Fairy Penguins@Phillip Island -

We were intending to go to see the Fairy Penguins the day after we arrived at Inverloch but having checked the weather while travelling down it looked likely to rain so we decided to head back to Phillip Island (well known not only for the penguins which nest there, but also for its motor racing track) that evening which was promising better weather.

The trip from Inverloch to Phillip Island was back the way we'd come earlier and it took about 45 minutes to get there.

The penguins come in from the sea as regular as clockwork and as such we had plenty of time to get dinner at the local pub / restaurant (which brewed its own beer). As it'd been quite a long day none of us sampled the beers (maybe next time) but we had a great meal and then drove the remaining way to the penguin centre.

By the time we arrived there was still 40 minutes till the penguins arrived (you'd swear they were tagged) which allowed us a look around the visitor centre before heading outside:

and awaiting there arrival.

It was spectacular to see (again) and Lily really enjoyed watching the penguins come in from sea before setting off up a series of self made walkways to their nests; this is really the best bit as they are walking just beside you (although you're on a man made walkway slightly above them).

Lily was in awe and it was really comical to see her doing her penguin walk whilst the penguins were doing the same alongside her.

Unfortunately I don't have any photos as its not permitted to photograph the penguins.

Koalas at Kennett River - 23-NOV-2014

Got up this morning and the weather was glorious.

Lily and I opted not to go with Laura and Debbie for breakfast today and instead stayed in the apartment and had a quiet morning.

Once the girls were back we got ourselves organised and headed off to see the Koalas at Kennett River which is around 20 minutes from Apollo Bay.

The Koala in this area are wild and you have to look really closely into the tops of the trees to be able to see any:

we saw about four or five and in addition a couple of wild cockatoos:

and a flock of wild (but exceptionally tame) parakeets who liked nothing more than landing on the tourists and feeding on seeds:

We had a quick stop at the Kafe Koala Cafe:

for ice creams:

and then headed back to the Apollo Bay. 

Apollo Bay - 22-NOV-2014

We had a Lazy morning, followed by breakfast in La Bimba which consisted of poached eggs on toast for me:

and Bircher muesli for Laura:

After breakfast we had a walk around the Saturday craft market (while Debbie took Lily - and the scooter - to the park):

where we bought some cupcakes from Kim:

and had a coffee:

Afterwards we met up with Debbie and Lily and came back to the apartment, got changed, and headed out to the beach where Laura, Lily and Debbie had a great time playing on the sand:

and in the water:

After what felt like an eternity (at least for me) on the beach we headed back home and got changed again!!!

Next thing I knew if was 7pm; we'd all been sleeping on our respective chairs/couches (including Lily).

Once we had all awoken we decided to have dinner which was BBQ'd chorizo & hallumi, followed by chicken with baked potatoes and some wine.

We the ended the night by singing along to the Singing Kettle and The Wiggles on YouTube (which kept Lily entertained), watching TV and toasting marshmallows on the BBQ.

The aim with the marshmallows was to toast them enough to turn them in to a small cup which could be filled with Baileys. In the end the marshmallows were toasted but the Baileys had to go in a glass (over ice) as we couldn't manage to correctly shape the marshmallows.

Trip to Apollo Bay - 21-NOV-2014

We set off for Apollo Bay but first stopped of at The Dutchess of Spotswood for a bite of breakfast:

The cafe is not too far from Debbie's house and the pulled pigs jowl and egg roll I had:

with coffee:

was the perfect start to our holiday:

The journey to Apollo Bay from Melbourne is around a three hour drive and takes in a stretch of the Great Ocean Road which is breathtaking:

although my picture really doesn't do it any justice.

We stopped off in Lorne (which is about half way to Apollo Bay) to have lunch but quickly decided that as none of us were really hungry we'd just go and stretch our legs instead and let Lily play in the park for a while before continuing our journey.

Whilst in Lorne we came across a community of wild cockatoo living near the beach and these were amazing to watch as they were so tame and loved interacting with the visitors (and chasing the seagulls):

We then headed on to Apollo Bay following the Great Ocean Road for the remainder of our trip.

We arrived at around 14:50 got our keys form the Agent and then drove to the apartment which is only one street back from the beach and in a great location.

We got unpacked and had a quick "sanga" before heading out to explore the town (with Lily on her scooter).

Lily found another park she liked and she and I played there for about an hour before heading to meet Laura and Debbie who had gone to the pub.

We had some wine and an S&M beer:

The Pub also had a restaurant and we decided to stay for dinner, which for me was the seafood basket (which I couldn't finish):

and sticky toffee pudding (which we all shared):

After dinner we headed back to the apartment and called it a night.

Squires Loft (Williamstown) - 20-NOV-2014

It's customary when we're in Melbourne to make a trip to Squires Loft, in the city, but this time as there was a new branch that had just opened in Williamstown we decided to go there instead.

The table was booked for 18:30 and we were all ready in plenty of time to allow us to take the short car ride to the restaurant.

For starters we opted two kilos of pork ribs which gave us a rack each and then headed on to have fillet steak all round.

Mine was to be accompanied with a lobster tail (surf and turf style) and this was the only issue with the meal as when it arrived the lobster tail was not present and I had to remind the waitress who checked and came back to say that it'd be a few minutes (meaning it was still to be cooked). In reality it wasn't an issue as it gave me time to eat some of he turf before the surf arrived.

We also had a couple of bottles of Pinot Noir which went down very well and were the perfect accompaniment to the meal.

Lily had chicken with fries; she didn't eat much (as she didn't like the sauce that had been used to marinate the meat) but she still had plenty to eat because as usual she helped me to eat my "ham" (which is how she likes to refer to steak that has been cooked medium).

All in all it was very nice; the service wasn't quite up to the standard of the original restaurant in the city but they've only just opened so I'll cut them some slack. Also it's just down the road from Debbie's and as such the convenience greatly ways in its favour.

Myer, Christmas window - 20-NOV-2014

As always the window at Myer is one of the highlights in the Melbourne Xmas calendar!

This year we had Santa Claus and the Three Bears!! Six different windows each telling part of the story - Lily was really excited!!! As were her mum and dad watching her!!

Next was a trip to see Santa - the first time that when we asked Lily she said yes - what a great first experience for her off to see Santa while wearing a sundress and her sandals as oppose to her coat and scarf!!

Cocktails & dreams - 18-NOV-2014

Decided that what we needed was a trip to the City for a bite to eat and a couple of cocktails in a few of Melbournes roof top bars.

So with Debbie watching Lily; Laura, myki and I headed to the train station and onwards into the City.

Before we set off Debbie had given us a Google map from Ali listing a number of good bars all in walking distance from Flinders Street Station (allegedly) and we used the time on the train to decide that we were going to go to Bomba first.

We had a few cocktails:

and a bite to eat from the tapas style menu:

and after rounding off the meal with some churos:

we headed on to Whiskey and Ailment the whiskey bar where we had a couple of whisky cocktails and tried a few whiskeys as well.

At this poin in the proceedings we were debating whether to just grab a cab home but in the end opted to try one more which ch was a lovely rooftop bar called Goldilocks where Laura and I had a couple of beers:

and Laura opted for a bowl of "hot" chips:

to help soak up some of the alcohol.

On the way in to Goldilocks we had to enter via a shared entrance which included a late night noodle house and on the way out I went in for something to eat:

We then headed out and hailed a cab back to Debbie's.

On reflection we should possibly not have spent so much time in Whiskey and Ailment as this meant there were some bars we had to miss but we had a great night all the same :-))

Noodle Night Market - 17-NOV-2014

As part of the Melbourne food festival, the Night Noodle Market was running in the park behind Federation Square and we decided to go along to see what all the fuss was about.

The market consisted of a number of food trucks (run by both high end Melbourne restaurants and others less well known but equally good vendors) selling Asian food, deserts and coffee.

We got the train in to the City and met Debbie on the way to the park where we had a wander around and then decided we'd go to Kong and Chang (two restaurants where we'd have liked to go but had no chance of getting a table).

The food was very good, especially the chilli and honey popcorn and the Korean barbecued wings (which were hot but totally moreish).

I also had a coffee from St Ali Family which is a really well respected small chain of coffee shops around the Melbourne area. For the Night Noodle Market they had brought their mobile unit over from Collins Street.  The unit is decked out in the style of a wooden church and is called the Church of Secular Coffee:

and I have to say the double espresso I had was great.

Once we'd eaten we had a walk around the other stalls and had a listen to the music that was playing before heading back to the car to head home.

On route Lily spotted a large play area with chutes, swings and lots of space to run about and we took her over and she ran around and tried everything for 30 minutes or so before we finally went to the car and onwards home. 

Trip to Inverloch -

Our first holiday in a holiday is to the RACV resort at Inverloch which is a 2-3 hour drive from Melbourne.

We're all going for the weekend and with that in mind as there's not enough room in the car for the five of us, Debbie and Ali are going to travel down on Ali's Triumph Thunderbird while Laura, Lily and I go by car.

The plan is to stop about half way down and meet up for lunch before driving the rest of the way so with the sat nav set we set off while Debbie and Ali make final preparations with the bike and lock up the house.

The drive to ??? where were stopping for lunch was quite uneventful with the exception that the sat nav in Debbie's car has been set to off of toll roads.

This wouldn't be a problem for Debbie knows when to deviate from the given directions, however Laura (who's driving) is getting annoyed as the route Debbie suggested doesnt match the way the car wants us to go.

Quick delve into the settings (I knew my IT skills would come in handy for something) and I've changed things to let the sat nav use toll roads and we're back on the right route and as I say the rest of the way was uneventful.

We stopped off in ??? and once we'd met Debbie and Ali decided that we'd eat in the local bakers which looked to do some nice hearty fare (including meat pies - which Australians are obsessed with - and cakes).

The food we had was quite good as we had another hours drive we kept our stay short and after eating we quickly stretched our legs, visited the toilets, and we're back "on the road again".

The intention was that I'd drive the second half of the way but as Laura was happy to continue driving I was happy to let her.  This may seem a bit off on my part but meant I'd be fresh in the evening to drive back from Inverloch to Phillip Island to let Lily see the Fairy Penguins (more on that later).

We continued the drive to Inverloch and made good time, so good in fact that when we arrived our chalet was not ready, and we had to sit in the bar and have some tea and coffee.

Once the chalet was ready we headed across with the car and bike and got unpacked and settled in before going for a wander to see what was about.

Turns out there was loads for Lily to do including an large inflatable pillow:

that Debbie and Lily both enjoyed and a climbing net:

which Lily loved.

Saint Crispin - 07-NOV-2014

Saint Crispin is in the rather rundown/up and coming/trendy (delete as applicable) neighbourhood of Collingwood and from the outside looks like any number of other "on-trend" restaurants vying for business.

Inside and the place is exactly what you'd expect on one side the bar & open kitchen and on the other the tables running down towards the door.

We had a drink to start with (an impeccable IPA for me):

some Champagne for Laura, an Old Fashioned for Ali, some water for Debbie (she was driving) and a peruse of the menu:

The "what to have" discussion started with whether or not there was anything on the menu any of us wouldn't eat and also anything we'd be annoyed if we didn't try.  This as anyone who knows knows is another way of saying "what are we doing, two, three, five or seven courses?"

In the end we decided that there really wasn't anything we wouldn't eat and as Laura and I will probably only eat here once, and the two Chefs who were on master chef .au were in the kitchen, it'd be remiss if we didn't go the whole hog.

So once the two star struck teenagers had calmed down:

we asked the waitress to have the Head Chef give us seven his finest dishes, and also to let the Sommelier know that we (Ali and I at least) would like the matching selection of wines.

The meal was to consist of three Entree, two Main and two Deserts but first up was an amus bush which was a smokie bacon "praline" cracker topped with goats curd accompanied by bread, butter and onion cream.

What an opener; it was glorious :-))

Then we headed for the first course:

of Yellowfin tuna, calamari, mussels, tapioca and rocket. This was a fantastic starter; the tuna was so tender, the tapioca smokey & crispy and the creamed rocket dressing fantastic.

Next up was Asparagus, roasted parmesan custard, radish and gazpacho:

again this was a hit and it was crucial to eat all of the little oat flakes as they had somehow been flavoured and were so good.

This was followed by Atlantic salmon, parsley risotto, prawn, broad bean and peas:

The salmon was perfectly blushing and the risotto cooked spot on. One word sums up this dish beautiful.

Three dishes and one amus bush gone and were on a roll.  I can't fault anything so far!

Following on from the salmon was Quail, chorizo, polenta, sherry and South Australian olives:

Again the attention to detail was amazing, the quail (which I've never tried before) was amazing as was the polenta crisp which was slightly charred. The flavour of these elements was complimented superbly by the taste of the olive tapenade smear and the sweetness of the sherry & chorizo which also had just the right amount of heat.

Next came the piece de resistance:

Bannockburn chicken in the style of coq au vin, bacon and shiitake. This was amazing and the contrasting textures of the chicken were superb.

Now you may be wondering why I said this was the piece de resistance because all of the courses thus far have been equally spectacular, but this dish you see was brought to the table (and introduced), not by the waiters, but by the Chef. A great touch we all thought.

No photos of that moment (and as you know if there's no photos it didn't happen) but I can assure you that both Ali and Laura's faces were a picture as the Chef leaned in close to describe the dish.  On the other side of the table Debbie and I were trying to act all cool, hence no photo :-((

Now we're into the home straight with the first desert:

which was Mango cremeux, jasmine rice, lime and yogurt.

Now before you start screaming or calling the men with straight jackets let me explain the rice is right there, centre stage, shaped into a quenelle of ice cream.

The flavour and texture were great as was the lime and yogurt crumb which had been dried and gave a nice additional texture to the smoothness of the ice cream and the mango cremeux.

The final course was not on the menu but was a hot, chocolate soufflé:

and dare I say it was a little too big.

Having said that I didn't leave a bit and my only real issue was with the presentation of mine as it had moved a little in transit from the kitchen meaning you could see how the coaster that the soufflé was sitting on was adhered to the plate.

Turns out, though, that this was a blessing in disguise as the coaster was on some raspberry purée which I'd otherwise not have known was there :-))

Finally we got an extra course which was a small petite foeur:

which was an ideal way to complete the meal.

As mentioned at the start Ali and I had matching wines, which were the perfect accompaniment to each of the courses but unfortunately I don't have the details.

So to sum up, what can I say to sum up dinner at Saint Crispin; best ever, superlative, deserve a visit from the Michelin man are all phrases that spring to mind.

To put this into context I thought it was much better than Andrew Fairley (not too difficult) in my humble opinion and maybe even better than Castle Terrace (and it takes a lot to say that); might need to go there again, when I'm back in Scotland, to make sure?!