Holiday

Monday, April 29, 2013

Mondayitis

Monday, 29/04/13

Me not having a great Monday ... =(
Had a busy day at work today, didn't even have time to have breakfast/ snacking/ arvo tea, so not me today. The highlight of the day was ... I got trapped in a lift by myself, lucky it was for 5 mins but the scariest bit was when the lift slide for quite a moment, literally slide 1/2 floor down, and shake at the same time. Thanks for the pumped adrenalin but I don't need it today. Damn you lift, wat a day !! Anyway...I can confirm I have been diagnosed with vitamin H(oliday) deficiency ~ I haven't had my vitamin H for the past 9.5 months, arrrrghhh so hard to function.  My vitamin H can only be taken in exactly 18 days time.  I miss the smell of airport, waking up at 4am to go to airport, the stress of having overweight luggage, eating like crazy, a bit of hotel hopping .... I am counting and counting ... cant wait !!! I am posting some of my old holiday porns to cheer myself up.
Conrad Bali ~ love your swimming pool always !! Taking a nap in the gazebo right in front of the beach + a little walk around the beach
JeevaKlui hotel ~ Lombok island ~ very clear water, uninterrupted view ... quiet and away from crowds
Kiama little blowhole ... breathtaking view
Bali ...

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Jones The Grocer

We coincidentally discovered Jones the Grocer in Westfield before our dinner. Then we realized, it was their week 1, they just opened its door that week (or even on the night). We didnt waste any time, we headed straight back to Jones the Grocer right after dinner to try their desserts.
Jones took 'Becasse' old spot in Westfield. They revamped the area, open kitchen, simple and modern decos, sophisticated, relax atmosphere. The entire area is spacious ~ divided into mini grocery store, bakery in the front (btw their pastries, tarts and cakes look Awww-mazing), cafe & restaurant. We ordered 3 desserts, teas and coffee. Desserts were simple (back to basic style), nothing crowded (presentation wise), generous portion and everything tasted fresh. I was pleased with their leaf tea too, nothing else but peppermint for me; very fragrant and strong. Service was considerably smooth on that night, no hiccups and we had a friendly and bubbly waitress. It is indeed one great place for winding down or catching up with friends (even business meeting). I went back on week 2 to have their desserts + tea with, pretty self explanatory I guess ** wink wink ** and we will be back to try their mains.

Jones the Grocer
Shop 5018, Level 5 Westfield
Cnr Market & Castlereagh St
Sydney NSW 2000
Tel: 61 2 8072 7755

Menu
Desserts selection
Tea menu - great variety, from east to west they have them all
Glazed lemon tart w blackberries and cream fraiche ~ was my friend's choice of dessert. I only tried a spoonful, custard is tangy with smooth balance between sweet and sour, and complement the buttery base.
Other friend's dessert ~ Citrus pannacotta with strawberries, basil and candied almonds - light and refreshing. Probably the lightest amongst the 3 desserts that we ordered. This silky smooth pannacotta went well with the crunchy candied almonds. I can munch on the candied almonds easily. For sharing? ...hhmm maybe not, I want  the whole thing for myself.
Here's my dessert choice ~ Young coconut rice pudding with mango and crunchy almond - it is an excellent dessert, taste is just perfect - mango + almond really make a big difference, no more plain rice pudding. You get the crunchiness from toasted almond and mango sweetness.  This dessert is a little on the heavy side (and generous portion) and I struggled to finish it off after my big dinner. Definitely an excellent choice for sharing.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

The Bathers Pavillion

Most people will say 'Bondi' as their favourite beach in Sydney. I found Bondi is a tad too crowded & way too touristy for me. I beg to differ =) and I vote for Balmoral as my favourite beach in Sydney. It is just simply stunning and offer more characters; great neighbourhood feeling, clean, way less touristy, and if you are dog lover plenty of cute and well groomed doggies around to admire. If you are lucky you can pet/ play with them too (with the seal of approval of the owner of course). Food around Balmoral in general is really good, or I should say it is actually above average. The only drawback about Balmoral is expensive parking around the main stretch, $6 per hour.  I can easily spend 3-4 hours there and I usually take bus/ park a little further from the main stretch. There are several great options to have breakfast in Balmoral but somehow I always go back to Bathers Pavilion. Located right in front of the beach, white older building with little kiosk on the side, selling cold drinks, coffees & quick bites for grab. You will not miss this building, it is massive and always packed regardless the hour and be prepared to queue for table ... have a great weekend everyone!!

The Bathers Pavilion
4 The Esplanade
Balmoral
Ph. 9969 5050
Breakfast Menu
Corned beef, spinach and corn hash plus 2 poached eggs - probably not looking so pretty but they are delicious - Corn hash (which I think is way better than the usual hash brown ~ potato) was golden brown and crunchy. The corned beef was excellent, it just melt in your mouth ... and the hollandaise sauce adds extra oommphhh when you have everything together plus the runny egg yolks. ....this breakfast just has no flaws.

And .... after the corned beef for myself, we were drooling like hell looking at next door table having their pancakes, so here we go ... waved to the waitress, and we ordered pancakes to share. Best decision indeed.
Blueberry pancakes with maple syrup - warm and fluffy pancake with maple syrup, I should have ordered a scoop of ice cream, will be perfecto.
Weekend parking $6 per hour ... booooo...