Helloooo! I’m back from another whirlwind trip to Melbourne. After taking DD as my plus one to the US Consul General’s residence last week for dinner, we switched things up on Friday night – I was his plus one for a banquet at Flower Drum restaurant.
He works for Melbourne-based company, which was celebrating a Chinese success and decided the city’s most famous Cantonese restaurant was the ideal location for the event.
The fine-dining restaurant is located in Melbourne’s Chinatown and was founded in 1975. It’s renowned for its luxury setting, tableside service and iconic dishes such as Peking duck and stuffed crab. I’ve read about all the awards it’s won over the years and was excited to try it for free!
We kicked off the evening by joining DD’s work wife for a happy hour cocktail at 1806, a speakeasy-style bar in the Melbourne theatre district. It was the last day of an initiative by The Gospel Whiskey called Rye July, so I ordered a Ruby Manhattan. It was very elegant and delicious.
Then we wandered around the corner to Flower Drum, had a quick stickybeak at its snazzy bar (designed by Studio 103) then were ushered into a glamorous private dining room.
I sipped a Ginger Snap cocktail (Cointreau, Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur, lemon, crushed ginger, cinnamon and bitters) while dumplings circulated the room, then we sat down to a spectacular array of the restaurant’s most famous dishes including the aforementioned baked crab shell and Peking duck pancakes, alongside Patagonian toothfish with mushroom sauce, quail sang choi bau, eye fillet with Sichuan sauce, special fried rice and deep-fried ice cream.
I also tried my first Chinese Chardonnay, from a vineyard in the Ningxia region called Silver Heights, and it was excellent. Nothing like an Aussie Chardonnay, more akin to a Burgundy white, elegant and full bodied. I discovered later that the winery was founded by Bordeau-trained Emma Gao.
It was a fun night after a busy day that included working from our hotel room and popping out for lunch with the eldest and my sister-in-law Deb for a quick lunch at gorgeous cafe nextdoor.
Located in The Block Arcade on Collins Street, The Tea Rooms opened in 1892 and is the oldest tea rooms in Australia. The Block Arcade is stunning and was designed to emulate the Galleria Vittorio in Milan. It features a magnificent etched glass roof and dome, alongside elegant walkways embellished with intricate mosaics imported from Italy.
We ordered club sandwiches and shared two pieces of cake. Check out The Tea Rooms’ remarkable front window filled with stunning, sugary creations …
On Saturday morning DD and I woke up feeling very, very lazy. I ducked out to get strong coffees and a cinnamon bun to share, then we lay around in the room until the hotel kicked us out at 11am. After check-out, despite being surrounded by exciting retail opportunities, we decided to lounge in the lobby until it was time to head to the airport.
Back in Sydney we ducked into a party at the Oaks Hotel in Neutral Bay to farewell the daughter of American friends. She is heading off today to the United States to attend university. After scoffing yummy nibbles including party pies and Peking duck pancakes, I drove up to DD’s place to collect the doggos.
We decided we each needed a bit of “me time” on Sunday, so I was planning on just grabbing the fur babies and running. As I pulled up, loud music was blasting onto the street from the front yard of DD’s neighbours, who were having the party of all parties.
I was VERY grateful not to be spending the night, as DD’s bedroom directly overlooked the festivities.
Diet starts today. I must turn away from sugar and fried food. I must join a gym.
I really don’t want to do any of those things …
Hope you had a good weekend.
Song of the day: Earth, Wind and Fire “Fantasy”
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