29 Nov – Sydney Work Trip II Day 2

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.

28 Nov – Sydney Work Trip II Day 1

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 thought I was going to have breakfast on the flight this morning, but was surprised to find out we got lunch. I chose the lamb “curry”, which wasn’t really spicy or hot at all. The only spice was probably a smidgen of cumin to give it curry like qualities. It was quite salty, even after I mixed all my rice into it. The little chocolate fudge cake was good though. The flight was uneventful, although a little bumpy at times. I read my Metallica book for awhile, before watching a few movies on my eeepc and then went back to the book when it was time to land.

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 ordered a grande coffee frappacino. It’s a shame that it wasn’t that good. A decent hit of coffee, but it was liquidy with big ice chunks. Not the smooth icy beverage I was hoping for…

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…

Here’s what $30 at BBQ King can buy you. Suckling pig and char siu rice, with Shark Fin soup and “Long” soup I think it’s called. I didn’t know I was getting the Long soup for free, otherwise I would’ve picked something else to have. The chilli sauce was sour (vinegar based) and had a decent bite. The suckling pig was all crackling, not the cheapest of meats but it was good (and free, making it even better). Whilst not Mum’s birthday spread (I missed out on family birthday dinner), this went down really well as I was hungry after all the walking (and I had dinner quite late .. 9PM EST).

27 Nov – Terrazza, Morley

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…

7 Nov - Montereys, Perth

My Aunt Jen noticed Montereys were having a 2-for-1 voucher in the paper and so we grabbed a whole load of vouches and headed off. I had the following things:

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.

All in all, the food was OK, but definitely not worth the full price. At $27.50 though, it wasn't a bad feed, even though I felt a little seedy after eating all those prawns haha.

Hai Nam Chicken Rice

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.

31 Oct - Coode Street Cafe, Mount Lawley

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.

The eggs were done nicely, with a slightly runny centre. The bacon was crisp, and wasn't too salty. I can see why these guys do a good breakfast trade, the food is simple, good and cheap.

29 Oct - The Last Drop Brewery, Safety Bay

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.