the swiss cottage restaurant @ lurline st., katoomba

Just another quick post about my recent weekend in the Blue Mountains - we were there for 4 days so you can imagine, at lot of food and meals to get through! Dinner on the first night was at The Swiss Cottage Restaurant on Lurline Street in Katoomba (just a very short drive from where we were staying). We found out about it when we were at the Info Centre picking up pamphlets and looking for a cheap to mid range place to eat, The Swiss Cottage seemed like just the right place!

We were promptly at the door at 6pm which is when they start their dinner service.We actually made a booking beforehand and to be safe, I would make a booking as the restaurant filled up very quickly after we sat down. It's an absolutely gorgeous restaurant and I think this photo speaks a thousand words - need I say more?

A side of crunchy French bread and butter served in a very adorable mini basket.

Our entree of Stuffed Mushrooms - mushrooms stuffed with ham, cheese and parsley. It was a luscious serving of cheesy goodness and despite the small plate, it ended up being quite filling.

The boy's choice of White Farm Rabbit - farm rabbit in a basil sauce served with rosti. In so many ways like chicken but not.

I think this was the first time I'd eaten out at a Swiss restaurant and decided for a more traditional dish. Veal A La Creme is apparently a Swiss traditional meal - a combo of veal fillet and button mushrooms in a creamy white wine sauce and served with rosti.

We were considerably full after entrees and mains but thought why not, we were there anyway and it only made sense to get some dessert. Unable to decide on one, we ordered four! Le Petit Naughty - named for four mouthfuls of their best desserts.

The bill comes to the table in this rather cute little cow!

Really great place for dinner, staff are incredibly friendly and there's so many more items on the menu that I want to try! Saw a couple of tables next to us having the fondue which seems like one worth trying but otherwise the Veal a La Creme and the Le Petit Naughty were the ones ordered by most.

There's a selection of housemade produce available at the counter and I was tempted to buy what looked like a bag of rolled waffle cones; if I only I'd bought it! Anyway, Katoomba isn't too far a drive from Sydney, I'll definitely be coming back here soon!

katoomba st. cafe

I can't believe how quickly this year has gone by! And in the mad rush of work and not realising that I had so much leave saved up, I was lucky enough to take a few days off and have a nice and relaxing weekend in the Blue Mountains with the boy . We stayed at a gorgeous B&B (Edgelinks) and had a rather food filled weekend. It was a definitely a holiday that went by too quickly and I could only wish it were longer!

In my world, hot chocolates should always be served with freshly whipped cream and big marshmallows.

Giving the Ploughman's Lunch a go - it's toasted bread with cold roast meat, boiled eggs, pate, cheese, caramelised onion and relish.

A hearty pie with wedges for a particularly cold day up in the Blue Mountains.

I love this print!

So that's lunch at Katoomba Street Cafe!

After lunch we had a good wander down the road and looked in all the antique and second hand shops (of which they are many). Managed to be good but trust me, it was awfully tempting! 

melbourne - day 4

Last day in Melbourne and it was really just a short day. Woke up, packed, checked out, left our bags with the concierge and ventured out into the city on the Monday Public Holiday to find a place open for breakfast. We didn't have much luck around our Hotel but further towards Swanston Street, we managed to find a place called 'The Quarter'. It was one of many cafes in that laneway which were packed with patrons. No luck with getting a table inside but stayed on for the hearty breakfast which was being served. It was probably the busiest of the cafes there (so surely the slight nip of the cold could be beared).

Photo of the Rialto from the inside. Our rooms were on the right. It's really quite an impressive hotel but unfortunately, I didn't spend much time checking out its facilities.

Photo of the Rialto from the outside. Yay to yellow taxis which you can spot miles away!
My breakfast of coffee, eggs & bacon on toast. Justin kindly ate all the fat on my bacon.

As soon as breakfast was gobbled up and we made our way back to the hotel, it was into the taxi (another Indian taxi driver meaning more Indian music), and over to Avalon Airport. Just in time, the skies opened up and we watched the rain pelt down from our seats inside the airport.

4 days of Melbourne had whizzed by before I knew it. I loved the trip!!! (thanks Edith, Leong and Justin!!!)

melbourne - day 3

With news that it was bucketing down with rain in Sydney, our escape to Melbourne turned out to be extremely timely! Notably, the weather remained perfect till Day 3, allowing us explore to the city even further. (As most of the exploring was being done by foot, I was more than grateful that the skies were holding up.)

First stop of the day was the Queen Victoria markets, reknowned for their selection of fresh produce. Open 5 days a week (closed Mondays and Wednesdays), it's actually quite a big set up. Definitely a lot bigger than Paddy's Markets and each section (Delicatessen, Meat & Poultry, Fresh Fruit & Vegetables, General Merchandise, Clothing) is clearly divided into its own lot. Most of our time was spent in the Baked Goods and Delicatessen section where we grabbed our first meal of the day.

Justin with his Bratwurst & Sauerkrat Roll

We didn't spend long at the markets as Justin insisted on heading to 'Global Rags' - a factory outlet of discounted big brands (including Levis, Mavi, Wrangler, Kitten, Milk & Honey, Wish...). After a big walk and moments of wanting to 'give up', we made it there and began our treasure hunt through the factory to look for items that we were after. An hour later, Justin was empty-handed and with a long face. Jenny managed to pick up two Kitten Tees for $60. Bargain!

The next place we had in mind was Lygon Street, famous for its Italian culture, restaurants and perhaps, not so famous for the mafia and street gangs (which I hear are a thing of the past). Here we passed by an Italian festival that was happening and I spent a good 15 minutes watching some cute old ladies making shell pasta. They made it look so easy! In that 15 minutes, I had an Italian old man tell me how amazing it was and when he started to get too friendly, Justin urged me to move along.

Time for lunch. On Lygon Street, we had an abundance of Italian restaurants to choose from; mainly serving pizza and pasta. We stuck to the rule of choosing the busiest place and settled for Papa Gino's which was brimming with patrons. Here we ate like kings and the bill only came to less than $40 for drinks, pizza, pasta and a garlic pizza as a starter. Bargain! You bet I was feeling bloated like a puffer fish after the meal. Justin had decided to order the Rustico Calzone which was more like a big fat quiche wrapped in pizza base. Mmm...yummy but filling.

The garlic pizza which I absolutely loved!

Feeling gigantic, we continued our way on foot back into Melbourne CBD where we explored some more shopping venues, and tried to find the Nudie Jean store which seemed to have disappeared. Our feet were getting extremely tired and at some point, we sat down on a bench on the street and just watched the trams roll by.

Feeling gigantic, we continued our way on foot back into Melbourne CBD where we explored some more shopping venues, and tried to find the Nudie Jean store which seemed to have disappeared. Our feet were getting extremely tired and at some point, we sat down on a bench on the street and just watched the trams roll by.

One thing I found about Melbourne was that street theatre was a big thing. We watched some guy in boxers display his bum crack as he pretended to be mowing with a lawn mower. Another girl in a neon pink jumpsuit carried around a stereo and walked around. Another guy was balancing on all sorts of pieces. Another even jumped through a fire hoop and nearly landed flat on the floor!

A big crowd for some street theatre

As the skies started to darken, we went for a quick coffee and cake at Cafe Brunetti (another place with a massive selection of Italian cakes and pastries) to wake ourselves up. It was really just a lazy afternoon reading the paper as we rested our weary legs and tried to digest our huge lunch.

By this time, we decided that dinner was out of the question; we were too full. In place of dinner, we took a walk to see the Yarra River and then a tram over to Docklands (Docklands is very similar to Sydney's Darling Harbour and King St Wharf but has yet to be developed and people have yet to migrate over there). I suppose it's actually a little out of the way. Here we took the free City tram which circles around Melbourne's CBD.

Back to the hotel to watch some Ugly Betty (much to Justin's dismay) and then out again to check out Southern Cross Station to check out the airport shuttle bus. Ended up deciding to get some dinner and resorted to the Maccas which was across from our hotel.

Another day over...I was absolutely exhausted!

melbourne - day 2

Day 2 in Melbourne was almost a blur - the day just went by too quickly!

First stop was Laurent Patisserie on Little Collins Street where Justin and I picked up some breakfast for the other two back at the hotel. It took some time trying to find the place as the front entrance was boarded up but after walking up and down the street, Justin spotted the entrance in amongst the scaffolding and yay, we were in! And what a sight to behold...cakes, cakes and more cakes!

Cakes that were too sweet for breakfast

Breakfast pastries galore!

After breakfast, the four of us spent the most part of the morning in Melbourne CBD shopping and taking in the city sights. We split up for the shopping and met up again at about 2 to grab some lunch. In amongst walking down the main shopping streets, Justin and I settled on a little laneway of cafes as our destination for lunch. The laneway would've only been about 3 metres or so wide but it was jam-packed even at 2 when we decided to get lunch. Leong's quick thinking got us into a booth seat at a little place called Sergovia.

Justin and I shared a 'Prosciutto Pizza' and a Lamb Salad.

Shopping was definitely on the agenda and the four of us taxi-ed our way to Chapel Road to squeeze in some shopping after lunch. Chapel Road is home to quite a mix of shops and I managed to pick up a few little goodies - 'cupcake frosting-flavoured lipgloss!' was one of them. Prices are generally reasonable but unfortunately the 'I love Cooking' apron I saw in 'Genki' was just out of my budget. But if you were to ask me what was my favourite shop, I'd definitely say 'Genki' - lots of little cute things and Japan-influenced brands.

As shops started closing up at 5, we made our way over to St. Kilda for dinner. We ended up eating at a place called Vibe (which was alright) but my attention was already on dessert after dinner. I think it was called Acland Road but here you had shop after shop of Italian cake and pastry shops which were stocked to the brim with all things sweet. The four of us literally gaped at the display in every window (as was every passing pedestrian) and finally decided on Europa (which had been reviewed on the Visit Melbourne website). To be honest, the chocolate and prune tart which I shared with Justin was nothing to rave about. I still think the displays were awesome though.

Leong and Edith decided to try their luck at Crowne Casino after dinner whilst Justin and I headed back to the hotel to call it an early night. Melbourne was turning out to be much, much better than I'd thought. No wonder people make weekend trips to Melbourne. It would probably be better if you had a car; it was actually getting quite tiring walking around everywhere.

melbourne - day 1

An insanely early flight at 6am found me crawling out of bed at about 3.30am and fumbling in the dark to pack those last minute items. It sucks being early cause then I spent another 10 minutes after mum dropped me off at Justin's place, standing outside his door trying to get someone to open it for me. Turns out Justin was in the shower and poor me was left outside in the cold, half asleep. But hey, it was a day off work for me and a massive day ahead to look forward to :P Since starting full-time work, it seems like ages since I've had a holiday!

And who would've thought there would be traffic so early in the morning! Some car accident led the 4 of us (Leong, Edith, Justin & myself) to frantically run through the airport to make our flight. The odds weren't good so it was breakfast as we waited for the next Jetstar flight heading to Melbourne. Fortunately, it wasn't going to be a long wait; and just enough time to down a massively huge blueberry muffin and slice of toasted banana bread, with coffee of course!


Speedy or what?! (The last time I was in Melbourne was probably when I was 5). An hour and five minutes on the plane and we arrived at Avalon Airport in Melbourne picking up our Hertz hire car. Leong had that all organised and really, I thought it was quite reasonable; I thought just the insurance bit was going to kill us with all of us being under 25. (Yay! The guys were going to take care of the driving!) And so we started our trip along the Great Ocean Road...

Our hired Corolla

Split Point Lighthouse - famous for being featured in Round the Twist

A stunning view along the Great Ocean Road (one of many stops along the way)

Erskine Falls
Lunch @ The Great Ocean Road Restaurant + my not so good Soy Chai LatteJustin's self-proclaimed 'green' sandwich which contained prosciutto. It took some convincing for Justin to realise that prosciutto was actually smoked ham.
Lunch was sometime past 2 and after doing the first leg of driving, Leong was definitely hungry.This photo was taken on top of the lighthouse at the most Southern point of Australia (or so it claimed to be - we later read that it was actually another place; anyhow the entrance fee to get to the top was $12.50 - expensive!)

After our visit to Australia's most 'Southern point', it was a mad-dash to the car and some Initial D driving to get to the 12 Apostles in the nick of time. We had about 5 minutes to click away before the sun set completely over the Apostles, shadowing what little really remains.

And in amongst all that, I kept dozing off in the car (much to Justin's dismay and especially when I continued to doze off when it was his turn to do the driving). Couldn't be helped; I'd only slept for around 4 hours the night before. Thanks to the GPS, at least I didn't get an ear-bashing from Justin for not being able to read a map :P

At exactly 480km later and with fuel tank warning signs on, we arrived at our place of stay, Rialto Towers in Melbourne's CBD. Cold and hungry, we grabbed some quick pub grub before calling it a night.

forster 2007

Despite some rainy weather and that little bit of traffic, our Forster trip over the Easter weekend was awesome! Thanks Justin, Ka, Mandy, Pang, Emily, Anthony, Adam and Karen for an awesome trip, of lazing about in front of the TV, of soaking in the jacuzzi, the laughter, the moments and the opportunity to learn about each other's quirkiness and strange habits. In particular, I've learnt that Kaho is extremely evil and dangerous; I'll get you back Ka, trust me. I admit I failed miserably this morning but I hey, looks like you were the one on guard all night just because I said I'll get my pay-back before the trip was over. Hmph...just you wait and see!


Double the awesomeness was the apartment we stayed in (the Penthouse might I add!); fully furnished with jacuzzi, 3 plasma TVs, 3 bathrooms, air-conditioning, just a walk to the beach and town centre, and a truly amazing view from all 3 levels which formed the penthouse. Honestly, I don't see how it can get better than that! Rubbish disposal, not enough cleaning liquid, mozzies and the absence of locks on the doors were perhaps some minor issues that came up but in the end, we managed. Hey, turns out handsoap is just as good a cleaning agent as your regular dishwashing liquid!


On the topic of food, there was definitely plenty. As like any trip, we had our dose of Hungry Jacks on the way there and KFC on the way back. Breakfast and dinners were rather glorious affairs with Pancakes, French Toast, English Breakfasts, Steaks, Cabonara and Bolognaise being served. The first night was pizzas from Eagle Boys but in the space of the other days, we managed to fit in the local fish and chips, oysters, and waffle cones. Oh, and let's not forget the snacks and the alcohol. Quite embarrassingly, 4 of us puked on the first night.

We were probably more than well-equipped with boardgames, video games, dvds, videos, and the like to pass the time. It's a shame that we didn't get around to doing everything (4 days just wasn't long enough!). Canoeing and spending time at the beach were probably the highlights; a few sore muscles but nothing too serious. At least none of us capsized!


It's actually pretty hard to summarise all that happened over 4 days. You can imagine how there might've been some indecisiveness, some difference of opinion, and just that tad of conflict with the 9 of us but really, we battled it out in the end. I felt everyone really brought themselves to the trip and made it a good one. I certainly had a good laugh every day and well, sad now that the trip's over. It was an Easter that was spent without any Chocolate eggs nor anything particularly 'easter-y' but it was certainly a good trip. I might not miss those episodes of Simpsons though; argh...who came up with a Super-Simpson weekend!