Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Melbourne - To Eat 12July2016 (Radisson On Flagstaff Gardens HQ's on Williams)

Melbourne - To Stay
Melbourne - To Do
Melbourne - To Eat
Melbourne - To Eat

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Radisson On Flagstaff Gardens
HQ's on Williams


- Crew get 50% off their meals when dined in the Restaurant 30%off the drinks in the restaurant.
- 30% off for in-room dining.

(For single order, the In-room dining tray charge pretty much negates the discount offered.)
- Simple Breakfast Buffett at AUD10
- Lunch meal special at AUD12
 
- Note that paying by credit card incurs at 1.4% surcharge.
Ordered On:
 05Jan2017
In Room special, after kitchen closes menu service
Beef Sandwich NZD12 flat rate for crew

*Its a larger serving size than expected! Fries were done to a golden crisp and the beef
wasn't dry at all! The beef had some fat on the beef and a light spread of horse radish to
bring the flavors together. Worth while order that's inclusive of the tray delivery charge.*

Ordered On: 
27Aug2016
Beef Short Rib AUD32 FRP

*This was pretty good. Loving the puree but the portion is really light considering its full retail price is 32AUD. Soft, tender and sweet. Loving the fried kale I believe along with the caramsalized onion*
Ice Cream AUD15 FRP
 *A nice refreshing pallet cleanser and was good all around. The biscotti was a little on the thine side though but still a nice way to end of the meal.
 Additional order of baked bread along with a Fat Yak Beer
Total 30AUD After Crew Discount
 

Ordered On:
12July2016
Freshly Shucked Oysters AUD3.5 each


*Kilpatrick: Though theres loads of bacon, but its way too salty. Best had Kilpatricks are
still from Houston's Rajin Cajun. Click here for more info.

Natural: The better, and in fact prefers way to have them.*
South Australian King Prawns Chili, garlic, olive oil AUD18


*Nothing special. For full price, I'd expect the prawns to be way bigger. A little disappointing and there's not a whole lot of flavor to the oil. The chili is of a really light spice.*
Duck Liver Pairfait - Toasted brioche, cornishcons, onion marmalade AUD14


*Pretty okay. Nothing really special about it. It's got a pretty nice presentation to it and the liver isn't overtly strong flavored.

(Steaks come with choice of Fries, Wedges or Salad)
200g Pasture-fed black Angus Eye Fillet - Wilderness Beef, Northern Tasmania
AUD42 (Medium rare cook)


*Really nicely doneness on the cook.*
300g Grain-fed Black Angus Scotch Fillet AUD39x2
(1 medium, 1 medium rare)


*In my opinion an okay only piece of meat. Nice char, but under seasoned. The beef itself is on the dry side and lacking in fat distribution. The plate on which it was served on was luke-warm and in fact got cold fast, a critical flag out, in my books. This is especially so when serving during the winter period. The bone marrow which they served with were a nice touch but not enough to save the dish.*
Fish and Chip AUD17


*A really small portion. Although the batter was good, for that pricing, one would expect at  least two pieces of battered fish. Am not sure what fish they used, but it's flakey and has a wet-ish texture like sutchi fish. The coleslaw was reminiscent of a sour kraut and just didn't work with myself. The fries was probably the only things on there that was worth while.*
Fed3



There's nothing to rave over their starters. The main courses, beef was underwhelming. Others who came later (not pictured), had ordered the 400g pasture fed, bone-in Black Angus AUD47 was struggling to finish. That's not because of the large serving size, but the overall lack of seasoning and flavor

The 50% discount just barely makes it worth the while to dine in house. Be aware of possible long waiting time when dining in the Restaurant . We started met at 6.35pm. Appetizers came only at about 7pm. And the main another 40mins after. Calling for a split bill took another 20 odd mins or so and the restaurant was only at about 30% full at most.
It was reported that a room service order of Fish and Chips at 9pm was quick and prompt.

Click here for ABBA location of HQ's On Williams, 380 William St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia 

Monday, July 11, 2016

London - To Do (Derrick Chong 04July2016 ABBA Contribution Brighton)

London - To Stay
London - To Eat
London - To Do

London - To Do
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Brighton
(ABBATRAVEL's Entry) 
11Oct2016
Getting there:
Take the tube to Victoria station, and from there, purchase the rail ticket from either the ticketing booth or self help that brings you all the way the Brighton. Depending on your day of purchase, prices ranges. We purchased our round trip tickets at £27.10. Monday at 9.20am. Southern Train ride from Victoria station is an hour. and trains are relatively frequent (10mins apart)
ABBATip:
- Try to reach Brighton at about 11am. Shops start opening around those times so arriving too early, one maybe greeted with a ghost town. 
- Disruptions to the southern line from strikes and incidences have become more and more frequent in recent times. Those traveling to and fro the city are faced with increasing frustrations so take note that it maybe a little disruptive on the way back as it was in our case. (No trains back to London for about 2hours.) There are bus services which run back into town but train staff advised to just wait it out as when we were at the station, the wait for an hour in.

The coastal township of Brighton is pretty much an artsy, hippie town filled with tons of  cafes and mostly indie shops. The place is perfect for a day's exploration and definitely more lively on the weekends. 
It's really simple to navigate from Brighton station, and its pretty much a 15-20min walk to all the 'major attractions'. These range from indie shops around North Laine, the Royal Pavilion and Brighton Pier.
 
North Laine: There are loads of interesting stuff for sale from both local artist and quirky products. One really needs to take the time to explore all the nook and crannies, admiring their quirky names, wall arts and retail products.

All shops there are indie shops (i.e cannot be from a chain) and you can find loads of gift ideas. The star and most fun had on this Brighton trip. Like stuff like that but not travel out of the city, PMQ in Hong Kong and Yokohama's Red Brick House are similar to this. 
 

 
Royal Pavilion: 

It's essentially an art Museum and former Royal residence. If you're not paying £7+ (Art Museum) and £21+ (Tour of Royal Residence, no pictures allowed) for the attraction respectively, it's a beautiful piece of architecture and a re-purpose stables (now an art museum) surrounding a lovely garden.
Brighton Pier:  

The iconic Brighton pier is reminiscent of  Venice Beach and Santamonica Pier in LA. A carnival like atmosphere with beach front art shops. The pier itself houses loads of carnival rides and old gaming machines from back in the 90s. Your typical ticket stub collection game.
 
 
Eats are quite simple, and rides go for about 3-4pounds each. Brighton Pier is primarily very picturesque and it's nice to walk along the beach of worn down pebbles. Lovely. There's also a Sea Life Aquarium at the start of Brighton pier (Which we didn't do) which goes for 14+ pounds or so an adult.
Whats interesting was the glass bottom boat tour for an additional 2pounds to take inside the aquarium of the tanks.  

Brighton - To eat
La Choza


Really beautiful exterior and interior.
Rated 4.3 on google (91)
Ordered On:
11 Oct2016
Calamari and Chipotle Mayo £6


*The calamari could use more better and a crispier fry, but still pretty good.*
Burrito with Home made Mexican Chorizo with Green Tomatillo £8.50


*Pretty good and quite filling.*

8pounds each served 2.
They recommended the smoked pulled pork but man even at doors open they were sold
out! La Choza is not over the top wow, but it is a really nice dining experience, especially with their uniquely Mexican display and decor. Worth a pop in for a quick bite before exploring The rest of Brighton.
Grand CentralWe are eating here only because of the disruption that seems to be plaguing Londoners
over the past few.

Rated 4.1on google (29)
Ordered On:
11Oct2016
Cajun Swordfish panzella £11.50


*This was nicely done actually. A nice spring to the fish, which wasn't over cooked,
served over an array of heirloom tomatoes. The rustic croutons were a nice textural element and an overall light refreshing dish.*
BBQ Baby back ribs, corn on cob, spicy slaw cabbage and chips £11.50


*Okay only, nothing special.*
Craft Beer Battered onion rings £3.50


*Really nicely fried. Large, sweet onion rings in crispy batter goes fantastically with the
beer and dipping sauces.*
Beer and stout


£18 per pax. Fed2
A pleasant surprise, given that we were sorta fated to eat in Brighton with the train
disruptions. One of the better pub eats we've eaten and worth a drink and meal. 


ABBA Contribution by Derrick Chong

Run out of place to go in London? Go Brighton, please go Brighton. Definitely one of the happiest, hip and feel good place to go. 

It has got history, culture, quirky streets and a carnival like pier that reminded me of San Francisco fisherman wharf. Some tips:
1. Return trip there cost only $31 pounds for me from Victoria station (I bought a last minute peak hour ticket with same day return anytime and it is a weekend).
2. Journey time is one hour and there is one train going there approx. every 20mins
3. Major attractions are all walkable, no need to buy day transport pass which will cost u 5 pounds. 

 
 

4. Totally doable in a day trip. But not staying a couple of nights here is not doing justice to this place.
Verdict: 5 star holiday destination, love this place and I will definitely come back here again.
Click here for ABBA location of Brighton