As I mentioned in my previous post, we spent a quiet-yet-fun New Years in the Gippsland region, near Lakes Entrance. We were staying in a little cabin in middle-of-nowhere, that had a lake on the property and kangaroos! Actually, it was just 15 minutes out of Bairnsdale, but for someone who rarely ventures out of Zone 1 it felt very remote! It was a wonderful spot for relaxation. However, whilst the location was great, the accommodation itself wasn't that great - there wasn't anything wrong with it, but it wasn't so special that I'd recommend it especially.
Let's have a look at the weekend's eats!
Bairnsdale is about a four hour drive from Melbourne, so we started with a hearty breakfast at Depot de Pain in Hawthorn, one of the few local cafes that was open over the Christmas/New Year break.
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| Clockwise from top left: Sausage roll, chevre omelette, croque madame with avocado, smoked salmon omelette |
We were pretty impressed by the food at Depot de Pain, and I'd definitely like to visit again.
By the time we got to the accommodation, it was late in the afternoon and we hadn't had lunch, so we lit up the barbecue straight away.
On the left we have a selection of sausages and burgers from Andrew's Choice (cheese kransky, spicy Italian pork, lamb kofte, Thai burgers), and on the right Adrian's amazing marinated pork ribs.
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| Ribs in Adrian's secret Filipino marinade |
There were heaps of kangaroos around, including a mamma kangaroo with a joey in her pouch! So cute!
Aah... and the view from the side of the pier. Gorgeous!
With our afternoon tea of barbecued meats, we weren't super hungry by dinner time, so we dug into a quadruple chocolate loaf cake that I'd brought for the weekend.
And with some festive New Year sparklers!
For breakfast the next morning, (first brekky of 2012!), I made Nigella's doughnut French toast, with an old loaf of brioche that I had baked earlier in the week. We served them with coffee, blueberries and sautéed peaches. I love the way that the simple addition of vanilla extract and cinnamon turns simple French toast into a really indulgent treat!
While we were up there, the lakes in the area were affected by blue-green algae so we couldn't swim in them. Instead, we took a little drive down to Lakes Entrance beach after breakfast. Look how gorgeous the day was!
Have you ever noticed how swimming in the ocean builds up a huge appetite? It must be all the energy expended swimming against the waves. (Don't forget, always swim between the flags!)
There are quite a few fish and chipperies in the area, and we ended up at Awesome Fish and Chips on the Esplanade, which was well priced and wonderfully fresh. (Thanks to April for the recommendation!)
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| Scallops, flake, chips, tartare sauce, sweet chilli sauce |
And later that night... yup, more barbecue! This time it was Adrian's marinated pork belly and pork shoulder. I love how the marinade made the meat all tender and caramelized. Yum yum!
Sandra also made some Frikadellen to add to the meat feast. We ate this all with bread and chilli sauce and curry ketchup.
For dessert - a couple of hours later! - we made some little trifles in wine glasses. We layered leftover slices of brioche with fresh custard, blueberries, whipped cream and blackberries. (And a little rum!)
Hehe, endless cooking of Nigella recipes means I can now create trifles without a recipe, using leftover bits and pieces. An important skill, surely!!
The next day we had to check out by midday, so we had a late breakfast / brunch, frying up all the remaining eggs and barbecuing all the remaining meat.
So yes, we did eat pork belly for breakfast whilst on holiday. Eep! I mentioned above how ocean swimming seems to build up a huge appetite; I'm not sure why, but lazing around a holiday house, watching DVDs and drinking seems to build up an appetite too! Between the four of us, we totally smashed through that brekky!
And finally... on the way home we stopped off at gorgeous Golden Beach for more swimming and boogie boarding. It's such a beautiful beach, and a lot less crowded than Lakes Entrance beach. This does have some downsides though: the beach is not patrolled, and there are hardly any shops around. (And in one of the two shops near this beach we encountered a really surly shop owner - grrr!) However, the beach is truly gorgeous, and absolutely perfect for swimming and sunbathing.
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2 comments
Sounds like you guys had a fun and food filled New Years celebration. Great idea for a getaway.
ReplyDeleteGlad you guys enjoyed Awesome Fish & Chips. The shop doesn't look like much, but it was indeed awesome and very fresh!
This was a well spent vacation. Something relaxing with a good set of food.
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