PHILLIP ISLAND GETAWAY

A lovely long-weekend was spent at Phillip Island, to farewell our prized Anna K-S, who's set to flee to Italy for eighteen months or something ridiculous.

I arrived a day late, having missed Ladies Night, but joined 15 others to a sumptuous carnivorous feast on the Saturday night. Three animals were spinning on the rotisserie as we pulled up, leaving just enough time to wet our appetites with champagne and wine whilst we waited.


Cranking the Spit before we arrived.


Getting stuck into the carvery, with delicious gravy, vegies, and a killer salad of cous cous, cashews and coriander - apparently a dish from Nicholson Street's Birdy Num Nums, which i must get the recipe for.

After dinner, out came the quintessential Aussie dessert - a Chocolate Ripple Cake, complete with sparklers - to celebrate Anna's birthday which we'll miss in December.





As the girls got drunker, we sang and danced. And the boys did "boy stuff", which seemed to consist of lighting farts and throwing knives. It's been a long time since I've spent considerable time with heterosexual males, and i think i offended some of them, by claiming it had reaffirmed my sexuality. However not the kind of kitchen activity i sought to document, i took some photos of what i thought would surely result in a severed hand and a triple-0 call.



Come morning, a few sore-headed kids decided that a dip in the chilly ocean would be the perfect hangover cure. As a few of us walked up and sat on the beach, we noticed the Brazilian guest of our entourage with a thermos and a weird contraption. As i sat perplexed, someone else arrived at the beach and vocalised my first thoughts - "SHIT - that's the biggest cone I've ever seen!!".





Our corrupt minds were wrong, and it was in fact chimarrao, a bitter tea from Brazil, that you drank with a metal filter straw. I had a sip - very strong, and very very bitter. Certainly an acquired taste.

Sunday was set for sandwiches and soccer, reading by the fire, a game of Pictionary and take-away pizza for dinner. I also conducted a button workshop where we all made commemorative badges for Anna. By days end she was left with some twenty-plus badges proudly pinned to her hoodie. It was a considerably more subdued evening compared with that of the night before, but a welcome and relaxing one all the same.








MAD COWES
4/17 The Esplanade, Cowes

For those unfamiliar, Cowes is the main town on Phillip Island. And though i've been there before, i still smirk at the clever hilarity of a Café called Mad Cowes. Monday Brunch took place at said café, where the consensus was clear that the Soy Chai Latte is to the Naughties, what Cafe Latte's were to the Nineties. Though I'm far from a New Age, Feng Shui-ed, Chakra-aligned, Pilates Yogi... i certainly don't mind sucking up a Chai every once in a while.



While most tucked into eggs of some persuasion, i opted for a Smoked Salmon Sandwich, with Cream Cheese, Spanish Onions, Capers and Rocket. Mmm.



So... How's this for a gorgeous view, just outside the cafe?



SAN REMO HOTEL BISTRO

Just over the mainland side of the Phillip Island bridge, we stopped in at San Remo for a counter meal on the way back home. The Veal Parmigiana with chips and salad was $21.95, and as we ate, we argued how far we reckoned we could stretch $21.95 at home. Typical City Slickers... But the Parma was nice and filling, and sometimes you just can't beat a hearty dose of pub grub in an understated country bistro.



More "Phillo" holiday snaps at Flickr.

THE COLLECTIVE

133 Ormond Road, Elwood

As a driving-impaired individual, I sighed at the thought of crossing the river - and then some - to get to Elwood for a friend's Birthday Bash.

Wondering whether i'd go, i sat down to watch The Bill in an effort to better relate to my US traveling buddy, who's a complete junkie for the show. Hence I was shocked to receive a phonecall from that very lass in the middle of the episode, but pleased when the conversation consisted succinctly of "Driving to Elwood. Wanna lift? Bill's on. Pick you up after. Bye."

Ormond Road seemed such a suburban shop strip, and so far from a bustling partytown that we wondered if we might have taken a wrong turn. Inside The Collective was a different story though; teeming with people, warm and well-furnished, with bratty punk, rocknroll and 80s tunes cranking out.



If Elwood were my locale, for sure the Collective would be a regular. But for now... and likely forever... Northside rules!

The bar closed at a conservative midnight, leaving a pair of northsiders feeling as though an extra tipple on our turf was in order. The Stabs, 2am slot at Pony. Perfect.

VEGAN DINNER

If I'm not mistaken, this was my first invitation to a Vegan's house for dinner, and i was interested to see what might be on offer.

I arrived the first guest, and in jest, asked the vegan chef, "You about to get my steak going...? Where's the cow? Out back??" Ha har.

Not to my surprise, the food was delicious:



I should have snapped more photos of the hors d'oeuvres and desserts, which included a Strawberry salad with Passion Fruit dressing - like Pavlova without the Pav... yum!

Also for dessert, were Tofutti Cuties:

I wore my welcome pretty thin i reckon. First to arrive, and still the last bozo guest to depart at well well well past midnight on a Wednesday night. After throwing back countless beers, i decided it was a great idea to neck some Shiraz at the end of the night and suffered a hangover of biblical proportions the next day. Perhaps a vegan diet doesn't mop up the booze as well as a meaty one.....? Excuses Excuses!

Verdict: Vegan is A-OK by me. Just allow me an occasional amnesty of bacon & eggs, camembert, snickers bars, pork crackling and snails, and maybe i'd join the club!

RHUBARB FEST

My Aunt kindly brought me a bunch of Rhubarb, and i entertained myself all week by baking a variety of Rhubarb treats:

RHUBARB & APPLE CRUMBLE
This was an old Sunday Life recipe i'd clipped that calls for oats and flaked almonds to top. When i first made this crumble years ago, there were no plain rolled oats to be found, so i used HJTilson's muesli mix. It went down such a treat that it's been etched into the new recipe.





RHUBARB & APPLE GYOZA
I've had a bit of a love affair with gyoza's lately, after discovering how cheap and easy they are. More on that later. But i had leftover gyoza skins and decided that an Apple Rhubarb dessert dumpling was well worth a shot. I just stewed the Apple and Rhubarb a little with sugar, before pinching the gyoza's up, frying in oil and serving with icecream. Noice. P.S. I almost can't handle how cute this bambino Le Creuset pot is!





RHUBARB MUFFINS
A recipe from Stephanie Alexander's ever-helpful Cooks Companion. Simple as they may be, this was my favourite of the rhubarb incarnations. You can't go past a good fresh muffin in my book.





On a sidenote... when i went to cook muffins the other night, i reached into the pantry... and pulled out this VERY un-PC apron:



Yes, it does indeed read "New Orleans - Hurricane Season - A Category 5 Good Time!"

Whoa dude... i had completely forgotten about this apron, since it bore little significance when i bought it, back in July '05, just a month before Hurricane Katrina. Crikey... it seems what was once a tacky souvenir, is now historic memorabilia of utmost bad taste! I'll be interested to see what kind of souvenirs are on offer, and if these sorts are still around when i return to New Orleans in a few months time.

TABLE FOR ONE

On the whole i'm beginning to tire of cooking for myself every night, and have been getting a bit lazy. I mean, who can be bothered to cook nice meals day in day out, when you're the only one eating them? If you ask me, it's kinda like a tree falling in the woods and nobody hearing it... If you make a really creative and delicious meal and have no one to enjoy it with - and best of all compliment you on it! - it may as well not have happened. Well... almost. Y'know what i mean!

Perhaps that sounds a bit grim, but for this very reason, I've cheated on occasion and had a little help. This weeks helping hand was the French Charcuterie on Lygon Street. I went there hoping for an escargot quiche after a bout of jealousy, having heard about my folks eating snails in Paris. They were fresh out, but i gots me some nice french tarts all the same.


Tarte a L'onion, Tarte au Chèvre and Rocket Salad

LA PARISIENNE PÂTÉ
290 Lygon Street, Carlton

PEKING DUCK

I always had some sort of aversion to duck. Perhaps because they're cute or something. But recently, in spite of my contradictory carnivorous ethics, i've decided that i like it afterall.

For my Brother's 27th Birthday the other week, we got together what's left in the country of our immediate family and had a lovely homecooked meal.

For entree we had Peking Duck, which came courtesy of Luv-a-Duck, wrapped up with Cucumber, Spring Onions and Hoisin sauce. What with the aforementioned dislike, i'd never tried Peking Duck. But quack quack... it was delicious... and i'm sold!





http://www.luvaduck.com.au/

The next course was Gourmet Pizza, made from scratch, dough included. Topped with Eggplant, Pumpkin, Goats Cheese, Potato and Rosemary.



We adjourned to the lounge, like any good contemporary family, and perched in front of the telly to eat the dessert i'd made, Apple Crumble (not pictured).

Soon after i arrived home, a lovely lady made a midnight delivery of half a case of Dr. Pepper to fill my fridge with. Thankyou for making my fridge look so obvious i'm in bachelorette-ville, where liquid consumables far outnumber any solid food!



If you love Dr. Pepper as much as i do, you best grab a cheap slab along with some yankee candy at USA Foods - http://www.usafoods.com.au