Big Whoo to M!!!

Ok .. what a night hey?? Its been awhile since we've had that many people in the house for a party. Unfotch it was slightly too balmy a night, but that meant we could throw open the French doors and let the scenery in.

Thank you everyone for coming. I'm sure a good time was had by all and sundry. I certainly did. And can I just say, I love my drunkard dregs!!! We should make a pact to be the dregs at each other's parties no matter what!!

 

Oh and apparently it was a blue moon?! R went crazy with the garden hose and insisted on a pic, so here goes.

 

 

PS, P I'm marking your attendance for prosperity. I was done photo taking by the time you arrived.

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Comments:

dan cope wrote:

 

He didn't turn up? I was there in sprit you know. We ate good food all night and toasted to M. xx

1 Feb

A peppermint nightmare!!

Ok ... most people were confused by the Mighty Boosh references in the invite, thinking it was some form of dress up party ... but Bravo!!! A & R ... this was a sterling effort.

Chiba!

Ok ... we went reasonably local for M's dinner and headed off to Mooners to this quiet unassuming Japanese in Hall Street for some nipponese delights. Our venue of choice was CHIBA's.

 There was a bit of a kerfuffle when I made the booking and I think something got lost in translation and the woman who took my call said that if I wanted to book for 7.30pm I would have to leave by 8, so could I book for 8 instead?? Yah I know. Anyhoo, I noticed a couple of tables set up for 2 only including one that was squashed into an awkward corner. But we were shown to a bigger table instead, which was a blessing as we ended up ordering the banquet with sukiyaki.

As usual, the table was already set with some yummy pickles to whet your appetite while you decide on your order.

And of course the first thing to do was settle the sake.

We opted for the Tokyo banquet set which was the only one that offered sashimi.

 

Our first course was this incredible soup made with salted cod, dried mushrooms and the ubiquitous tofu.

 

 

When it first arrived at our table, a really strong bacony scent hit us first, which then developed into the earthy aroma of the mushroom and the coastal tinge of the dashi stock. Beautiful soup. Salty, smoky, earthy ... all of Japan in one shiny laquered bowl.

 

Next came the sushi/sashimi platter.

 

 

No surprises here. The choices are obviously much better on their main Sushi/Sashimi platter but we were happy enough with the salmon and tuna. Had to get used to Wasabi again. Its been awhile.

 

Next was the fried portion of the meal. We had panfried gyozas and these oyster croquettes.

 

 

Whilst our lovely waitress beside herself preparing the sukiyaki (i.e. cooking the various veg in the teriyaki stock), we were served our tempura prawns and vegetables.

 

 

This was a little bit of a letdown. Both M and I are finding that we are less enamoured of prawns as we head into our twilight years. As it was, we had 4 of the suckers and one measly sliver of potato and 2 beans. We would have preferred to have had just one prawn (if we must) each and more veg on the plate. Anyhoo, justa minor blip.

 

The sukiyaki was delicious. We opted for rice instead of udon noodles and it really soaked up all the flavours. The soup was perhaps maybe too intense to drink on its own, but M actually had the raw egg (optional) mixed in!!

 

For dessert a simple scoop of green tea ice cream with a red bean topping and japanese tea.

 

 

Just one more thought before I put this to bed. If you a bit on the whiffy side, don't come into a small restaurant to collect your evening meal between your gym session and a shower. Be a little more thoughtful!

A&E

Ok ... I hate the A&E!!!! I am sleep deprived from being there all night and will probably crash at some point later this arvo. But the dried chillies are soaking for my Curry Capitan and I'm about to head out to the shops for more supplies. I'm lovin this RDO sitch!! Hope everyone is having a happy friday and gearing up for something wonderful this weekend. PARTY ON ... dudes.


Goldfrapp A&E promo video

Goldfrapp.free.fr | MySpace Video

Now I've done it!!

Ok ... I've finally succumbed and will now live out my days in a time wasting purgatory of the social networking kind.

(get it?)

Now I'm off to buy a farm and feed a donkey ...

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Comments:

dan cope wrote:

 

ahahahaha

28 Jan

Celebration!

Big Whoo to M!!!

Midsumma Carnival - Mt Macedon

Ok ... its back to the grind tomorrow. Thank God its a short week with a party at the end of it. We had a lovely day at Mt Macedon with the H's.

 
M played with the band and I played "fighting" with N:

All in all it was a great way to see out our Lazy Days!
 

Welcome to the Jungle

Ok ... the holiday is over!! Bummer! But I can look out into my garden and remember our day in Tyabb fondly.

 

And no, we didn't purchase this lovely Pompadour poodle in blue, but we did get a couple of new additions to the garden.

They join our loveley little cassowary peaking from under the Magnolia tree.

Did I ever mention how much we love our house??

Lazy Days Pt II

Ok ... another lazy day ... whcih means another sloe gin fizz!!

Why do we love dumplings - Red Panda, Preston

Ok why do we love dumplings so much ... especially a good xiao long bao.

 

And let me tell you this was one of the better ones ... where? Well all the way in Preston at Red Panda.

 

It was one of those left out Saturdays!! You know when you furiously try to fit social committments round a particular week and suddenly realised you're stuck with nothing to do on the Saturday evening ... which really should be the focal point of the weekend? Well its a good time for recharging and what better way than to call up those comfortable friends and have a quiet meal together.

 

It was CC's suggestion that we head out here for some dumplings. If D had been available we may very well have headed box hill-wise. I have yet to sample the delights of the Dumpling King there.

 

However, I have to say that the xiao long bao here are more than adequate. I just love biting into these sweet parcels of pork and dough and having the liquified meat gelatin squirt deliciously into your mouth. Its one of those food marvels people crap on about.

 

We also had these won tons cooked in chilli oil sauce which were divine. It was just the right kind of spicy for me. Spicy of the Shanghainese variety but missing the ponderous note of pi-xian beans that marks alot of the dishes from this particular region.

 

 

Once the won tons were fished out and consumed, the remainding sauce was brilliant with steamed rice. Very satisfying indeed.

 

Staying on the dumplings tip, we also ordered a plate of stir fried pork that came with steamed buns for wrappin. The pork was slightly sweetish which ended up a little too cloying towards the end. And the little slivers of slimy leek were also starting to annoy. But in small doses (i.e. one parcel each) its an enjoyable dish and dramatic in its presentation.

 

 

As usual we ordered waayy too much food.

 

 

In addition to the 3 dumpling dishes (and thats 2 lots of xiao long bao), we also had a cold dish of spicy pork, beans cooked with chilli minced meat and fish and preserved vegetables stew. And we were a grand party of 4!!!

 

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Comments:

Temasek wrote:

 

OMFG!!! JP!!! Are you back?? If so, email me!! If not, email me anyways. And Copey!! CB and we get drool together.

25 Jan

 

Julie Pizzino wrote:

 

this places sounds, and looks, amazing!

25 Jan

 

dan cope wrote:

 

drooling... aaaahhhhh... xx

25 Jan

I know you want this!

Wendy ... I know you want this!!

http://www.misadigital.com/

 

Blok M

Ok ... so we finally made it to Blok M.

Blok M is apparently a hustlin and a bustlin entertainment ares in Jarkata housing shops, bars, markets and all manner of entreprenuerial (sic) endeavours, nefarious and otherwise!! I believe the advertisorial blurb on the walls refers to it as a "shopper's paradise, money-makers nightmare".

 

Anyhoo, this particular branch is located on 380 Ltl Bourke Street and caters primarily for the office crowd and overseas students needing a fix. Stepping off the hustle and bustle of Bourke street into this small split level space heavy with the smells of lemon grass, coriander, coconut, tamarind, kecap manis and a hint of durian transports you instantly to the tropical climes of your recent south-east asian holiday, or in my case, my erstwhile home.

 

Now the food is not the greatest, but the sambal (make sure you ask for it at the counter if your meal doesn't come with a splodge of that belachan goodness) is terrific and the flavours are on the whole apt. We had some deep fried tahu (bean curd) and tempe (fermented soy bean cakes) to begin with accompanied by a mildly spicy peanut sauce:

 

 

This is so easy to make and is the perfect party food. You can buy packs of tempe and firm tofu slabs in the supermarket. Just slice into bite siz pieces and fry in oil till crisp. If you cba making the peanut sauce from scratch (which is not difficult), buy a bottle from the asian store and add a dollop of kecap manis when serving.

 

I had Ayam Bakar (roasted chicken) with rice. The marinade was sticky and sweet. Very nice.

 

 

M had the Mee Goreng Kambing (lamb) which was pedestrian. He found it a bit too sweet and the noodles just a little bit too al dente. But if you're needing a quick fix and you're in this part of the city, there are worse places to go to than here.

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Comments:

dan cope wrote:

 

yum.. love it when you speak french to me.. xx

22 Jan

 

Temasek wrote:

 

Stir fried noodles ... yum ... one of my favs!! Ok a bit of tough love now ... sort yourself out and come back!! Too many wasted years! Miss you heaps too ... in fact ... both me and M commented just today that we missed you ... after having a couple fo great glasses of wine and a croque monsieur over at Merricks!

21 Jan

 

dan cope wrote:

 

so yummy. I cooked an inspried stiry fry noodle dish last night. One of my best.. No idea where the idea came from??? maybe you?? maybe three hungry tummies?? Took about 8 mins. It had alot of mixed up flavours in there but somehow it worked. Little white girl dance.. I work across the rd from a supermarket called Hub. Asian (massive) supermarket. I need you though b/c I am loosing my touch.. Miss you D.. Really really miss you. xx

21 Jan

Sex and Intrigue

Ok ... Mama T told me a secret ... delicious!!

 

Paint a Rumour

(Whats it gonna spread)

Paint a Rumour

(see the place go red)

 

I could tell you something

(Promise not to tell)

I could tell you something

(Promise not to sell)

 

It's a secret

It's a secret

It's a secret

It's a secret

 

 

(actually more like she confirmed a rumour!!)

 

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Comments:

 

Temasek wrote:

 

Yes we do!! Hope no one is doing your head in over there!!

21 Jan

Mama T wrote:

 

We need to dig for more info when you are back next week! Enjoy your break! x

20 Jan

Meet Plazma Man and Friendship Flag

Ok ... I made my final payment and collected our anniversary present today.

 

We have hung them in the bedroom above the bed ... I loves them!! I can't help stopping each time I go past the room and taking a peek ... basking in all that primary coloured pastel cheeriness.

 

 

Initially, we hung it in the above configuration, which somehow didn't quite work. Reversing it did the trick!!

 

 

And when we lie in bed, we can view it in the mirror directly opposite ... perfect. (and now I'm totally broke ... oh poo ... wait ... look at the pretty pictures ... aah! ... see its working already.)

Shanks M!!

Ok ... the slow cooker is to put it mildly a Chrissie present success ... M has been cooking up a slow food storm with this latest piece of culinary hardware ... and what better way to start off a few days leave but with celebratory lamb shanks ... heavily spiced with cloves and star anise and chilli ... all gooey gelatinous deliciousness ...

Served with garlic mash and stir fried brocolli ... washed down by a bottle of Spanish red - Toscar Monastrell Alicante 2006 - $15 at Dan Murphys ... really good quaffing wine ... and at that price tag you should be heading down to your local bottolo toot suite!!

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Comments:

Temasek wrote:

 

Also Mitchelton Shiraz .. preferably 2004 .. but I believe the 2006 is only $19.95 at the mo.

21 Jan

 

dan cope wrote:

 

why thank you.. i shall.. dan murphys here i come. :)

21 Jan

Faster Pussycat!! Kill! Kill!

Ok .. I love you ADSL2!!

Tiny fragments of a Fingersnap - The Books Live at John Curtin

ok ... it was worth the blood sweat and tears ... well maybe not the blood and tears, but certainly the sweat ... and there was a lot of it ... the John Curtin Hotel bandroom is a sauna of BO proportions. But we didn't care, we were in a musical zone of literary proportions ... we were here for The Books.

The Books are one of those rare finds in the world of music today. Their music is at once unclassifiable and also representative of all the elements of post 90s rock given annoying journo-speak tags like idm, folktronic, sampadelic etc .... for some peops this is exactly what is Now! and inspiring, for others is the worst excesses of indie rock bundled into one rudimentary and studiedly unsartorial package.

For me what separates them from the rest of the pack is their musical intelligence, technical skill and above all, their unmitigated sense of humour. If not for passionate friends (K & mostly M), The Books would have stormed into town and blown out without me even fingering my library card (despite the fact that I have 2 of their albums ... and you know Luke's rule!!). But I;m so glad I went. It was absolutely terrific. They are certainly an extremely entertaining band, partly because of their love of splicing bits of old videos and random sound drags from retro toys and pre-interhole gizmos in their music and visuals.

We were lucky enough to be right up the front. We would have barely seen the band if we were further back. in which case we would have missed out on witnessing the sheer mastery of fingering and bowing and plucking and sliding on stage.

They are not a band that travels widely, so I suspect that this would have been a rare gig indeed. Or they may have loved their time here so much, we may see more of them in the years to come. So if you do get another chance, go. You won't regret it.