An Arvo at Austi Beach, NSW

Waiting and sizing up. Feeling the vibes and the wind on the face.

Getting ready for just the right moment. Visualising the moment.

Anticipating. Not too early and not too late. Recalling lessons learnt

and relishing this next time. Keeping an eye for detail. Enjoying the

mateship and the conditions of the day. Acting out the right pose.

In a split second, it is time to decide - and go. Go ride the waves.

Ms G's - A World of Its Own

Victoria Street in Potts Point offer the surroundings leading to Ms G's (above)

Vongole with a twist, served with egg noodles and graced by Vietnamese inspired herbs.

(Image below). The bar counter is right upfront as you enter Ms G's (Image above).

Pandanus flavoured chiffon cake (above), topped by a coconut themed ice cream with nuts and raspberry - I prefer a less dense and more fluffy version of this traditional Straits Chinese cake. Below, the Stoner sandwich of various sugar fix flavours.

Mini-sized burgers that come with a choice of chicken katsu or crispy pork.

My personalised food platter - the highly recommended lamb shank (well marinated and with such a tasty texture from the first bite) at 10 o'clock; the sumptuous grilled prawn at 2 o'clock; and accompanying side serves.

A finger food idea - fine eggplant paste with sea urchin, served on a miniature base of pork crackling. (above). A light and refreshing salad for the palate with calamari and more (below).








Crackling roast pork served to be wrapped in pancake skins -not exactly in Beijing style!

Savoury ocean trout slices bathed in a Fijian styled ceviche.

This may be an optimal balance - a slice of belly pork garnished with aromatic condiments and shallots.





My cocktail of vodka and lime - I had expected this to be served in an elegant glass, but it was just a Yuzu slushee.

Retro Yum Cha - The Jin Yan, Castlehill RSL

Traditional siew mai or steamed pork and prawn dumplings.

Golden egg custard, sans caramel, is the key to a delicious tarn tart.

Char siew yoke, or red lined barbecued pork, is made with an attractive relish.

Deep fried and crunchy calamari strips, not just good with tea, but beer.



A bite of char siew bun.



Prawns galore - in Cantonese,  "ha" also indicates happiness.

The ubiquitous fried rice.

Smooth as silk - the steamed soya bean dessert.

The Zenya Noodle Bar, Eastwood NSW

The Zenya Noodle Bar may be more popular with the twenty somethings for hot piping ramen soups influenced  by Kyushu and Tokyo traditions, but I had the opportunity to try their bento or lunchbox combinations recently.  Zenya is located along Rowe Street in the north-western Sydney suburb of Eastwood -and attracts a fair share of Macquarie University students and families of Asian background who dominate the demographics in that corner of Australia.  The lighting is low and  the space can be limited. There is one Caucasian Australian guy working there as a staff member, to provide a contrast to the Asian-centric atmosphere.  Above image, the Toro-Toro bento set, with mains served as deep fried pork cutlets with batter.  Clockwise from 10am for the box - gyoza dumplings, marinated seaweed, tomato and onion salad, salmon shashimi and the pork cutlets.

Leafy vegetables,onion slices and tomato cuts predominate the lightly dressed salad piece in the bento box.(above). Below, we had green tea in a pot to accompany the miso soup.

Miso soup is mainstay of Japanese entrees, and this was also part of the Kabayaki Unagi bento that I ordered for lunch.  The mains were grilled eel fillets, whilst Kabayaki refers to the practice of having seafood, such as eel fillets, marinated in a sweet sauce - they originate from Japan's Edo period.

The set lunch also came with salmon shashimi.

I was impressed with their gyoza (above image) or pan fried dumplings.  Of Chinese origin, these dumplings utilise wonton wrappers and ground or minced pork.  The fillings are infused with a variety of garnishings before being used - a blend of Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, mustard,spring onions and chillies. The completed and cooked dumplings are often taken with a dipping mix - made with a combination of soya, plum, black bean and peanut sauces.

I could not resist finishing up the meal with two selections of Japanese-styled ice cream serves ,one flavoured by sesame seeds and the other by green tea.

Pizzazz at Il Nido, Balgownie NSW

The Il Nido Restaurant in Balgownie NSW opens only on evenings from Tuesdays to Sundays.

The patriarch of the family run place maintains a rather friendly atmosphere with his wife Diane and son Adrian. It is popular with local family groups.

On a recent week night, a group of us had a variety of thin crust pizzas to accompany the pan fried king fish, seafood penne and Hunter Valley wine. Above, generous servings of prosciutto on a well done and freshly made crust.

Above, the garlic bread as starters and below, potato and chorizo as toppings. Chorizos come with a hint of a spicy bite, and although I prefer the fresh versions, on pizzas, the fermented, cured or smoked types are often better.

Nothing like a bit of feta cheese to liven up a well dressed Italian inspired salad serve.