Elsja Down Under

101 Highlights January 4, 2011

Total completed goals: 70

Proudest achievement

To be honest, there isn’t just one goal that I’m most proud of. #90. Become a resident in Australia is a pretty big one but it doesn’t actually make me feel the proudest because although it was a pain in the ass, it wasn’t a challenge for myself. While #28. Donate blood seems easy enough, this was actually way tougher for me. After a traumatic experience donating blood years ago, this is a goal I really did not think I’d ever  get around to doing. The fact that I got off my butt and made the appointment makes me feel pretty good.

Most useful goal accomplished

#51. Create a master packing list to use on future trips. I’ve used this list SO many times over the last 1001 days, it is very helpful. Also I have to include #6. Read 10 books. Because of this goal, I got back into reading- something I had not done in a long time. Now I always have a book by my bed.

Biggest disappointment

There are a few but my biggest disappointment is pretty silly because it should have been so easy- #1. Drink at least 1 litre of water per day for a month. I just couldn’t keep up with it on the weekends.

A missed goal I’ll definitely add to my next list (yes, there will be another)

#105. Plan 3 special dates for Andrew and I. This should have been easy as well but it was only added a few months ago and with all the wedding chaos and then the holidays, it just didn’t happen.

A goal I don’t care about anymore

#52. Hike to Machu Pichu. I decided this actually sounds miserable since I absolutely hate climbing massive hills.

Most difficult goal I achieved

#92. Drive by myself in the city and/or to and from the airport. This may seem minor to most of you but I’m paranoid to drive here… STILL. I only just drove myself to the airport for the first time last week and I was nervous the entire way. My fear does not stem from being on the other  side of the road- I’m definitely used to that by now. The reason I panic is because I’m ALWAYS afraid I’ll get lost. Even with GPS I still manage to get turned around and a trip that should take 20 minutes usually takes me 40.

Most difficult goal I didn’t achieve

#40. Go without alcohol for 1 month. There is ALWAYS some party or big event every month that I want to enjoy. This one should have been  easier but I guess I just don’t want to give up wine for an entire month. I suppose I’ll have to wait until I’m pregnant one day in the far far future- then I’ll finally be forced to ditch the drinks.

What I’ll leave off of my next list

#95. Blog about each of my tasks as I complete them. Not every goal is worthy of a blog and being forced to write about each one was just a burden. I only want to write about the cool ones.

Goal that makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside

#29. Find 3 charities that mean something to me and donate to them once per year. This one was easy to achieve and even giving a little each year makes me feel good. This is something I can easily keep up in years to come.

Missed goal that I was THISCLOSE to achieving

#38. Learn to scuba dive. I actually paid for the course, I just haven’t done it yet but I plan to soon.

Biggest thing I learned about making goals

Goals that require a weekly or monthly effort are definitely the hardest to achieve. One off goals or yearly goals are much easier.

What’s next?

I’ll start coming up with another 101 goals to achieve. I’ll aim to get it started in April. Anyone have any suggestions for me?

My 101 Wrap Up January 3, 2011

Hello everyone and welcome to 2011. Isn’t it crazy how we move forward one measly day from December 31st to January 1st and yet everything seems so new and exciting? 2011 will be the start of a new year full of highs and lows (hopefully mostly highs) as well as accomplished goals, fun times and hopefully an exciting vacation or two. 2011 also means that my 101 in 1001 list has finally come to a close. I can’t believe 1001 days have passed since I started my list. As I look at my goals that I achieved, I’m very proud. I honestly think there are many things that I accomplished that never would have been completed if it weren’t for this list. I’m also sad that there were so many things on my list that I wasn’t able to achieve. Some would have been so manageable but I guess time just passed me by and I missed out on many of the things that I would have liked to have done.

If you want to check out my entire list- click to view my 101 in 1001 goals. The blue items are things I was SO close to finishing but still missed out on before the deadline.

In order to complete # 95- blog about each of my tasks as I complete them – I need to mention that over the last few weeks, I was able to complete all of the following goals:

7. Go on 5 long walks in the Sydney area. I counted anything over 1.5 hours as a “long walk.”

50. For each task I complete, put $5 into a savings account and do something fun. I haven’t decided what to do with the money yet but I have definitely added $5 each time I’ve completed a goal.

97. Write wills & manage life insurance with Andrew.

30. Give $2 to charity for every goal I don’t accomplish. Ok, I haven’t actually done this yet but I will- I just need to tally everything up and make sure I’ve crossed everything off before I do.

So that wraps it up! My 1001 days are over and all the goals that I am going to achieve in that time have now been completed. Now onto list # 2 so I can start the next 1001 days full of achievements. Stay tuned for my 101 wrap up where I will discuss the highlights of 1001 days of goals.

101 Countdown December 25, 2010

Only a few more days until my 101 in 1001 comes to a close. I can’t believe it’s been nearly 1001 days since I first created the list. While I may not have achieved them all, there are definitely many that I am really proud of. To wrap up a few of the remaining items, I’m posting my 101 Christmas edition. To be fair, these hardly have much to do with Christmas but since I’m posting on Christmas eve, I have decided it will be a Christmas edition.

#86 - Try 20 new restaurants and blog about them. Well, technically I tried many more than 20 since 2008, but this blog will include my 20th actual review so I can finally cross this item off the list!!

North Bondi Italian (RSL)

We went to this little gem for our work Christmas lunch the other day and I was really pleased. Rather than posting my normal type of review, I’m just going to post the things I liked about this place.

Its got a great indoor/outdoor/bar/restaurant vibe so you can really go there for any occasion. We got there early but since they don’t take bookings, we had to wait about an hour for a table but we just hung out on the patio with some champagne, peanuts and appetizers overlooking the ocean. We ordered refreshing vodka lemon lime and bitters and they went down WAY too easily. We had these amazing deep fried risotto balls and a ricotta basket to start and they were so tasty; TOTALLY overpriced but the risotto balls were to die for. For mains I ordered a ricotta, basil and tomato pasta. It was definitely good but a few of my coworkers had the lasagna and I was having a bit of order envy. Great food, great wine, great views and great company made for a fun afternoon by the beach. It was a perfect way to start the holiday break.

#81 -Learn to make Swedish pancakes from my mom. My mom has been making Swedish pancakes my entire life and never have I taken the opportunity to learn how to make them myself. Well today is the day. I just flew in on Christmas eve and it’s tradition for my mom to make the pancakes today so we can wake up and eat them for breakfast on Chrsistmas morning. She’s just out buying flour but when she returns, Pancakes 101 shall begin.

#28- Donate blood- two weeks ago on the way to work I stopped off at a blood bank to donate. I was a bit scared because the first and only time I ever donated blood was back in college and I had a horrible experience. My blood pressure dropped and I almost passed out and threw up. Luckily, this time I was ok even though they could only get 1/2 of a donation. So I suppose I might save 1.5 lives instead of 3. Still better than nothing!

#29 – Donate to 3 charities per yer. Here are some of the charities I’ve donated to since 2008

• Pancan (2008, 2009, 2010)
• Movember (2008, 2010)
• American Cancer Society (2008, 2009)
• Humane Society (2009)
• Caringbridge (2010)
• Susan Komen (2010)
• Jimmy Walk Fund (2010)

My mom is back with the flour so I’m off to learn techniques in making Swedish pancakes. I wish you all a Merry Merry Christmas!!

A New Tradition December 7, 2010

As my 101 goal time comes to a close, I’m in a mad dash to finish as many of them as I possibly can. So I was very pleased that Saturday night I was able to cross off lots of items! Andrew and I had our first annual Christmas party at our place and it was a big success. Andrew was never too fond of the idea of a party at our place because we don’t have the greatest entertaining layout here. It’s small and there’s no decent outdoor area. Andrew really preferred to wait until we had a bigger place to start having parties but it meant a lot to me to start now. When I thought about starting a tradition together (#24 on my list), having a yearly Christmas party was a natural idea. My parents had one every year when I was growing up and so I wanted to do the same. I figured now that we are married, this was a perfect time to start our annual event. So on Saturday we had a few friends over (unfortunately with a small place you can’t invite everyone) and we ate, drank and were merry! Here’s a few things I got to cross off my list this weekend:

101. Decorate for Christmas all 3 years… here we are on year 3 of my list and our house is festive once again!

24. Start a tradition with Andrew – hence, the “1st annual” Christmas party

77.  Bake and decorate fancy cupcakes – ok so they weren’t cupcakes, but the pumpkin spice frosty cake balls dipped in white chocolate were quite fancy, and quite delicious! Plus I was up ’til midnight on Thursday making them so I think they should count.

66. Make a mix-tape (CD) with some of my favorite songs and give to friends – I absolutely love making Christmas playlists (I have over 6 hours of Christmas music alone on my ipod), so I thought it would be a great idea to make a “Merry Mixtape” for the guests of our party. The CD includes roughly 15 of my favourite modern Christmas tunes.

107. Host a cocktail party. We finally got to put some of our booze to good use and I made a few fun cocktails and festive drinks for everyone to enjoy. We had a pomegranate, cranberry and vodka cocktail as well as my version of mulled wine (recipe to come soon) and homemade eggnog. Bez played bartender later in the night and made some delicious peachy concoctions.

70. Buy a fancy digital camera. Yes, we did buy this awhile back but Saturday was the first time we actually used it. I still should read the instruction manual because I have no idea what I’m doing yet- but at least it allowed us to take some nice photos of the party.

For more photos… click here.

Not only was Saturday night fun, it was also a great way to cross off lots of items before my December 31st deadline. How many more can I knock out in the next few weeks? We shall see!

Cafe Pacifico November 22, 2010

Since before I even moved to Australia, I’ve been hearing about Cafe Pacifico. For some reason I had never been there the entire 3 years I’ve lived in Sydney. That all changed on Wednesday when I headed there after work with all of my colleagues. I was very excited to discover that this place is only a 5 minute walk from my office, sweet! I was very curious- would it live up to the hype AND would it taste better than Baja Cantina? Let’s find out, shall we?

Decor/Setting: 8: It definitely fits the Mexican theme, that’s for sure. The place is decorated with old boxes of beer and tequila and I was just waiting for some short Mexican guys to come out of the woodwork with whistles and tequila shots and start flipping people upside down. It’s pretty loud as well so it’s definitely not the place for a romantic night out.

Value: 5: The value at any Mexican restaurant in Sydney is pretty crap, but this place seemed even more over priced than the others. A jug of Sangria was almost $30 bucks and didn’t seem that strong. I got a jug at Bungalow 8 last week for $15. Maybe it was bigger than it appeared but $30 just seemed like a lot. The quacamole that was ordered seemed tiny for the price as well. I know avocados are expensive, but seriously- I could make 6 times the amount at home for the same price they paid the other night. I shared fajitas with my boss because I wasn’t starving. They were expensive, as fajitas always are,  but they actually came with enough for us to each have two decent sized fajitas each. I was glad I didn’t get my own.

Service: 7 – It wasn’t anything stellar but it wasn’t horrible either. I’m rating it a bit lower because we struggled to get the server’s attention whenever we wanted more drinks.

Taste: 8- The guacamole was good… maybe not as good as mine, but good. Sangria was pretty good but again, not as good as mine. The Fajitas were great! I actually liked them better than Baja Cantina’s! They only downfall is that they didn’t come with cheese (BC’s do) and they only had pinto beans, not black beans. A co-worker got chicken quesadillas and they looked very appetizing so maybe I’d try those next time.

Overall I thought the food was really good. I can’t knock the cost because Mexican is just expensive here, period.  It’s a great atmosphere for parties or special occasions so I’m definitely looking forward to going back at some point and getting tipsy on some overpriced sangria!

Mad Pizza November 20, 2010

Since I started working in Darlinghurst I’ve had the chance to try a few new restaurants; therefore, I shall blog.

Mad Pizza

I went here with some girl friends last week after work. I can happily say “I’d go back” because I actually already did. A few days ago some colleagues were heading there for lunch and I tagged along. So my review is based on both of my visits.

Decor/Setting: 7: I think the place is definitely cute. Not ultra comfortable because they use little benches instead of chairs, but not bad either. I like that you can order at the bar and pay separately before your food comes so that you can just get up and go whenever you’re finished. I also like the paper tablecloths and crayons on each table. Drawing while you chat definitely kills the time while waiting for your food.

Value: 8: The first night I got a pasta which was comparably priced to most Italian places I go to, but the serving size seemed a little bigger than normal. We also ordered REALLY good parmesan bread and we got 4 huge pieces for 8 bucks. I definitely thought it was well worth it. You can order jugs of wine instead of whole bottles which is pretty cool. You don’t really get any sort of discount by doing so but for some reason I felt better ordering one jug rather than 3 glasses.   The second time I went I got an individual pizza and salad for 10 bucks. That was definitely good value considering I paid $9.90 for a crappy pre-made sandwich two days later.

Service: 7 – The first night service was pretty quick, but for lunch I feel like we had to wait forever for our food and then we had to rush to eat it. Both times everyone was pretty nice.

Taste: 8- My pasta was really good and my pizza was decent. I ordered a pasta with cream sauce but I asked for red sauce instead. Rather than replacing the cream sauce, they just added the red to make a pink sauce. Although I was bummed about the fat content, it very really delicious! The pizza was good- SUPER thin crust and not soggy at all, but the chicken on the pizza was VERY bland. The sauce and toppings were good but the bland chicken actually made the deliciousness factor go down. I’d probably get a vegetarian one next time.

So there’s one review for you. I’m sure I’ll have many more in the upcoming months. I feel like I’ve discovered a whole new world of food and bars by making the trek over the harbour for work each day. It’s pretty exciting!

My iPhone Makes me Happy October 18, 2010

It was a very happy happy day last week when my wonderful new iPhone came in the mail. I didn’t waste any time getting it all set up and I just can’t tell you how gitty this little piece of technology has made me. So far I definitely have some favourite apps. These include:

1.  Trip Planner – this little gem gives me all the ferry and bus schedules… amazing I tell you!
2. Google search – who doesn’t love the ability to search for things by simply taking a photo and/or asking a question? If you don’t have this app- get it! Asking a verbal question is SO much easier than typing it all out.
3. Foxtel- Ok so I haven’t actually used this yet but I absolutely love the fact that if I’m out for the night and realise I’ve forgotten to record my favourite show, I can just push a few buttons on my snazzy little phone and like magic, my show will be recorded and waiting for me when I get home.
4. Mobileme – yes, this is a ridiculously expensive program but I do believe it is worth it! Mail, calendar and contact syncing is pretty important to me so I’m loving this application.

What are your favourite apps??  Oh and speaking of contact syncing-  I’d also like to mention that while in the process of setting up my beautiful new phone, I was able to clean out all my contacts which just so happens to be # 15 on my 101 list. Who would have known that buying an iPhone would help me to achieve one of my goals? Win win!!

Stay tuned for more things that make me happy. There have been several over the last few weeks and I can’t wait to share them all with you!

I’m Back… and I’m Married! September 6, 2010

YAY! I am SO happy to inform you all that I am a married woman. I know my month long hiatus from blogging probably means no one will still be around to read this but now that I’m back to reality I plan to be blogging more. In the coming days/weeks I’ll be posting all about the bachelorette party, wedding pre-party and wedding as well as the post-wedding sadness. But for today – just to get my self acclimated back into the blogging world- I will post a quick little 101 in 1001 update of all the things that were fulfilled while I have been away. There’s lots to share!

#3 Have a spa day with the works. I got a massage, manicure and pedicure the day before the wedding at a proper day spa. While I didn’t get EVERY treatment imaginable, I got all the ones I wanted and it was damn expensive so that’s all that matters right? I also did it with my bridesmaids, sisters and flower girl. It was wonderful.

#36- Go on a girls weekend away. Well my amazing bachelorette weekend cruise definitely counts for this one. I will post all (well, not ALL) of the exciting details in a future blog.

#53 – Go on a cruise. See above.

#59- Go home to CA at least 6 times. The trip out for our wedding was trip #6.  I might even top this one and go back 7 times by the end of the year. Time shall tell.

#64- Take photo booth pictures with Andrew. Here’s another one that was conveniently crossed out due to fun wedding festivities.

#78 – Be able to eat something cooked with beef. While in CA there was a delicious looking pizza placed in front of me. It was sausage and pepperoni and it looked delectable. I don’t know what got into me but I decided to willingly eat meat (albeit a combo of beef and pork, not just “beef” as the task calls for) for the first time since I was 15. Granted I did take one piece of pepperoni and one piece of sausage and break them into small pieces to sprinkle over the slice but the point is I ate it!! I willingly ate and enjoyed a piece of pepperoni and sausage pizza.

#89- Start a recipe book and write down all of my mom’s recipes that I like. I made sure to do this right when I arrived in CA since I have forgotten the last two times. My recipe book is is filling up quickly.

Over 50 tasks down, and many, many more to go. Better keep it up, I only have a few months before my time is up!

Trips and Lists and Updates July 2, 2010

I’ve finished off a few more of my 101 goals which is great because I’ve just reached the point where I only have 6 months left.

#19: Make a “Things we want to do/buy together” list with Andrew.

We finished this a few weeks ago, but this will obviously be an ongoing work in progress.  I won’t type out EVERYTHING we added but here are just a few of the things we want to do and buy together:

• Go to Kangaroo valley
• Go to the Powerhouse museum
• Go to Cairns for the weekend
• Plan a late honeymoon
• Buy a new couch
• Buy a new bed
• Get our African art framed

#57: Go on 3 spontaneous day/weekend trips with Andrew.

This week I had a totally random opportunity to go to the Gold Coast to help out my cousin’s company. I had planned to go for just one night but then it ended up being two nights and by complete chance, Andrew had the two days off. Since I didn’t have to work the entire time I was there, Andrew came with and we were able to enjoy a nice couple of days. We had a really delicious dinner, we went in the jacuzzi and went for a walk on the beach. It was a little random mid-week getaway, even if it did include a bit of work. This trip rounds out the 3 trips for # 57 on the 101 list. First there was Perth, then snowboarding in Threadbo and finally, Surfer’s Paradise.

# 96: Create 3 new goals each in 2009 and 2010.

Done. Check my updated list if you’re interested.

#103: Read 10 more books when I’m finished with the first 10

I have to say… this goal paid off and now reading is a regular part of my life. Prior to this list, I wasn’t a big reader. Now I’ve read over 20 books since I’ve started and I’ll continue to read even without these goals to reach.

To finish of this post I’d just like to point out that this last week I also was able to cross off a few of those nagging wedding tasks that I was dreading. Not too much left to plan now!! How crazy is it to be able to say our wedding is NEXT MONTH!?

Eno Pizzeria June 11, 2010

If you weren’t already aware, Neutral Bay has been opening up lots of new snazzy, delicious restaurants lately. First it was Firefly awhile back and lately on Grosvenor Street, more and more cool new spots have been appearing. Last night we tried one of these new places. It’s called Eno Pizzeria. It’s only been open five or six weeks and it was PACKED. We couldn’t even get a reservation until 9pm. Obviously word spreads quickly when a great new restaurant comes to town.

Decor: 7.5- 8:  The atmosphere is great. Blackboards with white chalk, wine bottles on display, marble top tables, romantic mood lighting. It definitely is appealing to the eye. The only reason I gave it a bit lower score is because we had so sit on stools with tiny little seats (ok, fine) but there was no foot rest on the stool or under the high marble bar style table that we sat at. I’m not that tall, so I had to sit on the very edge of the stool to allow my feet to sit flat on the floor. It just made it a tad uncomfortable. If I were any shorter, I would have been suffering. They do have regular tables, so I’d like to get one of those next time.

Value: 6-7:  It was pretty pricy but not too bad when we added it all up. Pizzas range from about 22-28 bucks from memory. Pasta and main dishes were $20+. I think the prices were quite comparable to the Fourth Village place I tried a few months ago. Pizzas were a good size for the price (since they are gourmet), but my pasta was pretty small. Honestly, if I was just eating the pasta (which was about $24 bucks) I would not have been full at all. Luckily I shared some pizza as well. With our meals (including pizza and pasta) and including beers and a bottle of wine, we ended up spending about $35 each.

Service: 8.5-9– The girl who took our order didn’t write the orders down which seemed classy; however, she messed up one of the dishes. She immediately came out and apologized and admitted fault right away. She then asked if we wanted to eat the incorrect pizza that she brought out becuase otherwise it would just go to waste. So we got another pizza for free! Luckily for me, it was the exact pizza I wanted to order if I didn’t get my pasta. Sweet!! The correct order was brought out fairly quickly so we didn’t have to sit waiting for too long.  Things we asked for were brought out promptly and our water was refilled (although probably not as often as I needed with all the chili oil I was eating). Definitely up there holding a spot as a place with some of the best service I’ve seen in Sydney.

Taste: 9- My pasta was great!!! I got gnocchi with a basil and tomato sauce with smoked mozzarella. Smoked mozarella has quickly become a favorite ingredient and I find myself wanting to order a dish simply because of that!  The only problem with the pasta is that there wasn’t nearly enough of it!! I wanted more. The pizza I tried was also really good, it was gourmet but not too funky.

I recommend this as a nice date place or for a great night out with friends. It’s probably not somewhere I’d go for a simple Tuesday night dinner. It’s just a little too nice for that. Oh and just FYI- it’s not BYO but it looks like they have a great selection of wines to choose from.

On our way out we spotted another new place called Blue Plate Bar & Grill. I checked out the menu and became very excited when I realized that this was clearly an American style restaurant. I just did a little search and it turns out that the owners of South have opened a new restaurant in Neutral Bay. We definitely want to check that out next!

Okay Neutral Bay… keep the great new restaurants coming!!!

Peachy Sangria May 29, 2010

Last night I attempted a new recipe for Sangria.  Even though I have an actual recipe book completely devoted to Sangria, I did not use that book. Nofor this recipe I simply used my gool ol’ brain and made it up on my own. Naturally I wasn’t sure how it would turn out since I wasn’t following any instructions but I am happy to report that it was delicious!! A lot of people don’t like white wine Sangria so this may not be for everyone- but it is definitely for me!! Natasha and Hayley didn’t seem to mind it either!!

So now I am happy to share my Peachy Sangria recipe with you all.

• 2 bottles of chilled light white wine (trust me, you’ll need at least 2 bottles – I used a Semillon/Sav. Blanc blend)
• 1/4 cup peach vodka
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup tinned/canned peaches (in juice, not syrup)
• 1/2 cup of the peach juice from the can
• 1 pear, peeled and sliced
• 1 orange, sliced
• 1 kiwi sliced
• Sprite or other lemon lime soda to top up

1. Add the fruit, sugar, juice and vodka to a pitcher, stir well
2. Add the wine and stir
3. Let the Sangria chill for awhile. I let mine sit in the fridge for an hour
4. Pour into glasses over ice, top up with sprite
5. Drink way too quickly and wish you had made more

YUM!

Obviously you can mix up the fruit… but don’t forget the peaches- otherwise it wouldn’t be very peachy would it?  I was really surprised that it turned out so well using vodka. The only reason I used vodka was because I ran out of brandy so I was a bit worried that it might be weird- but the peach vodka definitely added to the flavor!

Burnt Orange May 14, 2010

Andrew and I ventured out on Monday morning to enjoy “morning tea.” There is a newish restaurant down at Middle Head called Burnt Orange. Evidently it’s been open since September but we only just discovered it. Middle Head is one of Andrew’s favorite places to hang out when he goes for bike rides and it just so happens it is also where he proposed. So when he suggested that we should walk down there to get some tea, it sounded like a great idea. When we walked up, I immediately fell in love with the place. It was so cute! It’s like an old country home straight out of the Hamptons. The huge wrap around deck is adorned with cute little painted table and chairs. Inside, there is this awesome shop full of SO much adorable stuff. From homemade jams and wines to cook books to sweet homemade sock toys for kids; it is the perfect place to find any gift whether it be for a new baby, a bridal shower or a housewarming . With that said, most of the gifts are ridiculously overpriced, but it’s all very fun to look at. I could spend hours in there browsing around. Luckily for Andrew I only spent about 15 minutes.

So here it is… my first “non-dinner” review:

Decor: 10- With all of the cute little details I already mentioned, paired with a beautiful view of the harbour- how could it get any nicer? It’s one of the cutest cafes I’ve seen in Sydney. It was a nice change from the typical modern metal and plastic furniture you see in most casual cafes around here. The ambiance of the location, decor and overall atmosphere was very pleasant.

Value: 8- While I will always preface this with “compared to other places in Sydney” – I have to say, this was quite reasonable. I don’t go out for breakfast much since it’s not one of my favorite meals but when we do go for breakfast, we usually head down to Bottom of the Harbour at Balmoral. While Bottom of the Harbour has great views of the ocean, it also has a lot of traffic and pedestrians passing by constantly; plus, the service there isn’t that great. Anyway… my point is that B.O.T.H. charges more for many of the same items we saw at Burnt Orange and Burnt Orange has a great view as well and it’s more quiet and peaceful. With all that said, I didn’t order much at B.O. and the lunch did look at bit more pricey. I’d have to try more food there to see if it’s really as good of a value as I think it is based on my first experience.

Taste: 7- I only ordered a scone, but it was a delicious sun dried tomato and cheese scone with cream cheese on top. Yum. I ordered that with an Earl Grey tea and Andrew got a fruit salad with yogurt and a flat white coffee. For what we ordered, I don’t have too many complaints. I think my scone had great flavor, but could have been a little moister- it was a tad bit hard and dry on the bottom. Andrew liked his fruit but not his coffee. He has since been back and reported that his eggs and toast were good… so we’re pretty much 2 for 2.

Service: 7- They were really nice and didn’t charge Andrew for adding honey to his fruit salad. When I asked for my scone to be heated, they happily obliged.  I wouldn’t say it was the most fantastic service but I personally think it is WAY better than at Bottom of the Harbour.

I definitely look forward to going back. This place actually makes me want to go out for breakfast and I never want to do that! It also makes me want to shop and buy tons of cute things to decorate my house and give as gifts. Oh how I wish I had millions of dollars just lying around to waste.

Silver Linings- May 6th 2010 May 5, 2010

With all the incompetent, inept people we’ve had to deal with lately, I feel like I need to write one of these posts. Seriously, every day this week I feel like I’ve had to talk to another moron or chase up ANOTHER email response or follow-up with people *cough accountants cough* who just cannot seem to get back to me when I’ve been trying to get answers from them since April! UGH… ok I went off on a tangent there. I will now get back to the GOOD stuff.

• This week we leased out our apartment to our first tenant!
• Two of our good friends (who shall remain nameless at this point in time) got engaged. I’m SO happy for them!!
• We got to see Julz and Leighton’s baby last week for the first time. Little Zara is precious!
• I’ve been working a few hours a week at a side job just up the street and I actually like it.
• I bought a recipe keeper/binder thing to help me reach my 101 goal #89 (Start a recipe book and copy all of mom’s recipes that I like). Now I just need to sit down when I’m in the US and copy all the good stuff from mom.
• I’m also working on # 79 (Create a cookbook with at least 20 personally created recipes). I don’t quite think I’ll reach 20 by the end of the year, but maybe I’ll reach 10! I just need to remember to write stuff down when I’m cooking stuff.
• I made not one but two types of delicious homemade pizza this week. I need to write down my recipe for the tandorri chicken one because it is GOOD (and it will help me with goal # 79 as well).
• I finally booked my hairstylist, makeup artist and the transportation for the wedding. Invites are almost complete and we’ll hopefully be able to get one of our personal couriers (aka Qantas pilots) to bring back the Aussie ones for us to save us from having to ship them all across the pacific.
• I finally found a use for the green wine bottles I’ve been saving for 2 years. Yes, 2 years. Andrew has wanted to throw them out numerous times and I always told him that I’d eventually find a purpose for them. Now three of them are sitting in a nice little row on our table acting as vases for 3 single red Gerber daisies. Lovely.

Peter Pan’s Italian April 27, 2010

I’ll get straight to the point… here’s my review of Peter Pan’s in Crows Nest. Just another new (to me) restaurant that we tried last night with our good friends Helen and Hamish.

Decor: 2- The tables were fine, but the decor was pretty plain. White walls, sports posters mixed with small art prints. Pretty hideous actually. It was clean though, I’ll give them that much.

Value: 8- Definitely much better value than the last Italian place I reviewed. I think my pasta was about 18 bucks but it was really big- I couldn’t eat it all, which says a lot. The garlic pizza bread was $11 for a large basket but there was plenty for us to each have several pieces. It was a refreshing surprise after usually feeling gypped by most restaurants in the area.

Service: 7.5- While they did forget a few things, they were right on top of it when we asked them again. They checked on us frequently and were very friendly.

Taste: 7- I really liked the food. I got a ricotta ravioli in a pink sauce. The sauce was a LITTLE too creamy for me (I would have liked a little more red and a little less white in the blend) but it was still nice. Andrew got a rocket salad which I had a bite of and it was quite enjoyable as well.

I definitely recommend giving Peter Pan’s a try. It wasn’t my all time favorite Italian in the area (I still think Red Zucchini wins for that one) but it was definitely good value with friendly service.

Fourth Village Providore April 23, 2010

Last week I made it out to a new (to me) restaurant with my friend Katie.  FourthVillage Providoreis a restaurant/market in Mosman across from Fitness First. I used to love going to the market there to buy all my veggies for dinner after working out at the gym. They have loads of wonderful fresh produce and a wall full of homemade jams, jellies, oils and sauces. They even have a walk-in fromage room. A whole room full of cheese… it’s like my dream come true. On top of all of this, they have a restaurant in the back. They are only open for dinner from Thursday through Sunday and their menu changes on a regular basis. I had heard that it was really good from a few friends so when I was trying to think of somewhere new to go, it popped into my mind.

So here’s what I thought:

Decor: 7- Nothing stood out as exceptionally cute or tacky. I do like the quaint feel of the restaurant matched with the lively atmosphere that the guests bring. It feels like a restaurant in Italy, many of the servers are Italian and  I love that I’m just right out the back of the produce market. Definitely a cute little place.

Value: 7- For Italian, this was definitely more pricey than other places we’ve been; however, it was probably fresher and more authentic. Pizzas were $22-25 which isn’t CRAZY considering the takeaway pizza shop downstairs costs $22. Plus, the pizza was huge by Australian standards. My pasta was $25 though and while it was a decent sized portion, I’m pretty sure I could have gotten a bigger portion at Macaroni Grill for $8.99. Again, this was fresh and authentic and it totally has that homemade feel and quality. Definitely isn’t cheap- but for a special night out- it’s worth it.

Service: 7- For once in my life, I’m going to say the service was a little TOO over the top. I waited about 15 minutes for my friend to get there and while I was waiting they kept coming over to me to ask if I needed anything or wanted to order drinks. I just wanted to say “come back when you see another person sitting here.” Then when Katie was looking at the menu, they must have come over 4-5 times (every 1-2 minutes) to ask if we were ready (and we weren’t). In their defence, it was a different person each time, but it just was a little overbearing. Additionally, I asked for my salad to come out as an entree and then my pasta after that- but all of the food came together. Lastly, the bill came out VERY quickly. Normally I complain that it’s hard to get the staff to bring the bill, but this time we didn’t have to ask. We just felt a bit rushed. Everyone was REALLY nice and overall the service wasn’t bad, it just was a little overbearing. Even with my minor complaints, I’d still pick this service over most service in Australia.

Taste: 7-8- I got a spinach and ricotta ravioli with smoked ricotta on top and it was great! The smoked ricotta was really interesting but really tasty. It was fresh and light I really enjoyed it. I had a bite of Katie’s pizza and it was really good as well. Her pizza had a white base with mozzarella, rocket, fresh tomatoes, parmesan and balsamic. Wow it was yummy. The only reason I’m giving the food a slightly lower score is because of the salad. I got a green salad with a special homemade dressing. Honestly, it just tasted like a$7 bowl full of greens with balsamic vinegar. I didn’t see anything special in the dressing and there was not one vegetable other than the greens. I was not a fan.

I definitely recommend 4th village for a special night out.  It certainly was yummy enough for me to want to go back. I can’t see going there again on a random night though, simply because I typically don’t like spending $35 on dinners for no reason. I’d love to go back one night to see what other options come up on the menu. They do takeaway pizzas as well so maybe one day I’ll just HAVE to get one of those.