Kirkton Park Hotel, Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia

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This is a massive feast! I shared my partner's barramundi and I had goat curry! My partner and I always try to order something different so we can share and have more variety. 

My partner's mom has a tradition to take her family to Hunter Valley, Wine Country in NSW. 

We ate at Kirkton Park hotel for dinner. She treated us out and it was quite an experience! 

I had black rice with my goat curry and steamed botchoy and some kind of mango marmalade. 

My partner's dish had pumpkin feta and spinach.

The meal was $35 per person plus wine if you like to have a good time! We had a wonderful time and I wish to take my own family to this place too one day! :) Good times!

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Mosman Cafe Sydney

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This is a definite treat which fits the budget! Mosman Cafe is located next to Mosman Library in the middle of Mosman shops.

My order was baked eggs with spinach and parmessan cheese and sourdough bread, only AU$12.  My partner had a AU$16 gourmet sandwich. It was a hearty and enjoyable meal. A lot of locals frequent this cafe because it's affordable and delectable. We'll definitely be back.

This is a rare find in Mosman considering this is one of the most expensive areas in Sydney, Australia.


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The Beauty of Coromandel Peninsula

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The long winding roads of Thames under the dehydrating heat of New Zealand's endless 2013 summer have taken a toll on me on our way to Whitianga. This is on top of the drama over the uncertainty whether we left the stove on at home. We called neighbors and fidgeted, waited for anyone to respond to us in a 2-hour stressful period. At last someone told us our house was not on fire and turned of the main switch outside our home. So the journey began.

We worked in Whitianga library on the first day. It's great that the library offered free and fast internet. We had to be considerate and only stayed 2 hrs because there are other tourists and locals who may need our seats. We then continued working until wee hours in the morning in our hotel room at Admiralty Motel - known as Whitianga's best and only 5 star accommodation.  This Coromandel Motel is impressively new and spacious. We stayed in a studio unit, which seemed like 50 sqm. We had wide balcony looking over the motel's pool and right across us is Buffalo bay. The view is vast and I was awestruck. I was lucky to see the bay in several different situations - bright blue skies reflected on the blue waters in the afternoon, orange purplish hues by sunset and a cloudy stormy show with streaks of sunlight at sunrise.

We left early next day and took a couple of hours to trek the Cathedral Cove. I remember this walk as the best walk and happiest walk in New Zealand. It's a feeling that you know for sure that you're going to see something spectacular at the end of the journey -- although the journey itself was majestic. Below is a photo of the view while on the track. 

It must have been about 60 steps down when we reached the cove. Yes it was spectacular. We shared this view with at least about 80 tourists - young and old - all smiling, all excited. I guess that was part of the charm. I felt so much energy and happiness from people around me. Unlike any other walks in NZ, this walk had people. There was a lot of commotion at the parking lot, 45 mins walk away. There was close to 30 cars parked and we almost didn't get to find a parking space.

Just a mere 10 minutes drive from the cove is Mercury Estate. Below is our photo enjoying 4 of their 15 wine varieties. We chose chardonnay, rose, pinot noir 10 and merlot. All wines were a delight to our senses and their flavors exploded with the different types of dips and sides we ordered. Bear with me, I must list this down. There were 4 types of bread - whites and oats and whole grain. I am not sure if they are home-made. There was ground spice - composed perhaps of local macademia nuts and spice. Black olives. Locally made spicy onion chutney. Sun-dried tomatoes. Local olive oil. Some slices of meat - salami? Smoked tuna and mussels from the bay - local products. Three types of cheeses - blue and some cheddar and one which I didn't really like. And fruit! Fresh kiwis - dried apricots - candied figs. The wine tasting episode was a fantastic way to end the 2 hour trek. The music was calming and sweet. The price? Very reasonable. You'd forget you paid because you got so much more than what you paid for :-) www.mercurybayestate.co.nz

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Happy Hearts, A different kind of Omelette

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Happy Valentines Day dear Readers! :-)

Yes this is made from eggs!
So hard to think of a gift for Andrew so I thought, well I might as well just create a nice meal for him.

I used some curry, salt, capsicum, alfalfa and 5 eggs for this meal. I used Japanese/Korean style omelette cooking technique. They make really nice egg side dishes.

I made this using chopsticks!

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Nothing Beats Korean Food, Auri Wanganui

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This is my ultimate $10.50 favorite Sunjubu Stew! Spicy Tofu meal with rice and kimchi and egg. This is so sublime in its simplicity. It's a delight just to have a hearty and yet healthy meal at least once a week.

This Auri Takeway Korean food along Victoria Avenue is such a bargain. Korean food in the Philippines is quite pricey! For a third world country, I have to pay $10 per small meal in the Philippines and no, that's not a fancy restaurant.

Did I say that Auri owners are the most lovingly accommodating owners of takeways/cafes in town? :-) I'm probably biased but they deserve the credit.

They serve wonderful, generous servings of carefully prepared Korean food. It's good to eat in places where people take pride in their business.

Yes you can order takeaway ;-)

Cheers!

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Orange Cafe Wanganui

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It's been a while and this is the only time we're back in Orange Cafe, Wanganui, NZ.

The place is always packed - with it's beautiful orange umbrellas stealing the scene.

This place is located in the center of Wanganui City. 

What's going for Orange? It's one of the most successful cafes in town:

1. Great value - prices are affordable... eggs benedict at $16! Moccachino at $4 

2. Great location! Quaint brick building, center city.

3. Love the umbrellas beckoning you for a great cup of coffee

4. Best coffee in town - seriously!  You can feel the kick and the coffee taste is very distinct

5. From last year, I think staff are much friendlier (female ones)

6. Nice music

7. FREE wifi - but I guess you can't stay more than 1 hour using it even just to check email... not sure but it seems that only Mcdonald's doesn't care if people actually use their *free* wifi.

What can be improved?

1. Well the outdoor umbrella place is great but I think the inner section needs a bit of oomph! It's still the same bar scene from last year... not to cosy inside. As I write this, the windows inside the cafe aren't open, would be great to have some fresh air.

2. Toilet section can be cleaner

3. Interior decoration can be more inviting - not cold as it is (the place isn't cold, just the 'feel')

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Wanganui Parnell Cafe

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I love this vegetable Eggs Benedict from Parnell's cafe. It's great value. I think Parnell has competitive pricing now. I appreciate the generous serving too! I love their setting and the leafy trees and the roses. The place has wonderful art works displayed as well.

This cafe is a great and cosy choice for a good and hearty breakfast. They are located in Victoria Avenue, very near accommodation district of Wanganui. The staff are friendly and helpful.

They advertise wifi and I think they really need to fix that to attract more tourists and guests.

If it helps, having facebook users "check in" their cafe would be a great marketing tool!

Restaurant and Food Reviews Accommodation Tips Personal Health Investment Ebooks Travel in the Philippines Living in New Zealand