Well, this weekend past, Laura, Richie, Kerry and I went down to the farm. Arriving on Friday night, with only Saturday night left to enjoy, we thought we would do something a little different.

There is this restaurant about 20 minutes away, that I hadn’t personally been to for at least 8 or 10 years, however, I still have fond memories of it. Richie had been there for a Christmas lunch a few years earlier, and he too loved it.

So we pile into the car and head down the dirt road to Laggan. We pull into the drive way, and it is like you have arrived in Tuscany - The pebble drive way, the old 3 story stone building, the smell of the burning fire, and fresh produce lying all over the place in big baskets, ready for them to cook.

You walk in the doors, and you are greeted by owner and chef, Graham Linley. A warm welcome and introduction to the bar, a bar that you help your self to, simply writing down what you take out so you can be charged later in the night - a very homely touch that made us feel more than welcome. A huge open fire burns on the back wall, heating the whole place. You choose your own table, and sit down and drink while the restaurant fills up.

Once it is reasonably full, Graham brings out the first course - all food is just placed on the bar in big bowls, and you help yourself to whatever you like. Entree was a selection of meats, smoked salmon, breads, semi sun dried tomatoes, olives and much more. Following that, some big urns of soup were placed on the bar, pea and ham, full of all the bones so the taste was beautiful and intense.

After the soups, a feast like you have never seen arrived on the bar. Roast Pork, Lamb, Beef, Chicken and Duck - with all the vegies you could want… it was out of control - so so tasty, perfectly cooked… A true Australian home cooked meal this was - like you have never had before. Dessert followed soon after, with a selection of 4 tarts with beautiful ice cream - it was unbelievable. A quick Coffee following that, and we were done.

All in all, a first class meal that left us smiling… great atmosphere, even better food. At $55 per person for the food, and very cheap drink, this place is a must - one of my favourite dining experiences in a long long time.

Willowvale Mill
Mill Rd Laggan
Crookwell NSW 2583
Telephone: (02) 4837 3319

Last week, Laura, Menos, Lili and I went to have some dinner… We wanted to try something different, so Menos picked a place.

The Bentley Restaurant and Bar, on Crown St, near the corner of Oxford St, was very very good. I had never heard of it, but it does have two chef’s hats. Big wine list and very tasty menu. I would reccommend the Wagyu.. was delicious, and everyone on the table was jealous.

Give it a try, she is pretty good…

Bentley Restaurant & Bar
320 Crown Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Ph: +61 (02) 9332 2344
Fax: +61 (02) 9332 4421
Email: info@thebentley.com.au

Open Tuesday-Saturday lunch and dinner

Well, I finally did it. I have been thinking about it for a while, but last week, I got a good price, so I placed an order. A brand new Holden SS, black, with black leather is on its way from Adelaide by rail, and should be in my garage by Tuesday or Wednesday.

I will let you all know how it drives later in the week, but from the reviews I have read, it is apparently a pleasure to drive, and I must say, I do like the new shape…

I recently made the transition to a Mac at work, a 17inch Mac Book Pro, and have been loving it. They offer a cleaner and easier to operate OS, as well as a consistently fast environment - PC’s used to slow dramatically if you were doing too much, but this Mac always flies. The new OS is available in a few days, and it offers some awesome new features.

Check out the video here, at Mac

As I have posted before, some of my shots have been making Flickr Explore - a collection of the day’s most interesting photos. Only 500 photos make it on each day, so the fact that 24 of mine have made it is pretty good….

Here are the shots that made it.

1. Hyde Park by night, 2. Waterside dining, 3. Anzac Bridge by Night, 4. Sun sets, and the clouds move in, 5. Mount Vesuvius hides behind thick cloud, 6. Duomo of Florence, 7. Waves crash over Italy’s Cinque Terre, 8. Water crashes over rocks as sun wakes,

9. Sun wakes up over Turimetta, 10. First steps, 11. Clouds drifting over Melbourne’s Yarra, 12. Yarra by night, 13. Colourful Brighton Beach, 14. Beautiful Byron Bay, 15. Venice, truly spectacular, 16. The sun sets over San Gimignano,

17. The peace of Lucerne, 18. Quiet, Peaceful Siena, 19. A Cool Sydney Night, 20. The ever beautiful Vatican, 21. Sydney Harbour Bridge up close, 22. The beautiful Amalfi Coast, 23. Storm closing in on San Francisco, 24. Golden Gate Bridge by night