Chocolate Buddha - Federation Square - Melbourne

Chocolate Buddha - Federation Square - Melbourne
Cnr Swanston and Flinders St
Melbourne
9654 5688
www.chocolatebuddha.com.au/

Another Good Food Guide 2009 recommendation... Friends have raved about this spot, but unfortunately I would have to say don't believe the hype... The service here was completely incompetent... It may have been that the area we sat in they had opened specifically because the weather was divine and so had no idea how to work it out, but the drama of retrieving my credit card as insurance and paying (tried to charge us twice), it was all a bit much really and definitely tarnished the positive feelings I had towards the menu and food itself...

One of the main reasons I wanted to take my husband here was because of their extensive vegetarian menu, they came through on that... Considering it was lunch time we thought we would grab 3 light dishes to share, they were indeed light, probably could have done with another one... The Sunomono Salad had some of the yummiest seaweed that I have tasted, but the rest of the salad felt a bit uninspired... The Shojin-Age (tempura vegetables) was lovely, the batter was light and not too oily and the vegetables were tasty... The Green Gyoza I found to be as good as non meat gets, but Mark wasn't a fan...

Lovely venue, lovely food but the service really let this place down...


Sunomono Salad: blanched & shredded Japanese seaweed & vegetable salad with a delicious sweet vinegar Japanese dressing - low in calories high in vitamins, minerals, fibre & calcium

Shojin-Age
Vegetable tempura w fresh grated ginger, daikon & dashi dipping sauce

Green Gyoza 6 vegetarian (soy protein) dumplings: steamed then pan seared until tender

A short break in Surfers

Well on return from our break in Surfers I feel completely refreshed... Doing nothin but chillin every day, letting go of work stresses, getting a tan, enjoying Tracey but missing Mark... We did have plans, before we booked I wasn't pregnant so the theme parks were hot on our list, but that all changed with this baby growing... Then we renegotiated plans, trips to markets and maybe Byron, but ultimately the lovely pool area and light shopping that our resort provided was all we needed...

The males in Surfers need to be neutered, always going previously with my husband I wasn't aware that the men up there are on heat, especially when we couldn't leave our apartment without being harassed... Obvious and cheesy lines that I doubt get these geezers any play, ever...

The food was hit and miss... Usually the food is mostly hit, but this year it just wasn't as good as other years... It was quite unfortunate...

Overall the trip was greatness, mostly due to the warm weather, and great environment... The last girls trip before the baby comes...

Hard Rock Cafe, Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia

Hard Rock Cafe
Surfers Paradise
Cnr. Cavill Ave. & Surfers Paradise Blvd
Surfers Paradise,
Queensland 4217
Hours:
Restaurant:
Sun - Thurs 11:30AM - 10:00PM
Fri & Sat 11:30AM - 11:00PM
Merchandise:
Sun - Thurs 10:00AM - 10:00PM
Fri & Sat 10:00AM - 11:00PM
Telephone: 617-5539-9377

Due to the lack of satisfaction from the margarita at Rish, we dropped into Hard Rock Café for a mojito… The staff were pleasant and (for the most part) quite hot! Unfortunately the mojito wasn’t up to standard either, lacking lime, with too much sugar syrup and not enough mint… A fairly enjoyable spot to chill though, with street views, pool table and smoking and most importantly non smoking sections to their outdoor area...

Rish, Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia

Rish
Cavill Mall
Shop 303-304 Centro
Surfers Paradise
QLD 4217
Phone (07) 5538 3990

We stopped back in here because Tracey wanted a cocktail… She ordered a margarita, I ordered a mocktail (haha) tim tam frappe… She opted for the frozen margarita which wasn’t very good, but my tim tam frappe was awesome!

Surfers Paradise Surf Lifesaving Club, Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia

Surf Club
Esplanade
Surfers Paradise
QLD
07 5553 1900

We always hit this spot for lunch, and usually they have some great specials, this year they had an under $10 specials menu, which included loads of options, but no chicken parma, which is what we had come for! Fortunately it was on their usual menu, so for $16.95 we got a massive parma, salad and chips… Salad and chips were both mediocre, but the parma was amazing… I was so hungry by the time it arrived I forgot to take a pic and dove into the salad, so here is the half eaten photo… you will notice that the parma resembled a pizza, but was so much better! Crispy chicken goodness, yummy sauce cheese and not too much pizza ham… Divine!

Legends Chinese Seafood Restaurant, Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia

Legends Chinese Seafood Restaurant
Chinese
3041 Gold Coast Highway
Surfers Paradise, 4217
Phone: 07 5538 4567

We had decided after watching this place fill up night after night that it was well worth visiting, and due to marks lack of care for Chinese food, I was stoked to have some… We ordered the banquet, $28 pp great value for a massive amount of extremely delicious food! We pretty much ate it all and neither of us felt ill afterwards, so that proves the yumminess and probably lack of oil etc too… Only downside was service, the main waitress we dealt with was lucky to give any contact we gave her any response, we rarely got eye contact and Tracey was certain that at one request she may have grunted at us… Will definitely be back though!
Chicken sweet corn
Mixed entrée
Beef and blackbean sauce
Mixed veg
Garlic prawns
Special fried rice
Ice cream and fruit

Rish, Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia

Rish
Cavill Mall
Shop 303-304 Centro
Surfers Paradise
QLD 4217
Phone (07) 5538 3990


Rish
Every year we go here several times, every year we have loved the food here… This year it was different… I ordered the salmon, Tracey ordered the Asian stir fry, both of the specials menu… The salmon itself tasted bland, not like actual salmon, it came with garlic mash which was lovely, wilted spinach, which was average, and a lime cream sauce which was feral, so tangy and sweet and creamy, not complimentary to its own flavours let alone the salmon and potato… Tracey found her stir fry to be too sweet, trying for more soy sauce to kill it, but to no avail… We basically ate and got outta there… The staff asked how our meal was and we both explained that neither were good with the reasons… Wont be back there this time, probably will try again next time because they do have a few vegetarian options which please Mark, but I wouldn't recommend it…

Q1 Beach Club, Q1 Resort and Spa, Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia

Q1 Beach Club
http://www.q1.com.au/home.html

As the day by the pool dragged on we got very hungry, and the cafe was the only real option… The menu was overpriced but we both settled on the club sandwich for $18… When it came it was large, really large, with chips too… worth the money, was stuffed up until dinner time! Amazing!

Night market, Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia

Night market
www.surfersparadise.com/shopping_dining_nightlife/beachfront_markets_paradise/
www.cupcakeandco.com.au

The ever going night market was a lovely way to spend the evening, all the same sorts of stalls as every other year, good to look at nothing to buy… Until we stumbled across the cupcake stall, where the cupcakes that we took home to eat were lovely! I had the cookies and cream, Tracey had the strawberries and cream… Tracey had her palm read by Rosco, said it was a good reading…

Toscanis, Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, QLD Australia

Toscanis
http://www.toscanis.com.au/gold-coast/
Centro Surfers Paradise
Ph: (07) 5504 6060
Cavill Avenue
Surfers Paradise QLD 4217
Opening Hours: 7:30am until late, 7-days

The service here was slow to start, thinking about leaving as menus and general acknowledgement was non existent, but once the waitress got the ball rolling it was all good… The food was good and fast, my lamb was divine, and the vegetables undercooked, good for nutrients though unexpected… The risotto was good but a little dry, Tracey gave it an 8 out of 10, which is good going for a slightly dry, but flavoursome risotto.

The seafood place, Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia

The seafood place
2995 Gold Coast Hwy
Surfers Paradise
(07) 55921148
Our first nights meal was not one worthy of reporting on comparatively, but when you are knackered from a day of travel its always nice to fall back on the fish and chips option… To my delight on perusing the menu I saw grilled barramundi (YUM!) and was sold… I so wish that was a regular on the fish and chips menu in Melbourne! It was divine, the rest of the fare was good too… A nice little meal for the lazy ladies…

Q1 Resort and Spa, Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia

Q1 resort and spa
3011 Gold Coast Hwy
Surfers Paradise 4217
www.q1.com.au
Room 1804

The building is indeed impressive, going far into the sky, all shiny… The foyer keeps up that façade, and on entry to our room it did too! Lovely 1br apartment, big lounge area, with two fold out beds… Enclosed balcony is a nice (safe) idea, with windows that open right up so you get a lovely breeze… After reading reviews I had fear that there would just be a two seater plastic set up, which there is, but there is also a couch, so you can lounge out there…

So far so good, then there is the little signs of wear and tear/not cleaned well, marks on the walls, but the vast space allows you to forget the little things... Biggest 1br apartment I have ever stayed in...

The gym is very basic, with very old machines… The bikes only have a 22 minute maximum which threw me off completely… The weight machines feel a little less prehistoric, but probably are! No free weights and what feels like little aircon/oxygen, was quite like I was working much harder just because of the warmth… nice views of the café and pool, but the bike that wasn’t impossible to adjust the seat was facing a wall so I didn’t get to enjoy them…

The pool isn’t heated which may not sound important, but when you are super hot and the water is that cold you just don’t want to be in it for a stretch of time, which I would usually want to do for most of my time… The perks are that being so big there is always sun on at least one of the pools, much better then other spots with ground level pools in high rise surfers… Lots of beds which I hadn’t expected in the reviews I had read, would have liked the option of lunch by the pool, though the fare at the café near the pools was lovely…

But otherwise it really is lovely, but I have stayed in much nicer rooms that don’t claim to be 5 star… Would definitely give the building 5 stars, the rooms maybe 4…

Chris Rock - No Apologies Tour

Chris Rock
No Apologies Tour
Saturday 2nd August 2008
Hisense Arena
Melbourne, Australia



I will start at the beginning, we arrived mad early to this, waiting is something I am used to, but I hate... With an 8pm start planned, at quarter past the support act came on first, Mario Joyner... I was a little surprised, I didn't think Chris needed an opener, but in any case I was blown away by Mario... Some truly funny jokes about the flight over, and obvious lack of black people over here, which Chris would later follow up on... He could really hold the audience, and did for his half hour set... If he is ever around you should check him out!

Chris graced the stage with a bang... A few Australia jokes, some made me laugh and some made me cringe, jokes about what Australians have done to its indigenous people just aren't funny to me... I did feel similarly when he was joking about lynchings later, ouch... He made some funny jokes about the politics of the US at the moment, killed it about John McCain, Hilary Clinton, Barack Obama and his wife...

He talked about he had to be careful to do a good show because Britneys kids were taken away after one bad show, although they dont usually do that with black kids - look at Bobby and Whitneys kids! Then continued about the disgrace of rich kids and his fears for his own kids, who are rich...

He talked alot about the N word, let us white people in on the one time we are allowed to drop the N bomb, which was hilarious, and it did feel that he was winding up the show on this high note, unfortunately the low light was that he didn't and kept on with the differences between men and women... Also including some chat about marriage, there were definitely funny moments, but overall the jokes about men just wanting to get laid and women just wanting money (pussy has a price but dick is free) felt a bit old news to me...

Overall I was really impressed, laughed my arse off and would be happy to see him again should he return on his next tour!

Apple iPhone 3G available in Australia now!

Apple iPhone 3G available in Australia now!



Check out the new Apple iPhone 3G in Australian stores now... With carriers Telstra, Optus and Vodaphone... Good stuff!

Australia the fattest nation?!?

http://www.theage.com.au/national/nine-million-australians-are-a-ticking-fat-bomb-20080619-2tjv.html



The first thing everyone was talking about as I arrived at pump yesterday morning was that Australia is the fattest nation... I got home to get ready for work and gerabbed the paper off the driveway, in between clients I managed to read the front page of 'the Age' showing this image and the above article... It is all a big worry and I also find it embarrassing for our nation that we are full of fat people... Maybe the issue needs to be tackled in the same way that we tackle alcohol and drug abuse, with free services (counselling, project working etc) to help these people resolve their addiction to food or the reasons behind their compulsive eating... Something needs to happen...

Day Trip to Bendigo

Bendigo

You may ask why a day trip to Bendigo? Tracey needs to get her k's up before the end of the financial year, so we decided on a day trip... Not sure how Bendigo was decided on, but off we went on Sunday... Both of us feeling a tiny bit rough from the night before, giving the trip that surreal feeling...

We ate lunch at The Shamrock Hotel, a parma for $14.50, and I must say that it was a really good parma! Great chicken, good sauce, loads of cheese, nice chips and the salad was wicked, loads of variety and not too much dressing...


We headed to the botanical gardens for a walk, it was quick as they aren't small, but the fernery was lovely... The plaque for it was really nice so I included a pic...


As we walked and then drove around the botanical gardens block we discovered that the Bendigo Prison and High School are next door to each other, not great council planning... The further we went it wasn't only the gardens, school and prison, it was also the aquatic centre and local oval, this block has a little bit of everything!

and across the road...

On the way there we saw a pretty church, so on the way home we checked it out... I was surprised at its size, considering that the population of Bendigo could fit into the MCG...

And that was that... I'm thinking that for our next destination we should choose a spot with more options...

Foreign Beggars Aus Tour

I love the Foreign Beggars and am absolutely stoked that they are coming! They truly kill the stage, you must see them!



FOREIGN BEGGARS(UK) AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2008
Baddums & Grindin are proud to present one of the UKs most dynamic and eclectic hip-hop crews, The Foreign Beggars. Best known in Oz for their landmark debut album 'Asylum Speakers', the Beggars have been highly active since laying their foundations, collaborating with underground heavyweights Oh-No, Dudley Perkins, Taskforce, Skinnyman, Dabrye and pop aritsts such as Bjork and Gorillaz to name only a few. Now with two albums under their belt plus numerous collabs and mixtapes in their discography, Foreign Beggars are preparing to smash Australia for the very first time bringing their grimey, no-holds-barred UK sound. Renowned for an explosive live show, MCs Metropolis, Orifice Vulgatron and DJ No-Names guarantee a fiery, high-energy hip-hop experience with that unique Foreign Beggars steez. Their Australian release, 'Asylum Agenda', a 'best of' compilation is out now on Grindin, showcasing highlights of their career to date. So if you're new to the Beggars, cop that one in ya grill and get educated. Foreign Beggars baby, get ready!
www.foreignbeggars.com
www.myspace.com/baddumspresents
www.myspace.com/grindinmusic
FOREIGN BEGGARS AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES:
Fri May 30 - Uber, Brisbane
Sat May 31 - Live on Light Parade, Adelaide
Thu June 5 - Bald Faced Stag, Sydney
Fri June 6 - The Manor, Perth
Sat June 7 - The Alley Cat, HobartSun
June 8 - The Laundry, Melbourne w. Goth Trad(Japan)Sponsored by Peak Street Magazine, Soul Clap & Stealth.

300 limited presale tickets $25+BF on sale Thursday May 1 from Moshtix.Com.Au

Myer Family and Friends shopping event

MYER FAMILY AND FRIENDS SHOPPING EVENT
**IT IS taking part nation wide**
PLEASE FIND FLYER AT:
http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/4142 click the flyer and it will download to your pc...

Offers available on the following days only:Tuesday 22nd April, Wednesday 23rd April & Thursday 24th April 2008.
Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer.
Team members will receive staff discount in addition to these offers.

WOMEN'S25% Off Women S Clothing. Excludes Australian and International designers, Anthea Crawford, Bianca Spender, CarlaZampatti, Charlie Brown, Cue, David Lawrence Gerard Darel, Jigsaw, Kenzo Jeans, Lucia, Marc Cain, Marcs, Pablo, Perri Cutten, Review, Rhodes & Beckett.25% Off Women S footwear. Excludes international Designers, Alan Pinkus, Ghetto, Scooter, Steve Madden, UggAust.25% off all women's intimate apparel and sleepwear.

ACCESSORIES25% Off Sunglasses. Excludes Chanel, Marc Jacobs. Tom Ford.25% Off Watches. Excludes Burberry.25% off women's fashion accessories, handbags & women's wallets, jewellery, hoisery & women's socksExcludes Alan Pinkus. Anya Hindmarsh, Baku, Cacharel, Carolyn Roberts, Country Road, Cue, David Lawrence, Piorina, Givencny, Hugo Boss, Jigsaw Miss Shop Accessories Mulberry Pilgrim Sportscraft, Swarovski, Taking Shape, Mogil and Kenji.MEN'S25% Off men’s Clothing. Excludes Bang-on Custom T-Shirts, Boston Brothers, Dangerfield, David Lawrence, Ed Hardy, Hugo Boss, Levi's® Concept Store Lords Formal Hire Marcs, Rhodes & Beckett, Vicious Threads.25% off all men's footwear.

MISS SHOP25% Off Miss Shop clothing. Brands include Bardot, Quirky Circus, Blue Juice, Miss Shop brand and more.Excludes Bang-on Custom T-shirts, Cheekee, Dangerfield, Ed Hardy, Kickz 101, Levi's® Concept Store, Nique, Pilgrim Clothing, Princess Highway.20% off Miss Shop branded accessories.

CHILDREN'S25% off children's clothing.25% off all children's footwear.

FRAGRANCES10% off fragrances.Excludes gift sets and KIT cosmetics. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer.

Travel goods, confectionery, books, frames an d toys35% off luggage from the Travel goods department. Travel goods not available Forest Hill, Colonnades, Werribee, Eastgardens & Bankstown

20% off all Confectionery. Brands include Cadbury, Nestle, Ferrero, Lindt, Pink Lady, Guylian.

30% off the RRP off all books. RRP refers to the recommended retail price for Australian retailers and booksellers. Books not available at Werribee, Forest Hill and ColonnadesTake an additional 10% off the toy catalogue prices. Toys not available Forest Hill, Werribee and Colonnades. Excludes books, electrical, gaming consoles, software,CDs and DVDs

30% off frames. Excludes Digital Frames, Swarovski, Villeroy and Boch, Waterford Wedgwood. Frames not available Forest HIll

Electrical 15% off all small kitchen electrical appliances, irons, vacuum cleaners, microwaves and electrical personal care.

15% off all fridges.

15% off digital cameras, camcorders, digital photo frames and accessories.

15% off portable audio including iPod sound docks, MP3 players, clock radios, radios and iPodaccessories. Excludes Apple Branded products including iTunes Gift Cards.

10% off plasma and LCD TV’s.

15% off home theatre systems and home entertainment cabinets.

10% off console software. Excludes Console Hardware.

10% off off CD & DVD titles from Virgin @ Myer.

10% off notebook PCs Excludes Apple. Notebook PCs not available Forest Hill, Werribee and Colonnades.

10% off GPS navigators. GPS navigators not available Colonnades.

15% off all cordless phones. Cordless phones not available Colonnades and Forest Hill.

20% off all Logitech & Microsoft mice, keyboards and web cams. Computer accessories not available Forest Hill, Werribee and Colonnades.

15% off all printers. Printers not available Forest Hill, Werribee and Colonnades.

HOMEWARES Take an additional 5% off homewares including the great Home Sale catalogue offers.Excludes Alessi, Fissler, Rossenthal, Royal Doulton, S & P Living Decorator, Swarovski, Thomas, Versace, Villeroy and Boch, Waterford Wedgwood and Whitehill.