Jan 10: Belmont 16′ Sailing Club; Dinner with Friends

Lunch

For lunch Foodie Greg’s parents treated us to lunch at nearby Belmont 16′ Sailing Club where Foodie Greg enjoyed his Fish and Chips while Foodie Philip enjoyed a Rump Steak (Sirloin) with Buttery Mashed Potato and roasted cherry tomatoes.

Dinner

Again the Foodies were hosted, this time by long term friends in their house where we enjoyed shrimp and/or traditional bruschetta, followed by lamb, roasted sweet potato and a rather enjoyable garden salad. Much champagne and wine flowed and a good time was had by all.

Jan 9: Chicken & Slaw Sandwich; Lamb Salad with Greek Salad

Lunch

For lunch we finished the chicken breast and broccoli slaw on sandwiches.

  • The chicken was Au$1.50 per serve
  • The broccoli slaw was Au$1.25 per serve.

A good sandwich for Au$2.75 (US$1.93) per serve.

Dinner

Tonight we had Foodie Philip’s family over for dinner. We prepared Nigella Lawson’s braised lamb shoulder with mint and pomegranate served with a homemade Greek Salad.

  • The lamb shoulder was Au$24.35 or $3.47 per serve
  • The pomegranate was Au$2.70 or 39c per serve
  • Mint was $2.25 or 31c per serve
  • Olives were Au$3.00 or 43c per serve
  • Cos lettuce was Au$3.50 for a two pack but we used only one, or 25c per serve
  • Grape Kumatoes were Au$6.50 or 93c per serve
  • A shallot was Au92c or 13c per serve
  • Danish feta was Au$3.03 or 43c per serve.

An excellent meal all round, and enjoyed by all.  The addition of the pomegranate juice was welcome. A fitting end to our trip for Au$6.34 (US$4.44) per serve.

Jan 8: Caesar Chicken Schnitzel Wrap; Lamb Loin Chops with Eggpant, Feta and Pomegranate Salad

Lunch

For lunch today we returned to Mr Schnitzel in Warner’s Bay for an enormous Chicken Schnitzel Wrap with lettuce, bacon, parmesan and a Caesar dressing. It’s no surprise that the shop is full of those expending a lot of energy in their daily work.

A very, very filling meal with over 300g (12oz) of Schnitzel alone, for Au$13.00 (US$9.10) per serve.

Dinner

Tonight Foodie Greg cooked for his parents, we believe for the first time! He decided on lamb loin chops with an eggplant, feta and pomegranate salad. The eggplant was first tossed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar before being roasted and allowed to cool to room temperature before being added to the salad.

  • The lamb loin chops were Au$4.85 per serve
  • Danish feta was Au$3.48 or 87c per serve
  • Eggplant was Au$5.01 or $1.25 per serve
  • The pomegranate was Au$2.70 or 67c per serve
  • Mint was $3.00 but we only used about ¼ or 19c per serve.

The lamb chops were complete with ‘tail’ which brings extra flavor from the fat, while the ssalad had a great roasted flavor from the eggplant that was nicely balanced with the creamy saltiness of the feta and tart freshness of the eggpant. A very successful meal for Au$7.78 (US$5.45) per serve.

Jan 7: Toast; Roast Chicken Leg with Crunchy Brocoli Slaw

Lunch

As we had not got to the shops, we had toast and butter for lunch for under $1.00 per serve.

Dinner

Having got to the supermarket we had a Roast Chicken Leg each served with  broccoli slaw kit.

  • The Chicken was Au$9.00 or $3.00 per serve
  • The broccoli slaw kit was Au$5.00 or $1.25 per serve.

While it was hardly the most exciting meal of recent times, the chicken was well cooked and the slaw provided a slightly tart, tasty crunch.  Foodie Philip finished the somewhat boring stuffing (dressing). An okay meal for Au$4.25 (US$2.98) per serve.

 

Jan 6: Corned Beef Sandwiches; Fillet Steak, Salad and Fried Rice

Lunch 

Today was a travel day, so we grabbed a corner beef, tomato and cheese sandwich at Sydney Airport for Au$8.50 (US5.95), which is pretty expensive.

Dinner

For dinner, we were invited to Foodie Philip’s brother’s home for family dinner, where he generously hosted with fillet steak, garden salad a a great homemade fried rice that was rich in bacon and flavor.

Jan 5: Australian BBQ; Scallops in Garlic Cream Sauce/ Souvlaki Wrap

Lunch

Our final reunion activity was at the home of a Cousin in Devonport where we had an Australian style BBQ, which would be considered a grill in the USA. A fast grill, but always with at least part of the cooking surface dedicated to a solid metal cooking surface – for the grilled onion, if nothing more.

There were at least two batches of onions, and a lot of rissoles.  It was a little throwback, including childhood classics like Fairy Bread, which was not as popular with today’s children as it was with their parents.

Once again, local family hosted with salads and deserts.

Dinner

As we were quite late back from the reunion and a side visit with some family members, we stopped at the Beach Hotel in Burnie for dinner. Foodie Greg had the Souvlaki Wrap, while Foodie Philip was not yet tired of scallops, so he enjoyed them a new way: garlic cream sauce.

We thought both meals were good examples of what they were, for Au$21.55 (US$15.09) per serve.

Jan 4: Egg & Bacon Sandwiches; Scallop and Vegetables

Lunch

Lunchntoday found us in Burnie Park for a family reunion get together. As tradition dictates this lunch is fried egg and bacon sandwiches on white bread, which were delicious because the bacon is from healthy, non feed lot animals, and the eggs from pastured chickens.

Our local family hosted the rest of us.

Dinner

For the next event on the reunion calendar, we ordered from various take out venues for delivery to our celebration location. The Foodies chose Chinese Scallops and Vegetables, which turned out to be a very generous serve of both, particularly the scallops, for Au$21.00 (US$14.70) per serve.

Jan 3: Fish & Chips/Calamari; Rib Eye/Burger

Lunch

On the road again we stopped to refuel car and occupants in Queenstown at Tracks cafe at the railway station. We decided to order Fish & Chips and Calamari & Chips and share the proteins.  We felt the Calamari was slightly better but both were good, and came with a generous serve of fries and salad for Au$18.00 (US$12.60) per serve.

Dinner

After settling in to our temporary accommodation we headed in to Burnie ahead of ‘Cousins’ night as part of the Family reunion held this weekend.

We found a grill where Foodie Greg chose their beef burger, while Foodie Philip chose a rib eye steak. They were both good meals, as expected for Au$21.00 (US$14.70) per serve.

Jan 2: Kransky, Cheese & Bacon Sandwich; Lamb Sirloin

Lunch

On the road to our next destination we stopped at a roadhouse and picked up some sandwiches. Foodie Philip found his Kransky, Cheese & Bacon to be pretty enjoyable, while Foodie Greg was less enamoured of his choice.

It was serviceable food for Au$7.20 (US$5.04) per serve.

Dinner

We ate at the restaurant associated with Lake St Claire Lodge and both had the Lamb Sirloin with vegetables. Oddly, Foodie Greg’s meal came with different vegetables than Foodie Philip’s. Apparently Greg’s were the vegetables from the steak dish, but he preferred the broccolini to the glazed carrots and pea purée that was on the menu.

The lamb sirloin was excellent for Au$42.00 (US$29.40) per serve.  We also had a very excellent gin and tonic prepared by barman Michael from gin that we discovered was distilled using water from the lake! Talk about hyper Local!

Jan 1: Chorizo Sandwich; Steak House Dinner

Lunch

We decided on a quick lunch at our temporary home, so we did two toasted chorizo sandwiches, since we had chorizo left ove from the night before.

  • Two slices of sourdough bread were Au45c
  • The chorizo was about Au$1.00.

A tasty sandwich for Au$1.45 (US$1.02) per serve.

Dinner

Tonight we celebrated his upcoming nuptials with a friend from many years ago, and his fiancée in a Hobart Steakhouse.

The Foodies  hose NY strip with baked mushrooms, which was very good for Au$64.00 (US$44.80) per serve.