Miss Ping's, Docklands

Ping was my friend's sister, an accomplished pianist and articulate speaker. She however is not the woman behind the chain of Thai restaurant by the same name. Miss Ping's is the latest venture by Winnie Chiang, a Singaporean who also brought us the Thailander quick service restaurants. As to whether there is a Miss Ping, I do not know but if she does exist, then her favourite colour would be pink. I suspect she also like boa feathers, partying and neon signs. 

We had dinner at Miss Ping's at District Docklands recently. Miss Ping was away and we spent some time trying to attract the attention of the harried staff to get a seat. The restaurant was about half full but it was a large restaurant so the staff were run off their feet. 

I wanted a light dinner so we ordered sweet and sour chicken ($21.90), and braised pork belly on noodles ($17.90)

The sweet and sour chicken had a more natural colour compared to the artificially bright red hue usually found in the same dish in chinese restaurants. The chicken pieces were thickly battered which was a negative but I suppose is to be expected from battered dishes. It came with cucumber, pineapple, capsicum and tomatoes that enhanced the sweet and sourness of the dish. 

Braised pork belly with preserved mustard leaves on egg noodles. This dish is only served the dry style, which means the noodles is mixed with soy sauce and caramel sauce with a small bowl of soup in the side. 

The pork belly had jiggly fatty pieces and was well braised. It was a high calorie day for me that day, having also eaten wicked wings from KFC as afternoon tea before dinner. Well, the diet starts the next day!

While eating, I saw some sparrows flying in and landing on tables with half eaten food. They were pecking around and probably also enjoyed their dinner. At least they didn't have to wait to be shown to a table.

2023 Sidney Myer Concert

Melbourne is living up to its reputation of being the hub of arts and sports once again. The Sidney Myer free concerts were held over the past 3 weeks, we could only make it to the last concert of the series and what a concert it was!

A young pianist Hannah Shin played Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 in the first half. She played energetically, fingers moving non stop and without needing any notes for the whole concert. We were seated away from the piano so could not see her finger movements on the piano but it was captured by the camera man and shown on the big screen above the stage. Such fluidity! Twice I saw the pianist play glissando - I just learnt that term today. It's when the pianist slides their hand across the keys in one movement. 

After the intermission, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the Melbourne Symphony Chorus, and 3 opera singers to the stage to perform Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. As expected, the opening song of O Fortuna was electric! I love the extensive ensemble, there were drums, cymbals, two pianos, the choir. 

Midway through the opera, I had to look up the lyrics to better enjoy the experience and I learnt that Carmina Burana is a cantata (separate pieces, not a continuous piece), the lyrics were in Latin and German, and sings about the theme of life - springtime, love, drinking and making merry. For instance, one song was about drinking wine in a tavern, another about a swan roasting on a fire and yet another about first love. 

Carl Orff composed Carmina Burana based on 24 poems by the same name from the medieval times. It starts and ends with O Fortuna, which is undoubtedly one of the most famous tunes. Another memorable song is The Roasted Swan, which is song by a falsetto (men with high voice) or counter tenor. It has the funniest lyrics: 

Olim lacus colueram,	Once I lived on lakes,
olim pulcher extiteram,	once I looked beautiful
dum cignus ego fueram.	when I was a swan.
(Male chorus)
Miser, miser!	Misery me!
modo niger	Now black
et ustus fortiter!	and roasting fiercely!
(Tenor)
Girat, regirat garcifer;	The servant is turning me on the spit;
me rogus urit fortiter;	I am burning fiercely on the pyre:
propinat me nunc dapifer,	the steward now serves me up.
(Male Chorus)
Miser, miser!	Misery me!
modo niger	Now black
et ustus fortiter!	and roasting fiercely!
(Tenor)
Nunc in scutella iaceo,	Now I lie on a plate,
et volitare nequeo	and cannot fly anymore,
dentes frendentes video:	I see bared teeth:
(Male Chorus)
Miser, miser!	Misery me!
modo niger	Now black
et ustus fortiter!	and roasting fiercely!

 

http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/works/orff-cb/carmlyr.php

Kaneda Japanese Restaurant, Bourke St

This little restaurant in Mid City Arcade has been around for ages but this is my first visit. Many reviews on the internet mentioned how the quality of the food has dropped since a change in the ownership but since I have never been here before I can only give a review of how things are now.

We ordered chicken karaage curry ($23) and unagi Dom ($26.80). They were both a decent size, a good ratio of protein to carbs. 

The chicken karaage was crispy and there were lots of sauce, just what I like. Manu will be happy with the amount of sauce on this plate. 

The unagi probably came from a packet but I have no problems with that. Small restaurants cannot be expected to make everything in house.

The decor is not much to look at, it has the air of an unpretentious restaurant that has been around for ever and knows what works and what doesn't. Items are in their specific position for a practical reason, any decorative item has been around for sometime, that is their guide to interior design of the shop.

The prices seem high for basic fare like these. It is perhaps somewhat offset by the amount of protein on the plate, but a reduction to around $20 for the chicken curry may be more palatable to customers. Other restaurants would charge around $17 - 18 but for less protein on the plate.

Opera for All

 After a few years' hiatus, Opera for the masses is on once again! This is really exciting because I do love opera, and I do have my favourite pieces that I hum along whenever I hear it being played. So, an open air opera at Federation Square, with the singers and a live orchestra performing crowd favourites from Carmen, Lakme and Turandot was perfect. Thank you, sponsor BMW and Opera Australia for a wonderful free public performance!

Getting a good, uninterrupted view of the stage or even the big screen was non existent but thank goodness there was some sort of social distancing at least so we were not sitting bum to bum with strangers. 

The setup is not as good as Sidney Myer Music Bowl because the stage was smaller, there is only one big screen tv for those who cannot see the stage, and acoustics are lacking. Some sort of program on screen or paper letting us know what the lineup will be would have been nice too. But it is a free public performance and the singers and orchestra musicians were amazing! It was a lovely way to spend a weekend afternoon. 

Kluska Restaurant, Knoxfield

Kluska's is a small restaurant in a complex of industrial units in Knoxfield. It is in an unusual location that would not normally attract foot traffic yet it is almost always full. It is run by just two people - the chef who also brings out the food from the small kitchen in a corner of the shop and a waitperson. It is a small and busy restaurant so reservations are recommended but even without a reservation, the serving staff are friendly and welcoming.

Kluska serves traditional Polish food, particularly dumplings ($8.50 each) but there are also other dishes like soup, stew, schnitzel and sausages. I love the Polish reminders around the restaurant like the water pot, plates and decoration items on the counter.

Kietbasa Grilla - grilled house made sausages, caramelised onions, pickled cabbage, salad, mustard and bread ($34.50) 

Bigos - sauerkraut stew, diced beef, sausages, dried prunes and red wine with fluffy potatoes ($32.95)

My favourite is the house made sausages, for it's salty, meaty taste and the satisfaction of biting into a plump juicy sausage. The stew had two of the fluffiest baked potatoes I have ever eaten. I can eat these potatoes every day. They are soft and light. There were prunes in the dish but overall it was savoury and a little tangy because of the sauerkraut. The cousin to this dish would be kimchi jigae, another dish with fermented cabbage.

The prices are a little steep and the venue is cosy, but the service makes one feel at home. 

 

Update: This restaurant is now permanently closed.