Romantic Get Away to Orange

Last weekend my husband and I drove to Orange to celebrate our first wedding anniversary: beautiful town in New South Wales surrounded by wineries, hotels, restaurants and very nice people.

We wanted to have a romantic weekend to celebrate our special first anniversary of marriage and we nailed it. We visites few wineries in the area tasting all they had available,  and there was a place where they produce cider.

It is a small town of friendly people,  with some nice options to go out and eat out.  Our favorites wineries were Stockman's Ridge, De Salis and Phillip Shaw, and to go out and eat we loved The Union Bank.

In our way back we stopped in Bathurst to visit Stone Pine, a very nice distilery. My favorites were the rum, the limecello and the apple schnapp.

If you're planning a little get away, keep Orange in mind.

"The closer you look, the less you see"

Movie: Now You See Me.... I just need to say that it is a GREAT MOVIE!

It combines suspense, Las Vegas, illusionists, and a great cast: Mark Ruffalo, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Michael Caine.

You just have to sit back, try not to think too much and enjoy the movie.

VCuisine in Randwick

If you enjoy fresh and delicious vietnamese food, you have to visit VCuisine in Randwick.

I loved the Fresh Crunchy Rolls (4)(GF): vietnamese pancake, chicken mince, water chest nuts, bamboo shoots, mushroom wrap in rice paper (4) served with fish sauce (most popular dish of vcuisine). This was the entree, big enough to share.This one was my favorite dish so next time I'll eat it all without sharing it... ;-)

For main I ordered the VCuisine Delights Grande (GF): vermicelli, fresh mixed herbs, peanuts, bean sprouts and chargrilled pork, from the northern regions of vietnam. I was delighted with the way the dish was served as the meat is grilled on your table and then you have to make your own rolls. Super fresh and tasty.

If you want to impress someone special, VCuisine is a great option for it. Prices match the quality of their food and service.

Malaysian roti and satay

I finally had the pleasure of eating at at Mamak - Malaysian roti and satay restaurant in Sydney's Chinatown, and it was amazing! 

Have you ever been walking around a particular area and there is that little restaurant that always is packed, and you think: "if this place is always full of people that means that it most be good, I will have to eat here soon and try it"... and you say that to yourself all the time but for whaterver reason you never have enough time to actually stop there.

Well,  Mamak was that little restaurant too me for almost a year, I always wanted to try and last night I finally did it!  We had to wait outside 15min until we got a table and it was all worth it.

I loved the Savoury Roti Canai and the Roti Planta, and the lentils'dip that comes with it. I also had the Satay Chicken and the sauce is amazing! I need to go back and try different dishes because I'm sure I'll be delighted with everything.

10/10 for Mamak! Great food, good service and prices. Now it's in my Top 10 list of great food in Sydney.

Brazilian - Italian delicious lunch

Today I was waiting with friends for my husband in Coogee and we were so hungry that couldn't wait for him to have lunch, and what a lunch he missed!

After walking up and down around the area we decided to eat in a nice little Brazilian - Italian restaurant called Farinha, where if you are lucky you could actually see from the sidewalk how they make their own pasta and pizzas.

I couldn't resist to order a pasta after seeing how it was being freshly made, and it was worth it! Best pasta I have had in Australia. I enjoyed for $16 a fresh pasta with mushrooms,  a white sauce and tender & awesomely cooked pieces of beef. It was served in the same little frypan where it was cooked which, for me, was very attractive, different and fresh.  Even though they took long time to bring the orders to the table, the food and the service were both really good.

I can't wait to go back to try the degustation menu they offer so I'll get to taste lots more: pastas, pizzas & salads. 

Farinha: 10/10!

A "cheapish" in Sydney

Sydney is one of the top 10 most expensive cities in the world, reason why finding cheap options and saving some coins is always a good idea.

I love going out with friends and have some drink and/or dinner, but sometimes the money factor can affect my plans. 

Here is a place that I suggest for those who live in Sydney and, like me, are always happy to find a place where to enjoy a cold drink (or 2, or 3) without having to spend so much: the Shark Hotel on Liverpool St. I also had dinner there a couple of times (Thai) and it was really nice, so why not to give it a try?

If you know another cheapish option like this one please share it with me! 

Tourist for a few hours

Sydney is a beautiful city and the weather has been great in the last few weeks, so I decided to go to Darling Harbour on Saturday arvo to enjoy a cold refreshing drink & lunch.

I'm not originally from Sydney and I've been told that locals do not visit this area frequently because "it is very touristic".  That is exactly the reason why I enjoyed it so much, feeling like you are on holidays for a few hours.

We walked from Chinatown to Cockle Bay, untill we finally stopped in a restaurant on the wharf facing the water... what a lovelly day and view!

All around the area restaurants offer good deals for drinks and food, cheaper for lunch than for dinner, so you don't really need to spend too much for it. $4 Coronas or wine, $10 to $15 meal to eat by yourself or sharing with friends.  I ordered nice fish & chips at Nick's Seafood Restaurant and, after a couple of drinks with a friend, left the place around 5pm feeling like a tourist in love with Sydney.

I can't wait until spring is here with warmer and longer days, flowers,  sun and colours!