boulevard de Clichy 75018 Paris
+33 153 098 282

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We did manage to get to a few foodie shops but its hard to get J to traipse all over Paris in search of the perfect Macaroon as he just isn't into food like I am. We did visit a Mariage Frères shop where I was so excited to see all the different selections of teas displayed in an old world style shop which had gentlemen in linen jackets looking after everyone's requests. I would love to get my hands on some great tea because I drink so much of it but I find it overwhelming when you have so many different teas to choose from. Bar having a sniff into the tin, how can you tell what the tea will taste like? Trial and error I guess. I asked for a recommendation for the guy who was serving me and he came up with a black tea that he said had a 'fresh' taste. It was good but would it be blasphemous to say that I prefer my cup of Lipton tea - so uncultured.

I never made it to Pierre Hermé's shop but as a consolation I did drop into a La Maison Du Chocolat shop and get me some of those tasty little macaroons. There were so many beautiful looking chocolates there I was in my element.

And so our 5 week holiday eventually had to come to an end and what a fitting view from the airport as we sat waiting to board our plane back home. Right so, time to start planning the next holiday.

Dubrovnik continued

It’s got to be a good complaint when you are enjoying your holiday so much that you just can’t fit the time in to update your blog. We have just had the most amazing holiday. Now we’re back in Sydney and I have been reliving the holidays through the photos. Let me first finish off with Dubrovnik and then over the weekend I will give an update on the wonderful food we enjoyed in Paris.

Dubrovnik was the perfect place to chill out and take it easy – except every night when it was time to return home as we were living up the hill over the old town and had to walk up about 500 steps to get home. That’s one way to work off all that good food I suppose.

We found the restaurants were pretty good but were very expensive for what you were getting. I hear that the locals very rarely eat out in the old town themselves because of the prices. The two places that did really impress us were Lokanda Peskarija overlooking the old port and the old Benedictine monastery on Lokrum Island which is now a restaurant and café bar.

Lokanda had a great advantage in that it has the best views of the old port. We knew we were on to a good place when saw the queues that started to form every night. They have traditional Croatian singers that serenade the outdoor restaurant at different times during the night. The food here is simple seafood fare that is served up in big black heavy pots but it is excellent quality seafood and at a pretty good price so this got our vote as our favourite restaurant of the week. WE went there twice and enjoyed prawns, muscles, sardines and seafood risotto. With lots of local wine and some fresh bread. What more could you ask for?

As for our favourite drinking spot - thought it was the bar I mentioned in the last post but that was until we took a day trip over to Lokrum Island. It’s only about 10 minutes away from Dubrovnik by ferry but it feels like another world. We spent the day exploring this little island and swimming in the cold clear waters off its rocky shore. When we could take the sun no more (oh yes I remember that feeling so well as I sit here in the cold sunshine of Sydney) we headed back to where I saw a sign for drinks near were the ferry docks. As we rounded the hedge that concealed this little jewel we heard the excellent music of a local guitar player. The chairs were big comfy balinese chairs that were perfect for enjoying a cold beer while listening to the guitar player and watching the sun go down. I loved this bar and we could have stayed here all night if the last ferry hadn’t been leaving at 8:00pm.

Our little apartment was perfect for our week in Dubrovnik. I had all the best of intientions of cooking for us but except for breakfast I didn't spend any time in the kitchen. This felt very strange for me but I soon got used to it. don't you just love holidys.

Cinque Terre

After the wedding we changed our plans and instead of heading straight to Rome we drove to Cinque Terre with some of our friends. These five villages are so pretty perched on the edge of the cliffs. We now know what all five villages look like because we did the walk from Riomaggiore to Vernazza. It took us about 3 hours but it was he best way to check out all the cliff top views.


When we did arrive at Vernazza all hot and dirty from the walk the first thing we had to do was jump in the crystal clear water. The water here is lovely and cold and refreshing. We dried off and headed straight up to the tippy top of the cliff to a restaurant that served cold beer and seafood to die for. What more could you ask for.

Unfortunately I can't remember the name of the restaurant but it was up beside the castle on the cliff top. We tucked into some seafood anti-pasta that tasted like it was straight from the sea. Marinated squid, king fish and anchovies. I always thought of anchovies as those little hairy things on pizzas but since coming to Italy I have a new appreciation for the lemon marinated version that seems to melt in your mouth.

For mains we had a seafood risotto that I am putting up there with one of the best Risottos I have ever had. Moist with a bite to the rice and the most delicious seafood flavour. It also helped that there we so many jewels of the sea throughout. Benissimo !!!

A stylish lunch

Even though my Mum is probably the best cook I know there has been little or no cooking done at home bar the massive fry-up on the first day. There are so many good places to eat out in that we have been eager to try to all out. No doubt if I had longer at home Mum and I would have enjoyed cooking up something special in the kitchen. But this visit home has been all about dining out.

Dad wanted to take us out to the Radisson in Dublin. This hotel is very close to where my parent live and they like to pop in for lunch as a treat. They have the most beautifully kept gardens. Everything was looking vibrant and lush from the daily dowsing of rain they get. Well there has to be some silver lining to all the rain in Ireland.

Apparently my parents are not too familiar with all the different dishes on the lunch menu as they always order the same thing - the trio of fish. Smoked salmon, king prawns and crab claws and yes, you guessed it, brown bread. We finished off this lunch with some apple tart and ice cream. We enjoyed this lunch in the conservatory and were able to watch four season go by in the space of a couple of hours. You have to love Irish weather and the preoccupation that Irish people have with talking about it.

I did manage to squeeze in a one day visit with my other sister in Wicklow as we had a cross-over between her flying in from France and me flying off to Italy. Such a jet setting family.

We're no Morans

Mum and I drove over to Limerick to visit my sister and check out her new hotel which is doing very well. We had a lovely lunch there and the following day the three of us headed off to Galway to enjoy some girlie pampering at the Spirit one spa in the Radisson.

On our way to Galway we had to stop off at Morans Oyster Cottage in Kilcolgan because my sister raves about the food at this place

I have to say my sister was absolutly right. The food was fantastic. I had the garlic mussels to start and the seafood platter as the main. One of the things I really enjoy about dining out in Ireland is the amazing quality of the seafood. This platter was wonderful and I really enjoyed being able to tuck in to an endless supply of brown soda bread. I will never understand why they serve this bread only in Ireland. It is the best bread availaible and I have to say on this trip home I have eaten it constantly. My family know how much I miss it so they always stock up when they know I'm coming for a visit. And for that I am very grateful.

The spirit one spa is absolutly wonderful and the thermal beds were so relaxing. For anyone who visits Galway ans is suffering from a lack of sunshine you have to try out their beach room. It was so relaxing. Warm sand, the sound of waves lapping up and a day of sun reflected on the ceiling. I really felt like I was on a beach. That was until my Mum said "no flies on this beach" and nearly scared me out of my skin as I had been in a relaxing trance.

I love getting to spend some time with my family and this little girlie trip away was just what the doctor ordered - for all of us.

A welcome home

I had the loveliest welcome home dinner with my parents at l’Ecrivain. I have heard Mum & Dad talk about all the celebratory meals they have enjoyed here so when Mum told me we were going I was very excited.

From the minute we walked in and ordered a pre-dinner drink the entertainment began. All the lovely people started to arrive and the fashion was something to behold. Dad was finding it hard to have a conversation with Mum and I as our eyes were constantly following the next fancy outfit to walk past.

We had the most fantastic meal starting with a Foie Gras entrée that was only divine. The presentation was beautiful but unfortunately the lighting was more on the mood lighting side so I couldn’t take a photo that would do it justice. Our main course was a very luxurious lobster. All the hard work had already been done for us as the succulent meat was already removed from the shell and placed on the plate under the lobster’s head. It was a very extravagant meal and there were constant mmmm’s as we ate and drank.

At the end of the meal while we were having our coffees we were presented with a plate of chocolate truffles and a lovely welcome back message. Apparently my Dad had requested a special table for us and had told the staff we were celebrating my brief return home. Aren’t Dad’s great?

I am so fortunate to have a family that enjoys food as much as I do. In general when we are together we organise our time around food. What better way to enjoy yourself?

L’Ecrivain
109a Lower Baggot St,
Dublin 2
+ 353 1 6611919

Set in Concrete

I love the fact that outdoor dining is such a regular experience here in Sydney. The weekend comes around and a brunch of freshly squeezed orange juice, Eggs Benedict and coffee is just calling out to you. Much as I try to go for other options, as I check the menu, my eyes always seem to gravitate towards the Eggs Benedict. We’re only a few weeks away from Winter here but still the weather is lovely and warm. Saturday morning was so sunny that there was no question about going out for brunch. We had no prior engagements, in fact we had no engagements at all this Saturday which is very rare of late.

We had a big night on Friday in the Bavarian Bier Cafe after work and so hangover food was called for. We headed to Concrete in Pyrmont for some recovery food. This café has been there for years but it is new to us. Even though we have cycled passed it every morning on our way to work we had not ventured there to eat until a few weeks ago when we met up with J’s brother and his family. On that occasion I had the Italian fried eggs (just to be different) and they were excellent.

Eggs Benedict and a prefect Latte

This place is within walking distance of where we live and so we wandered down with Teddy in tow. We picked up the weekend newspapers and had the most relaxing few hours eating our eggs , drinking coffees and watching the world go by.

Teddy's hiding place

This is an excellent café with simple, well made food. The staff provided very good service. They were very smiley and chatty to everyone. I think we got slightly preferential treatment as the waitress fell in love with Teddy and spent most of the time under our table patting and chatting with him. We will now be adding this lovely relaxed café to our list of breakfast spots.

scenes from the cafe

Concrete
224 Harris St
Pyrmont
Sydney

Phone (02) 9518 9523

Room with Roses

This weekend was all about the girls. The very lovely S (who is visiting from the UK at the moment) and I flew up to Brisbane to meet up with another couple of friends. This has become a regular get-together over the years. We have these weekends every few months either up in Brisbane or in Sydney. There is endless talking, laughing, and eating. There is a modicum of shopping, drinking, dancing and sleeping thrown in just for good measure. During these weekends all our troubles and woes are aired and sorted out within the group. It is a million times better than therapy and much more fun.

Back in the early days of these get-togethers the drinking and dancing played a much larger part but now we’re all getting a little bit older and wiser and we even need a ‘Nana Nap’ before heading out for the night. It’s not good but whatever gets you through the night. Now the talk has turned from wild nights to houses, babies and weddings. It’s a true sign of the times. But no matter what the talk, the main focus is always food. No sooner have we finished one meal then we are thinking about what we will eat next.

On Saturday we went on a hunt for some Bridesmaid dresses for two of the girls. All that putting on, taking off and commenting on dresses really takes it out of you so at midday we headed to the very beautiful heritage listed Brisbane Arcade to partake in some of the delicious food on offer at Room with Roses. This is a gorgeous café with oodles of old fashioned style. There are, of course, Roses everywhere along with beautiful chandeliers, old fashioned pictures and high backed cane chairs. There are only a couple of tables with these high backed chairs and they had to be booked but they are well worth it.




The food is fantastic for lunch with a range of Quiches, Salads and Gourmet sandwiches. I went for the Seafood Bruschetta Trio – Prawn & Avocado with lime mayonnaise, Smoked Salmon with herb mascarpone and Sand Crab with lemon juice, eschalots & sour cream. This was a wonderful seafood lunch full of flavours and textures and I loved it. I know my Mum would love this place. I’ll have to take her there when she comes over to visit next time (hint, hint Mum). Luckily the lunch wasn't to filling because they also have a fantastic selection of desserts. Of course if you're having cake then you absolutely must have tea. We had a number of pots of tea, all served in very classy silverware. They made us feel very posh.

I loved the café. It’s all about the atmosphere but it definitely helps that the food is delicious and the staff are very friendly and helpful. If you are in Brisbane and you’re looking for a place to lunch then this is definitely the place for you – but don’t forget to book those high backed chairs.

Room with Roses
Shop 32
Gallery Level
Brisbane Arcade

+61 7 3229 7050

Coolest bar in all of Sydney

I have found the coolest bar in all of Sydney and its called Gazebo. We stumbled across this bar when we were on the way to the Darlinghurst Theatre. It is hidden away in the backstreets of Elizabeth Bay (well really Kings Cross but it’s on the border of Potts Point and Elizabeth Bay too so take your pick). The minute I walked passed I could tell it was a funky bar. It has a very European feel to it, which I think is lacking in most Sydney bars.

The old wrought iron fence caught my eye first. Then I just kept noticing more and more cool furniture.

They have a living wall behind the bar, pretend grass on the front of the bar and cow hide barstools that contrast beautifully with the bar. There are a multitude of funky tables and chairs outside and lots of interesting knickknacks everywhere you look.

There is an extensive wine list that has realistic groupings like “Slurpable Reds” and “Unpronounceable Whites”. Even the actual list itself is cool witch lots of groovy images and typewriter fonts. Whoever did their marketing and art work did an amazing job. There are a lot of wines to choose from and they encourage customers to discuss the wines with the waiters because “If you don't know your Claret from your Beaujolais then please speak up, it makes the staff feel really clever”

We wanted a quick bite to eat before heading to the theatre so we choose from the fish board. There were three different fish dishes and we tried them all. It was a pleasent surprise that ALL of the dishes were excellent. I would happily have enjoyed any of the fish dishes. My personal choice was the seared Trout with an herb cous cous and salsa. It tasted wonderful and was a great combination of simple flavours and textures.

By the time we were leaving the bar it was completely full and the best bit was it was full of very beautiful and interesting characters. We had great fun people watching for the short time we were there. I will definitely be going back to this bar. It had everything going for it. They have lovely, friendly staff, great wines, delicious food and most importantly interesting décor and people to admire.

Gazebo Wine Garden,
2 Elizabeth Bay Road,
Elizabeth Bay,
02 93575333

Bibimbab

Oh God I am happy today. I have just discovered a new lunch and it has everything going for it. All the different ingredients arranged in nice little bundles, sauce on the side AND an egg on top. What more could you possible ask for?

I go through phases of having the same thing for lunch everyday. For a while there it was the plain and simple cheese and tomato sandwich. There was also the sushi phase, the Vietnamese roll phase and the tuna dip roll phase. I am in need of a new phase and now I’ve found it in the form of Bibimbab. Lucky for me they serve this perfect dish at Koba in the food court of the building where I work. Even luckier for me they have a sign on the counter of Koba that explains it’s pronounced Bi Bim Bab. It can be pretty embarrassing when you can’t even pronounce the dish you want to order.

Apparently Bibimbab is a traditional Korean dish which translates as “Mixed Meal” and they recommend that before you tuck in you mix the different ingredients together. Are they mad??? It is so perfect to have all the different ingredients in their own little sections so you can mix and match every chopstick full to produce the perfect mouthful. I love it.

The egg on top is definitely the ‘piece of resistance’. It was my Dad that got me hooked on the idea of an egg on top being the making of a meal. He loves Nasi Goreng and I think the main attraction is that jewel of a fried egg on top. I love anything with an egg on top. Especially when the yolk is runny and you can split it and let all that creamy gold spill out. I’m really gushing here but I just love this new lunch. It’s filled with tasty morsels like mushrooms, carrot, zucchini, glass noodles, bean sprouts, spinach all atop some steamed rice and finished with that winner of a fried egg sprinkled with sesame seeds. You can have your bibimbab with a number of accompaniments like chicken, beef, prawns and raw tuna. I’m keen to try the raw tuna but recently Koba have been out of tuna so I have opted for the second choice of prawns which have been fantastic. There’s a hot chilli sauce on the side that you can add at your own discretion. Today I went all out and ended up with a very runny nose because by God does that sauce pack a punch.

An almost forgotten post

Sashimi Plate, Salmon, Swordfish & Tuna

I was doing a bit of a clear out of my food photos when I came across these little beauties which I forgot to tell you about. They were taken at a lunch I had with my Mum last month at the Boathouse Restaurant. I think I was too sad after she left to gush about our last lunch together for a while. And gush I would have had to because everything about this lunch was excellent.

Snapper Pie with Smoked Tomatoes and Mashed Potato

We did, of course, both order the famous Boathouse Snapper Pie which I have made in the past. I think my version came very close to the real thing but to be honest actually enjoying this simple fish pie at the Boathouse is hard to beat. Those amazing views out across the Anzac Bridge, the crisp white linen tablecloths and the way the pies are presented on a little trolley and cut open in front of you makes you feel like you are being presented with something very special. I am a sucker for ceramony.

White Rhubarb Parfait, Mango & Pinenut Biscotti

We are blessed to have so many good restaurants in Sydney. Over the last few years we have had a number of friends and family stay with us while they take in the wonders that are Sydney. I like to think it is my obligation to introduce them to some of the best food they will ever have the pleasure of enjoying. It's a tough task but you know ... that's just the kind of girl I am.

I really love this City. But now I must say a quick farewell to it as we wing our way up to Airlie Beach and enjoy some Sailing in the Sun around the Whitsunday’s. I will be back to let you know of the adventure next week.

Don't forget if you are in the vicinity, drop into the Boathouse and let them spoil you with their pie. Everyone deserves to be treated once in a while.

If you are interested in seeing the result of my food photo sort out check out my new flickr page.



The Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay
Ferry Road
Glebe
9518 9011