Meals For One

Being here for two weeks really limits your dinner options to salad, instant noodles, ready-marinated meats, TV dinners and takeaway.  It's a bit hard to justify buying condiments for the short period of time, but it's long enough to not want to eat out every night.

I know it's not the healthiest option, but I must pay homage to the Latina Fresh product range.  If I want creamy sundried tomato pasta, I don't want to buy cream, sun-dried tomato, flour, milk and whatever else you need to make the sauce.  I'll just buy the Latina tub thanks!  Latina, you are my hero.

I tried to make it healthier by adding spinach.  I also added some parma ham but I have to say, cured meats in Australia are really substandard.  I miss my European cured meats :(

For my final dinner in Townsville, I treated myself to some sushi at Gyo Japanese Tapas Bar.  It was walking distance to where I was staying but I was a bit put off by the fact it called itself a Tapas Bar.  Why the Spanish reference?  That was enough for me to doubt the sushi quality and was expecting the restaurant to be run by non-Japanese folk serving bastardised versions of one of my much loved foods.

But.......I was very much impressed with Gyo and am kicking myself for not going sooner!  I was pleasantly surprised to see and hear Japanese chefs in the kitchen which is not absolutely essential but is a definite plus.  Gyo was a bit on the expensive side with my platter costing $25 for a mere eight pieces but hey, at least I wasn't paying $25 for bad sushi.  I had some really nice fresh cuts of fish and they didn't skimp on the slice thickness either.  I actually have to admit, it was the nicest sushi I've eaten out in a long time..... but then again, I haven't been to a sushi restaurant in a long time.

My platter with my green tea thickshake.  Num nums.  

For anyone in Townsville, I would definitely recommend going to Gyo for your sushi fix.  Otherwise, it's off to bed for me as I have a 6am flight home tomorrow!

Things You See in the Tropics

Cane toad roadkill.

A gecko's pink underside on your bathroom window. 

Hanging Out in Townsville

Townsville isn't quite as touristy as I expected and despite being a more populated city, it feels much smaller and sleepier than nearby Cairns.  (By 'nearby' I mean a four hour drive).  You can find the usual tropical activities but they're not offered to the same extent as I found in Cairns.  Nonetheless, it's a city which is ideal for those who like lying around on the beach and the slow pace in life.

The first thing to tick of my Townsville list was to visit the Cotters Market in Flinders Mall.

Unfortunately, the mall is undergoing a bit of a revamp and construction sites took a bit away from the atmosphere of the markets but overall I'm not one who buys a lot of craft goods anyway. 

What I did buy were some persimmons from a 50+ year old, grey-haired, crusty eyed, tanned leathery-skinned, male persimmon seller.

Beauty is relative and I guess I would be relatively "good-looking" to the 50+ year old, grey-haired, crusty eyed, tanned leathery-skinned male persimmon seller.  I had selected three persimmons to buy and placed them on the scale, waiting for the price.

"It's $3.40 but for a girl as good looking as you, it'll be $3".  Yay, a 40 cent discount!  After bagging my three persimmons, he then picked out an extra one and put it into my bag.  Yay, a free persimmon!  I didn't have the heart to tell him that I really didn't want another one but thanked him and went on my merry way.  I've always wondered how much my beauty was worth - 40 cents and a persimmon! 

Next on my list was to climb up Townsville's icon, Castle Hill.  'Climb' is probably not the correct word.  I more or less drove a car up to the peak of Castle Hill.

There was a small climb up some stairs to get a better vantage point. 

Yep, here I am at the lookout. 

The view from the top of Castle Hill with Magnetic Island in the background.  

There's only so much you can do at the top of a hill so off I headed to the ReefHQ Aquarium.

Oh hello Mr. Dinosaur.  He guards the museum situated next door. 

Now, I haven't been to an aquarium in about 20 years but I was taken aback by the $25 entry price.  Maybe I'm a bit out of touch of exhibition costs, but given that I only spent an hour there...... hmmmm..

Photographs of fish are pretty boring, so I'm gonna treat you to some videos instead.

Baby shark feeding time.  Look at their cute little mouths.  They look like sock puppets!

Tropical fish in a tank doing fishy things.  Watch for the super-exciting chase sequence! 

Hehehe.  The cleaning prawn Jacques from Finding Nemo. 

The fish getting antsy moments before feeding time.

Seeing all that fish tickled the Asians-eat-everything inside of me and so off I went to the Strand to enjoy some fish and chips.

I ordered a fishermans basket which included calamari, scallops, fish nuggets and a sea shanty.  I had no idea what a sea shanty but realised later it was leftover veggies made into a veggie rissole.  Ugh! 

When in Rome, do as the Romans do - eat some gelati.  Blood orange and turkish delight for me thanks!

The sun started to set, signalling that it was time for me to head back to my temporary home.  

Townsville

I'm only going to be in Townsville for two weeks and the only reason why I'm here is to work. Oh and to enjoy the warm weather too.  I've been put up in a place walking distance to The Strand which is a nice strip of Townsville beach.  It made me want to steal someone's dog so I could walk him up and down the esplanade and look less like a lonely loser.

I only worked a half day today and for the first time managed to catch The Strand in daylight.

Err I have forgotten what animal this is.  A dolphin?  Seal?  Walrus?  Oh I know this one - it's a turtle!  

The view of Magnetic Island from the beach.  

Well, tomorrow will be my only full day off and more exploration will be done!

Sweet Potato Chippies

I'm trying to live a life of eternal summer and now I've arrived in sunny Townsville.  'Winter' here is 27-28 degrees!

The shite thing about moving around for work is eating alone.  I had a major craving for potato chips but you know, I can't really eat that for dinner.  Deciding that I'll just buy a packet and eat it as a side dish, off I went to supermarket to fulfil my craving.

Instead of potato chips, I came back with this:

SWEET potato chips!  I love sweet potato, especially when someone else mashes it for me.  

A healthier instant food, I guess.  

Educational Conference = Eating Time

So I'm back in Oz now and one of the reasons for my return was to attend a work-related conference.  I had a work conference but I'm posting about food.  Yes, this is what happens when I go to tax-deductible lectures.

I do like coffee but I'm not a regular drinker (diuresis people!) and St Ali's is meant to be one of the places that does them well.  I had one of their coffees, it tasted nice but I guess I can't really tell the difference between an average versus an exceptional cup of coffee.

Oh but here's my breakfast - sourdough (I think, I can't remember) with chorizo, spinach and a poached egg.  Stevie's corn fritters, poached egg and fried halloumi cheese.  Num nums! 

I never usually venture down South Melbourne way and let alone down an otherwise unremarkable alley in the inner burbs, but that's where you'll find St. Ali chock full of people.  If you're in the area, try it out.

We also munched on dinner at Portello Rosso, a tapas bar.  I forgot to take photos but the food ....well, it was yummy of course.  There was a pork belly roast on special and it was just so delish, with the crackling (sinful!) cooked to the point of candied.  We were left a little disappointed by dessert and in the end we actually under-ordered and needed to supplement our hunger three hours later at Supper Inn.  I'd definitely try it again but this time give the banquet menu a crack.

My Sydneysider friends wanted to check out Cumulus Inc and I was more than happy to return to lamb shoulder heaven.  Just to prove how popular this dish is, several of the surrounding tables also ordered one.

Yay, a decent photo this time.  Mmm sweet, tender lamb.  *pat pat*

Yeah, believe me.  We didn't skip any lectures.

Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum

You've probably heard of Ripley and his Believe It Or Not museums which are located around several cities around the world.  Or you might have caught Dean Cain - ex Lois and Clark star - earning his mortgage payments on the Ripleys TV show.  I only watched a few episodes but he managed to annoy me with the trademark closing statement....'Believe it ....... *insert over-dramatic pause*.........or Not!'

I'd seen the museums in Hong Kong and New York and now, one had opened in London.  Given my fascination with freaky things - who doesn't want to see a shrunken head? - I really wanted to see what the fuss was about.

Keep in mind that most museums in London are free and if they do charge the fee would be easily less than £10.  Ripleys was gonna set Smee and I back £20 each.  Wtf.  That's like going to the cinema 2.5 times!  I promptly searched for a 2-for-1 voucher and found a goodie on lastminute.com.  Smee and I thought we should 'splash out' and make the most of the experience, paying extra for the Hall of Mirrors.  I always wanted to go in a hall of mirrors!  It appears now that the ticket pricing has changed and now your experience in the Hall of Mirrors is included in your ticket - which now costs £25.

But first - yum cha in Chinatown.

I doodled on the table. The waiter complimented my skillz.

I love my mantou and had some deep fried ones dipped in condensed milk. Mmmm so healthy.

The museum was just around the corner from Chinatown, located at the awful tourist trapping junction that is Piccadilly circus.  Deep down inside Smee and I both knew that this would be a lame venture but we wanted to give Ripleys a chance to prove us wrong.  Look, I'm not denying that these oddities didn't exist or that the 'freakshow' people didn't have a hard life.  I mean I am fascinated with two-headed animals and other weird and wonderful stuff but when everything on display is just a badly made replica and honestly, I could have just read all of the information in a book, what on earth am I paying money for?

I'm used to museums being crowded in London, but this has got to be the most empty I've ever been in.  The ticket price certainly doesn't help but you know, if the exhibits seem worthwhile, people would undoubtedly pay.

Sitting in a giant chair - Believe it or Not!

The man with alligator teeth.  No he wasn't born that way, he wears alligator-shaped dentures - Believe it or Not!  I personally don't think this really qualifies as an oddity. 

The man who bore a hole in his head (why?  It wasn't explained) and then stuck a candle in the hole - Believe it or Not! 

An iron cast chastity belt - Believe it or Not! 

Ok, I have to admit this was kinda cool.  I'm all torso and no legs!  A testament to freakshow performer, Johnny Eck.  Believe it or Not! 

You're given a pair of gloves to feel your way around the Hall of Mirrors.  It was ok, I guess.  Believe it or Not! 

The final exhibit was the Spinning Vortex Tunnel.  The constant spinning and strobe lights disrupts your vestibular system and disorientates you when you walk through the tunnel.  You have to grab onto the handrails or fall over!  Me included!  Believe it or Not!

Anyway, obviously Smee and I felt Ripley's was not value for money and given it's prime location, clearly a tourist trap.  It'll probably be fun for those under 12 but unless you're really eager, I would save the £20 and go shopping instead.

Elephant Parade

On one of my daily outings, I noticed brightly decorated baby elephants had appeared all over central London.  Over the previous week, Smee and I tried to photograph each one we ran into.  Super-cool and super-cute!  They're part of the Elephant Parade campaign and will be auctioned off to raise money towards the conservation of the Asian elephant.  I wish I could buy one, but I don't think I have enough munny :(

Elephants seen near Carnaby Street, New Bond Street and Covent Garden. 

Spotty elephant bum.

More elephants around Covent Garden and Leicester Square. 

Tiger elephant in Chinatown and Stripey Elephant in Covent Garden. 

A stark white and a grey elephant in the middle of being delivered to my doorstep at St. Paul's.  The following day, people had drawn on the white one!  I'm not sure it was meant to be for graffiti :(

For more elephants (I wish I ran into these!) you can see some here. 

Billy Elliot: The Musical

As you can see, I was on a bit of a mad rush to see musicals which I had otherwise never gotten around to viewing.  Today's theatre experience was at the Victoria Palace and Billy Elliot was on show.  As with many of the other musicals I've seen, (and I'm not sure what is keeping me so busy) but I'd managed to avoid both reading the synopsis and watching the movie even though it's aired on TV several times.

Personally, the main appeal about musicals for me is the period setting (Phantom, Les Mis), ridiculously awesome music (Jersey Boys) or the fantasy elements (Wicked, Beauty and the Beast).  Musicals in a contemporary setting... mmm well for me... they're a bit ho-hum (Blood Brothers).  The only exception to that would be Avenue Q but you could argue that falls under fantasy with it's use of puppets.

Anyway, despite being a contemporary musical with a somewhat weird storyline (who on earth thought that this movie should be converted to stage?), there was something drawing me to the show.  Rave reviews helped, but that didn't necessarily mean much to me.  Having Elton John as a composer was definitely a plus - you can definitely hear the EJ influence - and maybe the idea of a boy doing ballet tickled my funny bone too.

I got myself some kick-ass seats in the stalls (seat H10 to be precise) and I was sure happy with my view.  The story was a little slow to start off with but that was forgotten once Billy's ballet improved.

The characters speak with a Geordie accent and because I've had more frequent exposure to the accent since living in the UK, I didn't really have an issue understanding them.  You can listen to Cheryl Cole here to get an example of how it sounds.  It's kinda cute!

However, I was sitting in row full of Americans who really had difficulty getting through the quirks of the northern English tones.  I could empathise though.  The first time I watched South Park, Trainspotting and Ali G, I could not understand a word they were saying.  While in the early days of my London job, if I ever had to speak to someone Scottish, I sometimes had to ask them to spell out words for me!

Anyway, with the odds kinda stacked against it (contemporary setting, no ornate period costumes or overly impressive stage sets and honestly - don't hurl abuse at me - I don't really like listening to kids singing), I was totally won over by Billy Elliot.  Maybe it's because I think the accent is cute?  Having Billy's friend Michael, the cross-dressing little boy was funny too!  It is just such an unusual, little-battler story told with such charm, that it is hard not to be warmed to the cockles.

My personal highlights were 'Solidarity' which featured the miners and little ballerinas (I can't find a decent clip to share), the Swan Lake dance scene with the adult male dancer and 'Electricity'.  The last of which is the term Billy uses to describe how he feels when he dances.  And err Elton John released it as a single too!

This kid no longer plays Billy (the big ol' puberty got in the way) but check out this performance.

This kid (well he's a legit adult now) is amazing!  His sad, expressive eyebrows are cute too.  *tears wells up in eyes*

'My' Billy (who knows which one it was, there are 4 kids on rotation depending on the night) was of course excellent.  A super skinny kid but all muscle.  He nearly faltered on his backflip and it did make me wonder, surely some of the Billies must've injured themselves live on stage before!

Despite being a musical which would normally not tick my boxes, I definitely recommend Billy Elliot and if anyone needs a theatre buddy, I'll happily volunteer.  Now, I should go and watch the original film!

Oliver!

The Life of a Lady of Leisure in London continues with me ticking off another musical today, Oliver!  I would have love, love, LOVED to see Rowan Atkinson starring as Fagin but did not manage to book any tickets in time for his run. Boo.  But I can't really fault Griff Rhys Jones in the role.  Also, I realised that my Nancy (Kerry Ellis) was the same person who performed as Elphaba when I watched Wicked.  Oooh dat's good too.

I remember watching the movie as a kid but the more I thought about it, like in the case of Mary Poppins, I must have been sent to bed early because I don't recall what happened at the end.  Fagin also was very creepy and on par with the Child-Catcher of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang so maybe that's another reason why I never watched the entire film.  Nancy dies?!!??!  Wtf?!!

The best tickets I could get for today's matinee was on the Upper Tier.  Boo!  But I figured surely the performance wouldn't be booked out, so I'd have a good chance of being allocated a new seat.  I queried at the box office but was disappointed to be told that I would have to stay in my crappy seat because my ticket was purchased through a third party.  Boo.  I also now understand why my tickets weren't so great - matinees are full of kids on school excusions!  Duh.

Fine.  I presented my ticket to the usher and he told me that my seat was reassigned and so now I was closer to the stage.  Yay!

My view of the stage.  Yippee-yay-yay.  

My highlight 'Consider Yourself' and I do have to especially commend the performance of the kid who played the Artful Dodger. Also, I was surprised that they actually had a real dog on stage with Bill Sikes.  Animals on stage = winner.  Hehehe.  There was one particularly smutty scene which I didn't have a problem with but it's inclusion puzzled me as I would have thought it inappropriate for the largely under-12 audience.

Some footage of the London production.

I definitely enjoyed Oliver! and it sits comfortably in my 're-watchable' list but it doesn't excite me enough to go on my 'must-see' list.  I'm not quite sure why that is - the performances are well-polished but ....... there just seems to be something lacking about it.  But maybe that's just me, because there are plenty of rave reviews out there.

The Phantom of the Opera

As someone who enjoys musical theatre, I had so far managed to flutter through life having never seen the modern classic The Phantom of the Opera.  I know I know.  I get the *shock horror* look from others whenever I tell them so.  It ran in Melbourne for a few years but I was a povo teenager back then and could not afford tickets.  Also, at the time I didn't quite understand the appeal of the dramatic 'opera' and the pipe organ was repellent to my ears.

But for a production to have a 20-something year run on stage, it's gotta be kinda good right?  Despite London being the city of discounted theatre tickets, Phantom tickets were always in demand and prices never seemed to dip below £40 for the crappy seats!   You know how I feel about crappy seats.  I really needed to tick Phantom off my list and making the most of my leisure time in London, I booked myself some kick-ass dress circle seats for today's matinee.  No, they weren't cheap, ringing in at £60 but given that converts to $100, that is still better than what I paid for Jersey Boys in Australia!  I really should stop moaning about theatre prices in London.

Outside Her Majesty's Theatre.  

Well, my Phantom Virgin status is no more, having been deflowered today by the creepy man/phantom himself.  I nearly missed the start having realised that my watch was running 10 minutes behind and I had to scoot my way down Regent street.

All I can say is that I totally get the hype.  From the opening sequence (flashing lights, giant chandelier, scary music!!!) all the way to the end, there was never a low point.  It also helped that I did not bother to read a synopsis (yeah I know, I didn't even know the storyline) and so I paid close attention to the plot.  Man, it was dark and psychological!!!!  (And kinda scary!)  The Phantom is one craaaaazy mutha!  Christine kisses the Phantom - Eeeew!!

Well, here is my view of the stage.  Smack bang in the centre of my row in the dress circle.  I even had 5 empty seats next on both sides of me.  I did find myself pining for the stalls though because the upper circle overhang impeded my view of the chandelier rising and I wondered where it stopped.  

My highlight was seeing the river of candles and smoke when the Phantom first takes Christine to his lair in his little row-boat.  The stage sets and costumes were just very impressive.  Maybe I am super dumb but how did the Phantom disappear?!  Twice!!  Absolutely flawless.  (Off topic - How did the Beast turn into the Prince?)

Anyone wanting to view the London production, here goes:

So, I get it.  I finally understand why this has been on stage for so long and it is definitely a musical which I'll be watching again.  That all well and said, the sequel to Phantom - Love Never Dies, which opened in March - sounds absolutely terrible!!!

Cardiff

Smee and I had not planned to go anywhere for the Bank Holiday and were pretty content with staying back in London.   But at the last minute, we decided to take a road trip to Cardiff (aka Caerdydd) in Wales.  At about a 3.5 hour drive, it was not very far but far enough to be transported into an alternative universe where people seem to put random Roman alphabet letters together and pretend it's a real word.

How does Gwesty = Hotel?  Aah the mysteries of the Welsh language.  Although I do think it's pretty cool that Welsh managed to develop alongside the English language.

After checking in to our hotel, Smee and I had to stuff our faces.  We tried to book ourselves into Marco Pierre White's Tide Restaurant, but upon investigation, we discovered it no longer existed!  In it's place was Tempus, so we thought we'd give it a try.

We made the most of locally sourced seafood and had the fruits de mer and oysters - yes please!  The meal totalled up to something stupidly cheap for UK standards.  

The next day, Smee and I wanted to check out Cardiff Market but it was shut.

The closed market doors.  Boo hoo. 

So off we trotted to Cardiff Castle.  Our hotel was opposite the castle and we were given a 'castle view'.  However, it wasn't much of a view because the hotel was located at a not very interesting end of the castle.

The castle entrance. 

Me and Welsh Dragon - so scary! 

Me pointing to my Norman Keep.  Me jumping for joy after being told that the Norman Keep was for keeps.  

Smee within the castle walls.  Don't get trapped Smee! 

Smee admiring his Norman Keep.  

Inside the castle apartments. 

Overall Cardiff was a quiet little city, away from the crowds of mega-city London.  Both Smee and I don't think we'll ever return but now I can tick Wales off my Elastics List.... and by that I mean the old schoolyard chant - "England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales!  Inside, outside, monkey's tails!"

Nope, decades later, that still doesn't make sense.

Making Pho

One of the dishes which has always perplexed Smee is Pho and because I am of fake Viet variety , the only way Smee and I could get our fix of the flavoursome, warming, beefy, aromatic broth was to pay for it.  It is  cheap of course, but you know, it would be nice to be able to re-create this dish within one's own walls.

Smee had done much recipe researching on the interwebz and we (me as his little kitchenhand) had a crack at cooking it a few months ago.   We got the beef bones, ox tail, all the spices, grilled the onion and ginger and added an extra spice bag to boot.  It sure smelled  like pho, but....it was kinda bland.  We had not added MSG to our stock and deduced that unless we did, it would never taste like the restaurant version.  It was a little annoying to come to terms with the pho-MSG association.

Smee, never one to give up, checked out the pho spice offerings while we were in DC's Vietnamese area.  He came out with a tub of Quoc Viet's Beef Pho Soup Base.  We'd never seen such a tub being sold elsewhere before (only spice bags) and figured that it was worth a try.

The tub was foiled sealed (For freshness!  It claims to be preservative free.) and contained two components - a spice bag and from what I gather, dehydrated beef stock which if you think about it, is kinda like a giant stock cube but without the supposed MSG.

Smee replicated the stock from his first pho attempt and used Quoc Viet's soup base to supplement any blandness. By golly gosh, they must have something magical in their stock (or a tonne of salt and undeclared MSG) because this pho tasted exactly like the restaurant version!

The stock was a little darker than what is seen at restaurants but that is probably because they get the bulk of flavor from MSG.  Just missing a little bit of coriander and in my case, tripe and cartilage too! Mmmm squishy bits.....

Eating time!

Needless to say, Smee and I happily gobbled up our bowls of heartwarming goodness.  So to anyone wanting to eat pho at home, get your mitts on Quoc Viet's soup base!  Unfortunately, I think you can only get it in the US - boo!