360 views and a night to remember

On a recent trip to Sydney, I left Mr Steph in charge of organising a nice dinner out. I was delighted to find out he booked dinner at 360 Bar and Dining in Sydney Tower.

I have to admit, this was the fanciest dinner I have ever eaten. It was like eating a Masterchef dish - micro-herbs and all! It was so relaxing sitting and looking over the city, slowly moving around 360 degrees until you could see all corners. We were also lucky enough to see fire works going off in the harbour as it was 4th July.

The presentation of the dishes were a work of art; pieces placed in delicate order on the plate to create the chef's masterpiece. Luckily, it wasn't just the presentation that was amazing. The food was absolutely beautiful, and we enjoyed every mouthful.

I had a lovely winter duck dish, with purple carrots, sauted mushrooms, walnuts and sweet potato balls. There was this beautiful sauce with it that I still can't quite work out. Mr Steph had the best steak he's ever had, with an amazing rich and velvet red wine jus.

Dessert was another Masterchef moment. A dark chocolate tart, with buttery, short pastry, caramel popcorn icecream and homemade honeycombe. My deconstructed rhubarb crumble was equally amazing, with rhubarb icecream, rhubarb jelly, stewed rhubarb, and a buttery crumble.

It was a great night out, however definitely something for a special occasion. The two courses we had were $85 per person, and it's this price regardless of if you choose a entree and main or main and dessert. You can still enjoy the views for a $20 ticket or spending $20 in the 360 Bar - which is easy with most cocktails around the $19 mark.

Overall, a great night out and one I will always remember. Just not one I can afford every week!

Steph xo

Breakfast at Hotel Windsor

 

A couple of weeks ago Mr Steph and I got to enjoy the perfect start to a Sunday with a lovely breakfast for two at the Hotel Windsor.

We rose bright and early 7am (early for a Sunday!), and quickly dressed in the very smart casual that our booking required. To be on the safe side  I wore my go-to black dress with stockings and heels; Mr Steph in a smashing blue business shirt and suit pants. We drove into the heart of Melbourne's CBD before stepping into the Hotel Windsor, where we were transported into another era - with it's gorgeous chandeliers and leather couches that you could just imagine a man in a cigar reclining on. The bell-boys were all suited in tails, and soft music danced through the 

I started out with a pot of Earl Grey tea -
as a breakfast isn't a breakfast without one!

air as though we had gone back in time.

As we had an early reservation the dining area was very quiet, and I almost felt like I was ruining the atmosphere talking normally to Mr Steph. So I whispered as I looked over the menu and looked around the room - with silver set on every table, and thick pattered drapes on every window. No longer were we reminded that we were in the busy city, which we knew all to well as we both work in there. It was so very peaceful and relaxing.

My lovely sister had organised a voucher for us as a birthday present last year, and I was so happy that I was finally being able to experience what she'd booked for me. It wasn't that there is a long wait to get in, I just kept forgetting that I had it! As part of the gift we were able to have the buffet as well as a meal from the a la carte menu and tea and coffee.


The buffet included an arrange of pastries and toasts, as well as cereals and fruits. I have quite the soft spot for pastries, as you well know, so my sister will be very pleased that I indulged in the "bread" area of the buffet quite a lot. As I cannot say no to a simple bacon and eggs, I had the Windsor Breakfast - with eggs, bacon, tomato and mushrooms. Mr Steph had French toast. He was very happy with it also came out with hazelnut marscarpone - almost tasted like nutella!

Slowly more and more people made their way in, mostly guests from what we could gather. There were the older couples that didn't really say a word to each other over their coffee and croissants, a group of all senior couples who were just having a splendid time chatting away, and also families who walked around as though it was a McDonalds for breakfast; we concluded they must be "regulars" and we wondered what they must do for a living.

It was times like this morning I was very thankful that Mr Steph isn't the usual "Aussie" as other younger people came in. I almost grinned to myself thinking compared to them we could pull off being a guest and this being the "norm" as they turned up in jeans and they almost turned it into a café down the street - and there Mr Steph was in a neatly pressed business shirt and cuff-links, politely eating away with his great manners. From their table we could hear lots of loud laughter and the word "mate" uttered more than a dozen times; before this the dining room seemed sophisticated.

Very full we decided we should probably go - but not before we took a wander through the foyer to look at the beautiful old paintings on the wall and quietly enjoy the morning.

A big thank you to my little sister Veronica and her boyfriend for organising this for us. It was a lovely day! It is something that I did recommend if you are in Melbourne, as it is a lovely experience.


Steph xo