Sydney Weekend in May 6 - Lunch at Catalina

Catalina Restaurant
http://catalinarosebay.com.au/

After our oyster pitstop (I wish that was something I could say every week), we boarded a ferry to Rose Bay. I had never been to that part of Sydney before but had heard many nice things. Mostly, I was just excited about the restaurant we were about to try. I booked Catalina months in advance and spent the weeks leading up to Sydney checking out their website and rethinking what I wanted to order.

The day of our booking was like something out of an ultimate lunch date fantasy. The weather was perfectly clear but not too hot. We entered the restaurant and were seated out on their expansive deck with full views of the water. The setting was dreamy and I couldn't wait to put down my (heavily rehearsed) order.

Sydney Weekend in May 5 - Champagne and Oysters at The Sydney Cove Oyster Bar

The Sydney Cove Oyster Bar
http://sydneycoveoysterbar.com/

You know life is good when you decide you can stop off for a spontaneous oyster and cocktail brunch by the Sydney harbour. We had planned a ferry trip to Rose Bay for lunch but had underestimated the number of hours between check out at the hotel and lunch. It was nice weather so we took a leisurely stroll through the city to Circular Quay to enjoy the amazing views.

Chewbacca suggested we treat ourselves to some oysters. It was Jenny's birthday and there's no better way to celebrate a young ladies continued advancement through adulthood than with some bubblies and treasures from the ocean.

Sydney Weekend in May 4 - Dinner at Master

Master Dining
http://masterdining.com.au/

Our dinner at Master was something we had planned with Sydney friends many months before the actual trip. That shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone since I only mentioned recently how meticulous I am about planning things in advance. I'm sure some find this approach to life to be stressful but for me, the earlier I plan something, the longer I have to look forward to it. And this was a dinner I was most definitely looking forward to.

In the weeks leading up to our weekend in Sydney, I kept seeing 'Master Dining' mentioned in all the up and coming restaurant guides online. Excitement grew and it was with utter glee that Marc and I approached the restaurant when the night of the booking finally came around.

Sydney Weekend in May 3 - Dessert at RivaReno Gelato

RivaReno Gelato Barangaroo
http://rivareno.com.au/

After our delicious dinner at Rockpool Bar and Grill, an ordinary couple would've been full and content to give their stomachs a rest. Not us!

Marc knew of a gelato store that had recently expanded and it was getting glowing online reviews. We happened to pass through the area on our way back to the hotel (more accurately we Googled the address and spent an hour getting lost in construction sites but determined to get gelato) and finally came across the shop front.

Sydney weekend in May 2 - Dinner at Rockpool Bar and Grill

Rockpool Bar and Grill
http://www.rockpool.com/rockpoolbarandgrillsydney/

Because of my anxious personality, I always need to plan things well in advance. If anyone asks me to think of a restaurant to visit on the fly, I freeze up and my mind goes blank. It's alright for when I'm in Brisbane because I live here and have a supply of general 'go to' places (mostly eateries around Sunnybank) for when I have no other ideas. On an interstate trip, it's less desirable to be unplanned because I don't know other cities well so unless I have a booking made at a restaurant pre-researched, I assume we'll sit down somewhere unremarkable.

Sydney weekend in May 1 - Lunch at Izakaya Yebisu

Izakaya Yebisu
10/501 George Street, Sydney

I managed to do that thing again last weekend, while we were in Sydney, where we ate at so many places that I simply got overwhelmed by the amount of blog posts I had to write. The end result is that I procrastinate and put it off and end up writing nothing. This weekend, I'm forcing myself to do some reviews before I forget everything and make it harder on myself.

Weekend at Byron Bay - Treehouse on Belongil for Dinner and Drinks

Treehouse on Belongil
http://www.treehouseonbelongil.com/

I was unsure about writing this review because as you'll soon see, the photos are horrendous. Treehouse is a very atmospheric establishment and typical of what you would expect Byron Bay locals to enjoy in their down time. We went on a Saturday night as part of our Mana Yoga Retreats group farewell dinner. It was busy without being hectic and crowded, I struggle to think of a more appropriate word than 'chilled'. It was dark though. Being as blind as I am, I squinted my way through the menu. Normally I wouldn't think twice about having the flash on to get better quality pictures but I think it's too rude and distracting for a group dinner so I opted without. I decided to publish this review anyway for reasons of completeness (I hate having 'food experiences' that remain unblogged) and because the pizza was worth writing about.

Lychee lasso and mojito

We ordered food as a big group and drinks at the bar. Kat and I got there as part of the earlier group so we made a beeline for the bar. We had cocktails on our mind so cocktails we received. For my first, I ordered a mojito and Kat, a lychee lasso. They were both strong quite fairly well balanced although I found the lychee to be too sweet for me.

Weekend at Byron Bay - Belongil Bistro for Lunch

Belongil Bistro
http://www.belongilbistro.com.au/

Last weekend, Kat and I spent a glorious 4 days down at Byron Bay for a yoga retreat. I do like to practice yoga casually and for someone who's brain buzzes as relentlessly as mine, yoga is great not only for the body but also the mind. There's about a million things going on in my life right now that I have varying levels of control over and it was starting to get quite overwhelming. Big thanks to Patty at Mana Yoga Retreats for a trip I can't recommend highly enough. I didn't realise until I came home that this weekend was exactly what I needed to get my mind and body back into balance.

Most of our meals at the retreat were catered for and eaten at the accommodation. However because the weather was a bit temperamental, Patty arranged for us to have two meals, a breakfast and a lunch, out at the local cafe.

Sphinx Rock Cafe for Breakfast

Sphinx Rock Cafe
http://www.sphinxrockcafe.com/

Marc and I are just about the laziest people in the world but luckily, we have some positive external influences in the form of friends who are more active than we. Jenny suggested that we not only climb Mount Warning (which in itself is formidable for someone as unfit as I am) but that we do the 3am climb to get there in time for sunrise.

It was one of those ideas that I cursed all the way up the mountain. Every agonizing step and difficult breath reminded me just why I like spending my weekends at home in bed. We did, however, make it up in time. Seeing the sunrise and finally descending back at the bottom of the mountain gave us a huge sense of achievement... and also a rumbling hunger.

Weekend Away 3 - Waves Bistro at The Pier Hotel, Coffs Harbour

Waves Bistro
http://www.pierhotelcoffs.com.au/index.php/pages/bistro

As I write this I'm two days into the Michelle Bridges 12 weeks body transformation challenge. It's pretty good so far and I wasn't hungry or missing food at all... until I edited the photos for this post. I know a snapper burger might not be the most magical and creative gourmet item you've ever seen but it's the kind of food I love to eat (in a world where food doesn't make us fat). After a numer of consecutive health-conscious meals, there's nothing like fried food to get me drooling.

Coffs Harbour was another town that Marc and I stopped at on our road trip from Sydney to Brisbane. We arrived in time for a late lunch and after a casual beach stroll, we searched for somewhere to eat. It was getting on a bit in the day, just before 3pm so some venues had packed up their lunch trade.

Weekend Away 2 - Breakfast at The Beach House, Port Macquarie

The Beach House
http://www.thebeachhouse.net.au/

Something that always feels uniquely 'holiday' to me is going out for breakfast, especially when it's by the seaside. In our regular working lives, Marc never gets up early enough for breakfast so I end up scheduling morning food sessions with my girlfriends instead. Being in a different environment, such as Port Macquarie, somehow injects Marc with enough energy and vitality to make it out for breakfast.

We strolled by the waterfront and spotted a cafe with huge deck that overlooked the ocean. With the weather being as perfect as it was, we definitely wanted to be outdoors. This cafe turned out to be The Beach House.

Weekend Away 1 - Dinner Glasshouse Thai, Port Macquarie

Glasshouse Thai Restaurant
Shop 1, Corner Clarence and Hay Street, Port Macquarie, NSW

Sometimes the most random places end up part of an important memory in your life. Glasshouse is the first restaurant we found appealing when we walked out onto the street from our hotel in Port Macquarie last weekend. So, why is it a big deal? It happened after I got proposed to! There's no words that can describe that dizzying, adrenaline-filled, hyperactive, almost nauseous feeling that hit me in the moment. And it was in that state (only slightly dulled by red wine) that I set out for dinner. I can hardly even remember the meal. Luckily I have my photos to remind me, and I cleverly typed some notes on my phone so I know what we felt about our food.

Glasshouse is a small but inviting restaurant in the centre of Port Macquarie, not far from the water. It was lightly raining that night and the smell and brightness from this restaurant lured us in off the street. We gladly took up a table inside and browsed through the menu.

Birthday Weekend in Sydney Day 3 - Lunch at The Bunker

The Bunker
399 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst

On the last day of our recent trip in Sydney, Marc and I visited a dear friend of his in Darlinghurst. We popped into a local cafe there to catch up and feed/water ourselves. The name 'The Bunker' niggled at me for some time before I realized that there's a cafe in Brisbane called Bunker. I suppose with the limitations of imagination and likely words, there's bound to be some overlap for venue titles throughout the country.

The Bunker is a little cafe with a few long tables inside and some smaller tables outside. Marc and I started off sitting outside with a couple of coffees, waiting for the others to arrive. The day was sunny and hot, which is lovely if you're out on the beach but not so great if you're sitting without shade as your neck gets progressively crispier. Luckily, after some time, a table inside freed up and we eagerly migrated into the shade.

Birthday Weekend in Sydney Day 2 - Dessert at N2 Gelato

N2 Extreme Gelato
43/1 Dixon Street, Sydney CBD, NSW

I discovered something that I should've known all along. Like money, massages, jewellery and all those other things that you can't have TOO MUCH OF, gelato is something that I can eat indefinitely. Well, maybe until I explode.

After a supposed 'gelato fix' from Gelato Messina that sorted me out for barely one day, I was ready for MORE. Mochi had spoken of a gelato store that was very experimental and sciency. At first, I wasn't sold but we went there anyway and boy am I glad we did.

Birthday Weekend in Sydney Day 2 - Dinner at Home Thai

Home Thai Restaurant
http://sussex.homethai.com.au/

Saturday night was the crest of my birthday weekend in Sydney and I maintain even now that one of my favorite presents was getting to see my dearest Mochi! She and David had flown in from Melbourne so we were effectively 'meeting in the middle', geographically. Ya gotta love planes and how easy they make it to stay in touch with interstate buddies.

I love that even though Mochi's moved to Melb, her knowledge of the best eating spots transcends beyond her new home town. Heck, even when she comes back to Brisbane, she seems more clued in than me. Sydney was a no-brainer. Marc's lazy and I've fallen way behind the ball with knowing what's good so we left it all in Mochi's capable hands.

Birthday Weekend in Sydney Day 2 - Lunch at The Australian

The Australian Hotel
http://www.australianheritagehotel.com/content/eat

Marc took me to Toronga Zoo for my birthday and we had a wild (intended pun) time strolling along, snapping photos of animals and observing their odd behaviors. It's great on a day that I'm reminded I'm getting older (birthdays are no longer as innocent to me as they used to be) to feel like a child again, excited and rediculously energetic.

By the time we finished, our scones from The Tea Cosy had digested and we were starving. Walking and animal-spotting seems to be a high kJ-consumption activity! We were very keen to get back on a ferry for lunch.

Birthday Weekend in Sydney Day 2 - Breakfast at The Tea Cosy

The Tea Cosy Irish Tea Room
http://www.irishdesign.com.au/g/4145/the-tea-cosy---tea-room.html

It's awesome when stars align and things work out. I got really silly by the end of Friday night and was jumping up and down proclaiming that I 'must' have scones for breakfast the next day. I have a special relationship with scones. When I used to bake frequently, variety scones would pop up every second day. I love scones. When going to high tea, scones are my favorite tier. Forget fancy shmancy miniature tarts and macarons, give me a well made scone and plenty of cream and jam any day.

I was thrilled... THRILLED... to see that there was a tea shop in Sydney that was renouned for scones. In fact, they had a scone clock out the front indicating when the last batch was made. In this fashion, you were almost garunteed to have a freshly baked scone no matter when you sat down to order. Furthermore, we had plans to go to Toronga Zoo that day and The Tea Cosy was conveniently located at the Northern end of Sydney CBD. As I say, stars aligned.

Birthday Weekend in Sydney Day 1 - Dessert at Gelato Messina

Gelato Messina, Surry Hills
389 Crown Street, Surry Hills

I first saw mention of Gelato Messina on Sydney Urbanspoon. The Darlinghurst store was consistently in the Talk of The Town list. I then proceeded to forget all about it until I read a review on the Virgin Airlines inflight magazine. Apparently it claims the title of "Best Gelato in Australia" as voted by the Good Food Guide. I've mentioned in the past that if I could sustain myself on one type of food, ice-cream would be it (either that or bread). "Best Gelato" was not something I was likely to pass up.

The Surry Hills store of Gelato Messina was located near Il Baretto, where we had dinner on the Friday night. I think I may have subconsciously chosen Il Baretto because of its proximity to the gelato store. We can all see where my priorities lie.

Birthday Weekend in Sydney Day 1 - Dinner at Il Baretto

Il Baretto
http://www.ilbarettosydney.com/

It is absolutely typical of me to stretch my birthday out for as long as possible to maximize benefits/excuses. As well as a preluding one-week buffer of "Oh, it's my birthday, I can eat what I want" and a celebratory party with friends one whole month after the actual date, I gave myself a 3 day long weekend in Sydney crammed full of food excursions.

Sydney Weekender 5 - Lunch Feast at Xanthi

Xanthi Bar and Restaurant
http://xanthi.com.au/

Whilst our trip to Sydney wasn't planned around any 'foodie' destinations, I did very much want to check out the food offerings at Westfield Sydney. I knew there were a bunch of newish restaurants there and that the food court itself had a notable selection. We wandered up after 1/2 a day's worth of shopping and had a look around. The food court reminded me of the big shopping centres I visited in Singapore and Malaysia that had all kinds of fast food stalls offering quirky things ('Haute Dogs anyone?') rather than standard Maccas and KFC. I was tempted to stop there but we went up a floor to see what the restaurants were like.

Kat and I were tossing up between Chat Thai and Xanthi. Chat Thai has a hot reputation and there was a queue to get in. I do want to try it one day but on that occasion, my desire for Greek food won out and we went into Xanthi instead. I'd actually read up about it online and saw lots of rave reviews. They also had a lunch special that sounded enticing.