NOTE: still having a bit of difficulty in finding fast internet to post, so the 'PSS' from yesterday's blog did not upload. Here is the last drop of the Barossa and like the last drop of a good bottle of wine, our last meal was quite good too.
PSS: Since we still have no internet to post and today we are traveling, I might as well add a little food porn from our dinner last night. Though it is a surprise set menu, the nice thing is, we are each served different dishes every course. Of the total of six plates, five were great. The sixth was probably good but it was way too sweet for either of us, even though it was a dessert.
Starters were a cold tomato soup with fresh peas, watercress and prawn and fried oysters.
Mains were venison (that tasted totally like tender beef) over onion purée and lentils
and chicken (again so tender and moist from the sous vide technique that it was hard to recognize it as chicken) with baby caramelized onions and potatoes.
Dessert was a lemon curd cake wrapped in merengue with raspberry sorbet and crunches or white chocolate with crumbs and cherries (too sweet).
We were quite sated and ready to drive back to the farm and pack our bags....again!
Barossa
We were up early and ready to hit the road for the next flight, which meant a bit of a drive back to Adelaide at rush hour with very few directions to the airport. We left PLENTY of time because the same thing happens every day we are leaving one place and moving onto another. The night before I ask Steve what time he thinks we should leave. He always leaves plenty of time for delays or wrong turns which means we always leave on the early side. Then that morning we awake, before the alarm, shower, dress and, since our suitcases are packed the night before, sit there and stare at each other waiting for the previously appointed hour to leave. That is when, inevitably, Steve says, what are we waiting for...let's go, we might as well just sit at the airport where there is free wifi, or have time to stop for a coffee.
That was my morning yesterday to a tee. We had an 11:35 flight, the airport was 70 km away, an estimated 1 1/2 hour drive and we left at 7:10. That's a bit early even for Steve. But better than missing a flight and we got to stop in Gawler for a breaky wrap for Steve and checked in at Adelaide airport with PLENTY of time to spare but not great internet.
Steve is trying to transition all the blogging and photos to the new iPad but so far each day he needs to retrieve from the old mini iPad and move to the cloud to get onto the new device and this is causing a bit of an issue. We are hoping that starting today we will be all converted to make it a bit easier.
Anyway, we thought we did publish a blog from Adelaide but no email ever came so perhaps today will be two entries. Sorry!
Melbourne
From the moment we arrived, the weather was perfect, sunny and springlike, warm but not hot. We found the Star Bus with not much time wasted and it dropped us off right at our new front door for the next five nights. Notice I didn't use the word hotel because we are staying in the guest flat of a friend of a friend. There are three surprising things about this choice:
1) The friends in the US are new friends, people we met only last New Years and have had dinner with four times, if you count the night we met at a party. We clicked right away and really enjoyed their company but in reality, we hardly know them.
2) Their friends in Australia are really business acquaintances, whom they have not spent much time with but apparently like and really clicked with.
3) This Melbourne couple happen to have a guest flat at the back of their property they built only two years ago because....well I guess because all these Aussies are so incredibly hospitable...and, Lew told us the four of us would probably click!
Anyway, bags in hand we arrived in beautiful South Yarra, a stone's throw from the CBD (remember that is every city's downtown, center city, main area...the Central Business District), a neighborhood of beautiful, large Victorian like properties. We knew ahead our hosts would be at work and we would be greeted by the nanny and kids.
The doorbell worked and Joseph greeted us, welcoming us in, flat key at the ready, and showed us to our new home. Through the main house, across the yard replete with trampoline and swimming pool, into the shed and up the stairs to a beautiful two bedroom flat with a modern kitchen and bath with laundry to boot. Good thing too, as after the farm stay and pig feeding, our clothes are a bit dusty.
We had a closet and drawers, something not always part of our accommodations, to unpack in and a load of laundry to throw in. We weren't planning much for Day 1 other than settling in and meeting our hosts but the kids weren't sure when Mom and Dad would be back, so we did a quick change and took a walk around the neighborhood to the shopping area. It was already past 5:00 so most shops were closed but you could feel the vibe of the 'hood. We walked past at least a half dozen appealing restaurants, a dozen boutiques worth a return trip and the street was busy with well dressed women and men and Happy Hour was in full swing.
One glass of wine later, we headed back home by 7 to change and think about dinner. Knock on the door of the main house, kids still there with nanny, no Mom, no Dad. I was starting to feel terrible that here we were enjoying their generous offer, including a kitchen stocked with all the necessities for breakfast and wine and beer, and we hadn't even been able to meet. But they have set quite an example for the kids, who are warm and friendly, with Joseph, whose age I am guessing at somewhere between 12-14, offering to make us any cocktail we wished using his cocktail app!
A quick change to look refreshed, and by 7:30 we were off to dinner. I had been tempted to reserve a table as we went by all the restaurants earlier in the day but Steve was sure with the abundance of places and it being Wednesday, there was no need. I guess after the first three stops with no tables until 9:00, he was feeling a bit sheepish. But we ended up falling into a little Italian joint that would have been right at home in North Beach, San Francisco that turned out great homemade pasta (in a light and luscious lobster bisque sauce) and pizza.
Although I swore no more pizza, I could see the real wood-fired oven and with the knowledge that Melbourne was the most foodie stop on our trip, I did reneged on my vow and ordered a Margherita.....it was YUM, charred thin crust, and just right ratio of sauce to cheese.
And after our walk back......yes.... the kitchen light was on and our hostess at the table. Since I have not yet asked if I can include them in the blog, I think it best to simply use initials. J was as lovely and welcoming as the children and we sat and chatted for about an hour, getting to meet spouse P too. They filled us in on all the best areas to wander, things to see and places to chow down. They are warm, friendly and very at ease welcoming many people to their home. The main house is large and rambling and you can tell it is busy and full of life. We even got a big hug goodnight from daughter N.
We could have stayed and talked for hours but they have work the next am and I was a bit tired since the night before at about 3am Steve turned on the light in the farm cottage swearing he heard a critter inside, which caused me to lose about an hour or so sleep. Tomorrow we are off to explore Melbourne and I have a feeling it just might end up being my favorite city in Oz.
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