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Tag Archives: New South Wales

Visiting Orange – New South Wales – Australia – October 2020

14 Sunday Feb 2021

Posted by SueT唐 梦 琇 in Travels inside China

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

Ferment wines, New South Wales, Orange, Rosnay Winery, Sweet Sour Salt Restaurant, travelling with friends

Orange is a city in the central tablelands region of New South Wales and just over a three hour drive from Canberra. So late last year my two friends and I decided to take a road trip and spend a few days looking around and injecting some money into a place that like many others has done it tough during Covid.

We stayed at a really lovely Airbnb, my favourite form of accomodation these days with a courtyard out the back where we enjoyed breakfast in the mornings and wine and snacks in the afternoons.

Our first evening, my friend Naomi had booked a local restaurant called Sweet Sour Salt with Asian inspired cuisine and an interesting atmosphere with dim lighting, dramatic wall art and upside down chairs hanging from the ceiling.

The restaurant has dispensed with the al-a-carte menu and offers three set menus. One of those was plant based and food was really good especially the red curry eggplant with bamboo and tofu; absolutely delicious!

Only thing that wasn’t good on the night was the local vegan wine; tasted like old socks! Even Mandy and Naomi when they tasted it thought similar.

The next day after a long walk around the city checking out the historic home which are all restored beautifully, we popped into a cafe for lunch. Birdie Noshery & Drinking Est offers tapas, cocktails, wine, beers etc. But we started off with a hot beverage. The peppermint tea arrived in a glass teapot with a gorgeous brightly coloured cup and saucer. I loved the posters and prints on the walls inside the cafe. It really was a lovely place to sit for a couple of hours, which we did.

Well…we started off with tea and coffees but then of course considering it was a wine bar we enjoyed a couple of glasses of Aussie sparkling wine. Whilst Mandy and Naomi shared a few tapas dishes mainly meat and seafood, I ordered a vegan plate which arrived with lots of anti-pasta and olives, which I don’t like at all but the girls enjoyed them. It was a really nice couple of hours, eating, drinking and chatting.

On our way back to our Airbnb, we stopped off at Ferment Wine Centre in the centre of town where we had booked another wine tasting, I think it was $10 per person. I asked the elderly man who greeted us at the door if he had any vegan wines. He really didn’t know but proceeded to tell me why wines are vegan (which of course I know)…so that’s five minutes of my life I will never get back. He was also supposed to pour our tastings and tell us something about the actual wines but he saw someone he knew so went to give her a huge hug and left us for most of our hour on our own… and failed to tell us anything. We were a bit annoyed but then the girls took full advantage of this and just poured their own wines and considering we weren’t driving, they poured with a heavy hand. I think they got their $10 worth!

We stayed two nights in Orange and on our way back to Canberra, we stopped off at Rosnay winery. We had booked a wine tasting the evening before on-line and Naomi had tasted this wine before and said it was very good and a plus is that it is organic. Now this was a great wine tasting. We sat outside and enjoyed wines with the owner who really was a character. We had quite a few laughs listening to the history of his winery and his other antics and enjoyed some snacks too including figs which are also grown on his land.

The winery grounds were quite beautiful and after our tasting we each bought sparkling, rose and white wines along with fig preserve, marinated preserved figs and glazed figs; all I still have in my cupboard. I find I buy these things because they taste good on the day but then never end up eating them. – so now I really must enjoy them with friends over a glass or two of wine. Perhaps the wine I bought from this winery!

It’s really nice to get out and about in Australia and makes it even nicer when I can enjoy time with my friends!

Canola Fields – New South Wales – Australia – September 2020

06 Tuesday Oct 2020

Posted by SueT唐 梦 琇 in Travels inside China

≈ 24 Comments

Tags

Australia, Canola fields, day out with friends, Harden-Murrumburrah, New South Wales

A few Sunday’s ago, my friends and I took a day trip out of Canberra to see the Canola fields on the way to lunch in a town called Harden-Murrumburrah in New South Wales.

Whilst living in China and during my travels, I have seen similar fields but of Rapeseeds; mostly they were not in full bloom as it was not at the right time of the year. On this particular day here in Australia the flowers were in full bloom so the yellow colour was vibrant; unfortunately the weather wasn’t at its best and grey clouds loomed over us nearly the whole day.

As we were driving, we would stop every few kilometres as we would see fields either close by the road or in the distance and hopped out of the car to take (too many) photos.

I loved the contrast of the green fields and the Canola and the Canola fields alongside country roads – my favourite!

We stopped at a country pub in Murrumburrah and whilst there were no vegan dishes, I ate my ‘go to’ bowl of chips, it was a nice experience to sit down and relax over a glass of wine with my friends Wayne and Jef.

The owner, after we told her we were looking for the Canola fields, gave us directions to where she said were the best fields. We took her advise and drove the loop before heading home. It was worth the extra twenty-minutes or so as the sun was trying its best to make its way out of the clouds which gave us better opportunities for photos.

I intend to do quite a bit more full-day and weekend-long trips (a bit like my blogging friend Marion at her lovetravelling blog) as it’s a great way for me to pursue my love of travel whilst Australia’s current domestic and international travel restrictions are in place.

Southern Highlands – New South Wales – Australia – June 2020

06 Monday Jul 2020

Posted by SueT唐 梦 琇 in Sightseeing and eating around Canberra/Sydney

≈ 26 Comments

Tags

Australia, Bowral, Ethos Restaurant, Links House, New South Wales, Southern Highlands, travelling with friends, Vegan wine

A lovely overnight trip out of Canberra

sitemgr_the_fold_southern_highlands-highlands_mossyFinally…we can travel…well domestically anyway.  My friend and I decided to drive about two hours out of Canberra to a beautiful area of New South Wales called the Southern Highlands which is also considered a wine region.  My lovely friend Sharon booked us a couple of rooms at Links House in Bowral.  Bowral is the largest town in the Southern Highlands and is known for its antique shops, cafes, house & garden stores and expensive homes similar to other areas in the Southern Highlands.

We had a nice drive; I drove and we chatted about anything and everything and before we knew it, we had arrived at our hotel.  Links House has a lovely frontage.  It was built in 1928 as a country guesthouse and still has all the charm of that era and style.  fullsizeoutput_9e8fullsizeoutput_9e9We drove up the side lane and parked the car and walked into the hotel.  We were greeted by the owner who offered us a small glass of locally made port. Sharon indulged but because I don’t like red wine I declined.  We were shown our rooms which were lovely with a country style; heated, clean and most importantly; a comfortable bed!fullsizeoutput_9e7We spent the next hour or so with a friend and his family in their beautiful home; an old schoolhouse – and so beautifully decorated.  No photos unfortunately as didn’t think it appropriate to be snapping at the home of people I have only just met!!!  Then Sharon, David and I went out to lunch at Centennial Vineyards, a local winery, located in the same suburb as our hotel (but more on that in an upcoming post).

That evening Sharon and I decided to eat at our hotel at Ethos restaurant as it was rather cold outside and we had a busy day driving/eating/chatting and meeting new friends.  fullsizeoutput_9eaWe met in the lounge area of our hotel which had a lovely fire and comfortable chairs.

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source: courtesy of the internet

I arrived early to the lounge area so ordered a glass of wine.  As most of you will know I am vegan (over two years now) but something you might not know is it’s only been the last two months that I have decided to only drink vegan wine.  This means that any wine that has used egg white/fish or gelatine as a finishing agent (stops the clouding of the wine) I won’t drink.

vegan-wine-logo-BANNER

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source:  courtesy of the internet

 

I asked whether there were any vegan wines available and was told there was only one which was a rosé.  I am not a red wine or rosé drinker but the owner said this wine was very light and offered me a taste.  I took a small sip and it certainly was very light so ordered a glass.  By this time Sharon had arrived and after a few minutes we moved into the restaurant.  I ordered a mushroom risotto which the chef made vegan and Sharon ordered the pumpkin soup with truffle oil and home made grain bread.  Both very good dishes with lovely fresh local produce.fullsizeoutput_9ebfullsizeoutput_9ecBy this time we were feeling a little tired so moved back into the lounge area near the fire for a chat before heading off to our rooms where I promptly fell straight asleep.

The next morning, I woke up early to see the sun rising and hopped out of bed to take a walk around the local area to check out the expensive homes.fullsizeoutput_9f0fullsizeoutput_9f6My walk took about an hour and whilst it was hard to see many of the homes from the street (I am definitely one of those people who loves to peer into other people’s homes!!), I could see driveways and parts of homes along from the footpath.fullsizeoutput_9f3fullsizeoutput_9f2fullsizeoutput_9f5The gardens were beautifully maintained also and one even had little ducks walking along the grass; very country I must say.fullsizeoutput_9f1Bowral has always been a place I would love to live but unfortunately now it’s way out of my price range…ah well it’s a lovely place to visit overnight or even for a few days.Autumn+leavesWe enjoyed a lovely breakfast at our hotel and then it was time to check out and head back to Canberra.  On our way home we stopped at another country town called Mittagong to look at the shops – I love the stores selling all things fabulous like facial creams/soaps and candles – a little bit expensive but gorgeous.  Sharon and I ended up buying a few things in one particular shop and I bought a present for my friends Ray and Nat who helped look after my dogs whilst I was away.  I bought them a jigger – now I had no idea it was called this but you might, it’s the stainless steel measuring cup used to measure alcoholic spirits…so I learnt something (mindless) whilst away.  fullsizeoutput_9f7We also went into a fabulous bread shop.  I must say I love good bread but whilst I didn’t buy any bread I did buy an Indian vegan pie to take home which I have since eaten and it was very good; great pastry!fullsizeoutput_9edSo as you can see we had a lovely time away and as it’s so close to Canberra it’s an easy place to visit regularly.  I must return soon!

Grazing Restaurant – Gundaroo – New South Wales – Australia – August 2018

12 Saturday Oct 2019

Posted by SueT唐 梦 琇 in Sightseeing and eating around Canberra/Sydney

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

Australia, Grazing restaurant, Gundaroo, Lunch with friends, New South Wales, Royal Hotel

Second visit to an old pub near Canberra

Image result for grazing at gundaroo long free photosAbout a half hour drive north from my home in Canberra is a lovely old town called Gunning which is located in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales.  The town has a population of just over 600 people and located inside the historic and refurbished 1865 Royal Hotel is a lovely restaurant called Grazing.  The restaurant serves decent size portions of food, made with fresh seasonal organic and local ingredients along with an extensive list of Canberra District wines.fullsizeoutput_8d2fullsizeoutput_8d0It’s a lovely drive to the township through country farms and bushland.  We arrived a little early and took the opportunity to walk along the main street and pop into a couple of stores.  Then it was time for eating (yay)…we were seated in the main part of the restaurant; there are smaller more private rooms but usually for more than six or so people.fullsizeoutput_8ddThe meals were as good as they were on my previous visit.  We started off with a salmon pate on crisp bread which I declined but my friends thoroughly enjoyed.  fullsizeoutput_8d4I ordered a risotto which the chef was happy to make vegan.  It arrived with Jerusalem artichoke and greens; beautifully presented and delicious.  One of my friends ordered the original risotto made with braised lentils, Wagu beef cheek, Jerusalem artichoke, chestnut and truffle dressing.fullsizeoutput_8d5fullsizeoutput_8dcAlso ordered was the Barramundi which was oven roasted and came with curried celeriac and crab crust, buttered cabbage and fennel velouté.  And we shared the baked eggplant with miso glaze, blackened Baba Ghanoush, sesame and labneh.  Again I must say all the meals were beautifully presented.fullsizeoutput_8dafullsizeoutput_8d9We also ordered a couple of other dishes but looking at them now I genuinely cannot remember what they are well apart from the Brussel sprout dish; guess it’s such a long time ago and the dishes are not still on the Grazing on-line menu.fullsizeoutput_8dbfullsizeoutput_8d8fullsizeoutput_8d7Gunning is a lovely little town to visit and Grazing is especially worth a visit with good friends.fullsizeoutput_8d1

 

Ulladulla & Braidwood – New South Wales – Australia – June 2019

30 Sunday Jun 2019

Posted by SueT唐 梦 琇 in Sightseeing and eating around Canberra/Sydney

≈ 16 Comments

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Abion cafe, Australia, Braidwood, dining with friends, Mollymook Golf Club, New South Wales, Ulladulla, whale watching

A weekend away down the south coast trying to spot whales!

fullsizeoutput_814I 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.

I arrived around 3pm and after a look around their beautiful home and garden we sat on the balcony enjoying a glass of bubbles whilst looking over the ocean hoping to catch a glimpse of a whale.  The girls did but unfortunately I wasn’t quick enough to put on my glasses so no sighting for me.

Our first night we had dinner at a lovely casual Japanese restaurant.  I don’t usually like Japanese food but the tofu was very good.  The girls loved their meals though and intend to make this restaurant one of their favourites.fullsizeoutput_80f

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fullsizeoutput_810 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.fullsizeoutput_816

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fullsizeoutput_815The 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.fullsizeoutput_819IMG_6110fullsizeoutput_818fullsizeoutput_817fullsizeoutput_81cThe 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.fullsizeoutput_81bfullsizeoutput_81aI 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.40EDF8A9-D7F6-4305-B9A6-9DE5B62A2AC2fullsizeoutput_81efullsizeoutput_81fI 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.fullsizeoutput_821fullsizeoutput_820I 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.8EDC7554-FC5E-4FB0-94DC-E0DA8D8AC154And 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!IMG_6132fullsizeoutput_824

Solar Springs Health Retreat – Bundanoon – New South Wales – Australia – March 2018

17 Monday Sep 2018

Posted by SueT唐 梦 琇 in Sightseeing and eating around Canberra/Sydney

≈ 26 Comments

Tags

Australia, Bundanoon, Morton National Park, New South Wales, Solar Springs Health Retreat

A spa weekend away with girlfriends

fullsizeoutput_362Earlier this year, three of my good friends and I drove just under two hours from my home in Canberra to Bundanoon which is a small country town in New South Wales.  My friend Natalie had told us about this great place where we could go and have facials/massages and take country walks…so one Saturday off we all drove.

We arrived at a winding driveway which took us up to the main accomodation where we checked in and registered for exercise classes and treatments.Image 36fullsizeoutput_380We started off with some beauty treatments and then a couple of us took a walk around the gardens which really were quite lovely and so well maintained.fullsizeoutput_37ffullsizeoutput_37eImage 51fullsizeoutput_37aAll meals were included and the food was excellent.   Lunch was a buffet with a variety of dishes from Mexican bean casserole, to vegetable dahl and tofu stirfry served with a variety of salads, fresh wholemeal damper [absolutely delicious] and fruit. The daily salads included a fabulous brown rice salad and an Asian peanut cabbage salad. And evening meals were three courses served with wine.fullsizeoutput_36ffullsizeoutput_372fullsizeoutput_374

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Around sunset we had some lovely visitors which we could see from the main windows in the restaurant; probably around twenty but I only managed to capture one with my mobile phone.fullsizeoutput_381And the clear blue sky and lush green grass and trees were lovely to look at whilst reading a book or just talking in the fresh air.Image 55Image 56And sunset was particularly lovely…fullsizeoutput_37cfullsizeoutput_37bOn our first morning, two of us got up early to take a walk around the town whilst my other two friends took in a yoga class.  Bundanoon really is a lovely old town with all sorts of nice things to see.fullsizeoutput_36bfullsizeoutput_368fullsizeoutput_36afullsizeoutput_365Our last day we took a hike with the retreat’s guide to Morton National Park; great way to start the day and lovely views. This was followed by an exercise class and other beauty treatments…oh and a great night’s sleep.Image 28Image 29But after three days and two nights it was time to depart; relaxed and feeling great – what a great way to spend time with friends.

Time to say goodbye to Bundanoon…Image 68

 

 

 

 

 

Another weekend in Sydney – New South Wales – Australia – June – 2018

29 Friday Jun 2018

Posted by SueT唐 梦 琇 in Sightseeing and eating around Canberra/Sydney

≈ 26 Comments

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Australia, Capitol Theatre, Chippendale, Concrete Jungle Cafe, New South Wales, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, school friends, Spice Alley, Thai food

My annual catch up with school friends

fullsizeoutput_2a7I left school ‘many’ years ago and for the past fourteen years a few of my school friends and I catch up annually.  This year  with my friends Belinda, Lianne and Michelle we went to Sydney to see Priscilla Queen of the Desert at the iconic Capitol Theatre.

PQOTD-blog

(www.priscillasydney.com.au)

 It was an extremely funny musical and the costumes were amazing but of course no photos allowed during the show so took one of the stage before the musical started and the classical statues wearing feather boa.fullsizeoutput_284fullsizeoutput_260We laughed pretty much non-stop for two hours after which we popped into a local bar for a cocktail before heading back to our Airbnb.fullsizeoutput_25fWe decided to walk back towards our apartment and on the way found this fabulous Thai restaurant where we enjoyed satay tofu, salt and pepper tofu, curried vegetables (and tofu) and my friends ordered two meat dishes.  I think we were ‘tofued’ out at the end of the evening but we all said the food was exceptional.

The next morning Belinda left very early to get home (her train journey was over two hours) so Michelle found a great local cafe on-line called Concrete Jungle that served vegan dishes.  Great find!!fullsizeoutput_283I started off with a pot of peppermint tea and the girls ordered coffees, followed by poached eggs on sourdough toast.  This came with a side of avocado (more than anywhere else we have seen – half an avocado!).  I ordered a vegan dish of coconut feta and quinoa fritters with coconut labne, avocado, fatoush salad and hazelnut dukkah – oh my goodness I have never tasted coconut feta but it was the best and the rest of the dish was amazing!!IMG_1861fullsizeoutput_282fullsizeoutput_2a6When we finished I wanted to walk through an alley I had seen the previous evening –  Spice Alley – what a great find.

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fullsizeoutput_286fullsizeoutput_2a3We wished we had eaten there the previous evening with its gorgeous coloured lanterns, wooden stools and seats and a large range of Asian restaurants.  But we decided we were more than happy with our Thai choice.fullsizeoutput_28afullsizeoutput_290fullsizeoutput_28fSpice Alley is quite small but definitely worth the visit to see its paved pathway, colourful signs and street art…fullsizeoutput_28bfullsizeoutput_289fullsizeoutput_293fullsizeoutput_292fullsizeoutput_296And vibrant posters of Asian women and lovely rooftops above the restaurants…fullsizeoutput_29afullsizeoutput_29efullsizeoutput_285fullsizeoutput_28dIt was so lovely walking through mid-morning as the restaurants were just in the process of lunch preparation so no-body was around.fullsizeoutput_291fullsizeoutput_2a0We finished our walking tour and stepped onto another slightly wider paved street that runs parallel to Spice Alley which has more lovely restaurants and an actual Tuk Tuk parked on the kerb.  fullsizeoutput_2a2fullsizeoutput_2a1We walked a little further to Central Railway Station through the country train station which is rather lovely with a beautiful clock hanging in the grand concourse…fullsizeoutput_2a4fullsizeoutput_2a5And time to depart once more until we meet next year!

 

 

Aria Restaurant & La Boheme opera – Sydney Harbour – Sydney – New South Wales – Australia – March 2018

25 Friday May 2018

Posted by SueT唐 梦 琇 in Sightseeing and eating around Canberra/Sydney

≈ 26 Comments

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Aria Restaurant, Australia, La Boheme opera, New South Wales, Sydney, Sydney Harbour, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House

An opera on Sydney Harbour and a restaurant with a Harbour view

fullsizeoutput_205(Firstly apologies but this post is a little longer than my usual posts)

I love going to the opera; it really is one of my favourite things to do and I really enjoy going up to Sydney to the Sydney Opera House which means I regularly check to see what’s on.  When I saw that Giacomo Puccini’s La Boheme was playing on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour I knew I had to go.  He probably is my favourite composer!

I asked a few friends if they wanted to come away for the weekend and in the end friends Ray and Natalie drove up to Sydney whilst I flew and we met for lunch at Aria restaurant.  The choice was Nat’s as they had been there before so I was looking forward to the experience.

But firstly I booked into the Soffitel Hotel and had the loveliest surprise…an upgrade to a larger room, a complimentary breakfast and late checkout – all because I was the chosen guest of the day – what a nice surprise. Oh and two little boxes of chocolates on the bed.fullsizeoutput_201And a nice view of the city from my window…fullsizeoutput_202We then walked to Aria.  The entrance is not what I expected; it’s a little unassuming but once you are inside it’s a completely different story – the walls are full of original art, the atmosphere is fabulous and the views….wow!!fullsizeoutput_1fcImage 21The restaurant is located down near the Opera House with those magnificent views I just mentioned and as its web page says Aria is one of Australia’s finest restaurants. fullsizeoutput_211Our table was not right next to a window but we still had good views of the Bridge, Harbour and a docked cruise ship.fullsizeoutput_20dfullsizeoutput_20cfullsizeoutput_20bWe decided on three courses; entree, main and dessert and started off with a bottle of French champagne before selecting our dishes.  Some of the vegetarian options contained non-animal rennet cheese and all desserts contained gelatine so the waiter kindly brought me a vegan menu.fullsizeoutput_1edI was rather disappointed with my first course which although arrived beautifully presented, was cold.  But…it was supposed to be cold but I didn’t know that and unless the dish is a salad I am not a fan of cold food…perhaps I should have checked before I ordered!!fullsizeoutput_1eeRay ordered a seafood bowl which was very nicely presented and Nat had the blue-eye trevalla with almonds, capers and  razorback prawns.  That was presented so beautifully.fullsizeoutput_1f0fullsizeoutput_1f1Service was top quality; our waiter was so friendly and our Sommelier was extremely knowledgeable.  We ordered a glass of wine each for our main course and a different wine for our desserts.  My next course was a sweet potato, Jerusalem artichoke and nasturtium – this was lovely.fullsizeoutput_1f2Ray ordered a duck dish with treviso, sausage and sweet potato mash and Nat ordered another fish dish; the Murray cod with an angasi oyster, white radish, miso and celeriac…they loved all their dishes.fullsizeoutput_1f3fullsizeoutput_1f4Our sides which I think were complimentary, were a mashed royal blue potato (absolutely delicious) and a beautiful leaf salad with a delicious dressing which Nat kindly displayed with serving utensils for my photo.fullsizeoutput_1f5My dessert was pineapple, coconut and almond (forgot to photograph this) and we were also given complimentary cones with a raspberry sorbet which was a very nice way to finish our mains and wait for dessert.fullsizeoutput_1f6Nat and Ray ordered some nice desserts but I think Ray’s was the winner. Nat’s is the pie and Ray’s is the chocolate ball with a chestnut, cognac and cocoa crumble which once broken there flowed an amazing caramel like thick sauce.  How good does this look!!fullsizeoutput_1f7fullsizeoutput_1f9fullsizeoutput_1faNat also chose a selection of Australian and international cheeses to share with Ray which came with quince paste, grapes, fruit and lavash bread…fullsizeoutput_1f8And then more complimentary dishes; some dark chocolate and small treats.  I could only eat the nougat on the small treat platter as the lemon sweets contained gelatine.  But lucky I had very willing friends who managed to eat them.  It was a lovely few hours and I am glad I have been; it’s not a cheap restaurant but the service, food and views were all part of the wonderful experience.fullsizeoutput_1ecfullsizeoutput_1fbAfter our long lunch we went back to our respective hotels and I met Nat a little later to walk to the Harbour.  I did pop into Ray and Nat’s room at the Intercontinental Hotel to see fabulous views of the harbour.fullsizeoutput_208

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On our way to the opera we were lucky enough to see a rainbow and even more fortunate that it didn’t rain during the evening as the opera was outside.fullsizeoutput_203We had good seats and both Nat and I loved the opera (Ray is not an opera fan so he didn’t come).  fullsizeoutput_1fefullsizeoutput_1ffThe usual merchandise could be purchased of course…fullsizeoutput_204And wonderful sunset views over the Opera House and Harbour Bridge…fullsizeoutput_20eWhen I bought our opera tickets on-line I also bought two drink tickets for intermission as there was a pop up bar which was beautifully decked out with tables, stools and lovely fresh flowers.  It was a nice way to spend thirty-minutes so Nat and I enjoyed a white wine each.Image 39A great opera after which we walked back to our hotels for a comfortable sleep. And the next morning, I went to the restaurant for my complimentary breakfast from the huge buffet [I don’t usually have this much tomato sauce; it poured out way too quickly].
fullsizeoutput_206I love going away for short breaks and this was such a lovely weekend away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch and Dinner – Criniti’s Restaurant – Darling Harbour and Longrain Restaurant- Surry Hills – Sydney – New South Wales – Australia – 2017 & 2018

14 Saturday Apr 2018

Posted by SueT唐 梦 琇 in Sightseeing and eating around Canberra/Sydney

≈ 19 Comments

Tags

Australia, Criniti's Restaurant, Darling Harbour, Longrain Restaurant, New South Wales, South East Asian cuisine, Surry Hills, Sydney, Traditional southern Italian cuisine

Lunch overlooking the Harbour in Sydneyfullsizeoutput_132

My friend Sharon had to travel to Sydney a couple of months ago and after meeting up with another friend Katrina, we decided on lunch overlooking Sydney Harbour at a restaurant serving traditional southern Italian cuisine.  Yum I thought!  We chose a table directly overlooking the Sydney Eye.  Now having recently been on the London Eye, it was nothing like that; not as big but I think now a lot of cities around the world have one for visitors to get a birds eye view of the city.fullsizeoutput_131We decided to share an entree and chose a tomato bruschetta with a difference.  This one was huge, it was a large wood fired Italian bread with tomatoes, red onions, basil, olives and oregano and some extra virgin olive oil – delicious!fullsizeoutput_133I ordered the vegetable risotto which was absolutely delicious and came with baby spinach, asparagus, mushroom, shallots, sliced avocado, semi-dried tomatoes and fresh chilli, topped with a perfectly cooked poached egg.fullsizeoutput_134Katrina ordered the lamb salad with avocado, feta, oregano, fresh rocket and semi-dried tomatoes with a garlic aioli dressing – fabulous she said too.fullsizeoutput_135And Sharon ordered the beetroot salad with roasted pumpkin, goats cheese, shredded carrot, roasted walnuts and  fresh rocket with a raspberry dressing along with a side order of haloumi.  The food here was an absolute winner.  This is a chain restaurant and is also located in other locations in Sydney and Melbourne…just wish it was in Canberra.fullsizeoutput_136It was great to catch up with these friends and enjoy good food and after a while another friend joined us and he chose a healthy option of a marinated chicken salad  with cos lettuce, sliced avocado, cherry tomatoes, red onion, shredded carrot, feta, semi-dried tomatoes, roasted capsicum, mushroom and cucumber with a chilli aioli dressing…looked pretty good too.fullsizeoutput_137

Dinner in Sydney’s trendy Surry Hills

fullsizeoutput_138Like me, two of my other friends retired last year, so I said I would travel to Sydney and go out to dinner to celebrate their retirement.  I chose a restaurant serving South East Asian cuisine and known for being very popular (Longrain) and had come highly recommended by my ‘foodie’ friend Jane.

Reservations are limited [first in best dressed rule] and seating is at large communal tables.  But as we had a table of nine I was able to make a reservation for an individual table.  I wouldn’t suggest this would be a good place for a first date with the communal tables and no guarantee you will be seated across from each other – you might have to sit side by side!image

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

We arrived early for our 6pm reservation and lucky we did as were told we had to give up our table at 8.15pm as the restaurant has two seatings per night -one at 6pm [us] and the next at 8.30pm [too late for me].  I really don’t like this system as with a large group you don’t really get the chance to chat to everyone within that confined timeframe…but we had no choice.  We were seated at a round table which only had room for eight so we had to squash together to accomodate the nine of us.longrain-melbourne-function-venue-entire-venue-7

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

Our waitress encouraged us to try each dish banquet style which we did and ordered a range of dishes including an eggplant curry, a northern Thai lamb curry with pickled garlic and fresh ginger, a chargrilled chicken dish with mustard greens and crispy egg noodles, salt and pepper silken tofu (really good) and a plate of stir friend Asian greens with garlic and oyster sauce.fullsizeoutput_143

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Image 5

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fullsizeoutput_13bSome of the girls tried the desserts which I was told were very good and presented beautifully.   A coconut sorbet and a coconut ash ice cream swirl with a cashew nut praline were the desserts of choice.fullsizeoutput_141fullsizeoutput_142In the main the food was very good but it was an incredibly hot restaurant (too many tables with too many people I think) which made me rather uncomfortable and extremely noisy.  Made it very hard to hear friends across the table and those up the other end of the table, I had no idea what they were saying!

 

 

 

 

Sydney – New South Wales – Australia – 2017

14 Wednesday Feb 2018

Posted by SueT唐 梦 琇 in Sightseeing and eating around Canberra/Sydney

≈ 26 Comments

Tags

Australia, Bay Hong Restaurant, Carole King musical, dinner with friends, Friends, New South Wales, Surry Hills, Sydney, Vietnamese food

Two trips to Sydney

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I love returning to Sydney as I lived there for around thirty-years and loved going into the city.  Now I especially like going up for a long weekend to visit friends or see an opera or musical.

My first visit for this post, was whilst I was still working last year and with my work colleague, I travelled from Canberra for a meeting and I decided to try a Vietnamese restaurant in the inner city (Bay Hong) which was recommended by a friend and had rave reviews on-line especially for its vegan menu.  However first, after work, my colleague Helen and I decided to take a walk down to the harbour,  I must say Sydney harbour is one of my favourites in the world (little biased perhaps) but it is pretty spectacular along with our Bridge and Opera House which are pretty special too…%zv8MOxzSIW+EeTrutIxxg_thumb_89KU1olzeEQ0CLQpzt6FUdRw_thumb_99FFV2G+k7QEqu5ofa4IvNIA_thumb_87A little later we walked up to Surry Hills, an inner city suburb and found our restaurant which was pretty cute inside along with a very sweet and attentive waiter.3u%6wBomRaSRhcjRAMeh4A_thumb_9eAnother four of my friends met us and we ordered some fabulous food; everyone decided on the vegan menu which was great for me as I got to try all dishes.  Our entrees were home made spring rolls with a light sweet chilli sauce, deep fried vegetable puffs and steamed dumplings with a side of dipping sauce.2IqB%aWnSPKBXUIHSBbn+w_thumb_92uMKF7qILT6SVIs8QOOvyHA_thumb_90yhhyAmjPS1K+QxCdXwpMNQ_thumb_8cAll were very good.  Our main dishes consisted of two curries; one a lemongrass tofu curry and the other a deep fried tofu with vegetable dish.  Then a mock chicken dish with finely chopped lemongrass and onions.  All ‘yum’.  I was so lucky to enjoy such a large selection of food.

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qG3du4YOQFmX5NhGEjOsbw_thumb_9aAs for my second visit, every year since we attended a 25 year school reunion twelve years ago, three (now four) of my school friends and I meet together for a long weekend, usually at one of our houses, but last year we decided to meet in Sydney and see the Carole King musical ‘Beautiful‘.  We all grew up with that fabulous ‘record’ ‘Tapestry‘…

I booked us an Airbnb home in a nearby suburb called Paddington; which has great shops, restaurants and cafes..so convenient for us to dine after the musical and great for breakfast the next morning.  What a magnificent home and we looked on line and it was for sale for over $3m AUD.  Little bit too expensive for me!!SIh0MwwkSvGSxLUbHgw_thumb_a9t2kZBLUNTQiew61EybK+mQ_thumb_a0ZMrYqoM+S8G33bAj0H%hIg_thumb_9cThe musical was excellent and we sang along to all the songs and had a bit of a tear during some parts.  No photos allowed during the show of course but I managed one of the stage before the show commenced.vsnI46ooQ+q4tWtanJ+ACQ_thumb_a3As we attended a matinee session, we were finished around 5pm so decided to walk back to our Airbnb through the city, Hyde Park and then through the main street of Paddington where we stopped and had dinner at an Indian restaurant I used to go to when I worked in Sydney all those years ago.  Great to see it was still there.

Our lovely views of the city…CTxz8mRJRh2XDKFdUSGL8w_thumb_9bK8F4NO9KRoigrARiMnlHyg_thumb_9fUNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_88Y6QAl3rSQsWEnpKGx0W1Sw_thumb_a5E6Xdr8oOTtaijJf352q93Q_thumb_93

Two great visits in such a lovely city.

 

 

 

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