Botanic Garden Restaurant *

"An enchanting picturesque venue

offering open-air dining in exquisite natural surrounds. 

Its original 19th Century facade is paired with

sleek modern interiors, wide wisteria-draped verandahs 

and spectacular leafy harbour views."

Ideal setting for a special work function since the restaurant offered an understated elegance in lush surrounds. Guess I didn't mind working on a Sunday for once! Taking a leisurely stroll in the Royal Botanic Garden was a quaint way to end a busy weekend. The menu displayed a fresh interpretation on modern Australian cuisine, matched with professional friendly service. Being the designated driver I did not drink at the Halloween party last night, so I welcomed this opportunity to enjoy a few glasses of wine!

sourdough bread, evo & dukkah

(dukkah is an Egyptian mix of nuts, seeds, herbs & spices blended finely. addictive and kept me guessing as to what was in the recipe!)

baby spinach, beetroot & goats cheese salad

(literally three ingredients tossed together.

could be enhanced by a walnut dressing or lemon juice & olive oil)

Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc Yealands Estate

(exuberant fruity profile of gooseberries, green pear & asparagus)

duck confit

white bean & toulouse sausage cassoulet

(standard duck. white beans seemed from the can, sausage were diced & quite bland)

roast lamb rump

caponata, lemon cous cous, basil & olives

chocolate marquise

pistachio anglaise

orange & cardamom brulee

biscotti

(pretty presentation reflecting the sunshine on a plate)

espresso panna cotta

frangelico syrup

 

blue cheese, grapes, lavosh and chutney

(chutney of cooked raisins complemented the blue cheese well)

Michelton 'blackwood park' botrytis Reisling

(spectacular when paired with my cheese platter)

Botanic Garden Restaurant

Mrs Macquarie Road

Sydney NSW 2000

+61 9241 2419

Halloween 2012 *

There is no rest for the wicked, 

especially when darkness is upon us. 

Thank you Kev for being a crazy host 

and organising a haunted gathering at his residence.

An eventful night of weird & wacky happenings indeed...

murdered victim, nurse, school girl

preparing for the worst, hoping for the best

maid, maverick (top gun), nurse, ryan gosling (drive)

team up to ward away evil

female victims

panda vanishes while a psycho watches them from behind

panda

bearing pizza rather than eating bamboo. now that is weird!

murdered victim, nurse

sad to choose between 'trick or treat'

murdered victim, panda & death uncovered

school girl, maid

school girl, nurse

shot with espresso Patrón

painting out to be a strangely colourful night thusfar

murdered victim meats Death

we salute you good bye for now, to be continued...

when I arrived home, I discovered a butcher knife in my car.

how freaky!

H for Halloween *

"Straddling the line between fall & winter, plenty & paucity, life & death,

this day signified the end of harvest season & onset of winter.

Being the last day of the year in the Gaelic calendar,

Halloween is a festival of the dead

with origins dating back to ancient Celtic traditions."

A time of superstition & celebration where the uncommon becomes commonplace. Two colours are synonymous with the festive season, namely orange & black. The former alludes to harvest whilst the latter reflects this time of darkness. Common festivities include 'trick-or-treating', costume parties, carving pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns, playing pranks, telling scary stores and watching horror films.

crying murdered victim

orange dress, black belt & black leggings

(my poor attempt to dress in colour theme as I was lost for costume ideas)

Three Blue Ducks *

"Coffee of the highest standard to complement the menu,

while the friendly & lighthearted atmosphere shows

they don't take themselves too seriously

so neither should you."

Take a short stroll up the hill from Bronte beach and any thoughts of ducking down to the beach for a quick mid morning swim are long forgotten. Expect fine dining food served in a casual cafe setting. Chef hat on for black sausage, Iggy's bread, organic eggs and fair trade coffee from Single Origin Roasters.

everything blue including the water bottle

poached eggs, spinach, sauce hollandaise and ocean trout

(pesto & olive oil drizzled on Iggy's bread was a nice addition)

scrambled eggs with black sausage, dill cucumber yoghurt salad and red currant jam

(every element was perfectly executed. fell in love with the black sausage & red currant combo. dill cucumber yoghurt had a refreshing tang)

J all smiles when our food was served

J snaps me when I was too immersed in taking food photos to notice

J's Miss Piggy Key

the ugliest "cute but interesting" girl around!

when we got back to J's car we spotted a parking ranger across the road. 

later we discover he got a ticket, oh no disaster! 

an expensive brunch indeed

Three Blue Ducks

141-143 Macpherson Street

Bronte NSW 2024

+61 2 9389 0010

Navigator Brasserie *

"Sail into the Navigator and try an innovative modern Australia menu.

Experience an authentic woodfire pizza

whilst enjoying a 180 degree water view overlooking Canada Bay."

Being seated in the balcony area exposes patrons to open air dining with a fantastic view of the bay. Inside we find an out-of-kilter wall display, where wines are suspended in a timber cabinet by their necks (actually a bit concerned how secure this is!) Even the cutlery are poised in streamline to the oceanic direction of this premises.

Nibbles

Bowl of Wedges

A Few More

Chicken schnitzel

home made chicken schnitzel with a flavour of parmesan and herbs served with chips

+ side salad and mushroom sauce

Woodfire Pizza

some for now...

Margherita

roma tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, shaved parmesan + basil infused tomato sauce

Supreme

leg ham, pepperoni, capsicum, bbq onion, kalamata olives, pineapple, mozzerella + fresh oregano

(sufficient amount of toppings on a thin smokey pan crust, yum!)

and some for later...

Navigator Brasserie

Rhodes Waterside Shopping Centre
Rider Boulevard

Rhodes NSW 2138

+61 2 9736 2865

Going round in circles *

Grandma's trademark recipe she had perfected over the years. 
Light and fluffy sponge cake rising to a height of 20cm with a hollow centre. 
Golden tones with a crisp outer & soft inner. 

I miss her baking...

circular sponge cake

Seeing Candy *

Since 1921 they have worked hard to maintain the tradition of quality without compromise that millions of faithfuls have come to expect, year after year. I remember when I was young, the highlight of my visits to the United States was to visit one of their sparkling white shops. 

A family friend recently returned from the United States and gifted our family some sweets. Two boxes stood out from the rest.

See's Candies Truffles Box

Gudrun

(a collection of Belgian chocolates presented in a beautiful red box. 

enjoyed examining the details on each individual piece, 

average in the taste department but great to look at though!)

Retard buddies *

"We will be friends until forever,

just you wait and see."

- Pooh Bear

Life is like photography because we develop from the negatives. Behind the scenes there are plenty of fights, silly kodak moments, shared secrets, lots of laughter and one too many retarded adventures. Ultimately the positives outweigh all the struggles we have encountered by far. For the remainder of our story, many may come and go whilst some stay together until the very end. To bring out the best in each other and accept in spite of all our faults. Anything is possible, nothing we cannot fend.

Why I write *

Aesthetic enthusiasm. 

Desire to share an experience one feels 
so valuable it ought not to be missed.

Besides, life never works except in retrospect. 

You cannot control life, 

at least you can control you version.

Procrastinate *