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Sydney Food

Melbourne Long Weekend – Day 3

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We booked into our hotel – the Grand Hotel managed by Sofitel on Spencer/Flinders Sts. It’s perfectly located, near the Google office and right near the shops, water and trams. It’s a really lovely old school hotel, beautifully refurbished with modern amenities. We had a problem with our hot water, but they were extremely helpful so no complaints here!

Alec takes a look from the balcony.


Our awesome room.

Out and about. The giant purse is awesome.

The heritage-listed Shot Tower in the middle of the shopping centre.


Alec takes a break in Fitzroy Gardens.


The museum complex.


Hot Rod show at the museum complex.

Cars with amazing paint jobs.


On a tram!

All aboard!

At the Melbourne Aquarium.

I couldn’t get this guy in focus, but he was super cute.

View of Melbourne from the aquarium.

Alec checks out a strange exhibit.

I don’t remember what this was …

Jellyfish … ewwww.


Blubbery!

Japanese spider crab. Freaky!

Giant happy ray.


The fish viewing room. Cool!

We met Alice and Jamie for dinner at the 100 Mile Cafe. It serves only food that has been sourced within 100 miles.

This bread was yuuuum.





Alec’s entree. No idea what is under that green stuff.

Alice’s seafood spring rolls.

My entree – I don’t remember what it was called, but it was full of vege stuff and had an amazing dressing.

My vege plate.

Alec’s beef.

Jamie’s vege dish.

“I’m not a tree hugger!”


Walking back to the hotel we saw all kinds of cool sculptures lit up around the city.


Lindt Cafe

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I had a quick stop in yesterday at the Lindt Cafe with Bev. It was my first visit there actually sitting down and ordering something.

The menus – duh – mainly chocolate, but with a few sandwiches. I decided to go straight for dessert, and had a shake with milk chocolate and blended Lindt ice cream, and a Lindt chocolate cake. They wore both pretty expensive, but still really tasty.

I remembered my camera this time, but forgot the memory card. Thankfully my iPhone is always there to help me out. Bless you iPhone.

Mmmm $6 shake. This would not have gone down well in Pulp Fiction.

Very thick chocolate mini cake. It was $6.

Shop filled with chocolate goodies.



Enchanted and San Churros

/ Sydney Food, Sydney Life / 1 Comment

Lisa and I have been dying to see this uber-girlie movie, so we met up in Chatswood today for a gossip session and emo movie fest.

Enchanted is such a Disney movie. It starts as a cartoon – very typical Disney, with a singing prince and princess and cute animals. Giselle and Prince Edward meet and fall in love. Edward’s step-mother doesn’t want Edward to marry and take the crown from her, so she sends Giselle to a place where there are “no happy ever afters”, which turns out to be New York City.

Giselle is completely lost and doesn’t understand the world into which she fell, so it’s very fortuitous when she runs into Robert (played by McDreamy – Patrick Dempsey) and his daughter.

While Giselle is trying to find her way home and adjust to life in reality, Prince Edward comes to NYC as well to find his “true love”. Some of the best moments in the movie come in these moments – with Giselle cleaning the house with the help of rodents and Edward riding on top of a us and stabbing it, to “kill the beast”.

Will Giselle get home? Will she even want to? A completely adorable fantasy movie that put me in a very cheery mood.


After the movie Lisa and I went to San Churro for … churros!

I tried a shake this time – a chocolate shake with cookie bits in it. It was delicious!


Churros with caramel dipping sauce. It was divine and even better than the chocolate. It had real caramel, rather than that sugary fake caramel that I loath. Yuuummmm!

Black Watch and Go Organic

/ Love, Sydney Food, Sydney Life / 1 Comment

Alec and I saw the National Theatre of Scotland perform Black Watch today as part of the Sydney Festival. The play came with rave reviews, so I went in with high expectations. It was lucky for me that the show really followed through. It was powerful, poignant and creative. I’ve never been touched by a play quite like I was by this one.

Black Watch tells the story of Scotland’s Black Watch Regiment, particularly focusing on their deployment in Iraq. The play reveals the harsh reality of the “war on terror” and the effects it has on soldiers mentally, both on deployment and when they come home and try to fit back into society again. I loved not only the content, but the creative staging. It’s an absolute must see.

After the play, we went to Go Organic on King St, Newtown, for late lunch. I left my camera at home, so these pics are taken with my trusty iPhone.

It was super expensive, but really tasty food. Hopefully the cost is improving me on the inside!

My muesli with yoghurt and berries, and mango yoghurt smoothie.

Alec with his berry yoghurt smoothie.

Taking time out on a Saturday afternoon.

LCC Pizza And Dodgeball

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Mat and Aya came over for delicious LCC pizza and a movie – Dodgeball. I don’t usually like comedies like this one, but I love it!

LCC are my favourite pizza place, and do free delivery too. Wooo!



Pizza-tastic.


Alec’s Greek pizza.

Half dragon’s breath, half neptune.

My plain cheesey goodness.

The extra pizza pieces they threw in. Herbs and garlic. Yuuummm!

Wi Marn Thai Delivery

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After a day of shopping, eating , hot chocolate and zombie movie, we all head over to Lisa and Matt’s place for Thai delivery and kitty cuddles.

One of my best discoveries while I’ve been sick is Menulog which is where I found Wi Marn Thai. They are located in Help St, Chatswood, have fresh, delicious food, and free delivery to Chatswood – or Wollstonecraft if you’re as persuasive as Beverly.

Alec poses because the girls asked him to. Bless you girls, look what he’ll put up with if you ask him nicely. Or offer a food reward.


Bev poses with kitty. Who’s cuter? It’s a toss-up!


Alec loves Thai. He especially loves it when I take pictures of him eating it.

Food lovers hoe in.

Who’s a crazier blogger?

Mmmm my fave dish, vegetarian fried rice.


I Am Legend and San Churro

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After eating and then eating some more and shopping, Bev, Lisa and I went to Chatswood to meet up with Matt, Alec and Alec’s friend from work, Sean to see I Am Legend.

Beverly suggested the movie because she has a thing for Will Smith. I should probably have spoken up and said I don’t like zombie movies, but I didn’t realise how much of a zombie movie it actually was!

The general premise is that in the year 2009 a radical cure for cancer is discovered, but instead of being the miracle it is thought to be, it spawns a retro-virus that wipes out 90% of mankind. How this happens is skipped over however. There are quite a few plot holes and the exposition is told through random flashbacks that don’t quite fill in the gaps in the story.

There was a lot I liked, such as Will Smith looking buff and the cute dog, but also a lot that I didn’t, such as believing Will Smith masquerading as a scientist. The story could have done with more clarity around a lot of areas, such as the actual zombies and their intelligence. There seemed to be one who was smarter than the rest, but who he was and why he was smarter wasn’t explored.

After the movie we went to San Churro so Bev would try the magical churros.


Alec reluctantly posing for Lisa.


Must …. photograph … the … churros!!

Just William on Paddington St

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A new chocolate shop! Of course it deserves its own post.

While shopping with Bev and Lisa, we passed this tiny little store just off Oxford Street. Did I feel like chocolate? Is that even a question!


I loved the pretty boxes. I will be back for presents – and for me!


Raspberry butterflies, strawberry hedgehog and caramel bombs.

Lisa can’t help herself.

The last chocolate to be eaten. Mmmmm.

Bite Me

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To catch up with Bev, who had been in Singapore for three weeks, Lisa, Bev and I spent quite a jam-packed day together. We picked Bev up from the doctor (she had woken up with a swollen eye) and stopped in Paddington for lunch and to pick up a handbag from Belinda’s.

Bev loves Bite Me on Oxford Street, so it is now my turn to blog about it.

I loved the interior, hence the millions of pics about to follow. It has a kind of a retro diner feel to it, but 100 times funkier.

Jumbo menu when we walked in.

Can the world be a burger place? The eternal question.

The menu. I don’t know why I liked it enough to photo it, but I did.

Super-cute little wash towel thingy.

Crazy pictures on the walls.


Awesome attention to detail. I love the tomato sauce bottle.

Side-tracked. Cute magnetic bookmarks Bev brought me back from Singapore.

Poor Bev has a woe moment about her bad eye.

Who invited these crazy bloggers?

Bev defends herself from the dripping ceiling while slathering the chips in sauce. That’s dedication to the food.

My lentil burger with haloumi cheese, tomato and rocket. I would have preferred more of a stronger cheese, but it was still really tasty. It was also my first vege burger since going vego. Burgers were one of my favourite foods in my meat days, and I have missed them like mad. Was the vege burger just as good? No. Was it really tasty anyway? Yes, yes it was 🙂

Bev is serious about tomato sauce distribution.

Lisa tries some spicy horseradish.

My new sunnies. Bev was so happy I got them she needed to take my picture. Several times actually, so I could see how great they looked. Thanks Bev!


Trying to take a pic of the three of us in the mirror.



New Year’s Eve At Home

/ Family, Sydney Food / 2 Comments

With both Alec and I sick, we decided to spend NYE at home. It was a nice night actually. I tried cooking some different food and we watched new Heroes episodes.

Our little tree in its pot.

My gingerbread man tree decoration I bought this year.

Haloumi and tomato entree.

Trying to present it properly.

The main course – pasta salad wrap. It has all kinds of healthy things in it – asparagus, zucchini, peas, broccolini, semi-dried tomatoes and ricotta. It was really easy to make too!