The Australian Ballet

Going to see the ballet recently was certainly not the only performance I have seen alone - movies, rock bands, plays, to name a few. What strikes me about the ballet is that there are other people there alone as well. Mostly young women, there to enjoy the beauty of the art of ballet. I've noticed this phenomenon at both the Australian and New Zealand ballets, having seen quite a number of performances, all but two performances of which I have seen alone. Such an observation as I have made perhaps indicates the quality of the productions and the commitment of ballet aficionados.

This year I have subscribed to the full Australian Ballet season and was very impressed with "The Silver Rose" and "Coppelia". "The Silver Rose" was particularly beautiful. I had high expectations, as one usually does with the work of Graeme Murphy, and they were exceeded. It was perhaps the first ballet that I was absolutely glued to the stage, completely captivated by the story and the dancing. "Coppelia" was beautiful and well-performed as well and I look forward to the final two performances in my subscription this year.

So far I have eaten at the Opera House, lovely little finger sandwiches and a chocolate cookie, and I have eaten at Portobello Cafe, which offers a reasonably priced selection in comparison to its harbour-side rivals. Not sure where I will eat next time, but I will have to wait until November!

Ad Lib Bistro - Pymble

It is always delightful (and surprising) when your very high expectations of a restaurant are exceeded. And I'm pleased to say they were done so within 15 minutes of my house. The drought is over. Ad Lib Bistro is the type of restaurant the Upper North Shore has needed for a long time. It's clearly designed to appeal to the younger generation of north shore foodies. Gone are the quiet pretensions of the old; replaced instead with very good food presented in a relaxed atmosphere. While the layout doesn't differ dramatically from its ill-fated predecessor, the creators of Ad Lib Bistro have used Parisian-themed interior design in the main dining area complimented by a French Provincial theme in the bathroom. Before you've even started to eat you've been transported far away from the Pacific Highway in Pymble! The folded paper menus further add to the casual atmosphere as does the very friendly service. Our waitress made us feel relaxed, offering to translate anything we didn't understand on the menu.

The modern French cuisine was found throughout the fairly full menu, including seasonal specialties as well as entrees, mains and desserts. The wine list was brief, but the cocktail menu was extensive. Still, we chose a 500ml carafe of Mt Difficulty Pinot Gris which proved delightful. Skipping entree, my husband chose the pork belly and I chose the lamb. We also had a side of baby carrots and a side of french fries with mayo. The lamb was fantastic. The meat melted in my mouth and combination of flavours including olives and fava beans was incredible with no one flavour overpowering the others. A lot of thought must have gone into this dish to ensure the correct balance of flavours. The french fries were deliciously light and the beans beautifully buttery. The pork was also praised by my husband, though I didn't try any. Dessert didn't disappoint either, with my husband choosing the raspberry creme brulee while I chose a trio of sorbets. The sorbets were fantastic; the usual iciness that can unfortunately be found in my favourite dessert was absent, replaced with a light creaminess (without the cream) and delicious, full flavours. The creme brulee was incredible. Sadly the tea selection was not as extensive as hoped (only about 10 types, but remember I have 38, so of course I will complain), but we enjoyed a lemon tang tea (lemony and minty - very good post dinner) and my fallback standard english breakfast. By the end of the meal we were both relaxed and personally I was reluctant to return to the real world.

This is definitely one of the better restaurants I've been to and definitely the best on the Upper North Shore.

Wedding Recommendations

Hey! Here's supplier/venue/etc recommendations for weddings and honeymoons.

Wedding:
Photography - Milk and Honey (Sam)
Guitarist - John Blinkhorne
Invitations/paper - The Paper Place
Gift registry - Peter's of Kensington
Hair/Make-up - Janelle Joppich
Cake - Sweet Connoisseur
Cars - Sydney Mustangs
Flowers - Kelvin Hall Floral Design
Rings - Pinn Jewellers and Cerrone

Videography - Sydney Classic

These are the best of the best - yummy food with good service and great accommodation with good service... not just for honeymoons!

Honeymoon:
Glynt Manor - Mornington Peninsula
Ten Minutes By Tractor - Mornington Peninsula
Max's Restaurant - - Mornington Peninsula
Balinese Retreat - Dandenongs
Observatory Hotel - Sydney
Sofitel - Melbourne
Merrijig Inn - Port Fairy
Oscar's Waterfront Boutique Accommodation - Port Fairy

any questions - contact me!!!

xx Sarah

Easter Long Weekend in Melbourne

While I'm sure a long weekend in Melbourne would usually be a good thing, sadly going over Easter meant that the shops were closed on two of the five days we had in Australia's fashion capital. But this weekend, timing was determined by my cousin's wedding, the whole purpose of the trip. The wedding was fantastic and lots of fun.

Here are some brief notes on accommodation, food and touristy things:

Hilton on the Park

We got half price accommodation which also included breakfast. Thankfully. At full price I would have felt a little ripped off! It was particularly convenient to Fitzroy Gardens for my cousin's wedding, but the bathroom was crap, the day was spa closed all weekend, and the room was a little small. The service, however, was always efficient and friendly and the breakfast very filling (we survived usually on two meals a day). Room service was also pretty good and the 24-hour movie deal for $25 was a life saver when everything was closed on Good Friday. Pool, spa and 24-hour gym were also good. If you can get it on sale, it's convenient and reasonable, but otherwise stay somewhere else if you're going to pay $240 anyway!

Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder

I dropped in here by myself on the Thursday afternoon for brunch. What can I say but yummy!! The service friendly, but the food was fantastic! I had the corn fritters with salmon and a poached egg and was very satisfied! It sustained me for my shopping trip along Bridge Rd in the late afternoon.

Riverland Bar

Actually went here twice - once for my cousin's hen's night and once with my husband. Great both times. We were lucky to have excellent weather all weekend, so sitting by the river was a treat. The prices were reasonable and the atmosphere relaxed.

Two Fat Indians

A whim led my husband and I here for dinner on Good Friday. And weren't we glad! Yum!! The butter chicken was fantastic and I loved the roti. Some light starters, bread, rice and one dish was more than enough to fill us up. Very satisfied and a good option if you're staying at the Hilton on the Park.

Japanese place on Swanston St

There are a few in a row and I can't remember the name, but it's around 207 Swanston St. The one we went to had orange decor and the staff wore fluro orange shirts. Fast, delicious and cheap. Three of my favourite things.

Laurent bakery on Wellington Parade

Yummy hot chocolate and chocolate croissant, but generally overpriced. Yummy but expensive.

The free tourist tram

Good and bad. It has a good audio tour guide playing, but it's hard to hear as the tram was very crowded. It was a nice way to see Melbourne, although my neck hurt from straining to see in different directions. A good way to get from A to B for free, but not something that you really need to do.

Comedy festival - Jason Byrne

Very easy to get tickets at the Town Hall, although it was difficult to choose from the hundreds of shows available. Jason Byrne was very funny and it was a great way to spend the Easter Sunday evening.

So that was the Easter Long Weekend in Melbourne!

Ozomatli

Last night we saw Ozomatli perform (our fourth time). Ozomatli are a tight group of very talented musicians who blend styles to create an eclectic and lively sound. Sadly on this occasion their set didn't start till 11pm as their flight was delayed and because we'd parked in a parking station that closed at midnight, we missed half their set so our car wouldn't turn into a pumpkin. The half we did see was fantastic - I've never seen anyone step of a 15-hour flight that had been delayed by more than 10 hours and then perform at their enthusiastic best! It was great to hear some of my favourites - "City of Angels" and "Chango" - as well as new songs from their new album "Fire Away".

Luckily we bought the album for our trip home - listened to most of it on the way. It is a bit of a change for Ozomatli. It's more sedated than their previous albums, but it's still fun, lively, humourous and, as always, full of social commentary.

Loved the show, love the album. http://www.ozomatli.com/

p.s. Mr Percival who started the evening was amazing - check him out!! http://mrpercival.com/

Tea

I love tea and have a pretty good collection of 37 different types, thanks mostly to my friends and family who have given me them. I haven't tried them all, mostly as I'm a creature of habit and usually head for my favourites, but here are some one-line reviews of the ones I have tried:

Madagascan Vanilla - it's the perfect pick-me-up. My favourite. T2
Creme Brulee - wonderful on a cool day, warm and sweet. T2
Red Green Vanilla - a great way to enjoy rooibos. T2
Japanese Cherry - a beautiful, fragrant green tea. Tea Centre
Morning Flower - a lovely light, refreshing green tea. Tea Centre
Chai - the chai from T2 is great and the madame flavour chai tea bags are great for chai on the run! Yum!
Choc Chip Chai - a lovely warm, comforting tea which is great with soy and honey. T2
Rose - odd to be drinking flowers, but nice after a meal. T2
Strawberries and Cream - a very sweet green tea which is delicious, but you need to be in a sweet mood! T2
Peppermint - good after a big lunch.
Scottish Breakfast - an underwhelming version of a breakfast tea - too bitter for my taste.
English Breakfast - a reliable, yummy favourite.
Australian Breakfast - a wonderful breakfast tea. Bold and strong.
Harrod's High Tea Blend - Yum! Can't say anything bad about this one - it's the perfect tea!
Lady Grey - light and refreshing.
Girlie Grey - great way to start a day in the office. T2
Orange Pekoe - not originally an orange pekoe fan, the loose leaf variety from the tea centre is great. Tea Centre
Cream - a warm, full-bodied tea; comforting, relaxing and great on cooler days. Tea Centre
Sydney Special - a light black tea blend that can be enjoyed with or without milk. Tea Centre
Rooibos Vanilla - I like this one, but I need to be in the mood for rooibos. Tea Centre
Afternoon Tea - a delicious, refreshing tea with jasmine and bergamot flavouring. Whittard

Book: A Young Widow's Book of Home Improvement

Although I initially baulked at buying a book about widowhood while I was on my way to a wedding, I was just too keen to take the opportunity to read a book, this book, on my weekend away. And I'm glad I did. It was not as inapposite to the wedding weekend as I had imagined as it detailed the intense love and commitment of a young woman to her new husband who was battling with terminal cancer. For this couple, it really was for better or for worse. This is an autobiographical work focusing on several stages of the writer's life with and without her husband - falling in love, the downward slope towards death, grief and renovations (which are beautifully metaphorical for her grieving process). It is written well, though sometimes it appears a little repetitive, particularly closer to the end. I particularly like how the author switches between the different stages throughout the book. It was extremely eye-opening and gave me a better understanding of grief, especially as I have been lucky enough to grieve so little in life so far. It is also challenging as the two protagonists both show such incredible commitment and support to each other through such devastating adversity. I'm a slow reader, but it only took me a few hours to get through this (probably just over half a day). Loved it and can't wait for another book from Virginia Lloyd. http://www.virginialloyd.com/