It was the only sunny day of the week and thankfully I did not have to spend it indoors. Instead, we visited the Domaine Chandon vineyard in Coldstream.
We joined the free guided tour of the place which are held every 11am, 1 and 3pm. We were given a brief history of the place a guided tour from the time the grapes are delivered to the winery to the cellar where they are matured.
I thought the tour to the cellar (called the Riddling Hall because it was used to rid the bottles of the murky yeasty sediment used to ferment the grape juice) was the most interesting part because the cellar was dark, cool, and full with dark bottles... very mysterious. Later, I found out that the winery even hosts operas in the cellar... I wonder if they have to ensure the opera pieces do not have high notes?
After the tour, we went for wine tasting. Gaz paid $5 for a taste of a selection of white and red wines. I sipped a little from his glass but I turned lobster red so quickly that I stopped at wine no. 5. Gaz however continued, and he became a little tipsy because he was drinking too quickly.
To let the alcohol work its course, we went outdoors and walked around the place where we stumbled upon a little two room brick cottage. The first room upon entry has a large in-built stove where Gaz dreamt of a large pot of soup on a cold wintry night in the cottage, and did star jumps in the compound. Gaz becomes very silly after a couple of drinks! We then walked to the historic homestead which now houses the administration office. The delicate lattice and simple cream walls made it look younger than its 100 year old history. Amazing what makeup can do!
Later, we went for lunch at their on-site restaurant, the Greenpoint Brasserie. I ordered the slow cooked served with celeriac mash, broccolini and quince jus ($33) while Gaz ordered the braised lamb shoulder ($26) and tempura eggplant chips ($8) to share. We had amazing (and I mean ammmmaaaazing!) eggplant chips at Movida previously and I just couldn't wait to sink my teeth into crispy batter on the outside and creamy goodness in the inside of the eggplant chips. Unfortunately, some of the eggplant batons were uncooked on the inside, and they were definitely not as creamy as the Movida ones.
My duck still had a little 'stubble' on the skin but the puree was creamy and nice. Gaz enjoyed his braised lamb which was tender albeit a little fatty. His only complaint was that the pearl barley was not well cooked. We weren't sure if the chef meant for the texture of the pearl barley to be hard, but we felt like we were eating uncooked pearl barley... which wasn't pleasant.
Compared to Yering Station's onsite restaurant, and Matt's Bar (also at Yering Station), I think that the food at Greenpoint falls short. Although, a point to note is that the prices at Yering Station's restaurant are about $5 more expensive. I also prefer the view from the Yering Station's restaurant better.
Nevertheless, we enjoyed the drive to and our day at Domaine Chandon, and laughing at Gaz's antics when he gets a little tipsy is a lot of fun!
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Get Back in the Queue!
Generally when one spots an elderly person on public transport, the general etiquette is to offer one's seat to them. I have had an elderly person offer HER seat to me on a tram once because I was coughing my lungs out after a strenous run to catch the tram, but that's another story.
So what is the etiquette for waiting in line?
On the weekend, Gaz and I went to Open House Melbourne 2012 in the city. Yes, we braved the wind, rain and the cold to visit two venues - the Hive Apartment and Victoria Trades Hall.
When we got to the Hive Apartment, there were about 30 people waiting in line to the entrance of the apartment. So we got in line and soon after, two elderly ladies (about 55 to 60 years old) arrived behind us. They chatted cheerily to the volunteer stationed at the apartment whose job was to ensure that only about 20 people are in the apartment at all times (to avoid overcrowding) and to present some trivia on the said property.
We waited for about 15 minutes before we were finally the second couple in line to enter the property. The volunteer then told us to take our shoes off and place them by the back wall, which was a couple of steps away from where we were standing. So about 10 of us next in line did what we were told and got back to our places in the line.
Whaddya know.......!! The two elderly ladies who were BEHIND us had stationed themselves in FRONT of us in the line after we all returned from putting our shoes by the wall. They had the gall to pretend that nothing happened. It's not like it was difficult to recognise us since we were the only Asians around!!! Surely they knew that jumping queue is the WRONG thing to do.
But no..... they looked at us, we looked at them. They pretended like they were in the right and inched closer to the entrance. No one said anything. Gaz and I were both fuming but because they're old we agreed to let it slip. Oh yes, we had to wait for another minute after the ladies went into the apartment for viewing.
IF they had asked us nicely if they could go first because their feet was aching, not feeling well, old, then I have no reservations about letting them go first. But what happened was just unbelievable... Gaz said they pretending to be nice and all made him sick.
All too often the older generation generalises the younger generation as rude and disrespectful. But look at the pot calling the kettle black now!!!
So what is the etiquette for waiting in line?
On the weekend, Gaz and I went to Open House Melbourne 2012 in the city. Yes, we braved the wind, rain and the cold to visit two venues - the Hive Apartment and Victoria Trades Hall.
When we got to the Hive Apartment, there were about 30 people waiting in line to the entrance of the apartment. So we got in line and soon after, two elderly ladies (about 55 to 60 years old) arrived behind us. They chatted cheerily to the volunteer stationed at the apartment whose job was to ensure that only about 20 people are in the apartment at all times (to avoid overcrowding) and to present some trivia on the said property.
We waited for about 15 minutes before we were finally the second couple in line to enter the property. The volunteer then told us to take our shoes off and place them by the back wall, which was a couple of steps away from where we were standing. So about 10 of us next in line did what we were told and got back to our places in the line.
Whaddya know.......!! The two elderly ladies who were BEHIND us had stationed themselves in FRONT of us in the line after we all returned from putting our shoes by the wall. They had the gall to pretend that nothing happened. It's not like it was difficult to recognise us since we were the only Asians around!!! Surely they knew that jumping queue is the WRONG thing to do.
But no..... they looked at us, we looked at them. They pretended like they were in the right and inched closer to the entrance. No one said anything. Gaz and I were both fuming but because they're old we agreed to let it slip. Oh yes, we had to wait for another minute after the ladies went into the apartment for viewing.
IF they had asked us nicely if they could go first because their feet was aching, not feeling well, old, then I have no reservations about letting them go first. But what happened was just unbelievable... Gaz said they pretending to be nice and all made him sick.
All too often the older generation generalises the younger generation as rude and disrespectful. But look at the pot calling the kettle black now!!!
Saturday, June 23, 2012
The Bug
It has been a very cold start to the winter. As expected, there have been people coughing, sneezing and blowing their noses in the office. Lots of bugs going around. I caught one myself too. Luckily I caught the cooking bug, which is quite a nice, healthy variety (except when it compels you to buy expensive gadgets and exotic ingredients which will remain idle once the bug has gone).
Last week, I felt like I had fulfilled all my cravings to last a year. These were some of the dishes I made:
When we have noodles with crab at the restaurant here, what I really look forward to is not the crab, but the noodles. The noodles would have soaked up the sauce and the fragrance of the holy trinity - spring onion, garlic and ginger lingers with every bite of the noodles. I substituted the crab with prawns and fish fillet. The dish turned out better than I expected... it was restaurant-class!
There is a Char Tow Kway stall in the market near my house in Malaysia. Each time I walked past the stall there would be a long line of people waiting for the husband and wife team to cook up their order. They cooked the tow kway in a large girdle greased with lots and lots of oil and the secret ingredient... lard.
I made the tow kway with rice flour and shreded white radish then steamed for half an hour. It was rather sticky when it came out, and in no hurry to eat it, I put it in the fridge. The next day, the texture was much firmer and manageable. I cut it into cubes and fried it with chai poh, lap cheong, garlic and egg. I wished I had some lard though. It would have made the difference, I believe.
Siu Mai is one of my favourite food when I was a child. Later, when I came to Australia and discovered the bursty big prawns in each har gao, I neglected the humble pork only filling of the siu mai. Last week I decided I must have them again. I was scratching my head to how to wrap these little fellas, luckily the trusty www advised to cut the four corners of the wonton skins off and hey presto!
I mixed 2:1 portions of minced pork to minced prawns, then mixed in some spring onions, salt, sugar and egg to bind. The result was really yummy siu mai! I topped each one with corn, pea and carrot. Sound familiar? Yeah... straight from the bag of mixed veges I keep in the freezer...
Last week, I felt like I had fulfilled all my cravings to last a year. These were some of the dishes I made:
 |
| Crab Noodles without the Crab |
 |
| Char Tow Kway |
There is a Char Tow Kway stall in the market near my house in Malaysia. Each time I walked past the stall there would be a long line of people waiting for the husband and wife team to cook up their order. They cooked the tow kway in a large girdle greased with lots and lots of oil and the secret ingredient... lard.
I made the tow kway with rice flour and shreded white radish then steamed for half an hour. It was rather sticky when it came out, and in no hurry to eat it, I put it in the fridge. The next day, the texture was much firmer and manageable. I cut it into cubes and fried it with chai poh, lap cheong, garlic and egg. I wished I had some lard though. It would have made the difference, I believe.
 |
| Siu Mai |
I mixed 2:1 portions of minced pork to minced prawns, then mixed in some spring onions, salt, sugar and egg to bind. The result was really yummy siu mai! I topped each one with corn, pea and carrot. Sound familiar? Yeah... straight from the bag of mixed veges I keep in the freezer...
Food Trucks
A year ago when Gaz mentioned to me the phenomena of food trucks, he received a very lacklustre response from me. More tsk tsk pooh pah than wow and ahhs. Since then, the food truck phenomena has caught on in Australia and has made appearances in recent food festivals in Melbourne. These food trucks can be elusive, and advertises their whereabouts through Facebook etc.
The new food truck concept is quite refreshing because traditionally food trucks were viewed as junk food on wheels. Think of the ice cream truck and the hot dog stand. These days, they serve good quality food, fusion food at reasonable prices. In America, at least. Think Kogi - fusion Korean and Mexican, wowee!
So, it was on that premise that I ended up in a parking lot of an inner city shopping centre on a cold wintry day. We had read about Barkly Square's food trucks on the www and decided to pay a visit. Each week, there were a number of food trucks which would be stationed there namely Dhaba Truck, Gumbo Kitchen (only on Sundays the last time we checked), Big Moose, Cornutopia and Grill'd (the famous burger chain - their truck is pretty sleek).
When we were there on a Saturday, there were Dhaba Truck, Big Moose and Grill'd. Our mouths were already watering with the promise of hot, tasty and delicious food in the cold weather. We took a seat on the cold metal chairs and took a snazzy looking leaflet of the redevelopment of Barkly Square from the dirty plastic table in front of us. If only the surroundings were as snazzy as the crisp leaflet. We were in a cordoned off area of a parking lot, which for some reason makes me want to don colourful but mismatched beanie and scarf and set a hollow oil drum on fire.
Gaz the hunter went in search of food while I stayed on the cold metal chair to keep our places. These were what he got:
The butter chicken looked delicious, and showed a lot of promise. But sadly, it was a little bland. I remember a better butter chicken dish cooked by an Indian friend and my mouth watered just then. But not for the one dished by Dhaba Truck.
The hot dog from Big Moose was tasty. It was not as delicious as the ones by Lockton Farm Sausages (see previous posts) but the taste was good, and the meat was firm. The sausage was topped by finely grated cheese which Gaz said was blow torched just prior to serving to melt it. Wow!! Now... if only the bun was toasted, it would have been really nice. I think I would have preferred the bread toasted rather than the cheese melted with a blow torch. It was rather like going to a wan tan mee stall and having a plate of cold, limp noodles but hey, each plate is garnished with a flake of gold leaf!
Overall, we were both quite disappointed. Perhaps our expectations were too high, or perhaps we chose our dishes poorly. Whatever it is, we will not be chasing food trucks all over the state in the near future.
The new food truck concept is quite refreshing because traditionally food trucks were viewed as junk food on wheels. Think of the ice cream truck and the hot dog stand. These days, they serve good quality food, fusion food at reasonable prices. In America, at least. Think Kogi - fusion Korean and Mexican, wowee!
So, it was on that premise that I ended up in a parking lot of an inner city shopping centre on a cold wintry day. We had read about Barkly Square's food trucks on the www and decided to pay a visit. Each week, there were a number of food trucks which would be stationed there namely Dhaba Truck, Gumbo Kitchen (only on Sundays the last time we checked), Big Moose, Cornutopia and Grill'd (the famous burger chain - their truck is pretty sleek).
When we were there on a Saturday, there were Dhaba Truck, Big Moose and Grill'd. Our mouths were already watering with the promise of hot, tasty and delicious food in the cold weather. We took a seat on the cold metal chairs and took a snazzy looking leaflet of the redevelopment of Barkly Square from the dirty plastic table in front of us. If only the surroundings were as snazzy as the crisp leaflet. We were in a cordoned off area of a parking lot, which for some reason makes me want to don colourful but mismatched beanie and scarf and set a hollow oil drum on fire.
Gaz the hunter went in search of food while I stayed on the cold metal chair to keep our places. These were what he got:
 | |||
| Butter Chicken on Rice - Dhaba Truck |
 |
| Hot Dog - Big Moose |
The butter chicken looked delicious, and showed a lot of promise. But sadly, it was a little bland. I remember a better butter chicken dish cooked by an Indian friend and my mouth watered just then. But not for the one dished by Dhaba Truck.
The hot dog from Big Moose was tasty. It was not as delicious as the ones by Lockton Farm Sausages (see previous posts) but the taste was good, and the meat was firm. The sausage was topped by finely grated cheese which Gaz said was blow torched just prior to serving to melt it. Wow!! Now... if only the bun was toasted, it would have been really nice. I think I would have preferred the bread toasted rather than the cheese melted with a blow torch. It was rather like going to a wan tan mee stall and having a plate of cold, limp noodles but hey, each plate is garnished with a flake of gold leaf!
Overall, we were both quite disappointed. Perhaps our expectations were too high, or perhaps we chose our dishes poorly. Whatever it is, we will not be chasing food trucks all over the state in the near future.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Klunk No More
I took my car for a minor service today and ended up with a $900 bill and two new (who knows? I certainly don't know if they are!) car parts. There was a new technician at the dealership who served me this time, and he was very thorough.
There were some noises which had been around for some time, even at the last major service which was not picked up. But this guy, he was good. He spotted it right away and informed me that the left bearing wheel nut whatever thing is noisy and needed to be changed to stop the noise.
My car is no spring chicken in car years, but I think for all the crazy driving I do in it, it deserves to be well maintained.
Klunk no more!
There were some noises which had been around for some time, even at the last major service which was not picked up. But this guy, he was good. He spotted it right away and informed me that the left bearing wheel nut whatever thing is noisy and needed to be changed to stop the noise.
My car is no spring chicken in car years, but I think for all the crazy driving I do in it, it deserves to be well maintained.
Klunk no more!
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