Friday, February 4, 2011

Australia

After Hong Kong, ew and I made a trip to Australia before coming to Singapore.  We figured that if we were planning on going back to the states for the holidays every year, this would be one of the few chances we could go to the Australian Open while guys like Federer and Nadal were playing.  So we decided to go to Melbourne and Sydney, postponing a trip to the northern part of the country (which seemed to be fortuitous given the floods and Hurricane Yasi).

Australia as a whole is basically the California of the Southern hemisphere.  First, the weather is quite similar.  Warm summers, but there are distinct seasons where the temperatures cool.  Second, the coastline is pretty much the same, with the Great Ocean Road the analog to Highway 1 (though I must say, from what I've seen, the Great Ocean Road is a bit more spectacular).  But the real similarities in really in the cuisine and the lifestyle.  It's a very diverse country (at least in Melbourne and Sydney), with Australians, Europeans, and Asians all there.  As one would expect, this leads to a diversity of food.  "Australian" cuisine is similar to that of California, with emphasis on clean flavors and local fresh ingredients, but what most people eat every day is a mixture of different cuisines, much like we do in California.  One day it may be Thai, the next Spanish tapas, the next Malaysian or Chinese food.  It's also a very casual and relaxed country, with beach culture very prominent (something like over 90% of people live along the Australian coast), so you see people walking around in boardshorts and casual wear pretty much everywhere you go.

We spent about half our time in Melbourne and half our time in Sydney.  Melbourne feels a bit like Montreal in its setup, with a city centre that has all the office buildings as well as some retail and food, but with surrounding neighborhoods that showcase more of the city, like Carlton and Fitzroy (akin to Mont Royal).  The city centre itself reminds me of Vancouver with its grid-like structure.  What distinguishes Melbourne from other cities is its cafe culture.  There really aren't any must-see sights in the city; there are some fairy penguins down in St. Kilda (Melbourne's beach town) worth a look, so the real draw is experiencing all the little side streets that are littered with cafes.  Apparently people in Australia are obsessed with espresso, though the latte I had wasn't anything spectacular (though I'm probably not the best judge of coffee).  But having an afternoon break or a brunch at one of the cafes really is a nice way to spend some time, and it really does give Melbourne an intimate feel.

Sydney in contrast is all about sights.  It's tough to really get a feel for the city since there are so many must-sees, so you definitely feel much more like a tourist there.  But probably the most impressive sight, and is the Blue Mountains.  It's about a two hour train ride from Central Station to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, where ew and I did a full day abseiling and canyoning tour.  It was the first time either of us did either activity, and afterward, we both agreed it was probably the best thing we did in Australia.  There isn't a better way to see the scenery than to abseil down the side of a cliff.  And there isn't a better way to finish a canyon than to abseil down a waterfall.  We used the tour operator High N Wild, and their guides are definitely friendly, helpful, and encouraging.

The other highlights of Sydney revolved around food.  First, ice cream.  Australia is a bit different in California in that ice cream seems to be much more popular.  And after ew and I had dinner with one of ew's friends from Hong Kong, we stumbled upon a gelato place called Messina on Victoria St. around King's Cross.  Just know that it was good enough for ew and I to eat there every night thereafter for the remainder of our stay in Sydney.  Particularly good flavors are passion fruit and tiramisu.

Second, Quay.  Quay is the meal I wished Le Bernardin was.  Creative, no, inventive food.  With probably the best presentation I've seen in any restaurant.  It's right next to Circular Quay station, with a spectacular view of the Sydney Opera House.  Service was nowhere near what Le Bernardin was, but it didn't need to be with the quality of the food.  Ew started with a salad of Frech turnips and radishes, which combined with incredible goat cheese and a crispy dried olive, was very much "Californian."  My starter of sea pearls was beautifully presented, with yellowfin tuna, mud crab, eel and octopus, and sea scallop.  We both got the same entree, a lamb that was prepared in a way that neither of us had ever had (a braised loin), mixed with a delectable sauce and with a very unique and delicious garlic flower.  The last course was a white nectarine snow egg, which was a creme with a carmelized exterior in the shape of an egg, over a beg of nectarine flavored snow ice and ice cream.  While not quite as amazing as the previous two courses, it was a nice refresher to a 90 degree day.  The overall cost for lunch was a bit high: 85 AUD for two courses, and 105 for 3 courses, but without needing to pay service, it actually wouldn't be too bad if the exchange rate was better.  Which brings me to the final thought: the weak dollar makes Australia almost too expensive to travel to.  Prices are much higher in Australia, and the least expensive meal you'll likely see for one person will be about 15 AUD.

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