05_12_2011 – Legian, Villa Chill

Today was our last day in Bali.  We left Mercure (after picking up washing, doing some last minute shopping, etc..) and went to visit some friends who have some villas in Legian.

Villa Chill

The particular villa that we visited was Villa Chill between Legian and Seminyak. It is down a nice quiet little laneway called Gang Kebyar.

    

It had been a bit overcast the last couple of days but there was still a lot of heat in the sun today, and although the clouds were covering some of the sun, you could still feel the sting in the sun.  Great for the pool… (if you have your suncream on)

Villa Chill is a two storey, two bedroom villa with a pool.  It has airconditioning up and down, plus fans in both living areas.  The pool is well maintained and has an adjoining deck which is great to, well, “chill”.

 

Bedrooms are fitted out well and there are some really nice touches inside, particularly the paintwashed furnishings.  There is also a kitchen which can be handy for times when you need to knock something up quickly, most likely breakfast every morning.

 

Before heading to the airport, the local bakso cart came down the street and we all had dinner for a remarkable Rp.6000 each.

Great end to a long day.  But now time to get on a jet back to Darwin.

Contact Information

Villa Chill, Gg Kebyar, Legian, Bali, Indonesia

Facebook Link to Villa Chill, Legian

Email: villachill66@gmail.com

02_12_2011 – Ubud, Warung Ibu Oka, Monkey Forest

My friend Jarmin organised a driver for the day, we ended up with a guy named Ida.  There was some minor communication problems at the start of the day, but they were sorted out quickly and we were on our way to Sanur for breakfast.  First stop was Matahari Terbit area of Sanur, and we walked down to where the boats go to Nusa Lembongan to a beachfront breakfast place for nasi goreng and watermelon juice.

Next stop was the Monkey Forest in Ubud.

It is Rp. 20000 for entry to the park and the same price for a bunch of pisang (bananas).  I avoid buying the fruit for the monkeys, they are bit aggressive anyway and probably don’t need any more encouragement.  Seb enjoyed the monkeys but mum and dad were a bit nervous.

Next stop was Warung Ibu Oka.  A well established warung/restaurant in Ubud.  It was a first to go to their second restaurant this trip.  Usually you go to the one just off the main street.  But, because we were in car they sent us to the “other one” down the road, then down a lane, that had more parking.  The new one is laid out a bit nicer I reckon.

The food was great and still cheap (Nasi babi guling spesial = Rp. 30 000).

18_09_2011 – Rockpool Bar & Grill Melbourne

Long story short, we had some credit with Jetstar so used it for flights to Melbourne.  We had planned earlier in the year to save up and have a nice dinner for my birthday.

Rockpool Bar & Grill Melbourne is in the Crown Casino complex at the far end (east).  As you walk in you can see the dry aged beef and there is a large picture of some type of cow as you open the entry doors.

The waiters are very knowledgable and helped us sequence the meal.  The bread is delicious and is very dangerous if you have too much at the start! (Kiri)

-Oysters w meuniere sauce

-Fremantle octopus salad w tarator and grilled radicchio

-Crisp skinned snapper w confit fennel, broad beans and green olive butter

-Wood-fired rotisserie chicken w tuscan salad and aioli

-Mishima wagyu rump w potato and cabbage gratin

-Pavlova w passionfruit

Amazing.  The octopus salad was great, although it is billed as a steakhouse I think the salads are  very under-rated – because they’re always standouts.  The fish was cooked to perfection, as it always is in Neil’s establishments.  We also ordered a side of the green beans with anchovy and chilli dressing w almonds.  Kiri and I really enjoyed them. The smokiness of the chicken from the wood-fire was great.  The Mornington Peninsular Pinot Noir went amazingly with it (and was very reasonably priced!).

The highlight for me was definitely the mishima beef.   The best piece of beef I’ve ever tasted.  And perfectly seasoned.

A few wines we had with the meal: Clover Hill 2006 sparkling, a premier cru Chablis, a Mornington Pinot, a Margaret River Cabernet blend and a Barossa Shiraz/Viognier.  We also didn’t really order a dessert wine, we were sent a sommelier for some advice to go with the pavlova.  The sommelier just poured the glass of wine.  It was great anyway (and from France).

4_09_2011 – Fathers’ Day

Today we had breakfast at home, followed by coffee at The Good Bean.

We stopped into Moffats for a BBQ lunch and then finished up the arvo at Bulcock Beach with Kiri’s family.

17_07_2010 – Stillwater, Maroochydore

Stillwater is one of my favourite restaurants.  Nobu and Yuki are your hosts and are very friendly people who always make your visit as enjoyable as possible.  They are from the Kansai region and only use the freshest ingredients and keep to the traditional methods of food preparation and presentation.  There is no “fusion” food to be found here.

A good way to try the range of food here is the “omakase zensai” option with sushi plate at the end.  Normally we order a few entrees (ie nasu dengaku or agedashi tofu), a sushi plate (to share) then a soup with noodles (also to share) to finish.

Highly recommend… Remember to book, request the sushi bar if possible!

 

08_07_2011 – Caffeine Culture Maroochydore

Caffeine Culture is my favourite coffee place on the Sunshine Coast.

They also distribute Mambo and Veneziano coffee beans.

Beware it is not open on weekends.
Open weekdays 0630 – 1500

06_07_2011 – State of Origin

Watched the third game at Mum and Dad’s place

30_06_2011 – Moore Park

Spending a few days at Moore Park with the Howkins was fantastic.  I have not been looked after better at anytime in my life.

We arrived to Czech beer, a slow roasted piece of rib fillet and a very special bottle of wine.

For lunch the next day Nicholas had prepared a beautiful paella, with white wine to match.

After some beach fun, we headed back to the house and got some work talk out of the way.

Dinner was something special with a chicken tagine.

 

28_06_2011 – Sake Brisbane

This was one of our first serious restaurant visits since the birth of our beautiful son Sebastian. We had been planning to go to Sake since their Brisbane branch opened but things always came up at the last minute.

I had arranged with my good friend Shinichi, who is now there, to come down for a lunch session. We had also arranged to meet up with Cosmo – who’s always up for quality food, especially japanese. Cosmo had just been there the other night and had only good things to say about it.

As we arrived, Shin-san had a private room for us, which was very gladly appreciated having the baby with us. We let the chef take care of the ordering and the dishes began to flow.

First up arrived some whitefish sashimi with sesame and white soy dressing and kingfish jalapeno. Both perfectly dressed and flavoured to highlight the natural taste of the fish.

Next we had the sashimi tacos which came with a sake shot! Brilliant idea and taste to match. Some hot food arrived soon after with some japanese style wagyu sliders (mini hamburgers) and tonkatsu cups. The tonkatsu cups were presented like a little san choi bau.

Back to the seafood and there were some little pieces of grilled fish which led into a sashimi platter that was simply awesome. The next couple of bits are a little hazy as Sebastian decided he wasn’t too keen to keep sitting around waiting for us.

Edit: Almost forgot we had some venison nigiri which is one of Shin’s signature dishes (but not on the menu).

During our lunch we had asked for a sake recommendation and Cosmo and I had a glass of one of their premium sakes. To me it was an odd colour (strawish hue) but it was super smooth and of the savoury variety.

Dessert did not disappoint and actually blew me away when Shin explained to me the fine details of the dish he had chosen for us. The dish is based on a story of kids kicking over a flower pot and the resulting damage. So in this case the flower pot was a shot glass and it was presented on the plate on it’s side (ie knocked over) half full of chocolate mousse. The bits that were strewn over the plate (the dirt and flower parts) were a combination of clear white chocolate jelly, chocolate brownie pieces, black sesame icecream, a japanese style wafer and some small fruit pieces. What a finish.

Highly highly recommend!

07_05_2011 – Brisbane with family – Yum Cha

Mama (Kiri’s grandma) had a family visit for mother’s day at Wynnum.  We made a family trip of it and took Seb to Brisbane for the first time.  When we arrived at Wynnum we set up next to the water.

We were given a very nice gift.

After the family gathering we went to King of Kings in the Valley for yum cha.  Everyone enjoyed it, even Seb

 

 

May 2011 – Badboy Seb

01_05_2011 – Family Holiday at Lennox / Byron

Kiri’s parents have been participating in a memorial golf day, known as the DK, for a while now and this year’s DK was at Byron Bay.  They had booked a large villa type place and we missed the Friday night and came down Saturday.

On Sunday we went up to the lighthouse at Byron but couldn’t get a park so couldn’t take Seb out to the most easterly point in Australia.  Next time

But we did go to Lennox and the surf was going off.  I still had ear problems so couldn’t surf but we got some nice pics.

22_04_2011 Fresh pasta

I love making fresh pasta

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

13_04_2011 – Alexandra Headland with Seb

We have heaps of fun cruising around with Seb at Alex.  I’m testing a photo gallery out here, so we’ll see how it turns out..

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

April 2011 – S.E.B

31_03_2011 – Seb’s First Outing

Across the road from us is the Alex Surf Club, so we decided to make our first public outing (to a venue).  We were a little nervous, not knowing what to expect when you take a baby out.  Seb was fine and had heaps of admirers.

28_03_2011 – Seb is coming home

On the 28th March we were allowed to take our beautiful son Seb home.  Although very anxious, we are very very excited..

26_03_2011 – A very special day, Sebastian Finn Prestwidge is born!

Today Sebastian Finn Prestwidge was born at 6.24am 26 March 2011 at Nambour General Hospital weighing 3225 grams.

20_02_2011 – Neil Perry’s Slow Roasted Beef

1. Get the best beef you can afford

Step 2. Have your oven set to 80 degrees (make sure you own a meat thermometer).

Get the beef’s core temperature to about 55 degrees.

Step 3:  Allow the beef to rest.  Prepare sauces and accompaniments as needed

 

 

Resting is very important.

Step 4: Enjoy with some quality red and friends.

Edit:  I saw Neil do this exact dish with Poh on her ABC show here

 

02_01_2011 – Sydney beaches

On our trip to Sydney we had visits to Bondi, Coogee, Manly, Palm Beach (Summer Bay), Whale Beach, North Narrabeen and Cronulla.

Everywhere was so busy, don’t know how Sydney-siders do it.