pat-foodtravel

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Sheffield - Town of Murals

Tasmania was the place I visited from Dec 10- 16, 2007. It will always be special as it is really scenic and I love nature. We took a flight to melbourne and then made a transist to Launceston airport. A small airport, I recalled the dogs sniffing our luaggage.

Check out the scenery as we head to Cradle Mountain. Lovely clouds. I love the beauty of clouds and its different formations as they change the shapes.

One of the roads to Cradle Mountain from Launceston or Devonport is through Sheffield - the town of Murals. The area surrounding the town is very fertile farmland.

Nestled in Cradle Country's rural heartland, Sheffield - the Town of Murals - is the gateway to Tasmania's iconic Cradle Mountain. Visitors are simply captivated by the 50 murals in and around this quaint country town. Take the "Story of the Sheffield Murals" self-guided audio tour and immerse yourself in the story of how a typical Tasmanian town facing rural decline succeeded in becoming a wonderful outdoor art gallery! All around are the fertile farmlands of Kentish Plains, with Mt Roland dominating the southern skyline at 1234m above sea level.

Check out some of the murals :

Pat & Gina

Finally we reached our hotel after visiting cradle mountain. (read about cradle moutain in next post). It was Christmas, hence one could feel the festive buzz around the hotel.

Check out the fireplace. One could feel the warmth.

Celebrating the birth of baby Jesus

Salamanca Place in Tasmania

Salamanca Place is a precinct of Hobart, capital city of the Australian State of Tasmania.

Salamanca Place itself consists of rows of sandstone buildings, formerly warehouses for the port of Hobart Town that have since been converted into restaurants, galleries, craft shops and offices. It was named after the victory in 1812 of the Duke of Wellington in the Battle of Salamanca in the Spanish province of Salamanca. It was previously called "The Cottage Green".

There were 2 countries I wanted to visit in Australia and I am glad I had the opportunity to visit both of them. They are none other than Tasmania and Adelaide. Both are really scenic and nature based.

Where there are flowers, Pat will be at the stall - love flowers especially tulips

Salamanca Market has has grown from 12 stalls in 1972 to 300 in 2010, becoming Tasmania's most visited tourist venue attracting up to 25,000 visitors every Saturday.

Salamanca Market is a street market in Salmanca Place, Hobart, Tasmania. It is held on Saturdays between 8.30am and 3.00pm

I have always been fascinated with such stalls, intrigued by the stuff they sell. Looking back at my recent Italy trip, I am really not a bag person. I prefer roaming the streets and exploring such lovely items. More the art/music/ museum gal.

Magnets of flowers

Hand painted glasses and cups

Australian pies - yummy

Along the streets of Salamanca Market

Lovely designs

I love such sets - penguins. They will make nice display sets. Yes Pat has the eye for elegance and simplicity.

Colourful glass apples sold individually

Mushrooms and birds designs

Mushrooms for sale - not the edible ones though

Funky Bears with cool outfits - nice to look at, but not my type for bear collection

Pat loves bears, whenever I travel, I will try to purchase a bear from the country. Unfortunately the past few travels, have not been able to purchase the bears. I love bears that have nice fur and huggable.

The more sober bears

The brown bear is the type of bear I may purchase, that's the type of fur I like.

Magnets

Colourful candles

It was relaxing exploring the streets of Salamanca Market. I hope to visit Tasmania again in the future.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Vineyard @ Hort Park

Located in the south-west of Singapore, HortPark is a horticultural gem and also a one-stop gardening hub that unites recreational, educational, research and retail activities under a large canopy in a beautiful and tranquil park setting.

Nestled in the midst of this beautiful park is a stunning new restaurant named Vineyard, the latest addition to Creative Eateries’ restaurants. It marries the best of nature and modern architecture with a menu of Thai, French and Italian favourites and has an extensive wine list from over a hundred vineyards.

Vineyard is indeed a cosy place for intimate get-togethers. For busy executives who work in the nearby offices, it is an alternative dining venue. For the frequent park-goers, Vineyard promotes a healthy-living concept for the entire family to sit down for a wholesome meal in a gorgeous setting. This is also the place where one can chill out in the evening, enjoy star gazing & nature, have a drink and enjoy the bar snacks with friends and love ones.

On 1 August 2011, exactly a month after its opening on 1 July, I was invited to the Vineyard for dinner. Laura, my good friend joined me. The mummy to be is expecting her first baby in a month's time.

On arrival, we were greeted to a cosy environment playing to the music of Elvis Presley. Very romantic and a place to relax.

Vineyard’s flexible use of space from indoor dining to a sheltered veranda and an al fresco patio is bordered by an infinity reflecting pool and is a great venue for small to large-scale events. From cosy parties, corporate functions to garden-themed receptions, the possibilities are limitless.

Pat & Laura enjoying our dinner at Vineyard

Vineyard is also home to more than a hundred new and old world wine labels that have been carefully selected to provide an unparalleled wine-drinking experience that hinges upon variety and affordability.

For young wine drinkers, enjoy wine appreciation with prices commencing at $39 a bottle. If you are a wine connoisseurs one will be impressed will by the depth of variety of their wine list.

Vineyard will also present exclusive weekend wine tasting sessions to educate and engage their guests in the pleasures of wine appreciation.

Being someone who loves her food and enjoys wine and dine sessions, I look forward to attending the weekend wine tasting sessions.

3 Flavours of Bruschetta, Forest Mushroom, Tomato & Smoked Salmon ($12)

Under the bar snack menu, we enjoyed our first dish of the 3 different flavours of Bruschetta which is nicely presented. This dish was especially ordered for Laura who loves Bruschetta. Tomato bruschetta is common. It was refreshing to taste the forest mushroom and smoked salmon cooked to perfection and unique. I placed the 3 different flavours on my bread, while Laura sampled the individual flavours on 3 slices on bread. No guesses who's the fan of Bruschetta.

Avocado Ice ($10)

For drinks I had Avocado Ice while Laura ordered the Protein Delight. Love my drink, it was refreshing and blended in perfection. A mixture of Avocado, cucumber, milk, lime juice and sugar syrup. Compared to the Avocaod drink at Thai express, this drink is unique due to the cucumber and lime juice. Thumbs up.

Bruschetta with Avocado Ice

Protein Delight ($10)

It looks like a strawberry drink yet it is a drink of combination of banana, pineapple juice, rose syrup, mik and yoghurt.

Our drinks and snack

Pat all set to tuck in for dinner

Escargot Bourguignon, Garlic Beurre Noisette ( $15)

For a taste of French dish, the Escargot Bourguignon is a must try. It's been ages since I had Escargot. At least for this dish, one does not have to worry about removing the escargot from the shell. All has been prepared. 6 pieces of Escargot soaked in Garlic Beurre Noisette. We could pair this dish with red wine.Both of us took our time to savour this french cuisine.

Norwegian Oak Salmon, Lemon Confit, Sour Cream & Fresh Mesclun ($22)

Someone who loves fish and salmon, this has to be one of my favourite dishes among the appetisers. 5 slices of fresh thick salmon, mix it well with the lemon confit. That's where one will experience the exquisite taste of this dish. Intially I thought this was one of the main entrees, didn't expect the dish to be under appetisers. Am delighted with this dish.

Vietnamese Style Fresh Spring Rolls wrapped with Grilled Pork ( $12)

Initially Laura wanted to order the Fish and Chips. Then I reminded her that we also wanted to have desserts too. Hence the mummy had this craving of Vietnamese Style Fresh Spring Rolls. One should have seen the satisfied look on her face. The difference in this spring rolls is the grilled pork. 4 pieces of spring rolls neatly wrapped with generous ingredients. Mix with the sauce, one may actually come back for more authentic Vietnamese Spring Rolls.

We basically had the appetisers and they were fantastic. If we had taken the main entrees, there would be no room for deserts. The staff were friendly and service was excellent. Ivan and Kesh chatted with us and we learnt more about the food and the restaurant.

Hazlenut Crunch Bar, Fresh Berries, Passion Fruit Coulis ( $12)

This has to be my favourite dish of the evening. A chocolate cake fan, this is to be one of the best cakes I have tasted. It's rich in chocolate, yet moist. Have it with a cup of coffee/ tea and it will be perfect. Excellent Presentation.

Warm Lemon Lava Cake, Chantilly Cream, Sesame Tuile ($12)

Another popular dessert dish of vineyard, this will take around 20 minute waiting time. Yet it is worth the wait. It's nicely baked and the outer layer of the cake is crispy. Be careful when one cuts the Lava Cake, witness the lemon lava oozing out the of the cake. Slice the cake into small portions and mix it with the Chantily Cream and Sesame Tuile.