Waking up Friday morning to a blanket of white deserves 2 responses.

a. Holy cow! This is awesome!

b. Holy shit! Things are going to come jumping out of the fog to KILL us!!!

Obviously I'm showing my age if I'm referencing a not-that-obscure-right?! 80s horror flick. But it scared the beejezus out of me when I was a kid, so it had my heart thumping a little harder and I held the SO's hand a little tighter as we left home to go to work.



And to make things worse - I left my mobile at home.

So if I was going to be attacked, I wouldn't be able to make screaming calls to emergency services. Or fling the device at my attacker. Not that has ever helped a 'hapless' victim, but they never seem to have good aim or put in enough kinetic energy to make a throw hurt in movies. Have you ever been hit by a pretty solid projectile? Did it hurt? I'll bet it did.

The fog caused some disruptions, including shutting down the Citycats and the airport. But it certainly didn't stop some drivers from driving like maniacs. Slow down, stupid.

But whatever disruptions the SO and I experienced, was nothing to this poor colleague, who had to share his pain with the greater community via the social email network.

A strategy for those who have trouble getting going in the morning: 1. Live relatively near the sea, a bayside suburb not too many miles from the port. 2. Arrange with the deity or natural system of your choice to cover the bay in fog 3. Let the ship's captains do the rest We are at the southern tip of redcliffe on the bay side. We had very audible foghorns going at intervals of a few minutes from about 6:30AM. This is a real cognitive disconnect, but eventually you conclude that yes, they are actually blasting foghorns repeatedly and perhaps there might be some fog out there. There was... But trust me, the foghorns work well.

Thankfully the sun drove the rest of the fog by mid-morning.

There has to be something said for someone who makes ridiculously realistic sculptures - right down to the hair and goosebumps.

The exhibition closes 1 August, so if you've been wanting to see some of his works up close and in the flesh (almost literally), this weekend is your last chance. I also highly recommend watching the video of the making of the Pregnant Woman (2002) in the Ron Mueck Resource room to fully understand the extent of work that goes into one of his sculptures.

( A peek. 1 pic NSFW )

This awesome piece of Porky Pig was made by my father-in-law and it was bee-you-tiful!

But I'll bet I'll be cooking vegetarian the next couple of days to offset this meal.

Still worth it though. (^0^)/

Since bankevair introduced me to Melbourne's Blue Bags sandwiches, I have searching for something equivalent here in Brisbane. And I think I might just have, though strictly only by luck.

While walking to work, I happened to past Cool Beans & Baguettes on George Street and my tummy rumbled like a bear. Silly me had missed breakfast and unless I wanted to submit my colleagues to a ridiculously grouchy team member, it would've been best to cough up a couple of bucks to feed myself.



Walking in, I was offered a huge selection of sandwiches, salads and a couple of wraps displayed in a large cooler, well-labelled against one wall of the cafe style. And what's even better is for every filling flavour, they would offer each in white bread and wholemeal side by side. They also offer gluten free.

They have classics, such as the chicken with avocado and ham sandwiches, but the best part of all, they have breakfast sandwiches. I picked up eggs and mayo with crispy bacon in wholemeal bread for about AUD$5+.



The filling is pretty generous and really fresh, so it's so easy to dig into. I wouldn't mind grabbing grub from them every other morning if I'm walking past.


Cool Beans & Baguettes
266 George Street
Retail Plaza, Brisbane Square
Brisbane, QLD 4000

It's been a decade since I was roaming the streets of Paris, Strasbourg, San Remo and Cannes, side by side with my fellow French language classmates. That experience has seared its colour, aromas and textures in my memory and till this day, I can remember in vivid detail the food we were offered at school lunches, the architecture around us and the late nights perched on the window sill of the unisex hostel bathroom, looking out over the shadowy rooftops.

Brisbane French Festival became a chance for me to touch a mirage of that place and time.

( Walk the mirage with me )

Since our very first visit to Mizu Restaurant in Teneriffe for our 2nd wedding anniversary, I signed up for their newsletter and oogle every mailout they've made. Especially their sake tasting series.

So when the last one they sent out was announcing an especially special sake tasting event to celebrate their 5th anniversary, it sealed the deal and we had to go.

And what made this event special, besides being their anniversary?

Mizu invited Philip Harper to Australia, especially for this one off event.

( Who? What are you talking about? )

We asked the SO's manager and wife to join us, as they lived in Japan and no doubt would appreciate sake as much as we did. Upon arrival, an ochoko was pressed into each of our hands, with strict instructions to hold onto them throughout the night. No guesses which of the ones above was mine. (^_~)-★

But before I go on about the sake, I must play very humble hommage the 'nibbles'. Mizu chef Chucky and his team kept the delightful food flowing and the staff (dressed in adorable yukatas) made numerous weaving rounds to keep everyone well-fed.

( Ready, salivating glands? )

Now for the sake and of course, Philip.



He shared his experiences learning the art and the amazing qualities of sake, such as how sake has no preservatives (yay! No hangovers!) and has fruity flavours, when it's made from the unassuming rice grain. And he was answering questions throughout the evening, including what the rice sake comes from is like, and chatting with the wait staff. It's undeniable how passionate Philip is towards sake and he was a pleasure to listen to.

As part of the event, we were introduced to 5 different sakes - 2 of which were from Philip's brewery.

1. Tamagawa Daiginjo (大吟醸)
   
2. Tamagawa Junmaiginjo Omachi (純米銀吟醸　雄町) 15%
   
3. Yamahai Kizakura
   
4. Asabiraki Junmaiginjo
   
5. Shiragawa Junmai (Nigorizake)

And pictured above is a nigorizake (濁り酒) - a less filtered sake that results in a much cloudier consistency. It had to the strangest sake I've tasted and I'm not sure it was something I would actively seek out.



However, the Tamagawa Daiginjo (大吟醸) is undoubtedly my favorite.
Its fragrance is - for a lack of a better word - pretty
and flavour is wonderfully smooth.

While I tried at least one cup of each sake,
I must've had at least 4-5 cups of the Tamagawa Daiginjo.
It's that good.



And the best part, upon returning our ochoko to the bar before leaving,
we were given a 300ml bottle of Tamagawa Junmaiginjo Omachi, my 2nd favorite of the evening.



For $69 a person, this had to the most enjoyable experience. You weren't limited to just 1 cup of each sake and the staff were so friendly, bringing round after round of sake for everyone to enjoy.

Congratulations and thanks to Mizu, for an amazing event!

And the best part: you don't ever wake up from a hangover with sake. \(^0^)/

When I first heard from friends that Nandos was opening a branch in Singapore, I was thrilled for them! Nandos is my preferred chicken fast food provider, even though they're less widespread to chains like KFC.

But it's madness to think that people had to line up for such a long time to get a chicken burger at Nando's Singapore. Whereas here in Oz-land, most Nando's are relatively empty and we've never had a problem lounging in the booths for an hour or two from a coma.



Oh, and my favorite (and possibly the only item I order) menu item is the chicken wrap (hot) meal with peri-peri chips on the side.

Peri-peeeeeeeeeri!

A friend invited us out to celebrate his birthday with some friends at Zenbar. I had never been to Zenbar before, so I wasn't quite sure what kind of cuisine to expect for dinner.

We were the 2nd couple to arrive and unfortunately for us, most of the other couples were late. It probably prompted our waitress to drop by several times to ask if we wanted drinks/starters/more drinks?/more drinks?!

( Onward to photos and review )


Zenbar
Park Level
Post Office Square
215 Adelaide Street
Brisbane Qld 4000
Tel: +61 7 3211 2333
Fax: +61 7 3229 9410
Email: book@zenbar.com.au

Opening times:
Monday - Friday from 7:00am
Saturday from 6pm
Sunday and public holidays - closed

Worked till 7:10pm. That's really odd for a non-event work day. I'm usually out the door by 5pm. As I'm walking down the street into town to catch a bus home, a man paces me.

Man: "Hi, whatcha doing tonight?"
Me: *looks up from my mobile in surprise* "Erm... going home?"
Man: "Ah. How about dinner?"
Me: "Dinner? Errr... I'm good, I guess."
Man: "I meant, would you like to have dinner with me?"
Me: "Huh??"

I look at him carefully as we cross the street. He's in his late 40s, clean and not drunk. His hands are casually stuffed in his pants pockets and he's wearing a tweed jacket over a blue shirt.

Man: "I unexpectedly had to extend my trip a day and now I'm spending one more night in Brisbane."
Me: "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." (don't ask me why I said that)
Man: "So would you like to accompany me for dinner?"
Me: "No, I'm good, thanks. It's been a long day and I really want to just go to bed."

I was stunned and immediately called the SO to relate the encounter. He said it was a good thing I didn't go, despite his believable story. He might slip a rohypnol into my drink and kidnap me.

Seriously?! Why the hell would anyone kidnap me?

But yah, here's a first: I've been asked out to dinner by a perfect stranger.