Curious on what my 2012 new year resolutions are?

Happy New Year Guys!

I really like the sound of 2012 (twenty twelve) so I’ve got a great feeling for what’s in store this year.

I decide to share my new year resolutions for 2012.

New Year resolution #1 – Not to loose or break any more mobile phone

iPhones

My first new year resolution this year is to not lose or break any more iphones. In the past 2 years, I have either lost or broken 5 iPhones including one that I dropped in a glacier in Iceland.  So this year, I will try hard to look after my iphone.

New Year resolution #2 – Continue my running and maybe train for a marathon (42km)

A Hello Kitty water bottle and a jar of Vaseline should improve my health and fitness

I run 5-10 km / sessions regularly. Lately though, I have been doing more longer distance running (once a week). I usually run between 15 km and 21.2 km (yep the distance of half a marathon ) per session. The run usually takes me an hour 17 mins to 2 hours. I have not decided for certain yet but I really want to compete in the 2012 Melbourne Marathon. I also want to complete it in under 4 hours.

The Hello Kitty bottle above is my new drink bottle and the vaseline? Its for the chafing for my inside upper arm and side chest.

New year resolution #3 – Take time to experience travel at home (within Australia)

Experience more what home has to offer by Walking in Australia

I travel around Australia and overseas a lot, especially for work. I notice that when I travel overseas for work I would spend a couple of days to explore the region. Why am I not doing this when I am working interstate? Australia is a large continent and certainly has a lot to offer. I love the country. Therefore my new year resolution is to experience more of Australia’s . To help me with this resolution, I bought myself a lonely planet book of Walking in Australia. This way, everytime I get sent to work in Sydney for example, I can to do a bush walking around the New South Wales area. There are plenty of walking tracks on offer, many with  stunning sceneries unique to Australia.

Broken 2011 new year resolution – not spending enough time with my niece and nephew

Not spending enough time with my niece and nephew

I am determined to make a better effort to spend time with my niece and nephew. Yes they live far and yes I am busy with work but these are not excuses. They are so cute and they are growing up so fast so its time I start being a great auntie

Dining with the view of the Albert Park Lake - The Point Restaurant

The Point

Ph: +61 (03) 9682 5566
Aquatic Drive (Entrance via Clarendon St Gate, take first left then first right at Aquatic Drive, continue along Aquatic Drive)
Albert Park – VIC
Australia

Being a Melburnian, I usually prefer to dine in quaint alleyway restaurants in Melbourne city however as a request from a friend who wanted a restaurant with waterfront views I decided to take her to The Point.

 The Point ‘s waterfront view is of Albert Park Lake. Albert Park is well known for being the course of The Australian F1 Grand Prix. I chose to dine half an hour before the sunset as it was summer afterall. A wedding was held on the ground floor and I continued walking a flight of stairs up to The Point Restaurant dining room. As I walked in, I was greeted by a glass window where the restaurant dry their meat.

The Point (Best Steak Restaurant) - meat window

Dining at The Point Restaurant (Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia)

I found out I was a bit overdressed :s

I was most impressed with The Point’s wine menu. It has one of the best wine list in Australian restaurants. Throughout my night, I had the following -

• 2 glasses of NV Henry Giraud Esprit Brut, Ay ($22 / glass) – it’s worth every single drop
• 1 glass of 2010 De Brotoli Pinot Noir Rose, Yarra Calley, Tasmania ($9 / glass) – not to my liking, I actually could not drink it after a couple of sips
• 1 glass of 2008 Chablis Premier Cru Fourneaux (Louis Moreau), Chablis ($17 / glass) – a very nice Chablis
• 1 glass of 2009 Stoney Rise Pinot Noir, Tamar Valley, Tasmania ($13 / glass) – a good enough light red
• 1 glass of NV Romate Moscatel Ambrosia, Jerez, Spain ($18 / glass) – it’s a recommended dessert wine to accompany my Souffle which is divine.

ENTREES

We decided to share two entrees -

Hirama kingfish tataki, finger lime and nuoc nam dressing

This dish has the balance of the sweetness of the fish, the sourness of the lime and the saltiness of the nuoc nam (fish sauce) dressing. The texture of the fresh raw kingfish is just divine. The dish was very well presented.

(Special Entree of the day) – Prawns Tortellini with lightly fried prawn

 This dish made me float.  The tortellini filled with prawns is very light, it has a light mouse sauce on top. The dish is presented in a perspex box filled with black pebbles.

Prawn Tortellini (Special Entree of the day)

Pre-main dish Amuse Bouche – Salmon cubed with sour cream

A complimentary amuse bouche - Salmon with sour cream

I love a complimentary Amuse Bouche (also known as palate cleanser). Here at The Point, we were served an Amuse Bouche of Cubed Salmon and Sour Cream, just enough to prepare us for our main.

Our dinner continued with our mains.

MAINS 

Roasted quail, braised leek, black garlic and truffle dressing

Roasted quail, braised leek, black garlic and truffle dressing - $26 (entree size)

I decided to have an entree size main to save room for dessert. A lot of people shy away from Quails because they tend to be very boney with not a lot of meat. I always enjoy eating quails as they tend to be really succulent and the size is just right. The quail is crispy and succulent when roasted and absorb a lot of flavour. The braised leek is just a perfect companion to the quail as it doesn’t over power it but gives it a punchy flavour.

Grain Fed F1 Wagyu – 250g Scotch Fillet MS & + 350 + days grain fed from Sher Wagyu Ballan, Victoria

Grain Fed F1 Wagyu - 250g Scotch Fillet MS & + 350 + days grain fed from Sher Wagyu Ballan, Victoria $69

The star of the meal is the steak. My fellow diner ordered Grain Fed F1 Wagyu – 250g Scotch Fillet MS & + 350 + days grain fed from Sher Wagyu Ballan, Victoria. The Point has been awarded as the Best Steak Restaurant for 2011 by the Restaurant and Catering excellence which is purely judged by the public. Even though I only had a bite of the steak, I can see why they recieved the award. It was similar to the 200g Wagyu 12 + steak I had in Japan in which I paid AU$190 

The steak was served with peppered fig chutney, black garlic butter, house mustard with a selection of mushroom, grated horse radish, bearnaise, peppercorn or red wine sauce. My fellow diner is too sophisticated to taint good quality steak with sauce so she, being french, had her steak simply with mustard.

SIDES

We went a bit overboard with our side dishes.

Brocollini, chillis and white anchovies

Broccolini, chilli, white anchovies - $11

I am a big fan of green vegetables with any main dish. I am not a big fan of broccoli but for some reasons love broccolini. It’s a cross between chinese broccoli and broccoli. This broccolini has bread crumbs sprinkles on top and it is not spicy at all, the chilli is used just for flavouring.

 Heirloom carrots and pine nuts

Heirloom carrots and pine nuts - $10

I love the colour combination of the orange and purple carrots. The carrots have a hint of sweetness and orange taste (probably cooked in honey and orange juice) to bring the sweetness of the carrots.

Fresh figs, honey, goat cheese and almond flakes

 I love fresh figs and The Point happens to serve fresh figs as a side dish. The fresh figs were drizzled with honey and the combination of sweet and saltiness from the goat cheese is just divine. The almond flakes added the crunchy textures.

Pre-dessert Amuse Bouche – Blood Orange and Pink Grapefruit Sorbet

A complimentary amuse bouche of Blood Orange and Grapefruit sorbet

Prior to ordering our dessert, we were served the chef’s complimentary Amuse Bouche of Blood Orange and Pink Grapefruit Sorbet to cleanse our pallate. It was refreshing.

DESSERTS

 Banana Souffle, Caramel Fudge and Condensed Milk Ice Cream

Banana Souffle with Caramel Fudge and Condensed Milk Ice Cream - $18

I am not a sweet tooth person, however souffle is my most favourite dessert. I had been eyeing on the Banana Souffle, Caramel Fudge and Condensed Milk and decided to order one to share. The Souffle was really airy, smooth and light with a banana flavour throughout. As I got to the bottom of the souffle, there were tiny pieces of banana. The Caramel Fudge and Condensed Milk ice cream is too rich for my liking but my fellow diner enjoyed it very much.

My love of Souffle

The Italian say that one should not drink cappucino past 10 am in the morning, I decided to have one . The Point cappucino comes with raspberry mini muffins. Unfortunately there’s no room in my stomach.

Cappuccino

There is no room for my cappuccino's companions of raspberry muffins

I enjoyed my dining experience at The Point. The food was simply delicious and the steak is certainly the best steak I’ve had eaten for a while. The wine list is impressive and the views, need say no more…

Chez Dre Pattiserie and Boulangerie (open everyday from 7:30 – 16:30)
Phone: +61 (0) 3 9690 2688 
(Rear of) 285 – 287 Conventry St
South Melbourne – VIC (Australia)

What better way to start the weekend with a beautiful brunch and theres not many better than Chez Dre.

Chez Dre is located in South Melbourne (approximately 10 minutes drive from the Melbourne CBD). You can take the 96 or 112 tram (from CBD). When you get there you need to walk through a cobbled stone alleyway. I knew from that moment I will be taken for an exciting breakfast adventure. I was seated next to a big floor-to-ceiling window. The cafe has a rustic original feeling and worked really well with the cobbled stone lane way.

As I was seated, I noticed the versatility of the tables and chairs. Lots of long wooden tables with character.

Here are some of the brunch / breakfast items we ordered.

 Classic

I like to order something simple to easily compare how good a breakfast item it is compared with other cafes. I ordered the poached eggs with avocado and feta cheese on sour dough bread. I requested not to have the avocado and feta and instead ordered an extra side of smoke salmon.

Being a boulangerie, I expected Chez Dre to serve great bread and I wasn’t dissapointed. Everything on this plate was perfect. Eggs were poached perfectly with runny yolk as I sliced them open, sour dough tasted fresh and the ample amount of smoked salmon wasn’t too oily.

I altered menu items to order a simple breakfast - poached eggs on toasted sour dough with smoked salmon on the side

Continental

 Having lived and travelled around Europe, I really appreciate a great continental breakfast.

The full continental breakfast consist of -

• Muesli with Yoghurt
• Boiled Egg
• Ham slices
• Cheese
• Poached fruit with berry coulis
• Strawberry Jam
• Butter
• Croissant
• Baguettes (French Bread)

Chez Dre Full Continental Breakfast

Exotic

Last but not least, I have joined the recent hype of a Moroccan breakfast combining middle eastern elements into your traditional egg and sausage.

Chez Dre’s Morrocan Breakfast takes you to an exotic place to start your day. The Morrocoan Breakfast consist of eggs, lamb in morrocan spices with a side of french bread (baguette) and Tahini (Sesame dip).

Chez Dre Morrocan Egg Breakfast

Chez Dre is also a pattiserie and I never fail to walk out without macarons or any of their scrumptious selection of cakes. I also tend to walk out with decent loaf of bread. Chez Dre is a perfect place to have breakfast / brunch on my own or with a group of friends. They are also happy to accommodate a large group of people with advanced booking.

Bar Lourinha – Bar and Dining Area

Bar Lourinha
Ph: +61 (0) 3 9663 7890 (no bookings except Mon – Fri lunch)
37 Little Collins St
Melbourne – Australia

I remember coming to Bar Lourinha when they first opened back in 2006. I am so glad that over the years Bar Lourinha has blossomed to become one of the most popular restaurant and bar in Melbourne. I returned recently to blog about my lunch experience.

Bar Lourinha is the modern twist of Spanish cuisine.

Bar Lourinha - Dining at the low table

Bar Lourinha - the restaurant ambient and decor is as exciting as the food it offers

Bar Lourinha decor - full of personality

We started by ordering a sparkling wine from Spain – Augusti Torello Reserva 2007, Macabeo, Xarel.lo & Monastrell Cava. At $69 / bottle between the 6 of us, it was the perfect start. We ended up polishing 3 bottles. The drinks were accompanied by Cracked Green Olives.

Cracked Green Olives (Bar Lourinha) - $8

Our culinary experience continued with a serve of Spiced lardo ‘soldiers’ which are grilled bread wrapped in prosciutto finished with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. This was one of my favourite dish at Bar Lourinha. It’s so simple and delicious. The combination of hot crusty and soft grilled bread with its char taste and prosciutto works really well. It has inspired me to create something similar for my next dinner party.

Spiced Lardo 'soldiers' - $4 each

The next dish is also simple, very light and tasty - Fior di Burrata & Guanciale. Fior di Burrata and Guanciale is Burrata Cheese with Cured Pork meat. Burrata cheese is a mozarella cheese and cream. The outer skin has a texture of Mozarella and the inside is soft creamy combination of Mozarella and cream. It tastes richer than Mozarella cheese and very tasty. Guanciale is made of cured pork cheeks which is the fat part. It is rich but at Bar Lourinha it is served in razor thin slices. The saltiness of Guanciale works really well with the soft rich Burrata.

Fior di Burrata & Guanciale - $18

The next dish is the Crystal Bay Prawns ‘a la pancha’. The prawns are served piping hot off a cast iron pan and drenched in flavoured oil. It gives us all excuse to dip our bread in the oil. A great seafood dish indeed.

Crystal Bay Prawns 'a la Plancha'

Our next order were some specials of the day. The first one is a grilled Sardine. Sardine is the Andalusian (Spanish Basque)’s speciality. The sardine was cooked to perfection.

Bar Lourinha Daily Special Dish - Grilled Sardine

 The second special dish (which is only served every Thursday) is Braised Goat. It has the richness of lamb and was cooked to perfection as the meat fell off the bone.

Bar Lourinha Thursday Only Special - Braised Goat

The third special dish was Chicken with Israeli cous cous.

Bar Lourinha daily specials - Chicken with Israeli Cous CousThe next dish was the coleslaw. It is a very light dish which is perfect after the heavy dish of the braised goat.Bar Lourinha Daily Special - Coleslaw

The next course is a simple vegetarian dish of Spiced chickpea and spinach.

Spiced chickpea and spinach - $15

The next dish is also one of my favourite – Roasted mushroom and garlic cream. It has sprinkles of garlic flavoured bread crumbs on top. Simply delicious. I was popping those mushrooms into my mouth like pop corn.

Roasted mushroom and garlic cream - $15

 The last dish for the day was Wagyu bresaola and anchovy stuffed olives. The wagyu beef was a rib eye and it was polished clean quick by all of us.

Wagyu bresaola and anchovy stuffed olives - $20

I was pretty full and very satisfied.

Bar Lourinha has an exciting menu which allows me to graze as little or as much as I feel like eating on the day. The waiters are super friendly. If you are after an eatery that allows you to catch up with your mates with a chill out ambience, great food, stylish dining that is easy on the pocket, I highly recommend Bar Lourinha. Bar Lourinha fits into the typical Melbourne restaurant profile, secluded, non pretentious, cosy and it is located at my favourite part of Melbourne .

I’m off to a warm location full of relaxation and festive celebrations. I shall see you all in the New Year. Have an awesome end of the year and don’t party too hard guys

My 2011 Christmas Tree

Lots of end of year parties and relaxation

At the Suzuki Queen Victoria Night Market with Japanese octopus balls and Japanese Fish shaped pancake filled with red beans

I am a big fan of markets and have visited plenty of them around the world.

This week I visited Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market which holds a night food and craft market every Wednesday during the summer period of 16th November 2011 until 29 February 2012.

The crowd at the Queen Victoria Night Market

As I arrived, the weather was warm and live music was playing. It had a very bustling feel to it as I started with a stroll along the arts and crafts area. There are plenty of stalls selling original arts and crafts, you can even get a massage.

Interesting market stall

Cute hand made clay wind chimes

After just a short stroll, I could not help but be distracted by the abundance of people walking around with food and decided to take myself to the food area. I was surprised with the amount of hawker style food stalls on offer, dozens of them. As I did a quick tour I realised I can feast on the food around the world in one place. There was food from Senegal that serves African curries, Caribbean food with its jerk chicken, honey dumplings, giant American pancakes, Vietnamese hawker style food, German bratwurst and the most popular one is the Spanish Paella.

The most popular stall, with long queues - Spanish Paella

Spanish Fideo (vermicelli noodle)

Korean potato twist - with different flavour such as rock salt, satay, spicy chilli, etc

A very traditional milk tea - served in a plastic bag - reminded me of my Asian travel trip

The Giant American Pancake

The Suzuki Queen Victoria Night Market is held every Wednesday from 5:30 – 10pm. I strongly recommend you bring plenty of cash prior to arriving as the available ATMs (cash machines) tend to have very long queues, consider yourself warned .

Enjoying the night market after a long hard day at work

Here are some more photos -

One of my good friend’s birthdays is just around the corner. She’s one of those people who seem to have everything but after some brain storming during my drive to work, I came up with several items that she will hopefully like:

• A book about Chanel, their favourite designer. Although this book is not a Chanel fashion item, it does contain the entire collection of Chanel
• Sartoralist book. This book contains photos of street style around the world, some great fashion inspiration in here.
• A 5 year one line diary. When a person’s really busy, things go at a very fast pace. It’s easy to forget the nice things that happen along the way and this 5 year, one line diary allows my friend to take a quick second out of her busy life and write a nice memory of her day in one line. Priceless

Presents for my friend - A book about Chanel (her favourite designer)

Inside the Chanel book - Chanel signature florets in all colours and

Inside the Chanel book - shoes with florets

The Sartoralist Book

Inside the Sartorialist book

Inside the Sartorialist book. A 5 years one line diary

 

The one and only Meredith Ampitheatre Stage

I had a lot of fun during my three days at the 21st Meredith Music Festival.

The weather was perfect and there were plenty of highlights. If you have never been to the Meredith Musical Festival, my number one tip is to be well prepared (amenities wise) and have no expectations. Ear plugs and an eye mask are a necessity if you can only sleep noise-free and in complete darkness. During the three days, music is blaring all day except for the 3-4 hours quiet period. What I love about Meredith is that there’s only one stage so there isn’t the need to walk around. The Meredith crowd is also amazing.

Meredith Music Festival Camp Site

Day 1 – Friday 9th December

On Friday, I drove with a convoy of half a dozen cars to ensure we secure our camp site. A lot of people prefer to camp close to the stage but my group likes to camp further away underneath rows of gum trees. As we arrived, we found out that our little camp site secret had been discovered by others but we still managed to secure sweet spots. The weather was very dry with no sign of rain and it didn’t take long for me to set up my tent. We had a communal gazebo for all of us to chill out in and we soon started drinking, chatting and doing all the fun things a music festival allows us to do .

Our secret camp site under the Blue Gum has been discovered by others, used to be so empty, now fully packed.

I managed to set up my own tent in under 3 minutes

I had a list of bands on the first day to check out – Adalita, Explosions in the Sky, Lady Hawke to name a few. It was so hard to drag myself out of base camp into the stage area. I managed to get down to the stage area to see one of my favourite bands ‘Explosions in the Sky’. They were awesome. Their songs were so dreamy and serene and after the performance, I went further back from the stage to join my mates. We all had our picnic rugs near the stage and stayed there until early morning.

Some of my mates at our picnic area near the stage

Explosions in the Sky

Awesome Band - Explosions in the sky

Dusty shoes

Day 2 -Saturday 10th December

More relaxing on Day 2 Meredith Music Festival (Still sunny )

The party continued as soon as I woke up. My mates were already in our communal area and we talked a little bit about how much fun we had the night before. This time I was determined to check out more bands but I encountered the same dilemma as yesterday. I was so comfortable at base camp I literally had tell myself to get out of my seat and dragged myself to the stage area. It didn’t happen until late afternoon when we eventually decided to check out the new bar called Eric’s where we ate.

We made it out of the base camp to check out the new bar Eric's

I decided to get onto the Ferris Wheel and enjoy the afternoon breeze and the great view of the whole camp site.

My My mate 'T' dressed up as the Queen of Hearts and got onto the Ferris Wheel with me

The Meredith Ampitheatre (Stage area) as viewed from the Ferris Wheel

Up up up - Ferris Wheel

We then checked out another band from Texas called the Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears which play awesome progressive rock music. A little dance to warm me up before I decided not to go back to the base camp fearing that I will never get back to the stage area. I settled in with my mates in our picnic area instead.

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears

As the evening arrived, my favourite band Cut Copy began so my mates and I ran straight to the front of the stage where we danced. It was the happiest moment in my life when Cut Copy sang Lights and Music and the rain started pouring hard, it was so magical. This was the highlight of my 21st Meredith Music Festival. The Grinderman followed afterwards.

I was dancing in the rain with my favourite band ‘Cut Copy’ – Welcome home guys!!

I was in the zone with Cut Copy

The Grinderman

The Grinderman - Nick Cave with a half unbuttoned white shirt and black suit

Day 3 – Sunday 11th December

On “pack-my-tent-up-day” we did a little bit of cleaning up and packed up before lunch, then had brunch together in the stage area. After hugs and kisses, we are all back on the road and driving home safely.

Despite the long queues in the shower and toilet areas, the compost toilets, the rain and the mud, the dust, the 3-4 hour only quiet periods (the only periods in which no noise / music are allowed), Meredith Music Festival is always one of the best weekend of every year. There are two phrases we use in Meredith “Only in Meredith…” and “What happens in Meredith, stays in Meredith…” I guess I shall see you next year Meredith. In the meantime, I will be attending the Golden Plains in March 2012

More pictures from the 2011 Meredith Music Festival

Picnic rugs right nearby the stage, allows me to run in front of the stage for my favourite band

Friends

Only in Meredith

Only in Meredith - This guy dressed up in a pink gown, he looks so pretty

Meredith is a Christmas Party for Adults

So lucky with the weather this year

The Pink Flamingo Bar

Meredith Quinessential - Gum boots and rain coat, just realised how dirty my nails are

The Pink Flamingo Bar - looks so cool at night

The stage looks better as we approached 3 am

Ferris Wheel - just as I remember it

$5 shoes from Kmart - bargain. I love this remote controlled lantern to assist with finding my tent at night

This coming weekend is a weekend full of music and fun with friends. I will be attending the three day Meredith Music Festival something that I always look forward to every year.

A lot of people get caught out when they go to Meredith. As it’s a camping style music festival, with limited amenities (no glass or bottles, no electricity for a hair straightener, no fire) and most often raining, one should be very well prepared.

Here is my check list to help you prepare;

Super Essentials

My ticket to the 21st Meredith Music Festival

• Ticket (wrist band)
• Wallet
• A ride or a reliable car to get to and from festival
• Phone
• Camera

Essentials

Camping and bedding stuffs

• Tent, pegs, a hammer
• Friends to help set up tent (yes I still have no idea how to set up a tent)
• Tarpauline
• Rainproof tent cover
• Fold up table and chairs
• Floor Mat
• Sleeping bed and pillow
• Blankets
• Esky with Dry Ice
• Camp lantern (with lots of batteries) – preferably with remote controls to help find tent at night
• Small head lamps

Toileteries

• Anti Mozzy spray
• Sunscreen
• Panadol or any strong pain killer
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Face wash towel and main towel
• Anti bacterial hand gel
• Deodorant
• Dry shampoo
• Lots of wet wipes
• Toilet rolls
• Lots of plastic bags for wet / dirty clothes

Clothes

• Jeans and cargo pants
• Flip Flops
• Comfy shoes
• Gum boots and spare boots
• gloves
• T-shirts for layerings
• Jumpers / Sweaters
• Summer Hat
• Winter Beanie (yes although it’s blaring sunny, it can be really cold and wet)
• Underwear
• Socks (lots of them)
• Jacket
• Raincoat

Food and Drinks

• Breakfast bar / muesli bar or breakfast liquid (Sanitarium Up & Go)
• Vegemite
• Bread
• Potato Chips
• Bananas and Apples
• Alcohol beverages in cans (as glass and bottles are banned)
• Long life cheese and crackers
• Picnic plates, bowls, mugs, cups, cutleries
• Paper Towels
• Kitchen Towel
• 5 liters bottle of water for drinking and having access to water nearby tent

Optionals

• Mp3 player
• Books / Magazines
• Playing Cards

A day before the festival, decide on a meeting place and time for the driving convoy and be sure to fill up the car with petrol .

So I shall see you at Meredith !!