On Christmas eve I went to lunch at the Ginseng Restaurant with a couple of blokes from work. The Ginseng Restaurant is in the Hellenic Club at Woden. It always amuses me that this centre of Greek culture has both Chinese and Italian eateries in it.

I was eating with a couple of work friends. I mentioned to one of them that I never worked as a waiter while I was at medical school. He suggested I’m not really Chinese

The good thing about Ginseng is the service is quick and the restaurant is cheap and cheerful.

We each chose a dish for sharing. I chose the sweet and sour pork not because I particularly like it but because it connected with a story from earlier in the day. Christmas eve in Canberra started as a fantastic warm and moderately humid day. I sent a text message to my friend, who was born in Victoria, about just how good the weather is. He responded that he was growing mold in his nether regions. I suggested coating his scrotum with corn flour as per the movie Chef. I also added we could cut them off and make hush puppies in a deep fat fryer. You really need to have seen the movie Chef to understand the connection. The closest thing we were going to eat to hush puppies that day would be sweet and sour pork.

We shared duck pancakes for a starter and then got stuck into some sweet and sour pork, chicken and noodles with ginger and some prawns.

Roast duck pancakes Apple iPhone 6 Plus with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/15sec, ISO 125

Sweet and sour pork Apple iPhone 6 Plus with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/15sec, ISO 125

Chicken and noodles Apple iPhone 6 Plus with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/15sec, ISO 125

Prawns Apple iPhone 6 Plus with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/15sec, ISO 100

It was a very nice lunch. It cost us about $30 each and were in and out within about an hour.

Earlier in the day we enjoyed a Kirkland pavlova too.

Kirkland pavlova Apple iPhone 6 Plus with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/10sec, ISO 100

I hope your work place Christmas lunches went well.

Mmm…pot roasted beef brisket

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It’s Sunday. After a good walk yesterday and a bonza dinner at Bron’s last night (check out some photographs I shot last night below) my day’s plan was to sleep in, eat breakfast, go for a walk, catch up on some work and slowly roast a beef brisket.

Breakfast

Sunday sleep in breakfast. Bacon and eggs with fried bread.

Some of my on-line friends have noticed I’ve consumed quite a few carbs over the last week or so. It’s true. I’m paying for it. My waist is thicker, my trousers are tighter and my belt is speaking to me about approaching holes that we’d agreed we wouldn’t go near.

I know what I need to do. When will I do it? I’m not sure. I still have some Haigh’s Chocolates chocolate covered Queensland nuts to finish as well as part of a loaf of bread.

A walk around Lake Ginninderra

Lake Ginninderra grassland

Lake Ginninderra drainage

Pelican on Lake Ginninderra

Flowers on Lake Ginninderra

Lake Ginninderra grassland

Lake Ginninderra

A beach on Lake Ginninderra

What is that pole for on the beach on Lake Ginninderra

A beach on Lake Ginninderra

How did those bottles get on the tree thing on Lake Ginninderra? I’m not sure if someone is buried there.

Lake Ginninderra

Lake Ginninderra. Trying to practise framing!

I saw no birds from the birdwatching jetty on Lake Ginninderra

Lake Ginninderra

A bridge over Lake Ginninderra

Graffiti on Lake Ginninderra

Blossoms on Lake Ginninderra

A bridge over Lake Ginninderra

Picnic area on Lake Ginninderra

Pelicans and people on Lake Ginninderra

Looking to Emu Bank on Lake Ginninderra

According to the RunKeeper GPX I can walk on water 😉

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Lunch

Just a quick snack. I heated a can of corned beef and then put it into a pyrex bowl and cooked through with some cream, tasty Coon cheese and spices.

Dinner pot roast beef brisket

Pot roasted beef brisket recipe

Recipe Type: Dinner

Cuisine: Australian

Author: Gary Lum

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 4 hours

Total time: 4 hours 10 mins

Serves: Huge

A simple one pot roast with the king of meats, viz., beef.

Ingredients

Rolled beef brisket
Red wine
Balsamic vinegar
Worcestershire sauce
Curry pepper
Black pepper corns
Chinese five spice powder
Mixed dried herbs
Onions
Broccoli
Pumpkin

Instructions

Seal the meat in a hot pan
Rub in the dry ingredients
Put the meat into a casserole
Add in the liquid ingredients
Place a sheet of baking paper between the bowl and the lid (this keeps the lid clean and seals in the moisture
Cook for four hours at 150 °C
At the three hour mark add the pumpkin
At the three and a half hour mark add the broccoli
Plate up
Shoot a photograph or two or more
Eat the meal
Wash the dishes
Write the recipe
Blog about the experience

Sunday dinner. Pot roast beef brisket with pumpkin, broccoli, peas and onions.

Bron’s bonza dinner from Saturday night

We enjoyed roast duck pancakes with cucumber, spring onion, coriander and hoisin sauce. It was a fantastic meal. Bron set aside the duck’s neck and cloaca for me because she knows they’re my favourite parts of the duck’s anatomy.

Duck pancakes

Ginseng Restaurant

Like this:

Pot roasted beef brisket recipe

Mmm…pot roasted beef brisket