Our first morning in Hobart

I woke up early this morning and went out for a walk along the waterfront in Hobart.  It was a nice start to our trip away and a magnificently sunny day.

Hobart is so picturesque and has many buildings that have been there since the settlers arrived in the 1800’s looking for the next penal settlement after Sydney.  

Salamanca Place has a number of cafes, bars and shops and this morning when I ventured out many appeared to be just opening up around 7:30.  I can imagine that this area will be buzzing later and there will be lots of people lingering around.

 

 

I bought some supplies at the Salamanca Store and then found that there was free Wifi available in this area for up to 5MB download per day so quickly checked Twitter, posted a Twitpic and checked out some emails.

I then went back to our Hotel (Zero Davey) and Jane & I ventured out to breakfast at The Timeless Way.  We started with some excellent (build-your-own Latte’s) out the front, but it got a tad too chilly so we ventured out the back to a lovely atrium to eat the mediocre breakfast that was made up for the fact that the Waitress was friendly, the food arrived in a timely manner, and the aforementioned coffee.

Blitza Pizza, Birkenhead

We hadn’t been to Blitza for a while but decided to give it a go last night.  The restaurant was reasonably busy when we arrived and had a nice atmosphere.

We started with an excellent Garlic Pizza Bread and I followed this with a lovely Chicken Fettuccine and Jane had the Moussaka which was good as was it’s accompanying Greek salad.  The meals all arrived in a timely manner and were decent sized portions.

Jane also had an Espresso Martini which she thought was excellent.

The owner was friendly and the wait staff bubbly.  Whilst the service started off good it went downhill.  We must have waited about 30 minutes after finishing our meal before somebody finally cleared our table.  It was not that we were out of the way, but wait staff walked past several times on their way to other tables but we were unable to catch their eye.  It was then a further 10 minutes until we were asked if we wanted dessert, which we did.

I had a Lemon Meringue Cheesecake which wasn’t really me, and Jane had a Chocolate Brownie (which she described as being more like a 5mm thick chocolate goo) with icecream.  It tasted good but she wouldn’t call it a brownie.

Yeha! We're on holiday!

How does one spell a gargantuan exhalation expressing one's absolute delight at finally being on vacation I wonder? I know how it sounds. And I know how it feels. And I expect that you, dear reader, have been there yourself and know precisely what it is that I'm not even really attempting to describe because I know I'll never do it justice. Suffice to say - ahhhhh. Bliss. Joy. Delight.

I
am
on
holiday.

:-)

I promised myself during my summer holdiay of 08/09 that I would NOT leave it until Christmas 09 before having my next break. I reneged on that I'm very sorry to say. But at this point, that is irrelevant.

Happy days.

I really have nothing for you. Just a gratuitous expression of my sheer and utter joy. Did you notice? :-)

Happy Holidays everyone! Whatever it is you may be celebrating, recognising, rejoicing in or otherwise, may it be pleasant, relaxing and refreshing.

Narita Japanese Restaurant, Glenfield

We had dinner at Narita Japanese Restaurant in Glenfield tonight for the first time.  The restaurant was busy and had a great buzz.

We ordered Edamame, the Meat Lovers Bento box and the Seafood Bento Box and all food arrived in a timely manner.  The wait staff were polite and efficient.

The portions were all of a significant size however I was not wowed by the Meat Lovers Bento box.  It was ok, but nothing special.  Jane found the Seafood Bento box more appealing although she did comment that if she was being critical that the Bento Box at Sakanaya is in fact better.

Satya South Indian Restaurant (Great North Road)

We had heard good reports about Satya and I had in particular been recommended this one in Great North Road so we decided to give it a go this evening and we would happily return.

The restaurant is situated in a slightly weird location but people definitely seem to be able to find it.  The decor is simple but with an Indian theme and silk draped across the ceiling.  Considering our table was originally for four people I expect they try and squash people in; it was a suitable size for two people.

We started with some thick Mango Lassis that were pretty good and for our entree Dahi Puri and Hypderabadi Lamb.  These were both very good and packed with flavour.

For our main we had Apollo Fish (Dry Curry), Mutter Paneer, Garlic Paratha and Cheese Paratha.  We enjoyed all of these dishes and in particular enjoyed having a dry curry for a change.

The service wasn’t friendly or attentive and the wait staff were all very casually dressed.  It is a very relaxed environment so don’t expect anything else.

The food is great and we will be back for it.

Burnt Spur Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2006

I found this straw coloured Sauvignon Blanc has a herbaceous, passionfruit, light gooseberry, steely nose.   This resonates with the flavour however is accompanied by a citrus tone.

It is a full-bodied well balanced wine that is still quite zesty with a hint of sourness.  A medium length wine that is drinking well now, but I would not recommend keeping much longer.

A nice drop, that I was initially thinking lacks a wow factor.  I do however possibly feel that way about most Sauv Blancs, and this one does keep wanting me to drink some more and has enough going on to peak my interest.

mini-Tweetup at The Falls

After the soggiest Friday we've seen in a while, Auckland turned on the weather all weekend - it seems a shame to go back to work tomorrow to be honest. We were fortunate to have a brunch planned with a bunch of Twitter-ites out at The Falls this morning, so could make the most of the sunshine and fresh summer air in their gorgeous outdoor area.

We've been meaning to head out to The Falls for quite a while now, and after this morning, we're looking forward to returning and thinking about who else we can introduce to this fabulous location, and wonderful hosts.

Simon had the vegetarian breakfast (with a side of Bratwurst!) - this was delicious by all accounts, and I absolutely love the way the avocado was presented (ooh, and the crusted mushrooms were scrumptious - I did steal a wee morsel!).


I had the corn beef hash cakes with poached egg and pesto hollandaise - which was really good. Coffees were great - long black for me, trim latte for Simon. And then we both had a chai latte later - which I always find a bit hit or miss - these were most definitely a hit!

Thanks Alan and team, we look forward to seeing you again soon.

PS: if you want to find any of those mentioned here on Twitter:
Me - nztebs
Simon - gianouts
Alan/The Falls - @thefallsnz