Birthday wrap up

Life has been really busy these past couple of months and it all came to a head last week. I made it through, but there was no time for blogging so this little thing took a back seat.

My Birthday weekend (2 weekends ago) started with breakfast at the Hilton buffet breakfast. Like any hotel buffet breakfast, this was a winner and after 2 courses, coffee and juice I was sufficiently stuffed and ready for the day ahead at work. At about 2pm I got a call from reception to let me know I had flowers waiting for me. I raced up as I had no idea who they could be from and found my bestie who lives in Brisbane had gotten flowers sent to me. She is such a beautiful person!

No birthday is complete without a bottle of your favourite alcohol and S did not disappoint with this bottle of Hendricks gin that he had gotten for me.

My Birthday was on a Sunday this year, so we chose to go out for dinner on Saturday night so we could have a few drinks. We went to Spencer Guthrie in Newtown for dinner and drinks, followed by Earls Duke Joint for a couple of drinks afterwards.

 

The food at Spencer Guthrie was great, but the service not so much. The waiter was slow to take orders, they ran out of gin and then towards the end the drinks we ordered didn’t even make it to the table. Whilst the food was good, the service really let down our experience there and I don’t think I’ll be in a rush to go back.

I was gifted with some beautiful Jo Malone perfume in a grapefruit scent by S. It has a really delicious smell and definitely smells just like grapefruit as I have asked a couple of people if they can pick the scent and they have said grapefruit straight away.

On Sunday – my actual Birthday, I got cake for breakfast from Black Star Pastry. Delicious watermelon and strawberry cake that I love. That evening we went for a low key dinner with our friends T&M and baby H which was lovely.

It was a great Birthday and I was thoroughly spoiled!

Birthday

Steve celebrated his Birthday this week and we all know I am a lover of all things Birthday! We kicked off the celebrations with dinner at the farm on Friday evening where we had the first Birthday Cake. I got him a chocolate mousse cake from Lorraine’s Pattiserie in the city and it was divine. If you need to buy a cake, go there!

 

The next lot of celebrations happened on Saturday evening at Kingston Public in Newtown. We went with his cousins and sister for a couple of drinks before heading to a café a few doors down (can’t remember the name) where we shared a tasting platter. The tasting platter was awful. Gross, old food. Lucky the cocktails at Kingston Public more than made up for it. They have a great selection on the menu and the bar staff are really friendly.

Monday was his actual Birthday. Every year, I put a sign up that says ‘Happy Birthday’ for him to wake up to. He went off to work and we met for lunch with his sister and her husband and went to Reuben and Moore in the Westfield’s food court for a delicious roast meat place. Have you been to that place? If not, go there asap. The food is amazing!

I cooked Steve a Moroccan roast chicken with roast veg for dinner, sourced from the David Jones food hall which was followed by an array of desserts from the same place and then some other delicious treats that Steve’s other sister bought from the Health Food Store in Newtown. After dinner we all went for a nice walk with Ted which was a lovely way to end the day. We will also be going out for dinner Saturday night which will be a lovely ending to his Birthday week.

Steve, you are the best! I hope you had a fantastic Birthday and I am so glad you got excited this year because it isn’t much fun when I am the only one excited even when it’s not my Birthday.

 

Birthdays all 'round

My youngest brother, Jack turned 16 on the weekend. I know, when did THAT happen? I moved out of home when he was a little 11 year old and barely in high school and now he is a teenager that resembles Justin Bieber. My parents hosted a family party for him on Saturday with the theme being Coca Cola. 

If there is one thing this kid loves, it’s a coke.

When I got there (after my 1.5 hour drive to woop woop), Mum had already set up all the tables and decorations and Dad was hiding in the man-cave so he didn’t have to help. I kid, he was cutting out props for the photo booth (and taking his sweet time so he wouldn’t have to do anything else). My Mum knows how to put her husband to good use.

and we know how to put a photo booth to good use

I walked through the front door and could hear my Mum talking away (to anyone/thing that will listen) and there was not another person to be seen. I thought they might all be out, but no. They are teenagers; they were playing their playstations/Xboxes in their rooms (der), with the doors closed. I went in to Jack’s room to give him his gift and the room was pitch black. Curtains closed and no lights on…optimal conditions for a game on the Xbox. I would show you the perfectly wrapped gift, except it was not perfectly wrapped. It was put in a country road bag without even a bag. I know, I fail.

The outfit I bought him

Mum loves a good party and any excuse to cook for the herd is a good one. We had a nibblies spread, followed by a nachos buffet and then the best course – a dessert buffet. I was so hyped on sugar by the end of the night that I went home and promptly sugar crashed in front of the television. Poor S; no conversation for you! (He couldn’t come to the party as he had an exam today he had to study for).

Part of the dessert buffet

On Sunday, my sweet little puppy turned 5 years old. Lucky for me, he is not a human and did not demand my undivided attention all day because I had to do Uni work for most of the day. I did take him on a couple of walks though and rubbed his belly and told him he is special so he was happy with that.

In other news, I went to the Vogue fashion night in the city on Thursday night with S’s sister. I remember going a couple of years ago and being wowed by all the discounts. I think we even picked up a pair of jeans for free, though that was because the sales attendant was busy talking when scanning rather than the actual sale. This year, not so good. Too many people and I wasn’t really in to it. The highlight of my night was trying on this Zimmerman skirt and declaring my undying love for it. This thing will be in my hands soon enough (I hope). I was told shops still do lay-by so I think I'll pop in to the store soon.

Birthday

It was my Birthday Saturday and as always, it was a great day. I love Birthdays!

I woke up and was given strict instructions to stay in bed until S and Ted were back. They got home, S made coffee and I was asked to come downstairs, where I was greeted with this cake...for breakfast.

Following cake, I was given my gifts. A pair of leather ponte pants and a beautiful wool winter coat. We lazed around afterwards, before getting ready for lunch. I didn't know where we were going for lunch until we were walking in to the building. I love surprises and since I had chosen my Birthday gifts and knew what they were, I asked S to keep the lunch location a surprise.

He chose Gowings Bar and Grill which is the restaurant in the new QT hotel on Market Street (near the State Theatre). 

We decided to go with mains and desserts as I can never fit in a full three courses and dessert is an obvious choice for my sweet tooth. For my main, I chose the Fennel & Black Pepper Crusted Yellow Fin Tuna Steak. 

 Fennel & Black Pepper Crusted Yellow Fin Tuna Steak

Served rare, Jerusalem Artichoke Purée with a Warm Salad of Peas, Chervil and Red Onion - $44 

For his main, S chose the Tajima Full Blood Wagyu 9+ Flank Steak Northern NSW, 300g.

Tajima Full Blood Wagyu 9+ Flank Steak Northern NSW, 300g With Condiments - $54

Excuse the blurry photos of these two dishes, I didn't pull the SLR out until dessert had arrived. These mains were delicious and full of flavour. The components of the Tuna went so well together and the size of the meal was large enough to make me full but not uncomfortable. The wagyu had a perfect amount of crisp and a really amazing flavour.There was also a great selection of condiments available to go with the steak.

For dessert, there was no competition for me. As soon as I see profiteroles on the menu, the decision is made. In fact, I chose my dessert before I even looked at the mains menu. 

 Gowings Classic Profiteroles

Filled with Crème Pâtissière and Vanilla Ice-Cream, Drowned in Valrhona Dark Chocolate Sauce - $17

S chose a dish called  Apple Crumble Flavours which consisted of: Sweet & Sour Apple Empanada, Peanut Brittle, Salted Caramel Ice-Cream, Apple Pickle & Caramel Cider

 Apple crumble flavours - $19

Both desserts were so delicious. I honestly could not fault any part of our meals at all. The staff were attentive, but not in the way and they were helpful with the menu choices. 

After lunch, we had a wander around the city before heading home to have a nap and sleep off our sugar comas. 

The celebrations weren't over then though, as after we woke from our sugar coma's, my lovely friend K came over so we could head out for some drinks. We went to Jester Seeds in Newtown which is a great little cocktail bar. I'm not sure why, but Jester's is rarely full and we can always find a seat when I go there. Strange considering the other two cocktail bars in Newtown are always packed and you can hardly find standing room. It may be because it is at the other end of King St, but who knows.

We found a great seat upstairs in the 'Art Room' where we shared a bottle of wine. When I was ready to look at food again, we chose two 'share plates'. 

 Polenta chips - $8

 Bocconcini Balls - $8

Although small servings, they were a great size as neither of us were particularly hungry. 

It was a great day and I am so happy to have such wonderful people who spoil me so much!!

Happy Birthday, S!!

 Last Sunday was S's Birthday and while I was supposed to be studying, I decided spoiling him was more important. We were still up at 12am, so we started his birthday with a drink and chat before heading to bed.

Before S woke up, I got out the helium balloon tank and blew up some balloons to put downstairs. A nice touch to any Birthday and a lot of entertainment for Teddy. It seems Ted loves to play with balloons!

Once S's family arrived, we headed out for breakfast to Vicinity in Alexandria. We'd only been there for a drink before so were keen to try out the food. The menu was limited and it seemed as though the only options were quite simple, but each meal had a little twist that made it delicious. S loves pancakes with maple syrup and bacon and whilst this wasn't on the menu, the chef was happy to change up one of the dishes so he could have brioche, bacon and maple syrup.

The food was delicious and well priced. Most breakfast meals were around $15 and the portions sizes were filling. Vicinity also does lunch and dinner and I have heard the dinner is pretty outstanding, so we'd love to go back some time and try it out.

We had hoped to go to 'The Grounds' in Alexandria for breakfast, but since that was booked out we ended up just strolling through there after breakfast. They have pigs and chickens and different herbs and vegetables that they are growing. It looks like a really great place to eat.

If you also can't get a table there, you can just go and watch the little pig foraging for whatever is hidden in the depths of all that dirt. The little one was on the go the whole time we were watching him and only picked his head up for a breather. 

The Grounds also does an outdoor bacon and egg sandwich BBQ that seemed pretty popular. That and the fresh juice from the stand next to it and I'd say you've got a nice easy breakfast. There was a little flower cart and berry stand too, so something to suit everyone.

Afterwards, we went out for cake at Kurtosh in Surry Hills. The concept they have there is interesting whereby you pay for your cake per 100g slice. Lucky for us as we were all stuffed from breakfast and only needed small slivers of cake. I didn't get any pictures, but believe me when I say the cake was delicious! The cafe itself is quite large and there is plenty of seating, however they don't have air conditioning or ample windows and it was quite stuffy inside. I think Kurtosh might be more of a Winter cake and coffee destination.

S, I hope you had a great day. We all love you!!

* All photos taken on my iPhone...I forgot my camera!

Teddy's Birthday

Teddy's favourite thing to do is go on long walks with Steve and I. So after a busy day on Saturday (and an afternoon nap!), we took him down to choose a future yacht for a long walk along Rushcutters Bay. We also recently bought a new flash, so we decided to try it out on the walk.

Teddy really loves to race. He will sit patiently through 'On your marks, Get set, GO!' and won't run until he hears the magic 'GO' word. If I false start, he will still be sitting patiently. Too bad he gets bored midway through the race and runs in front of me to try and trip me. I've gotten a couple of skinned knees from his little diversions!

Review - Assiette Restaurant, Surry Hills

For my Birthday this year, I asked S to pick a beautiful restaurant for my Birthday. He kept it a secret until the night and I was honestly so pleased at his choice.

Assiette in Surry Hills offers dishes with a modern French twist and there is an option of either the Degustation menu or the A La Carte menu.

We chose the Degustation menu for something special and we were so so happy with our choice.

There were 8 courses and each course out did the previous. For a sample menu, click here. Ours differed a little, but you get the gist. 

After the first course came out, we thought me may walk out hungry. By the fourth course, we thought we may not be able to finish our meal. Degustations offer small servings, but the way they are spaced out ensures that each meal has settled by the time the next is served. We were well and truly full by the end and I had to turn down S's offer of taking me for cocktails because I was just too full!

The service was fantastic. The first course was brought to us within 15 minutes of arriving and the waiters and waitresses were knowledgable and friendly. Rather than choosing matched wines, we opted to get a bottle of wine we knew we would love. 

I forgot to take the camera with us, so I only had my iPhone. It was a little dark so the pictures aren't the best quality. Despite my poor pictures, I can assure that the dishes and presentation were amazing. 

4th May

Otherwise known as my Birthday! 

I love Birthdays and get so excited every single year. 

I took the day off work and spent the day lazing about, sewing, picnicking in the sun with Teddy and in the evening S took me for an amazing dinner at Assiette in Surry Hills (review to come). 

 Beautiful flowers my family had delivered

 S bought me a 'joke' present. It is a handset that you plug in to an iPhone..awesome!

 Banana split for morning tea

 Cocktails before dinner

 Assiette bathroom

 One of the courses - divine!

Orange, persian fig cake from Black Star Pastry for breakfast

Birthdays..

On the weekend, we celebrated S's Mum's 50th birthday. S's family own a farm which is where the party was held. Caterer's were hired to come in (that had a 2 hat rating) and overall the night was just perfect.

The amazing food

My dog Teddy and I...he was pretty tired

Every good party needs balloons

Table settings

We didn't end up going to bed until 4am..definitely the best party this year!