Restaurant reviews

Restaurant reviews blog posts

Banana Boogie Bakery Vanilla Slice.

You can skip the introduction and jump to the recipe if you don’t care for my rambling palaver.

If you continue having problems, message me via the blog’s contact page.

Click the link here if you want to read about the Banana Boogie Bakery vanilla slice.

Dear Reader,

Introduction

I hope you’ve had a good week.

My week was busy. Thursday was Anzac Day. Kathleen and I went for a drive. We took a look at Windy Point Lookout.

What have I been watching?

Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space 9

I’ve now finished watching Star Trek: Voyager (VOY). It’s been an enjoyable rewatch. I will finish Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (DS9) soon. I will start watching Enterprise (ENT).

I’ve also started watching Bosch and there are Star Trek connections. Jeri Ryan from VOY and Linda Park from ENT.

I’ll share more on Bosch in another post.

National Rugby League

This has been a ripper season for footy. The Dolphins and Brisbane Broncos are in the top 8, and I’m happy. I enjoy having a decent TV with free-to-air access to watch live NRL footy.

I am looking forward to the State of Origin series to begin this year. The Queensland Maroons have a depleted side this season with many players injured. The “away” game this year is in Melbourne.

Four corners

Uncovering the Ozempic and Mounjaro black market

If you have the time, I recommend watching this. The drugs were designed to help patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The drugs have gained favour with people who are clinically obese. The mechanism of action slows the stomach (the organ and not the vague description some people use to describe their abdomen).

The drugs have serious adverse reactions, such as gastroparesis. It is not surprising that medical practitioners who advocate for low-carbohydrate, healthy-fat eating prefer a lifestyle change to bring T2DM into remission and to remedy clinical obesity.

Banana Boogie Bakery Vanilla Slice

Vanilla slice from Banana Boogie Bakery Belair

Did I eat a Banana Boogie Bakery vanilla slice?

Yes, I did.

Aren’t I low carbohydrate, healthy fat eating?

Yes, I am.

Is the vanilla slice low in carbohydrates and healthy fat?

No, it isn’t.

Why did you eat the vanilla slice?

It was Anzac Day, and Kathleen and I went for a drive. I wanted to do something special with Kathleen. When I cook, it’s usually biased toward my way of eating. I wanted to do something together with Kathleen.

What was the vanilla slice like?

It was good. It reminded me of the vanilla slice from the Gumnut Patisserie in Bowral. The custard pastry interface had notes of caramel, and the vanilla flavour was well balanced with the sweetness. The mouthfeel of the custard and pastry combined well. The icing was not excessively sweet.

Would you eat another one?

Maybe. If I want to do something special with Kathleen again, I might go for one of the other vanilla slice options.

Were there any after-effects worth noting?

A couple of hours after eating the vanilla slice, we drove into the city, and I started getting an anterior compartment cramp in my right leg. Not long after, my left leg had a similar cramp. The pain was moderate, and the cramping persisted for about an hour. It made walking uncomfortable. When I weighed myself the following morning, I was 2.0 kg heavier. I assumed it was retained water.

Vanilla slice from Banana Boogie Bakery Belair

What have I been eating?

An animal-based diet means great leftover meals. Because my local supermarket doesn’t have a great meat selection, I’ve been buying beef short ribs from Baa Moo Oink.

Leftover rib meat is on par with leftover cold lamb shoulder. The protein and fat content of the rib meat is perfect.

The method I use for heating the rib meat is simple. I cut the cold meat into one cubic centimetre pieces and put them into a frypan. I then add about 100 mL of water and turn on the heat. As the water simmers, the meat softens, and the muscle fibres separate. The fat is released as the meat breaks down, and the water evaporates. I’m left with a soft, tender, and moist bowl of meat. I often finish with butter and pure cream to improve the mouthfeel.

The leftover cooking liquor is an added benefit of cooking with a pressure cooker or slow cooker. I keep it in the refrigerator, and when it’s cold, I lift the solid fat off and put it into a container for later use. I then use a tablespoon or two of the jellied meat broth and make a hot drink with boiling water.

Recipe

I had some beef chuck and speck cooked in the pressure cooker tonight.

Equipment

  • Pressure cooker.
  • Carbon steel frypan.

Ingredients

  • Chuck steak.
  • Speck
  • Meat broth.
Chuck steak and speck

Instructions

  1. Dice the beef and pork and put the meat into the pressure cooker.
  2. Add the meat broth.
  3. Cook under pressure for 1 hour.
  4. Open the lid and remove the mixed meat with a slotted spoon when the pressure equilibrates with atmospheric pressure.
  5. Sieve the cooking liquor and refrigerate the broth.
  6. Transfer the meat to a frypan and turn on the heat.
  7. Gently cook with a little butter and cream.
  8. Transfer the meat to a dinner plate.
  9. If you’re following a meat-only diet, just the meat will be more than sufficient to satisfy your hunger.
  10. If you’re eating a low-carbohydrate diet, meat and plant-based foods like avocado, leafy green leaves, olives, and tomatoes are a good combination.
  11. If you’re not concerned with carbohydrates, fill your boots.
  12. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, this meat won’t be suitable.
  13. Always give thanks to the Lord.
  14. Eat with whatever implements you prefer. I used a spoon.

Thoughts on the meal

The more I eat meat, the more I like it and the more I’m enjoying this way of eating. The speck was a good addition to the chuck. It gave the dish a nice smoky flavour.

There are sufficient leftovers for a few meals this week.

Final thoughts

  • Do you occasionally deviate from routines like a diet?
  • Have you watched the TV show “Bosch”? What did you think?

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.

Goodbye, Number 69

If you continue having problems, message me via the blog’s contact page.

Dear Reader,

Introduction

I hope you’ve had a good week.

Guess what? I’ve moved to Adelaide. I wanted to live closer to Kathleen. I now live a few minutes from her place.

I’m still working the same (main) job and will be doing the same work. I’m also likely to work as an Honorary Visiting Medical Officer like I did in Canberra.

I’ll soon have a gas cooker installed, so I can cook with gas. I also have a Weber Q+ barbecue that uses gas for fuel.

Weber Q+

Once I connect to the NBN, I can watch the new TV, too. This will occur later this week. The previous tenants didn’t connect to the NBN, so I require a formal installation service. That said, my new place has an aerial for TV reception, so my new TV is delivering some entertainment. Unfortunately, I can’t watch the footy live in Adelaide on free-to-air TV. Once the NBN is connected, my streaming services will see me as a happy dolphin.

Adelaide is the fourth city I’ve lived in, and it’s the first time I’ve lived in a bicameral jurisdiction.

How is the foot?

What’s happened this week?

The foot and knee are continuing to heal. While I can walk without a cane, some stiffness and pain remain in the knee, ankle, and toes.

The move

The removalists arrived, lifted my things from the flat (number 69), and then packed the things I had in long-term storage. They arrived in Adelaide about 48 hours later.

Kathleen did the amazing thing of driving from Canberra to Adelaide with me. We shared the driving. Kathleen has a lot of experience driving between both cities.

The drive from Canberra to Adelaide was great. Kathleen is a terrific driving partner. To break up the drive, we stayed overnight in Narrandera.

The roads were pretty good. On the first day, the ambient temperature got as high as 38 °C, while the second day was much cooler at 25 °C. My car is over 15 years old and seems to manage the drive well.

What have I been eating?

Equipment

  • Weber Q+

Ingredients

  • Scotch fillet steak.

Instructions

  1. Dry brine the steaks overnight.
  2. Heat the barbecue and then clean the grates with a wire brush.
  3. Cook the steaks on the barbecue and flip the steaks every 30 seconds until the meat is nicely caramelised.
  4. Rest the meat for 5 to 7 minutes (minimum).
  5. Slice the meat.
  6. If you’re following a meat-only diet, just the steak will be more than sufficient to satisfy your hunger. You can pick up the steak and just bite into it. This minimises washing.
  7. If you’re low-carbohydrate eating, steak and some plant-based foods like avocado, leafy green leaves, olives, and tomatoes are a good combination.
  8. If you’re not concerned with carbohydrates, fill your boots.
  9. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, this steak won’t be suitable.
  10. Always give thanks to the Lord.
  11. Eat with whatever implements you prefer.

Thoughts on the meal

This was my first time using the Weber Q+ (which I’d bought second-hand). I was happy with the outcome. I will need to use it more often to get a good feel for it.

It was great cooking a meal and sharing it with Kathleen in my own place.

Final thoughts

  • Do you like moving?
  • Do you like having a driving partner to share the load?
  • Do you like cooking on a barbecue?

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.

Kangaroo Island

If you continue having problems, message me via the blog’s contact page.

Dear Reader,

Introduction

I hope you’ve had a good week. I’m now back in Canberra after spending nine nights in South Australia visiting Kathleen. Last week, it was Kathleen’s birthday. It was her daughter’s birthday this week and we went out for dinner. We also visited Kangaroo Island and spent three nights there.

How is the foot?

What’s happened this week?

The good news is that being away in South Australia did me good and my foot and knee while weak and limited feel good.

What have I been watching?

Star Trek Deep Space Nine and Star Trek Voyager

One of the amazing things about Kathleen is that she understands my enjoyment of Star Trek. There were times when we watched some Star Trek together and times when I watched while Kathleen was doing something else.

Restaurant reviews

The Meat and Wine Co

We went with Kathleen’s daughter out to dinner at the Meat and Wine Co. in Adelaide’s central business district.

It is a restaurant which features a lot of beef. The restaurant also does two different types of dry-aged steak. One is done the traditional way, and the other is butter dry-aged.

I went with a bone-in scotch fillet steak, which was traditionally dry-aged. It was a very nice piece of steak.

Kathleen decided to have chicken breast for dinner.

Penneshaw Pub

We arrived on Kangaroo Island on Tuesday and on arrival enjoyed lunch at the Penneshaw Pub.

We shared six oysters. Kathleen enjoyed some rare tuna and I had some lovely lamb cutlets.

For dinner, we called around a few places and couldn’t get a table so we returned to the pub for our evening meal.

Kathleen had crispy skin salmon while I had a T-bone steak. We shared another six oysters too.

I decided to make my meal a reef and beef.

The house we stayed in had a fully equipped kitchen with both a wood stove and oven plus a gas stove and oven.

This meant I could scramble eggs in butter each morning for breakfast.

Kangaroo Island Fresh Seafoods

We spent the morning in Kingscote and decided to try some fish at Kangaroo Island Fresh Seafoods. This place it collocated with a servo (that’s Australian slang for petrol station). We both asked for flathead fillets. Mainly, because we knew that flathead being a cartilaginous fish like a shark or a ray wouldn’t have bones.

The flat head was okay. I had mine grilled while Kathleen’s was crumbed. Unfortunately, the fryer the restaurant uses for battered fish wasn’t working.

Drakes steaks

For dinner we bought some scotch fillet steaks from Drakes. Drakes is a local independent supermarket in South Australia. The steaks looked great in the packaging and cooked nicely that evening. We also bought some blue cheese and goat cheese and enjoyed it with the steak.

The Oyster Farm Shop

On Thursday lunch was a seafood platter (also known as the Aquaplatter) from the oyster farm shop in American River.

The term aquaplatter niggled my brain because aqua normally refers to fresh water while marine normally refers to sea water.

The platter had oysters, prawns from Port Lincoln, King George whiting, smoked salmon wings, pippis in butter and garlic, plus some condiments.

The platter was okay to good. It was the first time Kathleen and I have eaten pippis. I’m not convinced I’d have them again.

We were told the oyster season finished that Thursday, so we were pleased to enjoy the last of the oysters.

Reflections Mecure Kangaroo Island Lodge

There was a Mecure Hotel near where we were staying and we decided to have dinner that the hotel’s restaurant on Thursday night.

This was partly because at dusk, kangaroos were likely to be out and about. On the Tuesday night we’d seen a large roo hop across the road in front of us as we were driving to Penneshaw.

Kathleen is an experienced and expert driver in regional and remote areas. Experience and expertise also mean, don’t put yourself at increased risk if you can avoid it.

Kathleen enjoyed the Lamb Rogan Josh, while I thought the rump steak was okay.

Fat Beagle Coffee Shop

On Friday morning, Kathleen enjoyed brunch at the Fat Beagle Coffee Shop. She enjoyed the breakfast hot dog which featured sriracha sauce and jalapeño peppers. Kathleen also had the vanilla slice which she said was possibly the best she’s ever had.

One of the best things about Kathleen is her love for a vanilla slice which equals my love for them too.

Kathleen’s Kitchen

On Friday, we took the ferry home to Cape Jervis and drove back to Adelaide. Kathleen had purchased tickets for a show at the Adelaide Fringe. Prior to the show, we needed to eat, so Kathleen put some beef short rib fingers into her pressure cooker, and we enjoyed a plate of beef rib meat, cheese, cream cheese, pâté, and avocado, plus some butter.

The show that Kathleen took me to was very funny.

Final thoughts

  • It was a fabulous holiday. The best ever.
  • I even slept better than I have in years. I was able to get between five and six hours most nights while I was away.
  • Holidaying with Kathleen is awesome.
  • If you don’t have someone Kathleen, it’s still worth visiting Adelaide and Kangaroo Island.
  • While the food was mostly good, I think Kangaroo Island is less food destination and more for the flora, fauna, and environment.

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.

Baa Moo Oink Ribeye bone in

You can skip the introduction and jump to the recipe if you don’t care for my rambling palaver.

If you continue having problems, message me via the blog’s contact page.

Me, tucking into a steak. Check out the knife.

Dear Reader,

Introduction

I hope you’ve had a good week. I’m currently in Adelaide, visiting Kathleen. It was her birthday this week, and we went out for dinner. We enjoyed an evening at the Red Ochre Barrell and Grill restaurant, which is situated on the Torrens River. The restaurant is one of Kathleen’s favourite places. We dined in its sibling restaurant, the River Café, on one of my previous visits to Adelaide.

The restaurant forms a floating pavilion on the water, with a view of River Torrens looking back towards the city of Adelaide and the main arts precinct.

It was a great view of the river with people running and jogging along the banks, plus people on the water rowing eights and fours.

We enjoyed an evening of lovely views, the best company (each other) and nice food.

Kathleen enjoyed house-made focaccia bread with smoked eucalyptus butter, followed by kangaroo fillet served with lentils and vegetables.

I had an octopus carpaccio with fried capers and finger lime, followed by a scotch fillet steak.

How is the foot?

What’s happened this week?

My foot, ankle, and knee are slowly improving. The EHL repair remains intact. The stiffness in my foot and ankle is lessening. My knee remains stiff, and I hope to regain the range of movement I’d achieved after the intensive physiotherapy I needed for my patella fracture and ruptured retinaculum.

What have I been watching?

Star Trek Deep Space Nine and Star Trek Voyager

I continue to alternate between the two series, one episode at a time.

One of my favourite episodes in all of Star Trek came up this week. Trials and Tribble-ations is the 104th episode of Star Trek Deep Space 9 (season 5, episode 6).

Recipe — Baa Moo Oink scotch fillet steak

On the theme of steak, we visited a local butcher on Friday morning, viz., Baa Moo Oink in Findon.

Kathleen commented that I looked like a kid in a lolly shop and became very focused.

When I saw the ribeye bone-in steak, I knew I wanted to cook it and eat it.

I should have asked for the rib bone to be cut flush with the meat to fit in the frypan. In the end, it didn’t really matter. It turned out well.

Equipment

  • Frypan
  • Oven
  • Meat thermometer

Ingredients

  • Ribeye bone in steak — thick cut (about 3 cm thick).
  • Beef fat.
  • Flaky iodised salt.

Instructions — The Menu and thoughts on the meal

  1. Dry brine the steak with iodised table salt.
  2. Refrigerate for as long as possible if you can’t do it overnight.
  3. I love that Kathleen has a gas stovetop and a stainless-steel frypan.
  4. Preheat a fan-forced oven to about 160 °C.
  5. I heated the frypan on a large gas burner and added some beef fat.
  6. I seared the steak, flipping it over every thirty seconds and searing the edges.
  7. Once the steak was seared, I let it rest for a minute and then inserted a meat thermometer.
  8. Place the steak on a roast tray and into the oven and cook until the middle of the steak reaches about 57 °C. This will ensure a medium-rare steak.
  9. Allow the meat to rest for about half as long as it took to cook in the oven.
  10. After allowing the steak to rest, dissect along the muscle planes and along the rib bone.
  11. This steak has four distinct elements. The rib bone, a fat cap, the deckle meat or spinalis dorsi, and the fillet or the longissimus dorsi.
  12. Slice the fillet and deckle and arrange on a cutting board.
  13. Season with flaky salt and serve.
  14. If you’re following a meat-only diet, just the steak will be more than sufficient to satisfy your hunger. You can pick up the steak and just bite into it. This minimises washing up. Don’t forget to gnaw the bone.  
  15. If you’re low-carbohydrate eating, steak and some plant-based foods like avocado, leafy green leaves, olives, and tomatoes are a good combination.
  16. If you’re not concerned with carbohydrates, fill your boots.
  17. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, this steak won’t be suitable.
  18. Always give thanks to the Lord.
  19. Eat with whatever implements you prefer.

Thoughts on the meal

This steak was magnificent. We didn’t eat the whole piece of meat. We’ve kept some in a container. We enjoyed a couple of slices for morning tea today and some blue cheese.

Final thoughts

  • If you’ve been to Adelaide, have you eaten at the Red Ochre Barrell and Grill restaurant?
  • Do you like a thick-cut steak?
  • Do you like restaurants with river or water views?
  • If you’ve watched “Trials and Tribble-ations”, tell me your favourite scene.

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.

Sandgate Post Office Hotel

If you’re not seeing new posts each week, I suggest refreshing your browser and clearing your browser’s browser cache regularly.

If you continue having problems, message me via the blog’s contact page.

Dear Reader,

I hope you’ve had a good week. This weekend I’m in Brisbane visiting my parents and daughters.

We’re celebrating a birthday and Christmas together.

I took everyone to the Sandgate Post Office Hotel for lunch.

In the evening one of my brothers, his daughters, my daughters, and future son-in-law came over to my parent’s place for dinner.

I went and bought scotch fillet steaks for everyone. One of my nieces made a Greek salad.

I just ate steak because I was still feeling full from breakfast and lunch.

Sandgate Post Office Hotel

I’ve been here before for lunch. I enjoyed it then and this meal was also good.

I asked for Queensland grown rump cooked medium rare with some oysters, squid, and prawns. One of my daughters happily ate the hot chips and I removed the batter from the prawns.

The steak was tender and had a great beef flavour. The prawns were firm and fresh. The oysters were fresh but not as plump as I would like. The squid was tender.

We had two seafood towers between four people, a porchetta and wagyu fat potatoes dish, plus a gnocchi dish. It was a big table covered in food.

Final thoughts

  • I will happily eat here again. The service is friendly and cheerful. The setting is enjoyable.

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.

Café 63, Westfield Chermside

Breakfast

I did not eat the bread. I did eat the eggs, bacon, pork belly strips, and hollandaise sauce.