Sassy's Red, Pitt Street Mall, Sydney

There are many cuisine distractions at Level 5 of Sydney CBD's Pitt Street Mall Westfield. Becasse pastries, Charlie and Co burgers, Din Tai Fung dumplings, amongst others, vie for your wallet and attention. After a long day of business in the city centre, I wanted something quick, easy and relatively light in a meal before making track back to Wollongong (90 km south). I chose the wok prepared sar hor fun from Sassy's Red (image above). The noodles were as expected, but I found the gravy under whelming and lacked the street food flair found in Malaysia. The curry laksa, chiken or seafood, is much better in comparison.

Sassy's Red recreates the theme and spirit of the ubiquitous coffee shop (kopi tiam) still found in numerous towns and cities across Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. This is epitomised by the chopstick holder, marble table top and the classic coffee shop chair (picture above). The Laughing Buddha (foreground in image below) shows the connection of the operators of Sassy's Red with Cinta Ria, which offers another Malaysian dining experience at Sydney's Darling Harbour and that in Melbourne. The dishes with their names at the top of the photograph below are Malaysian favourites, especially chili prawns and chicken curry (best served with steamed jasmine or basmati rice). Nasi goreng and rendang beef is commonly available in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. Notice the curry laksa and nasi lemak being available as well, and they are best taken at breakfast time.

A variety of commonly used sauces in Chinese-Malaysian cooking are carefully displayed at one corner of the small Sassy's outlet at level 5 of Westfield Pitt Street Mall (picture above). Note the classic red coloured thermos flasks (commonly used by households for over a hundred years in the Malaya and Singapore of old) on the upper right corner, on the very top shelves.

The owners have also taken up one of the tenancies just a floor up on level 6 ( Cinta Ria, in the mood for love), together with Max Brenner chocolate, Chat Thai, Lombardian food at Spiedo and the Xanthi cuisine based on Constantinoiple and Perama cooking traditions.

A New IKEA Store- Tempe, Sydney

I could not believe my eyes and ears - the above pictured meal cost me less than five Australian dollars in 2011. I had been aware of the bargain meals available at IKEA store canteens for years in various countries, but this was the first time that I have actually sampled it. If not for the bottomless and refillable glass of soft drink, it would have cost me under three dollars. The two hash browns were crispy and tasty, but best of all were the eggs.

IKEA's relatively new store at Tempe, in Sydney's south, with easy access from the Princes Highway, is the size of twenty football fields. It has the feel of a small airport and somehow gave me the vibes that it was better organised and laid out than either Sydney International or Domestic air terminals. Vehicle parking was logical sufficiently to make it easy to locate your car or motor bike after coming out. The usual IKEA store's recommended one way customer walk through flow system was most assuring. The store at Tempe provided more room scenarios like in an actual house, not just for lounge, study, bedroom, bath, kitchen and laundry, but also made lay out suggestions for children's spaces, compact unit requirements and storage areas. Staff members were still fresh and eager enough to help and be human. Visitors could sign up on line at various terminals near the canteen lobby to register to be members and receive various discounts. Usersers of the canteen were encouraged to place their trays and empty plates and cutlery on a conveyor belt in an effort to help clear tables fast.

Auckland City Centre

New Zealand excites more with its outdoor possibilties, scenic panaromas and adventure sport sites than its urban landscapes and activities. Having acknowledged that, I sought to find the best of Auckland city centre. Auckland, New Zealand's largest city by population and area, calls for comparisons with Sydney in Australia. Auckland has sloping, hilly roads, combined with a beautiful harbour of varied and many bays and inlets. It also has a Harbour Bridge and more - the isles in Auckland Harbour, like Rangitoto, are bigger than Sydney's and its suburban roads are wider and perhaps more well planned. Many of the Auckland suburbs sit on extinct volcanic sites, hence all the Mounts from Albert to Eden, as the place straddles the Auckland Volcanic Field. In the city centre itself, however, life is more simple than Sydney's sprawling version. Above image, preparations for Christmas and New Year' Eve as parts of giant baubles are laid on a courtyard.

Life does still revolve around cafes, fruit juice bars and pubs. Above, looking through the glass of a Italian styled coffee place on an early Monday morning. Queen Street is one long hilly thoroughfare around which Auckland downtown personifies. On my November 2011 visit, I noted the emergence of more students, Asian businesses and a lively scene during evenings. The Korean and Chinese presence in Auckland are more pronounced. There still are heritage buildings and long standing Kiwi establishments like Whitcoulls, the Town Hall and Civic Theatre. Joining them now are the Red Guard Noodle Bar, curry houses and the new fangled Burger Fuel joints.

Rupert Murdoch, the ASB Bank Buildng and an ANZ Bank mrketing campaign motto ("Float Like a Butterfly, Fix without a Fee") all stare at you as you walk down from the top end of Queen Street. (picture above) Below, a few practitioners of tai chi and flag waving exercise in front of the main Auckland cinema complex in the city.

Kiwi architecture and interior design can be inspring and refreshing, as exemplfied by the counter of the box office at the entertainment centre, next showing the live performance of the Jersey Boys from April 2012. (image above). This contrasts with the feel and look of shopfronts of Asian chains like Japanese Daiso below.

Aotea Square is a landmark site not to be missed (picures above and below). When I wandered there, the denizens of the protest movement Occupy Auckland had just awoken from their slumber outdoors, albeit with camping tents, in the best tradition of New Zealand adventure and life. Aotea is named after Motu Aotea, or the Great Barrier Island, whch lies off 90 km from Auckland Harbour and is the largest off shore island for New Zealand.

Auckland is named after George Eden, Earl of Auckland in the UK and is the largest Polynesian city in the world. It continues to have a third of the population of New Zealand, and is sited to be blessed with both the Tasman Sea and South Pacific. Trams used to run in Auckland after Pakeha settlement. Preceding that were many Maori traditional villages called pa which existed from around 1350.

Above, the Auckland Town Hall, done in the Edwardian style, of which I had the privilege of attending Yin's graduation a few years ago. Below, the map of the route for the Auckland City Triathlon on 20 November 2011.

My favourite part of downtown Auckland is around the High Street precinct. Here are the side walk restaurants and cafes, cobbled and bricked pathways and a sense of the old quarter of the city (picture above). There are businesses with narrow shop fronts, those that lead you upstairs or to basements and all with a sense of uniqueness and ambiance. Some family members and I had a pub lunch of pizza and pasta at a quaint joint called Cassette.

The harbour front continues to be the jewel in Auckland city centre's crown, with the Viaduct and Wynyard Quarter the focus of night life and social events post game during the 2011 World Rugby Cup in New Zealand. Here fine dining, marina bays and the smell of the ocean remind any visitor of what Auckland City is mostly all about - the City of Sails.

Whenuapai - The Herbal Farm

Running and maintaining a farm is never easy, it requires patience, dedication and passion. Recently I had the unique opportunity to visit and explore a herbal farm, courtesy of David and Gillian Ng in Whenuapai, about half an hour's drive north of Auckland CBD. Called the Herb Patch and located at 18 Brigham Creek Road in Waitakere City, it also offers organic produce, culinary spices and vegetables for distribution to greengrocers, restaurants and wholesalers.

Herbs can be grown on the ground or above on raised table platforms. The key issues facing herb farmers are ensuring consistent quality, having timely irrigation watering and protecting the relatively delicate produce from predators like rabbits and the pukeko bird (native to New Zealand). The Herb Patch grows a diverse range of plant varieties - alfafa, angelica, basil, bay leaf, fenugreek, celery, chives, dill, elderflower, fennel, lavender, lemon myrtle, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme and more. A herbal farm is so much cleaner as it concentrates on flora.

David introduced me and my group to edible flowers (orange coloured ones above) and the importance of effective layout and design of pumps, pipes and automated watering. (images below). Winter offers a different set of challenges and opportunities compared to the warmer months.

Cut off tree stumps (above) remind me of windbreakers, essential on a flat, rather open topography. More delicate specimens require roof netting (below) and protective seedling ground covers. Efficient planning, good process mapping, gestation periods and timing requirements are critical to a successful farm operation anyway, especially in a country with rather more expensive labour costs. Above it all, both David and Gillian enjoy the surrounding atmosphere despite the daily hard work and attention the farm requires. I was surprised that their nearest shopping centre was only a fifteen minute drive away at the most. The couple has done a lot to restore and improve the state of the farm since they took over from the previous owners.

Christmas in the Antipodes

The Strand arcade (above and below images) in Sydney's Wynyard district, offers a retro and charming feel on any day, with its immaculately maintained tiled walls and floors. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, the small and narrow arcade is transformed, especially after dark, and even if no access is provided, alluringly tempts passers-by to stop and stare. There are delights to discover in the various shops sited in this arcade, including currently, the only outlet of Haighs hand made chocolates in Sydney, as the parent business comes from Adelaide.

Auckland Christmas scenes differ in emphasis and mood. There are more natural displays (above) and along the main thoroughfare of Queen Street (below), touches of snow laden lands.