That made it so special

My poor liver!

I’ve put it through its paces over the past seven days: a Chivas Regal cocktail competition, a Jansz brunch, and then a weekend of indulgence.

It’s been bulk fun, but my body was over it last night, muttering about health farms and detox diets.

Crazy talk.

OK, let me fill you in on a few of my weekend highlights.

DD and I received such thoughtful gifts at our recent joint birthday party, including a restaurant voucher from his friends Bill and Liz.

It was for a restaurant called Sotto Sopra in Newport and we finally got to use it on Friday night.

My chitter chattering skills paid off – I became besties with the waiter, Francesco, and it made for such a memorable night.

Francesco is new to Australia from Rome and delightedly gave us tips on his favourite places to visit in Italy, suggesting we give Alba a go.

He also introduced us to the most delicious Italian wines, totally blowing my perceptions of them out of the water. Other than prosecco, they’d kinda passed me by previously.

We started off with a glorious Serafini e Vidotto ‘Bollicine’ prosecco as we nibbled on flatbread and half a dozen Pambula oysters.

Then we enjoyed a ‘primi’ of cauliflower-filled ravioli with smoked eel, lime butter and black olive with a glass of Collefriso Rose from Montepulciano.

For main we had the special of woodfired octopus with carrot foam and woodfired angus beef scotch fillet with celeriac puree and baby beetroot, served with two different glasses of red specially chosen by Francesco – I asked for one without too many tannins.

We were so full at that point we decided to skip dessert, but Francesco talked us into a couple of glasses of the most glorious dessert wine – Ramandolo something or other. It was nothing like the Australian stickies I’ve tried, with just a hint of sweetness.

Francesco also deposited a passionfruit panna cotta between us, insisting we couldn’t leave without a sweet treat. Yum!

I’m a bit in love with Francesco.

It was so nice to go out to dinner with DD too, we hardly ever have fancy date nights, so we dressed up to make it feel extra special.

I was very blissed out as we wandered home … I also possibly had one too many glasses of wine, so I was a little dusty when DD woke me up at the crack of dawn the next morning as he headed off to a Warrior work-out session.

It also meant I was bleary-eyed at my friend Fee’s house on Saturday night by the time Prince Harry and Megan Markle finally rode off in their horse and carriage.

Fee invited me over for a delicious roast dinner, complete with Buck’s Fizz and trifle for dessert to celebrate the big occasion.

I’d been a bit ho hum about the royal wedding, but I ended up really enjoying it.

I was hysterical with laughter watching all those stiff-upper-lip royals struggling to cope with the Chicago preacher’s evangelical sermon  … Zara Phillips’ face was priceless and Prince William’s attempts to stifle his giggles were a cack.

The sermon was waaaaaaay too long, but the first five minutes were a breath of fresh air.

I also went to mush when Harry wiped away tears. And wasn’t George Clooney hawt?

I soooooo missed editing a weekly magazine that night, as my head obsessed over how I’d have put together a special Royal Wedding Issue.

I really want to know the significance of each of those celebrity guests, for example.

Did you watch the Royal wedding? What did you think of it?

Anyways, here are some snaps of my yummy dinner on Friday nigh. Hhmmmm, I really need to wear more make-up on date nights ..,

Speaking of which, I asked DD yesterday what wine he’ll order next time we go to Sotto Sopra and his eyes went all dreamy as he said all the same ones.

Bring it! Well, when my liver recovers.

Song of the day: Bananarama “Robert de Niro’s Waiting”