Enjoying Life

The no longer forbidden scallops.

Life is good, yet unbelievably busy these days, thus writing, gardening and cooking delicious meals are taking a back seat whilst I adjust to the new pace. We welcomed our second daughter in to the world a month ago today (where did the time go?) in a total whirlwind (I may post the story one day), just like Lara's birth, Olivia's arrival was the stuff movies are made of....I've gotten myself a reputation at our local hospital. Our complete little family is happy as anything, but we haven't stopped-unless you count passing out on the lounge at 8:30pm with Olivia laying on my chest. The fact that I'm stopping to write at this very moment has me joyous, and expecting to hear a baby scream for my attention at any minute.

Daily life with an eighteen month old and a newborn isn't easy, but boy do I love it. My girls are adorable, and are already showing signs of having a very special bond. The times that we do manage to get out and do something special are even more valued these days. For instance we went out for a fancy lunch for Mark's birthday, granted I felt guilty for leaving Lara with her grandparents as we left with Olivia, but fine dining would bore her senseless, regardless of her love of food.

We went to Public Dining Room at Balmoral. It was lovely spending time there again as we haven't been for ages, and it brought back memories since Mark and I ended up walking along the beach on our first date-a whole lifetime ago. The venue was great, the service was friendly and attentive, and the food was delicious. No doubt my entree tasted even more delicious since I had scallops for the first time in at least ten months. They were served with sweetcorn puree and chorizo which completed all the flavour and texture sensations that I needed. I want to eat that dish again. I was having a hard time deciding between the scallops and the Queensland grilled king prawns, but luckily I got to enjoy both since Mark ordered them, the subtle smokey grilled flavour of the prawns was superb-yes, I used that wanky word.

Courtesy of Public Dining Room

For main course I had Barramundi which was the market fish of the day. The skin was perfectly crunchy, but the fish was cooked a little more than I like it. Again, Mark ordered my second choice, and honestly I'm glad I didn't order it. Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed tasting his dish, I can understand how the whole thing could get a bit repetitive and oily, it needed something light and crunchy to offset all that salmon.

Courtesy of Public Dining Room

Choosing dessert was tough, don't forget I'm an indecisive Libran at the best of times, but I ended up going with the chocolate indulgence, no surprises there really. Wow! I could eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The wafer in the chocolate log was unexpected, and combined with the smooth mouse like outer casing and inner layers it was a sensation for the senses. Candied orange added an extra dimension that offset the sweetness of the chocolate, and again this dish was a perfect example of ying and yang. The presentation of the dish also made it extra special, as the macadamias were subtlety dressed up with gold dust.

Valhrona chocolate fondant.

Whilst we won't be rushing back to the Public Dining Room, since every special outing now needs to be a unique experience, I would recommend it to others. We had a thoroughly enjoyable lunch, and every element of hospitality was well executed.

Side note-I finished a post and proof read it whilst two babies slept. I'm also aware of how my writing skills have declined; use it or lose it.