The Blank Canvas Restaurant - Batemans Bay, South Coast NSW

My first encounter with the veg burger at the Blank Canvas - underpinned by Mediterranean headiness, strong flavours and beautiful avocado.

Along the Murra Murra Mia Walk, beside a calming Clyde River, I find an iconic encapsulation of what it feels to be like in Batemans Bay.  It is mid-January and the cares of the world float up and seep away in the quietness of the gentle waters.  Then I notice a chalk written board,  placed outside a corner restaurant inviting any passers-by to divert and take a rest.  Why is it called the Blank Canvas, I wonder. Is this a casual place, or one that offers more than just a holiday version of modern Australian, or one where a guest is accepted with care, whether one is dressed down or up?

The interiors are inviting, with cool wood and shaded tones, especially in the evenings, when candle light suggests a different and even more inviting ambiance.  There are Mediterranean influences in the gourmet options and yet at the same time guests can have their burgers and steak too.  It is open from 830am, usually from Wednesdays to Sundays in the winter season but have food available till late evenings even on Mondays and Tuesdays in the height of summer.  Staff are attentive and engaging - and there is nothing like having  a chat with them and noticing a different and more positive atmosphere when compared with some capital city operations.  The men behind the kitchen counter are cocooned inside, but the staff on the front line, including Tammie, the female half of the couple owners, talk to you as if they are your friendly neighbours.

Tuesday evening at a cosy place with an innovative menu and vibrant choices.

Twilight on a January visit, just outside the restaurant, looking over the mouth of the Clyde River meeting the open ocean.

Use with careful thought of ingredients feature in the menu options. Add touches like sweet potato crisps, fresh salads and Bearnise sauce. The selection of seafood reflects the local produce.  There is  a range of pastas and risotto.   You can have a simple preference or try some of the more creative combinations and all are crafted under the direction of Chef Chrischen.  Our lunchtime meal was graced by the out going personality of Josh that day.   The relative spaciousness of placed tables and an option to wait on a sofa inside added to a bonus.

Crunchiness and freshness - a lunch idea with bite, flavour and mix.

Seating is provided outside for guests to watch the world go by, including the pleasure or fishing boats first anchored close to shore in the dawn hours and later chugging back in the sunset.  Evening time sees the restaurant transformed with a clever combination of low lighting and a choice of cocktails.   The Blank Canvas can also be accessed from the inner Orient Street and has an address at the Annetts Arcade.   A hidden delight to me is the Golden Bean Rainforest Alliance blend of Numero Uno coffee that they serve with pride from mornings onwards.   If you go for a run or cycle ride along the foreshores of the Clyde River, this is a recommended stop afterwards. The Blank Canvas can stand out against the variety of fast foods and sandwich cafes that dot the town centre hub of Batemans Bay in this respect.  The Canvas take more care with their food, customer engagement and seating choices.  My own experience there did not encounter delays in having my chosen dishes and orders come to the table.  As it is located only with a ground floor, the place is easily accessible.

My morning cuppa of cappuccino at the Blank Canvas.

Sunrise at the pier jutting out river side, captured whilst walking to the Blank Canvas for an early breakky.

Efficient and friendly Josh made  a suggestion for me to try another cocktail after the Midori.

Spring rolls with a twist as to the inside - an illustration of fusion creativity, utilising goat's curd inside and fresh rocket as a backdrop in presentation.

Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise sauce and a well done plus juicy grilled tomato.

Perhaps akin to the scenery outside, the Blank Canvas allows you to paint and compose the kind of experience you want to have at different times of the day or night.  A few of us from work had a casual lunch within sight of its peppercorn tree and a kaffir lime bush.  Breakfast opens up all the senses as gently as the light shining through over the Bay.  Evening time can be elegant, private or group based as you prefer.  I find it is also a good place to chat, with an unobtrusive feel and something to consider visiting even if you are residing further up or down the coast, or coming form Canberra.  There are few seagulls, if any, on my visit there recently, to disrupt your meal when seated outdoors.

The Tipsy Fig - Milton, South Coast NSW

You are almost close to reaching Ulladulla down the NSW South Coast, after around three hours drive from the Big Smoke of Sydney. In Ulladulla Harbour, young men still swim out to retrieve a cross thrown by the Orthodox priest as part of year start festivities and rituals - and you a re so far away from the Greek Isles.   Summer is a busy time for holiday makers, school children and families spending some chill out time - and they all seem to converge, like honey bees to a pot, at Milton Village, just before Ulladulla if you come from the north.  You cannot miss this out, the parked cars by the single main road, the throngs of holiday makers enjoying a bit of lunch or shopping and with an almost carnival air.  In the middle of it all, tucked away in a shopping green is the Tipsy Fig.

With  a mix of modern Australian fare, friendly staff welcome guests to sit in the green house like covered verandah with an almost perfect view of watching the surrounding shops.   Many could be there just passing by on the way further south or north, but I noted that all guests looked relaxed and enjoyed the best of both Australian produce and a bright ambiance about the place.  Staff took the effort to explain the vagaries and details of dishes.  I felt like in a garden setting on a day with no care, even if I had things to do later on after a quick rest for lunch.   Milton does not face the sea as it has cliffs nearby but reminds me of a typical English countryside feel.  I am sure during winter there is another kind of cosy atmosphere provided.  Also open for dinner, corkage is charged at the Tipsy Fig but I enjoyed a respite here after driving for a while.  The restaurant is open for both lunch and at night only from Wednesdays to Saturdays.

I thoroughly enjoyed the brandy snaps with perfect strawberries.   The local antiques lady further up the main road had recommended me another place to eat but this was closed that afternoon.  Instead I was delighted to discover this easy gem in the Fig.  A turn off nearby takes you to the excellent beach of Mollymook.  Both seafood and meats feature in the menu at the Fig, with light salads in interesting combinations.  Would I return?  A definite yes, for the way the Fig settles guests in with not just good choices but more importantly in an over all good feel!

Georgetown, Penang - The Eye of Ernest Zacharevic

Looking pensive yet curious and expectant, a young girl in blue dress waits clutching a string holding a collection of garbage bags.

Someone is blocking the way to the washrooms - this character says more than its apparent impressions, with underlying political undertones.  Originally set up at Legoland in southern Johor State in Malaysia, just across the border from Singapore.

The teh tarik, an iconic street drink of refreshing brown coloured tea with cinnamon flavours, is in the packet hanging on the left of this art piece.  Do read the detail at the lower right.

Sci fi undertones and colours that echo more of the street murals in Western cities.

A very candid and captivating impression of a bare shirted teenage boy on the streets of Georgetown, Penang.

A calligraphic like representation  of the iconic Horse that comes alive with brush strokes.

Not sure whether the orange coloured water hose is part of the artistic expression, but the former Hin Bus Company site has been energised with some funk, fun and fresh perspectives by Ernest Zacharevic.

A face that reaches out for your attention, with simple red coloured but bold strokes to suggest a blouse, but I do love the cleverly placed hair ribbons as well.

Hurdles, passages and walls - the facade of an existing structure that still stands is transformed into flexibility, challenge and triumph.  Photo credit to Ms May Wah Ong.

Owls hark back to the mysteries of the forests, with links to the human soul and fascination for legends.

The so-called dunce caps worn by these boys are roadwork contraptions seen around the world.

Row, row your boat - allusions to Chinese vignettes from the past and yet with a modern paddle, set against a backdrop of tropical moulding walls.

One of the pieces that I love best - with zest, no limits and full imagination, a child rides on the cusp of adventure, ambition and an imaginary horse,

This encapsulates what can be a typical street scene in most of south-east Asia.

A familiar face, rendered much taller and yet with a comfortable presence.

A rendition on sack cloth - I have yet to figure this one out!

A combined effect between art and physical reality, a clever coming together of the mind's impression and what cannot be removed.

A dairy cow comes alive with the use of thumb tacks.

This is the purpose of it all by Ernest - to open up minds, discussion and over coming the limits of appearances.

A piece simply called "Rubber Band".

I was attracted by the use of art over the pale green and white coloured chicks - what was commonly utilised over much of colonial Malaya and Singapore a fifty to a hundred years ago, to shelter stuff and people from the harsh equatorial sun.

Zacharevic's formula on how to make the teh tarik - a packet of milk with a packet of black coffee.

The very first tall tower in Georgetown that harks back forty years - the Komtar - overlooks the pop up site.

Zacharevic's very first iconic success in rendering street art along Armenian Street in the old quarter of Georgetown, Penang.

This scene was so endearing to me - with anime like impact, this young girl could be just be whiling away her time, but to me, also looking forward to her future, with much possibility, uncertainty and yet inner thrill.

Something In the Air

More people take to the skies as aircraft travel becomes more accessible, more vulnerable to timely internet pricing and with more variations in the quality and approach to service than ever before. Just ponder about the following scenarios and reflect on whether you have experienced them before, especially in the past five years. 1. Cabin crew are not well trained to communicate with passengers or if they do, seem to be not professional in the way they swagger around the aisles between seated passengers. 2. You are asked to take up some dish you rather not want in a full service airline, as cabin crew advises of the lack of availability after they serve you rather late for some reason. 3. Duty free shopping seems to be fast tracked shortly after take off, instead of being made available after the first meal and before the second meal on a long haul flight. 4. Passengers are not offered immigration arrival cards on a timely basis, especially for destination countries that require such cards of all arriving passengers, apart from those in transit. 5. Checking in lounges do not display clearly the destination cities of flights to be boarded. 6. Check in counters can change on an arbitrary basis even in front of long queues of passengers. 7. Some economy class conditions of specific airlines still look and feel the same as thirty years ago. 8. A few airlines expect much from their ground crew and cabin crew and this shows in their ability to attract loyal passengers even if their prices are higher than competitor airlines. 9. The seats of a budget airline can be much cleaner than that of some full fledged airlines. 10. Airlines offering self check in and printing of boarding passes for passengers can vary in getting customers line up more than once. 11. Some airlines do make very interesting safety information videos for their passengers before take off, whilst others still revert to demos by attending cabin crew. 12. An airline offers food not packed in their own country, even if it boasts of being a national icon. 13. Aircraft washrooms seem to slide in cleanliness the later a flight progresses, but I know of one airline that requires its cabin crew to refresh and clean up such places on a regular basis during a long haul flight - whilst their competitors do not. 14. There are individuals who do good work for their employer airlines, only to see such good will destroyed by some of their less well trained colleagues. 15. Offering gourmet food on business class may not be sufficient to justify the significantly extra charges. 16. Some airlines just want turnover of passengers whilst a few others offer unique positive experiences. 17. It is much appreciated to have early check in facilities from certain airlines at specific major airports around the world. 18. A sense of humour on both part of passengers and cabin crew do go a long way to result in a more pleasant flight. 19. Full fledged airlines are still intent on focusing on food but can change innovatively for the future. 20. Responsiveness by airline staff for late checking passengers can make a huge difference in how customers perceive an airline. Whether you take Qantas, Emirates, Air Asia, Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand, Etihad, Cathay Pacific, Malaysian Airlines, Scoot , United, Thai Airways or British Airways, do try to match your experience with the numbered scenarios listed above.

Samuels at Thirroul NSW

Duck roast with a touch of French and modern Australian.

The restaurant is placed strategically in the northern Illawarra suburb of Thirroul, from which I did catch many a city commuter train in the wee hours of dawn.  There is also a bus stop right in front of Samuels, which has been patronised by both visitors and locals alike.  The beaches are further up the main road, Lawrence Hargrave, and in this hamlet of Thirroul, is a self contained village, sited on a narrow strip of land between the Tasman Sea and the Illawarra escarpment.  Catching up with someone now based in Canberra, I and always wanted to try this place, offering special value particularly on Wednesday and  Thursday evenings ( like a two course package for Aud 45), but also a pleasure to visit on an early Sunday afternoon.  Open only for dinner from Tuesdays to Fridays, it is open from 12 noon till evening on weekends.

The impressive variety of menu items on the blackboard, just after 12 noon on a summery Sunday arvo.

It was a rather quiet and calm setting, when Kristin and I caught up on career, choices and casual matters.  Staff were responsive, friendly and made us comfortable.   I had secretly peeked into the dessert choices - amongst other things, cheeses, cakes, sweet stuff and more. There is an underlying influence of Europe in the Samuels cuisine, particularly Italian, French and Mediterranean.  Although it has no beach front, Samuels provides other attractive aspects like an oasis of good food and ambiance away from the cafe and restaurant scene in downtown Wollongong and is a beacon of going out for those residents of the village suburbs north of there Wollongong CBD.  There is a wide choice of cocktails, aperitifs, liquor and beer.   Those passing by in the evenings down the South Coast may want to stop by after watching sunset at the nearby Austinmer beach.

Mushroom filled nuggets accompanying a bowl of fresh greens.

The white and subdued interiors contrast with the  harsh and bright Australian colours outside. The day we visited there were both large groups and smaller one like for us.  Chef Patrick does offer some interesting contemporary twists on several dishes and utilises ingredients to a refreshing outcome.  Some people have found the place a tad noisy at times (yes, I believe they do cater for group cocktails) but generally I find it is a good venue to chat, soak in the lifestyle choices in the Illawarra - and then for me, for example, to get home within fifteen minutes by car.  It is also family friendly.