Tag: Food

The Perils and Pitfalls of Penang Food – Days 3 and 4

After our very delicious dinner the night before my dear husband awoke in the early hours in incredible pain. He had succumbed to severe food poisoning, I suspect from a noodle stall on the quay when he walked back from Gurney Plaza.

As soon as possible the next day I went in search of a chemist. It was a blistering hot day unlike the day before. Well I searched in vain as I remembered it was a public holiday so had to make do with some gatorade I found in a mini mart. Of course we had to revise all plans and just stay close to the hotel.

Anyway to cut a long story short, the next day we found a chemist and bought appropriate medication. Around lunchtime he rallied and we went for lunch.

Traditional Indian shop
Terracotta Diyas
Blocked alley way!
Street scene
My lunch which I managed to eat half of before the drama unfolded

My crazy husband decided to eat a laksa for lunch, thinking he’s iron man. He then got up and said he felt dizzy and walked to the door where he promptly collapsed in the alley outside. I went slightly hysterical at that point and yelled for help. He was so unresponsive that I thought he had had a stroke. I can’t say enough good things about the people who rushed to our aid. An ambulance was called and off he went with me to find my own way.

Thankfully he was admitted straightaway to Penang General Hospital and was soon hooked up to fluids. I went back to the hotel where I called my son, his girlfriend and my daughter. Maddy, Laurence’s girlfriend was the first to answer and got the full brunt of my hysteria. Finally I spoke to Laurence who calmed me down. I decided to go back to the hospital and not wait for their phone call.

The Doctor said she wanted to keep him overnight but Anthony said no, it was quite a basic hospital with what he calls “starter block” toilets. So we went off armed with a prescription which we tried to fill at the hospital pharmacy, but his arm started spurting blood so we had to walk all the way back to ED to get this bandaged up.

We were supposed to be leaving the next day for Langkawi but I made the executive decision to stay another day in Penang, which in hindsight was a good decision.

Rest and …
relaxation

Thanks for reading and hopefully I will be posting more positive stories in the next few days!

Searching for Street Art in Penang – Day Two

One of the things I wanted to do whilst in Penang was to look at all the street art that Penang is famous for. Although I had downloaded a map of all the places, my sim card was not activated properly! So we went back to the 7-11 where we had bought them and the very kind assistant sorted this out for me. I do exasperate Anthony with my constant stopping and starting and looking at my phone as to where to go! He tends to just walk randomly.

The streets were busy today as it Sunday and it seemed like everyone had the same idea.

We did find lots of murals and metal artwork along the way. The weather was cloudy and a nice breeze blowing, not at all what we expected.

Trombone Player by Gabriel Pitcher. An English born artist who has painted murals around the World.

Above are various street scenes from our walk

Humorous 3D artwork found on street walls depicting the life of long ago.

The Football Legend Pele
Early means of transportation
Racial Harmony Mural
Old World Bread Seller

It was almost impossible to walk on any sidewalk or the covered archways that lined the road. Walking on the road was the easier option, but with cars driving very close by you had better watch out for your hands and feet!

If I hadn’t glanced sideways I would have missed these cute kittens peeking out from these windows.

Two Owls painted on a pillar
Moi underneath a cat piloting a butterfly

Enough street art for one day, I have a few more and I know I’ve missed many. It was getting on for lunchtime and time to go shopping!

We took a “Grab Cab” to Gurney Plaza where there is a huge shopping mall. Grab is the equivalent of Uber in Malaysia and seems to be the only taxi service in Penang. Once you have the App it’s pretty straightforward and the good thing about it is that you can use cash to pay and no need for credit card details.

Lunch was just a quick snack in a European Beer cafe, pretty lousy to be honest! Then off to the shops to look for walking shoes for me as mine had now given me a blister and shorts and a backpack for Anthony to climb Penang Hill. Well we were successful in everything and mine were called “the most comfortable shoes in the world” and I have to say this is 100% true, I felt like I was walking on pillows.

Back to the hotel for a quick swim and rest before heading out for dinner.

Dinner at Kebaya Restaurant

I had seen a place nearby called Kebaya Fusion Restaurant. The chefs were Swiss trained so we were expecting some gastronomic extravaganza. The restaurant is in a heritage listed building called Seven Terraces and owned by Christopher Ong. The building has been lovingly restored with the most beautiful decorations and furniture. The tiles on the floors were imported from Vietnam. I didn’t realise it was also a hotel until I asked if I could look around.

The entrance to Seven Terraces
Inside the dining room
Enjoying a pre-dinner glass of wine

The waiter explained it was a set two or three course menu and it would be good to choose different dishes so we could share. Everything was mouth wateringly delicious.

CRISPY JO0 HOO CHAR ROLL and OTAK-OTAK
KERABU WING BEANS, HONG BAK LAMB and ACHAR
GULAI CHICKEN
PANDAN CREME BRULEE

Inside the hotel

The photos below show what an opium lord’s house would look like back in the day. Complete with opium pipes and snuff boxes.

After dinner Anthony suggested a nightcap in the bar, as we sat down I recognised the owner Christopher in the corner with a lady friend. When we left I went up to him and complimented him on his beautiful hotel. We stood and had a chat with him for a while about the renovations he had made.

Off to bed for a good night’s sleep after a very busy day.

🍻 A Cheeky Monkey Lunch 🍻

During our stay in Dunsborough we visited two breweries for lunch. This region is well known for breweries and wineries. It was hard to choose between so many but we knew it must have a playground!

The first place we went to was Cheeky Monkey Brewery, very apt I thought as we were taking two cheeky monkeys with us. It was just a fifteen minute drive from the house and we had a booking at 12pm.

It was situated in Wilyabrup and had a large lake which you could walk around. The playground was awesome, featuring a fort and a log bridge.

We ate by the lake, so Lachie could run around but as there was a small river next to us he couldn’t do so on his own!

Sampling a few beers and wines

Enjoying the playground

Crossing the log bridge, my heart was in my mouth! But he made it

The wonderful flowers on display around the lake

Cheeky Monkey Brewery was a good choice and we all had a great time, eating, drinking, playing and walking around the lake. I love these family friendly breweries where they cater for everyone.

👯‍♀️ Dancing in Dunsborough – Days Three and Four 👯‍♀️

Day Three

What a fun day today was going to be, a mystery tour had been planned for a coachful of women! Reminiscent of a school outing with our names being ticked off by Vicki as we boarded. It was non-stop chatter from the moment we sat down and Laura our lovely instructor had to whistle very loudly to get our attention. We boarded at 10.30 am and would be back at 4pm, no-one had a clue about where we would be going.

Our first stop was a winery for a quick tour and of course the requisite wine tasting. The winery was Aravina Winery, a 180 acre property with a surfing museum attached in Yallingup. The owners were very accommodating and explained each wine as it was tasted.

👰 A great place to get married 🤵
Just a taste
A step back in time

After sampling many wines we were back on the bus and onto our next mystery destination. This time also stopping for lunch. With much guessing going on we finally arrived at Black Brewing Company. Two large tables had been reserved for us and the staff did an excellent job of serving so many ladies! I was one of the lucky ones who was served very quickly, some were not so fortunate and waited for a while.

A few of the ladies that were still sitting by the time I got around to taking a photo

This place had the most amazing grounds, so after lunch I had a walk around to snap a few more shots. There was intermittent rain so it was a case of dodging it while walking.

A small island sat on the opposite side of the bridge with a stunning gazebo.

Each of the glass windows had a story of winemaking written on them with wonderful artwork. The photos didn’t quite come out the way I wanted.

Back on the bus and our next two stops were more about shopping. The first one was Vasse Virgin Olive Oil. All products were natural, made with olive oil, plant extracts and essential oils. We had a great time here sampling all the products and getting hand scrubs.

What finishes off a day nicely, a trip to a chocolate factory goes down very well with anyone, and that’s where our last stop was, The Margaret River Chocolate Factory.

I bought a few gifts to take home and all the ladies were given a bar by the lovely Laura.

So this was a no dancing day as everyone was pretty tired after a hard day’s touring. A very quiet pizza party was planned for the evening with cupcake decorating for dessert.

Day Four

More eating today with morning tea at Cape Lavender Teahouse. Devonshire Cream teas with lavender scones, cream and jam, just the best start to the day.

I was so happy that they did gluten free also, enjoyed every bite. There was also a gift shop, so did the obligatory shop and came away with even more gifts.

Yallingup Maze was next and then lunch at another brewery. Lisa and I opted instead for more shopping and a walk along the beach before a zumba class at 4.15.

Geographe Bay

Our last night’s party had a Bollywood theme with everyone invited to dress up and bring a curry. The outfits were amazing and everyone made such a great effort and the food was gourmet standard.

And so ends a fantastic five nights of dancing, eating, drinking, making new friends and catching up with old ones. A magnificent achievement by our zumba instructors – maybe next year back to Bali!

Meanderings through Margaret River, Western Australia

Margaret River is in the South Western area of WA and a popular tourist spot Nationwide and Worldwide. The beaches are great for surfing and swimming. It’s a wonderful place to visit in the winter and we generally try to get down once a year for a short break. So after Pemberton we drove back up to enjoy a two night stay. Margaret River is home to many wineries and restaurants, it’s hard to know where to go when you only have a couple of days.

We stayed at our usual hotel Margarets Beach Resort and had a small unit with a balcony. I had asked for a partial seaview and that’s what we got. Although it was a fair way in the distance. This hotel is actually located in Gnarrabup and ten minute drive from the town itself. Very peaceful.

  • Our room
  • Sunset from the balcony

That night we drove into town to a South American Tapas restaurant, El Toro. We had quite a few plates between us. It was a fantastic restaurant, the food and service were wonderful and I definitely enjoyed my mojito listening to latin music.

Mojito Monday!

The next morning we walked down to the local cafe, White Elephant, for breakfast. This cafe sits practically on the beach. It was a bit chilly but we sat outside so we could enjoy the beautiful view.

  • “Healthy”

We were lucky to have such a glorious day to sit and take in this gorgeous view.

  • Gnarrabup Beach
  • Walking back to our apartment

A bit later we drove to Eagle Bay to Wise Winery for lunch. It’s one of our favourites and never disappoints.

A lightish lunch! A creamy Chicken Liver Parfait, Spicy Green Beans and Duck Confit with a wood sorrel sauce.

Of course you can’t go to a winery and not have a glass of wine

Wise Winery has stunning views overlooking the Indian Ocean

We definitely needed a walk after this lunch, so drove to Yallingup and walked down to the beach from the carpark at Caves House and back.

There were a few whales out there in the distance.
The sun through the trees

I was determined to see the sunset back at Margaret River that evening, so around 5.30 pm we walked back to the White Elephant Cafe and sat and watched a magnificent sunset.

😎It Doesn’t Get Better Than This😎

Caves House, Yallingup, WA For An Overnight Stay

After saying goodbye in Pemberton to our friends Cheryl and Vaughan we drove onto Yallingup for our overnight stay at Caves House. Although we had previously had dinner here we had never stayed. Spending the night is always something I have wanted to do. The inside of Caves House is wonderfully well kept and has…

by Alison

Midweek break in Yallingup

  Yallingup is in the South Western region of Western Australia.  Its a great spot to visit for a short break especially from Perth.  The drive takes just under three hours. With so many places to stay it was so difficult to decide, we eventually chose the  Sienna Lodge and it did not disappoint! Situated in…

by Alison

A Night out in the City

I thought it was high time we went out for dinner in the city, so yesterday I booked a restaurant that we’ve been to before but not for a while. Normally we tend to just visit our local as we know what we’re getting and always enjoy it! But time for a change. We only live 15 minutes away so it’s not a hassle.

When we arrived our hostess showed us to our table upstairs. I didn’t even know this place had an upstairs let alone a roof top area. We had a lovely table with an outside heater, although one arm got very warm while the other froze! I wondered being right at the top how the service would be. Well no worries there because we didn’t have to wait long at all. The service at this restaurant is first class and the atmosphere was wonderful.

Hubs and me enjoying city life at night on the rooftop of The Standard, Northbridge, Perth

OUR FOOD

Here we have Garlic Potato Gems, Caramelised Pork Satay Dip with Puffed Rice Crackers, Crispy Fried Chicken, Shredded Duck with Rolled Turmeric Wafer and Jumbo Tiger Prawns in Black Pepper Butter.

The menu had a few sections, Eats, Small Plates and Large Plates. We went for a few small plates, before I got too carried away the waitress stopped me and said that’s enough!

Accompanied by a Tasmanian Pinot Noir

I think Perth must be one of the few cities left in Australia where the hospitality industry is booming. I hope before too long that the other capital cities begin to thrive again soon.

PS: I posted some photos on Facebook and Instagram but cut off Hubby’s head! I sure got lots of comments about that.

Posted as part of Six Word Saturday hosted by Debbie at Travel with Intent.

Restaurants and Murals of Melbourne

It was over a year since our last visit to Melbourne, longer for hubby, and it was the second planned trip this year! Anyway we finally took the risk of no lockdowns during our six day trip (although that has come back to bite us on the backside!) This visit was to catch up with Laurence and Maddy, a weekend on Philip Island and a short trip to Sydney.

We decided to stay near them so as to maximise our time together and chose The Hamptons on Chapel Street.

Arriving late on a Tuesday afternoon, we checked into a very nice one bedroom apartment and met with Laurence and Maddy for dinner just around the corner.

Tulum Turkish Restaurant, Balaclava

This is one of my favourite restaurants in Melbourne, it has some very tasty tapas on the menu.

A delicious start to our stay in Melbourne

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

Over the next couple of days we spent time walking the streets and soaking up the sights.

The street art around Melbourne is always so different and vibrant. I took photos of some fabulous murals on our walk around the city.

The above two murals are by Mike Maka from Melbourne (Australia) a painter who works in a variety of media, mainly on walls, canvas and illustration on paper. He has travelled and created work around the world, painting the Berlin Wall to the River Ganges. Source: Street-Artwork

The mural on the right was actually blocked off and I had to step on a small wall and balance on hubby’s back while lowering the net to snap it!

Painted by Heesco – a Mongolian Artist based in Melbourne

This brightly coloured mural was just outside our apartment block, such beautiful colours.

  • Painted by Heesco

Heesco – a Mongolian born artist based in Melbourne. Have a look at his website, he is by far the best artist I have seen. His silo murals are extraordinary.

🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷🔷

Chez Bob, Armadale

One night we had dinner in a cute French restaurant out in one of the suburbs east of Melbourne. A fabulous evening with great food and service. We ate snails, scallops, pate, beef tartare, rabbit pie, duck and beef. A gourmet feast.

G2 Korean BBQ, CBD

Maddy chose G2, one of her favourite restaurants in Melbourne for our last night here. This is a very authentic restaurant with a burner of coals on the table. The staff that night were truly run off their feet as they like to cook for you. Although we did pretty well on our own.

I ordered a delicious rice wine mango cocktail, although did not mean for a jug only a glass!

As always it was a lovely few days catching up with Laurence and Maddy. But we still had the weekend ahead on Philip Island.

In the Mood for Food at Meeka, Subiaco, WA – A review

This restaurant is one that we have been meaning to visit for a long time. I can’t think why we’ve missed this wonderful place, maybe plans got in the way or the dreaded “C” word! Anyway amends have now been made and it was a definite hit for hubby and I.

Meeka’s cuisine is an Australian/Middle Eastern fusion, using local produce to create unique original dishes.

Outside looking in

We were greeted at the counter by the very affable Jack, aka Jacquimo. It didn’t take us long to realise he was running the place almost singlehanded, efficiently and with great humour!

I had a cocktail as usual, this time a Pomegranate Mojito and hubby went straight onto the red wine, and ordered the one below recommended by Jack. I even had a glass and I’m not a red wine drinker! 🍷 A light easy to drink bottle.

Ravensworth Murrumbateman Sangiovese, NSW

While we waited for our food to arrive I asked Jack if I could snap a few shots.

Meeka is very deceptive size wise and seems small on entering, but at the back there is another dining room for around 20 more diners.

Beautiful artwork on the walls and a large array of wines on display.
Through the cubbyhole!

Our Food

  • Popcorn Prawns / Lemonaise / Greens / Radish / Middle Eastern Sambal
  • Pork Belly / Grain Salad / Broccolini / Spiced Plum Sauce
  • Slow Cooked Black Garlic Lamb Shoulder / Smokey Eggplant Puree / Green Beans / Spiced Jumbo Cous Cous / Muhammara

All these dishes were packed with flavour and the exotic ingredients used worked perfectly together. The favourite for both of us was the slow cooked black garlic lamb, melt in your mouth tenderness.

We both enjoyed the atmosphere at Meeka, made all the better for the wonderful service from Jack, obviously compliments to the chef too. It will be added to our favourite restaurants in Perth.

Thanks for reading!

Meelup Farmhouse, Eagle Bay with the Divas

Another day, another lunch for the divas’ weekend in Dunsborough. This time it was at the picturesque Meelup Farmhouse. What a super place this is.

Before even getting to the entrance there is so much to see, so remember to arrive a bit early to have a look around.

First came the alpacas, such cute animals
Next the chickens and roosters. They were so friendly and children were allowed to pick them up for a cuddle

Lizzie the cow was hiding when we were there, but here’s one from the Meelup website I cheekily stole!

Lizzie

As soon as we sat down we were given the drinks list, but on looking around it seemed everyone was drinking the same thing. So we didn’t even have to look and ordered four “we’ll have what they’re having” – Ginger gin passionfruit mojitos”.

An airy and light dining room with a fabulously decorated ceiling.

  • House made sweet potato flat bread, roasted beets, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, avocado, beetroot hummus + kale
    House made sweet potato flat bread, roasted beets, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, avocado, beetroot hummus + kale
  • Fresh Farmhouse salad, merlot vinaigrette
    Fresh Farmhouse salad, merlot vinaigrette
  • Woodfired Atlantic salmon, roast fennel, honey + dijon dressing
    Woodfired Atlantic salmon, roast fennel, honey + dijon dressing
  • Salt + pepper squid, Farmhouse grown chilli, shallot
    Salt + pepper squid, Farmhouse grown chilli, shallot

Above are some of the dishes we shared and we also had Chicken liver pate topped with cherries and chargrilled Yallingup wood fired sourdough, which was melt in your mouth delicious!

After this another cocktail was called for! We shared two between four – Getting Figgy – Gin, Fig, lemon, Fig jam and a classic Pina Colada. These two seemed to have much more alcohol than the mojito.

A few more snaps around Meelup

Meelup Farm also offers picnic hampers which you can eat in the extensive gardens under shady trees, away from the noise of the restaurant.

Everything about this place was superb, food, service with a smile and wonderful location. It’s definitely on my “go back to” list.

Last but not least a photo of Mila, the resident labrador. We were told when we sat down that we weren’t allowed to feed her, she was on a diet! I don’t think everyone got the message.

Click on the link for more details

Palmers Winery, Dunsborough – Review

This is one of the places we visited during our weekend away in Dunsborough. Below is the mediterranean style entrance to the restaurant. Lucky for us the weather was wonderfully sunny and warm.

I had only booked 15 minutes before we arrived due to a mixup with another place we thought we were going to! We had a choice of tables inside as outside was fully booked. We could see outside anyway, we were just happy to be able to get in somewhere.

There was so much choice on the menu that we decided to share a few dishes, always the best way to eat if you ask me. In our little group we had one GF, one pescatarian and one who doesn’t eat shellfish! We ordered something for everyone and the one who wasn’t fussy got to taste everything!

We started with Parmesan Crumbed Eggplant w/ Buffalo Mozzarella, local Asparagus, Tomato and Basil Sugo Entrée 

Just enough for a taster each but enough to settle down the hunger!

To drink we ordered a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc Semillion to share which went down far too easily and quickly as there was quite a wait for our mains. Anyway we were in no rush and had no set agenda.

Finally our mains arrived and I think I speak for all of us that it was well worth the wait.

Goldband snapper with preserved lemon & herb crushed potatoes, roasted red pepper & caper salsa, asparagus & citrus Beurre blanc 
Balinese roast duck, yellow curry, Pilaf Rice, Steamed Asian Greens & Sambal
Grilled Western Australian Banana Prawns cooked in a roasted Garlic & Parsley Butter

Added to this was also a Green Papaya & bean shoot salad w/ toasted cashews & peanut dressing which was deliciously blended.

I would say my favourite was the Balinese duck curry, but all the dishes were mouth-wateringly divine.

There were some stunning paintings displayed at Palmers, I took a few photos of the ones I liked best.

After lunch was over we had a wander over to the cellar door to have a quick tasting and for me to take a few photos of the beautiful surroundings.

The Courtyard

Relaxed Divas

Everything about this winery was close to perfection. Food was amazing, lovely service from the staff and the grounds outstanding. If you’re ever in this region don’t miss the opportunity to visit.