Basking in the sun in Noosa…

Decided that I had to escape Victoria for a short trip interstate and decided to head to Noosa, upon recommendations from friends.  On the whole, I loved it!  It was quite and quaint, the beach was lovely and the hotel (Sheraton) was awesome!  Things that I didn’t quite like:  things are expensive there!  Whilst there are some dining highs, there are definitely some lows.

The hotel was fantastic, we were really lucky to get a good deal on the room there.  Central and close to everything, food there was decent (we had breakfast included) and of course, it had a nice pool (which we had burgers by one day).

Food worth traveling for:  Wasabi (pics attached) – fantastic Japanese by the river, authentic and delicious.  River Cottage – a bit out of the way but the food was stunning,  Modern Australian and great service.  Ricky’s – we didn’t actually get to dine there (booked out every night!) but the people there were lovely and referred us to River Cottage.  Local surf lifesavers – good size and well priced pub grub.   Lindoni’s – good italian, authentic but a tad overpriced and snooty.

Food that’s not worth traveling for:  Cafe on Hastings:  overpriced and really average.  Bercaros:  overpriced and average.  Bistro C:  overpriced and average.  Sheraton Seafood Buffet:  don’t do it, radioactive orange prawns.

(11th – 16th October 2010)

 

More info and reviews on Wasabi:

More info and reviews on River Cottage:

More info and reviews on Rickys:

More info and reviews on Lindoni’s:

Lazy weekend in Perth

Whilst traveling to Perth is by airplane, and therefore does not add to my quest for more kilometers, I thought I’d do a quick blog about this as we had such a delightful time there.

We stayed at the Sheraton, which lived up to the normal Starwood standards.  The room was spacious and well furnished, with the highlight of the room being the bed!  Those heavenly beds rock my world!  Pillowy softness made for a fantastic nights sleep.  The other highlight of the hotel was the hash browns that were served for breakfast.  We stayed for 3 nights and every morning, there they were.  Golden crispy outside,  soft potato goodness on the inside.  Delicious!

Our dining experience in Perth is well worth mentioning.   The 7 course degustation at Star Anise with matching wine was delicious and was a good “progression”.   The winning dish for me was the “marron, hiramasa kingfish, ‘tom yum’” – delicate seafood sitting with a tom yum reduced jelly.   Winning dish for my partner was the “lightly smoked ocean trout, crackling, seaweed, enoki, edamame, winter melon, brown rice tea broth” – good tasty broth again with delicate seafood.  Well worth the trip out the Shenton Park (which is about 10 mins out of the city by cab).

Whilst roaming around Perth city, starved for a good coffee, we stumbled upon a strange looking extension to an office building in the heart of the city.  The extension had walls made of potted plants, with doors that had handles of spades and tables and chairs made from what looks like recycled crates.  Lo and behold, it was Greenhouse.   This was around the time that Matt Stone was awarded the Gourmet Traveller best new chef award so it was totally hyped up for me.  And it lived up to it!   I enjoyed a delicious blade steak with caramelized brussel sprouts and a cauliflower tartin.  It  was spectacular.

Had a fantastic weekend away, can’t wait to return to try more restaurants and return to Greenhouse!

(10th – 13th September 2010)

For more info on Greenhouse:

For more info on Star Anise: