Restaurants to revel in

Now there's an idea - restaurants that serve meals based around 'Revels'. Stay away from the coffee revel ones...

Well, over a week back in Sydney. Visited my nephews and nieces in Sydney this week and been to the Blue Mountains, watched DVDs and even been ice skating (which made a nice change from all the hot weather in Sydney at the moment). But you'll get that in another blog once I've dowloaded the pictures from my camera.

In the mean time, 3 restaurants I've enjoyed in Sydney.

1. The Lord Nelson (the Rocks). Pub serving lots of different beers and pretty decent pies. Just the job after a day watching the cricket.

Photo: Lord Nelson pub, Sydney. Models: mattandjules, da_tonester, beer, Gazman, O.A.s and pub patrons.

2. The Bathers Pavillion, Balmoral. It's in a posh bit of town and looks out into the ocean. Does great brunch menus. I had the the Chef's special oven baked beans with hock of ham. Probably the poshest place I've eaten in on my Birthday (yeah, even posher than the Tiroler Hut). OK, Royal China might give it a run for it's money. Though the poshness was balanced out later on in the evening by stopping at Harry's Cafe de Wheels pieshack for dinner (which would have featured as a top place to eat in Sydney, but doesn't qualify as a 'restaurant' for the purposes of this blog!




Photo: Bathers Pavillion, Balmoral (even mentioned in the Qantas inflight magazine!!!), Models: Fenella, Gazman, da_tonester

3. Ripples, Milson's Point. I originally misremembered this place as 'nipples restaurant'. But that would be a silly name for a restaurant. Anyway, this is right next to Milson's Point ferry jetty, sitting in the shadow of the Harbour Bridge and just across the way from Luna Park. Does a great line in fish dishes.

Photo: Ripples, Milson's Pt. Models: Pol, Gazman, Aussiegnome, fenella, da_tonester

3 mad ideas come up with on holiday

Well, it's been over a month since Gazman and I have been on holiday. Here are three random thoughts that have sprung up during the holiday.

1. (Food Court in shopping mall beneath Twin Towers, KL) While playing with Timmy, the game 'mapo-slido' was invented. Simply take fold up map of KL and insert in it's plastic protective wallet and proceed to slide it across the plastic laminated table towards one of the other players seated around said table. Points given for number of spins map makes on way to recipient or speed of pass. Bonus points may be awarded at start of go by resting half of map on table and flipping map up in air with hand (palm facing downward) and attempting to catch it with the same hand before map hits the table. Map should make 180deg flip (min.) before being caught. several minutes of fun if with children (or adults with appropriate childish mindset - that would be all of us)

2. (When on tram going past Melbourne Aquatics Centre) How come the you have so many different medals for swimming when surely you should be able to use any stroke you like to cover 50M / 100M as quickly as possible. Either that or maybe we should have more medals in running. So we can have the 100m running backwards... Just imagine the olympics with the 4*100m medley - the first leg is running forwards, the 2nd leg runs backwards, the 3rd leg has to hop and the 4th leg has to roly-poly...

3. (Gourmet Cafe in YHA Sydney, having been given a Hawaiian pizza when I asked for a vegetarian pizza) While wondering at the 'interesting' service at the YHA cafe / restaurant, Matt, Jules, Gaz, da_tonester and I thought you could inject a bit of excitement into your meal by creating the 'Extreme Dining' restaurant. You go into the restaurant and place your order and that's what you're billed for. However, inept waiting staff will come round with the wrong order - so you can either choose to wait for your meal, to go for the food offered or to wait in the hope that another meal which looks better comes along... It can even be spiced up with the addition of dishes like octopus tentacles, tripe, fugu, dishes made entirely from soya products which will come out at the end. So if you wait too long for a good meal to come by, you might end up with one of these dishes... Not recommended for anyone with food allergies.

Happy New Year. Pictures of New years in Sydney to follow!