Melbourne - Cafe Vu, The Cullen, Ginger Boy

Its been raining intermittently day. I had arrived from HK at around 7am and around 9am was having breakfast with Lara and Clair at Cafe Vu, run by Shannon Bennett of Vue de Monde fame. Shannon has been described as the "enfant terrible" of Australian haute cuisine. The 62 deg eggs, named as its cooked at 62 deg which is the temperature that protein denatures had the egg whites perfectly soft with runny yolk with a black sausage. Food was good however our waiter was quite snooty.

The girls had spent the afternoon shopping and Paul and I had a wander around the Prahran Market. Later in the evening Asha, Paul, Lara, Clair and I had been savouring the red berries and pepper undertones of a 1999 Domaine A Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stoney Vineyard in Tasmania which Lara kindly shared. We were sitting in the fantastic Cullen Art Hotel in Prahran surrounded by images of Ned Kelly. We had not made any firm dinner plans so we headed out to chinatown. Unfortunately we had to walk around to try and get a table having completely underestimated the melbournite passion for dinning magnified by the search for a warm place to indugle.. We eventually got into Ginger Boy which I had been wanting to try and managed to get three seats at a bar and another two at a table, not good as we were separated.. however we were able to convince a couple sitting next to our three seats at the bar to accept the nice table for two so we were all together just in time for cocktails to arrive

Ginger boy cocktails were what we had been waiting for.. The Thai Moon with muddled ginger, coriander and chillie infused vodka was unreal, it had quite a bite but so well balanced by the sweetness of the gula melaka. oh it was sooo good.. each plate of chicken and okra curry puffs with tamarind yogurt, smashed green papaya salad with sticky rice, crispy chille salt cuttlefish lemon and roasted sesame, braised duck spring rolls with spiced plum and hoi sin dressing and the red duck leg curry was delightfully balanced without heavy flavours. We lost track along the way. A bottle of 2008 Yarralock shiraz voignier from the Yarra preceded a 2005 Bannockburn shiraz from Geelong, Victoria.

Lots of laughter, lots of stories and great memories with the family. Restaurant was incredibly busy however the bar staff were very engaging and shared some great cocktail recipes with us. Definately recommended

all in all a great foodie evening

Cocoon of Warmth

I had formed a lovely cocoon of warmth tucked under two doonas, a safety zone from the chill outside. I had fallen asleep reading and in my sleep I seemed to have been aware of this as the book was right by my side, on the same page i fell asleep on. This was good news as this was the very book my father had inscribed in 1952 while on his studies and therefore was already barely holding together, a reminder to treat it with much more care. It was the birds that woke me up, their sweet joyous songs heralding the arrival of the new day. I lay in my cocoon listening to them, delighted but also reluctant to move. The house began to stir around me seemingly also energised by the bird's salutation. Mum emerges full of energy and assumes her customary role of chief motivator to the troops. Today we were to help with preparing breakfast we were hosting for some friends and with my mum at the helm, it was no simple breakfast. My first task was easy. As I stepped outside, I realised the whole flat was a cocoon of warmth. The air outside had a distinct bite, a sharpness to it, a freshness. The birds were still singing and the remaining clouds from the heavy downpour from the night before provided a canvas for the rising sun. I contemplated going back for another jumper but soon I was in another cocoon of warmth, our 4WD with the heater on. The town was still asleep, there were two cars in the supermarkets carpark and no line at the German bakery. I still have yet to find anyone who doesn't love the smell of a bakery, the comforting warm rich aromas which wrap themselves around you. It seems the cold magnifies my sense of smell and it warms me up from the inside. Another cocoon of warmth in Hobart, Tasmania.

Darwin, experiencing the top end

20May. After a four-hour flight from Melbourne on Jetstar, it was nice to have Jayshree, mum's colleague from university days in Fiji to meet us. It was a quick drive to her home where we met Peter. The high ceilings and open planning of their home was typical of tropical villas promoting natural airflow and circulation. The large shaded deck and swimming pool were an oasis from the heat and humidity.

We packed a picnic basket and drove to Mindil Beach Sunset Market for the bi-weekly event. However the afternoon's heavy rain had knocked out the temporary power to the stalls, forcing an early closure. Undeterred, we picked a bit of dryish grass, set up our table and chairs and joined the multitude of people enjoying the stunning sunset. The Mindil market is a Darwin institution, attracting over 10,000 visitors, and is a snapshot of Darwin's multicultural fabric with over 40 different cultures creating a mulitutde of colours and culinary delights.

Day 2. The next morning over a poolside breakfast of French toast, scrambled eggs with salmon with some potent PNG coffee, we convince Peter to join us on our day trip to Litchfield National Park. So we pack the Ford 4WD and set off to to visit the termite hills and waterfalls. Being well travelled and having called Darwin home for quite some time, he was the perfect companion.

We pass roadside WWII airstrips, a reminder of Darwin's role and that it was the only Australian city bombed by the Japanese. Several road trains, which are massive three carriage trailers moving everything from cattle to iron ore, rumble by. An idea of their size is that you would need about 1km to overtake them on the highway. We didn't stop in Noonamah town which according to our intrepid guide was famous for its topless bars, crocodile farm and feral subculture. Unfortunately we didn't get to see the famed wedge-tailed eagle, Australia's largest bird of prey. Litchfield national park covers over 1500 km2 and one of the attractions is the magnetic and the cathedral termite mounds. The magnetic mounds are like enormous magnetic compasses, with their thin edges pointing north south and broad side facing east west minimising their exposure to the sun, thus keeping the mounds cool for the termites inside. It's quite amazing to see a field full of all these identically aligned mounds all created by a virtually blind insect!

Waterfalls are always a wonderful experience. The wet season has just ended and the receding flood plains means crocodile clearing from the major swimming holes is under way. Florence Falls was spectacular with a high viewing platform offering sensational views of the twin falls and plunge pool. Tolmar falls and Wangi falls were all impressive. However we had miscalculated having planned to swim in Wangi which was unfortunately closed. So we had to be content with a swim in the home pool.

Darwin Sailing Club is a great place for sun downers and dinner and we were treated to another sensational Darwin sunset. As we nourished a few chilled beers and dinned on fresh calamari, prawns and local barramundi, the sky kept us in awe as the high level clouds reflected the rays long after the sun had set.

Day 3. It was the first of two 6am for me the next morning, the first for a fishing trip with Master, also from Fiji. We headed off to his favourite spots around 90mins from Darwin for some reef fishing. GPS is marvellous. It was a productive day on the water apart from the several school sharks which we released with fins intact. The cooler was well stocked with coral trout, red and golden snapper, parrot fish. jewies and stripies and several of the larger specimens were earmarked for the pot that night. It was a huge weekend in Darwin with the two big aussie rules teams visiting from Victoria and the annual Bass in the Grass music festival and so after dinner we headed out to sample the Darwin nightlife. We got home around 5am just in time to pack and head out at 6am for a three-day camping trip to the famed Kakadu National Park.

Day 4. I had been looking forward to the next few days for some time. Three days travelling in Kakadu National Park, bush walking and camping with eight other people. At 7am we spread out in a converted truck, comfortable in the air conditioning. A few hours later, as the sun was heating up the day we arrived for our billabong cruise. It was a good time to set out on the cool freshwater in our canopied boat. We were treated to an amazing wildlife display, soaring eagles effortless riding the thermals, kites and even a croc or two lazing in the sun.

Aboriginal rock art at Ubirr has some amazing overhanging rocks where the art reflects the abundant food that the Aboriginals would have found in the nearby flood plains and rivers. The art in Nourlangie seemed to focus more on the spirits of the land and myths of creation. This storytelling through this art form has almost died out. We completed the circular walk though several Aboriginal shelters and art sites. Gunwarddehwardde lookout provides impressive views of Kakadu surronding, it was a great time of the year as the end of the wet season meant there was lush green folliage providing a rich contrast to the red iron rich earth. We camped close to Nourlangie and boy was it an experience. We set up our tents and started a camp fire to cook our kangaroo steaks. It was an idyllic setting and then the mosquitos arrived! It was a concentrated attack making it impossible to keep still, insect repellant only serving to incite them further. Very quickly we were compelled to retreat to the safety of our tents abandoning our game of campfire charades. Itching had set in. The stillness of the bush night only amplified the constant drone of mosquitoes as they settled on our tents waiting for us to emerge. Despite this, I lay in my tent gazing up at the beautiful night sky ablaze with glittering stars and the occasional shooting star and was soon asleep.

Day 5. I emerged cautiously in an attempt to not awaken the sleeping mosquitos and not surprisingly found my tent covered. Some of the girls had given up on finding the one or two mosquitos that had made it inside their tent and bore new reminders of their potent bite. However there was work to be done and we packed up and headed off. Our first stop was Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre where the Aboriginal traditional landowners (Bininj) shared the story of their culture and interaction with the land and seasons. We got to play the digiridoo which has essentially been naturally hollowed by termites. Incidently there are over 40 aboriginal names for this instrument and didgeridoo is not one of them. This culminated with some spear throwing at dummy targets and with our accuracy we would have gone hungry in the bush for days. We camped beside a waterfall that night for a long awaited swim, with a mindful eye open for crocodiles. The steep walk up to the plunge pools at the top of the water falls give us an infinity pool type vista of the flood plains. A real million dollar view which we soaked up, lying on the shallow ledge being massaged by the cool water as it flowed and cascaded off the edge. The camp site that night was a much more pleasant experience.

Day 6. Several mosquitos had been trapped inside my tent and i emerged bearing new marks of their wrath. We were on the homeward leg and a couple of walks and three refreshing swims later we on our way back to Darwin arriving around 6pm. As we had such a great day fishing, two of us headed out night fishing. It was tricky getting out of the harbour during low tide and after some tricky maneourving we were out pulling in some snapper and coral trout. It is incredibly peaceful sitting on a gently bobbing boat in Beagle Gulf watching shooting stars blaze overhead. I couldnt think of a better way to say goodbye to the top end.

What is more important, the grape or the Winemaker - Waiheke Island, NZ, May 2010

It was a clear blue-sky Auckland morning with some ominous thunderstorms hanging off in the distance that greeted us as we boarded the Fullers ferry at the viaduct for a short 40min ride out to Waiheke Island. Despite having lived in Auckland for over a year some time ago, and numerous visits before and since, it was my first venture out to Waiheke.

We cruised on the Hauraki Gulf, past Rangitoto Island, whose extinct volcano dominates the Auckland coastal skyline. Suddenly the ferry was surrounded by sea birds flying low across the sea with rapid wing beats, interspersed with glides at times. They kept up with the ferry till, in unison, they turned and headed back to the mainland.

Waiheke, taken to mean 'Cascading Water' has emerged from a recluse for hippies and artisans in the early 50s to a glamorous destination for wine and food lovers. The small resident population, many of whom commute to work on the mainland sometimes taking less time to arrive in the CBD than those in outer Auckland, can almost treble on popular weekends. All stratas of wealth were represented with the luxury multimillion mansions to the more humble yet elegant wooden beach bach which still commands a premium.

We met Nigel Robinson, a friend of a friend in Hong Kong, who runs a popular wine and food tour company based on Waiheke. According to Nigel, no single Maori tribe established dominance on the island. Rather, several tribes came and went. Reflecting this is the local Marae (meeting house) which is called Piritahi or 'one for all'. A third of the island is in private hands with restricted access, however the abundance of stunning vistas and public beaches leave no one wanting. Nigel's history of having lived in a remote town in Fiji with his missionary parents in the 1950s has some significance for me, coincidentally a town my sister was a doctor in much later on. He subsequently arrived in Waiheke in the 1970s and has been captivated by it ever since.

We boarded the Ananda (meaning bliss in sanskrit) van and joined his tour through three vineyards. First stop was a small boutique production, only 600 bottles a variety a season, some which had won awards in a recent London showing. We had the unique pleasure the company of one of the owners on a walk through the vineyard, resplendent in their autumn colours. While being on an island, the attention to detail was never far from the surface. Alongside the vines were gorgeous olive groves whose fruit are centrifugally spun and the 'first press' olive oil is extracted.

The unloading of fresh French oak barrels and their being unwrapped from their packaging greeted us at the second stop. A crushing barrel with stained mats was drying in the sun, set carelessly againt a brick wall peppered with snaking vines. Suddenly it was like we were in a old chateau. This masked a sleek upmarket affair with expansive decking overlooking rolling hills and valleys, one of the favoured locations for large parties and 'hens' nights. One of the few organic vineyards that produce a blend of the five bordeaux grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, their flagship commanding over 220nzd a bottle. Having just returned from a wine tour of the Yarra Valley in Victoria I took advantage to learn more about the barrels they were using. The French oak is left to air dry longer and the staves are split rather than sawn across the grain when compared to their American cousins. the barrels are then toasted, the degree to toasting determines the effect it has on the wine stored inside. We were permitted to stick our nose into the barrel and the complex aromas emanating were intoxicating to say the least, almost a most pleasurable assault on the senses.. all this perhaps magnified by the wine tasting so far!

Next stop was a vineyard run by a former neurosurgeon now dedicated to wine and olive oil production. His wines were complex and moody perhaps reflecting the different terroir and production. Had quite a long discussion on olive oil production. Apparently NZ production laws re extra virgin olive oil classification are much more stringent than most other areas known for commercial production volumes. Even to my uneducated pallate I did find the olive oil here to reflect the taste of the olives without any rancidity much more distinctly. This was by far my favourite visit and I parted with a bottle of this exquisite nectar.

We wrapped all this off with a late lunch consisting of a delightful bottle of pinot noir, a seafood and antipasto platter and lightly crumbed calamari. Smoked salmon and trout, oysters, grilled prawns, onion jam, freshly baked crusty bread, sliced of smoked ham and pesto all combined well to give us a warm glow amplified by the sun hanging low in the stormy afternoon sky. Eve, Nigel's daughter joined us and her sister Brooke popped in for a chat when she was free from her other duties. The family conversation, like many others, reflected the daily trials and triumphs of life and the closely knit community on Waiheke.

Like all gatherings involving great food and wine the day ended somewhat philosophically with discussions on the growing reputation of the island and whether its the wine maker or the grape that defines the quality of the wine. We all agreed, that this 90 odd sq kilometer of land, defined by its beauty, lifestyle and quality of life, not surprisingly has become home to people coming from far flung corners of the earth and from vastly different backgrounds, all united somewhat in their passion for life. It was a suitably decadent end to the day.

We did manage to catch the 4pm ferry back to Auckland, sharing a sandwich with another Waiheke resident, for yet another indulgent dinner but that is another story.