A funny thing happened to me last week

On a rainy, cold night while I was walking down Glenferrie Road in Hawthorn… I was hit by a car… 

It sounds worse than it was. Luckily I wasn’t seriously hurt but I’m still in a bit of shock over it.

It happened like this - I was crossing a side street when a car turned into it from Glenferrie Road. From the corner of my eye, I could see the car coming towards me. It was a green light for me to cross and I thought the driver would wait until I was finished.

Clearly I was wrong. 

He kept going. His car hit me on my left hip and I hit the ground on the right side of my body. 

It was quite surreal feeling as the car came towards me and I realised that it wasn’t going to stop. I pushed my hand out in front of me as if I had superhuman strength that would stop the car.

When I think back on it, it really does feel like it happened in slow motion. Did my life flash before me? No. My first thought was ‘really? Is this really happening to me right now?’ As I fell to the ground, my second thought was ‘f**k, how hurt am I going to be because of this?’ 

I was lucky that the driver had slowed down because he was turning and didn’t hit me at a high speed (the commercials/CSAs are right people!). I ended up with a graze and bruising on my right knee and internal bruising in my right arm and hip. My left side was fine, I suppose I wasn’t hit hard enough to be hurt one that side as well. 

As you can imagine, I was pretty pissed off that this happened. People around me stopped and helped me up, genuinely concerned if I was alright, which I really appreciated. As the driver got out of his car and came towards me, it was a chaotic scene. Apparently he had just missed hitting another car and other pedestrians, I just happened to be the unlucky one. 

My natural reaction was to rip right into this guy. It started with “what the f**k are you doing? I’m f**king crossing the f**king road”. As I was screaming at him, the man who he just avoided knocking down started to abuse him as well and all the witnesses began yelling that I should report him to the police. 

He only had one response to my ranting - “sorry sorry sorry”. He didn’t speak much English but had a passenger who did and she came out of the car at this point. She was in a state of shock, asking me if I was alright, that it was an accident and the car was broken, pointing at the fact that all the windows were completely fogged up and he couldn’t see where he was going. 

“Why are you driving if you can’t see where you are going? Don’t you know how dangerous that is???” I yelled out in response to that. 

I didn’t end up contacting the police, but I think one of the witnesses called them while I was shouting at him. He gave me his name and number just in case my injuries were worse in the morning. My visit to the doctor the next day confirmed that I was alright, no major injuries. 

After two days of rest, I was back at work. 

Although getting hit by a car kinda sucks, I know how lucky I was to walk away so lightly. I really should go and buy that lotto ticket…

Photography challenge: E is for Energy

A windy day in the Carlton Gardens - Hochgurtel Fountain

Over the last few years, it seems like it is more windy than usual in Melbourne. Is it just me? The wind allowed me to take this beautiful shot of the Hochgurtel Fountain in front of the Exhibition Building in the Carlton Gardens. Apart from that, it is also a great source of renewable energy. 

Victoria is well known for experiencing great wind speeds, especially along the Southern Coast and higher altitude areas. It makes sense that we should take advantage of this natural phenomenon and use it to create renewable energy through wind farms. 

However, when the Victorian Liberal party came into power last year, they changed the law regarding where wind farms could be located. Wind turbines cannot be placed in specified ‘no go areas’ such as the Mornington Peninsula, Yarra Valley, Dandenongs, Bellarine Peninsula and Great Ocean Road, within five kilometres of 21 regional cities or within land two kilometres of a home without written consent from the homeowner. 

The change certainly makes it a lot harder to start a wind farm in Victoria and the limited locations for them means that a lot of potential jobs in the wind turbine industry may not be realised. 

There have also been health concerns raised about living close to wind turbines, including the ‘shadow flicker’ (the shadow casted by the blades) causing seizures and sleep problems as a result of the operational noise. 

I certainly don’t discount the concerns that nearby residents would have to living near a wind turbine. I have visited a wind farm before and the noise didn’t seem too bad, but I don’t live near a wind turbine to really experience the daily impacts. 

But I do think that if we are serious about becoming a more environmentally responsible country (and state), some work needs to be done to improve the laws regarding wind farms in Victoria to allow us to harness wind energy.

Review: Cacao macarons at Puccinos

The next stop on my search for the perfect Salted Caramel macaron was Puccinos on Bourke Street. They sell the full range of Cacao macarons (as well as the yummy cakes from Le Petit Gateau).

Cacao call their version a ‘Salty Caramel’ macaron and it was nice to finally eat one that tasted good.  

Cacao's Salty Caramel macaron

The outer shell of the macaron had a great sheen to it, with a nice crunch and the right amount of chewiness.

When it came to the ganache, there was no mistaking that this is a Salty Caramel macaron. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I’d rather a strong flavour than none at all. But it does border on being a little bit too much.

Do I crown this the best Salted Caramel macaron in Melbourne? It is pretty good, but the slight flavour imbalance puts the title just out of reach for Cacao.

Address: 188 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Hours: Mon-Sun: 7am - 9pm

Review: Royal Saxon

After spending a few hours on Church Street sitting on couches, measuring dining tables and trying to figure out the best configuration of furniture for a brand new apartment that we have only inspected once, all the pieces we saw were starting to look the same.

We needed to take a break and the Royal Saxon was like a beacon of light to us weary furniture shoppers, offering much needed food and rest.

The place was renovated a few years ago and it looks great - modern and funky. We sat outside in the courtyard area, where there was lots of light and a beautiful fig tree.

We ordered lunch and started with the mozzarella di bufala, new season figs, basil, mint, lemon and olive oil. It was delicious! All the elements on the plate really worked well together. The figs were perfectly sweet and plump and the mozzarella was soooo good, really fresh and creamy.

Mozzarella di bufula, new season figs, basil, mint, lemon and olive oil

For mains, we had the house-made Italian sausage, roasted peppers, oregano and mozzarella pizza, porterhouse steak with roasted pumpkin (one of the specials they were offering) and zucchini fritti as a side dish.

I had the pizza and you could tell the base was homemade and fresh. The house-made Italian sausage was really tasty and my recent cravings for pizza were very much satisfied. 

House-made Italian sausage, roasted peppers, oregano and mozzarella pizza

My boyfriend had the porterhouse and it was cooked perfectly, just melted in your mouth. The roasted pumpkin was really soft and full of flavour. The oil with herbs on the plate also turned out to be a great dipping sauce for the pizza crust! 

Porterhouse steak with roasted pumpkin

The batter on the zucchini fritti was light and crunchy and the zucchini inside was yum. They were hard to stop eating once we started!

Zucchini fritti

The service from staff was great, although we were there for a late lunch so it wasn't busy.

The prices were a little higher than usual for a pub/bar but it was an enjoyable, good quality meal. We will definitely go back if we are in the area again.

Address: 545 Church St, Richmond
Hours: Mon-Thurs: 12pm - 12am
          Sat: 12pm - 1pm
          Sun: 12pm - 11pm

Review: Laurent macarons

 
I have been warned by many people that Laurent’s macarons are not very good. I always felt that was a little weird, seeing as they are meant to be a French bakery and all.

So I tried one today to finally confirm this for myself.

I had a look at their selection and I was surprised to see that they don’t offer a Salted Caramel macaron (though apparently it is on its way). So I tried a Vanilla one instead.

Oh lordy. It was indeed terrible.

As soon as the macarons were brought to the table, I knew they would be bad. The outer shell didn’t look crispy at all and it was missing the usual ‘sheen’ that macarons are supposed to have. I took a bite and found that it was like eating almond meal cake with some cream in the middle. It also lacked vanilla flavouring.

Laurent's vanilla macaron - notice the lackluster shell?

Laurent's vanilla macaron - the shell was very cakey and not very nice

This macaron didn't taste good at all and turned me off wanting to try their future Salted Caramel macaron. I now agree that Laurent macarons should definitely be avoided...

Address: 304-306 Little Collins Street, Melbourne
Hours: Mon-Sat: 8am - 6pm
          Sun: 9am - 5pm

Review : Famish’d macarons

Salted Caramel and Macadamia macaron

I recently had lunch with a friend at Famish’d and noticed that they do a selection of macarons. Yum.

I thought their Salted Caramel and Macadamia macaron would be the perfect antidote to combat my after lunch food coma.

I have to say I was excited to try this macaron. I really like macadamia nuts and was hoping this would be a marriage made in heaven.

The first thing I noticed was how small it was... No matter, as long as it tasted amazing to make up for the size. I bit into it and found that the outer shell was crispy and chewy, just as it should be. However, the ganache inside was pretty much non-existing. There were no real favours beside the ‘almond-y’ taste of the outer shell. I was really disappointed because I assumed it would be a lot better based on the price I paid for such a small macaron.
 
Oh well. I will stick to the huge and tasty baked potatoes the next time I am at Famish'd.

Address: 130 Little Collins St, Melbourne
Hours: Monday - Friday: 7am to 4pm

Review: Ryan Adams – Regent Theatre 03/03/2012

A promo for the show near home

It was a truly magical night when Ryan Adams took the stage at the exquisite Regent Theatre in Melbourne.

I have been a fan of his for years (Gold is one of my all time favourite albums) and it was my fourth time seeing him live. I was really looking forward to seeing the intimate one-man show he had planned.

It certainly did not disappoint.

No photography or recording was allowed during the show so that the audience (and performer) was not distracted. With people unable to tweet, facebook, text, etc, during the show, all eyes and ears were firmly planted on Ryan Adams.

As he walked out to start the show, the crowd erupted with cheers and whistles that died down to a deathly silence as he took centre stage. Every little sound could be heard, from Ryan Adams rustling around in his chair to coughs echoing around the theatre.

He opened the show with the beautiful “Oh my sweet Carolina”. His voice sounded perfect, accompanied by his guitar, almost haunting. The set list was filled with old favourites (like New York, New York and Come pick me up) and new songs from his latest album. Each song was received with overwhelmingly loud applause and appreciation.

He spend the night ‘working the room’ (as he referred to it), moving between his guitar and the piano. He played such an amazing stripped back rendition of “The rescue blues” on piano that an audience member shouted out to him about how great it was. ‘Thanks dad’ was his cheeky response.

Again, there was minimal lighting at his show. My boyfriend refuses to come with me to see Ryan Adams now for this very reason but I don’t mind. During the set, a person shouted out to asked him to turn on some more lights. This request was of course ignored (as they always are) but was done so with humour this time.

Speaking of comedy, there were some very funny moments throughout the show. Halfway through the night he said that he had some jokes prepared but hadn’t spoken much because he figured that he could fit in two more songs if he talked less.

But lucky for us, he started chatting a bit more. He spoke about his reputation of being a ‘villain’, his old band ‘Turkey Nut Sack’ (he joked that they were huge in the nineties and almost opened for Pearl Jam at a house party – if only they could have found the house…) and played a version of ‘Mr Cat’ – a homage to his ninja movie watching, brave dog attacking cat, who is also apparently very soft.

I was laughing so hard that I wasn’t sure if I was at a Ryan Adams music gig or comedy act…

Two and half hours later, sadly it was over. I could have stayed there all night watching his flawless performance and enjoying his light banter. 

Well played Ryan Adams, well played.

Set list

Oh my sweet Carolina
Ashes and fire
If I am a stranger
Dirty rain
My winding wheel
The rescue blues
Please do not let me go
Do I wait
Firecracker
Everybody knows
Dear Chicago
Sylvia Plath
Let it ride
English girls
Chains of love
16 days
Hardest part
Lucky now
Mr Cat
New York New York
Two
Come pick me up

Encore

Holy diver (Dio cover)
Avenues
When will you come back home

The Melbourne Central Community Garden

The Level 2 walkway in Melbourne Central has been transformed. Like an oasis in sea of shops, there is a garden with deck chairs, soft light and a peaceful atmosphere. It almost seems to invite people to come in, put their feet up and relax.

The Melbourne Central Community Garden

However, on closer inspection, the area is more than just a rest zone to help people regain energy (in order to keep on shopping...). It is the CBD’s very own community garden.

The walkway was converted into a “living kitchen” as part of “The Magic of Growth” program, in partnership with the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation. Like an urban greenhouse, seasonal herbs and vegetables are grown and visitors are encouraged to help themselves to produce. 

Herbs in the Melbourne Central Community Garden

It’s a novel and creative use of a redundant urban space that reminds me of the High Line park in New York. I think it’s great to see nature reclaiming some space back from all the concrete and city buildings…

Review: Little Feat

Little Feat is the latest venture to jump onboard the macaron bandwagon. Last month, they launched their partnership with Guava Bean Espresso Bar on Russell St in Melbourne’s CBD, where the handmade macarons are exclusively sold.

Pretty packaging from Little Feat

They celebrated their union by giving away free macarons for three days at the end of November, one per person per day and limited to the Blue Currant and Tim Tam Tease flavours. I, of course, unashamedly took advantage of this generosity and ventured down each day, work colleges in tow. 

Little Feat's Blue Currant macaron

The first flavour I tried was the Blue Currant, which is described as “fine mouth watering black currant with a blueberry pearl”. I have to say that it was quite delicious. The texture of the macaron was quite dense - slightly crunchy outside with a heavy, chewy inside. It was almost at the point of being a little too chewy but I kinda like my macarons like that so I’m not complaining. The flavour of the ganache was really nice, very fruity and not too sweet.

Little Feat's Tim Tam Tease macaron

The Tim Tam Tease definitely captures the tim tam flavour. It too had a dense texture and while the taste was spot on, it didn’t have the same kick as the Blue Currant one.

I’ve yet to try their Caramel Craving macaron (their version of Salted Caramel) but I promise I will try it in the New Year and update this post with my thoughts.

However, if you like a chewy, fruit flavoured macaron, Little Feat is the place for you.

Address: 114 Russell St, Melboure
Hours: Mon - Fri: 7am - 6pm
           Sat: 10am - 4pm

***Update 07/01/12*** I tried the Caramel Craving from Little Feat the other day. Same chewy texture with a salty caramel taste, but again.... No kick to it. Slightly underwhelming.

Review: Laksa Bar

I’ve returned home tonight from another visit to Laksa Bar.

Opening in early November, this Malaysian restaurant offers delicious, authentic food. Laksa dishes are obviously their speciality (eight types in total) but they also do rice and noodle dishes.

The laksa was thick and tasty. You get to choose whether you would like mild, spicy or extra spicy and what type of meat you would like. You even get a bib to protect yourself while you slurp up the soup! However both times we ordered it, the temperature of the soup was a little bit too cool, but otherwise it is very good.

House curry laksa with chicken

The other dishes are delicious too. I’ve tried both the Nasi Lemak Goreng Pattaya and Mee Goreng Mamak and they have a real home-made taste about them, not too oily or salty.

Nasi Lemak Goreng Pattaya

Mee Goreng Mamak

The service is really friendly and helpful – the staff seat you and then you order at the counter when you have decided. The prices are reasonable and the serving sizes are also quite generous so you definitely won’t leave hungry!

So if you are in the city and craving a great laksa or some mee goreng, you should certainly give Laksa Bar a go.

Address: 108 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne
Hours: Mon - Fri: 11am-10pm
           Sat - Sun: 5pm-10pm
 

Review: Foo Fighters – AAMI Park 02/12/2011

As the sun set on a beautiful clear summer night, Melbourne was treated to an amazing performance by none other than the incredible Foo Fighters.

The 30,000 strong crowd filed in early to check out support act (and good friends of the Foo Fighters) Tenacious D. Jack Black and Kyle Gass rocked it out with some new songs like “Death Star” and one that they had to abandon half way through because Jack Black couldn’t remember the words… But it was their old favourites “Tribute” and “F**k her gently” that started the first of many sing-alongs throughout the night. 

“We supply the lightning, the Foos bring the thunder!” declared Jack Black and he wasn’t wrong. Right on cue, the lights dimmed and chords of “All my life” boomed out and the Foo Fighters got the party started.

The show was part of their Wasting Light world tour and the Foo Fighters played songs from their brilliant new album. Dave Grohl introduced “These days” as the next single and the best song he has ever written. He hinted that its video clip was going to be filmed during the Australian leg of the tour by teasing the crowd with “you might see some of your pretty faces on MTV soon”.

Dave Grohl was in fine form throughout the show, running all over the stage and the massive walkway that extended out deep into the crowd like a little kid who had drunk a little too much red cordial. “I hope none of you have work tomorrow because we've got a lot of things we've got to do”, he promised early in the show.

And they did not disappoint. The Foo Fighters whipped the crowd into a frenzy that lasted all night. "This one goes out to all the old Foo Fighters fans," Dave Grohl said as he launched into “Breakout”, which had everyone singing along so loudly they almost drowned out the band.

When Dave Grohl announced that it was bassist Nate Mendel's birthday, the crowd broke into an impromptu chorus of "Happy Birthday". Unfortunately, it wasn’t exactly in sync (or in tune). "What the f**k was that?" was Dave Grohl's reaction. "Were you guys singing 'Happy Birthday'? Because what it sounded more like was 'HEERGGGH GHHGHGERRR BBBBEEEERGHDEEERGH'," he said, mocking our efforts.

After a playing a show filled with 16 years worth of rocking hits that prove why they are, and always will be, one of the greatest bands ever, we got down to the business end of the evening. While everyone was waiting for the encore, Dave Grohl appeared on the big screen on night cam and began negotiating how many more songs they would play. The offer of just one song elicited a loud BOO and drummer Taylor Hawkins joined in on the fun, bringing the number up to five songs.

Dave Grohl then ran up walkway onto a raised podium and started an acoustic version of “Wheels”. “We'll play as many songs as we can until they tell us to stop”, Dave Grohl told an adoring crowd. There was a slight interruption by a person who managed to jump the barrier into the floor area from where Dave Grohl referred to as the “shitty seats”. He was pulled up on stage when the crowd expressed their disapproval when security dragged him away.

After almost three hours, the show was finished with “Everlong” – a perfect ending to a perfect night.

Setlist:
All My Life
Rope
The Pretender
My Hero
Learn To Fly
White Limo
Arlandria
Breakout
Cold Day In The Sun
Stacked Actors
Walk
Monkey Wrench
These Days
This Is A Call
In The Flesh (Pink Floyd cover)
Best Of You

Encore:
Wheels
Times Like These
Generator
Tie Your Mother Down (Queen cover)
Everlong

Photography challenge: D is for Determination

Bronze statue of Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop

Determination can be seen in the look on a face, in the tone of a voice or in a person’s actions.

Sometimes it can lead to people doing extraordinary things.

Lieutenant Colonel Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop was one of those people.

Sir Dunlop joined the Australian Army Medical Corps during World War II and was in charge of the No.1 Allied General Hospital in Bandung, Java, when the city fell to the Japanese in 1942. He and the members of his medical unit were taken as prisoners of war and were eventually brought to Thailand to help build the Thai-Burma railway.

As one of the war crimes committed by the Japanese during the war, the prisoners working on the railway were treated appallingly. They were malnourished, severely beaten by their captors and given no medical attention despite the tropical diseases that were rife in the camps. Many died during the construction of the railway.

Amongst all this horror, Sir Dunlop was a true inspiration, with a determination to survive and help those around him. He stood up to the Japanese at great personal risk and did all he could to save sick, wounded and starving prisoners. Australian prisoners of war had a high survival rate compared to prisoners from other countries, with Sir Dunlop’s efforts, along with a number of Commonwealth Medical Officers, credit for this.

Not only that, Sir Dunlop was able to forgive his brutal captors when he return to Australia at the end of the war. He devoted himself to caring for and lobbying on behalf of former prisoners of war and their families. He also worked to improve relations between Australia and Asia.

Most deservedly, Sir Dunlop received honours from Australia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, and the United Kingdom in recognition of his numerous achievements. He sadly passed away in 1993 at the age of 86.

A bronze statue of Sir Dunlop stands along St Kilda Road in the Botanical Gardens. It is a constant reminder of a great man with great Australian spirit.

Review: La Belle Miette

Without a doubt, Salted Caramel macarons are one of my most favourite things in the world. Ever since I had my first one over a year ago, I have been on a mission to find the best Salted Caramel macaron in Melbourne.

My latest taste test was La Belle Miette in Hardware Lane in the CBD.

The store is truly exquisite looking. It’s the perfect place to spend an afternoon enjoying tea and a macaron or two (or more!).

La Belle Miette

La Belle Miette’s flavours are quite interesting too - Olive Oil & Vanilla, Cherry Blossom & Sake and Bastille (Moet et Chandon & Blackcurrant) are some of the more… unusual ones.

I went for the Salted Caramel but also got the Strawberry & Vanilla and Pimm’s & Pomegranate. 

 Let me start off by saying that I admire anyone who makes macarons. They seem like they are really hard to make and get right.

These macarons weren’t the worst I’ve ever had, but also weren’t the best. The Salted Caramel filling was a bit overpowering and the texture of the outer shell was a little dry and not chewy enough. The flavours of the other two weren’t really present either and didn’t really make much of an impression on me.

It was a bit of a shame because I love the look of the store and the customer service was really good.

The search continues...

Photography challenge: C is for Colossal

It’s an unexpected sight. Giant statues of babies with wings and tails are not something you would expect to find scattered around the lower end of Melbourne’s CBD. It begged the question, what were they and why were they here?

The gleaming jet-black, six metre tall statues make up the Angels-Demons. Parade. As part of the Melbourne Festival, the outdoor exhibition is the brainchild of the Russian art collective AES+F. The group is made up of artists Tatiana Arzamasova, Lev Evzovich, Evgeny Svyatsky, in collaboration with (+) photographer Vladimir Fridkes.

The Angels-Demons. Parade. is AES+F’s version of the Apocalypse. “We present an apocalyptic parade, which does not constitute the end of the old world. It's the beginning of a new one”, they describe on their website.

The statues are modelled on new born babies. They have wings and tails, which aim to blur the lines between angels and demons. “The clear difference between angels and demons, which is common to all cultures, does not exist here. Evil may look like good and vice versa”, AES+F explain further.

The Angels-Demons. Parade. was premiered at the Lille Festival in Lille, France in 2009. Its inclusion in the Melbourne Festival is the second time the art work has been shown. 

It also marks the first time the Melbourne Festival has brought one of its exhibitions to the streets.

The Melbourne International Arts Festival, or the Melbourne Festival as it’s now known, has been running for the last 15 years. It showcases unique Australian and international dance, theatre, music, visual arts and multimedia in free and outdoor events over 17 days in October.

The Melbourne Festival runs from 6-22 October, visit the website for more details.

The rise of the girly girl

There has been a recent spate of articles attacking actress Zooey Deschanel for being ‘too girly’. Julie Klausner added fuel to the fire when she published her tumblr post, claiming that adult women are behaving too much like little girls in order to attract men.

She also goes on to say:

“Because the larger issue is that it is a lot easier for men —or even guys or bros—to demean us, if we’re girls. It’s much harder to bring down a woman, or to call her a moron, when she’s not in pigtails and Ring Pops”.

Interesting.

Zooey Deschanel’s reply highlights my thoughts exactly as I too am struggling to understand what is so wrong with being a girly girl.

In this day and age, when so many women before us fought for equality, I feel like it’s a rather archaic view to believe that being girly somehow makes a woman seem weak or even that men look for opportunities to ‘demean’ women.

Maybe it’s a generational thing. Being on the cusp and Gen Y and Gen X, I see the new generation of men who have respect for women and view them as their equals. On the flip side, I have also seen men of the older generation who have a very different view on what a women’s role is and how she should be treated. Girly or not, it’s going to take more than not wearing a headband or sparkly lip gloss to change their attitudes.

To be a strong woman doesn’t necessarily we have to act more like men. Nor does it mean that we have to become defensive and aggressive when dealing with men. I know women who have felt the need to fight for their position at work, in social circles, in the world in general and they just end up stressed, angry and alone.

I would classify myself as a girly girl. I like to wear pretty skirts and dresses, subscribe to several fashion magazines and hardly ever leave the house without some makeup on. I don’t do it to attract men (I am in a committed long term relationship), I do it for me. The only time I do things like dance around the house to 80s music or try on different outfits that I haven’t worn in a while, is when my boyfriend isn’t home (well, most of the time anyways…). Yet I feel like I am respected by the males in my life and I don’t believe that the pencil skirts and cardigans I wear to the office give men the impression that I don’t take my job seriously.

Being yourself is the best thing anyone can do. When a person is comfortable and confident in themselves and the image they are projecting to the world, that’s when they can achieve anything. Just because a girl is wearing pink and likes to bake cupcakes, doesn’t mean there isn’t a Marlene Dietrich, Marie Curie or Amelia Earhart lurking underneath…

I ♥ rainbows

View from our balcony

Review: Bistrot D'Orsay

Nestled within Melbourne’s theatre district on Collins St is Bistrot D’Orsay.

Walking through the doors was like being transported to a cosy and intimate restaurant in the heart of Paris. The décor has a quaint French feel about it and the smells wafting from the kitchen were heavenly. 

Inside Bistrot D'Orsay

The four of us were seated by a lovely waitress, who was attentive but unobtrusive, and began our meal with wine or for me - a champagne cocktail.

We started with the house made brandied duck liver pâté. The butter covering was a bit hard but once you got past that, the pâté was delicious.

We moved onto our entrées and I had the twice cooked goat’s cheese soufflé on beetroot with walnuts. It was the first time I have had a soufflé and I decided to forget about my lactose intolerance and at least try a little bit. It tasted so good that I polished the whole thing off very quickly. With a subtle cheese flavour, the delicate cake texture just melted in my mouth.

Twice cooked goat’s cheese soufflé on beetroot with walnuts

Next was mains and I had the crispy skin salmon with carrot and pea puree. The salmon was perfectly cooked, pink and tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. Some of the others had the braised beef cheek on buttery mash potato with truffle oil, caramelised onion and asparagus. I had a little bite and I was almost wished that I had ordered it instead…

Crispy skin salmon with carrot and pea puree

Braised beef cheek on buttery mash potato with truffle oil, caramelised onion and asparagus

We managed to fit in dessert – the portion sizes may look a little small but they are definitely filling! I finished the meal with the parfait with green apple, rhubarb and crumble – delish! The sourness of the apple and rhubarb was perfectly matched with the creaminess of the parfait. Others on our table had the vanilla crème brulee, it had a beautiful vanilla flavour and a divine caramelised top!

Parfait with green apple, rhubarb and crumble

We were pretty much ready to roll out of Bistrot D’Orsay by the end of the meal. It was a fantastic meal – not cheap by any means but well worth it. It’s a great place for a special occasion but make sure you book, especially on weekend when it gets quite full.

Bon Appétit! 

Photography challenge: B is for Baby

C’mon, give me a hug, you know you want to….

With its blue eyes and blonde tuff of hair, Bimbos Deluxe’s Kewpie mascot sits high above Brunswick St and watches over the comings and goings.

Created by Rose O’Neill, the Kewpie first appeared as a cartoon in The Ladies Home Journal in 1909 and was then regularly published for the next 25 years in different publications. “The idea grew from a baby brother when I was a little girl. I made drawings of him while I played with him. All his little looks and gestures came out later in the Kewpie,” Rose said in an interview with Hobbies Magazine.

The first Kewpie Kutouts appeared in the Women’s Home Companion magazine in 1912, a time when paper dolls were hugely popular. Rose, an illustrator, artist, sculptor and writer, designed the Kewpie paper dolls to have both a front and back. It was the first time that paper dolls had been made like that and children loved having a Kewpie that they could play with.

Building on its popularity, a Kewpie doll made from porcelain began to be produced in Germany in 1913. A bit like Hello Kitty, the Kewpie image was put on a whole range of merchandise from doorknockers to Kewpie Kameras. 

All things Kewpie remained in great demand until the late 1920’s. They might seem gone but they will never be forgotten. Kewpies fan clubs exist all over the world and the International Rose O’Neill Club Foundation holds an annual festival in the USA called Kewpiesta!

The Kewpie doll started to be made from celluloid (a type of plastic) in 1949. The antique porcelain Kewpies are highly sought after and worth a LOT of money… So keep your eyes peeled!

Bars with a view

The Rooftop bar

Blue Diamond

More sunsets and rainbows

After work today, in my mad rush to get my hands on as much sugar as possible, I found something else that brought a smile to my face :)

Pigs might fly?