Autumn Road Trip

We have had a car since moving to Sydney but with a New Yorker’s mentality we tend to revert mostly to walking and public transportation. We have seriously only filled up our gas tank (or petrol tank, as it is referred to here) four times, which is a little embarrassing. So with a five day national holiday weekend for Easter and Anzac Day (Australia's Memorial Day), Kate and I decided it was time to take the "beast", the name of our car, for a road trip (my first real road trip on the left side of the road).

With Kate’s family in Bright, just south of the New South Wales boarder, a bit inland in the state if Victoria, we thought it a perfect place and time to visit. This charming town/ski village in the “Victorian Alps” is only about an eight hour drive from Sydney through towns with names such as Mittagong, Belangalo, Gundagai, Woomargama, Yackandandah, Porepunkah (Kate gave me a lesson in correct pronunciation along the way). The Australian landscape is definitely unique, not to mention the array of road kill we were confronted with, ranging from kangaroos (we counted about 10; so sad) to wombats (which I have never seen before) to foxes. Very authentic…

It is now “Autumn” here in Australia (my psyche thinks it Spring; very confusing). They don’t call it Fall because no leaves actually fall from the native trees! However, the area surrounding Bright has a very different landscape. It felt like driving through New England in Fall. The trees were turning the brightest shades of yellow and red and the crisp air smelt like Pine Trees. The stars at night were like nothing I have ever seen before. I could see the entire Milky Way.

It was great to see Kate’s family. Our first day in Bright we all went to a local country Australian Rules Football (AFL) game. Kate’s cousin, Regan, plays on the team so we had a bit of an in. I have watched Aussie Rules before and actually really enjoy it (those of you that know me are aware that I am not a sports aficionado). Unlike American football, the players wear absolutely no protection and the clock never stops. It's intense! I had never seen a game in person before. While the players were being rough and physical in the oval (aka the field), I was sipping a beer and eating a meat pie (the Australian equivalent of hot dogs at the ball game) on the sidelines. I felt like a true Aussie.

Amidst a wonderful time with family, Kate and I stole away for the day to drive to a Food and Wine Festival in Milawa, about an hour away. The festival was held at the Brown Brothers vineyard, which is one of our favorite wineries. We tasted wine, took a tour, bought local produce (cheese, mustards, olive oil) and ate good food, my choice a cuttlefish hamburger with roquette (which is actually arugala) and lemon aioli- yum.

The best part of all was that I had no connection on my phone for long parts of the weekend. We were in the country! Good excuse to have a real break (which I have not done for a while). Thanks to the Alexanders for a great time!

Queue

This week, the clothing store, Zara, opened in Sydney. Let's just say that it was a bit out of control. It was the buzz all through the city (a bit strange) and there were barricades set up to control the ridiculous crowds. People "queued" for hours to get into the store. They say Banana Republic and H&M are coming next. The trend began with the first Gap opening a couple of months ago. I feel right at home...

Security Question

Account security questions tend to range from your mother's maiden name, the city you were born, your high school, your favorite pet's name, etc. I find it fitting that when recently setting up a bank account in Oz one of the security question options was "My favourite drink is". Only in Australia...

15 Seconds of Fame

Last year, en route to Australia to validate my visa (I had no idea what I was getting myself into then), I had a couple of days layover in LA. My wonderful friend, Annette, invited me to the filming of America's Next Great Restaurant, which only Annette would have an in to. 

I am not one to deny that I am a bit of a fan of reality television. Let me support this statement by saying, there are those that are good (e.g. Top Chef, Project Runway...) and those that are ridiculous (e.g. Jerseylicious, Teen Mom…). Sorry if I have offended anyone. I am not quite sure which side of the scale America’s Next Great Restaurant will fall but at least I can say that Annette and I played a role in selecting a new restaurant chain that will be opening in three weeks in three cities throughout the USA (although I am not sure if it is actually the one we voted for).

I have always been jealous of the people who actually get to eat the food on these cooking shows and this was my opportunity. The food was all around good (Annette and I both voted for the episode’s winning team- Grill’Billies) but more importantly, almost one year later, the episode has finally aired. As I watched the show in Oz, there was Annette and I making a dashing debut. OK so we don’t have any lines or anything and it’s a bit like “Where’s Waldo” (which strangely is called “Where’s Wally” in Oz) but I took some photos of my TV to share our 15 seconds of fame with you all (NOTE: in some photos we are highlighted with a pink circle). 

Tim Tam

I cannot believe I have lived in Australia for six months (time flies) and I have not done a post on one of my favorite Australian treats, the Tim Tam. Those that spend time with me in Australia frequently hear me complain about the lack of a good chocolate chip cookie in Australia (I am in search) but the Tim Tam almost makes up for that (although they call it a biscuit or a bicky, not a cookie). As the statistic on the Tim Tam official website reads, "1 in every 2 households contains a packet of Tim Tams and around 35 million packs are sold each year – that’s nearly 400 million biscuits."

All I can say is two layers of chocolate malted biscuit, separated by a light chocolate cream filling and coated in a thin layer of chocolate. Need I say more? It is truly heaven. And they even come in varieties, like 20 different flavors including White, Double Coat,  Chewy Caramel, Tim Tam Classic Dark, Crush Honeycomb, Choc Hazelnut Flavored Mousse, Black Forest Delight and Creme Caramel, to name a few…

To be honest, I cannot be bothered with all these options. I always seem to go straight for the original (I have a hard time with change + I am a purist). It may not be a chocolate chip cookie but it is a chocolate wrapped in chocolate wrapped in chocolate cookie (even better when refrigerated). Oh, and those of you in the USA you are very lucky as Pepperidge Farms has brought “Australia’s favorite Cookie” (or biscuit) directly to your turf. You can even order it online and track its shipment from Australia (where they are still made) straight to your front door. Now if only I could get the reverse service for a chocolate chip cookie…

Josh + Marni

This past weekend our friends Josh and Marni were married (congrats!). A perfect day- great atmosphere + great friends + great food + great music + lots to drink... What more can one really ask for? It was truly a “Sydney” wedding. Just as the dress code on the invitation read “elegantly casual” the wedding matched the attire. As Josh put it best, “think Hamptons cocktail party,” or even better, “think an afternoon cocktail party at the Trump’s Hamptons estate,” a perfect description, with the addition of the breathtaking Sydney Harbour and the city as a backdrop.

The wedding was a precise display of Josh and Marni’s unique and quirky personalities. It was all about the details, from the location at The Gap Bluff, at south head (the ends of the world) where the harbour meets the sea, to the ever so appropriate nautical theme. That’s just the beginning, there were custom made pinwheels and other hand crafted decorations, hand sewed napkins for every guest (referred to as serviettes in Oz, which I am still trying to understand), a borrowed ship’s bell, Tabasco sauce name cards (which some of us sprinkled on our meal- genius), specially ordered striped straws, Corona with a lime (which is not as typical in Oz as it is in the US) and did I mention Mexican food? The perfect ingredients…

The evening drew to an end with more drinks at the Watson Bay Hotel. As the sun set over Sydney, I got a bit nostalgic, which was obviously exacerbated by an excess of cocktails. While I am sad that the wedding marks their move back to NYC, I cannot imagine a better planned event that celebrates Josh and Marni, their friends, and this upside-down city…