Lid & Jar, Chatswood, Sydney, Australia

February 2015

Located in Chatswood, in the Northern suburbs of Sydney, Lid & Jar is cafe with an emphasis on hand brewed coffee and cold press juice.

Tropical Cold Press Juice (Pineapple, passionfruit & coconut water) $9.30

Fresh Corn Fritters with bacon, rocket, cherry tomatoes and avocado salsa $17

Lid & Jar Beef Burger $20

Sydney Harbour Bridge, Photo Essay

One of my favourite things to do is to either walk over the Harbour Bridge, or sit at Kirribilli or Circular Quay and take in the view, whether during the day, at twilight or at night.

Opened in 1932, the Sydney Harbour Bridge (or the coathanger) contects North Sydney with the Sydney CBD.

It also happens to be the worlds sixth longest spanning  arch bridge, the worlds second widest long span bridge and the worlds tallest steel arch bridge.

While the Sydney Bridge Climb is a popular activity for visitors to Sydney, enjoying the free walk from one side of the harbour to the other can be just enjoyable.

Felix, Sydney, Australia

March 2015

Felix is a French restaurant in Sydney's CBD, that is part of the Merivale Group.

Citrus cured kingfish and watermelon tartare with feta avocado and cucumber $20

I've been to Felix twice now and both times I've ordered the same thing. The Cervice and the Steak Tartare. Maybe next time I'll order something different?

Hand cut steak tartare  $32

The Food Society, Sydney, Australia

February 2015

The Food Society is an Eastern European restaurant in Darlinghurst, a short walk from Hyde Park in Sydney. My particular favourite of the night was the cauliflower, and I definitely preferred the small plates over the large plates.

Watermelon Iced Tea $10

Grilled octopus and prawns marinated in paprika and fresh lemon (gf) $17 

Fried cauliflower with paprika, parsley, watercress and reduced red wine vinegar (v) $15 

Double smoked pork neck with quince gel, baby herbs and creme fraiche (gf) $14 

 Selection of cured meats, pistachio and chilli mortadella, truffle salami and char grilled 'csabai' pork sausage with housemade condiments and pickles $22

Pan seared chicken breast, lightly pickled heriloom carrots, red pepper puree, kale chips and pearl barley (gf) $24 

Rye crumbed veal cutlet, sweet polish red cabbage, horseradish cream and fresh chervil $32

Mr Wongs, Sydney, Australia

February 2015

Mr Wongs is a Chinese restaurant that is part of the Merivale Group in Sydney.

I actually went to Mr Wongs twice in February. Once for Yum Cha and once for dinner

The duck room at Mr Wongs

 Yum Cha

Steamed BBQ pork buns $9.8

Crispy pork and asparagus wonton with Sichuan sauce $15

Aromatic duck spring roll $12

Pork and prawn shumai $12

Prawn rice roll $13

I was disappointed with Yum Cha. There wasn't much variety, Mr Wongs is famous for their duck and the only duck item was the duck spring rolls. There are far better Yum Cha places in Sydney.

Dinner

I was much more impressed with their dinner menu. They are famous for the duck, in particular the duck pancakes and these were fabulous. The two surprises dishes of the night were the Sweet and Sour Crispy Pork Hock and the Deep Fried Ice Cream with Butterscotch Sauce (yes really).
 

Deep-fried dim sum platter (6 pieces) – A selection of today’s specialties $25

Steamed dim sum platter (8 pieces) – A selection of today’s specialties $32

Peking duck pancakes - half (8 pancakes) $45

Twice cooked green beans with pork mince and XO sauce $19

Sweet and sour crispy pork hock $28

Mr. Wong’s deep fried vanilla ice cream served with butter scotch sauce $15

The Domain, Sydney, Australia

August 2014

Located on the eastern edge of the Sydney CBD, The Domain is a open space of 34 hectares located near the Botanical Gardens.

The Domain is often used for outdoor concerts, weddings and social gatherings and a nice spot for taking some time out of the city.

Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia

February 2015

Nothing clears your head like a good road trip. The Great Ocean Road is a stunning coastal drive which starts in Geelong about an hour and a half drive outside of Melbourne.

Stay

My first stop was at Torquay, which was a great place to base myself for the evening. I stayed at the White Beach Guesthouse, which was in a quiet spot just outside of town.

My second stop was at Warrambool. While the accommodation at The Gallery Apartments was great, if I redid this trip I would stay at Port Fairy instead.

Do
Geelong
An hour from Melbourne and Victoria's second largest city, Geelong is a great waterfront town to start your Great Ocean Road trip.

Queenscliff

Another seaside town, with  Victorian-Era architecture.

Torquay
The official start of the Great Ocean Road, popular with weekenders from Melbourne and home to the famous Bells Beach. There are heaps of cafes and eating spots along the foreshore, or grab takeaway and sit on a park bench enjoying this view.

Bells Beach
My idea had been to grab a coffee and sit on Bells Beach for a while. I unfortunately needed to have gotten my coffee in Torquay. Never the less, Bells Beach was a great place to stop, enjoy the early morning sun, the surfers getting ready and acknowledge that this is only for the experienced surfers.

Lorne
I wasn't overally impressed with Lorne itself, but there was two spots above the town that made it worthwhile. The Erskine Falls and Teddy's Lookout.

Cape Otway
I was disappointed here, becuase it was 1 hour out of the way (return) from the main road, and you had to pay a significant amount to get close to the lighthouse, which I didn't have the time to make worthwhile.

Port Fairy
I found Port Fairy to be a picturesque town, and the furthest west I went on the Great Ocean Road.

Bay of Martyrs
I don't think the photos do it justice, but it was an impressive site while driving along the coast.

London Arch
Known as the London Bridge until erosion caused parts of it to collapse in 1990, its still worth the quick stop.

The 12 Apostles (or the main attraction)
I stopped here twice. One was mid afternoon, when it was crowded, noisy and I was tired after a long day of driving. The next was early the next morning, when the buses hadn't arrived, you could hear the waves and there were four other people in the whole area. Two totally different experiences, both worth the stop.

Colac
Instead of taking the same road back to Melbourne, I went via Colac (mainly for the next stop), but its actually the largest town in the district, with a rich farming history.

Winchelsea
The legend of the rabbits. Because that's what you want your legacy to be, the town that set the rabbits free and led to the overpopulation and eco-issue we have today (the legend is also not quite the truth, but us Australians never let that get in the way of a good story).