After a quiet February and a successful Febfast for Steve, things have picked up pace! And it's not long until we have some visitors and a week off coming up!
Steve took one night off from Febfast for a Private Dining Room event which was seafood based and the mystery location was in Carlton. It was a wonderful Friday evening and we were joined by Kirsty and her mum Anne.
Some interesting dishes combining seafood and native ingredients. The highlight for me was probably the curly calamari with hints of lemon verbena. So fresh and delicate. Wattleseed doughnuts went down a treat too.
As always we've also done some cooking; from cheese souffles and rabbit to a Nobu inspired feast during the long Labour Day weekend.
The changing seasons has been interesting. We've had some super hot days with temperatures in the 30s but also, especially more recently we've had cooler days and the jeans have come out of the wardrobe! Sunrises and sunsets have been pretty spectacular too.
March is Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. This year the program has been compressed into two weeks which is shorter than usual and meant that for us the three events we signed up for took place on Friday, Sunday and Monday so a bit of a marathon really but we dug deep and made it through!
The three events were each special in their own way and we enjoyed all of them. We started off with a Friday night in a spiegeltent at the Circus Oz HQ which happens to be a 10 minute stroll away. St. Crispin restaurant was a our host and the dapper Scott Pickett was in charge. We were seated in a booth "ringside" and shared the table with a group of 4. Some delicious food including a lovely rabbit dish served under a hat and a tasty swordfish offering. Scott and the team worked hard in tents round the back and it was a very warm evening, Hats off to them!
Naturally given we were beneath the big top there were a few circus acts thrown in for good measure so there was entertainment as well as good food. A couple more acts would have been welcome and unfortunately the seating wasn't comfortable so this old middle aged body felt a bit achey by the end of the night but the tummy was full!
Our second event as the All Stars Front of House dinner at Ezard in aid of StreetSmart which is a Melbourne based charity that funds programs that help the homeless. We were in safe hands as very experienced Front of House managers from a number of well known and excellent eateries provided the service and selected a dish from their restaurant for us. There was also an auction of some wonderful lots such as a Pei Modern dinner cooked and served in the comfort of your own home We tried to bid but generous folk outbid us! This was an excellent evening with delicious food, stellar service and a great atmosphere of generosity and fun.
Our last event was a table at our favourite Town Hall Hotel and we were joined by Jon, Shern, Kirsty and Anne for a Pierre Koffman feast. A delicious peach and jambon tart set the scene. The main course of pigs trotter was challenging for some of us but I think we all got some enjoyment out of it and Steve was a huge fan! The evening was topped off superbly with the celebrity sighting of Matt Preston and Anne even had a photo and a chat. He was thoroughly charming.
The three events were each special in their own way and we enjoyed all of them. We started off with a Friday night in a spiegeltent at the Circus Oz HQ which happens to be a 10 minute stroll away. St. Crispin restaurant was a our host and the dapper Scott Pickett was in charge. We were seated in a booth "ringside" and shared the table with a group of 4. Some delicious food including a lovely rabbit dish served under a hat and a tasty swordfish offering. Scott and the team worked hard in tents round the back and it was a very warm evening, Hats off to them!
Naturally given we were beneath the big top there were a few circus acts thrown in for good measure so there was entertainment as well as good food. A couple more acts would have been welcome and unfortunately the seating wasn't comfortable so this old middle aged body felt a bit achey by the end of the night but the tummy was full!
Our second event as the All Stars Front of House dinner at Ezard in aid of StreetSmart which is a Melbourne based charity that funds programs that help the homeless. We were in safe hands as very experienced Front of House managers from a number of well known and excellent eateries provided the service and selected a dish from their restaurant for us. There was also an auction of some wonderful lots such as a Pei Modern dinner cooked and served in the comfort of your own home We tried to bid but generous folk outbid us! This was an excellent evening with delicious food, stellar service and a great atmosphere of generosity and fun.
Our last event was a table at our favourite Town Hall Hotel and we were joined by Jon, Shern, Kirsty and Anne for a Pierre Koffman feast. A delicious peach and jambon tart set the scene. The main course of pigs trotter was challenging for some of us but I think we all got some enjoyment out of it and Steve was a huge fan! The evening was topped off superbly with the celebrity sighting of Matt Preston and Anne even had a photo and a chat. He was thoroughly charming.
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Other things this month - I did the crazy thing of attending a 7am barre class on the piblic holiday. It was still dark! And I discovered Mile End Bagels which is a great post barre indulgence!
 This Friday, Ling, Stef and I had a fun night watching Burn the Floor. Such talented and amazing dancers. |  |
The front row seats meant that at the start, two of their dancers took a selfie with us!
And as for Amelia; well she loves her Eddie (the family chihuahua) and she loves Cinderella and went dressed up as this princess for World Book Day at nursery. She's had a UK style trip to the beach, all wrapped up and no swimming in the sea but she enjoyed digging a hole in the sand!
And as for Amelia; well she loves her Eddie (the family chihuahua) and she loves Cinderella and went dressed up as this princess for World Book Day at nursery. She's had a UK style trip to the beach, all wrapped up and no swimming in the sea but she enjoyed digging a hole in the sand!
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