Last week I was in Sydney to see Madama Butterfly at the Sydney Opera House; what a fabulous experience. I love opera and am a subscriber to the opera house so get to visit about four times a year to see operas of my choosing and Madama Butterfly was my third choice this year. It was wonderful and my friend Rosi and I really enjoyed the performance. It also gives me the opportunity of walking around Sydney’s beautiful harbour.
I had read about a totally plant-based restaurant in Sydney that had a vegan high tea, so booked in advance as it a popular place run by internationally renowned chef Matthew Kennedy. The restaurant Alibi opened in 2018 and is located on the first floor of the Ovolo Hotel at the pier at Woolloomooloo Bay.
The hotel has an industrial feel with open pipes and structures but the restaurant/bar still has a cozy feel with colourful velvet chairs and bright carpets and small lights lining the many artificial interior trees.
We arrived at 2pm and were shown to a booth already set with colourful cups and saucers and linen napkins and given the high tea menu. First thing I noticed was the metal owl looking down on us from the rafters as there are quite a few interesting items around the interior.
There are three options with the high tea; tea and coffee, free flowing rose wine or free flowing French champagne. We chose the tea option. My choice was ‘Refresh-A-Mint‘ which was a twist on traditional peppermint tea with an addition of pineapple; thirst quenching and lovely. Rosi chose the ‘Grey Rabbit‘ a fragrant earl grey tea with real bergamot as earl grey is definitely her favourite tea.
Our waiter gave us a quick run-down of the high tea and within a few minutes a fabulous mirror lined three layer stand arrived; two actually, one for me and one for Rosi!
The waitress then asked us if we wanted a thorough explanation of the delicacies or did we prefer to experience the tastes ourselves. We preferred her to explain each delicacy. She did a wonderful job and suggested which we should eat first. We followed her suggestion and started off with the peppermint gum pea tart topped with dark bitter chocolate. Wow…so delicious (I think this was our favourite dish of the day).
We then tried the pickled infused lemon myrtle cucumber with macadamia ricotta, beetroot and topped with orange segments. These tiny savoury treats were rather filling but of course we kept eating and tried the salt baked sweet potato with crispy salt bush, sunrise lime and then topped with vegan sour cream; all beautifully placed on a crossini.
Our next tasting was the compressed watermelon with vegan feta, native finger lime and lemon balm; lovely and refreshing and we ate this before moving onto the sweet dishes. We first tried the almond meal ‘scone’ with vegan cream; really nice but the base was a little too dense for me. The cream was delicious though!
Next we ate the wattle seed and almond tiramisu. Rosi loved this but I think I much preferred the hibiscus and raspberry pavlova with aqua faba meringue and cream. Wow!! I haven’t eaten a pavlova since becoming vegan so was incredibly happy this one was so delicious. Rosi then tried the passionfruit and butterscotch tart with poached pears – said it was nice but still the tiramisu was still her favourite. I decided to take my tart back to our apartment as by this stage I was really full.
And our final little delight was the plum Sacher chocolate cake, but unfortunately we were too full to eat this so the waiter kindly packaged this up for us to take away also. Maybe I should of started with this one as it really looked amazing.
Next time I visit Sydney, I intend to return to this fabulous restaurant/bar and enjoy a plant based meal as by all accounts the food is fabulous judging by the many five-star reviews.
The other night it was my Chinese friend Peter’s 30th birthday so we decided to go out to dinner and Peter chose a new restaurant in Canberra which is about a five minute drive from my home.
It’s a Chinese restaurant, quite casual and with an unusual name Chic Gourmet which if I had heard the name before we went I would not of thought it was Chinese cuisine…I guess I am so used to names with a Chinese connection!!
Peter ordered all the meat dishes and started off with the hand-made signature pan fried pork buns, hand-made pork wontons in a spicy sauce and a dish of stewed duck with beer and chilli oil. It’s a real shame those wontons were not vegan as I must say they looked fabulous.
Every dish really arrived very nicely presented and as with the majority of Chinese restaurants; food arrived quickly.
Every time we go out with Peter, he always orders what we think are way too many dishes but they seems to get eaten, every time! This evening there was five of us and I was the only one not eating meat so there was quite a bit of food to be eaten even lots of vegetable dishes.
And just when we thought the dishes had finished Katie ordered both her and I a bowl of traditional Peking style slow cooked pear and white fungus soup for dessert. I thought this was very sweet of her as she had brought a cake from the local cake shop and as it wasn’t vegan she wanted to ensure I had something to eat. Not my favourite dessert I must say but I took a few sips.
And as you do when you are with much younger people, you find out about Apps (beautycam) that makes your skin look fabulously smooth and adds ears and other things to photos, so we engaged in some frivolity for a little while before ending the very lovely evening.
This week I was working out how long its been since I have eaten out and the answer was ” it’s been a while”; not just for me of course but for everyone and I know how difficult it is for restaurant owners and staff – so I hope for their sake (and mine) that restaurants open soon. Then came some good news a couple of days ago that restaurants and pubs here in Canberra are opening with limited patronage…yay! Only ten people allowed inside to ensure adherence to social distancing but that’s fine as it allows me to go out and enjoy a meal with friends.
So…back to this post. Last October my friends Ray and Natalie invited me to Sage Dining Rooms located at Gorman House in Canberra for lunch to celebrate Nat’s birthday. Sage has an interesting history. The whole complex used to be accomodation for interstate public servants comprising small individual bedrooms with a series of lounges and a dining room. The hostel was decommissioned in the 1970s and the communal dining and living rooms were refurbished to create Sage. 
Sage is definitely one of Canberra’s best fine dining restaurants and has won many awards over the years. The wait staff are extremely well versed with the ingredients of every dish and as they are serving, they provide that information. The decor is lovely; fresh flowers on every table, linen tablecloths and napkins, cute chair and bench coverings and the place is spotlessly clean.
We ordered the three course degustation with mine being vegan to cater for my dietary requirements. There is also a five course degustation but I find it’s just too much food as the restaurant provides an amuse bouche with our first drinks (lovely glass of champagne) and then a complimentary small dish is also offered between each course – all delicious tiny mouth fulls but when you have five dishes and tiny bites between each you get very full very quickly!
All dishes are beautifully presented and food is absolutely delicious.
And desserts are fabulous too…
And then came a lovely surprise for Nat…
I am so looking forward to Sage Dining Rooms re-opening…
Earlier this year I saw a restaurant called Momoda as I was walking past on my way to meet friends for a drink and since then I have dined there about four times. On this occasion, a few months ago, I arranged for a group of friends to join me for dinner. I invited my Chinese friends, my friend Jon and another friend Anne (who I have known since school). The menu is extensive with vegan and vegetarian options and also with lots of meat and seafood dishes.
The name Momoda is Chinese slang meaning kiss-kiss which is an expression of affection used at the end of text messages similar to “mwah” in English. Cute! The food here is delicious; so many choices for me as a vegan and lots of great dishes for my meat eating friends as well as the many choices of alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails and drinks.
I always order the cauliflower san choy bowl which comes with peanut satay and baby cos lettuce which allows you to make your own little parcels of deliciousness. Also on my list is my absolute favourite – crispy eggplant with Chiang-Jiang red vinegar, roasted sesame and ginger chilli. Now this is good!
I have also ordered the wild mushroom bun, with pumpkin seed, king mushroom and black pepper which was very good and there is a dumpling called the double cheeseburger dumpling – yes you read correctly; that is definitely a combination of West meets East – we didn’t order this. All the buns and dumplings we have eaten here have been great!
My friends shared quite a few dishes including the scallop and prawn dumplings topped with diced pickles, Grandma’s sticky pork belly; twice cooked pork with caramel lemongrass chilli jam, the pork and Chinese chive dumplings with black vinegar and ginger chilli dipping sauce and the BBQ pork Char Siu buns – all delicious I was informed.
The restaurant’s interior is worth the visit; dimly lit with a really lovely decor that includes Chinese lanterns hanging from the ceiling, fans on the walls and unusual items like an old leather suitcase displayed on a shelf and non-Chinese lanterns hanging on the walls – all adds to the ambience I think. 
The owner Irean is from Mainland China and has a wonderful sense of humour. I love that she remembers you from previous visits. And to top it off, my Chinese friends Peter and Katie said to me at the end of the evening that they loved each of the dishes and because they are used to typical Chinese food they were so impressed with the quality and variety of the dishes. I guess this is because the dishes are traditional Chinese but with a very modern twist. Certainly not the Aussie/Chinese dishes like beef in black bean sauce or sweet and sour pork; both dishes my Chinese friends have never heard of.
I have known my friend Lyn for over thirty-five years so when she moved back to Australia from Canada I promised I would visit when they had built their new home. It’s exactly what I did a couple of weekends ago. The drive from Canberra to Ulladulla is exactly two and a half hours and is very pleasant.
The next morning we took a lovely walk with the dogs; through bushland and along the beachfront where the dogs jumped immediately into the water. It was about twenty-one degrees so no need for big jackets and gloves like I have to wear at the moment in Canberra.
The girls had booked a table for lunch overlooking the ocean at the Mollymook Golf Club but before we went there, we went to the local lighthouse where we walked along a pathway of interesting trees and shrubs to arrive at a viewing platform to see the ocean.
The views from inside the golf club were also very beautiful and it was here I saw my first whale (well a spout of water and a side fin) and a mum dolphin and her baby. Very exciting but no photos as it was too quick a sighting.
I really had a great few days with the girls as they are such great company and it was so nice to stay in their fabulous newly built home, but it was time to leave. I decided to stop at a lovely historic country town on the way home called Braidwood. I parked up one end of the main street and walked up and down both sides to check out all the shops and pick a nice cafe for lunch. There are some beautiful old buildings but wow it was so incredibly cold.
I decided on a warm and cosy cafe called Abion which was so pretty inside with its fresh vegetables on display as well as old aluminium cans and tins amongst many other things.
I ordered a really delicious coconut, sweet potato and split pea soup with a pot of peppermint tea and of course a small bowl of chips and sat on the old wooden bench before an old wooden table! A lovely environment to eat lunch on such a cold day.
And on the way back to my car I walk past more historic buildings and some street art next to a sign showing people their dogs cannot poop in the street!
Earlier this week, I asked my friends Ray and Natalie to come with me to a new restaurant near my home. It’s located in the ‘Chinatown’ of Canberra and inside is bright with nice decor; all clean and fresh with amazing artwork on the main wall.
The restaurant is owned by Paul and Angel who both grew up in China and have been selling their bao at local markets in Canberra before they opened this restaurant.
Our waiter kindly let me know that the steamed buns are not vegan which was a bit of a shame as I really felt like eating the panko tofu. So instead I ordered lightly fried tofu which was so fresh and tasty and an eggplant dish. It wasn’t the style of eggplant I am used to (Sichuan style with oil) but more chargrilled I think. Both dishes were beautifully presented.
Ray and Nat ordered several of the bao to taste and both said they were very good.
Their choices were the Pork Belly Bao where the pork belly is cooked traditional Taiwan style and served with crushed peanuts, pickled cabbage and coriander leaves. Their second choice was the Shanghai Duck Bao; the duck stewed in soy sauce and Chinese spices with a slice or orange which we were told amplifies the rich and decadent taste and their third choice was the Crispy Fried Chicken Bao where a chicken thigh is marinated overnight then coated with a secret flour recipe and deep fried and comes with a drizzle of saffron mayonnaise.
Also ordered were the beef skewers which Ray and Nat shared and sparkling water and a glass of wine each.
When we called over our waiter to ask for the bill, he told us that we definitely had to try the Oreo Bao [not vegan unfortunately), but shared by my friends who said it was absolutely delicious. Rather decadent I think!
I am sure I will return as it’s a good place to pop in for a quick meal and glass of wine albeit a little expensive!
Peter’s family home is an apartment in a beautiful and very large complex complete with lake and lovely gardens. 
It only took us a short time to reach the restaurant which was quite small with plastic chairs and little wooden tables. Peter’s dad said it was his favourite restaurant and that the cuisine was Chongqing hot pot. (Chongqing used to be under the administration of Sichuan Province but now is separated and is under the direct administration of the central government similar to Beijing and Shanghai). Chongqing hot pot is spicier than Sichuan hot pot – I was a bit scared of my mouth burning!!!
I do like my food a little spicy but certainly not lip-tingling hot. Peter’s dad and Jon love spicy food so they both put an additional packet of oily chilli into their dipping sauce. (my blogging friend Gary would love the spicy food I am sure). 
Now for this dipping sauce – the cooked food is eaten with the sauce which is a combination of spices and herbs and made by the customer from a wide range of ingredients. Peter’s mum made mine and it was absolutely delicious with oil, garlic, tahini, chives, chopped peanuts and chilli.
As for the actual hot pot – each table has a two sided simmering pot of soup stock. On our table, one of the pots contained meat stock and chilli and mine of course contained no meat but delicious spices, tomatoes, goji berries and vegetable stock. 
We were seated at our little table and then the process is you walk up to the kitchen area and select what you want to eat, bring it back to the table and cook! I selected some fresh tofu, noodles, cabbage, mushrooms, thinly sliced potato and sprouts. These were also to be shared by others not just me. Another large fridge had shelves and shelves of meat and seafood which Peter’s dad selected for the table.
We returned to the table with our uncooked food and found the waitress had turned on the stove to heat the stock and ensure the hot pot is kept simmering. All ingredients are firstly placed on bamboo skewers and then placed into the pot. In true Chinese tradition both Jon and I were served by our hosts all night. Peter’s mum was so lovely ensuring that no meat was placed into my pot and kept the heat at a simmer rather than a boil to make sure the meat water did not bubble into my pot. 
Peter translated throughout the meal but Peter’s mum who speaks mainly Sichuanese can also speak some Mandarin so this enabled me to converse with her rather than have Peter translate all of our conversations which I know was very tiring for him.
The boys enjoyed some local beers which were bought from the restaurant.
One thing I did think was particularly cute about this restaurant was the small drawer in the table which contained our paper napkins – lots were needed. 
Dessert and snacks are also available from the kitchen area but we were all way too full to eat anything else.
I must say I genuinely enjoyed this evening and the food was really really good.
But back to our dinner… Bicicletta Restaurant serves locally sourced food and its menu has several vegetarian and vegan options. In this location, there are several restaurants and a few residential complexes who share a communal vegetable and herb garden. I loved this little area; so beautifully maintained also with an ‘interesting’ statue and small gardens and pathways for local residents to enjoy.
We sat outside in the courtyard with a view inside the restaurant through large windows.
The courtyard is great for the warmer months with lush greenery and coloured chairs and umbrellas. In late Autumn and Winter, blankets are supplied to keep your legs warm.
I loved the look of two vegan items on the menu so decided to try both an entree and main course. I chose the eggplant dish for entree which was deep fried with a balsamic glaze, polenta chips and a small amount of rocket. This was an incredibly delicious meal…really too big for an entree but I was not complaining. I loved it!
My friends shared the Pane, Olio E Balsamico which was a selection of breads; sourdough, baguette and brioche served with butter, aged balsamic reduction and extra virgin olive oil [forgot to take a photo].
One of my friends also ordered the gnocchi but hers included a topping of crumbed goats cheese.
Also the Ravioli Di Maiale Arrosto; house made ravioli stuffed with roast pork, apple, potato and thyme in a creamy apple, rhubarb and white wine sauce finished with rocket, toasted walnuts and aged balsamic. 
And finally the daily risotto dish with wild mushrooms, heirloom tomatoes, rocket and freshly shaved parmesan. 
I thought all the meals looked so appetising and were beautifully displayed. But in relation to our friendship, no matter how different our lives are now, this group of friends is still very special to me and I always enjoy catching up with them over a meal.
Sue's Fabulous Travels 
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