baby showers are the best excuse for girlie catchups... with little manuel (elaine & jem's nickname for their son) due soon, we had the perfect excuse.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Sunday, April 15, 2012
jamie's italian sydney...
on easter monday the mister & i went with our dear friends & their little one to lunch at jamie's italian in sydney. the website describes the restaurant as having gorgeous rustic italian food & fantastic knowledgeable service... we were looking forward to our dining experience.
first reality check... when we phoned the restaurant to check with them whether the recommended ezipark parking station was open. before i could utter a word was put on hold by their fantastic knowledgeable service staff, this experience occurred 2 more times before i was actually given a chance to talk when the phone was answered by their staff.
second reality check... a one hour wait for a table. okay so i know this is a bit of a trend for popular restaurants to not take bookings but how is this good service & hospitable to customers? what are people to do for an hour? thankfully it was a lovely sunny day and as we are rarely in the city, it was nice to go to pitt street mall to look around, however if it was bad weather i doubt waiting for an hour in the rain would be enjoyable.
first positive experience... the hostess gave us a table that allowed us to fit our pram & baby, however it was right next to the extremely noisy kitchen & kitchen staff kept yelling out "SERVICE" when the dishes were ready to be delivered to diners.
third reality check... napkins were smelly, service of the wait staff was average.
other positives... decor is trendy, apparently ezipark next door at 109 pitt street is free for 2 hours if you are a diner at jamie's italian.
:: food roundup ::
drinks: standard offer, the only fresh juice they have is apple or orange.
entree: we had the crispy squid & the marinated sardines. the presentation was attractive however are portions very small.
mains: we had the prawn linguine & the crab & squid ink risotto. they describe that their pasta is freshly made on in the restaurant every day with love... however, the linguine didn't have quite the same texture as other freshly made pastas that i have eaten before & was a bit too al dente, the risotto was just average... it was missing the fresh & depth of flavour crab & squid ink risottos have.
desserts: we had their special tiramisu, & italian bakewell tart. the best was the tart, however the tiramisu was badly presented, soggy in the centre with too much alcohol - it tasted like a soggy sponge jaffa.
summary verdict is that i wouldn't be returning to jamie's italian...... pinos in crows nest is much better for italian.
first reality check... when we phoned the restaurant to check with them whether the recommended ezipark parking station was open. before i could utter a word was put on hold by their fantastic knowledgeable service staff, this experience occurred 2 more times before i was actually given a chance to talk when the phone was answered by their staff.
second reality check... a one hour wait for a table. okay so i know this is a bit of a trend for popular restaurants to not take bookings but how is this good service & hospitable to customers? what are people to do for an hour? thankfully it was a lovely sunny day and as we are rarely in the city, it was nice to go to pitt street mall to look around, however if it was bad weather i doubt waiting for an hour in the rain would be enjoyable.
first positive experience... the hostess gave us a table that allowed us to fit our pram & baby, however it was right next to the extremely noisy kitchen & kitchen staff kept yelling out "SERVICE" when the dishes were ready to be delivered to diners.
third reality check... napkins were smelly, service of the wait staff was average.
other positives... decor is trendy, apparently ezipark next door at 109 pitt street is free for 2 hours if you are a diner at jamie's italian.
:: food roundup ::
drinks: standard offer, the only fresh juice they have is apple or orange.
entree: we had the crispy squid & the marinated sardines. the presentation was attractive however are portions very small.
mains: we had the prawn linguine & the crab & squid ink risotto. they describe that their pasta is freshly made on in the restaurant every day with love... however, the linguine didn't have quite the same texture as other freshly made pastas that i have eaten before & was a bit too al dente, the risotto was just average... it was missing the fresh & depth of flavour crab & squid ink risottos have.
desserts: we had their special tiramisu, & italian bakewell tart. the best was the tart, however the tiramisu was badly presented, soggy in the centre with too much alcohol - it tasted like a soggy sponge jaffa.
summary verdict is that i wouldn't be returning to jamie's italian...... pinos in crows nest is much better for italian.
Address: 107 Pitt Street, Sydney
Phone: +61 2 8240 9000
website: http://www.jamieoliver.com/au/italian/sydney
Saturday, April 14, 2012
an angel & her prince...
one sunny autumn day i met an angel & her prince, i got to spend an amazing couple of hours together with them in their beautiful forest which was filled with happy laughter, smiles, tummy rubs & smackos...
Saturday, April 7, 2012
rozelle markets
after our lunch at the grounds in alexandria, we dropped into rozelle to check out the markets. my sis bought the beautifully restored piano stool shown in the last photo.
the grounds, alexandria...
i know i love something when, i drive 40 mins to get to a cafe, then i'm happy to wait an hour to get a table, and afterwards, i'm determined to get there earlier next time to beat the crowds.... the grounds roasters in alexandria is my new favourite coffee place...
my foodie & fotographie friend told me about this place from a blog he had read, what kate ate who is a beautiful blog about food & full of food porn (my kinda blog!). i immediately fell in love with her photos of the cafe & had to plan a trip to visit (as well as subscribe to her blog!). i've done both & not disappointed with either.
the coffee is the best here, its their own blend.... so you've gotta try is... so is their BLT on sourdough. not only is the food good, but the interiors & external gardens are a lovely place to hang out & relax too. i especially love the edison bulbs lining the walkway to the toilets... they're imported all the way from america. its attention to detail such as this that makes the great & better than any other cafe i've been to. but like i said, you've gotta get there early or expect a wait.
my foodie & fotographie friend told me about this place from a blog he had read, what kate ate who is a beautiful blog about food & full of food porn (my kinda blog!). i immediately fell in love with her photos of the cafe & had to plan a trip to visit (as well as subscribe to her blog!). i've done both & not disappointed with either.
the coffee is the best here, its their own blend.... so you've gotta try is... so is their BLT on sourdough. not only is the food good, but the interiors & external gardens are a lovely place to hang out & relax too. i especially love the edison bulbs lining the walkway to the toilets... they're imported all the way from america. its attention to detail such as this that makes the great & better than any other cafe i've been to. but like i said, you've gotta get there early or expect a wait.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
historical morpeth
whilst on a family outing to newcastle, the mister & i decided to escape from the rest of the family & take a side-trip to the little town of morpeth (& show isaac around!). this town was about 10-15 mins away from where i grew up & inspired my love of all things vintage. hope you enjoy these pics & get a chance to visit morpeth.
p.s. i was really tempted to buy one of the framed vintage wooden letter press sets... until i found out it was $400 for the small! so maybe not.... on its own, each letter is about $25... vowels are rare.
p.s. i was really tempted to buy one of the framed vintage wooden letter press sets... until i found out it was $400 for the small! so maybe not.... on its own, each letter is about $25... vowels are rare.
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