The day started off with waking up and packing my case ready to checkout after breakfast. After doing so, I headed down for my final buffet breakfast in Sydney. I was not hungry, probably due to all the meat consumed yesterday that I had toast, scrambled eggs and a little bit of bacon.
Even this was a chore to eat and I didn’t really enjoy it, because of my mood. Afterwards, I checked out of the hotel room and then waited for the others to do the same. We then headed back to Epping where the course was being held.
Today’s lunch consisted of a pesto cream based chicken dish, salty lasagne and a seafood tomato based dish. I ate late as I was calling Qantas and then our corporate travel agent to get my flight adjusted to an earlier time. The food was OK, but the salty lasagne put me off after last nights salt intake.
After the course ended, I went back into the city with the guys (they could not change their flights so ended up going around the city to kill time) and then took a taxi from the city to the airport. After a traffic jam due to an accident, I finally arrived and managed to secure the next flight back to Perth, although it was an hour wait. The flight was also delayed due to the weather.
Dinner was served on the flight, with my choice being the lemongrass chicken and rice. Notice the different tray? It seems like they ran out of cattle class trays, so I ended up with a crew’s tray. The main differences I noticed were that I got metal spoons/fork, different (nicer) cheese and no water. This dish had a bit of flavour to it, moreso than the meal on the way over.
The morning started off with breakfast again. Today, they had crumbed poached eggs! Whoa, I had to try those with some bacon and mushrooms. They turned out to be exactly that, poached eggs with a slightly runny yolk, crumbed and deep fried.
I also tried the smoked salmon, mackarel and trout. They were OK, but I was thirsty afterwards.
To finish, I had some fruit.
Lunch today consisted of Asian food. I had rice with chicken curry and some stir fried pork and vegies. The curry had a decent bite to it whilst the pork and vegies were a little sweet for my liking.
After killing some time online, I headed off for dinner with the other guys. We walked up to The Rocks and sat down at the Lowenbrau brewery. I had a couple of their lemon flavoured wheat beers, which were quite mild and drinkable:
After our second round of beers, we walked off the food a bit by going down to Circular Quay and the Opera House.
The morning started off at 5:40AM (2:40AM WST.. argh). I had a shower, got dressed and then went downstairs at 6:30AM for breakfast. It was an extra $15 for a buffet breakfast at the hotel.
I had a plate of hot stuff, bacon, eggs, sausage, baked beans. The beans were quite firm so not very nice. The bacon and eggs were good though.
Second round consisted of some waffles, maple syrup, fruit and since they didn’t have cream, I went for yoghurt. This was OK, the waffles were in a warmer and so weren’t as crunchy as could be.
My colleagues and I hopped into the car and drove to Epping where our training course was being held. As I didn’t get much sleep, I had a coffee but it didn’t really help. I was slowly nodding off at times during the course. It wasn’t because the subject was boring, it was cos I was sitting and listening.
Lunch consisted of sandwiches, some cold deli antipasto (mushrooms, eggplant, capsicum) and some fruit.
After the course finished, we headed back to the hotel. I spent a little time online and then met up with the others to have dinner. We stopped by at “I’m Angus Steak House” in Darling Harbour, where 2 of us had ribs. I went for the beef ribs and a serve of chips.
Flavourwise, the ribs were awesome. They were also very meaty. The only letdown was that they were tough in places, which was a shame. I swapped some beef ribs for pork and they had a different glaze. Not as good, but oh so tender.
I had my alarm set for 4AM this morning, to try and get into Sydney time early. 4AM rolled along, my alarm went off and there was no way I was getting up. I eventually got up a little after 5AM, but at the moment (10PM EST), I’m not tired and probably won’t be for another couple of hours. Damn timezones + daylight saving.
I picked up my luggage and caught a taxi to the hotel. Perth had 35 degree weather today, but Sydney was 22, humid and drizzling. After I checked in and dumped my stuff, I borrowed an umbrella and headed out. I walked around a bit, eventually seeing a Starbucks and thought it was the only time I would probably get to drink one this trip/year. (Maybe that’s why I’m not tired?)
I bought some toiletries (which I thought I wouldn’t need but then realised I should’ve packed) from Woolies and eventually ended up at Thai Kee IGA at Paddy’s Markets. I was in there for a good hour or so, just looking through their various isles of Asian goods. This place really has it all, and I’d say their range is even better than our Asian grocers back in Perth. I bought a small bag of snacks and spices to bring back.
After walking back to the hotel to dump my shopping, I then walked up to The Rocks, and then back down to Chinatown for dinner. I thought the walking might tire me out a bit so I could get some decent sleep. I didn’t bring the best walking shoes this time (my work shoes), so was getting a little sore at the end of it. Deciding between Sushi Train, Marigold and BBQ King, I decided to grab some roast meats at BBQ King…
Last night, the group celebrated Wagg and Ah-Tom’s birthdays at Terrazza. This place used to be a popular in-promptu eatery for us, however as the years have gone by, events have unfolded which ended up in the place being vetoed.
I had an Iced Coffee which was decent. The icecream and cream had to be throughly mixed in to be sweet enough to drink. CB was looking forward to the coffee beans on top, but was disappointed to find them missing.
CB and I shared entrees, which consisted of their garlic bread and chips, with sweet chilli and sour cream. The garlic bread was crispy on the outside with a soft centre, like all good garlic bread should be. The chips were good, not as good as I remember them though. They are now cut thinner and I don’t think the serve is as big as it used to be. But both of these went down a treat that I didn’t really have to eat mains.
For mains I had the lamb shank, which was braised in a red wine reduction with herbs. It was served with a small green salad and some mashed potato. The meat was tender and falling off the bone, but the sauce was a bit of a letdown, as it was quite salty. I still finished it though, and was blocked and thirsty afterwards. Good thing CB ordered a 1.5L of Coolridge water.
The biggest gripe from our experience this time round (and the reason why it got vetoed last time) was the service. Whilst not as attentive as it should’ve been, the real letdown was when we went to use the entertainment vouchers. However, after a few discussions with management (who had to be called), we got mostly of what we were entitled to…
Bourbon ribs, roasted chat potatoes, mandarin baramundi, mushroom and cream chicken and some salads.
Two plates of prawns, with cocktail and aioli sauce.
Fig pudding, cheesecake, chocolate mud cake, chocolate macadamia tart, mango panacotta and pistachio icecream.
The local Asian grocer has started to sell "Hai Nam" chicken rice and chicken satay and rice with ikan bilis. Last week, I had the Hainan Chicken Rice which is served with soy sauce and a sweet chilli ginger sauce. Both were well suited with the savoury rice and just cooked chicken. For $5.50, this was a decent feed and will definitely have again for a lazy day.
CB and I went out for breakfast on Sunday morning. I grabbed poached eggs and bacon (what we call eggs deluxe) on sourdough and an iced coffee. I didn't want the "who needs lunch" and so opted for a slightly lighter version instead.
Last Friday there was a work function due to a phase of a project finishing. I was luckily involved for a week filling in for an engineer who went on compassionate leave, so I was invited for celebratory lunch. I had the bangers and mash, along with a pint of the brewery's pilsner. The food was OK, and the beer, whilst not really being a beer drinker, was drinkable.
Yesterday morning, I lit some 15 heatbeads and poured those onto 60 or so heatbeads in my cheap Weber kettle BBQ. A few chunks of hickory and 9 hours later and this is what ended up. I tried to keep the temp down to under 250 deg F but the kettle climbed to over 300 deg F and stayed there pretty much all day, probably due to too much charcoal being lit (might try 10 next time). I also had to pull off the meat at an internal temp of ~180 deg F instead of the generally agreed temp of 190 deg F, so I thought it would end up being tough.
After cutting, I was happy with the smoke ring. I had a small bit and was surprised it was quite tender. Overall, I'm happy with the result, but next time, I'll be sure to get the temp lower and cook it longer till it hits 190 deg F. I don't have the real deal to base my results off, but the meat was quite tender, smokey and the dry rub provided a decent kick (with the chilli powder).
Pork Hocks (Schweinshaxe Round 3). This time, I dried four in the fridge for a couple of days, rubbed oil and salt, and put them on the warming rack on my gas BBQ. Turned on the outer burners on high, all inner burners on low, and the temperature hit ~170-180 deg C. I turned these fairly often to try and get them crisp all over. It turned out better than I expected. This will be my new method for making these.
I left these on the warming rack whilst doing the chickens (see below), to give them a chance to cool (I learnt from last time). This was the resulting crackling and meat after pulling them off the bone. Very delicious if I say so myself, although probably not very healthy.
Roast potatoes and pumpkin cooked in the dripping pork fat. Very tasty and unhealthy.
Butterflied brick chickens. These were marinated in oregano, chilli and lemon. Half an hour on each side (the presentation side was pressed on the grill with a brick) and these were done.
I quartered each chicken and then halved the breasts, resulting in slightly smaller chunks.
I had a couple of Pipsqueak ciders as it was my birthday. These went down a treat and was refreshing with the ice.
For starters, I went for the chicken wings, with the "saddle burner" sauce. I dunked each wing in the sauce, even double dipping to get maximum fire. After awhile, the chilli sauce started to burn, which was good, but I had run out of chicken. I would've liked more chicken for the money...
After deciding to not go for the Outback Challenge (1kg rump, 1kg wedges and veg), I knew to choose the ribs. Here is a full rack in smokey BBQ sauce, with some chips underneath. These ribs were great, the chips were decent, the salad wasn't that good. My sister didn't finish her rack, and I ended up with two of them, but I was so full and they were cold, so a little chewier. If only I could find a full rack of ribs from a butcher, I'd give a shot at smoking a set myself.
Chicken sticky rice. Savoury flavoured chicken, nothing like the sticky rice from Asian grocers though, so not a lot of mung bean, chestnuts or salted egg yolk! But still good.
Chicken Feet (or Phoenix Claws). I managed to coax CB into having a couple, and she said she didn't mind them.
Chee Cheong Fun. Good as always. Soft pastry/noodle, plump prawns and the sweet savoury soy sauce.
Pork spare ribs. Well seasoned, very gelatinous and smooth. CB doesn't eat pork so I ended up eating the lot.
Egg Tarts (Dan Tarts). Flaky pastry and rich eggy custard. I ate mine late in the meal but as soon as they came around, we grabbed a plate. As soon as you take a bite, the flaky pastry explodes in your mouth and dries it out immediately haha.
Har gow. Dipped in the chilli oil (which was very potent this time round), these were really good. Also explosively hot (chilli and temperature wise).
Seafood and seaweed rolls. CB had two, I had one. After eating one, I told myself to try and stick with steamed goods, as the oil from one of these rolls had already gotten to me.
Pork dumplings. I think they were kind of pot stickers, but not quite. Served with a vinegary sauce. These were quite bland to be honest.
Siew Mai. Of the chicken variety. Should've gotten pork as these weren't as tasty. CB got to eat them though, and even she said they were a bit bland...
Something new, mango balls. Much alike the chewy peanut balls from the Asian grocer, but replace peanuts on the inside with canned mango. Yum. I ended up having two, CB had one.
