We are family

Thought you might be interested in a family pic from my Granny and Grandpa's 60th wedding anniversary lunch. Or not. But I'm a sentimental old thing and I love these special times.

We had a beautiful meal at Jolley's Boathouse which was just the perfect venue - it is on the river which excited the kids to no end. Ruby and Zane loved feeding the pelicans and swans out on the banks of the Torrens. 

And we overlooked Great Grandpa's bridge - Granny's father was the engineer for this bridge in the photo above. It's the main bridge across the River Torrens that connects North Adelaide to the CBD. We're all a little bit proud of it so it was lovely for it to be a part of our day.

Grandpa dressed to impress and Granny looked lovely in her pearls. My dress was uber comfy and the lipstick lasted a treat.

Speaking of lipsticks, I've just discovered a fab new range of lippies but will go into that another time.

It was so lovely to have this family time. And boy oh boy, was the food delicious. A seriously good feed, one of the best I've had in ages - and that includes dining out in Melbourne. We ate and drank like kings - including a bottle of Rockford Basket Press which was a very nice touch (thanks Dad).

And then my weekend finished off with a cup of tea and Anzac biscuit at Granny and Grandpa's before flying back to Melbourne - begrudgingly, I might add. I didn't want to let go of my Mum when she hugged me at the airport. I thought it was supposed to get easier after two years!?

Thank goodness for FaceTime.

The cat that got the cream

Then this happened, people!

I am in hysterics, can't stop laughing.

I may not not a THING about finance or economics, but I do know about food. Or I pretend I do.

After the excitement of yesterday's post, the Fin Review got in touch and used some quotes from me for a story about The Fat Duck ballot. I was like a kid at Christmas, talk about media hussy!

Lucille Keen has a way with words, she's a cracker! And she's partial to a strand of pearls, a girl after my own heart!

I'd better just make sure I get picked in the ballot now, that would be totes awkies if I don't make it through! Imagine the follow up story then (although that's more a Today Tonight expose!).

Read the full article here.

Am I daft?

So I did it, and I'm so nervous!

I entered The Fat Duck ballot and am sick with fear that I'll be drawn as a lucky winner.

I'm also like a kid before Christmas - can you imagine if I get picked?! It will be the most exciting day of my life (so far, of course).

The $525 (without beverages) pricetag scares the life out of me, but as my friend Em pointed out, it's 12-15 courses which breaks it down to about $35 per dish. Okay, it's still expensive, but it's also a lot of food and 4.5 hours of pure entertainment.

This article from Good Food justified it for me - I know where my tax return will be going this year!

Has anyone actually dined at The Fat Duck before? I'd love to know if you think it's worth it!

Gulp. It's A LOT of money.

Weekend wonders

I have two very dear friends coming to visit this weekend - I've been bridesmaid to them both and am so looking forward to sharing a bit of my Melbourne with them.

I am so so so excited about finally visiting one of my Melbourne 'musts' tomorrow. Aren't the pics above gorgeous?! They're from Mossgreen Tearooms where I'm having High Tea with my most recent bride Jourdanne (and my local loves Bree and Gemma) tomorrow afternoon.

But first, the fun kicks off with a city drink with Sam tonight - you might remember her from this wedding . . .

I'm still tossing up which bar to take her to - so much pressure when visitors are in town! The shortlist is Hihou, Von Haus, Ombra and Cumulus Up. 

Sounds like a whole lot of stuff yourself silly with food and drink, if you ask me! 

Just the way I like it xx

Dirty Thirties

It's been a while, people!

I've left my laptop in the Rads until I head home next - I couldn't fit one more thing in my suitcase. Packing down from a two bedroom place to fit into one bedroom in a share house is hard!

So my posts are few and far between. And hasn't Gemma let me know that!

In the meantime, I wanted to indulge in the fun of my 30th birthday.

Roman Holiday was the name of the game and we had so much fun at Ruby Red Flamingo. 

Thanks to Tina from Lady Chatterley's Affair for her styling genius xx

More pics to come when I'm reunited with my laptop ...

Ps. How hot is my necklace?! Thanks to Miss Brown, I now have my very own LCA High Society necklace! Whoop!

A day to remember

I'm well on my way to planning THE ultimate day in New York in celebration of my 30th birthday.

It starts with breakfast at Pastis. Booked.

Then I think we'll head to SoHo for a spot of shopping and some NY 'downtime' browsing the streets.

We'll have lunch at Dean & DeLuca (Mum appreciates my obsession with the place after growing up with Felicity) and then I'll spoil myself with a Kate Spade bag that I've wanted for years.

The afternoon could do with a little more activity (suggestions, people?). . . but not too much because then we're booked in to Balthazar for dinner. I am SO excited. Bless Mum, she stayed up late last night to ring internationally and book us in - they only open reservations 30 days before each date so we had to watch our calendars carefully.

It's going to be a day to remember, that's for sure!

Any other suggestions to help ring in this milestone? Perhaps somewhere for a nightcap after dinner? Or pre-dinner drink even?

Backyard brilliant

Don't you love playing tourist in your home town?

Especially when you can show off new places to relatively new Adelaide residents.

I took my friend Kristie and her pregnant belly to an old favourite for dinner last night. When you haven't been for years, there's always a risk that it will never live up to the memories.

Cafe Salsa lived up to the hype. Phew!

One of the best pizza  bases I've had in a long time. And I just love the fit out, so retro and cool, like Cinque Terre or the Amalfi Coast 50 years ago.

Go exploring in your own backyard these Summer holidays, you'll fall in love with your home town all over again!

This little piggy went to New York

So I'm FINALLY making some progress on my travel plans for my 30th birthday.

I've had a discussion with the travel agent and got a first draft of the itinerary through. Sure, there are lots of changes that need to be made, but it's progress, right!?

One of the major things I'm keen to lock away is dinner plans for my actual birthday night - Friday 3 May 2013.

I'll be in New York with Mum and Dad and one of my dearest friends Emma so I want it to be ultra special.

Any suggestions of a kick arse restaurant? Somewhere to ring in my dirty thirties in style? I figured I'd have to start making reservations now and even then, I'm probably too late!

I was thinking Balthazar as I've heard brilliant things about it and a lovely new friend recently celebrated her wedding day there.

Or Per Se.

Or Gramercy Tavern.

Or the Boathouse.

I need some guidance, people! Especially those readers from that part of the world, please share!

I'll be asking for lots of tips along the way - we're planning stops in the Hamptons, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, San Fran and LA and I kind of don't know where to start. I'm looking for a Matchbook meets Glitter Guide meets Furbish Studio meets Rue Magazine meets Lonny meets J.Crew meets Kate Spade meets Kiel James Patrick take on the USA.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated, but let's tick off the birthday dinner first!

Long live the Queen

Oh the treasures you find in the back streets of Wellington's beaches.

Queen Sally's Diamond Deli in Lyall Bay had me at hello.

Everything about it was fun - from the friendly staff to the lolly jars and fresh colourful salads, it was perfect.

I wanted to pack it all up and bring it home with me!

Find out more about it here. It's a definite 'must-see' when in Wellington.

After you've had your fun in the Deli, grab a takeaway coffee and go and watch the planes take off and land from the beach at Lyall Bay. Great entertainment for a 15 month old!

Mad hatters

The countdown is on.

Less than three weeks until Nicole and I hit up Melbourne for the Cox Plate.

We're making a real girls' long weekend of it with dinner at Movida and drinks at Trunk amongst the fun and frivolity. There's also shopping expeditions to Chadstone and indulgent breakfasts at St Ali.

We're like the country cousins coming to visit the big smoke!

I have a milliner working on my hat as we speak (I feel so posh saying that!). I've used the black and white polkadot hat above for inspiration - isn't it divine?

I figure I'd invest in the hat this year rather than the dress - I have so many dresses to choose from as a result of my many bridesmaid duties over the years and classic black and white should go with lots of different outfits.

I haven't ruled out a last minute purchase in Melbourne before the big day though . . .

I hope the hat's ready soon as I have a friend's 30th at the races on Caulfield Cup Day in Adelaide, I want to get as many runs as I can out of it. We all know the 'cost per wear' justification we go through in our head when forking out for an expensive piece!

Melbourne, here we come!

Pic from Magic Millions. Oh how I'd love their marketing budget - they do the BEST fashion shoots every year

Beef dreaming

Happy birthday Kristie!

Off to dinner at Concubine tonight to celebrate the occasion.

I've been dreaming of their wagyu beef all week.

And their whole barra is pretty good too . . .

Get in my belly.

Bastille Day

 

Welcome to breakfast at L'atelier de Monsieur Truffe.

One minute you're walking along a cold, wet street in funky Brunswick, feeling a little worse for wear after making good use of your Golden Ticket the night before . . . 

. . . and the next your friend pushes you through an unassuming red door and you're whisked away into the most unexpected world of deliciousness.

Let me take you back to last weekend when Lill treated me to a Bastille Day gastromic experience of French proportions.

Monsieur Truffe is known for its chocolates - even producing them on site behind a glass viewing screen (check out the cool red machinery!) - but its extended menu is what floated my boat.

I didn't know where to start - savoury vs sweet breakfast options (I know, it throws me every time) or do I venture into the lunch menu? And what about the specials of the day?

 I needed something hearty after shaking my booty at Mr McClelland's Finishing School the night before and knew we were in for another large night taking advantage of my second Gold Ticket.

So I chose the chorizittos with spiced beans and a poached egg on sourdough. Wowzers. Totes hit the spot.

Lill and I swapped half way through so I got to try her croque monsieur that was seriously out of this world. Glad I only had half. Oh la la.

We also got chatting to a friendly German/American girl at our bench and she had the avocado, persian fetta, vine ripened tomatoes and basil on olive bread. Tres bien.

Other interesting menu items included eggs cooked in a jar complete with truffles, and pork ribs with slaw.

My only regret is eating so much that I couldn't fit in one of their famous hot chocolates. Guess I'll have to head back again . . .

Pics mine and from here

Whoopa!

Excuse me while I indulge in a bit of Greek Island love.

I'm just getting in the mood for tonight.

Heading to Hellenic Republic with Lill.

Excited much? I'm like a kid before Christmas!

Pinterest

Two ingredients

First there were those gorgeous Mumsy types who revolutionised a four ingredient recipe concept.

Now a two ingredient (well, food item) craze is taking over the world - and London is leading the cause.

At an event at the Art Gallery last week, Emma's sister was telling me about Burger and Lobster, a London restaurant that only serves, you guessed it, burgers and lobster. Sounds fabulous! 

It's in Mayfair in London which is very hoi hoi but I love that everyone's on the same level in the restaurant (if they can bear to wait for up to three hours for a table!) because everything on the menu is 20 pounds.

Another new one that is popping up is called bubbledogs - again, in London, posh Fitzrovia at that - set to open in late July this year. Suddenly it's become cool to blend daggy with high society. Imagine sipping on a decadent glass of champagne (real champagne, that is) and then wolfing down a hot dog! I love the idea!

And then there's Tramshed in East London

Tramshed, like the other two - focuses on two core menu options. As the picture suggests, chicken or beef.

Ahhh, a meat wholesaler's daughter's dream!

So it got me thinking, what two menu items would I offer in my own restaurant? Maybe beer and mussels? Or ribs and cider? Cheese and wine would always prove popular - especially in South Australia. 

Eggs would be versatile, but I'm not sure they're sexy enough. And what could go with them? Maybe pizza and pies as a fun combination. That would be a boy's dream!

No, I still haven't landed on that quirky success story that teeters on the edge of 'common' whilst somehow embracing an exclusivity like no other.

Any other suggestions?

In my little corner

Adelaide has joined the revolution.

The revolution, that is, that's seen tree-lined suburban streets become home to gourmet providores and hot dining spots.

My little neck of the woods, in particular, is suddenly the "cool" place to be seen with Mums and bubs enjoying babycinos; yuppies sipping on lattes; artists feasting on grilled haloumi; and girls catching up over french toast and bubbles.

Anyone would think I was in Melbourne!!!

These little cafes offer so much more than your standard egg and bacon breakfast. Quite often they're corner stores disguised as art galleries disguised as gourmet grocers disguised as coffee shops disguised as sandwich bars disguised as lounge rooms.

Such establishments include The Pantry on Egmont, a mother's milk and The Stranded Store.

The furniture is comfy, the wait staff friendly and the food fresh and edgy. They do the classics, but they have  their own little twist on them.

Case and point.

French toast.

I rarely ever order sweet for breakfast but on a recent visit to The Stranded Store in Colonel Light Gardens, I was tempted by the daily special.

French toast with orange scented ricotta, smashed raspberries and basil.

It was just so different. And I caved. I chose sweet.

Ah-mazing doesn't even start to describe it. Can't wait to tackle my own version of this combination - I've never made French toast before . . . time to indulge.

Or just head back to Stranded!

All senses alert

My holidays are always centred around iconic food experiences.

I live by the mantra "when in Rome . . ." so am guilty of eating nutella crepes in Paris, gelati in Italy, onion dip in New Zealand (don't ask!) and chorizo in San Sebastian.

I dined at Jamie Oliver's fifteen in London, ate roasted chestnuts from the Tuileries Gardens outside the Louvre and went ga ga for the best breakfast in Melbourne at St Ali (someone told me "you HAVE to go", so I did!)

My appreciation of a memorable - sometimes life changing - food experience goes beyond that of the menu though. It's about the shared tables, the drinking vessels, the views, the music, the type of chair, the waiters' uniforms, the wow factors.

The above restaurants have all been applauded for their innovation. And I like that word. Thinking outside the square you live in. Pushing the boundaries. Creating memorable experiences.

What are some of your most memorable food experiences?

See more candidates for the World's Most Innovative Restaurant Interior here