Due to some dental issues we had to cancel a planned holiday to Tokyo, but decided to book some time in Surfers Paradise. But before then we decided to have a few days in our own city, staying at our favourite Sydney hotel, The Hilton, in a relaxation suite with spa.
Our suite looking to the lounge areaOur suite lokking to the bedroom
The spa was rather large and shaped so that two people could sit facing each other. The citrus scented bath salts were quite lovely and refreshing. Of course when having a romantic spa, a good bottle of wine is handy. For us it was a bottle of Rockford Basket Press 2009. Love the bottle the Basketpress comes in and the wine is a great example of Barossa Shiraz.
Purely medicinal purposes, Rockford Basketpress and spa
Our suite faced west with a view over the Queen Victoria Building. Sadly the weather was quite inclement so the view was limited. Despite the weather we did a bit of shopping and window shopping.
View from the spa bath
For lunch we went French with two courses at Felix Bistro in the Ivy complex. A great start to our holiday dining! Mr. CA4G had SteakFrites with red wine jus and cafe de Paris butter, while I ordered my favourite, confit duck which was served with braised cabbage, cubes of celeriac and apple with a thyme jus. We also ordered a bottle of Chateau Val de Roc, Bourdeaux Superieur 2012, a cabernet blend, quite enjoyable without being too over powering.
Steak Frites cafe de Paris butter and jusConfit duckSalad
While the desserts sounded lovely we decided to go for a selection of 3 cheeses. There were five cheese to choose from and we opted for Milchzapfen (Zurich, Switzerland), St Maure de Tourraine (loire Valley, France) and Epoisses (Burgundy, France). These were served with a selection of breads, quince paste and fruit.
Cheese selection
After lunch we wore ourselves out with more window shopping before returning to the Hilton for a siesta. As we were quite full from lunch dinner was a light affair of snacky bits in the Executive lounge.
Our second day in Melbourne found us wandering the streets looking around and window shopping before we went to The Flower Drum for lunch.
Over the years I have seen The Flower Drum mentioned many times in foodie magazines. It was finally time to try it. Set in a laneway between Little Bourke and Bourke Streets, an elegant foyer/reception area lies behind the door before you are escorted up to the dining room.
Lane way entrance to the Flower Drum
Red carpet anchors the room with cream walls decorated with paintings depicting the Chinese dance “Flower Drum” and also hung with beautiful wood carvings. Dark woods are in abundance with the dining room divided in half by a mini “pavilion”.
Interior lower DrumInterior lower Drum
After a look through the extensive wine list we ordered a half bottle of Rockford Basket Press Shiraz.
Service was a standout. While we are used to the excellent service in Chinese restaurants in Sydney and Hong Kong, the service at Flower Drum really kicked it up a notch or three. Where you would normally just get the dish placed in front of you ready to eat, most of our dishes were plated tableside by the wait staff. The Peking duck rolls were rolled one at a time as you finished one. Vegetables and rice were served table side from a large bowl.
For entrees, Mr.CA4G ordered the Peking duck rolls while I went with the Quail sang choi bao. Both were fantastic. While we have had duck, chicken and pork in sang choi bao before the use of quail was a nice change.
Peking duck pancakesQuail sang choi bao
For main course Mr. CA4G ordered the simply prepared but tasty wok fried barramundi with seasoned soy.
Steamed barramundi
I ordered the crispy skin chicken with lemon and spicy salt. Our meals were accompanied by wok tossed greens and special fried rice.
Crispy skin chicken
Desserts were fantastic with my apples being finished at the table. Mr. CA4G ordered the Banana Fritters (lightly battered banana with maple syrup and Rickett’s Point
organic vanilla ice-cream).
Banana fritters
Peking Toffee Apple (lightly battered apple covered in molten toffee served with Rickett’s Point organic cinnamon ice-cream). Each piece of battered apple was dipped and coated in the toffee and then plunged in to a bowl of iced water to harden the toffee and then plated. The waiters then “pulled” the remaining toffee in to threads for garnish.
Peking style toffee apple
After a fantastic lunch it was time wander around a little more and then head back to the hotel and relax. Again lunch was so filling we skipped dinner and had a glass of wine and snacks in the lounge of the hotel.
It was great to have a little break away from Sydney.
Early March saw us make a spontaneous trip to Melbourne. I hate to admit it, but it was about 30 years between visits to Melbourne for me. Even then it was more to the outer suburbs where we visited family.
We stayed at The Hilton South Wharf, not right in the city but the walk along the Yarra River is very nice. We had a great view of the city and river from our room, which was quite magical in the evening as we were graced with a full moon.
Melbourne sky line and Yarra RiverFull moon over Melbourne
After checking in it was time to go exploring along the South Bank. We headed over to Crown Casino and walked past Nobu, No. 8 by John Lawson, Spice Temple, Rockpool Bar and Grill and many more . As Mr. CA4G never went to Guillaume at Bennelong before it closed, we decided to head in to Guillaume Brahimi’s Melbourne restaurant.
A very bright lime green door marks the entrance to a room that is the epitome of a classic French bistro. Marble, brass, bentwood chairs and lightshades that reminded us of the puffy skirts from the 1980’s.
As it was a lovely day, we sat out on the verandah which has views of the river and city. While we decided on what to eat we ordered a glass of Perrier Jouet Champagne. Bistro Guillaume has several options for lunch from a la carte to two set price options. We chose the 3 courses for $65, which covered most of the items on the a la carte menu, with the exemption being the chateau briand.
Bistro Guillaume menu
To start we ordered some Perrier Jouet Champagne. The bread bought to the table was a nice mini Pain d’Epi, which is a variant of a baguette, shaped like a head of wheat. Lovely chewy crust and soft inside. Makes me want to bake more regularly.
Perrier Jouet and Pain d’Epi
We also ordered a bottle of Domaines Manoncourt Chateau La Fleur Pourret 2005, from Saint Emilion. A very nice drop, we have now come to the conclusion that the only merlot we enjoy drinking comes from France.
Lovely drop of Merlot!
For entrée Mr. CA4G had the steak tartare with pommes gaufrettes and a petite salad. Elegantly presented and Mr.CA4G said it was one of the best he has had.
Steak Tartare with pommes gaufrettes
I had the chicken liver pate with pear relish and cornichons. Pate seems to be the only time I get near liver, but for me it is the best way to have it.
Pate, pear relish and crusty bread
On our visit the fish of the day was John Dory. Regular readers of my blog will know that John Dory is the favourite fish of Mr. CA4G. This was simply pan fried and finished with a beurre noisette, capers and lemon, simple but full of flavour.
John Dory, beurre noisette, capers and lemon
Once again I saw pork belly on the menu and couldn’t pass it up. The Berkshire pork belly served with pickled cabbage and apple salad, was beautifully cooked and just melted when you ate it. A small mound of pommes puree was topped with the pickled cabbage, then the pork belly which was topped with the apple salad.
Pork belly, pickled cabbage and apple salad
Of course pommes frites were also ordered and came out in a lovely copper bucket.
Pommes frites
As we chose the three course option I ordered the profiteroles filled with fresh vanilla ice cream and smothered in chocolate sauce. Yum, but 3 profiteroles was too much. Mr. CA4G ordered the cheese selection which was bought out on a BIG wooden board and then served on to a smaller service board which had the bread and garnishes on it.
Profiteroles with chocolate sauce
We were well and truly full but really happy to have chosen Bistro Guillaume for our lunch. We were so full in fact that all thought of going to Nobu for dinner got pushed out the window and we had some snacks in the executive lounge while watching the sun set over Melbourne.
In January we headed back to Milton Park for my birthday weekend. Leaving a hot sticky Sydney morning behind,we were surprised at how much cooler it was in Bowral.
Porte cochere and front door
After checking in to our room, this time a garden view room complete with fireplace (which came in handy later in the day), we headed down to The Orangery for lunch.
Our roomOur roomOur roomView from our room
The Orangery was quite busy on this occasion with several groups indulging in champagne afternoon teas. We ordered the same Testut Petit Chablis we had on our last visit and settled down to peruse the menu.
Testut Petit Chablis
Mr. CA4G had the Cape Grim Angus eye fillet of beef, spinach, fondant potato, café de Paris butter and jus.
Cape Grim Eye fillet, fondant potato, cafe de Paris butter
I love a nice roulade and opted for the chicken stuffed with couscous, wrapped in jamon and served with one of my favourite salads, roquette with pear and parmesan. If I remember correctly the sauce was a pedro ximenez reduction. Very delicious all round!
ROulade of chicken stuffed with cous cous
After lunch we took a stroll through the beautiful gardens. There are many species of trees bought in from Europe and some are not even found in local botanical gardens. It was a nice change to see the garden with its full summer greenery. Made a nice change from the bareness of winter. Alas we missed the wisteria arbour in bloom by a couple of months. Must get to Milton Park again in spring.
After our stroll we returned to our room for a quick nap before we headed back down to Hordern’s for dinner. We pre-ordered our wine and were able to have our bottle of Petaluma 1998 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon, decanted and ready for us at the table when we arrived. We did however start with a glass of champagne (it was my birthday and a girl has to have some bubbles on her birthday doesn’t she?). An amuse bouche of brandade was bought out to us while we decided on what we would like for dinner.
Brandade, Petaluma Cabernet Sauvignon 1998
Mr. CA4G had seared scallops, pea puree black pudding and red wine reduction for his entrée, which he enjoyed very much.
Scallops, pea puree, black pudding
I am a sucker for any kind of twice cooked soufflé that involves cheese. The soufflé on this visit was made with gruyere and goats cheese, two of my favourite cheeses. A sprinkle of microherbs added a touch extra flavour to all that cheesy goodness.
Twice baked souffle
For his main course, Mr. CA4G chose the Victorian venison, parsnip puree and cassis jus. While he prefers his meats medium, in this instance he enjoyed it slightly rarer. And of course a bowl of chunky pommes frites went well with it too.
Venison with parsnip puree
Confit duck is one of my favourite cooking methods for a duck maryland. Puy lentils with some spinach tossed through them and a jus made from reduced duck stock makes for a delicious accompaniment to the confit duck.
Confit duck maryland
While I would normally choose a cheese plate instead of dessert I left that for Mr. CA4G this time, it had 3 cheeses (local and imported), local honey, dried and fresh fruits and house made lavosh. I think Mr. CA4G may have struggled to get through it.
Cheese selection
I seem to have gone off ( shock horror!!) chocolate a little but the four textures of chocolate sounded interesting so I decided to have it as my birthday cake. Amazing! Crunchy layer, smooth moussy layer, ganache, it was a joy to eat! A little edible gold leaf on top gave an extra sparkle to the night.
Four textures of chocolate
After a most salubrious meal we headed back to our room for a nightcap of Saltram No. 1, 2005 vintage which we enjoyed by the fire.
Night cap with open fire
A big thankyou to everyone at Milton Park Country house and Spa for another delightful stay!
I recently had a Saturday night off work so we decided to have a night in the city. After checking in to our room at the Hilton, we wandered around town looking at some stores we haven’t been in to together for a while.
Soon enough it was time for lunch and as we were in Martin Place, Intermezzo caught our eye. Mr. CA4G has been several times for business lunches but this was my first time.
After perusing the menu and wine list we ordered 2 glasses of Prosecco and shared beef carpaccio for entrée.
Beef carpaccio and prosecco
We both had pasta for our mains, Mr. CA4G chose linguine with Western Australian Scampi, fresh vine ripened cherry tomatoes and chilli.
Scampi pasta
I opted for an entree sized pasta of house made pappardelle with trio of mushrooms, fresh ricotta and black truffle. Truly delicious, I love a bit of truffle (ok, I admit I like more than a bit of truffle). The fresh ricotta was also amazing.
Pappardelle with mushrooms and truffle
We then decided that as it was a special day that we would have some cannoli filled with sweet ricotta.
Canoli with fresh vanilla ricotta
After lunch it was off to the shops again and then a quick rest at the hotel.
After easing our feet a little we headed down to the executive lounge for a pre-dinner cocktail and nibbles. Lovely fresh prawns and a few hot snacks got us fired back up again and ready to go out again.
Surprisingly the temperature had cooled a little, so we headed for a whisky at The Baxter Inn. Located in a dark seedy laneway off Clarence Street and down a set of stairs, the Baxter Inn is like stepping back in time to the 1920’s. The Baxter Inn features a list of around 360 whiskies from all around the world. We decided on Bowmore Legend, as Mr.CA4G had tried it on previous visit and enjoyed it. Armed with a bowl of pretzels we sat down to enjoy our whisky and people watch.
Bar at The Baxter Inn
After our drink we headed out in to the night again and with no destination in mind we ambled down George Street and found ourselves in the Rocks. Walking past the former premises of Rockpool, Mr. CA4G lamented the fact that we never went there while it was open. Imagine his surprise when I told him they were open but had moved to the Burns Philp building in Bridge Street. That made us head back south for a walk past.
After looking at the menu and noticing they had a bar menu we headed in.
Out front, RockpoolInterior from the bar
After sitting down and perusing the wine list we ordered two glasses of champagne. We only felt like a little bite to eat so decided on some caviar and blinis. After a bit of wonderful upselling from the very helpful waiter, we decided to try the Yasa caviar. Now I am not really in to caviar normally, but this was sensational. Our waiter had given us the story of the brand and then told us how the brand representative showed them how to eat the caviar by placing a little on your hand to warm it up and then straight in to your mouth. We tried it and were pleasantly surprised at the difference in flavour as compared to having it cold. It was well worth the extra to try this fantastic product.
Yasa caviar and blinisWarming the caviar
Yasa caviar is farmed and produced from Siberian sturgeon in the UAE, in the worlds largest and most technologically advanced aquaculture farms. Not only do they process the roe but the fish is also processed for the culinary market.
After our caviar and champagne it was time to head back to the Hilton to bring our day of luxury to an end with a movie and bottle of Grande Cru bourdeaux from Chateau Cantemerle.
Chateau Cantemerle
Have a great day and hope you have a touch of luxury soon!
A restaurant we have been wanting to go to for many years is Flying Fish in Pyrmont. We happened to be in need of dinner while we were in Pyrmont recently and decided to make our way over.
Flying Fish is located in Pyrmont, at the end of a heritage wharf, with views of the Harbour Bridge, Barangaroo, Balmain and the lower north shore. This makes for a dramatic backdrop to dinner as the sun sets and the city lights start turning on.
Exterior, Flying Fish
The heritage look is continued inside with the original dark beams incorporated in to the interior design. Dark woods are very much in evidence throughout the space and are softened by the crisp white tablecloths and the large modern painting along one wall.
Looking out through the windoesInterior Flying Fish
There is some seating outside as well, perfect for a sunny day. You can also sit outside and dream about being on one of the luxury boats moored along the wharf.
Exterior seating area, Flying Fish
After a look at the wine list we decided on a half bottle of Chablis from Domaine Louis Moreau. Mr CA4G is a bit picky with white wines and he absolutely loved this one.
Chablis from Domaine Louis Moreau
Choosing a main was easy for Mr. CA4G, he hadn’t tried Murray cod before so that was his choice. He enjoyed his Murray Cod very much and was surprised that it didn’t have much of a muddy flavour to it, seeing as it is a fresh water fish.
Murray Cod
I had a lamb backstrap with whipped feta, lamb sausage and peas. Loved the whipped feta, it is on my list of things to try at home. We also ordered a leaf salad and hand cut chips.
Lamb backstrap
It was well worth the walk from the city to have dinner at Flying Fish and we look forward to dining there again in the future.
Arriving back in Sydney after our week in Coffs Harbour, we were taken out to dinner by a friend Mr. Time Dealer, who was in Sydney for business. Our destination was Pendolino restaurant, located in the historic Strand Arcade in Sydney.
We were a little early for dinner so sat in the outside area of the restaurant and enjoyed a glass of prosecco. At 6 we were taken in to our table. I was quite surprised at the size of the restaurant, I hadn’t realised how much area was available in The Strand. The restaurant stretches along the George Street side of the building. The lighting was dimmed, exposed brick walls were on 3 sides of the room, the fourth lined with shelves of Italian and local wines; cast iron scroll work, dark woods, Bentwood chairs all gave a relaxed and casual feel. Surprsingly for a Monday night the restaurant was very busy.
First job was choosing some wine. I was given the task, but being unsure I consulted the sommelier on the two I had chosen and we went with my number two choice of Tenuta Gorghi Tondi, Coste A Preola, Nerro d’Avola from Sicily. Wow, not too heavy, very easy to drink and with lots of character and flavour. Nice to try something new and different that really excites you. The sad part is we haven’t found a bottle shop in Sydney that sells it.
Our wine for the evening
For entree Mr. CA4G and Mr. Time Dealer, both had the Alba style free-range raw beef carpaccio with truffled white walnut puree, Testun di Barolo cheese, rocket cress, wild baby olives and handmade rosemary grissini. Testun Di Barolo cheese is cheese that has had the grapes that have been pressed to make Barolo wine, pressed onto the cheese surface during maturation.
Carpaccio
I went a bit vegetarian and had Beetroot salad with burrata, fresh mint, beetroot jelly, crisp breadcrumbs, Pendolino Aceto Secco Vinegar and King Island Ligurian honey dressing. Burrata is one of my favourite Italian cheeses and is similar to a mozzarella but with a lovely, soft, almost liquid centre. And I love beetroot in any form and this dish had baby beetroot in 2 colours!
Beetroot and burrata salad
For mains the guys both chose the same dish again, Ten hour slow cooked British breed beef, parsnip puree, grilled green shallots, pearl garlic, amarena sour cherry sauce. They seemed to enjoy it very much, and told me how soft and well cooked the beef was.
10 hour beef
Mr. CA4G knew what I was going to have before I finished choosing the wine. He knows I love a slow cooked pork belly and there it was on the menu, Milk braised pork belly with house made pork belly, sage & pistachio sausage, warm fava and controne bean salad. Pork belly and beans yum! The whole dish was very flavoursome and delicious.
Milk braised pork belly
As we were having a great time we decided to have some dessert. The guys again followed each other and ordered Black chocolate millefeuille with blackcurrant and blackberry sorbet, blackberry sauce. When it came out I was amazed to see that the pastry layers had been made with chocolate. I think they liked because they were rather quiet while they ate it.
Mille Feuille
I went for the Blood orange olive oil ricotta fritters with “Fior di Latte” vanilla sorbet. The aroma as this was bought to the table was absolutely amazing. The orange and orange blossom scent was a pleasure to smell while I ate.
Fritters
After a fantastic meal it was time to say goodnight to Mr. Time Dealer and stretch our legs a little before heading our seperate ways. I look forward to visiting Pendolino again in the future, although I may only have one course to help the waistline.
A regular stop when we travel to Coffs Harbour for a holiday, is Cassegrain Winery at Port Macquarie. We usually have a quick taste and as our timing usually gets us there at lunch time, we take advantage of the opportunity to break our journey with a leisurely lunch.
The entry to the tasting room is through the barrel hall, rich with the smells of wine maturing.
After a quick taste it was time to have some lunch. Ca Marche overlooks the vines with ample indoor and al fresco dining areas. The menu features produce predominantly from local producers.
Vines, Cassegrain WineryVines, Cassegrain Winery
A bottle of sparkling Edition Noir Chambourcin was ordered, as we were in the mood for bubbles and you HAVE to start a holiday with bubbles.
We decided to start our lunch with some warm damper served with relish, extra virgin olive oil and artichoke dip. We also decided to share the charcuterie plate. Terrine, pate, smoked salmon, prosciutto, with artichokes, confit garlic, cornichons, sundried tomatoes and crusty bread. Very filling and we still had mains to go.
Charcuterie plate and damperCharcuterie plate
I chose a chicken breast stuffed and then wrapped in prosciutto, roesti, asparagus and confit cherry tomatoes.
Chicken Breast
Mr CA4G chose the seafood plate with Balmain bugs local calamari and scallops.
Local seafood plate
After all that, we decided to have dessert before hitting the road again. We thought we were choosingthe lightest item on the dessert menu by having the chef’s specialty French cinnamon doughnuts served with a warm amaretto chocolate ganache and orange scented mascarpone. We enjoyed them very much and they gave us a good sugar hit for the next leg of our trip. We forgot to take a photo because they looked so good we ate them straight away.
A tasting at Cassegrain and lunch atCa Marche, makes a great stop for anyone travelling north or south on the M1.
Stay tuned for our visit to Aanuka Resort at Coffs Harbour.
One of our three favourite hotels to stay at in Tokyo is the Conrad Hotel in Shiodome. Located an easy 10 minute walk to the shopping mecca of Ginza, it has easy access to three train lines that will get you anywhere you want to visit in Tokyo.
This trip we were able to get an upgrade to a bay view suite, which gave us views over Hama Rikyu Onshi Tien, the Sumida River and Tokyo Bay.
View from suiteTea house, Hama Rikyu Onshi Tien
The suite was amazing, so much room. You often hear complaints about the size of rooms in Asian hotels, but this was larger than some we have stayed in in western countries.
Suite looking to the front doorBedroomBedroom looking to the bay
Table setting, Kazahana.
Table setting
Detail of chopstick rest.
Chopstick and rest
A nice cold glass of green tea.
Iced green tea and bonsai
Appetizer of Taro stem, okra, uni, seaweed sauce.
Taro stem,uni, seaweed sauce
Clear broth, tofu skin, shrimp dumpling.
Clear broth, tofu skin, prawn dumpling
Entrée plate.
Entree plate
Pike conger, tofu and eggplant(braised dish).
Braised eggplant, pike conger and tofu
Octopus and radish.
Sashimi of squid and sea bream.
Sashimi squid and sea bream
Chilled soba noodles.
Chilled soba noodles
Tempura prawns and vegetables, rice topped with dried purple shiso leaf, pickles and miso soup.
Tempura plate
Pre dessert.
pre dessert
Japanese black sugar cake, caramelized banana and watermelon with green tea.
Japanese black sugar cakeJapanese black sugar cake
Seriously developing a ceramics addiction. So many great pieces of ceramics used in restaurants. Need a bigger kitchen so I can go on a ceramics buying spree. Green tea to finish a great lunch.
Green tea
After lunch we were in need of a lie down, which we followed with a swim in the amazing pool on the 29th floor, watching the office workers finish their day.
We can highly recommend the Conrad Hotel, great service, great staff, great rooms and fantastic location.
Cooking Across 4 Generations 
Recent Comments