The Bund, Walsh Bay, NSW

A well-known Shanghainese eatery located in Sydney’s Dawes Point Area.

During one of many treks in Southeastern Australia, on the outskirts of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, as well the Opera House, the family and I (my wife and our two nieces) had a hankering for some Chinese after a solid hour of debating which fine Aussie food we could consume during our time outside of Circular Quay (pronounced “kee”). Long story short, once we went inside this luxuriant restaurant, we got more than our money’s worth. Unfortunately, I only have pictures of the food and drink that I’ve consumed, but it was by far the best Chinese cuisine I’ve eaten in years!

Here, you’re treated as royalty!

Located in Downtown Sydney’s Walsh Bay Area, The Bund, or 外滩 (Wàitān in pinyin) meaning “Outer Beach”, is named after a waterfront area and a protected historical district in central Shanghai. And ironically enough, this restaurant is in walking distance of the Port Jackson Bay in the heart of Downtown Sydney! So many things to write about, yet so little time, but I’ll do my best.

Some designer chopsticks. I’d like to have a set of these one day! And I was pleased to the bokeh effect that was produced. Gotta love iOS cameras!

The traditional setup for appetisers.

Some delicious hot tea to complement our appetiser!

Sadly I do not remember what flavour tea this was other than it was delicious! I couldn’t even tell you where this beautiful plastic tea pot set came from (I assume Amazon). This set was so aesthetically beautiful I was mesmerised by the built in brewer/filter in the teapot, and the cup that resembled a fusion between a shot glass and a ramekin. The irony there it that the tea is served literally 1.0 oz.! And I was under the impression that this was glass, nope! Plastic! Again, aesthetically beautiful would be my words to describe this set.

First things first, appetiser.

For an appetiser I had the Shrimp & Crab Rice Spring Rolls along with a sweet & sour sauce. I’ve eaten these throughout the course of my meal, they were pretty good! I really did care for the dry noodles, tho. But I’d definitely do these again!

Ah, nothin’ like a cold one, mate!

It’s been two years and some change since I’ve last had a beer! I wanted to challenge myself and see if I could still hang (thankfully I could). My drinking days aren’t what they used to be (Thank God), but it’s a comfort to know that I can still enjoy something in moderation from time to time! But I’ve always wanted to try some real Aussie brew! And Furphy is definitely a brand to try out! It’s crispness, leaves a very sharp taste on the tongue and palate, the aroma is very pleasant to the tune where it bears the traditional “bouquet” odour to that of wine! 5 outta 5 on that one!

The coup de gras!

Honey Chicken with sesame seed. Nice and crunchy with every bite! Melt in your mouth and not in your hand. Every bite had a juiciness behind every crunch! Just the way fried chicken should be made. Again, not a fan of the dry noodles, but I got a bowl of rice to complete my meal!

And some additional rice for my chicken.

The missus was kind enough to share some her duck with the family! Very wild and gamy, but all the same, it was bloody good!

And another Aussie soft drink that tops any American ginger ale/beer/soda any day of the week! And we have it here in the US also!

All in all, I give this place a 4.7 mainly because of some slight errors in our orders, but the food here was good, the drinks, even the water here would put the water in the Great Lakes to shame! Loved the atmosphere, loved the aesthetics, definitely love the area that it was in! Downtown Sydney, Port Jackson Bay, Walsh Bay, Dawes Point, all of it!

And now some random shots for your enjoyment…

Lovely Asian aesthetics along with the gramophone in the background.

Another shot of the gramophone phonograph.

I definitely recommend The Bund. Shanghainese culture and cuisine located in The Land Down Under!

The Bund

Shop 2/16A Hickson Rd, Dawes Point NSW 2000, Australia

+61 2 9241 6558

Menu/website: https://thebundyblossom.com

Monochrome Composition 25

Subject: Whiskey Glass

Camera: iPhone 7 Plus

Filters: iOS HDR, Mono, Vivid Warm

Location: My Condo in SCS, MI.

BONUS: Johnnie Walker Black Label Scotch Whiskey.

Fridays

The pics speak for themselves…

Philly Cheese Steak egg rolls. Delicious!

Peach sangria. Made with Seven Daughters Moscato. Hendrick’s, St-Germain, peach, honey, house-made fresh sour, fresh strawberry.

Philly Steak Cheeseburger w/ Fat Tire (the egg roll on top) along with chips.

Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Cider. Delicious!

Another shot of my medium well burger.

Chillaxin’ in Richmond, VA, on holiday.

Abuelo, La Segunda Parte!

A second part to this adventure. BTW, this pic was taken when I composed the first part of this subject. Yours truly is just gonna dive into the texture, and flavor of this Panamanian spirit. Its thickness and smokiness you can definitely taste from canes. Sugar cane, that is.

Disclaimer, ladies and gents: if you are a diabetic, make it a rare occasion that you consume this! It’s that heavy, and the sugar content alone (which escapes me at present) is more than enough to do some monumental damage.

The aroma alone is as strong as Colombian coffee. Arouses one’s awareness, clears the nostrils but for a moment! Heck, I’d use this for medicinal purposes. I can only imagine how hearty the locals here can be when this vintage Latin American spirit is served at gatherings. Already I have people asking me to bring home some.

Now comes the meat of the subject, the texture of this beauty! Unlike Barcardi, this is one spirit that you could just milk (or “make love to”) and enjoy it. Case in point, you could compare this to wine-tasting. Just one sip of the rum and you’ll come up with words to describe it. I’ll even go so far to say that the texture is so smooth, you could let it rest on your palate and let it ease down you esophagus drop by drop! It’s that good, people. It’s a very relaxing spirit, if handled correctly.

And as I said previously, this is a one-off for me. When I’m through with this, that’s it for me as far as rum is concerned.

And how on God’s green earth can I forget about rum cake (made with-you guessed it-7-Up)? Now that might be an exception that I’m willing to make. Other than that, I’m done after this!

Adios, amigos.

Namaste.

Wine Cask Blend

A new Blender’s Batch from Johnnie Walker. Smooth, fruity, and oozes with a nice thick layer as you twirl it around the glass.

You’ve noticed the wine glass, right? Well, there’s a reason for that! This particular Scotch is an experimental blend of grain and malts matured in wine casks. I’ve had whiskey and wine in recent years, but like this? No!

First time for everything, they say!

Normally I like my Scotch as is, but I’d be willing to make an exception in this case. I very seldom blend Scotch with anything most times.

This is a Limited Edition 2017 Blender’s Batch. Obviously, I’ve never heard of it, and even all the more so, I was totally unaware that Johnnie Walker had Annual batches.

Again, a first time for everything!

Little did I know that this tradition of the Walker family dates back to last year (2016). But I caught wind of it this year. I am definitely gonna share this with friends and family-esp. my mother-she turned me on to whisky, but I didn’t quite “feel the vibes” just yet (I was in my 20s at the time).

Okay, I slightly went off-topic there, so back to brass tacks here. I mentioned the fruitiness of this spirit. According to the tag attached to the bottle “…Light and vibrant with notes of orchard fruit and red berries.”.

For those who have had this, you can taste the orchard (I’m assuming apples here-the only fruit that I know of that has an orchard-if there exist another fruit that has them, it escapes me at present). And you can definitely taste the berries. And since most spirits are made from fruits, this would be very, very apropos for Johnnie Walker to come up with this!

Now already an hour has passed, and I haven’t even finished this glass yet.

And the fact that I’m blogging about this on my iPhone is somewhat slowing down my progress, but I’ve no complaints yet.

This wine cask blend is one for the ages to be talked about. No guarantee that I’ll involve myself with next year’s blend, this was just a “one-off” for yours truly.

But I enjoyed this nice blend of Scotch. Very smooth, very delicious, and even very sweet! And as promised, I will share this.

And as always, drink responsibly, my friends.

Life’s too short as it is!

Namaste.

P.S. On the back of the tag, there’s a recipe for a cocktail featuring this beautiful blended spirit. But unfortunately, for me, it involves Ginger Ale, and I’ve sworn off drinking pop in recent years. But to those who tried it, let me know how you liked it, I’d like to hear from ya!

BTW, I finally finished this glass, and you can definitely taste the berries and malts in this blend, it’s pretty darn good!

How I Spent my Thanksgiving…

First of all, I do not celebrate Thanksgiving, or any other holiday (as I’ve made clear many times in the past), but normally this time of year, I’d cook a turkey for family.  Sadly, over the years, some family members have passed away in recent years, so with that in mind, I’ve fed my parents and some of the elderly friends in the congregation.  Sufficient to say, everybody was satisfied with the food.

First picture of this set.  I don’t drink pop like I used to. I quit for a hot minute, and I plan to eventually quit for good (lots of sugar).  But this mix of Amarito liquer and Dr.Pepper had made the effort worthwhile.  1-2 shots of the liquer and the rest with Dr.P and some ice, and you’re on your way!

Now the bird.  Long story short, I rinsed the bird (BTW, it was given to me from my job), and put it in a turkey bag, added my spices and poured God knows how many teaspoons of Olive Oil, smothered it, put the bird in it, tied the bag up, and shook it.  Then I opened the bag, and poured a tall boy of Steel Reserve along to about 3/4 of a fifth of Amarito.  Tied up the bag, shook it, and well, you see the final outcome of it.  Apparently the bird went much faster than anything else!

Now, the coup de gras.  Everything you see here I made, except the cranberry sauce.  And get this;  I could not get greens to save my life!  Almost bought some kale, but I settled for some mixed veggies instead. The dressing I made, the mac-n-cheese, on the other hand, due to a lack of time (in truth, a lack of patience), instead of doing the old-fashioned way (which is the custom for most families), I bought the kits instead and added some shredded cheese.  And the turkey?  Let’s just say that the beer and the liquer together did an excellent job.  I was happy, and everybody else was happy as well.

Now, the good stuff!  Courtesy of Trader Joe’s.  If I’m not mistaken, this is sold exclusively during the holiday season-I hope that it sells year-round one day.  If anyone remembers how Vernors tasted some thirty plus years ago, that’s what this is!  Goes well with bourbon whiskey, along with cranberry juice.

All these come from my 365 photo journal.  So this was how I spent my holiday off, even though I don’t celebrate them.  Hopefully this moved you as much as it has for me.

Namaste.

Brioche Cheeseburgers!

Ground Beef c/o Aldi,

Brioche Buns c/o Kroger’s Private Selections,

Shredded Cheddar c/o Aldi,

Curry Powder, Basil, and Smoked Paprika c/o Trader Joe’s,

Miracle Whip, Heinz 57, and Trader Joe’s Dijon on the top bun,

Burgers were between medium rare and well done,

Sauteed with Extra Virgin Olive Oil,

Good Eatin’,

Washed down with Guiness Stout with a shot of Royal Canadian Whiskey (yep, I made a boilermaker),

Ain’t ate this good in a long time let alone, cook something this good before.

Namaste.

Gentleman Jack!

The title says it all, baby!  Now I’m more of a Scotch man, but every now and then I’ll switch up, be it Kentucky Bourbon, Irish, Tennessee (like the picture posted above), and BTW, Canadian whisky ain’t no slouch, either!

On the rocks, or with a slice of lime/lemon, or even a martini mixed with this lovely spirit, either way, you won’t be disappointed.

A huge thanks to Kevin for winning me over to try out the Tennesse Spirits.  I still prefer Scotch, but that’s just me, tho.

I’ve gotten into tequila as of late, but that’s a whole ‘nother story!

We’ll get into that later (but sooner than you think, God willing)…

Gentleman Jack on Facebook.

Check them both out!

Namaste.

CoronaRita

My second time having this margarita/beer mix! It is delicious, to say the least. And as always, it’s nice and large with the margarita already made with a bottle of Corona Extra on top with a bottle holder to give both the glass and the bottle leverage. So I ordered some grilled salmon with chopped veggies i.e. spinach, peas, redskin potatoes, avocados, onions, and so on and so forth! Obvious that dish was gonna take longer than normal, so to make up for the time, I ordered a side of mozzarella sticks. I was expecting three, or four at max, I was given EIGHT! And since I haven’t eaten for most of the day, it actually was worth it. After I finished the sticks, the fish came. The following pics should be self-explanatory.

Did I smash these delicious eats?

You bet your behind I did, baby!

After what I’ve been through these past few days (with Mary’s passing and all), I deserve it.

I don’t think so, I KNOW so!

Namaste.