The Fro Fro Blog

Sydney, Days 3 and 4

Let's see, where was I?  (Click here if you missed Sydney, Days 1 and 2)

Day 3 : Monday

On Monday morning I climbed to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  I was so excited to do this -- I live for adrenaline rushes! -- and even booked online before I left San Francisco.  However, although the view was spectacular atop the 134 meter-high, 503 meter-long structure, unfortunately there wasn't much adrenaline coursing through my veins.  I must say I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't more scary.  I want some heart-thumping!  Where's the bungy?  Now that would've been amazing!  Nonetheless, if you find yourself in Sydney, I highly recommend doing the climb for yet another perspective on this beautiful city.  (Click here to book your climb.)

After the climb, I met up with Jacquie, Rebecca and Lisa at China Doll, one of the restaurants that line the wharf at Woollomooloo. (Say that 10 times fast.  Better yet, spell it.)  We were in great hands with Lisa as our gastronomic guide.  First came the mushu: perfect pancakes, succulent duck and hoisin sauce that I would have licked out of the dish if I hadn't been in polite company. Then came the beef and string beans in a flavorful sauce, shrimp tempura and crispy chicken.   Of all the dishes, the duck and the beef were the clear winners.

Even at lunch, we always save room for dessert.  We'd seen black rice pudding with mango on a couple of menus, and decided to try it here.  It was good, but the black sesame sorbet stole the show.

After lunch we made our way over to Westfield Bondi Junction, or as the locals abbreviate it, WBJ (Don't say it.  Polite company, remember?)   Most interesting was the epicure section of David Jones, a major retailer a la Bloomingdales in the States.  They had a produce and prepared food section that could rival some of our high end grocery stores.  Smack dab in the middle of the mall.  No time for dilly-dallying, though, because I was on a mission to get to Country Road.  Country Road is an Aussie clothing retailer that tried to make a go of it in the U.S. several years back.  They pulled out, but before they did I got some terrific stuff, some of which is still in my wardrobe today.  At WBJ, I was able to find a couple of items to join them.

That night, Rebecca was under the (rainy) weather and Jacquie was spending family time, so I was on my own at the hotel for dinner. I decided to try a traditional Aussie burger for the first time.  I've never been a big fan of beets, but put them on a burger with cheese and sauteed onions and I'm sold. (Those of you paying attention will get a kick out of the headline of the article I was reading.)

Day 4 : Tuesday

Another highly anticipated stop on the itinerary was our trip to the Taronga Zoo.  As a general rule I don't like zoos. I prefer to see animals in their natural habitats, not cooped up and on display for gawking humans.  Let's preserve as much as we can of those natural habitats on this Earth and visit them there.  However, if I'm an animal and I must be in a zoo, I'm definitely doing everything I can to get into Taronga.  Man, what a view!  The zoo overlooks the expansive Sydney harbor and its beautiful skyline.  We saw some of my favorite animals, including giraffes, kangaroos, elephants and koalas, and Rebecca found her alter ego!

After the zoo, we enjoyed a traditional fish-and-chips lunch at Bottom of the Harbour on Balmoral Beach in Mosman.

Later that day, I paid a visit to some of my co-workers in my company's Sydney office, and then a few of them took me out for a fun night on the town.  We started out with dinner at Bodega, a tapas bar in Surry Hills.  Sorry, but there are no photos, so you won't get to see the inventive, flavorful dishes -- my favorite was the Grilled Calamari with Morcilla (blood sausage), Pumpkin Puree and Ink sauce. 

After dinner, my colleagues had arranged a very special Sydney experience for me:  a visit to the private club on the roof of the InterContinental Hotel.   It must be what heaven is like, if heaven is a beautifully decorated, mod lounge with a spectacular 360 degree view and a plate full of delicious desserts!

Sweet dreams, angels!  Stay tuned for more Sydney reportage.   The best (food) is yet to come!

Sydney, Days 1 and 2

Hallo, dahlings!  As promised, I'm beginning to release details of my recent vacation in Sydney.  Why has it taken so long?  Well, first I was recovering from jet lag and getting back into the swing of things at work.  I was also busy catching up with people and things I'd missed while I was away, like Bacon Boy, The Biggest Loser finale, and taking care of my increasingly unruly brows.  Then I started getting distracted by things like my mail pile (Ooooh, look! The new Edible San Francisco is here!)  and my television.  Yes, my friends, the writers' strike drought has ended, thank God.  Then, of course, there was the matzoh quest.

But what has most kept me from starting this post is that it is so difficult to express what an amazing trip it was.  I'll give it my all -- you know I always do for you, darlings --  but for the most part I'm going to let the pictures speak their thousand words.  Australians are big fans of abbreviation anyway, you know.  Anyone who grew up in the 80's knows barbecue is "barbie."  That's just the beginning, and in fact, I don't recall hearing anyone say "barbie" the entire time I was there.  I heard a lot of "brekkie" (breakfast), and "uni" (university, not sea urchin).

Day 1: Saturday

After a not so short 13-hour flight, we arrived in Sydney.  "We" is Rebecca and Jacquie, the Sydney native who lives in SF now, whose birthday we were celebrating.  (Sidebar: I started the destination birthday trend among my girlfriends with a Vegas extravaganza last year.  Don't bother searching The FFB archives -- it stays in Vegas.  Jacquie's came next, and Rebecca's will be in Paris in December.  I know. How lucky am I?) 

After dropping our bags at the hotel, we were ready to eat.  Jacquie knows me well.  (Some of you may be scratching your heads, wondering when I'm not ready to eat.  How right you are!)   

Jacquie had outlined a fun- and food-filled itinerary for the week.  If you're planning a trip of your own, look no further -- just do everything we did and you'll have a marvelous time!  Our first meal was at Bill's in Woollahra.  (Click here to learn more about Bill and his restaurants.)  I had the bright and tasty Corn Fritters with a side of rockin' guac, while Rebecca fell in love with the Banana and Ricotta Pancakes with Honey Butter.

Newly fortified, we were ready to embark on the Sydney Harbor Cruise -- a great intro to the city and its history (although we were lucky to have Jacquie with us to point out some slight inaccuracies in the tour guide's comments).  I spent most of the boat ride craning my neck whenever the filming of Baz Luhrmann's upcoming epic movie, Australia, was mentioned -- eager to catch a glimpse of Hugh Jackman or at least the ground he's walked on, which you know I worship.   

Here's a shot from the boat.  The two passengers pictured are Flat Stanley and Flat Katie.  Rebecca brought Stanley to Sydney for her nephew, and Katie had coincidentally come along with the tourists sitting next to us.  Matchmaking Stanley and Katie was one of the funniest moments on the trip.   I think he wanted to hook up, but she flat out denied him. (Click here if you want to know what Flat Stanley is all about.)

That evening, we strolled the Sydney waterfront and had our first taste of typical restaurant service, Aussie-style.  In other words, painfully slow, aloof and slightly arrogant.  That certainly wasn't the case everywhere, but since in Australia the waitstaff is paid more and relies less on tipping, they tend to be less motivated than in the U.S. where the reverse is true.

I won't name the restaurant, since you shouldn't bother with it.  I'd much rather skip straight to Day 2!

Day 2: Sunday

I woke up early on Sunday and headed to the hotel gym for a morning workout.  Doing this every day was a stroke of genius on my part, if I do say so myself.  It's so much easier said than done, but if you can, I highly recommend it.  It immediately rid me of jet lag for the rest of the trip, and was the key to staving off the effects of all the amazing meals we ate -- I actually lost two pounds on the trip!

The first activity on the itinerary for Sunday was a walk along Sydney's famous beaches, from Bondi to Bronte and back to Bondi, where we landed at Aquabar.  We sat at outside tables, drank deliciously strong "skinny lattes" and ate breakfast.  Jacquie had serious egg envy -- mine  were  scrambled exactly the way I like them (lightly, ever so slightly more than "runny") and accompanied by sauteed mushrooms, thick strips of Aussie bacon and Turkish toast -- which is akin to a cross between pita and French.   Here's a pic from the last day of the trip: we came back here one last time before heading to the airport.  Good thing the eggs weren't quite as perfect that day or I might not have gotten on that plane.

Back to Sunday at Aquabar -- we meet the first two of Jacquie's many fabulous friends: Nikki (a burst of boho chic sunshine) and Lisa (a fellow foodie -- I think she's my Aussie alter ego).

Later that day, Rebecca, Jacquie, her parents and I went to a matinee at the Sydney Opera House, an architectural icon recognized the world over.  The Steinway Spectacular was aptly billed "an eight piano performance of unashamed virtuosity."  It featured eight of Australia's most accomplished pianists, a vertigo-plagued organist (ironic, no?) and a comedic conductor/master of ceremonies.   

Sunday evening we were invited to Jacquie's parents' lovely home (what a view!) for a traditional Hungarian feast.  Thank you, Mari and Gyuri for a delicious and delightful evening.

More on my Sydney trip coming soon - stay tuned!

Matzoh Madness

I know I promised details of my trip to Australia, and they're coming, I swear!  I just had to get this post out soon otherwise it would be rather, well, stale...

After a week in lovely Sydney, I returned to San Francisco on Saturday -- apparently the same day the city had run out of matzoh.  MatzOH NO! I couldn't believe it!  There wasn't a single box to be had.  An informant told me that Mollie Stone's still had a few on Monday, but when I called they said everyone else had heard the same and now theirs were all gone too. 

Why was I on such a quest?  This year I was traveling, but  every year I usually spend Passover with my family. The matzoh not only helps me celebrate this important holiday by giving up all things leavened for eight days -- but connects me to all kinds of wonderful memories from Seders past.  If I couldn't have matzoh, things just wouldn't be the same.  I had to get some.

So I called home, risking my mother suggesting that maybe I should move back to New York and then I wouldn't have to deal with matzoh shortages. Luckily she didn't.  Thanks to her, Dad and FedEx, I got a box today and I'll be enjoying matzoh and memories for the rest of the week.

What goes best with matzoh?  Chocolate, of course!  Jacques Torres is offering Dark Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate, and Mendiant (chocolate, dried fruits and nuts) Matzoh this year.  I ordered the plain and Peanut Butter versions, and both are quite tasty.  The chocolate is divine, and the PB in the PB version is a great consistency and nicely salted.  Click here to order from the Jacques Torres site.

Photo from mrchocolate.com

Now, what goes best with chocolate?   That's right, more chocolate!  (Yes, normally the answer would be bacon.  But not during Passover.)  The creative minds at Vosges have done it again with Dark Chocolate and Charoset Matzo.  For my shiksagoy readers, charoset is a mixture of apples, wine, walnuts and cinnamon.  We eat it during Passover to symbolize the mortar used by the enslaved Jews in ancient Egypt to build the pyramids.  My Dad makes the best charoset in the world, but I must say the Vosges chocolate covered version is a very close second. Click here to order from the Vosges site.

Photo from vosgeschocolate.com

Happy Passover, everyone!

UPDATE:  More on the Bay Area matzoh shortage from the San Francisco Chronicle.

G'Day Mates!

Truly sorry it's been so long since my last post, and thank you for inquiring as to my whereabouts.  I've been Down Under -- that's right, the land of Koalas and shrimp on the barbie.  Still recovering from jet lag, but as soon as I'm able, I'll regale you with deets. That's all for now.  Off to have some brekkie!

xoxo,
Fro Fro

Race Report: DSE Embarcadero 10K

Yeah, I know, I know.  I wasn't going to do the race-a-month thing again this year.  So call me Michael Corleone.  ("Just when I thought I was out...they pull me back in!")

I did Sawyer Camp in January "just in case."  If I miss January, the year is shot!  I did February, because it's tradition... (tradition!)  March came and almost went, but at the last minute, last Sunday, the very last Sunday of the month, I laced up my Asics for the DSE Embarcadero 10K.   

The weather was perfect, the air was crisp, and the course was flat -- from Aquatic Park we headed East along the Embarcadero -- out and back 6.4 miles.  The always convivial DSE crew was out in full force for these great conditions.  What always impresses me the about this group is the wide spectrum of ages and how fit the folks on the older side of that spectrum are.   For most of the second half of the race I was either slightly ahead or slightly behind a senior gentleman.  But in the end, sorry dude, I don't care how old you are, I'm finishing first!  (Even if I have to kick into a sprint to do so.)  Results aren't published yet, but on my watch I ran my clockwork 10-minute mile.  I also got a lovely baby blue finisher's ribbon to add to my growing collection.

Afterwards, enjoyed a scrumptious brunch with friends at Magic Flute.  Thanks to the morning run, I said, "Bring on the beignets!"

Now, it's on to April.  This weekend Cousin Laura is doing the Great Race of Agoura to benefit Noah and Lexi's school.  Half marathon, 11 miles of which will be on trails.  Here's hoping I remain upright.

In related news, a study recently found that people who buy at least three pairs of sneakers each year are more likely to be leaders.  Hmmmm...interesting.  I just bought my third pair last weekend!