Spit to Manly Walk

I used the excuse of my friend Paul and Sandy's visit to Sydney to tick off another item on my to do list: The Spit to Manly walk. We started off in light drizzle and at one point I thought we'd have to trudge all the way to Manly in the driving rain, but lucky the sun came out and we were treated to a beautiful rainbow (see video). There are some fantastic views along the way and I'd like to do the walk again one day in slightly better weather. The views of the Bather's Pavillion on Balmoral beach only made me want to go even more....

When we arrived in Manly we had some lunch and then bought an ice cream to sit on the beach and watch the sunset. In a moment of complete idiocy I managed to catapult my ice cream onto the floor. Within a matter of moments a swarm of seagulls had descended to enjoy the mint choc chip.

Melbourne Round Up

I've been to Melbourne quite a few times now, but I still managed to see and do a some new things on my recent trip with mum and dad. I hadn't noticed how interesting Melbourne's architecture was before now. If you look up in the CBD there are a lot of old buildings mixed in with the new. A hotch potch that works surprisingly well. I also visited a few new lane ways and showed mum and dad some of the famous graffiti.

On the restaurant front I tried the trendy Movida for the first time. Unfortunately I was hit with a double whammy of a headache and the world's darkest table so I couldn't take any decent photos. I do remember the food being good though. They have a number of innovative dishes on the menu and aren't afraid to tackle some interesting cuts and meats.

Bored of eating in the city, one night we jumped on the Number 1 tram to Albert Park. We took a random punt and had dinner at the Mediterraneo Charcoal Grill. It is an interesting suburb, that is easy to get to and has a few good looking restaurants. Birichino Bar e Ristorante looked like an interesting option just round the corner. An Italian restaurant which has a seasonal menu changing every fortnight. Unfortunately they were fully booked and we couldn't get a table. Albert Park is a definitely worth remembering as an option next time you are in Melbourne.

Nelson's Perch B&B, Apollo Bay

Booking accommodation for my adventure along the Great Ocean Road got me all in a fluster. To me it always takes the edge of the holiday if you don't enjoy the place where you rest your head.

Doing research for somewhere to stay there is simultaneously too much and too little information. Web searches and guide books bring back far too many options. However, if you try and find a bit more detail - such as photos and reviews - information quickly seems to evaporate. Price is also a factor, why are the nice places always double your budget?

Therefore, I wanted to give a quick mention to Nelson's Perch B&B in Apollo Bay where we stayed for two night and exceeded my expectations. The B&B has three spaciously and well appointed bedrooms and private patios when you can sit out in better seasons. There is also a large seating and dining area for the guests to use. The third room was unoccupied during our stay so it was almost as if we had rented a private apartment to ourselves. There is free internet too.

I think their website could do a better job of selling themselves and a map or directions would have been helpful. My mum thought there were a few touches missing e.g. a heated towel rail, but apart from that we couldn't fault it.

The Great Ocean Road

After leaving Werribee Park we headed down to the Great Ocean Road and spent two days driving between Torquay and Port Campbell. Here are some of the highlights from along the way...

One of our first stops was Aireys Inlet lighthouse. There was some beautiful late afternoon sun and we had a walk round the lighthouse and a small part of the headland.

On our second day, before visiting the Twelve Apostles, we stopped at Loch Ard gorge. Loch Ard is named after a clipper that was was wrecked along the coast in 1878. Only two of the fifty one passengers survived and they were washed up in the gorge which was subsequently named after the ship. Somehow one of them managed to climb up the steep cliffs and get help.

It was a wet and blustery day which made the Loch Ard even more dramatic (even if the rain was annoying). There are several rock stacks and a large blowhole cut by the sea.

Our last stops was at the Twelve Apostles (below). One of the first things you notice is that there aren't twelve any longer, the irresistible forces of the sea are constantly changing the shape of the coastline.

We hadn't seen many other tourists along other parts of the Great Ocean Road on the previous two days. However, even on a cold and rainy day the hordes were jostling for photos at the Twelve Apostles. Having just visited Loch Ard, it made me wonder why.

Werribee Park

I used mum and dad's visit as an excuse to tick off one of my must do's while in Australia; a trip to the Great Ocean Road. On our way from Melbourne to the ocean we stopped at Werribee Park.

The original Werribee Mansion was completed in 1874 for the Scottish Churnside brothers who had emigrated to Australia and made it big in the wool trade. There must have been a lot of money in wool back then! The house is a large mansion with well proportioned rooms and filled with expensive fixtures and fittings that were shipped out from the UK.

In the 1920s the mansion was sold to the catholic church who dramatically extended the building and used it as a seminary. The catholic church left in the 1970s and now Werribee Park is a substantial tourist attraction.

We only visited the main house and the rose gardens; but also at Werribee Park are a zoo, equestrian centre, luxury hotel, conference centre and extensive gardens that we didn't have a chance to look round.

It was a lovely way to break up the journey down to the Great Ocean Road.

Restaurant Review: The Book Kitchen, Surry Hills

On mum and dad's final weekend in Australian we decided to go for dinner at The Book Kitchen following a recommendation from a friend at work. The restaurant is in a converted garage and has a great urban industrial vibe, with a large open plan room, high ceilings and the kitchen in full view.

As you'd expect with a name like The Book Kitchen there is a large book case of cookbooks, both new and second hand. Each month they select recipes from a different cookbook and add them to their dinner menu as specials. This month's book was from Masaharu Morimoto, the Japanese Iron Chef. I thought this was a fantastic concept.

Before we get onto the food, I have to mention our rather dizzy waitress. She started so well speaking intelligently about the wine we had chosen and eloquently explaining the cook book concept and the specials on the menu. She then fell apart. When clearing away the starters she offered us the dessert menus; errr, we were expecting the main courses next? Bringing the wrong food to our table and trying to poor wine from an empty bottle into our glasses were both part of the farce that unfolded. It was an astonishing disintegration. But on a much more positive note, back to the food....

I started with the crispy skin pork belly, celeriac puree and pickled cabbage. I was surprised at how well the pickled cabbage went with the pork and was left wanting more of the cabbage. There wasn't enough for some with every mouthful! Despite looking and sounding substantial for a starter it wasn't too heavy. I really liked the celeriac puree.

Crispy skin pork belly with celeriac puree and pickled cabbage - $17

Dad choose the fig, onion jam and goats cheese tart which looked fabulous on a bed of balsamic dressed rocket. I managed to sneak one mouthful and remember crumbly pastry and a creamy goats cheese well complimented by the balsamic dressing.

Fig, onion jam and goats cheese tart - $18

Loving the concept of cooking specials from a chosen cook book I decided to go for Morimoto's Angry Chicken. Our waitress had warned us that this dish was pretty spicy, but I wasn't prepared for how hot it really was. There was a generous serving of chicken on the bone, but aside from that, the chilli rather stripped my palate and I'm not able to give you an accurate description of the more complex flavours that may well have been there.

Angry chicken

Chermoula spiced lamb rump with a warm pearl barley salad - $34

My palate still being in shock I don't remember a lot of the lamb or cannelloni. Mum was a big fan of the pumpkin and ricotta cannelloni. The filling was wrapped in fresh lasagna sheets, a far cry from the horrible pre-made pasta you can sometimes get. Dad enjoyed the lamb cleaning the plate.

Roasted pumpkin and ricotta cannelloni - $26

For dessert I choose the vanilla panacotta with poached pear. The panacotta was a wobbly and vanilla-ey delight. I thought the pear could have been poached a touch longer so that it wasn't quite so firm, but otherwise I couldn't fault it.

Rosewater panacotta with vanilla poached pear - $12

Mum had the chocolate and hazelnut pave with raspberries. I did have a taste, but rather than make something up I'll be honest and say I can't remember it!

Dark chocolate and hazelnut pave - $12

Despite the dizzy waitress, and toilets that let the restaurant down, the food makes this place shine. I thought the quality of ingredients, presentation and innovative touches helped set The Book Kitchen apart from the crowd. I'll happily eat here over and over again.

The Book Kitchen
255 Devonshire St
Surry Hills NSW 2010
(02) 9310 1003

Holiday Photos

Mum and dad have flown back to the UK. I've had time to sort out and upload some of my photos.

There was lots of hanging out in Sydney including my first Bondi to Bronte walk.

We also spent a bit of time in Melbourne and had some excellent food in the lane ways.

We drove out of Melbourne and along the Great Ocean Road.

And of course the obligatory trip to the Blue Mountains.

Click on the photos or the links to see the full albums.

A Great Ocean Adventure

Mum and Dad are in Australia visiting me. Lots of adventures to blog about, but no time to write them.

I should be back in about a week.

Restaurant Review: Cafe Sopra, Sydney

Inspired by a lovely review of Cafe Sopra in Waterloo by Pigged Out, I decided to pay it a visit on Saturday for lunch with my friends Dave and Ali.

Cafe Sopra is seemingly for those in know, being completely unsigned. But when you serve Italian food this good do you need to advertise? (For the record you have to walk to the back of Fratelli Fresh, walk past the demonstration kitchen and up the stairs.)

The cafe is in a bright open space, with high ceilings and large windows. Even though we are there just before midday it's very busy and with the crowds that arrived after us, we were happy to have arrived when we did.

I decided upon for the pea risotto. It was a large serving which came out on a shallow plate. A good texture and creamy without being too rich it tasted good. I was a bit surprised that there was no grated parmesan on the top and the waitress didn't offer any, but it turned out not to need any further accompaniments.

Ali ordered the carbonara which she graciously let me try. I learnt a couple of years ago that a authentic risotto doesn't contain cream, all of the richness comes from the egg yolks. This risotto didn't contain any cream as far as I could tell. It contained a very strong hit of garlic and a nice cut of lemon.

Dave choose the sea food orecchiette. I didn't taste the pasta, but it looked good. Dave cleaned his plate and reported that it had the same garlicy punch of the carbonara.

Pigged Out's review completely sold me on the banoffee pie, so there was only ever once dessert choice for me! As Dave and I mused while we were waiting for our puddings banoffee pie is a dangerous restaurant order because it is so easy to make an excellent version at home. So what was the verdict? Overall great, but my sister's version has a thinner biscuit base and more bananas which I prefer.

Ali ordered the rice pudding. I had a cheeky taste. The almost savoury rice pudding was a bit too much of a contrast for the palate from the banoffee pie to taste effectively. The interesting flavour for me was the cloves that came though having presumably infused the milk?

I haven't had much Italian food since arriving in Sydney and this was good Italian food. I don't think this will be my last visit to Cafe Sopra.

Cooking: Chicken and cannellini beans

This is a recipe that I've cooked a couple of times this week, it's an easy to cook and tasty mid week dinner.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
150g pancetta or speck, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
4 chicken thighs
1 tbs flour
200ml white wine
300ml chicken stock
400g tin of cannellini, drained
2tbs double (thick) cream
olive oil
Salt and pepper
Parsley, chopped

Method:
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil on a medium / high heat. Add the pancetta or speck and cook for five or six minutes until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl.

Reduce the heat of the pan slightly and soften the onion for five minutes. Once cooked, add to the bowl containing the pancetta / speck.

Put the flour on a plate, season and then dust the chicken thighs in the seasoned flour. Put a little bit more olive oil in the pan, increase the heat and add the chicken thighs. Brown them on both side for four to five minutes.

Once browned add the onions and pancetta back to the pan, quickly followed by your wine and stock. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for twenty minutes. Add the cannelini beans and cook for an additional ten minutes.

Just before the end, stir in the cream and season with some pepper. Serve on plates and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.


I really enjoyed this dish as a tasty mid week dinner. Tips from me:
- The speck / pancetta can make the dish quite salty. I didn't add any salt when seasoning the dish at the end.
- When I read the recipe I thought thirty minutes of poaching the chicken was quite a lot. The second time I tried the recipe I tried to cook the chicken for less time, but it just wasn't the same. Cook it for the full length of time!
- If you feel you need some greens to go with this dish, some grean beans go well on the side.

Restaurant Review: Sean's Kitchen, Sydney

On Wednesday night I went for dinner at Sean's Kitchen in Star City casino. Not so long ago having dinner at a casino would have seemed absurd to me. However, I realised from the Crown in Melbourne that casinos can have some of a city's smartest restaurants. Where there is money fine dining will follow, obvious really!

We were seated at a table with a horrible wobble, so after politely complaining (I'm getting better at not suffering in silence!) were moved to another table. Our second table was in an excellent location with a prime view of the large open kitchen, one of the signature features of the restaurant. I had my back to the kitchen for most of the evening, but was impressed how quietly and efficiently they seemed to be working.

Apart from the kitchen, Sean's is also known for it's selection of Spanish hams. We started with some Iberico ham that we learnt from our waitress came from a black pig fed on acorns and had been aged for 42 days. (I might have the aging wrong as I don't think that is very long for a ham?). The ham was excellent, soft, flavoursome and melted in your mouth.

For the main course I went for the obsession that is currently gripping Sydney, Wagyu beef. This version was a Wagyu meatloaf that came a tomato sauce. The beef was melt in your mouth tender and the tomato sauce had great depth of flavour and tasted of rich, ripe tomatoes.

However, there were several things that just didn't work about the dish. A large empty white plate was put in front of me and the meatloaf in a dish on the side. Why wasn't it on the plate? Secondly, Wagyu beef is known for its tenderness - which definitely came through - but also its flavour. Why mask such expensive beef behind an over powering tomato sauce? Finally, the main course consisted of the beef in tomato sauce and nothing else. Hardly a complete meal. The other main courses came with a garnish of vegetables.

My fellow diners ordered the rabbit pie, served with green beans. It was good to see something a bit different on the menu. I didn't taste the pie but it looked good. However, it was (very) small and the shape meant there was a high pastry to filling ratio. The final dish at the table was roast pork.

We ordered two side dishes, the duck fat chips which are are verging on a restaurant signature dish. They were good chips. We also ordered some beetroot with pine nuts.

We shared two desserts between the table. The apple pie with cinnamon ice cream that you can see above. I'm a sucker for a good apple based desert and this was a good dessert. The cinnamon ice cream had a mild flavour that built as it dissolved in your mouth.

We also had poached figs with coffee ice cream. We were expecting whole (or halved) poached figs, but they came served as small pieces in a sweet, almost syrupy sauce. I'm not a massive coffee fan, but was pleasantly surprised by the ice cream which wasn't too strong.

I have mixed feelings about Sean's Kitchen. All of the food tasted good. There were also some nice touches, like the stenciled butchers paper that made a few appearances during the evening. However, in too many areas it was late down. Our friendly waitress wasn't always around when we needed her. The execution of the food could also have a been a little better.

At the end of the meal my to fellow diners decided to rate the restaurant and gave it three out of five. I think I'd be a little harsher and score it two and a half out of five.


*The restaurant was very dark which played havoc with my camera, hence that lack of photos.

**I was very kindly treated to dinner by my friends. I hope I don't come across as ungrateful by giving the restaurant a 'mixed' review.

MacBook Pro unboxing

After some debate during the week, and an informative personal shopping session in the Apple store I decided to buy myself a 13' MacBook Pro yesterday.

As we've come to expect from Apple the packaging is very compact and minimalist. As a friend once remarked when buying an iPod Touch "when you spend so much money you'd expect a bit more from the box". But it's good for the environment and saves you carrying anything bulky home.

When you open the box the only thing you see is the MacBook. There is black protective foam on the inside lid of the box. There is also a white box to the right hand side, it's not immediately obvious what this contains.

Underneath the MacBook, and inside the mysterious white box, are the power cords. Apple have given you a couple of options here with their modular system. You can plug the transformer direct into the wall or if you need a longer cable you can use the cable extension.

The modular system means you connect the plug onto the transformer and can presumably get different attachments if you travel abroad (not supplied).

The only other item hiding under the MacBook in the box is the document wallet. Again minimalist; you get a user guide, back up disks, two Apple stickers and a black cloth. (Not quite worked out what this is for yet, cleaning the screen?)

Finally the MacBook Pro itself. A compact, sleek and comparatively light laptop. It has a high quality feel as you'd expect from Apple.

The tech specs for the 13" MacBook Pro can be found here.