Back! And Guillaume At Bennelong

Arrived back in Sydney two days ago and I've gotta say I'm relieved to be back in this cold weather. I used to crave scorching hot days up until just last year but after this trip I think my tastes have truly changed. Strange. 

Anyways apart from the heat, KL was fun as usual - discovered a new spa, ate quite a bit although not as much as I could've have I think and picked up some good bargains along the way. But more on that later. First, I wanna backtrack to the Queen's birthday long weekend where the whole fam gathered at Guillaume at Bennelong to celebrate my mum's birthday:

We opted for the 4 course $140 menu instead of the 8 course $195 degustation menu and having heard mixed reviews of the place I honestly wasn't expecting too much. But I was well and truly plesantly surprised with just how tasty all of the dishes were:

some kind of 'cheese-y' amuse bouche

royale of globe artichoke

oysters

yellowfin tuna

duck rillettes

scallops

pan fried whole veal sweetbreads

the lobster (if i remember correctly?) 'special' which sounded so enticing when the waiter described it that the majority of us went ahead and ordered it, thankfully it tasted much better than it looked

crispy skinned barramundi

grimaud duck

palate cleanser

my awesome 'globe' dessert

chocolate souffle

apple tart

fresh raspberries

nougat glace

petit fours which we were too full to eat

Service was a little mixed (one of my cousins actually thinks the waiters put on fake French accents lol) but the food more than made up for it. Super glad we finally managed to try this place.

 

 

Greetings From Kuala Lumpur

At my mum's request, I decided at the very last minute to come along with my parents to KL for a very short 5 night trip as my dad is attending a conference here. So I am putting my trusty Toms to good use while we indulge in a little retail therapy. And no trip to Malaysia is complete without a bit of eating too hehe..excuse me now while I go and get some chicken rice in my tummy!

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Vera Wang Store In Sydney

I'm going to take a little break from food posts to quickly mention that I only just found out on the weekend that Vera Wang has opened her first stand-alone bridal boutique in Sydney! I had booked my parents in at the Intercontinental Hotel for the night and as we were walking through the lobby I noticed a few dresses in a window in the distance that I thought looked very Vera-like. As we got closer I was super excited to see that they actually were Vera dresses and my dad confirmed that the store had only just recently opened (on the 30th May to be exact). After I got my gown my dad seems to be very observant of all things Vera Wang now haha..

As it was late at night the store had already closed but I took a peek inside and it was almost like being transported back to the Madison Avenue store. Although it is much smaller, the colour scheme of the shop is exactly the same and I recognised quite a few of the dresses I had the good fortune of trying on in New York including the one that I almost chose instead of mine (I couldn't spot mine though).

I know there are alot of people out there who are of the opinion that Vera Wang wedding gowns are so 'common' now (somebody actually commented on a picture our photographer took of my dress that "every HK bride seems to wear Vera Wang, don't they wear anything else?") and to each their own, but the experience I had of wearing such a beautiful gown is truly one I will never forget. Kind of makes me wish I could get married again!

Understandably, the Sydney store is by appointment only and their contact details can be found here.

the only parts of my gown I was able to bring home with me..

 

 

Quarter 21

Another long weekend down, only one (or two if you're a banker) to go  before Christmas. But before I get into the long weekend happenings - which mostly consisted of celebrations for the queen of our family my mum - I must backtrack to another long overdue restaurant post, this time at Quarter 21 in Westfield Sydney. Mr Ng's good friend and colleague from HK was in town so we took the opportunity to finally check this place out. Others have told me and I have to agree with them that at $90 or $140 with matching wines, this is probably one of the best value degustations in town:

Mr Ng's non-beef substitute

chocolate dessert option

creme brulee option

I remember Becasse used to be one of the best 'cheaper' degustation options around when they used to be at the old location on Kent Street but now that it's on par with other fine dining restaurants at $170 or $250 with matching wines (I wonder if that means it's better than it used to be?) I think it's safe to say that Quarter 21 has successfully filled that spot. Two thumbs up from me!

Pendolino

Finally managed to have dinner at Pendolino on the 2nd Floor of the Strand Arcade in the city all the way back in April. But I think I was more impressed with the atmosphere rather than the food to be honest. Although maybe I ordered the wrong things coz it was a completely full house by the time we finished (but maybe that had to do with the Anzac Day public holiday the next day):

my mum's entree

my yellow fin tuna entree

Mr Ng's lasagne entree

mum and Mr Ng both went for the duck for main

while I went for the pasta (it is an Italian restaurant after all!)

mum's awesome looking dessert (I think it was the nougat?)

our yummy chocolate one

Clearly, dessert is a must here. And although I'm not rushing back anytime soon I would like to go again but next time probably for lunch.

 

 

Life

To say I haven't been in the mood to write about anything lately is an understatement. It has been a truly emotional past couple of weeks, beginning with my Dad breaking the news to all of us that he had prostate cancer. Of course like so many others, I have encountered bad news like this on quite a number of ocassions but never has it hit so close to home. And what I probably find the most devastating is that this happened to someone who I've witnessed on a daily basis for the majority of my life healing others of their illnesses. But after going through a rollercoaster ride of emotions (including alot of anger), I think I've finally come to accept that everything really does happen for a reason and that perhaps this happened to my Dad so that he would actually stop working so damn hard and actually start to enjoy life a little. Being the great doctor that he is, he has started telling his patients that he has cancer and although it is truly sad to see some of their reactions (there have been a few who really started crying when they heard the news), it is good to hear patients wishing him all the best for a change. 

So far the results that have come in could have been much, much worse and we are so thankul for that. It will be a long road to recovery but we are all hoping for the best. And it really has been so touching to know that there are so many people supporting us and praying for my Dad to have a swift recovery.

I've been doing quite a bit of thinking recently what with all that's been happening..and although I realise that the things I blog about seem truly insignificant in the grand scheme of things, it hit me last night that I actually really enjoy writing about the trivialities of my life - it's a good outlet for me I suppose. I came to this realisation when I was answering an email last night from a journalist from the South China Morning Post who contacted Mr Ng and me about our wedding planner experiences and as usual I had so much I wanted to say.  But not only that, I really relish writing about things that I've experienced and things that I feel really passionate about. So I am determined to start getting back into Mr and Mrs Ng, I love documenting what's been happening so I'm going to keep on doing it.

I think it will be good for me. 

 

Adelaide, April 2012

Argh, I've managed to do it again and am now super behind on my blog posts! So I'll just get straight into it and rewind back to our weekend away to Adelaide this time last month. Mr Ng had originally planned to go by himself in order to see a client, but I decided to tag along at the last minute as well.

We have been to Adelaide once before back in 2008 over the Christmas break however that was a very sad trip indeed, what with Mr Ng being unemployed and all..We were both in a much happier state of mind this time round and plus this was our first 'holiday' with just the two of us since our wedding. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza which was clean, modern and in the heart of the CBD:

view of Hindmarsh Square from our room

No matter how short the trip, I always try to fit in an appointment at a day spa. Having done a bit of googling prior, I decided to give Spa on Brougham a go and booked myself in for their signature hot stone massage.

my treatment room

I have to say this is one of the nicest non-hotel day spas I have ever been to - it was utterly peaceful inside and they had the softest bath robes I have ever encountered! My only complaint would be that I prefer the massage tables to have a hole you can comfortably put your face in when lying face-down, but I thoroughly enjoyed my treatment nevertheless. I only wish I had gotten their signature facial as well..Perhaps next time.

After a quick shower and change back at the hotel, it was then straight on to Barossa Valley with a pit stop at Blond Coffee in Angaston for a bite to eat:

And then straight on to the wineries:

Peter Lehmann - creator of the delicious Princess Moscato

picnic grounds at Peter Lehmann

  fresh apple juice at Maggie Beer's farm shop

view from Maggie Beer

also sold at Harris Farm I recently discovered!

Wolf Blass

We actually didn't see many wineries this time since we only arrived at Barossa after lunch and most of the cellar doors close around 5pm. So after a bit of aimless driving around, it was off to dinner at Apellation at the Louise:

 

The food was tasty and fresh, the wine was good and my company couldn't have been better.

The next day was spent looking through the shops on Rundle Mall where, much to Mr Ng's dismay, I managed to pick up a pair of black Bally ankle boots from David Jones at 40% off. It simply isn't a proper trip without a purchase of some kind hehe.

As you can see, I've worn them quite a number of times already and have a feeling these are gonna be one of my wardrobe staples this winter.

It was then off to pho for lunch at Thanh Thanh, supposedly one of the better pho joints in Adelaide, but we were more than a little disappointed - this place ain't got nothin' on Pho An.

 

And then it was off to the airport.

I never thought I'd say this but I actually miss Adelaide now. Maybe I'm just getting old but I really love the quietness of the city..and the lack of traffic..Mr Ng said when we first arrived that he would cry if he ever had to live there but I think he had a soft spot for the place by the end of the trip as well. Who would've guessed huh!