A new addition to Mona art gallery is the contemporary Australian restaurant called Faro.
Entry is via the museum but it is open out of hours and the entry is
from the car park.
I really like the space and openness of the restaurant.
In the middle of the room is an art exhibit which is in keeping with the randomness of Mona. You can sit and have a funky cocktail or dine by the water.
On the first day I dine with my sister and we score the table
overlooking the water. It is a gift.
The food is very good, a little pricey but it is 5 star dining. I have the seafood extravaganza which is perfect for a snack for two.
The service is OK. It could be better with just a smile or two. For
those of us mere mortals traveling through Mona this is a radical experience
for us, help us enjoy it.
The second time I visit here is for an afternoon cocktail. They are
delicious – very pricey ($20 and up) but extremely delicious. I would suggest
ordering some nibbles, such as the olives, as the cocktails can go down too
easily.
My over all rating is 4/5 and it only loses out because of the staff
and pricing. Otherwise a world class venue.
Situated on Waiheke Island – a 45 minute ferry ride from Auckland – is Mudbrick Wineries, just past Jurrasic Ridge.
It is one of the closest to the ferry terminal and this makes for a great day-time lunch venue. They even have transport (ferry) and two course meal specials in summer. Find out more here.
It’s a short cab ride from the ferry, approximately 10 minutes. Or you can walk from the ferry through the beautiful countryside and this will take you approximately 30 minutes.
We wander in and have a $10 taster which is good. The lady knows here wines and happy to chat.
After our tasting we slide into the restaurant area and have a nice glass of wine by the fire side. It is too early for lunch so this serves as a pause stop.
The food is meant to be remarkable.
The service is good. And the location delightful.
My two favourite things are the edible garden on the way in, and the couches by the log fire side. Let’s face it who can pass up a great wine by the fire side?
I did find it quite pricey if I am honest but the whole of the island is pretty expensive. Go for the experience not as a budget holiday.
At one end you have dorm style back packer and
at the higher end you have some boutique resorts.
Finding something in between is a challenge and
weekends are particularly challenging (and a bit pricey). If you have the
option plan ahead or do what we did and stay a little bit out of town.
The VR Rotorua Lake Resort is a family friendly hotel about 15 minutes outside of Rotorua on it’s own lake. Lake
The friendly staff are really helpful and the
facilities whilst a little older are just fine!
Our room has quite a romantic feel with a spa
tub that opens onto the main room. The main room opens on the grassed area
infront of the lake giving us direct access to the jetty and vast lawns. It is
a really tranquil and beautiful spot.
We arrive late so head straight for a hot tub
and sauna. Both are delightful. The pool is a 28 degrees.
In the morning we get to use the kayaks free of
charge and have a quick paddle on the lake. The lake is actually a series of
locked lakes that cover a wide part of the country side.
We don’t eat at the resort but the restaurant
serves until late and breakfast can be purchased additional to the room. There
are tennis courts for those keen for a hit. All in all, we decide we will be
back and might even bring the kids.
It was an interesting time to be in Ubud and Bali the end of July and start of August. It is a really busy time and the hotels I normally stay at were booked out.
I booked this place based on facilities, proximity to town and rooms.
I was expecting some indigenous food fan fare when I landed in Broome and was tipped that 18 Degrees was the place.
It was one of those days when it got hotter as the day went on.
You know hot during the day (but a slight breeze) to sweltering at night, no breeze and suffocating heat.
That was this night….
Probably coupled with the fact we had been floundering in the pool (which temperatures alone) would have topped any UK summer’s day. We headed off to 18 Degrees.
Seated at our table (simple decor) by a beautifully friendly girl on the deck and off we go.
Apparently their cocktail has won an award… it is a fusion of mango nectar, chilli, soda and gin. Their cocktails turn out to be the highlight….
It was sublime hot yet cold. Nearly as good as my chilli margaritas from La Calitas in Canguu.
This is what we ordered:
Scallops and Octopus
Calamari and octopus tenticls and kale… sounds great but was over cooked and salty. Which sucks because I love all of those ingredients.
Shrimp Cakes
It sounded fantastic on the plate but they were missing all the subtle flavours one would expect in a delicate dish….
Wild Caught barramundi
This dish should have been succulent, melt in mouth and subtle flavours. Instead it was dry, and flavourless. What a waste of a wild, beautiful fish!
All in all, a little disappointing.
If I was asked to rate them, I would give them, based on last night’s meal:
Service:7.6/10
Cocktails: 9/10
Food: 2/10
So my lesson is… regardless of how exotic, how magic and seductive the herbs and spices and unusual the ingredients, it comes down to the artisian flare … the chefs intent… and commitment to use the food to enhance and bring to life a food experience.
Unfortunately on this night these guys failed to deliver.
When my sister sent me a text from the UK saying “Fifteen booked for Sunday” I assumed 15 people were coming for lunch. Little did I know that it was the name of a Jamie Oliver restaurant.
The Entrance to Fifteen
Based a little north of Newquay in a pretty cove called Watergate Bay is Fifteen.
The winds whirl along the Atlantic Sea and hit the coast of Cornwall making for some dramatic coastal beaches and even some surfing spots. Today is a mild but very unswimmable day. As stick figures clad in thick wetsuits drag their foamies out into the wild surf we settle into Fifteen. Nice and warm and with wonderful views of the Ocean.
View from Fifteen
James is to be our waiter and after the usual courtesies I really want to see what James has in him as a waiter.
A waiter is after all, an liaison for us, the dinner and the kitchen.
I believe their role is to help us decide.
In doing this a good dinner will pry gently into your day… is it going well, are you celebrating something, what sorts of appetite and digestion do you have. From there, like a tour guide showing off the secrets of an ancient relic, he/she can navigate you around the menu. Which after all is just a guide.
James gets the idea and throws himself into a full explanation of the menu. I am very grateful. Because after reading it twice it still had no meaning. It was just words. But after James had read and explained a few things, it became an adventure and an excitement. That or the wine had time to kick in.
The restaurant has been set up by the famous English chef Jamie Oliver. It is a charity where people with “rough starts” as he puts it, can acquire some training and a new skill in the food industry.
I had already met three of the apprentice chefs at the festival in the morning so I felt great joy at supporting the restaurant. Jamie Oliver has a gift of connecting people and rubbing out the lines between dreams and opportunities.
The food was excellent
The Pork Chop
I had two starters to begin with – the zucchini flower and liver and rosemary.
The liver was absolutely devine and was like self cured pate. I will dream about it for a long time. Lightly grilled after being marinated (I am assuming) the little livers melted in your mouth. The simple butter sauce complimented it perfectly and the livers were served speared on rosemary stalks which gave them enough flavour.
Main course was fantastic!
I had a big pork chop cooked to perfection. Pork can be over cooked and dried out but this was perfect to eat. The polenta and wilted spinach that accompanied it suited the dish perfectly.
All this washed down with a light Italian wine.
Inside fifteen
The food was of a high restaurant standard, but I found the atmosphere weird. It was a very large place, kept warm but lacking warmth if you know what I mean. I felt the music needed to be different to bring it all together. Maybe some Avenders playing. The decor was funky and fun yet the staff didn’t seem to be having as much fun as they could.
Maybe the music and a few more cheeky interactions would rate this restaurant higher in my opinion. All in all, great and I will definitely be returning one day.
You can also donate to help keep this grand project ticking over but probably the best thing to do, if you can, is to dine there.
Canguu is a region in Bali, west of the more popular beaches of Kuta, Legion and Seminyak. Canguu is a very laid back area of rice fields, farms, coast line and beaches. It is famous for its surf breaks of Canguu, Batu Balong and Echo Beach (far away in time… sorry couldn’t resist).
The coast consistently caters for all sorts of surfers: long board riders, short board riders, kite surfers, beginners and big wave junkies and draws people from around the world. It’s not a “shopping mall” crowd, it is a down to earth “I-dig-surf-and-life” kinda crowd.
Aside from chasing the perfect wave along Canguu, you can also find eclectic organic, hipster restaurants, funky music venues, a healthy art scene and a plethora of yoga and health venues. Hence why I love the region so much: i t has everything I need.
Old Man’s whipping up a storm
These are my top three restaurants and cafes in Canguu
Breakfast at the Shady Shack
Looking over the rice paddy field from Shady Shack doing some work
For breakfast (either before or after your morning surf), is the Shady Shack.
It’s sister cafe, Betelnut is really well known and on the other side of the paddy field, but Shady isn’t far behind it in popularity and the times that I go there it is packed.
Both cafes offer local and organic produce, turned into inspired creations. The vegetarian options are amazing and really well priced.
I meet Gypsy the owner briefly and we discuss the diverse menu, her use of medicinal plants and even bee pollen in her shakes. Being an avid subscriber to Hippocrate’s advice of “let food be your medicine” I am an instant fan of the Shady Shack.
Tempeh garden rolls Shady Shack
The menu is extensive and caters for vegans to meat eaters but it is predominantly a plant based food fest.
The creations are beyond my imagination and I love the way each meal is it’s own art display and visual orgasmic delight. Nourishing one’s soul and body is so important with food and Gypsy and Shady Shack have nailed it, 10/10.
Today I have the Haloumi Bowl at Shady Shack and it is sensational: rocket, zucchini spaghetti, roasted capsicum, pickled beetroot, quinoa, chick peas, and a couple of devine sauces. A tasteorgasm!
At Betelnut my favorite would be their big salad bowl with 4 different salads. But the last two days I have had the fish burger, with chippies and salad. Also yummy.
Lunch at Old Man’s
If you haven’t already, go for a late morning surf at Batu Bolong then head to Old Man’s for lunch.
Old Man’s is the communal meeting place for locals and travellers and I don’t think a day goes past when I am not there .
Old Man’s Batu Bolong
You can literally come out from a surf, rinse off the Indian Ocean in a shower at the back of the pub and order a chilled bintang while still dripping wet.
Sean the owner is a great guy, known by many and very hospitable. It’s laid back atmosphere is accepting and there’s usually a band playing most nights of the week.
Batu Balong Beach is at the end of the street and is an awesome place to watch life slip by or roll by, with the many hypnotic waves. Grab a coconut and make yourself at home. No one is in a rush around here.
I usually have the snapper and chips but the menu, for a pub, is very accommodating even offering vegetarian options.
Every day has a happy hour, but my advice would be to head there for lunch and or an early dinner. Which brings me to my favourite dinner dine in place Lacalitas.
Dinner at Lacalita
Funky wall art at Lacalita
Chef and Aussie ex-pat owner, Will, opened up Lacalitas after his Seminyak sensation, Lacalaca was rated a winner by trip advisor. Both restaurants boast mexican flavours but both have their own individual flare and style.
Lacalita is an infusion of contemporary and mexican foods. I love Lacalita’s menu and have eaten here nearly every night for the past week!
La Taqueria Tostaditas and the Ahi Poke are delicious for starters and the soft crab is my favourite for mains. The menu is worth drooling over and whatever you do don’t rush .
The BEST thing on the menu (in my humble opinion) is the chilli margarita. I am not sure if I am going back any more for the food, the chilli margaritas or the fantastic atmosphere and decor.
The walls have lots of interesting items to check out, wonderful photos and memorabilia. It all comes together to be one of my favourite restaurants, quite possibly in the world.
The interesting decor of Lacalita
The smiling friendly staff really do make you feel at home and Putu, who I have got to know reasonably well, will remember your name so by your second visit you will feel like Lacalita is home.
Funky Lacalita Canguu
Will and Lacalita it’s a big 10/10.
Congratulations for producing a world class restaurant with the best trimmings in the humble, laid back region of Canguu.
Old Man’s is the communal meeting place for locals and travellers and I don’t think a day goes past when I am not there .
