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!