Air Travel Trivia

Malaysian airports still have the persistent habit of placing a rather very sticky narrow piece of security tape over the zipper of your check in luggage, after the bags are first scanned by security officers, before the passenger even goes to the airline counter to collect the boarding pass.   This sticky tape is often irritating to remove from the teeth of bag zippers. This practice is , thankfully, not a feature of Australian airports, which scan check in luggage behind the scenes after the passenger submits the baggage to the airline.  Both Singapore and Australia strictly require the filling up of hand written arrival and disembarkation cards, whilst Malaysia has done away with such requirements. Mobile phones cannot be switched on in Australian airports, until after the passenger has cleared both immigration and quarantine checks (tell that to the typical passenger in Asia, who instinctively switch on their mobiles once the plane comes to a halt on arrival and the passengers have not even disembarked out of the craft).  Such is the variety of air travel practice that faces a passenger travelling across various time zones and countries.

Chicken, fruits and fish seem to be the safe options in food menu choices for the diversity of air travel passengers, being neither in the zone of culturally or religiously forbidden.  They also can keep well and are amiable to soaking in the flavours of spices and stock flavours. Travelling with different airlines also mean the opportunity to partake in the best food represented for each region, whether they are baked pastries,  savoury dishes or uplifting and unique side dishes.  Increasingly , better run airlines pamper to the needs of the gluten free, the lactose indigestible and the organic focused. The choice of meals do offer differentiation to airlines that care, but Air New Zealand does offer a refreshing variety of the safety video.

Most important is the creating of the experience, not just for business or first class passengers, as often articulated in the quality of passenger interaction by cabin crew.  It is also echoed in how various categories of air passengers are organised to check in at the disembarkation gate or treated at the boarding pass collection counter, and whether outsourced or internal staff are utilised for such critical first impression points.   It is also reflected in what languages an airline offers to passengers and how they are handled when connecting flight passengers arrive late through no fault of their own. And then there are so many budget airlines.

The effectiveness of scanning equipment at airports comes to more significance play these days, as security and other controls meet head on with the increasing volume of passengers and baggage handled. I have experienced certain scanners used that are not effective  in providing plausible views of luggage contents for security purposes - and those that possibly intrude the privacy of the physical features of air passengers.

There are nations that are more conscious of welcoming visitors and those which are more obsessed with not doing so.  There are airports that have no proper queuing arrangements, where different managers, of the various phases passengers are subject to, do not  communicate sufficiently with each other and where revenues are unduly prioritised over a country's image or friendly prospects.  There are nations that have a cultural heritage of engaging with customers (or are well trained to do so) and those with a more of less stiff upper lip tradition and with airline crews who obviously have a disdain for all or certain passengers.

Lolli Redini - Orange, NSW

On a cold night, with single digit temperatures, venison does warm the palate. Siting next to me, Chris chose, as mains, the loin of Mandagery Creek venison, garnished by a horseradish cream, generously swamped by slow cooked and spiced red cabbage and richly accompanied by Waru organic beets and a dollop of celeriac gratin. (picture above).  Welcome to the inner sanctum of the Lolli Redini.

A refreshing choice of side serve is having a choice of green coloured vegetables (broccoli and beans in picture above) doused with Le Barre olive oil and a twist of lemon.  My first taste of Lolli was in the ocean trout carpaccio (image below), as topped up by garlic toasts, horseradish remoulade, celeriac, green apple slices and mint leaves.  Remoulade is a French inspired sauce based on mayonnaise or aioli and may contain paprika, capers and anchovies, always popular to accompany seafood dishes.  Celeriac, also referred to as a knob celery, is turnip-rooted. A carpaccio is an Italian appetiser served with a mayonnaise based dressing, first formulated at Harry's Bar in Venecia in the 1950s.

Right in front of me, as served to Cindy, was the twice cooked Wagyu brisket, graced by rosemary flavoured crumbs, broccolini, Jerusalem artichoke puree and glazed Heirloom carrots and swedes (or Rutubaga, the Swedish turnip), gently surrounded by a brisket sauce, great with barbecued meats.

 

The Orange art fraternity do seem to utilise Lolli as a gathering place, and this is evident from the hung art pieces on the walls as you bite into your anticipated morsel of carefully prepared meals.
Contemporary French and Italian inspirations in the dishes, the restaurant recreates an Euro elegance with fine Australian produce from the central west of New South Wales. My impressions, of my night visit to Lolli Redini at Sale Street (nearest cross road is Byng)  in downtown Orange, are:
Atmosphere: Euro yet Aussie - reminders of Tuscany.
Location: In the centre of excellent local produce.
Taste: My pictures do not do it sufficient justice!
People Engagement: The staff member with a French accent was smiling and made useful suggestions of dishes whenever he spoke to guests.  Tall, slim and elegant, I reckon the lady diners would have considered him a big plus to an already good ambiance.
Service:  Attentive.  A possible blip when some of us had mains while the rest had entrees - what is the protocol in this for clearing the plates?
Best Time to Visit:  Dinner (only time opened)
Fav Dish Experienced: Slow roasted Belubula Pork belly, served with a sweet potato puree, wom bok cabbage and caramelised Granny Smith apples.  Belubula is a local river.
Would I Return?:  Whisk me away and deliver me to Simonn and Leah's gem of a restaurant!
Give me the pressed terrine of veal, rabbit and pork, served with a quince paste and a serving of Waru rocket salad and toasted truffle and buttered walnut sourdough.

Charmaine declared the risotto of asparagus, sweet peas, zucchini and parsley, as topped by king prawns from the Spencer Gulf in picture above, as outstanding.

Below, I had my main dish of Belubula pork belly, slow roasted instead of double cooked, providing me a hint of southern Chinese influences and yet with the reminder of Australian flavours in pumpkin and green taste of Granny Smiths.

The comprehensive wine, champagne and aperitifs list includes Pimms, and items from Reims in France and the Tamar Valley in Tassie.  Local Orange produce are illustrated by Ross Hill, Canobolas-Smith and Philip Shaw.

 

Canobolas-Smith Vineyard - Orange, NSW

There are easily more than a few dozen vineyards in the Orange District of New South Wales. Apart from its other reputation as the food basket of the state, its viticulture traditions and output are spread out along Pinnacle Road ( mountain topography, as with Ross Hill estate); Cargo Road in Lidster; the Escort Way (also known as the Borenore Trail, with names like Philip Shaw and Barton Creek); the Canowindra Trail; and the Eastern Heritage Trail. It was along Cargo Road that I enjoyed discovering the Canobolas-Smith Cellar Door, Winery and vineyards. This is a mature establishment since 1986 and significantly dry-grown area, which specialises in the Alchemy Cabernet blend. William Rikard-Bell and Murray Smith run the operations here.

We met Murray, an easy going and down to earth fella, patient at letting us explore our palate, starting with the sublime and moving us on the path  towards the Alchemy. Alchemy is a combination of the very best in Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Shiraz.

French oak is utilised in the casking and Murray emphasises the artisan approach in the wine making here, preferring the practice of small batches to allow as much as possible the outcome of the house's unique and natural flavours.  Interesting enough, all fruits are hand pruned and picked.  The six hectares planted lie on the northern slopes of Mount Canobolas. 

 

The Canobolas-Smith bottle label stands out bright blue, centring on a representation of the cheery sun with the crescent moon, and was designed by Orange artist Tim Winters.  The ladies in my group enjoyed their adventures with the Chardonnay produced here, whilst I reserved my tastings to the heavier reds which caught my eye, though I skipped the Shiraz on its own.  Commencing with the Semillon/ Sauvignon Blanc, I was heightened in interest with the Pinot Noir and was sold in conviction with my tasting of the Cabernet Sauvignon. I highly recommend the Alchemy.

The neighbouring Gordon Hills Estate in comparison is relatively new, established in 1999 and run initially as Burke and Hills until 2008.  The distinctive feature of the Gordon Hills is the elevation of the grown vines at around 900 metres above sea level and thus it benefits from such a cool climate in its output.

Santa Fe Portuguese - Wollongong, NSW

Tender cuts of pork, accompanied by appetising potato bites, olives, mussels on the shell and a squeeze of lemon, were served on a plate with traditional Portuguese markings.  (picture above). This was my dinner at a Portuguese-themed restaurant/cafe in downtown Wollongong.  The setting is casual yet traditional.  They open early in the morning, and seem to focus on a breakfast and branch clientele, but also offer wholesome meals in the evenings that can be the basis of an informal family outing or just with a group of mates. Are the meals from Brazil or from the Iberian coast? There are no table cloths, just clean white tables with a drinks fridge but coffee is made fresh at the bar. Not too many tables at this one-shop place with Crust Pizza across the road and Lower Crown East a few doors to the west.  the feel is also Mediterranean, with unique looking crystal or metal lamps and mirror borders.  The decor is modern and yet a touch of ethnic.

My fellow diners at the table all had skewer swords served, each holding juicy and delicate pieces of various meat and prawn combinations. The marinade applied to each meaty morsel must be the secret to Portuguese cuisine. I last had an encounter with such dining swords in Petersham, which has a hub of a Portuguese background, like Warrawong south of Wollongong CBD. Generous amounts of chips (above) or wedges (below), according to your preference, accompanied carrot and green leaf salads, to balance each square plate with the meat choices - lamb, beef, chicken and more.

That weekday evening, the crowd was mainly with an Iberian background, and most seemed to begin the meal with red wines and a relish.  There is a fair range of Australian and Portuguese wines above the counter. We had side serves of neatly cut polenta bread, but not the lupini beans and olives.  Traditional Portuguese tarts were seen available at the front counter display, maybe more suited for breakfasts.
To finish up the meal, I tried the coffee which more than a few people raved about. My first sensation, on sipping the rather hot concoction, was that this was an aromatic blend.  Then skimming the surface, I also found creamy layers.  Finally the heavy dosage of bean thickness struck through, as a cappuccino should. The experience was slightly different from the Italian versions common in Australia these days.

My impressions of the Santa Fe Portuguese Restaurant at 64 Crown Street, Wollongong CBD (near junction with Corrimal Street) are:

Atmosphere:  Informal and easy.

Taste: Better than my expectations.

People Engagement:  Friendly parents in a family run atmosphere.

Service:  Casual

Best Time to Visit:  Dinner

Fav Dish Experienced: Pork Grills

Would I Return?:  Yes.

A Life In the City Centre - The Shady Side

Living in the city centre, you may wonder, at times, what lies beyond.  The sun sets over the plains or the hills, but the true nature of outer suburbs or countryside do not fully reveal themselves in the city, only suggestive in produce from apparently faraway places, visitors arriving in transit and eager for what they do not have back in their neighbourhoods and in the occasional feeling of city dwellers that they may not have most of the things they need.  This often is heightened when there's the longing to get out of the city centre on long weekends, for  day excursions or just for a change of air.  The immediate effect of doing so is a real sense of more space - to roam, to breathe in and to dream of.

There are many shady lanes in a city centre, those of lack of light, those which are thrown in shadows and those meaning of a lack of character.  Even the neon lights may not help,  for after a while, display truly what they are - artificial, superficial and dependent on power sources. Where people gather, these lanes are usually not an issue, whether for a smoko, a quiet chat away from prying eyes or for an after work drink. Where boxes stack up, where garbage piles up and where there is a silence at midnight, such lanes suggest of another presence that are not so kosher and which may not welcome innocent individuals who by chance wander into them. Most city streets are empty from after hours to sunrise, but may still be populated by people who have no permanent abode, who may have been struck down by the inequities of society and life or who may have to ply a certain trade under the apparent cover of darkness.

Living in the city centre can mean a in-the-face reality of the lack of privacy, cardboard partitions, dwelling with virtual strangers in the same room and only having better friendships in cyberspace.
It can also dictate co-existing with leaking drainage; fauna with more than two legs which may not be so cute; and having more than the amount of mould than desirable. The lack of flora is expressed by the degree of delight any city dweller takes in fresh blooms and the extent of natural greenery, and also by the intensity of disdain for anything plastic. Having a city centre lifestyle does not mean knowing more people, but can positively bring you closer to the close circle of good mates and relatives that you already have.  Many may find greater comfort in the cultural tribes that they already have or long for in the move from home to a big city centre.

There are also many temptations to spend. Unless one has a conscious budget and a strong financial aim, life in the city centre can mean frittering away the spare cash, making unplanned purchases and falling into the herd mentality trap. It can begin unsuspectingly as peer activity, a basis to unwind or part of a new regime. On the other hand, a disciplined lifestyle of being frugal, when living surrounded by commerce and marketing signals, can mean inner strength or undergoing a constant battle to ignore the temporary and the meaningless. To spend less at times in a city centre means corralling one's self in a room and roam away in cyberspace.  It can also mean more fitness training in the city parks.

Maybe most individuals do not plan to spend all their lives in a city centre. They may be there to fit the best times of their lives which synchronises with their age, or when they can make the most money. They enjoy what a city centre can offer, but are also cognisant of the darker and shady side of living out their daily routines amidst impersonal buildings and transient communities. They are exposed more to the variety of personalities, agendas and frailties of a more diverse city culture, but they also gain more experience and determination to better handle different scenarios and challenges.