Hippopotamus Restaurant – Wellington – New Zealand – October 2016

Tags

French cuisine, Havana Bar, Hippopotamus Restaurant, New Zealand, The Library Bar, Wellington

Two cocktail bars and a great French restaurant

 As I mentioned in my last post, my friend Jane and I went to a wonderful French restaurant called ‘Hippopotamus Bar and Restaurant’ on our second night in Wellington.

But before we went to the restaurant, we stopped off at two bars we had researched on the internet as both sounded fabulous.  From our hotel we took a taxi to Havana Bar which is accessible down an alley beside two small, colourful cottages which date back to the late 19th century.  One cottage is the restaurant and the other is a bar that serves cocktails and Spanish inspired tapas.

The bar has supported international and local musicians for the past thirteen years and on the night we went, it was extremely busy and we were seated out the back with a large group of boys, who were extremely loud, so after drinking our mineral waters we decided to leave.  It seemed as if the boys had been out all day drinking enjoying themselves and that is fine,but this night it was just too noisy for us.  But glad we went to see the inside of the bar with its propaganda posters on the walls.  A pretty funky place.  A definite place to visit if you go to Wellington.

Our next stop, by taxi again as it was raining, was to The Library, a reading room and lounge bar with live music.  We walked up quite a few floors to an amazing door to enter the bar.  It was very dark inside and there were a series of smaller rooms; the room we were taken to looked just like an old reading room.

Jane and I enjoyed a mocktail; mine a  Raspberry Lemonade with real raspberry syrup, fresh lemon juice and sparkling mineral water – absolutely refreshing and Jane ordered the Strawberry Blonde which was made with strawberry syrup and fresh lemon juice topped with ginger beer.  And after this we made our way to our restaurant.

What a sight when we arrived; outside there was a huge hippopotamus on the roof and the entry has two extremely large brass head cut-outs and what looked like the cut-out of an Indian head.

The restaurant is actually located upstairs in an art gallery/hotel so fabulous art was displayed in the foyer.

Then up in the lift to the restaurant which was so beautiful!

We sat on these beautiful French provincial chairs (well I think that is the period) and ordered a cocktail whilst we waited for our table.

We were seated at our tables by a lovely French waiter and then served by an Italian waiter.   Excellent service throughout the evening with fabulous views across Wellington and the water.  Jane absolutely loved her meals.  She first ordered the Mon Sashimi which was salmon sashimi; the restaurant’s signature dish followed by the Le boeuf dans la prairie -a medium rare beef fillet on celeriac purée, truffle aioli, mushroom quenelle, white needle mushroom, pickled red onion slivers, watercress and truffle oil caviar.

 

I didn’t have an entree as with French food I find there is not a lot of vegetarian dishes. Even the accompaniments had either duck fat, gruyere cheese or ricotta mixed within the dish – all things I don’t eat but grateful they are specified in the menu.  But my main meal was lovely.

We were served an amuse bouche and as mine had cheese on it, Jane was happy to have them both as they were so small and delicate.  Also before our main courses we were served a delicious and tangy sorbet…now that was enjoyable.

I ordered the Jardin printanier which comprised roasted baby roots vegetable in hazelnut oil, mushroom puree with soil, rain and snow.  Now I was waiting to see what soil, rain and snow were and when the meal was served, our waiter poured and placed several additions on my meal which he said were to resemble those elements. Nice!!

It was a wonderful night; excellent service, wonderful ambience and Jane loved her meals.  As I said mine was tasty but I didn’t really go to this restaurant for the food; it was more for the experience which I enjoyed immensely.

Wellington (1) – New Zealand – Oct/Nov 2016

Tags

Electric bike tour, New Zealand, Singapore Airlines, Wellington

A Long Weekend in Windy Wellington

In September this year, Singapore Airlines commenced flying direct from Canberra to New Zealand’s capital, Wellington.  This is big news for us Canberrans as even though we are the capital of Australia all our international flights depart from our other larger cities e.g. Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane etc.  So my friend Jane and I thought we would take advantage of a direct flight and half price fares and to travel to Wellington for a four day weekend.

We departed Canberra on a Friday morning and enjoyed the wonderful service of the staff on Singapore Airlines.

After three hours we arrived in Wellington and took the shuttle bus to our hotel, which was the Soffitel, a new hotel in the city.

That evening we took a taxi into the city and went to the night markets which are located in a mall just off the main restaurant street in Wellington; Cuba Street.  The markets are open every Friday between 5pm and 10.30pm.

We enjoyed some dumplings and decided to sit outside a little restaurant called ‘Satay Kingdom’ where I ordered a vegetable curry which came with rice and roti bread.  Pretty good but I was a bit full from the dumplings so didn’t eat that much.  We then relaxed for the next hour or so listening to a two-person band before we returned to our hotel for a nightcap before a good night’s sleep.

Our next day, I took a cab down to the waterfront to where my friend Jane had booked a half-day tour of the city on electric bikes.  I must admit I was a bit nervous at first but once I got the hang of it, it was so much fun riding around the water front checking out the beautiful homes and stopping off for lunch at a quaint little restaurant called the ‘chocolate fish’. [clearly the people around this area are trustworthy as we didn’t have to lock our bikes and even left our helmets outside]

After lunch we were due to return to the city but as there was only two of us, our lovely tour guide asked if we wanted to ride up Mount Victoria – I thought it was a nice idea as the bike was electric and I could just sit and it would take me up the mountain…how wrong I was…it was still very tough peddling uphill and I had to stop twice and walk a little with the bike.  Over three hours of peddling at this stage so that is my excuse…but I think I am a little unfit!!  Definitely worth the effort as the views were spectacular.

Then it was time to ride down the mountain; riding down was easier but I used the brakes all the way as it really was very steep!!  Along the way we stopped by an unusual public sculpture.  It is three dimensional with an orange 26m long needle which sways to indicate the strength and direction of the wind. The needle pivots 22.5 degrees in any direction.

Our tour guide told us that the needle was damaged when it was struck by lightning during a hail storm in 2014 and was fully repaired the following year.  It was amazing to see as with Wellington known as the ‘windy city’, the needle was swaying considerably when I was there, and I already knew how windy the day was having to ride into the wind all morning on the bike.

Then back along the waterfront to the bike shop and along the way we saw another other sculpture of a man overlooking the water and got to check out the lovely waterfront apartments.

After returning the bike, I walked back to the hotel [got lost and had to take a cab] and took a little rest before we went out to dinner at a fabulous French restaurant called ‘Hippopotamus’ [more on that in another post].

 

 

 

‘Tasting China’ Restaurant – Canberra – ACT – Australia – November 2016

Tags

ACT, Australia, canberra, Chinese food, dinner, Tasting China Restaurant

Contemporary Chinese Cuisine in Canberra

For my regular followers, you know I love all things China and definitely love Chinese food, so when my friend Jen asked me to catch up for dinner at a new Chinese restaurant in Canberra, I immediately said ‘yes’…

I knew the location of this restaurant as it previously was home to one of Canberra’s fine dining institutions which has now moved to the other side of town (another great Chinese restaurant called Chairman & Yip).  On this occasion, I drove into town and walked a short distance to the restaurant, which only opened up this year and is known to have a fabulous interior. Wow…when I walked inside… it really is fabulous!!

Amazing cartoon portraits of Chinese princesses and pinups cover the walls.  The roof lights are contained in bamboo cases and bankers lamps hang from the walls.

The room is adorned with Chinese replica furniture and porcelain..(I know it’s replica because the owner told me after I admired some of the pieces)

(last photo above from: http://www.foodpornjournal.com)

After about half an hour of catching up, my friend and I ordered our dishes.  The menu is extensive and like the restaurant; rather glamorous.

Inside the menu there is a great saying:

one cannot think well, sleep well, love well
if one has not dined well

I ordered the lotus roots and mixed greens with macadamia nuts and cashew nuts..this was an incredibly fresh and delicious dish…I loved it!!

Mr friend ordered the beef with green vegetables and onion which she said was very tasty.

The bar offers a range of wine and spirits but instead my friend and I enjoyed a lovely pot of fragrant Jasmine tea…beautiful!!

The service was excellent and I started talking to the owner who was extremely friendly.   I spoke a little Chinese and she gave me her business card.  As I was giving mine I saw a group of three Chinese at the next booth, all with gaping mouths…one male said they couldn’t believe I was speaking Chinese (and really it was just basic conversation)…they kept starting at me whilst I continued chatting to the owner.  Of course they gave me the usual phrase when a Chinese hears a non-Chinese speaking Chinese ‘Nǐ shuō dé hěn hǎo’ (you speak very well)…I knew I hadn’t really but decided to take the compliment and thanked them. It was very sweet of them to compliment me.  My dear friend was also suitable impressed with my Chinese but really I am not sure why as over the past ten years or so she has learnt to speak fluent French (very clever).

My final question to the waitress was to ask if they would make the spicy hotpot eggplant dish without pork and was advised that the chef would definitely do it for me (next time).

I loved this restaurant so much that I have organised a group of friends to celebrate the upcoming festive season in early December.  Can’t wait to try the eggplant dish.

 

Lyon & Eze – France – 2008

Tags

Europe, European holiday, Eze, France, Lyon

The start of my European trip

Eight years ago (wow time flies), as part of our European holiday, my friend Sandy and I travelled to Lyon where we stayed with an Aussie friend who lived in a magnificent three bedroom apartment opposite a large urban park featuring a lake, sports facilities, mini-golf and a small zoo.  The park has several smaller parks within and most mornings Sandy and I would run around the inner track of the park.

Lyon is a really beautiful city and on our first day we took a walk around the city and also along the riverfront.

On our first day our friend kindly took us around and showed us the bus and the train station then took us to lunch.  Then on one of our days we took the ‘hop on/hop off’ bus around the city and enjoyed the beautiful sights and fabulous buildings.  This really is a great way of seeing the major sights of any city.

We hopped off the bus near Old Lyon (Vieux Lyon) which is one of Europe’s most extensive Renaissance neighbourhoods and popped into a wonderful bookshop selling antiquarian books and I bought a beautiful leather covered edition of ‘Madame Bovary’ by Gustave Flaubert…a book I enjoyed reading many years ago.  Then a funny thing happened, Sandy and I were walking along the street when out of this great sweet shop  walked three people we worked with in Australia. They were in Lyon attending a conference…we couldn’t believe it and just burst out laughing after our initial shock!!

One Saturday our friend drove us to the fresh food markets where we shopped for cheese and bread whilst our friend bought her usual fresh fruit and vegetables.  On the way to the markets, I saw one of the coolest things in Lyon, a corner building (La Fresque des Lyonnais) which on one side looks like a normal building but the other two sides, the walls are completely covered with murals which depict famous Lyonese in each of the painted windows – it’s a great building to check out.

(above photo: http://www.minhzie.com)

Our friend recommended we take a tour to Eze on the French Riviera (great suggestion I must say) and we did just that on our way from Nice to Monte Carlo.  It’s a beautiful ancient village perched on rock 1,400 feet above sea level with spectacular views of the French Mediterranean.

This medieval village centres on the ruins of a 12th-century castle and the oldest building in the village dates back to 1306.  Its buildings are so quaint and utterly charming.

Its many shops, art galleries, hotels and restaurants attract a large number of tourists and honeymooners.

As a result, Èze has become dubbed by some a village-musée, a ‘museum village’, as there are still a few residents of local origin living here.

At the time we visited, the beautiful villas were wrapped in stunning pink bougainvillea; a lovely sight to see along with many other beautiful trees and flowers.

I loved Lyon and Eze – such beautiful places to visit.

Guangxiao Temple – Guangzhou – Guangdong Province – PRC – 2013

Tags

Guangdong Province, Guangzhou, Guanxiao Temple, prc

A quick visit to one of Guangzhou’s temples

When I was departing China in 2014, to return home to Australia, I did a tour of various provinces to farewell my colleagues and during my trip to Guangzhou Province, I was taken for a quick visit to one of the oldest Buddhist temples in the capital.

It’s overlooked by a typical Chinese residential building…small windows, washing hanging on the balconies and pretty run down on the outside [but I just love them and much prefer them to the modern residential apartment blocks with nothing to admire but big glass windows).

Guangxiao Si (Bright Obedience Temple) has a history dating back some 1700 years and built before the existence of Guangzhou city.  It was initially built during the Western Han Dynasty as a private house and later used as a lecture hall before being dedicated completely as a Zen Buddhist Temple during the Southern Song Dynasty.   Then again in the 1980s, the temple was reoccupied by Buddhist monks.

The architecture of the temple and cultural relics provide a good insight into the history of Chinese Buddhism.

 The grounds comprise many buildings and whilst it only took a little while to walk through, I am glad I got to visit – it’s always nice to see something so old even though some parts are refurbished.  There are also many trees within the grounds which are really beautiful and incredibly old.

It’s a place to visit if you have the time.

Jamie’s Italian Kitchen – Canberra – ACT – Australia – May 2016

Tags

ACT, Australia, canberra, Italian food, Jamie Oliver's restaurant, lunch

Eating Italian food at Jamie Oliver’s restaurant 

This year, I made a list of casual restaurants I would like to try in Canberra and Jamie’s Italian was one, so with two of my friends we met and tried the food at this franchise.

One friend and I sat at the bar enjoying a glass of wine while we waited for our other friend and when she arrived, we were seated at a little booth which was comfortable with a huge chandelier above us and an array of cured meats and hanging garlic above the kitchen area.

Our waitress allowed us to sample a couple of wines before we bought, as they were Italian and we had not tasted them before.

There are great small plates to share on the menu and whilst we wanted to eat them all, we decided on just one dish which was the crispy polenta chips – they were good!!

I ordered the margherita pizza for my main course and it was nice; a reasonable looking pizza with a tasty base and even though it was not the best I have ever had, it was still enjoyable.  There were many dishes to choose from for vegetarians but this day I felt like pizza as had seen one being delivered to another table and it looked pretty good.

My friends ordered the prawn linguine which consisted of fried garlic prawns with fennel, tomatoes, chilli, saffron, fish broth & lemon rocket and the squid and mussel spaghetti which had  flash-fried squid and mussels with octopus, capers, chilli, anchovies, tomatoes and white wine.  My friends both said they enjoyed their meals.

Food was ok and service very good, but I think I need to return to try an eggplant dish that I think has my name on it which has so many ingredients that make it sound really interesting (roasted eggplant with a ragù of lentils and tomatoes and smoked paprika with a garlicky yoghurt dressing, toasted pine nuts, lemon rocket and pomegranate).

Jamie’s has so many vegetarian dishes on its menu which all sound delicious including:

• pasta filled with roasted squash, ricotta and parmesan in a pumpkin, chilli and rosemary butter
• a tomato based pasta with garlic, basil, chillies, vegetarian pecorino and herb breadcrumbs
• pasta stuffed with zucchini and mint and
• a truffle risotto

 It’s always nice when a restaurant has so many options for vegetarians!!