Brownie-mania

I had a brownie craving after seeing a recipe in a Jamie Oliver recipe book I had.  I asked Moo to make me the brownie but she said she couldn't be arsed melting organic chocolate and had another recipe to substitue.... and so she made me a brownie. 

It was a MASSIVE slab.  Moo insisted that I eat with ice cream which I refused.  Far out.  

But she happily put a 100s and 1000s-decorated scoop of ice cream next to her own brownie slice. 

Num nums!  Brownie craving - satiated. 

Fish Market Fiasco

A trip to Sydney for me is never ever complete until I eat at the Fish Market. I really do pity the fools who 'don't like the taste/smell of fish/seafood'. You really need to live life people!

I met up with Tina and Shazza who were in town for the UFC tournament (seriously, wtf?!). It was hot as usual and I kept Tina and Shazza waiting as I journeyed in from Ryde after getting my peepers checked by Stevie. This only whet Tina and Shazza's appetite for lobster noodles as they watched the lunch time crowd devour seafood delicacies around them. Mmmm, mmm, mmmmmmmmm I was more than happy to have lobster noodles!

Unfortunately *sniff* our intended main dish never made it to our stomachs as the minimum lobster available was 3kg. I was pretty ready to go ahead and order it but then Tina had a realisation - "Hang on, that's one kilogram of lobster each....without noodles!" Oh hmmm, it was a case of my eyes being bigger than my stomach.

Common sense got the better of us and we made the strategic team decision to let the lobster dish go. *sniff* Eat 1kg of lobster each and be too full to have nothing else or eat a larger selection of smaller seafood dishes? It's a pretty tough choice and I am still debating whether we went down the more satisfying path.

In the end we settled for a cold seafood platter (with lobster of course), 500gm of salmon and kingfish sashimi, grilled scallops, salt and pepper squid and oysters. The latter two dishes which I forgot to photograph.

Oh yeah baby. Me and my scallop babies.

I must also share my traumatic experience of the day.

In general, I do not like birds. I find them kinda creepy. In particular I detest seagulls and other aggressive birds. I HATE it when people feed the seagulls that mill around the eating areas at the fish market. This just encourages them to wait for food, looking at you with their beady, creepy eyes. The table next to us starting throwing the feathered scavengers some scraps and of course, this caused some commotion amongst the bickering birds. I actually was pretty annoyed and said fairly loudly "Oh, DON'T feed the biiiiiiirrrrrrddds!!!!!!!" It probably didn't matter because I don't think anyone on that table spoke English. Regardless, the practice is strongly discouraged with many 'DO NOT FEED THE BIRDS' signs in view.

I continued with my meal, holding my salmon sashimi in my chopsticks while chatting to Shazza.  Tina went indoors to purchase more food. Unbeknownst to me, my food was being eyed by aggressive, little, beady eyes. *shiver* The next thing I knew, two or three seagulls (it happened too quickly!) SWOOPED on me and one of them snatched the sashimi from my chopsticks!!!! I swear my reflexes kicked in and I reckon I punched one of them in defence. Shazza was shocked. I was shocked. The table next to us were ... I dunno... eating their f**king faces out.  Tina came back and we told him what happened and he laughed. Smee would have laughed too. I still don't think it's that funny but then again, I probably would laugh if it wasn't me!!! Moral of the story (do I really need to repeat it?) - DON'T FEED THE FREAKING BIRDS!!!!

I had to placate myself with a homemade ice cream sandwich. It did make me feel a little bit better. Just a little bit.

Despite this, I am not put off going to the fish market but I've learnt a valuable lesson - eat sashimi quickly!!!

Valentine's Day

It's not the first time that I've expressed my dissatisfaction over chick flicks.  Especially when they are trying too hard to be funny, have eye-gouging, cringey plots or when the two lead protagonists forced by the genre, 'fall in love' despite having zero chemistry  (The Proposal, I'm looking at you here).  

All that aside, I do have my *aww* moments when the movie is done right and in particular, I totally enjoy the bittersweetness of two leads not falling in love.   When I first saw the poster for Valentine's Day, I instantly thought "Oooh!  Americanised version of Love Actually!"  

From Day 1, I never thought that Valentine's Day would ever be able to replicate the quirky, awkward British charm of Richard Curtis' hit.  Having set my expectations low, I was more or less looking forward to a movie with several intertwined light-hearted, fluffy stories between the mega-cast. 

I'd read some not so great reviews about the movie and normally I would be one of the many who would SLAM this film but..... I really enjoyed it!  I'm not ashamed to admit it!  I think it might have something to do with me actually wanting to see a Chick Flick for once!  

Sure, there were cliched plots but none of them delved too far down the cringey angle for my liking.  Actually, my fellow movie-goer's life was paralleled in one of the plotlines.  It was a bit too freaky re-telling of recent events in her life.  Yeah, there were annoying characters (the two Taylors who were clearly included to pull in a teenage audience) but they were never on the screen for too long for me to get punching urges.  Yep, there was blatant storyline-stealing (or 'inspiration' if you want be euphemistic about it) from Love Actually but the Americans are known for remaking successful films which are lacking to the original  *ahem, The Departed*. A lot of critics lambaste the film for poor character development.  Are you serious?  This was never going to be anything Oscar worthy.  

Valentine's Day was always going to be a poor man's Love Actually and as long as you go into the film with that mindset, you'll enjoy the film for what it is - fluffy, heart-warming, light entertainment.  *awwwwwww* & *hugs* :D

Adriano Zumbo

This post is especially dedicated to J who is living vicariously through me as I wafted my way down to visit Adriano Zumbo's patisserie and cafe in Balmain.  You see, J fell in love with Adriano Zumbo and his pastry creations after stumbling on to his website.  Since then she has been on my case.  "Make sure you visit Adriano Zumbo when you're in Sydney!!!  Plllllleeeeeeeeeaaazzzzzzzzze!!  Did you go?  Did you go?  Oh noes you didn't." *sad J face*

I didn't quite have enough time on my previous trip and so I was adamant I fulfill J's wishes this time around and of course sample the tasty tidbits too.  I dragged ##s and Nelsie down from their neighbouring Annandale apartment (so close yet they'd never been!) and checked out the goods on offer.  For anyone who fears Sydney's public transport and generally has a poor sense of direction, well you're gonna have to get over it because the easiest way to get to Adriano's cafe/patisserie if you don't have a car involves sitting on a bus. 

First thing first - the patisserie is miniscule.  It is about the width of J's Paddington bedroom (hehehe) and I estimate, only about 1.5 times the length.  No exaggeration.  For those who don't know J's bedroom, I would say the patisserie is akin to a narrow walk-in wardrobe which is wide enough to fit a single bed and about 30cms of space next to it.  I didn't do any research so I had quite the surprised face when I finally found the patisserie.

Savoury goods.

The sweet stuff.

Macarons.  Mmmmm I *heart* Macarons. 

Spoilt by the choices on offer, I did have quite a difficult time choosing my dessert.  The selection is seasonal and rightly so, as it makes more sense to utilise certain fruits at their peak.  I settled on the "Weekend in the Cross".

That sachet mimicking the illicit snorting powder - oooh, I liked the 'dirtyness' and 'Underbelly' feel of it.  I must say I was a wee bit disappointed in my tart.  The watermelon was so... watermelon-y that it left the brulee a bit mushy.  But it was refreshing nonetheless!

##s settled for the 'Google It, Real Life'.  NFI about the name.  This was num nums.  

Nelsie was bestowed the 'Not Too Shabby', a flourless, gluten free mousse layer cake. Oooh now this was num nums too!! 

Adriano Zumbo's cafe is located a few doors down from the patisserie but you are most welcome to purchase your desserts and bring them back to the cafe while you enjoy your coffee.  And indeed, that is what we did.  Num nums.  Don't worry J, I'll try and be there to take you next time!

Dru-Poo and L-Poo's Wedding

Now, here was the real reason for my trip to Sydney - Dru-poo and L-poo's wedding! 

Yesterday I was one of the lucky guests invited to help celebrate their super-SUPER fun day.  Seriously, one of the most fun weddings I've been to.  It was one of those days where you could feel make-up melting off your face and I sure had a good case of 'the shines'.  My lovely host YL chauffeured me to the church ceremony (she's the best!) and while I was early (15 minutes), I didn't think I was that early - Dru-poo wasn't even there yet!  Meanwhile, L-poo had so much time on her hands that she managed to update her FB status advising us that she was on her way to the church..

The happy couple.

The reception was at Dockside, Cockle Bay Wharf and yes that place does bring back memories of a uni ball.  I had returned to YL's for a change in outfit (making sure I maximise cost-per-wear) and met up with a few others for pre-dinner drinks.  Stupid me decided that King Street Wharf wasn't too far a walk from Chinatown and with the sun beating down on me, I broke out in a giant sweat well before reaching my destination.  Ugh. 

Us and the bride and groom.

Num, num foods.  Seafood entree, fish or meat main and pineapple pannacotta... mmmm.

I can't gush enough about Dru-poo's genuine, heartfelt speech.  I would have say it was one of the best groom's speeches I've ever heard.  *sniff sniff*  There musn't have been a dry eye in the room.  AW and I couldn't look at each other for fear of breaking out in tears and ruining our mascara.  Dru-poo's Daddio and best man also churned out goodies too. 

The fun continued on with everyone (and I really do mean EVERYONE) getting up and dancing.  I've been to many weddings whereby the dance floor was left empty.  How sad!  :(  You couldn't resist the par-tay mix.  It was certainly top notch and clearly influenced by Dru-poo.  The live band Brown Sugar were awesome!  Their RnB covers were so, so, SO good!  I was also pretty proud to see that we Asians refrained making the giant-asian-dance-circle formation.

Dru-poo and L-poo getting their groove on.

Throwing the garter. 

The coolest fortune cookie message I've seen and my bonbonniere, a personalised drink coaster. 

The happy couple are now off to enjoy their five (yes five) week long honeymoon.  All the best guys!

Breakfast by the Beach

Another day, another meal and of course lovely YL chaffeured both of us down to Clovelly beach for brunch at Seasalt Cafe.  Clovelly is definitely not the pick of the bunch when compared to other nearby beaches but hey, most importantly it had a beachside cafe without the usual associated crowds.  Really, who could complain anyway given that we were essentially spoilt for beach choice and the weather was certainly up to it's usual sunny standards.

I'd been to Clovelly I think once in my time of living in Sydney and I vaguely recall that whoever I was with (most likely a bunch of other poor uni students), we arrived at the beach and then immediately decided to make our way down to the more nicer, less concreted option.  I'm not a real beach goer anyway, but I do like my walks on the sand.  Good for exfoliating!  

Interesting fact - there is decent snorkelling at Clovelly beach!! Wtf... after my trip to the Great Barrier Reef, maybe I'll come back to check it out!

After contemplating the Eggs Benedict, I decided instead to go for the semi-works and have the poached eggs, sourdough, bacon, tomato with an extra portobello mushroom on the side.  Poached eggs are my vice you see.  One of my pet hats is being served poached eggs with a hard yolk.  (Send it back to the kitchen, I say!)  Mine today of course were  perfectly runny.  Num nums.

This dish of course is nothing special, but I realised how much I love (and missed) having breakfast in Australia!  The food just felt...... cleaner.   I can't describe it any other way.  In reality my dish was just a version of the British Fry-Up.  Sure, I don't doubt you can have the exact equivalent somewhere in the UK.  However the meal just feels *that* much healthier when you're sitting under the shade of an open verandah, enjoying the refreshing sea breeze and view of the sun-beamed beach.  Yes, life is tough indeed.

Sushi Tei

My original plan of meeting up with some friendly folk in Sydney was ruined by my delayed departing flight from Adelaide *groan*  (see previous post for what I had to endure).  Instead, it made more sense for me to drop my luggage directly at YL and RL's place before deciding what to do for the rest of the night. 

YL and RL were just the puuurrrfect hosts and had made a dinner booking at Sushi Tei.  I had never heard of this restaurant before but I now know it's a Singaporean based chain.  It was after dinner that I did read some not-so-nice reviews but to my understanding, our attendance tonight was flanked by new management. 

Well I have only good things to say about the place but then again I haven't eaten decent sushi in a very long time.  We ordered a la carte and ate until bursting point.  Raw scallops, fish, soft shell crab rolls..... Mmmmmmmmmm suuuuuushhhhhiiiiiii.  Definitely one of my favourite foods.  I wish I hadn't forgotten my camera so I could have photo-blogged it.  All that means is that...I'll have to return for another eating adventure! 

Worst Won Ton Noodles Ever

My flight 'outta here' has been delayed by an hour. Ho hum. Naturally in my rush to leave I left no time to eat, anticipating that I will chomp on something once I got to Adelaide airport.

I'm well aware that airports generally do not have a plethora of awesome dining venues. I was hoping for a Maccas snack but they only had Hungry Jacks. After deciding that I didn't really want a burger after all, I chose to order the won ton noodles from Billie Chu.
I have to say - these have to be the worst won ton noodles ever. Dont get me wrong - I WAS expecting a bastardised bowl of the famous dish but I feel like these chefs didn't even put in any effort. They were all Asian chefs, they should know better but maybe they're so depressed that they just can't be bothered anymore.

I'll just list all the wrong things here:

Hokkein noodles instead of won ton or thin egg noodles.
Carrot as a garnish. Wtf.
Capsicum in the soup. Wtf.
Baby bok choy in the soup. Probably passable but choy sum or kai lan would have been more appropriate.
The won ton themselves were not in the ideal egg skin but I'll let that slide. I am unsure of the meat filling and whether or not it included prawns.
The stock was the expected bland with a hint of MSG.

Despite all that was wrong, I ate it all cos I was so damn hungry :( and didn't want to supplement my meal with a burger.

An Update

I haven't blogged anything lately because well, there has been nothing worth blogging.  My typical day for the past 2 weeks has been pretty much the same:

Wake up,
Run to train station,
Begin 30 minute ride to work,
Observe the change in socio-demographic as the train moves closer to my work destination,
Walk past the methadone clinic,
Do my job for 8 hours,
Take the train back to my accommodation,
Prepare dinner,
Eat dinner in front of TV (currently watching a lot of The Biggest Loser and My Kitchen Rules),
Gym (if I can be bothered),
Shower and finally
Sleep. 

That's pretty much it as I'm working a 6 day schedule (by choice) and on my day off I sleep in and then have a wander around the city.  Yep, that's pretty much it. 

The only other notable things I've done are:

• nurse a bottle of red for the past week, finally polishing it off earlier tonight. 
• not progressed with my shrug knitting.  Too busy snoozing on the train.
• pondered what the big deal is with Pandora jewelery.  I still don't know.
• decided that Shannon Noll's song for the Biggest Loser them is kinda inspirational.  I'm a little embarrassed to admit that but it made me go out and buy a new pair of runners, gym outfit and sports bra.

That's pretty much it!  I'm due for a trip to Sydney in a week and in the usual fashion will see some good ol' friends and eat tonnes.  Yay!