A Yucky Taste

Bloody hell. All I wanted was tempura mushrooms, not mushrooms with the shit battered out of them. Once upon a time, wee little Georgie Weston could stand at the Huon Valley Tempura Mushroom stall at Taste and wait in line while fresh little mushrooms were turned out for hungry little diners like me. They were so popular that sometimes I had to wait to have my mushrooms made fresh on the spot. They were sweet, juicy, and scrummo! So last night, on a nostalgic whim, I returned to dig into some tempura mushrooms.

These were not tempura mushrooms. These were battered mushrooms. They were hideous.

Thank god I had the Lalla Gully (pinot grigio this time) to save the day.

GW

p.s. Have a great New Years Eve tonight … might see you at the Taste for a glass of bubbles.

A Wee Taste

Stopped by for a rapid fire lunch at Taste. Arrived at 1:30 and within 10 minutes flat had queued for and bought glass tasting glasses (so much nicer than the plastic ones) and had found a table. We plonked ourselves down and took turns hunting. A bottle of Lalla Gully sauvignon blanc (around $20) was a magic companion to our scores from Waji’s stall - A bowl of chilli mussels for $6 and a dozen oysters ($12). The oysters were so fresh I could still taste sea water on them. Magnificent. Can’t wait to go back for a good hard bash at it tomorrow.

GW
(With thanks to www.hobartsummerfestival.com.au, from whom I stole the photo)

Merry Christmas

"He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself; A wink of his eye and a twist of his head, Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread; He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk, And laying his finger aside of his nose, And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose; He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, And away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight, "HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT."

Merry Christmas to all,
Georgie xxx

T42

Had dinner at T42 last night. It had been so long, and it was such a gorgeous rain-stormy night. Couldn't resist the opportunity to sit by the waterside and dine big time. We ate late. The place was pumping with large tables of Christmas-party diners, so we plonked ourselves outside to enjoy the night air.

Kicked off with a dozen natural oysters - plump and sea-water fresh - while hoeing into a great bottle of D'Arenberg cabernet. Followed this up with prawn and pumpkin risotto and kangaroo. The roo was tender and juicy and the risotto was great. My tip: unless suffering severe malnutrition, order entree sizes for both courses. Serving sizes are very generous here.

In a nutshell, Teef is a pretty great venue all round. It can get noisy inside on weekends in summer, which makes outdoor dining a must unless you like that kind of noisy ambience. The menu is usually peppered with tempting options and the food doesn't disappoint (well, has never disappointed me anyway). Love the staff, love the winelist, even love their coffee!

GW

Ok you lot!

Can I just say, if you can't bitch about your family at Christmas time, when can you???

Anyway, since even my closest friends confused the pink background (and then green, if you missed it) for a whole new website (keep with the program people!), I have decided to return to the classic black. Maybe the whole thing was just my reaction to the lack of Christmas spirit in Hobart this year.

Last year I recall complaining about the over-abundance of Christmas demands. This year, one week from Christmas, I'm finding myself asking one simple question (to the strains of a very bad 80s song):

... do they know it's Christmas time at all? ...

Anyway, the tree is up, the pavolva recipe (mine NEVER fails!) is at the ready, and the cat is completely distressed. All systems are go.

I'll be back before Christmas, but in case you're not ... Have a great festive season, drink too much, eat too much, and strain many muscles laughing!

GW xxxxxx

Dinner in a Jar

Went to dinner at the home of my nemesis, cousin Sonya last night. Sonya was always a shit, but now I've realised some people really have no clue where food comes from!

To start things off I was offered a vodka lime & soda. Nice one! Except, the "lime" was that pretend lime juice out a green plastic bottle. Ok Georgie, I said to meself, stop being fussy. Smile and drink the bloody drink.

I drank the drink (cue cat's-arse facial expression).

Next on the menu was dip and crackers. The crackers were corn chips - Mexican flavour (blechh!) and the dip was Coles brand avocado. I am yet to come across a major label dip that doesn't taste like pencil shavings, seriously.

Deep breath, Georgie, she's promised a bbq, how bad can that be?

Well. Out came the frozen burgers. Microwaved before going on the hotplate, of course. The salad came out of a bag, the dressing came out of a bottle, the potato salad came out of a Coles deli tub. Not a single item in the meal was made with fresh ingredients (unless you count vodka!).

I despair.

It's not that I'm a real food snob, and we all know I'm as much a lazy cow as the next bovine wench, but I just can't understand how some people have no perception of the taste of food. It's not cheaper to buy frozen burgers, they taste like cardboard, and they are full of all sorts of shit. And if you're too lazy to make your own burgers Sonya, what's wrong with a bloody lamb chop or a freaking sausage?

The worst thing about my cousin Sonya is that she thinks she's a great hostess (bless her). The best thing about being Sonya’s cousin is I can dob to Gran, who will tell Auntie Flo, who tell kick Sonya's sorry arse!

Aaah, family. Don't you just love Christmas time?

GW the HRB
;-)

p.s. Clearly not over the shocking pink yet. Loved your reaction, Stephen. Don't worry, it won't last much longer. You know how novelties are.

Surprise!

Tee hee, I've been playing with my settings. Don't worry, I'll get over the geek-tweeking soon and go back to my old sombre self. In the meantime, I've been doing some lateral thinking about Jack's shop ... think I've got it sussed.

Look out Jack, I'm comin'.
GW ;-)

Check These Out

Having too much time on my hands lately I've discovered a couple sites that you might like.

Chez Pim
I'm a big fan of Pim ... she's a chick with my kind of lifestyle (I wonder if she's real???). Lots of jet-setting to sample all kinds of food in all kinds of places, friends all over the world, a seemingly endless dinner party! And a never-ending funding source by the look of it too! http://chezpim.typepad.com/blogs/

Accidental Hedonist
This is a semi-formal site with a bit of marketing, a bit of reviewing, a bit of consumer education. A bit sensible for me, but you might like it. http://www.accidentalhedonist.com/

The Stained Apron
Gotta love this site, it's the food industry's turn to do what we do ... have a good bitch ... except of course, they're bitching about us! Mostly waiters, but every now and then the odd chef gets to have a rave too. Love it. http://www.stainedapron.com/

Gone but not forgotten ...
I really love these sites, but sadly they are closed for business. Trawl through the archives, they're great for a chuckle.

Thoughts from my Anus
Gotta just love this site for its name. Better yet, it's a total piss-take on a Melbourne-based conservative who has a column in one of the papers over there. It's a cheeky tongue-in-cheek cack, just a shame it's time out there was cut so short. http://thoughtsfrommyanus.blogspot.com/

Things I Hate About My Flatmate
I discovered this site about two weeks before it shut down, but now to my surprise there is some action again. Hurrah! The current entry about a B&B is rather chuckle worthy, but check out the archive to read up on this dudes experiences with his flatmate. Funny, with cool images. http://ihatemyflatmate.blogspot.com/2005/12/some-replies.html#comments

Sadly, not many Australian sites to report (naturally, the only Australian site has the word "anus" in the title!). But I'm sure you'll all send me some suggested Aussie sites to waste pressures hours on.

Cheers for now,
GW.

Don't Let the Clouds Fool You

Summer is definitely here, and Friday was a totally indulgent summer's day ... I even took a sickie!

Had lunch with the girls at Irish Murphy's. Not my choice. They do a $10 lunch special which includes a meal such as fish and chips or a chicken wrap and a free soft drink or coffee (woo hoo). The fish and chips were rather too oily, and I spent the next hour or two wishing I'd abstained. The soft drink was fizzy though (again, woo hoo).

Apparently the birthday girl hangs out at Irish all the time, hence her choice of birthday lunch location. I really must vet my friends a bit better.

The sad thing about taking a sickie when nobody else has, is you risk being the only booze hag at the table. Oh, the inner conflict!

Once I ditched my rather too sober friends I headed to Lansdowne Cafe in West Hobart for a catch up with Gran (I'm such a softie). I love Gran and I love Lansdowne Cafe. In fact, I love Lansdowne Cafe so much I think I'll move in. Yummy muffins, sexy lookin' menu, yummy coffee, very friendly service and groovy environs. Hurrah for the new wave of venues away from the cbd.

Next port of call was to meet up with my not-so-secret admirer at T42. We sipped a delicious cabernet (sorry, he paid, I've no idea what it was) while being entertained by a flock of Leavers in their formal attire and orthodontics. Gorgeous to a one. Particularly loved the girls who rocked up in the fire engine with sirens blaring. (And bah humbug to the shazza behind me who barked "My taxes are paying for that!" ... what an idiot).

Rounded the evening off with dinner at Sens (Peking Duck rolls, prawn dumplings, tofu rolls, vegetable dumplings). YUM. And what a reasonably priced wine list! We paid $15.50 for a bottle of D'Arenberg Stump Jump. Cool.

A balmy evening was finished off at home with more wine, some great King Island cheddar, and much smooching.

I love summer!
GW