Over the past month, we’ve spent a bit of time out and about, enjoying the (mostly) pleasant Sydney autumn weather. Here are a few snippets from our travels…
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
We met up with our adorable friend Lucas at Sydney University to sample the wares of the Singapore Shiok food truck…
The truck was only in town for a limited time, but the food was delicious – I had popiah, a rice paper roll filled with turnip and swede (but more traditionally with yam bean), and a classic nasi lemak…
And even though I’m in my late 40s, I felt like a young uni student again, sitting in Victoria Park in my Indian butterfly pants (thanks Beej!), chatting away to Pete and Lucas as we ate…
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
We were honoured to attend the christening of young Tomas in Wollongong. The little man screamed through the whole service (displaying a very healthy set of lungs, much to the delight of his trombonist father).
I took this iPhone photo from our seat in the second row (Hipstamatic, Abbie Lens, D-Type Plate film)…
It was a warm, sunny day in the ‘Gong…
After the ceremony, we were invited to lunch at the Lagoon seafood restaurant in North Beach. My prawn cocktail was very retro – complete with melon balls in a tall wineglass – and absolutely sublime…
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
“You’ll love this place!”, I told my friend Robbie as we drove to Youeni in Surry Hills for lunch. On our way to the car, we’d picked a handful of aspagarus spears from the garden to take as a gift (it’s such a joy to know folks who are as excited about fresh produce as we are).
Instead of simply scoffing the asparagus, the incredibly lovely Youeni-ers lightly sauteed them in a little butter and lemon juice and brought them back to the table for us. We ate a couple and then shared the rest around…
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
I’m not sure when (or if) the Anish Kapoor exhibition will be back in Sydney, so we organised another visit to the MCA before it closed. Pete missed out the first time, and I was eager to share it with him. It turned into a fabulous day trip with the neighbours!
This time the sun was shining and the sky mirror was in its full reflective glory…
We stood on the convex side for a group photo…
And just like the first time, I was completely blown away by the exhibition. More importantly, so was my brilliant engineer husband, who was excited by both the creativity and the detailed technical aspects of the art pieces.
I took a few photos using the new panorama function on the iPhone camera…
The photo below shows the front and back of the “S-Curve” – a deceptively complicated piece – note how the reflected image is upside down on the right…
Even the food at the MCA is a work of art…
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Never having been to a “pop-up” restaurant before, we were keen to try La Lupita in Canterbury. Run by the owner of Sydney food truck Al Carbón, the food was simple, spicy and tasty…
Once we’d paid for our tacos, we were free to adorn them with a selection of condiments…
The nachos were $10 a serve and Big Boy loved them so much that he ate two.
If you do decide to visit, be warned that it’s very loud inside, and that you’ll have to pay for water (which I’m not sure is entirely legal – in Australia, I believe restaurants are obliged to offer tap water for free). When you’re eating spicy Mexican food, water at $3 a bottle adds up pretty quickly!
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Finally, we feasted at Let’s Eat in Marrickville – a little Thai restaurant offering flavour-filled dishes at very reasonable prices. Dinner for four, including five mains and three desserts, cost us less than $25 per person. Pete pointed out that every dish had a distinctly different flavour (which is not always the case with suburban Thai cuisine)…
Sago pudding is one of my favourite desserts, especially done Thai style with salty coconut milk…
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Life in Sydney is always filled with adventures – I’m so pleased that my iPhone camera now lets me share them with you! How has your month been?
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Wonderful post, Celia…
I am afraid I don’t have that many cool things to share, even though we did go to Brazil… we did not go to a single restaurant, and did not have a moment to ourselves, so to be completely honest, I was looking forward to coming back home :-)
our recent trip to California was not much fun either.. oh, boy, what a fun killer I am… I better move away from the computer not to contaminate your great post
:-)
Ah well, you’re home now, so hopefully it will all settle down again for you! :) xx
I have often tried sautéing asparagus in a frying pan, but it’s never worked well. Do you have any tips?
My tricks with asparagus is to lay it out in a hot grill pan, and cook until there are grill marks on every side. That way it retains some crispness but is hot & cooked through. :)
Misky, our asparagus is so fresh that it only really needs a few seconds in a hot pan with some good butter. It’s still very crunchy when we eat it! :)
I’m happy you got to try the Singapore Shiok food truck. We went to its second outing at Sydney Park but they had sold out very quickly. I hope they’ll be back especially after seeing your pics. Our only newish local discovery is the upstairs verandah of the recently refurbished Newtown Hotel, where it’s nice to have a beer, lunch and watch the parade of King St from above.
ED, there’s something very cool about watching King Street, isn’t there? Always something interesting to see. We hit the Shiok truck on its very last day, so there weren’t any crowds, thankfully! x
Well illustrated.
Thank you! x
What a great outing, well captured. Love the prawn cocktail!
It was divine, Lizzy! I thought something twee with baby prawns would come out, so I was very chuffed when the plate appeared!
Celia, you certainly fitted a lot of fun outings into your Autumn so far. It’s great that you got back to the MCA and how lovely to attend a Christening and it must have been so much fun hanging out at Sydney Uni again. I do think legally water is meant to be available for free! xx
Charlie, it was all great fun – the MCA is always great, and every time I venture into the city these days, I feel like a grown-up. :)
You’re a dynamo, Ceels!
Now I want DIY tacos.
Isn’t that just the cutest photo of you? I’m thinking of sending a high res version to Tanja. :)
Good to see you are making up for your little break from blogging. Love the new photos at MCA. Now to find the panorama option on my phone or do you have the 5 phone.
Roz, I’ve only got the 4S like you, but the panoramic function came with the latest software upgrade. It’s on the standard camera app that comes with the iPhone, and it’s fabulous..
Wow – I’m a bit shocked that you were slugged $3 a bottle for water. My understanding is the same as yours – it is illegal to sell tap-water in Australia. LOVE the photo’s from the MCA!
Amanda, the MCA was and always is, fabulous! It was amazing what I picked up on a second viewing of the exhibition that I missed the first time!
Interesting! Lovely pictures.
Mine month was busy…..as usual! There’s always something happening or needing to get done…..
Manuela, hope you’re enjoying the weather as you start into spring! :)
You’ve been so busy!!Hopefully you’ll have time in April to catch up (and I want to meet Lucas too!). Thanks for the link love!! xxx
Let’s make it happen! Would love to see you! x
I really enjoy your posts, Celia, they are so positive.
Thanks Meg! Hope you’re having a great apple season! :)
I love the story of the asparagus Celia how nice of them! That’s a bit rough making you pay for water especially with spicy food. Seems like a bit of a con to me!
Claire, the guys at Youeni really are the best – we gave them just a small bag of asparagus for them to try, never expecting they’d bring it back to the table for us! :)
Celia, I do so enjoy your posts, especially ones of life in Sydney. Sigh!
Bronwen, it’s such a gorgeous city – I’ve been here all my life, and I’m perpetually discovering new things!
I love getting a glimpse into your adventures.. what a fun time! And amazing food along the way.. combined with art.. now that’s totally my kind of “out and about”! I’m really amazed at the low prices and the quantity and high quality of food you’ve been able to sample.. I think it would cost so much more here. xx
Barb, it takes a bit of hunting out, but there are some great food bargains here – the two dishes I had for lunch from the Singapore food truck cost just $9 in total! :)
I missed the exhibition at the MCA…kicking myself! Your travels & adventures look wonderful…so tasty! Sydney has so much to offier and it’s great to get out and experience it.
We’re lucky to live here, aren’t we, Mel? :)
You have made me suitably peagreen looking at you swanning thru’ some of my fave parts of ‘hometown’ of some 30 years! Lovely variety – hard choice inbetween the MCA and the food truck! [What do you expect from a crazy Gemini?]
I couldn’t really pick between them either, Eha! :)
What an adventurous month! And lots of fun by the look of it Celia :)
Tandy, it really was great fun! The weather was really pleasant too – a nice change after quite a hot summer!
Ooh that Singapore food truck sounds awesome Celia, so does the Thai food, so does the prawn cocktail, so does the spicy Mexican, and especially the asparagus! Xox
Becca, it was ALL delish – especially the popiah at the Singapore food truck – my grandmother used to make those!
This is what I want …to try the Singapore truck and La Lupita. Nice to see you out and about . Hopefully you went to lets eat Thai ( great) instead of that dodgy Greek place on Marrickville road!! x
I think next time we go for lunch, we’re going to the Corinthian for the cold entree platter.. ;-)
Life in Sydney is indeed good…thanks for sharing your adventures.
Karen, I’m so glad to be able to reciprocate. Some of your posts from Maine are so beautiful they make me long for a place I’ve never been before.. :)
Delicious photos of yummy places. Although three bucks for water? What a racket!
We got two HUGE koi for our pond yesterday. I’ll have to post picts. An elderly couple had to move and couldn’t take the fish with them to their new place so we adopted them. Hugs, Maz
Giant koi! Photo opportunity! It’s good of you to adopt them Maz, they’re quite a commitment! :)
The giant fish have settled in nicely. I am fascinated by them. They are like underwater blimps. :-)
It’s great when you do these kinds of posts because I get to see Sydney in action!! I miss it so much :( And I love that you were able to eat your very own asparagus in the restaurant. How wonderful is that?! Asparagus is just coming into season over here. You’re quite lucky you can grow your own :)
Em, our asparagus plants are very, very confused. They’re meant to come up in spring, but every year we seem to be eating them in autumn. Either way, it’s delicious, and good that we get to eat them off-season, I guess! :D
What a fun filled month. Although I do love our rural paradise, when you put it all together like this it does make urban living very appealing! No adventures here but pizzas with Kate are planned for tomorrow and an overnight trip to Stanthorpe to pick apples next week.
Anything different is always a little appealing, Jo! To me, the idea of picking apples is always SO exciting! :)
You have a lot of cool stuff happening in your life Celia! Sydney has a lot to offer doesn’t it? Have a lovely weekend x
Jane, it seems to come in waves, and last month we were busier than usual. Hope you’re getting some lovely weather – we are here in Sydney! :)
When you go “out and about”, Celia, you sure don’t fool around. What a great way to spend Autumn in Sydney. You certainly ate well. With all that walking about, you must have worked up quite an appetite. :)
John, the weather was just so glorious – I love this time of year. And Sydney has so much to see and do (as I’m sure Chicago does!) :)
Are those your butterfly pants in the Victoria Park photo – such beautiful fabric – they must feel wonderfully swishy to wear. And all that lovely food, the prawns look fabulous. Patsy and I have been having fun and she now has a brother – Terrence!
Jan, that’s them! They’re a big swish of fabric and the crotch is down by my knees! Very hippy! Hooray for Terrence! :)
What fun activities and delicious food. The topping on the whole fish at the Thai restaurant looks very spicy with all those chilies. Who gets the fish head?
Norma, I can’t remember who got the fish head that night, but it’s usually me! The fish was truly divine – they’d actually cut the fillets off and into pieces, cooked each one separately, then reassembled the fish and topped it with sauce!
The next time you go out and about I want to follow along behind. You have the best time!!
Cool! We’d have a blast, Maureen! :)
Now that DOES look like a thai feast Celia! Yum! I could give all that food a serious looking into right now, and it’s…5.40am *sigh*.
The mexican looks good too.
I’m up too, B. This daylight savings switch always does my sleep in for about a week! The Mexican was nice, but quite spicy – prob not one for the kids?
You live a beautiful life, Celia- you put out so much goodness and it comes back to you through the lives of those you touch! I love your adventures and food treks- thanks so much for documenting and sharing with us.
I’ve had little boys all week- haven’t been looking at the blog world much- and now I need a small rest. Grandsons are wonderful- I just wish I had the energy to keep up with them.
Heidi, how exciting for you – I know how much you love having the grandkiddies! But I hope you get to have a good rest now, darling. Thanks for reading along – it makes taking all the photos when I’m out and about all worthwhile! :) xx
Please might I ask you a Sourdough question? Does the sourness increase with longer proving? Started at 9 am yesterday but was unable to bake till this morning- put the shaped loaf into the fridge overnight- baked this morning. Family response was disappointingly muted….too sour! However I must add that texture and plasticky sheen to the holes in the bread are great! I found some semola-rimacinata-di-grano-duro recently and used that in the dough.
Gill
Gill, I think the longer the prove, the more sour the finished loaf. As I understand it, there are a few factors that influence the sourness:
1. the starter itself
2. whether it’s kept in a liquid state or at a drier dough like consistency (the latter being more sour)
3. how often the starter is fed (the more frequently it’s fed, the less sour it will be)
4. and the length of time the dough proves (the longer the prove, the more sour the finished loaf, which is why artisan bakeries often prove in the cool room overnight)
My family don’t like it too sour either, so we keep the starter quite liquid, feed it frequently, and don’t usually let it prove for more than about 10 hours max.
Hope that helps!
Celia
What a lovely collection of photos, you do have fun :)
Thanks darling. It was a fun March!
Lovely to see you having fun and getting out and about Celia. The Anish Kapoor exhibition looks amazing. I haven’t done anything this cultural in many a long year. Congratulations on your asparagus, it looks spectacular. I am shocked at you being charged for tap water though. I expect I would have put up a fight and thus spoilt the evening no doubt!
It was sunny here yesterday and felt almost spring like, so we went off to the North Cornwall coast to use a lunch voucher we had for The Scarlet – Cornwall’s newest plush hotel. We then walked off our excesses along the coast enjoying stunning views and beautiful blues and greens and even the odd spring flower. It was a wondrous day.
Choclette, you always make life sound so idyllic and picturesque! Glad you had a wonderful day! x