Wow I am travelling alot these days! Back from Melbourne only to warm my bed for 2 nights in Newcastle before zooming off to Sydney for the weekend with Linny.
When I got there on Friday morning we met up and had lunch at an old time favourite, Dining Bar Musashi in Pitt St. Haven't been there for a long time ever since Din Tai Fung was discovered nyeheheh. Walked around the city abit, then it started raining. So we made our way across Hyde Park, paused to watch some angry old Italian/Greek men playing giant chess, passed a cathedral which I didn't even know existed and then we arrived at the Barracks Museum. Oh, we didn't really know how to pronounce barracks... was it beh-wrecks or bah-rahks like Obama? Lol.
Then we made our way to Balmain to Linny's cousins place. They've got a really nice place facing the waterfront. We got ready to go out and watch Wicked !!! Somehow I felt the cast was singing or speaking unnaturally fast, the only problem is I can't remember if its fast compared to the last time I watched it in Sydney or compared to the American Wicked OST found on Youtube. Nevertheless its always nice to watch Wicked. Fiyero was definitely kissing Elphaba alot more this time (and longer too!)!! O_O.
After the show we went across the street to Chat Thai and had dessert. Mango sticky rice pudding!! And yau char kwai with pandan custard. Mmmm...
On Saturday I took Linny to La Rennaisance cafe at the Rocks. We both had ham and cheese croissants (which i still say are the best i ever had!) and she had a rose macaron. We nommed it all down at the waterside, with the seagulls eyeing is hungrily. Yikes. After demolishing the food, we walked to the Observatory, bummed around a little, played with a large telescope and then we left. We made our way back down to the Rocks where they had markets and bazaar going on. Plenty of things to see and buy. We managed to see a guy hand blowing glass, and he made a glass slipperstilleto! Went back to Balmain, and Linney's cousin took us to dinner at Churrasco's in Coogee, which was a brazillian BBQ place, or a churrascaria. Hahah I am a pig I ate so much I nearly exploded. To the point where I could not stand up straight. Then we had to walk uphill to get to the car. And when we got into the car it started sliding backwards downhill a little!!!!! Too heavy lol.
On Sunday we went to Cabramatta. I have heard about the town on various foodblogs, its somewhat a mecca for all thing asian or Vietnamese. We got there around lunchtime, stepped out of the tarin station, and were greeted by a wafting aroma that could have only come from ASIA. Having no map or sense of direction, we just followed our noses and the masses of people to the main street and Cab. We could hear the ching-changs of a lion dance troupe which is surprising as the last day of Chinese New Year was way behind us. Nevertheless we went to kaypoh before finding a shop to eat. While walking around the main street food-hunting, you feel as though you're no longer in Australia. I felt like I was at home, walking around Petaling Street, or maybe some street in Thailand's Pra Tun Nam district. You'd have butchers and fishmonger shops with very un-vegetarian friendly displays right next to the clothes shop selling pasar-malam worthy clothes. Something you don't see at the local Aussie mall everyday. And the smells that mix!! Meaty rankness and the smell of dyed fabrics (and somewhere in the background, the faint smells of herbs and spices from the Pho noodles that beckon you to come and eat)! And the noise of the people yelling to sell their wares or trying the make themselves be heard over all the noise in fast Vietnamese or Cantonese. An assault on the senses.
We found a Pho noodle shop at the end of the street and had some lovely Pho. The soup was yummy, yet very clear. Delicious. And I also learnt you should never leave iced Vietnamese coffee until the end of your meal because by then its a diluted watery drink that doesnt have a semblance to the awesome drink it is when it was first served. All that kau-ey goodness, all gone :(
After lunch we walked back down the street, Linny got a sugarcane drink (they add orange juice in their sugarcane juice!) and I got some custard puffs. Shopped around a bit, got away with bargaining for a dress! Then we took the train back to Sydney because the shops close at 5. Somehow, thats the only Aussie thing about that place. Oh, and the free and clean public toilets too, haha. Back in Sydney we hung around home a bit before heading out for a late night supper at Mamak in Chinatown. While queuing up to get in I was oggling the boys in the window who were making the roti when who should tap my shoulder but Stuey. Fancy seeing him there. Anyways, we got in, and I got a standard roti chanai and it came with 2 curries and a small dollop of sambal. The sambal is so delicous! The dhal looked deceptively mild but it made me sweat! The curry was ok but I didnt finish it. Chicken satay was quite good too, but then again I hardly eat satay so I can't be a judge of that.
You do realise at this point I was supposed to be back in Newcastle lol. But no, Sydney was too good to give up.
On Monday we went to the Fish Markets in the morning. I had 1/2 a lobster mornay, an oyster mornay and an oyster kilpatrick, and a grilled scallop. I also got a box of cooked whitebait. Lin had a cold seafood platter that had some cooked prawns and a whole lobster. She also had the oysters mornay and kilpatrick and a grilled scallop. We got some fruit and we made our way to Darling Harbor. We walked the bridge that crosses the harbour and then crossed to Chinatown. Walked around the clothes shop abit, it seemed that the whole of Sydney was on sale sale sale. Bought some tea from Ten Ren teashop. Went and got some eggtarts and char siu soh from Emperor Garden cafe to bring back for Lin's cousins for dessert :D.
Attempted to get some food at Adriano Zumbo cafe but FML when we got there the cafe was closed!!!! So we went to the shop instead to see what we could buy, and the only appealing things left were the macarons (the cakes were to funky for my tastebuds). Was prepared to buy some black sesame macarons when i saw a fly land on the macarons. Zap. Instantly my desire for anything in the shop dissapeared. So we made our minds up to try again tomorrow. Then we, the heroes that we are, decided to try walking back to the apartment using small "shortcuts". And so we ended up at the wrong side of Balmain, utterly lost and without an inkling of where we were. After calling for help and directions we finally made it back after an hour of walking around aimlessly.
When we got back, Mei was preparing a home cooked meal for us. I was having a mega sore throat signalling the start of a cold. It was really warm so we went for a dip in the pool and had a girly talk time while swimming about. Got back, had a shower, and enjoyed beef in bulgogi sauce, fried eggs, and stirfried choy sum with rice for dinner with my osmanthus green tea. Delicious! Then we had the desserts. Yum.
By Tuesday I am being forced to go back Newcastle. I seem to have forgetten about my need to go back and do work lol. We went to Balmain for breakkie at Adriano Zumbo cafe. Then we walked around the shops. Went back, packed and headed for the train station. Was a pig and was tempted to stay behiond for dinner at Miso @ World Square. The train left at 5.15 you see, but the restaurant opens at 5.30. So the restaurant wins. I had a tonkatsu and salmon sashimi set and Lin had an unagi bento. It was deliciousssssssssssssssss.
Got a 7.15 train back to Newy. Had to get off at Morrisset because of shitty trackwork. From there it was bus services to train stations. We got off at Broadmeadown at 10.20-ish. The bus was supposed to come at 10.28. By 10.50 no bus arrived, we were sitting on a crappy bench in a dinly lit street where the only other thing moving around was a stray cat. Creepy. So I cannot tahan anymore and called a friend to pick us up. Got home. Went to bed.
So this morning I am here, nose rosak and all, typing this. OMG I wanna go back to Sydney! I just hope Linny isn't already thinking that as she sits on my bed reading my Healthy Food mag :D
