Wellington Harbour Front - June 2015

Auckland Winter - In the City

I strongly recall such construction workers even on my first visit in 1988.

New Zealand is after all part of the South Pacific - and can be tropical.

Lest we forget - an over proportionate number of New Zealand diggers sacrificed their lives  in 20th century battles
supporting the Mother Country Britain, when compared to the nation's small population.

Artist rendition of an interesting contraption used in a commercial kitchen.

The walk to the Brittomart Rail and Bus Hub, 8am on a Thursday morning in June 2015.

The Amorphophallus Titanium flowering at the Auckland Wintergarden, June 2015.

The stained ceiling at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Frontage of a shopping outlet near Auckland Harbour.

A green house.

Greek styled bas relief.

The call for war around a hundred years ago.

Auckland's business district.

Perhaps a rare place in the world displaying volcano rocks in a city plaza, with table tennis facilities provided for free by the Council.

In an Auckland garden.

Old Town Hong Kong Cuisine - Sydney Chinatown

Hong Kong is not just Chinese, this great city echoes traditions and influences from far and near due its entrepôt location, dynamic vibes, its residents being so passionate about business and making money.  It is also subtropical, a hub that is a powerful magnet for immigrants and was a British colony. The Fragrant Harbour has effective transport and international links, is short on land and space, thrives on modern trends and is a foodie heaven.

Old Town in the heart of Sydney's Chinatown provides a plethora of menu dishes that are not merely Cantonese, but also reflect the fusion and intermingling of cooking styles from Hong Kong.  Below is only but a small selection of recommended snacks, before and after you partake the main meals.

Deep fried ice cream, classic with a modern twist, served with slices of kiwifruit and strawberries.

Deep fried egg white topped with a  sprinkling of pink coloured  sugar undefiled with small dashes of custard.

Roast pork, not over fatty, yummy plans and definitely a good crackle.



Smooth on the palate - roast duck slices for your Beijing duck wrap, accompanied by shallot garnishing and  Hoi Sin sauce.

Five of us were ushered upstairs to a lovely table at a strategic corner.  Seated below a reproduction of a dragon head motif, I noticed it was a perfect time for a quiet dinner hour though late, between the family dining earlier and the suppers of youngsters later.  There is a rustic feel inside the Old Town. especially with the unwashed faded bricks.   I loved the roast pork slices and find the deep fried ice cream a cut above the rest.  The staff are efficient, friendly and a pleasure to deal with.

This time we did not get to eat the Tau Fu Fa, steamed soya bean curd for dessert.  There are Yum Cha or Dim Sim offerings from both southern and central China - I particularly like the steamed custard buns and the Shanghai dumplings.  Other starters you can consider are wine poached chicken or pig trotters; jelly fish salad cold dish; and the Tom Yum prawn soup (not really China!).

For mains, I recommend the roasted suckling pig if you have a larger number of people in your party.
On rainy wet days as we experienced recently, the ever reliable congee is worth considering, my group had two versions - the Old Town signature congee and the century egg flavoured version.   If you have steamed rice on the table, try the diced beef stir fried with black pepper sauce; the deep fried flounder in spicy salt; the braised eggplant access;pained with minced pork; and the king prawns served in shell with rice vermicelli; or the mud crab in shell  together with XO sauce and rice vermicelli.

Old Town Hong Kong Cuisine is located along the northern end of Dixon Street, away from the mall and towards Darling Harbour's Cantonese Gardens.
10A Dixon Street, Chinatown Sydney.
Walk from Central or Town Hall City Rail stations.
Opens daily from 11am to 2am, with dinner menu kicking in from 4pm.
Telephone 612 9264 3888