28th Birthday in Melbourne, Part 1

Every year regardless of what day of the week my birthday falls on, I ensure that I don't have to work. This year, 11 April was on a Friday so I decided to celebrate my birthday in Melbourne with my hubby and enjoy an extended weekend full of shopping and eating!!

I took an early flight from Sydney to Melbourne with carry on luggage only. Then hopped on the Skybus from the airport to Southern Cross station and headed for my first stop: breakfast!! My SIL: Ms Tjak, recommended the Hardware Society amd raved about their baked eggs. Since the cafe was not gluten free friendly I decided to eat there myself. In usual Melbourne fashion, it was raining and I ended up taking the free city tram to the cafe.

Using my awesome navigation skills (Gaffa would laugh, but Melbourne is one of the easiest places to get around since it's a grid like network) I found the Hardware Society tucked away in a small lane and waited for a table for 1. I ordered the baked eggs with chorizo and a hot chocolate. 

The baked eggs were pretty popular as every table had at least one person order the dish. The hot chocolate came out first and was just divine. Full of chocolatey goodness and ended up being about 3 cups worth. The eggs: so yummy! Definitely worth it.

After refueling, I headed to the city for some shopping. Gaffa told me to go to H&M because he didn't want to go with me (he hates the store). When I got to the H&M building I noticed the extremely long line just to get in. I decided to wait, since I had time to kill. About 20 minutes later I was in! Woohoo. Pulling my little suitcase around I browsed the 2 main levels. Didn't find much except for a pair of blue denim jeans for $27. I spent over half an hour waiting in the fitting room line to try them on. I think when it gets less busy it'll be better, it was just way too crowded!

After browsing some other stores I headed to our hotel, the Rydges, as it was almost check in time. When I checked in Gaffa was already in the city on his way to the hotel so I waiting for him to eat lunch.

Beforehand I had picked out a few lunch spots. One was across from our hotel but was closed by the time we went for lunch (sushi sandwiches). Next stop was Ms Chu, a Viet tuck shop that sold rice paper rolls, salads and other small dishes. Because it was after the normal lunch time rush we were able to get a table easily and sat down to order some rice paper rolls, beef vermicelli salad and some refreshing iced coconut juices. Gaffa also ordered some char-sui baos, his favourite! The final stop was Ferdydurk, a pub that sold $3 hotdogs. We ordered 2 but they weren't very nice.

Afterwards we headed back to the hotel for a quick rest and then into our gym gear for a pre dinner workout at Fitness First. Our hotel allowed guests to use the Fitness First gym for free since their gym was erm well, crap to say the least. We headed to FF for an intense back, shoulders and ab workout.

We rushed back to the hotel room to get ready for my surprise birthday dinner. Gaffa had booked a restaurant a few weeks back and I didn't have any clues as to what or where it was. I wore my Popcherry dress and my hight heels and we walked from our hotel to the European. It was a quaint little restaurant with dark mood lighting, that had an extensive wine list and amazing food to match. Or should I say they had a great wine to match the food?!?!

Upon looking at the menu, there was a lot of dishes that sounded very apetising... and being the indecisive person I am, had a very hard time deciding. For starters Gaffa chose, and we each ordered an entree, a main and dessert. For the wines, Gaffa always asks the waiter to recommendations. We started with some sparkling while waiting for our starter of peppers and chorizo - reminded me of Spain. Next came our entrees. I just had to try the bone marrow dish. The first time I tried bone marrow was in the Napa Valley at Morimotos restaurant and it was amazing. This dish did not disappoint. It was probably my favourite dish of the night. I could've eaten it again for my main. Gaffa had a soup that was on the specials board. The waiter recommended some wines to match our dishes. Since the bone marrow was quite heavy I was given a light wine. I opted for half glasses while Gaffa had whole ones.

The restaurant was pretty packed but food came out pretty quickly. With enough time in between each course to let the food settle and to enjoy the rest of our glass of wine. For mains I ordered the pig. Anything pig related (mainly pork belly) I tend to order it. Gaffa went for the cassoulet which reminded him of our time in France. Again we were recommended matching wines which complemented our dishes nicely.

Then came dessert! The special was a twix recreation with salted caramel, which of course I jumped on since twix bars are one of the few chocolate bars I enjoy; Gaffa wanted to try the soufflé. My dessert was my second favorite dish of the night, with its rich salted caramel and crispy biscuit layer, just so moreish! We then finished off with a kir royal for me (which reminded me of our time in France again) and some after dinner aperitif for Gaffa recommended by our awesome waiter.

This birthday dinner was an amazing night of culinary delights and one I will definitely remember and talk about for a long time. Gaffa will have to work hard next year to top it! I would certainly go back to the European for dinner again when I'm next in Melbourne. Service was great, and prices were not mega expensive. I think our bill was under $260. For 3.5 courses with matching wines, that's pretty good!

To finish off the night Gaffa took me to the Whiskey Bar. The bar is hidden behind a blank store front with only a small sign above the door to identify it. Inside it is small and dark to match, only the most dedicated whiskey lovers would know about the hidden gem. Gaffa was recommended this place by the bartender at the Gin Palace.  I had a Glenmorangie Nectar D'Or while Gaffa again askes for a recommendation. The whiskey list is huge!

Stay tuned for part 2, for more food delights and some shopping adventures!

Altitude Degustation

So much has been happening in the last couple of months, so sorry about the lack of posts.  But hopefully you've been enjoying Gaffa's blog posts about his Fat to Fit Journey.

I have to back track to February, but to a very special dinner Gaffa and I had at the Shangri-La Hotel in the Rocks. They have a bar and restaurant on level 36 with amazing cocktails and views to match in the fine dining restaurant Altitude.

I booked a table for 9.30pm on 15th February, yes the day after Valentine's Day because it was the day Gaffa received his de-facto visa many years ago and because Valentine's Day is always so busy! We opted for the Epicurious degustation which is an 8 course degustation menu for $150 ($215 with matching wines). AND it's gluten free!

We arrived early all dressed up and decided to have a cocktail at the bar. Sadly all the seats with harbour views were taken. Finally 9.30pm arrived and we were seated at a rather wide table (so far across from each other!) with views of the harbour night sky.

We decided to order a bottle of wine to celebrate and were recommended a lovely red wine that we thoroughly enjoyed. It ended up being the same price as having the matching wines. But at least with 1 full bottle we knew we liked it and could enjoy and savour its taste.

The night started off with an array of breads. We were also given a couple of complimentary fresh oysters to begin. They were nice but has the 'sea' taste that I don't particularly enjoy.

I'll keep this post short and let the photos do the talking. The food was delicious. My favourite dish was the swordfish. We also received complimentary glasses of bubbly as a sorry from the restaurant for taking so long to bring out the dishes. But we didn't even notice they were busy... the cheese plate incurs an extra $15 ontop of the $150. The dishes look small but by the end of the degustation you'll be pretty satisfied!

Before the main courses came out there was an unexpected fireworks show. It was a nice touch to our special night. We ended up being one of the last tables to leave at around midnight.

Our waiter was very nice and even went out of his way to find out some info for us. During our previous visit to the bar we noticed there was a cocktail on the list for $10k which included a diamond. We assumed this was for all those men who wanted to propose. But what was really included in this $10k package? Well the $10k diamond cocktail means that you can use $10k to cover the ring, dinner, drinks and room stay. And we were told that they get at least 1 proposal every week at Altitude! So any guys reading this who are stuck on a proposal location, check out Altitude...

I highly recommend the degustation menu. Food is prepared well, service is top notch, and the price is fairly competitive compared to other degustations at other fine dining restaurants around Sydney. Plus the views are amazing! Gaffa and I had a great night :)

Malabar Short Course Triathlon

So you may have seen some of Gaffa's blog post on his own personal blog: The Fat to Fit Journal. The reason behind this is that Gaffa and I decided about a month and a half ago together that we want to get fit. We've wanted this for a while as you've probably seen from our healthy cooking, our love for yoga and my raw/healthy baking, but now we've stepped it up a notch and are getting serious about it and making ourselves accountable. We've booked out belated Honeymoon for July so we're using that as our first milestone and focusing on the next 2 months.

Gaffa has started his own blog to keep track on what he's doing each day and also hoping to motivate his readers and to document all the ups and downs that someone might encounter when trying to get fit.

Last month I had my routine of the early shift at work and then going to the 5.30pm bikram yoga class. One week I made it through 5 straight days of yoga, (a first for me in a long long time) which I was hoping to get to 7 - but then on Thursday night at dinner at my folk's place, a spanner was thrown into the works. My brother, Rave asked me if I wanted to do a triathlon on the Saturday morning. He was training for the Port Macquarie Iron Man on 4th May and his triathlon group were running a short course and long course triathlon race, which they were doing as part of their training.

I asked what the distances were for each leg and these were the thoughts that went through my head.
>1km ocean swim - doable since I hadn't done much swimming in a while but managed to swim 1.2km the week before at Narrabeen ocean pool and felt pretty good afterwards.
>21km bike ride: I started riding my bike to work and the ride was about 11km each way. So 21km was like riding to work and back, in one go... doable since I was fairly comfortable with the distance now that I'd riden to work a few times already.
> 6km run: again, doable since I'd been doing 5km runs every now and then. And my Nike Free Runs were good for my feet up until about 7-8km when they start giving me blisters.

So in my head, since I could do each leg of the triathlon I thought, what's stopping me from doing them one after the other?

I decided to rest on Friday and get psyched up for the big morning. I was used to the early 5am wake up call so I made it to Malabar beach before the sun rose. Apparently I looked nervous before the race... haha yeh I was feeling it a bit. I knew I hadn't done any training for it and just told myself to have fun and try my best. But I didn't want to be that person, that quits. Marrying into the Bateman family means we never give up!!

I was the only person on a mountain bike and one of the few people wearing a swimming costume only - the pros were all wearing wetsuits. We set up our gear on  the grass and I decided not to wear my knicks on the bike leg to save another wardrobe change after the bike ride.

We started the swim at about 7.20am and I decided to let the majority of the people swim ahead so I could pace myself and not get caught up in their whitewash. Out of the 3 legs I think swimming would be my strongest. But while I was swimming out and back into shore I didn't see many people (probably because I was at the back of the pack). I exited the water and looked back into the ocean to see who was left, I was nicely reassured that I wasn't the last one out :)

Feeling pretty good that I had 1 down and 2 to go, I changed out of my one piece (I was wearing a sports bra and bikini bottoms underneath) and put on my Lululemon 3/4 crops and a singlet. Stupid me didn't dry my legs properly and pulled a bit too hard on my crops and pulled some of the stitching apart, resulting in a hole on my left lower thigh. Annoyed, I got on my bike and started pedaling up the steepest hill. The cool breaze was nice and I was treating it like a pleasure ride down to La Perouse with the hubby. Riding down to Bare Island seemed a lot harder than I remember but I pedalled through and didn't get off my bike. Rave rode past me during the road down to the shipping yards which was good motivation to keep me pushing on. At the end of the ride I accidentally turned right up a hill instead of left to get back to the beach. Lucky I realised early and finally made it back.

2 down, 1 to go! After getting off my bike my backside wasn't feeling the pain yet - thankfully! My legs were a bit sore though. But I knew I was so close to the end and just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Rave rode past me during my first run lap and seemed in high spirits. And finally I made it past the finish line and completed my first triathlon!!  Yaaay go me!

The guys who were runing the triathlon and helping out were great support and very motivating and positive throughout the race. One guy even yelled out "you're beating your brother", which made me laugh considering he was doing the long course triathlon. I was happy to see that he was still on his bike when I finished and just missed his transition to his run when I was putting my bike away in my car.

My final time: 2:12:56
Swim: 23:55
Bike: 1:08:59
Run: 40:03

Triathlons are fun. I'd definitely do one again, but would train for it! I spent the whole day after resting when the pain started to kick in. I don't think I'd ever get up to Ironman level, but you should never say never!! Watch this space.... hahaha.

Thanks STG for organising the event and for the photo.

Healthy Banana Bread

Yes you read it correctly: healthy! The usual banana bread is normally packed with processed sugar and gluten, not good for Mr. Gaffa! So he found this recipe on the Lululemon blog and asked me to make it for him before he left for Cerberus.

The only annoying thing about making banana bread is having to wait until you have over ripe bananas; you have to plan ahead. Or unless you buy too many bananas and at the end of the week you think, 'oops I have too many bananas,  hmm what should I do with them...?'.... anyway me being the organised freak planned ahead and bought 3 extra bananas so by Friday they were perfect for mashing.

This banana bread is not overly sweet but enough to satisfy the tastebuds. It's the first time that I've ever put cinnamon in a banana bread recipe but was a great addition to the moist banana taste. (Yes I hate the word moist but I had to use it because this banana bread is truly that!) I used rice malt syrup instead of honey or maple syrup.

Here's the recipe

The banana bread is gluten free and processed sugar free! Sorry nut and egg allergy peeps. Delicious and healthy,  yum yum. Perfect for mid morning/afternoon snack. Enjoy!

The Grounds of Alexandria

You may have heard of Kevin Bacon. I'm not talking about the actor, but instead the imfamous pig that went missing a few years ago from a Sydney cafe and was found in Melbourne. Well, The Grounds is the cafe where Kevin Bacon resides amongst other farm animals, an array of beautiful outdoor undercover seating areas, a bustling cafe and bakery, markets, a coffee research facility and it's own valet parking service.

The Banker, Coco and I first visited on a sunny Friday a couple of weeks ago. We were initially wanting to take their cousin there who was visiting from HK, but she had other plans so we went ourselves instead.

We got there at 'brunch' time and it was already quite busy. Parking was hard to find; we had to park up the road and around the corner, but we only waited about 10 minutes for a table.

Coco had been there before and recommended the breakfast board. I also liked the sound of the croquettes. So we ordered a breakfast board each and a plate of croquettes each. Cold drinks came in mason jars with a handle, and the food was pretty quick to arrive too.

The breakfast board comprised of smoked ham, poached eggs, avocado, pesto, fetta cheese,  tomatoes and sourdough bread. Very filling.  But the banker and I managed to finish off our croquettes too,  but Coco... tsk tsk... didn't :p

We wanted to grab some pastries to take home but our bellies couldn't handle it. We opted for a take away coffee and sat outside and enjoyed the garden space and the afternoon sun.

The second time I visited The Grounds was last weekend with the hubby, Gaffa. I noticed there were bike racks there the first time I went so I suggested to Gaffa that we ride there, have lunch and ride home. Great way to exercise and we don't have to look for parking.

On our way to The Grounds we rode to HMAS Kuttabul in Potts Point as Gaffa was working there for the week and he wanted to ride into work. So off we went. I recently started riding into work in the city so I wad used to the 10km journey. We got to the base and checked out the showers and locker facilities and the location of the wardroom. The wardroom was down the hill and because I don't like hills we pushed our bikes back up the hill and then continued onto Alexandria.

We finally got to The Grounds at about 11.30am. After locking up our bikes and putting our name down on the waiting list we wandered around the outdoor area. They advised us of a 1.5hr wait for a table as it was a weekend and prime brunch time. But after we bought some fresh lemonade and sat down for a rest, our buzzer beeped about 15-20mins later, so the wait wasn't long at all.

Breakfast stops at 11.30am and lunch starts at 12pm. (I've always wondered what happens between 11.30 and 12.00, because you can't order either... I noticed this at another cafe I recently went to as well). Anyway since it was after 12 when we sat down we could order lunch. Gaffa and I always share so he let me pick 2 meals. I chose the lamb dish and the duck salad, and a side of chips. For drinks I had a mocha and Gaffa was recommended a piccolo. He's not a big milk in coffee drinker so he wasn't too fussed about the piccolo.

The food was delicious, both very different.  The lamb was full of flavour whereas the salad was quite light, which was great for us as we wanted to fit in dessert; and the chips were very morish with the aioli.

There were a range of desserts, with a wide selection of them being gluten free. We went for the passionfruit cheesecake and chocolate mousse cake. Very, very yummy! Cute presentation too, as it comes out on a chopping/cheese board - easy for sharing!

While we were eating lunch the weather turned 180 and went from blistering sunshine to heavy down pour. I was crapping myself as our helmets were outside and we were not equipped for riding in the rain. Lucky the rain eased as we finished dessert and I had a plastic bag to store all our valuables from getting wet. Surprisingly it wasn't too cold riding home in the rain, but I was peddling that little bit quicker just to get home to a hot shower!!

The food at The Grounds is reasonably priced and serving sizes are decent. I would definitely go back to try some of the other breakfast and lunch dishes. The outdoor areas are so pretty and would be a great place for a party or function. They've got areas for children to play in and I think they're building another area for adults only. So it'll be great to see what they come up with.

Foneymoon in Byron Bay

Yep, that's not a typo. Foneymoon, as in a honeymoon with your family. It could of been funnymoon as in haha funny, but there was nothing to laugh about spending your first week as husband and wife with your in laws as well. Others were maybe laughing, but we were just happy to spend the relaxing time with them since they had travelled so far to see us.

The morning after the wedding Gaffa and I enjoyed our buffet breakfast at the Sofitel. Even after a yummy 4 course reception lunch at Limani's followed by an 8+ course chinese banquet for dinner, we were still able to fit in breakfast. Who can resist real honey, french toast, gluten free options, fresh fruit and juice.... mmm...

Anyway, The Spot was kind enough to drop us off at the airport and we arrived in Ballina to collect our rental car for the week.

We hired a holiday house from stayz.com.au just outside of the main Byron Bay town, at a cute little village called Suffolk Park. The beach was a short walk across the road and through the trees, and the house had a pool, bbq area and even better: Gaffa and I got the master bedroom complete with ensuite and rain shower :)

The week was spent lazing around at the local beaches, exploring the main town, getting massages, enjoying the local organic and gluten free foods, bbq dinners, a kayak trip to find dolphins, a trip to Crystal Castle, and watching the sun rise at the lighthouse.

The best places that I recommend in Byron Bay are:

Top Shop. This place has delicious burgers and coffee. Yep, I drank their coffee and enjoyed it! (It was a mocha though). Their breakfast burgers and lunch burgers are great. They have quinoa and gluten free buns as well.

Bay Leaf. Nice place for brunch and coffee too. Gaffa preferred the coffee here to Top Shop.

Naked Treaties. Across the road from Bay Leaf,  this organic, gluten free, sugar free, vegan cafe sells raw treats that are just so moreish. Yum yum. We went there almost every day. Fresh coconuts and a slice of cake to end the day: bliss!

Massage: there are a lot of massage therapists in Byron and we drove around to find a nice one that was available, but some were closed, relocating or busy. We found one upstairs from Surf Dive & Ski. (Sorry can't remember the name). It was quite good and they did a special deal for 2 people,  so we went back again the next day.  Normally I don't like massages because they tickle or hurt. But the lady went gentle on me and it was quite relaxing,  so much I fell sleep both times.

Crystal Castle.  Only a 40 minute drive from Byron Bay,  it's well worth the visit. Filled with beautiful gardens, peaceful surroundings to meditate and reflect and pretty crystals to chanel your inner self.

Lighthouse. Byron Bay is the most easterly point of Australia,  so you can be the first person to see the sun rise over uninterrupted views of the vast ocean. Get there early because the car park does fill up and it is a bit of a walk. We brought some breakfast with us and watched the sun rise from the park bench. It was beautiful!

Any of the beaches in Byron are good. A beach is a beach to me. As long as it's not overcrowded and has nice sand to sunbake on. Obviously during summer the main beach car parks were packed and hard to find parking. But there's a whole coastline of white sand to explore, some great for surfers and others with calmer waters.

Gaffa, his cousin and I decided to spend one morning kayaking and dolphin watching. It was great to get out onto the water and do something different. Unfortunately we didn't see any dolphins but it was still good. We stopped off at small beach mid way and Gaffa and I capsized the kayak riding it in. Oopsies. But we had tim tams to make us feel better. They do let you go out again if you don't see dolphins the first time. Gaffa's cousin went again and was third time lucky at seeing them. 

I would definitely go to Byron Bay again. There are loads of running/walking tracks around the coast that we wanted to explore but didn't have time to and markets as well. It's a really chilled out place, great to get a way from it all, relax, learn to surf, enjoy some organic food. The flights to Ballina are relatively inexpensive. I think we only paid $79 per person one way. We were thinking of driving up but we didnt have enough time. But there will definitely be a next time :)

Until then,, peace out bro!

WinGaz Wedding Day

Whenever I think of this day or look back at photos from our wedding day, I have a huge smile on my face. It was such a beautiful day and every single person that was there made it such a special occasion for us to cherish for the rest of our lives. Plus getting married on 11/12/13 was just too cool for us nerdy people.

Words cannot describe it better than this slideshow by our amazing photographer,  Stephen Govel. Him and his wife Maddie are the ultimate dream team, capturing long lasting memories of our wedding day in creative and exciting ways. We let them use their own imagination and creativity on the day and we weren't disappointed in the slightest. From the day we first met them, we clicked and knew they were the perfect people to capture all the special moments on the day.

Instead of giving you a step by step encounter of our day I think it's best to tell you all about the people that made our day possible. Without these people we wouldn't of had the best day and things wouldn't have gone to plan. We are forever grateful for our close family and friends, and all the wedding vendors we used, we love you guys!!

To Amy Chan Hair and Make Up Artistry. Amy made me look and feel beautiful without packing on the makeup, and created a more natural and timeless look to suit my face shape. It lasted all day in the sun and into the evening without any touchups. With all the different skin types and hair types in our wedding party she was able to make us all look so pretty :)

To our celebrant, Mattrimony. Matt was fun and easy to get along with. He listened to our ideas and gave his professional input where needed. On the day the ceremony went by so smoothly.

To the Wedding Knights who set up our ceremony chairs, altar, flowers and sign in table. They set the scene so beautifully against the backdrop of the beach. And then afterwards they packed it all up quietly without interfering in our photos or post ceremony celebrations. They should be called the wedding ninjas hehe.

To London Cabs. Stuart was a great driver, even providing us with champagne after our photos. Lily, the cab was very authentic complete with a union jack pillow. He took us where ever we wanted to go and waited around for us during the ceremony and while we were having photos taken.

To Lovely Bridal Blooms. Jessie's courier pulled out on the morning of our wedding so she delivered the flowers herself. We wanted them delivered earlier than her normal time which she did with no fuss. The flowers were beautiful and stayed fresh all throughout the day.

To Limani Restaurant. Jim ans his crew were very professional and accommodating to our needs of a small intimate reception. Each guest was able to choose their own 3 course lunch. And it was BYO so we were able to have the wines we wanted. The food was delicious and very filling, which is rare for the usual wedding caterers who normally have alternate drop. They were able to give us full use of the inside of the restaurant and we didn't even notice the other people outside during our lunch. We did get a few head turns though when the navy boys all walked in in uniform. :p

To our best man and maitron of honour. Words can not describe how thankful we are for your friendship and support. Not only you two but your significant others and your little kidlets. We are so proud to be godparents :) Thank you again for running around deliverying the cake, flowers and making sure everything was in place. Kat, thank you for making the best wedding cake ever, it was perfect and delicious. I wish we had lots left over to freeze and eat later... nom nom nom...

Our parents. For traveling the long distance, suporting us through everything we do and for welcoming us into each other's extended family.

The Navy boys. Thanks for the honour guard. Why so serious?! It was really cool to see the swords out and you all dressed in uniform. Gaffa was well chuffed to have you all there beside him.

Our extended family and close friends. Thanks for taking a weekday off to attend our wedding. For travelling so far and for making our day worthwhile. To Keish, for leaving your babies and staying in Australia a bit longer just to attend our wedding.

Sorry for the long post.... we're just so happy and very grateful for all these people in our lives. Too much love going around hehe.

Oh, the whole point of this blog post: the slideshow link!! Which by the way, we got this one week after oue wedding. Awesome turn around times. Watch it on a computer/laptop. Unfortunately not available on smart phones. Turn up the volume too! :) Enjoy

Click here to witness the best wedding EVER!

NEOC49 Graduation

Hello there ETD readers!! Happy New Year!! Another long stint of no blog posts, but this time for a good reason. Gaffa and I got married!!! (I'll be sure to post about our special day later). But just to catch up on what's been happening in the life of WinGaz, let's start where we left off from our last post.

Back in November 2013, Gaffa finished off his officer training for the Royal Australian Navy and had his Passing Out Parade. There were actually 3 separate events on over 2 days, so I had to find 3 different outfits to wear. Me being indecisive, packed more than what I needed, just in case I changed my mind at the last minute, or had any wardrobe malfunctions...haha.