Your Custom Text Here
bondi beach-surf heaven!
pad thai with chicken at spice i am
One of the places that everyone told me was a ‘must see’ was the Taronga zoo. At first, I was like why is this? Apparently it has one of the best views of Sydney from their cable cars! I was fortunate to go with Lena and her daughter Zoe, and found out they literally go every 2 weeks! I even got a personal tour from Zoe herself...I’m just glad I had Lena and Zoe to talk to, instead of just conversing with the animals!
linguine with mussels-becasse
becasse's deconstruction of the the traditional banana creme brulee-absolute the best!
in strathfield k-town, with my cousins wife and daughterWhat is the gong ride?
The Gong Ride is a one of a kind fundraising event. You can pedal 90km from Sydney to Wollongong on any day of the year but it’s only on the first Sunday of November that you’ll experience the camaraderie, fellowship, unity, safety, scenery and sense of achievement for pedalling in support of people living with MS (taken from their website). 10,000 cyclists participated this year!
Kristi, Stephan, and a few others that I have met, participated in this years gong ride. It's a 90 KM ride that started from St. Peters, and finished in Wollongong-with tea and lunch breaks along the way! I took a 2 hour train ride to meet these guys at the finish line, where we had a sausage sizzle, beers, and other good food! The train ride was a amazing, I cannot imagine how great the view was for the cyclists! I don't really cycle, and I would have died if I did this 90 KM ride. However, after seeing how beautiful it was to cycle along the coast, I would definitely try it if I live here!
Well done K & S!!!
rob, kristi, and stephan
love this ad...
Kristi recently explained the term ‘yummy mummy,’ which is a trendy, urban mom who mostly spends time taking care of kids, doing yoga, and having coffee at the parks with their other yummy mummy friends! Not to mention, they have the resources to really take advantage of the ‘yummy’ part. Hrm...this sounds like some of the mom’s I know in Chicago! Last week, we spent an afternoon at Centennial Park with Kristi and some of her friends...enjoyed a picnic lunch on a beautiful day, with 2 adorable kids! I was just amazed at how many mums and their kids were at the park, on a Thursday afternoon...what a life I tell you! It seems like Sydney is a great place to raise a family-so green, the pace of life is great, and people here take their ‘free time’ seriously. I guess when the weather is perfect almost all year round, how can you not be out and about with outdoor activities!
single origins special breaky
Part of the October food fest, 'Single Origins Cafe' was also having a special breaky. First, they made coffee of my choice, with a morning muesli and fresh fruit...followed by a ‘Colombian’ tamale with fresh pico de gallo, matched with a pot of colombian coffee. Food was excellent, and the best part-I met the manager (actually I think he’s the owner) of this cafe, and I received a special goodie bag at the end of my breaky! Gotta say, quite nice when you start chatting with the chefs/owners...they definitely take care of you! This cafe is absolutely the best here...not just by recommendations from friends, but I am already addicted! It’s quite a walk, but I’ll be making my frequent stops there for a ‘flat white!’
One of the buildings that I absolutely adore is the ‘Queens Victoria Building,’ a.k.a. ‘QVB.’ One of the oldest buildings in downtown Sydney that was built in 1898, has stunning architectural details that include stained glass windows, intricate mosaic floors, and two large mechanical clocks-each featuring dioramas and moving figures from moments in Australian history. The QVB takes up an entire block on George Street, which originally housed street markets. Now it houses 200 shops, cafes, and restaurants! I was also fortunate to have high tea at the tea room, located on the top floor. The best high tea ever, and I think I ate a whole bowl of clotted cream myself!!!
The photos will speak for itself...
chinese dragons at the night noodle market
waffles with strawberry, and flat white coffee in a cafe-woollahra
'Breaky' as the aussie's put it, is quite good! I have mostly been eating breakfast at home...with a few occasions of going to a cafe. Kristi and Stephan are my favorite 'chefs' here...just look at what they make me! Most of the cafe's here offer a full breakfast/brunch menu, and even at 11am, it's packed with everyone eating breakfast! People do take their time at these cafes...I usually try to sip my coffee slowly, but when it's too good, it goes down like water! So yes, I have not spent more than 45 min. at a cafe as of yet.
Some of you may know my addiction to Ms. Donna Hay from Sydney! I have been following her for years, and she truly is an inspiration! I personally think she's above and beyond Martha Stewart. One thing I was looking forward to before coming here, was to try to meet her, and to visit her general store. So what did I do? The first week I was here, I went to her store, spoke to the ladies that work there, and they invited me to meet her!
chef sergi arola from madrid
fresh dumplings during our morning break at the showcase
chef alexandre bourdas and food critic sebastien demorand
prepared by chef bourdas-snapper with oyster, local vegetables, seaweed and lemongrass
lunch time at the showcase...very nice!
chef edward kwon (left) and one of his assistants (right)
'chilled chicken with ginseng'-a deconstruction of the traditional korean dish-sam gye tang, prepared by chef kwon. absolutely amazing!
chef peter gordon, chef alvin leung, and sebastien demorand
the view from kristi and stephan
flat white