Our last meal in Canberra was set to be a great one. If only I hadn’t made a pig of myself and succumbed to the vanilla slice winking at me from the marble table in our hotel room. Allow me to rewind a few hours if you will. Earlier that day we’d visited the Braidwood Bakery and then gone to the Old Bus Depot Markets and then settled our weary selves into Hotel Realm. Booked thanks to the lovely people at Toyota it was a toss up between the Hyatt and The Realm and they had chosen The Realm because of its modernity.
It’s modern indeed with nice touches and I take off my heels and sink my feet into some comfortable padded slippers. In the room there’s no bath, the view is of a construction site, there’s no porter to speak of and the gym and sauna is privately owned so when Mr NQN wants to use the sauna at 4pm on a Sunday like a good Finn he is told that it is shut. The positives is that the room is very nice and modern, they happen to stock Pickwick’s Earl Grey tea which I happen to love, there are complimentary Byron Bay cookie company biscuits and cable stations are great. And for dinner we don’t have to go far except for downstairs which is a winner given how exhausted we are.
So fast forward and one vanilla slice down the hatch we make our way down to the restaurant to meet with Todd from Toyota and his wife Melissa. There’s one other table dining tonight and so we have a booth to ourselves. This is their first time dining with a Foodus Bloggerus and I accepted Todd’s invitation for dinner after asking if they would mind the whole photo taking experience.
Rigatoni with pork sausage, ham hock, tomato, garlic and chili $20.50
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December 6, 2009
by Not Quite Nigella
The Big Merino
Australians have a love of big things. Big icons of things in smaller towns to be precise. These were often used to lure tourists who were also into photographing and seeing large things. There’s even a movie about it called “Big Dreamers”. There’s the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour where my brother in law The Assman worked as a train driver and more close to home, there the 97 tonne and 15 metre tall Big Merino dubbed “Rambo” which we’ve happened upon. Standing proud and grey, Queen Viv told us of the tale where his modesty was clipped as it was deemed too offensive. Well, the balls are back baby and we find ourselves contemplating them closely.
They are lighter in colour you know…
“They’re a lighter colour!” exlaims Queen Viv and indeed they are a lighter shaded family jewels. Locals were offended by the sight of the anatomically correct Merino but apparently he has had them restored in their lighter colour. We can’t go up very far – once upon a time you could see out his eyes, but we feel affection to this dignified beast that had some rather undignified things done to him in the name of decency.
The Loaded Dog
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October 17, 2009
by Not Quite Nigella
Our trip to Canberra was planned as we all love art galleries and the Vanity Fair Photographic Exhibition was the main draw for Queen Viv, Miss America and I. Mr NQN’s Canberra motivation was a rally drive with Neal Bates – being half Finnish, he is rally car crazy and the chance to meet Neal Bates and be a passenger was a dream come true thanks to the people at Toyota!
So after having a look at the exhibit we went to the Old Bus Depot Markets. My friend The Second Wife recommended it after her recent trip to Canberra. In a large converted bus depot it’s spacious and filled with food on the left and arts and crafts on the right. Naturally we head straight to the food and the first stand we see is the Batemans Bay man roasting nuts. He’s proffering up a scoop of freshly roasted honey macadamias to those that walk past. The packets of nuts are very reasonably priced with peanuts at $3 a packet and macadamias and pecans etc for $4.50 a 100g packet with a myriad of flavours such as green mango macadamias, wasabi and seaweed macadamias and maple toasted pecans. Of course we buy some, it’s cold ok and we need some warming up or so we convince ourselves…
Our next stop is the hydroponic herbs and lettuce stand. I have to admit I have a black thumb. My herbs live by some sheer miracle but I kill plants as I forget about them (which is why I am cautious about having children!). However they have guaranteed that this is unkillable so perhaps when we get back to Sydney to Fox Studios markets I may buy a box to see whether I kill them or not.
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September 13, 2009
by Not Quite Nigella
“Collector is not famous for Collectors” or so the advertisement goes. What it is famous for however is Lynwood cafe. On our drive to Canberra, Lynwood Cafe was suggested to us by my friend Teena as not only was it famous for its home made preserves and jams but it was a must visit as we were cold and hungry as our Plan A for lunch didn’t quite work out as planned…
We know it’s coming up in the drive as there is a sudden a cluster of cars amongst the landscape and a lot of activity. The building is a converted 1830’s bakery where outside sits a pile of firewood and a “ride blackboard ” where people list where they’re going and when so people can hitch a ride along. Inside there are rough cast white walls, country style green and white checked tablecloths and settings which include well worn bone handled knives. Despite the undoubted country charm of it, there’s a certain style that would appeal to the well to do Sydney sider and that’s not lost on the clientele – everyone looks as if they’d be at home in a Double Bay Cafe although they’re friendly and chatty (and the BMWs and Audi’s in the carpark are a dead giveaway).
The autograph wall of fame
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September 1, 2009
by Not Quite Nigella
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