Weekend Getaway; Brisbane

As much as I love Sydney, I also love getting away for the weekend. So recently I ditched the very boring Friday afternoons at work and jumped on a flight to Brisbane.

We stayed in Fortitude Valley in a serviced apartment, Miro Apartments, the best thing apart from the location was the internal courtyard the apartments all opened up to.

An obligatory trip to South Bank was in order, it is also home to one of my favourite spots in Brisbane, the Nepalese Temple, a little oasis of calm in the crazy.

A new addition to South Bank since amy last visit is epicurious, fantastic produce gardens in the middle of the city, a real inspiration.

The poor day trip weather was being well utilised by Kite Surfers when we made it up to Sandgate.

And no weekend away to Brisbane is complete without a trip to the Antique Centre in Teneriffe.

However I think the best thing about weekends away is dining out.
(I don't really like taking photographs during romantic dinners so the restaurant photos are from the social media sites of the restaurants)

Hubs's favorite watering hole on the river is alchemy, we both took the staff recommendations, Duck for Sir and Quail for Madam, both very good.

The new Brisbane favourite is gordita, amazing food, knowledgeable and friendly staff, we will most definitely be back when next in Brisbane.

And back to Brisbane we will go, I mean how can you go past this view?

AA xx

Summer Food

One of the things I love about summer is the opportunity to experiment more in the kitchen, there is just something about long hot days days makes me want to be a little more creative with the menu, light, fresh, healthy.

(Disclaimer; none of the photos below are mine, food normally doesn't last long enough to be photographed in my house)

Prosciutto, Fig & Ricotta Salad with honey

Watermelon, Pinenut & Feta Salad

Traditional with a twist, Salmon Nicoise Salad.

Jamie Olivers Carrot, Beetroot and feta salad.

How about you cooking up a storm? trying any new ideas? what are your go to's in the warmer months?

AAxx

Food Glorious Food

I finished all of my shopping today for Christmas day so I thought I would share my menu for the day with you.

(Disclaimer: None of the photos that follow are mine I have shamelessly ripped them off from a simple Google image search of my menu items)

We always start the day with Croissants, coffee and orange juice (and champagne, shhh).
This year we have smoked salmon and avocado, or ham, brie and mustard as a back up if we have extra guests.

Christmas breakfast is a tradition my mother started as all us kids got older,  just one of the many reasons I will always love her.

For Christmas lunch I am cooking a traditional stuffed bird, this year de-boned and rolled turkey stuffed with cranberries and walnuts.

The traditional trimming just don't make sense during an antipodal  summer so this year the bird will be served with a crisp Waldorf salad.

We had Waldorf salad and a glass of champagne for lunch at the Waldorf Hotel in New York a few years ago, it was the smallest and most expensive lunch of the entire trip but so worth it, (sort of like having a Singapore Sling at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, again very x'y) I would do it again in a heartbeat.

For evening grazing I will throw together a very simple antipasti, marinated veges, cured meats, cheese, one of my favourite ways to eat any day of the year.

Dessert again is very simple and something I do every year, piles of fresh cherries and chocolate, this year Lindt Chocolates, which goes on the table after lunch and stays until it is all gone.

Simple yet lush and decadent at the same time, yum.

So season's greetings to you and yours, I wish you the very best for the year to come.

Cheers

AA xx

Food Coma

It has been Good Food Month in Sydney which means Night Noodle Markets, i.e. lots and lots of little plates of yummy washed down with beer or wine, or both, what ever floats your boat.

My favourites would have to have been East Ocean I have a weakness for Dim Sum and they do fantastic pork buns as well as duck pancakes & calamari, mmmmmh yummy, my mouth is watering just thinking about them (food photos from East Ocean)

The other standout was Bao Stop sweet potato chilli fries, you have to try them, so good, and lobster, pork belly or chicken rolls, it was too hard to decide on just ones so we had them all, I was seriously waddling by the time we left. (Photos from Bao Stop)

There was a fair amount of corporate sponsorship  but as they provides places to sit and eat and sip I didn't mind too much, and it did look good.

Thank god they finished today otherwise I might have put on too much weight popping up on my way home after work, trying to work my way through everything, too many choices, so much yummy food, mmmmh.

Please excuse me while to go back for a final visit, there are some duck pancakes calling my name and if I can't smuggle out a chef or two I might be able to snag some lanterns, umbrellas, or a strand or two (or three) of the origami birds in the final photo

AAxx