Otis Dining Hall – Kingston – Canberra – ACT – Australia – June 2017

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ACT, Australia, canberra, Kingston, Otis Dining Hall Restaurant

‘Another’ new restaurant in Canberra

For several years Canberra had a Belgium Beer Cafe which was a good place to go for a drink on a Sunday afternoon and then one day it was gone; not sure why as it was always full of people but some months ago, in its place was a new restaurant called Otis Dining Hall..which certainly is not a hall in the true sense of the word but a fabulous restaurant.(source: http://www.thisisotis.com.au)

I booked a table (for me and my friend Jane) one Saturday evening in June.

When I dine out if I see a dish with cheese in it, I always ask can the cheese be removed as I do not eat cheese containing animal rennet and this time was no different as the dish I liked the look of was the pumpkin ravioli dish.  I wasn’t sure if there would be a shaving of parmesan so I asked the [very] young waiter if this could be done and he immediately told me it couldn’t.  I was surprised as the cheese was not inside the ravioli nor part of the dish, so I asked him if he was sure and he said he was and that cheese on a dish could not be removed.  I was rather [very] frustrated and asked him if he could ask the chef (who actually makes the meal!!) which he reluctantly did…and surprise surprise the chef said ‘yes’ the dish could be made without the shaving of cheese.  grr!!

So after this ordeal, I did order the pumpkin ravioli with  sage burnt butter, a hen’s egg and amaretto…and it was definitely worth it – absolutely delicious..

Jane, who apologied to me first (because I am completely vegetarian and and lover of all animals) ordered the salted wallaby tartare with pickled vine leaf, macadamia nut floss and burnt onions.  The wallaby is a small Aussie animal and I think just a smaller version of the kangaroo and I really didn’t think it was an animal we ate, but I guess all animals can be eaten. Jane said it was good but next time would probably order seafood [her favourite].

It was at this time I asked for an ice bucket for our wine as it hadn’t arrived with our bottle, well I asked twice really [again to our young and inexperienced waiter] and in the end Jane had to insist on one…it was a little frustrating but not the biggest issue in the world…

For main course I ordered the forest mushroom gnocchi with pickled chestnut mushrooms, pine nuts and taleggio cheese (I asked for the cheese to be removed and funnily enough this time it was ok).  So delicious!!Jane ordered the Otis pepper steak with  silk-wood brandy jus and a side of french fries – it was funny though as that was exactly what it was…steak on a plate with nothing else…I suppose I think there could be some greens somewhere on the plate – but no!!I ate the fries as Jane is not a big eater of chips!! (lucky me).  No dessert for either of us as we were very full but this is what we can expect…(source: http://www.agfg.com.au)

Other friends of mine have eaten at this restaurant and actually asked me about the service; like me they found it wanting – maybe it’s because it’s new and the staff are young but the food is definitely worth a return visit.

 

 

 

 

 

Archways of China – PRC – 2010 – 2014

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Archways, china, prc

Through the eye of an archway!

I must say I have always loved taking photos of doorways but I was having a look at my photos from my time in China and realised I clearly have a love of archways also, so I thought I would show some of my favourites from all around the country.  The Great Wall of China has lovely views from its many archways and they all located at different  parts of the Wall; I think they are definitely some of my favourites.

All throughout the seasons you can find different views through an archway; snow laden parks in winter and people out enjoying themselves along the walkways of the Summer Palace.Monks can be seen through archways as well as a gardener along one of the corridors of the Forbidden City.There are branches falling over sandstone archways as well as glass archways on modern buildings in western China.There are archways on bridges in eastern China to hold the hundreds of thousands of visitors and a view of the beginning of the Ming Tombs from another.Repeating archways; some not for walking through at the Summer Palace in Chengde; others making it easy for visitors to reach the Lama Temple in Beijing.And then there are those archways that are known all throughout the world because they belong to the Forbidden City where the huge portrait of Chairman Mao sits.Some are just pretty…And others are not as pretty but still very interesting…All in all, some great archways leading to wonderful places in a fabulous country.And finally me on a bike tour with a background of archways at the Belltower in Beijing…

 

 

 

Agostinis Restaurant – Canberra – Australian Capital Territory – Australia – May 2017

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ACT, Agostinis Restaurant, Australia, canberra, Italian food

Dinner with a friend from London

A friend of mine has a posting to London and recently returned to Canberra for a short visit.  I wanted to catch up with her so we decided to go out to dinner (of course with my other friend Jane) at a restaurant that is attached to one of the lovely hotels.

This Italian restaurant has a casual and comfortable feel with a predominantly pink palette throughout.  It’s good for families and larger groups rather than intimate dining.  On the evening we went there was a large group next to us so it was a little difficult to hear our conversation.

It has a pretty extensive menu and everything is made in-house, from the ice cream to the the pizza dough which is great.

And then there’s the pizza oven – the largest in Canberra. It fits fourteen pizzas at a time and even rotates to make the best use of the heat.  

(source: http://www.goodfood.com.au)

The kitchen is open, meaning both the pizza oven and the chefs preparing the evening’s meals are on full display which I do like to see.

I ordered the Cavolo salad which is an Italian coleslaw dish with finely shredded green cabbage and a garlic, lemon and mint vinaigrette.  It was really nice – refreshing really and as I was having a very healthy night I didn’t order anything else and ordered a bottle of sparkling water to enjoy whilst my friends shared a bottle of white wine.Jane ordered the parmesan and thyme crusted veal cutlet which was served served with a fennel and cabbage salad.  She loved it!My London friend ordered a pizza with a topping of prawns, cherry tomatoes, chilli, parsley, mozzarella and lemon.  She loved it too – nice and fresh with a good base.The restaurant does have a very good selection of wines and a specialty behind the bar is the range of Italian-made wines on tap.  Might need to try one next time. 

A nice evening with friends but I think I might try a few of the other restaurants in town before I return.

 

 

Weekend in Melbourne – Victoria – Australia – March 2017

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Australia, French dining, Italian food, Melbourne, Shen Yun

Theatre and a long weekend away

My friend Jane, who you know I regularly travel interstate with knows I love all things China, so told me about a Chinese dance troupe that was visiting Australia.  Without either of us checking out anything about it on the internet, I said ‘let’s go’.  We arranged to spend a long weekend in Melbourne which is about an hour in the plane from Canberra and we organised tickets, flights and accommodation only to find out that the dance troupe was coming to Canberra…ah well we both love Melbourne so decided to still go – lots of eating and shopping to be done anyway!

The dance troupe is called Shen Yun Performing Arts and was formed in New York.  It performs classical Chinese dance and as it’s website says ‘was founded in 2006 by practitioners of the Falun Gong spiritual discipline with the mission of reviving the essence of 5000 years of Chinese culture, which it states to have been nearly destroyed by the Chinese Communist Party’.

(source: internet images)

It was an interesting event I must say – lovely dancing but a little bit political which neither of us expected.

I organised an Airbnb two bedroom/two bathroom apartment and I travelled on the Friday afternoon and immediately left the apartment to go shopping as Melbourne is known for its great shops.  After a while I was tired from carrying too many shopping bags so stopped at a lovely cobblestone street for something to eat and drink and do some people watching.

I ordered my usual; a glass of wine and glass of sparkling mineral water along with a bowl of fresh tomato and basil pasta…delicious!

Before Jane arrived around 8pm, I caught up with a Melbourne based friend at a lovely little pub around the corner from where I was staying followed by a quick dinner at one of the five star hotels. I forgot to take photos!

The next day Jane went out early to the fresh food markets (I think I have told you she is a ‘foodie’) and she enjoyed some oysters and fresh fruit.  I stayed in the apartment as was feeling a little unwell from a recent cold, then we both went for a walk around the city to find the theatre where the dance troupe was performing.  By this time it was after midday and both of us were a little hungry [I was ravenous].  We decided we needed to eat something delicious for lunch but not knowing the city we didn’t really know where to go.  Then a wonderful surprise – across the road from the theatre we saw a gorgeous little French bistro ‘BISTROT d’ORSAY’…what a fabulous find.

The interior is evocative of a typical Paris bistro with dark wood panelling and soft lighting and a towering vintage French poster adorning the dining room.  The menu has  French bistro classics such as bouillabaisse and crème brûlée and also Mediterranean style dishes.

Jane ordered a bottle of French wine which we started drinking whilst waiting for our meals and snacked on some thick fresh bread.

This was such a lovely restaurant we didn’t want to leave and I think it had something to do with a very charming [and very handsome] waiter who had that beautiful French accent [and told us he was from Paris].  After perusing the menu for some time, I decided on the risotto with rich mushroom ragu which I really enjoyed and even the chef was happy to make it without cheese for me (very kind).

Jane ordered the bouillabaisse; Marseilles’ famous soup of prawns, scallops, fish and mussels in a saffron, tomato, fennel broth with crouton and rouille.  She couldn’t stop talking about how incredible this dish was.

And of course the obligatory pommes frites [which I have now learnt from the very handsome waiter, are ‘fries’ in French]…sounds much more eloquent than ordering ‘fries’ or ‘chips’.

Then it was time to head over to the show followed by dinner at a lovely little Italian restaurant that I had been to previously [post to follow].

 

Sanya Bar – Braddon – Canberra – ACT – Australia – April 2017

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ACT, Australia, Braddon, canberra, Chinese cuisine, Sanya Bar

New bar/restaurant in the inner city

My friend Jane’s husband is currently working overseas so during his absence Jane and I regularly try new restaurants mostly in Canberra but also in Sydney and Melbourne.  Last last month she told me about a new  bar/restaurant in the inner city called Sanya Bar so we decided to try it out.

We went there on the week of its soft opening and arrived when it opened as couldn’t make a reservation either through the website or after Jane physically went to the bar.  Which meant we got good seats when we arrived.  The cuisine is Beijing fusion.  So what is Beijing fusion you might ask [as I asked the same question), well it’s just a different take on northern Chinese food.  The restaurant’s menu is a mix of traditional dishes including the renowned Peking Duck pancakes but then it also has other interesting dishes.  For example crispy banana chicken wings and blue cheese, pear and walnut wontons and deserts like fried cheesecake with toasted coconut. Interesting!!

The restaurant is so lovely; intimate and dark with several tables near the bar and a few more smaller tables down a long corridor whose wall has many framed Chinese black and white prints.  We sat next to the bar (in the best seats I say) which has gold grout between the tiles [never seen gold grout before] and enjoyed some champagne whilst catching up on our lives.

The owner, JJ Chen was a public servant in Canberra for some time and then moved to Beijing and the head cook is her mum who has been a cook at Parliament House and the Hyatt Hotel in Canberra. I also did some research and found out that the head chef’s  grandfather was a cook in China’s Imperial Palace and he had passed down his recipes and taught his granddaughter how to cook.

The name of the restaurant is the same as a beautiful beach on Hainan Island in China and the menus, which are pretty cool, have pictures of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army troupes being entertained by Marilyn Monroe and a caricature like cartoon of people in Tian’anmen Square, [certainly not a picture you could have on a menu in China).  Both are by renowned Chinese-Australian artist Guo Jian, who is a friend of the owner.

There are also great murals on the walls which match the menus.

When Jane and I finally stopped talking [we hadn’t caught up for a while] we decided to order dumplings; mine vegetarian and Jane’s meat filled.  They arrived all wrapped up nicely and matched with a spicy sauce.  The sauce was delicious but Jane and I found the top of the dumplings a little dry; guess it was the soft opening so will make allowances.  But the contents were good.

We also ordered a plate of  vegetarian wontons which I found were pretty much the same as the dumplings but a different shape.  Looked great in the dish but still a tiny bit dry on the top.

The official opening was a couple of weeks after we dined and I have heard the owner is going to make the entrance to the restaurant more like a Beijing Hutong so I will have to go back to check it out and give those dumplings just one more try.

 

 

 

Mount Wellington – Hobart – Tasmania – May 2017

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Hobart, Mount Wellington, Tasmania

Lovely views from atop the mountain

A couple of weeks ago I travelled to Hobart, the capital of Tasmania which is an isolated state off the south coast of Australia.  Unfortunately, there are no direct flights from Canberra so I had to fly to Melbourne (Victoria) first then over the Tasman Sea to reach Hobart.

(source: http://www.worldatlas.com)

Hobart sits on the Derwent River and is such a beautiful city; one of my favourites actually as I love the climate there.    Hobart experiences four distinct seasons which is similar to Canberra.  It’s a pretty cold capital city [again like Canberra] with the average temperatures range from 11.5 – 21°C in summer…but not as warm as Canberra as during our summers our average temperatures range from 12.6 – 27°C but our temperatures in summer do reach 40°C with little humidity which is great.

Whilst there, I had a couple of hours to spare so my colleagues kindly drove me up to Mount Wellington which is the summit of the Wellington Range.

The mountain rises to around 1200 metres above sea level and is frequently covered by snow, sometimes even in summer and as we were leaving we saw little pockets of snow on the ground.

We arrived at the top of the mountain after a trip where I had a little motion sickness but it was worth it to get out of the car as there was an enclosed look-out and wooden pathway which provided spectacular views of the city and the Derwent river.

I couldn’t go out on the enclosed look-out as I have such a fear of heights and it was just too close to the edge but the walkway provided great views too.  We were up so high that I also had great views of the clouds sitting around the top of the mountains…lovely sight with the sun shining through the clouds.

I also went for a walk around Hobart before work that morning but I will cover that in another post…