Our large group could only be accommodated later in the evening, which was perfectly fine as it allowed us to leisurely meet at the bar area for a couple of drinks before dinner. Just as hunger sets in, we crossed over from the bar to the dining room, where they had our table ready. Though encompassing a smaller area than the bar, the number of tables makes the dining room suitably spacious. Aesthetically, it is a more refined, more dimly lit version of the bar.

I had the Braised Pig Tail with Alaskan Crab & Sweetcorn Salad with Lobster Bisque for my entree. Just when I thought there could be no other porcine cuts that could be yielded from this wonderful, magical animal, I was pleased to have this braised delight. The flesh of the boneless tail was surprisingly meaty, the skin unsurprisingly tender and flavoursome. The crab and corn salad was a good complement to the tail but it was the lobster bisque that brought it all together; my plate was shiny after cleaning the bisque off with some bread.

Braised Pig Tail with Alaskan Crab & Sweetcorn Salad with Lobster Bisque $28

Licorice Braised Brisket with Slow Roasted Celeriac, Braised Lettuce and Onion Ring $38

White Chocolate and Fennel Sandwich with Dulce de Leche $16

These are what the others ordered. While I was not able to try all the dishes pictured here, I am assured each and everyone of them were delectable.

Miso Cured Salmon with Apple and Cucumber Jelly $26

Pork Cromesquis with Sage Remoulade, Apple and Sorrel $26

Roast John Dory with Witlof, Carrot and Ginger Jus $38

Spanish Mackarel with Proscuitto and Mussel Broth, Squid and Saffron Gnocchi $38

Lamb Mixed Grill with Eggpland and Confit of Tomato $38

Suckling Pig with Cauliflower and Prunes $38

Plums; Roast and Raw Pistachio, Hoegaarden and Yoghurt Popsicles $16

Chocolate Snickers $16

Last group

The word? Top notch food accompanied by the same standard of service. Price range limits this to special occasions but it is certainly worth it. I can’t wait to come back.

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Prior to its recent rejuvenation (likely driven by the new nearby strata buildings), Llankelly Place was a dark, seedy street, frequented only by the backpackers heading back to their hostels or to their soon-to-be-abandoned camper vans on Victoria Street. It looked pretty dodgy – my self-preservation had automatically classified it under “avoid – rape alley”.

These days, it’s the newest part of Kings Cross to be cleaned up, renovated and rebranded. It’s also the location of Bourke Street Bakery-affiliated local eatery, Wilbur’s Place. Their aim is to produce an affordable menu comprised of “simple, healthy, rustic food using local produce” for locals. Though the outstanding food is just that, locals and visitors alike will have to queue and wait to get a seat at this small establishment.

It appears my only worry when coming to Llankelly Place these days, is missing a table.

Thankfully, we arrived at an early 6:15pm and was promptly seated.

We started with the Cheese and Pork Arancini, served with chilli mayo and plum chutney. I’d never had an arancini like this before: the outer shell was so crispy it was nearly hard. Not inedibly so but it was certainly the crunchiest arancini I’d ever had.

Cheese and Pork Arancini $15

Cheese and Pork Arancini - interior

For mains, I had the Twice Cooked Half Spatchcock, which was tender juicy. It is complemented by a chickpea salad, labna and capsicum jam.

Twice Cooked Half Spatchcock $18

V had the Steamed Trout, served with big cous cous, roast cherry tomatoes, rosemary & garlic aioli. I had total food envy; the perfectly cooked fish, fluffy cous cous and aioli was a rich and textured combination.

Steamed Trout $19

For sides, we had some hearty lentils and green beans.
Service was also excellent. Friendly Matthew didn’t miss a beat making sure we were well fed.

Beef Brisket, Sourdough Bread and White Beans $14

The word? Would I come back? Absolutely. Places that serve meals this cheap and this good are few and far between. Get there early to avoid waits as you can’t call and book (but you can wait at nearby LL Wine & Dine). The menu changes regularly too and is apparently different for lunch and dinner. A lunch time visit soon is in the cards.

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I’ll commemorate this illustrating slump with this old drawing, which aptly depicts how I feel at the moment.

I head has an ow-ey!

What has diminished my sketching and drawing? My increasing interest in photography! I’ve been particularly ruminating over whether to purchase the new, yet to be released Nikkor 85mm AFS 1.8G or the much dearer, relatively new 1.4G. As I ramp up my photography, I’ve been really keen to master this classic portrait lens. Much time has been spent on photography forums discussing the best action to take.

Photo by Nikon USA

Oh, what to do?

The latest of the Bourke Street Bakeries, this is the largest and nicest one I’ve been to (though I’ve yet to visit the Marrickville branch). In stark contrast to the Alexandria or Surry Hills branches, the Potts Point branch is spacious; you can leisurely choose from the sweet treats in the long display counter before taking a seat outside or on the mini booths and group tables inside.

Interior (at its least busy moment)

V has the Sourdough Toast with Ricotta and Mixed Berry Jam. She says the homemade jam is delicious.

Sourdough toast with ricotta and mixed berry jam $4.50

I go for the classic Lamb, Almond & Harrisa Sausage Roll. Still one of best sausage rolls I’ve had, especially at this price.

Lamb, Almond & Harrisa Sausage Roll $4.50

The word? An excellent addition to Macleay Street. The same value gourmet Bourke Street Bakery fare in new resplendent surrounds.

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The Urbanspoon app had taken our GPS position and laid down our alternate options for us but it was a random passer-by that cinched it. Aforementioned passer-by was suited, nametagged Buster and took it upon himself to impose upon us an unsolicited recommendation. Though a suited man on a Saturday morning piqued my spider-sense, “Warning! Real estate agent!”, we decided to take his word. We thus made our way to Bangbang Espresso Bar and Cafe.

We were the first patrons to arrive at the empty cafe. I took the opportunity to snap the interior.

Interior

Headphones

V had the Welsh Rarebit: “A Welsh Classic of cheddar cheese, English mustard, Worcester sauce, flour & Guinness combined then grilled on sourdough toast with roast tomato.” Pared down, it was a lovely, extravagant cheese sandwich.

Welsh Rarebit $14.50

I had the Bangbang Breakfast Stack: “A crispy potato rosti topped with wilted spinach, 2 poached eggs, crispy pancetta & Bangbang hollandaise sauce.” Though the super crisp pancetta was a little too salty, the dish was fantastic. The rosti base was muffin-shaped (unlike the lump-shaped servings of most Germanic restaurants) and was crispy outside but deliciously soft inside. The generous helping of hollandaise sauce brought together the contrasting textures of the crisp rosti, wilted spinach and gooey egg yolk.

Bangbang Breakfast Stack $16.90

The word? A pleasant surprise. Good food. Acceptable service. I probably wouldn’t make a special trip to go there but if I were to find myself hungry in the area, I wouldn’t hesitate to drop in.

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The Four in Hand Hotel in Paddington, however, does not require one to be adorned in neckwear. It also gives you an abundance of dining options (again, read: 2)… the fine Dining Room and the more accessible Bar, both award winners, the former holding Two Chef’s Hats from the SMH Good Food Guide 2012 and the latter crowned Best City Pub by the SMH Good Pub Food Guide 2012. Last Sunday, the bar was the chosen venue to catch up with a visiting cousin and his wife.

Living the closest, I arrive first and grabbed a table. It’s a neat, well-maintained pub; cream walls are accented by wooden features and monotone tiling. The pokies are tucked away in a non-descript room. We later move to one of the larger, sun-drenched tables along the windows.

Interior

Our meal

Crab Mix on Toast $12.50

Roast Bone Marrow on Toast $12.50

We share our mains and start with the Slow Braised Lamb Shoulder, served with braised fennel and fresh tomato. This was delicious, slow cooked tenderness flavoured by fresh herbs and lamb jus.

Slow Braised Lamb Shoulder $22

We also had the Roast Pork Belly, served with onion rings and coleslaw. The small-ish cube of twice-cooked pork is succulent, the fat melted away (and into the flesh!). The skin is unfortunately chewy.

Roast Pork Belly $22

We also order the Sunday Roast Special of pork belly strips, served with roast vegetables, coleslaw and crackling. The salsa verde gives the pork an extra dose of flavour.

Sunday Roast Special $22

I liked it so much a subsequent trip was necessary; V and I went for dinner last night.

She had the Grilled Market Fish, served with potatoes and a fennel salad. Very fresh and hearty.

Grilled Market Fish $24

I had the Rump Steak. The red wine sauce perfectly complemented the medium rare steak.

Rump Steak $22

The word? It’s clear why this pub has received the accolades it has. Fantastic food at reasonable prices. Unlike most pub fare, the food is fresh, well-thought out and hearty. Exactly the kind of food you’d expect from the sibling of the similarly lauded Four in Hand Dining Room. It’s a little tucked away but diners are rewarded for seeking it out.

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This is how food bloggers roll:

The Spread

There was a large and colourful arrangement of savoury and sweet dishes that transformed this tiny patch of Centennial Park into a Garden of Unearthly Delights. Exaggeration? Sure, but my famished belly made my mouth water. I headed straight for the meat.

Beef and Fetta (?)

Aniseed Pork

Arabic sweets

To facilitate this socialising, Simon of Simon Food Favourites kept us well oiled with his pop up bar, well-stocked with Hendrick’s and Marker’s Mark. Oh my.

Simon Food Favourites Pop Up Bar

Lots of photo opportunities presented themselves but these were better taken by better photographers than I. Our fine mixologist had swiftly put up his great post of the day; as did one of our fine hosts, ChocolateSuze.

A fine afternoon must certainly had been had by all. It was great speaking to all the bloggers. In no particular order: Tina of Food, Booze and Shoes (and discovering our mutual employer! *spin out*), Chanel of Cats Love Cooking, Suze of ChocolateSuze, Helen of Grab Your Fork, Simon of Simon Food Favourites, Maryanne of Dressed and Eaten, Paul and Joseph of Up for a Feed, Annie of The Random Foodie, Alex and Sam of Dumpling Girl and Cheesecake Boy, Melanie of The Adventures of Miss Piggy, Raff of Ramen Raff, Jennifer of 84th and 3rd, Dee of Food in Hand and Michelle of M(i)s Ch(i)ef. Alas, there was just not enough time to have the pleasure of meeting the other bloggers.

Regardless, I now have a list of all your blogs and look forward to reading your posts!

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Thankfully, old favourites could still be relied upon. Phamish still dished out some of the best modern Vietnamese this side of Cabramatta.

Mind you, this is a matter of calibrating your expectations: Phamish has some of the worst service you will ever encounter. It’s not deliberately offensive, just indifferent. Since their days at their prior location, the site of mediocre Honeycomb (more on this soon) and Koi before it, Phamish had dispensed with any semblance of service whatsoever and decided to win you over with the food instead. It worked then and it still works now. Better the devil you know, right?

Once you brace yourself for a wait due to the “no bookings” policy, after queueing up to place your order and then provided basic table service, you are swiftly rewarded with fresh, generous servings of opulent versions of delicious Vietnamese food.

One December evening we got in early and avoided the queue. We started off with the Beef La Lot, ground seasoned beef, grilled in aromatic betel leaf served with pineapple and tamarind sauce. This is yummy but unremarkable, most any Vietnamese place does this.

Beef La Lot $12

Next, we have one of the house specials, the Duck and Prawn Pancakes, rice paper rolls filled with roast duck, prawns, and fresh herbs. It’s savoury meaty girth (ew) justifies it’s cost. These are like mini kebabs.

Duck and Prawn Pancakes $7 per piece

For a main, we have the intensely flavoured Cha-Ca Hanoi fish, fillets of ocean trout braised with tumeric, galangal, ginger, lightly tossed with dill and garlic stems. It’s a sour treat that needs no accompaniment, great with just plain rice.

Cha-Ca Hanoi $18.50

No duck dish goes unordered when we spy it on the menu. In this case, our next dish was the Banana Blossom Duck Salad, roast duck with shredded banana blossom in ginger-lime dressing. “Salad” is misused in this case; the dish heavy with massive duck pieces. The herbs hidden beneath are fresh and dressed with just the right amount of acidity.

Banana Blossom Duck Salad $19.50

To finish us off, we end with the Shredded Coconut Fried Rice, wok-tossed with tofu, shitake mushrooms, egg, garlic, shallots and topped with shredded coconut. Hearty.

Shredded Coconut Fried Rice $14.50

The word? Lame service and long queues notwithstanding, Phamish continues to deliver food with fresh and authentically-flavoured dishes of lavish ingredients. Traditional Vietnamese restaurants usually serve non-descript, plainer versions of these dishes. Priced at a slight premium for what it is. Eat and leave.

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The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,107 islands and Palawan itself is comprised of more than a hundred islands. South of Coron, there were many lakes, lagoons and beaches to see.
Here’s a selection (in non-chronological order) of some of the places we visited.

We started one of the days with a morning hike up Mount Tapyas to catch the sunrise. According to our guide, Mount Tapyas was named so after a section of it was chipped off (natapyas) by artillery during WWII. The steps (784, our guide said) is cemented the entire way and can easily be done in 20 minutes or less than 10 if you want to work up a sweat.

From Coron Bay, we boarded our bangka.

One of our first snorkelling destinations was Siete Pecados, where corals abound between the seven rock formations. Folklore says that it’s called Siete Pecados after seven sisters disobeyed their parents, who forbade their trysts. The sisters drowned after sneaking out to meet their lovers and the rock formations rose up from their graves.

Besides being pretty above water, corals and fish where abundant below.

After ownership of Coron Island was returned by the government to its ancestral owners, the Tagbanua people, the owners have attempted to uphold the sustainability and preservation of their land. It’s pristine state is what made our next stop, Lake Kayangan, one of my highlights for the entire trip.

Our guide paid the entry fee of 200 pesos (most of the protected lakes and lagoons have them) and we began our ascent up a narrow path of steps toward the lake. There’re wooden railings or cemented steps at the hardest sections. Halfway up, there’s a magnificent lookout of the cove where we’d moored our bangka.

On the other side of the hill, you’ll behold a view of the bluest, clearest lake you’ve ever seen.

And if that wasn’t enough, we swam the warm brackish water and explored one of the nearby underwater caves.

We also visited a Coral Park, where they (apparently!) safely transported corals from the outer reef to this shallower area. It’s a visual feast. From a boat, you can clearly see the corals 3 metres below, clearer still while snorkelling.

There were heaps of giant clams.

We also visited the Lusong Shipwreck on one of the days. A Japanese vessel sunk during WWII on shallow waters, it is easily visible while snorkelling.

Amazing abundance of sea life here.

The guides have it all sewn up… after an amazing lunch on one of the islands, we worked it off with some volleyball.


Homeward-bound, we reached the mainland just before sunset…

..where my brother and I raced up Mount Tapyas to get a glimpse.

The word? One of my favourite beach holidays ever.

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Apparently not a lot has changed.

From wikipedia:

The cemetery, 152 acres (0.62 km2) or 615,000 square metres in area, is located on a prominent plateau, visible at a distance from the east, south and west. With a total of 17,206 graves, it is the largest cemetery in the Pacific for U.S. personnel killed during World War II, and also holds war dead from the Philippines and other allied nations. Many of the personnel whose remains are interred or represented were killed in New Guinea, or during the Battle of the Philippines (1941-42) or the Allied recapture of the islands. The headstones are made of marble which are aligned in eleven plots forming a generally circular pattern, set among masses of a wide variety of tropical trees and shrubbery.