The Oaks is a pub in Neutral Bay that is across the Harbour Bridge north of Sydney. As I walked in it appeared to be a normal Australian pub, which has it’s own description compared to those in the States, but as I continued to the outside patio I realized this pub was something else indeed.
First off, let me go through the Aussie pub. As you walk in the door there are tables and chairs as well as couches sometimes along the walls. The bar itself is the same size as an American one meaning they can vary in size, but it’s usually just a bar with no restaurant attached. The difference is that there are no stools along the bar itself and the usual way of ordering is walking up to the bar buying a beer and returning to your table. No tabs and no servers take care of the bar – only the occasional walkthrough by someone to pick up the empty glasses. Generally speaking I’ve noticed six beers on tap and a few beers available by bottle. Corona is one of the higher priced beers here along with Heineken, but I haven’t seen any American beers, large or small.
Now take that to The Oaks and imagine walking into ‘that bar’ and then outside into a beer garden with two more bars, back inside to another two bars, into the back with another bar, and upstairs with another bar, plus individual rooms you can rent which have billiard tables in them. It took 15 minutes just to walk through the whole establishment. The décor has a lot of wood panels, tiles, and some projection TV’s showing whichever sport happens to be on. The Aussie’s love their sports – Rugby has at least two leagues they follow, Australian Rules Football, Soccer, Cricket, and even golf. Let me repeat that – Australian’s love their sports. This coming Olympics I’d keep a good eye on the Australian team, they are spoken of as being extremely competitive.
Beer. I’m very biased on this topic having the palate of an American. Personally I enjoy darker beers, lighter beers, beers with… Okay, I like most beer styles, but Australian beer is different. Sure you can find an Irish pub and have a Guinness poured, and I’ve seen Corona and Heineken in the bottles, but you can’t walk into just any pub and ask for a pint. First off, they’re called schooners and they’ll remind you that they are called schooners. Secondly, I haven’t even seen Fosters and was pre-warned not to order it, but that wasn’t difficult because I didn’t think much of it in the States. So okay, I’ve tried a few beers and here are my thoughts…
Carlton Draught is probably my favorite so far. It’s a heavier lager, golden color, and a thicker head that American beers – almost like a Guinness. It’s smoother than a Budweiser or Indian Pale Ale, and it’s fairly easy to ‘gulp’ down. There isn’t much to say about it if you like ‘hoppy’ beer. Next up is James Squire Amber Ale, a great beer, but not as easily found. James Squire is similar color to Newcastle Brown Ale but I think tastes better. Compared to Newcastle it’s richer and fuller, and it also has that same creamier head once poured. It sticks along the sides of your glass demonstrating the texture of these beers. Tooheys New is slightly hoppy and more carbonated, but it lacks the bite of something like Sierra Nevada IPA. Now considering the differences of these beers I’ve tried there is one commonality – an Australian flavor. I wouldn’t tell you what it is. It’s not a microbrew flavor common to some American breweries, and they vary in their ingredients so I don’t think it’s the malt or grains from which they are brewed. My guess is a common yeast used producing this unique flavor. Now I say unique, which could be construed as ‘bad’. In a way, yes, I’m saying that, but it’s really just a flavor that I’m not accustomed to. I’d imagine the Aussies don’t import Coors Light for the same reason, but for that matter there’s plenty of bottled water here already.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
Seriously, Mr. T?
Things are coming together. It’s Friday night, just had some dinner that I’m sure I’ll describe in detail shortly, and I’m back in the hotel sipping some Johnnie Walker Black while watching the Melbourne – Manly Rugby match. I literally just turned it on, but can see how this might be comparable to American football. There’s no offensive or defensive “line” but there does seem to be a system of downs. Basically the player that has the ball runs until he’s tackled and when he is downed the player rolls the ball behind him to another player on his team where they can throw it backwards or kick the ball forwards. No first down, or four chances – they just run, get tackled, and then start up again. Just saw a run go out of bounds right by the goal line. It starts with something called a scrum that seems to be similar to a hockey face-off. There was a goal! So a running goal gives the team four points. Also noticed another thing – when the player runs there is no really blocking by the other players. There’s no linebackers’ creating a hole for the runner to go through, he’s on his own. No pads, and these guys are also pretty huge. There’s also a kick for extra points (not sure how many), which he missed. Hey look, another running goal, and the kick made it that added two additional points. Melbourne is ahead by 10 now. What is very cool about it is that there’s very little stop in the action. Basically, it’s football with rules more similar to hockey.
Anyway, I am in on a Friday night, but I don’t mind having a night in. Tomorrow night I’ll be up in Neutral Bay that is on the other side of the Harbour Bridge north of Sydney with the managing director of our distribution partner. We’re meeting up at the Oaks Hotel, but it’s not really a hotel as so much as it’s a pub. There are hotels that are hotels, and there are hotels that are just pubs because historically above a pub would be accommodations for travels, hence the name hotel. I thought it was nice of him to invite me out.
So dinner tonight I ventured back into World Square here and came across some restaurants, but found this little Japanese place just across Liverpool Street called Sakae. Just a little place, but packed. I am either very lucky or just have a knack for finding good places to eat. After a quick once over on the menu I determined for sure that I needed a Sapporo… which was actually brewed and imported from Canada. It was in the steel can though, and I did think it was very good. Okay, for those of you that haven’t heard my rant on Japanese beer, here it is. Don’t get Japanese beer in the bottle. It’s not Japanese, it’s Canadian. No, seriously, check the label. I was surprised that the canned Sapporo was made in Canada, but it was actually okay. My opinion on Japanese beer in the bottle is that it’s just relabeled Molson Ice or something like that. Also for the record, I hate Canadian beer. It’s crap. Yes, it really is and if you want to go head to head about it we can – you bring the crap Canadian beer and I’ll bring the Seagram’s 7, 7up, and Lemon the drink I discovered with Rik Lal at PF Chang’s of all places.
So, the beer was good – that is what I meant to say above. Next ordered were scallops sashimi and an curry udon combination which had udon noodles with a mixed tempura. The scallops came out first. They were served with thin slices of lemon. I love scallops – they’re sweet and you can tell if they are fresh very quickly by taste, smell, or just looking at them. These scallops were very fresh – I would say they were taken from the shell shortly before serving them to me. Absolutely sweet and a slight fresh taste of the ocean which only raw shellfish lovers know. As the English here would say, “they were lovely”. Next up was the tempura since they were hot and the udon was still ‘burn your tongue’ hot. Very good. Tempura should be fried just to where it’s crispy on the outside and so the friend batter outside the shrimp or vegetables can soak up some of the tempura sauce. I’d say the tempura zucchini was the best I’d ever had, but the best tempura shrimp prize still goes to Sushi Brokers in Scottsdale, AZ. Finally was the main dish, udon. Udon is a thick Japanese noodle – probably about the thickness of a straw and generally cut just over a foot long. Japanese curry isn’t unlike Indian curry except I think it is a bit thinner in consistency and spiced more with garlic. The dish itself is served in a bowl with chicken, potatoes, and onions in it and resembles a thick soup or stew with the udon noodles. It was by far the best curry udon I’ve ever had, which I’ll admit it’s a lot mainly because I’ve liked it, but not all that much. This dish makes me want to order it again and it beat out when I first had it with my dad in San Jose, California.
Today I also visited my company’s office address. It’s considered a virtual office – essentially for companies that just need one office for their sales guy to work out of, occasionally use a conference room, etc. The location itself is pretty impressive – it’s in Darling Harbour which is a very nice area to be in, and the building itself is towering and also houses Price Waterhouse Coopers and IBM – both very large customers of mine already. Today we discussed our ‘upgrade path’ for the office for when we might need a more permanent setup there when we hire on a sales engineer and or an inside sales representative. My job in Australia is to build up our market and sales revenues here to expand our business presence in Asia-Pacific. Actually, it’s to increase sales by 300% of last year’s revenue by the end of this year, so I’ll be busy.
Lastly I’ll leave you with this - Mr. T does Snicker’s commercials in Australia and I think that’s sad.
Anyway, I am in on a Friday night, but I don’t mind having a night in. Tomorrow night I’ll be up in Neutral Bay that is on the other side of the Harbour Bridge north of Sydney with the managing director of our distribution partner. We’re meeting up at the Oaks Hotel, but it’s not really a hotel as so much as it’s a pub. There are hotels that are hotels, and there are hotels that are just pubs because historically above a pub would be accommodations for travels, hence the name hotel. I thought it was nice of him to invite me out.
So dinner tonight I ventured back into World Square here and came across some restaurants, but found this little Japanese place just across Liverpool Street called Sakae. Just a little place, but packed. I am either very lucky or just have a knack for finding good places to eat. After a quick once over on the menu I determined for sure that I needed a Sapporo… which was actually brewed and imported from Canada. It was in the steel can though, and I did think it was very good. Okay, for those of you that haven’t heard my rant on Japanese beer, here it is. Don’t get Japanese beer in the bottle. It’s not Japanese, it’s Canadian. No, seriously, check the label. I was surprised that the canned Sapporo was made in Canada, but it was actually okay. My opinion on Japanese beer in the bottle is that it’s just relabeled Molson Ice or something like that. Also for the record, I hate Canadian beer. It’s crap. Yes, it really is and if you want to go head to head about it we can – you bring the crap Canadian beer and I’ll bring the Seagram’s 7, 7up, and Lemon the drink I discovered with Rik Lal at PF Chang’s of all places.
So, the beer was good – that is what I meant to say above. Next ordered were scallops sashimi and an curry udon combination which had udon noodles with a mixed tempura. The scallops came out first. They were served with thin slices of lemon. I love scallops – they’re sweet and you can tell if they are fresh very quickly by taste, smell, or just looking at them. These scallops were very fresh – I would say they were taken from the shell shortly before serving them to me. Absolutely sweet and a slight fresh taste of the ocean which only raw shellfish lovers know. As the English here would say, “they were lovely”. Next up was the tempura since they were hot and the udon was still ‘burn your tongue’ hot. Very good. Tempura should be fried just to where it’s crispy on the outside and so the friend batter outside the shrimp or vegetables can soak up some of the tempura sauce. I’d say the tempura zucchini was the best I’d ever had, but the best tempura shrimp prize still goes to Sushi Brokers in Scottsdale, AZ. Finally was the main dish, udon. Udon is a thick Japanese noodle – probably about the thickness of a straw and generally cut just over a foot long. Japanese curry isn’t unlike Indian curry except I think it is a bit thinner in consistency and spiced more with garlic. The dish itself is served in a bowl with chicken, potatoes, and onions in it and resembles a thick soup or stew with the udon noodles. It was by far the best curry udon I’ve ever had, which I’ll admit it’s a lot mainly because I’ve liked it, but not all that much. This dish makes me want to order it again and it beat out when I first had it with my dad in San Jose, California.
Today I also visited my company’s office address. It’s considered a virtual office – essentially for companies that just need one office for their sales guy to work out of, occasionally use a conference room, etc. The location itself is pretty impressive – it’s in Darling Harbour which is a very nice area to be in, and the building itself is towering and also houses Price Waterhouse Coopers and IBM – both very large customers of mine already. Today we discussed our ‘upgrade path’ for the office for when we might need a more permanent setup there when we hire on a sales engineer and or an inside sales representative. My job in Australia is to build up our market and sales revenues here to expand our business presence in Asia-Pacific. Actually, it’s to increase sales by 300% of last year’s revenue by the end of this year, so I’ll be busy.
Lastly I’ll leave you with this - Mr. T does Snicker’s commercials in Australia and I think that’s sad.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Bean Curd
Started out today with the normal rat race, made my way up the street to Town Square station. You need to understand that I’ve never really used public transportation. It’s not because I have never wanted to – I think public transportation is a great idea. It’s that in Denver I really couldn’t due to the nature of my job, and in Phoenix there really isn’t any. Sure, they are building the light rail… Anyway, my biggest issue in using the light rail here is simple – I always go down the stairs of the wrong platform and end up asking someone if the train there is going to North Sydney. At least I’m getting used to asking people. So get on the train, go up the rail, across the Harbour Bridge – aka the coat hanger, and then off at North Sydney.
Today I met with one of our resellers in Chatswood, which is just north of North Sydney. Nice drive up – lots of green. Still getting used to riding in the left hand seat without a steering wheel. Anyway, it was a good meeting and while I’m in town next week we’re going to meet up again to go through some sales discussions and get them some ideas on getting some sales going.
So after that my boss Sam wanted to take me to dinner just to chat and catch up. We drove along and decided on Chinese food. Okay, so I’ve had Chinese food before – and very good Chinese food, but this was better. The prawns in black pepper garlic sauce were amazing – the prawns themselves were cooked perfectly and the garlic sauce was just under being overpowering. Next was the Sichuan Lamb that had a nice spice to it, but it was also sweet. Finally was Grandma’s Bean Curd, which was my choice. In my experience, vegetarian dishes are generally more flavorful, often spicier, and in general they are also healthier. So Grandma’s Bean Curd had some great mushrooms, pickled spicy peppers, oh, and ground pork that just made the dish. I’ve never had anything like this before and I do not believe I will ever have anything like this again. Bean curd by the way is also known as tofu. It was an amazing meal.
Today I met with one of our resellers in Chatswood, which is just north of North Sydney. Nice drive up – lots of green. Still getting used to riding in the left hand seat without a steering wheel. Anyway, it was a good meeting and while I’m in town next week we’re going to meet up again to go through some sales discussions and get them some ideas on getting some sales going.
So after that my boss Sam wanted to take me to dinner just to chat and catch up. We drove along and decided on Chinese food. Okay, so I’ve had Chinese food before – and very good Chinese food, but this was better. The prawns in black pepper garlic sauce were amazing – the prawns themselves were cooked perfectly and the garlic sauce was just under being overpowering. Next was the Sichuan Lamb that had a nice spice to it, but it was also sweet. Finally was Grandma’s Bean Curd, which was my choice. In my experience, vegetarian dishes are generally more flavorful, often spicier, and in general they are also healthier. So Grandma’s Bean Curd had some great mushrooms, pickled spicy peppers, oh, and ground pork that just made the dish. I’ve never had anything like this before and I do not believe I will ever have anything like this again. Bean curd by the way is also known as tofu. It was an amazing meal.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Oysters
Tonight I’m doing my best not to get an internet login from the hotel. It’s 6:21 PM right now and my thought is to find this Spanish restaurant called Captain Torres. I checked out the menu online (http://www.capitantorres.com.au/3.html) and thought it might be worth a shot, plus it’s somewhat close by to the hotel. Oh, another cool thing about Australia – for the most part tips and tax are included in all the pricing you look at, so when it’s $15.00 that is literally what the price is, not the $11.99 + $1.02 + $2 or however it comes out. They also don’t have pennies – prices are rounded up or down to $0.05, although I haven’t figured out how the merchant determines that. I also keep getting these $0.20 coins, so I don’t think they have quarters either. Not really a big deal, but I will say that I do use the $1.00 and $2.00 coins all the time – they are great for taking the train from my hotel to North Sydney where the office is located. Okay, enough for now – off to find this Spanish restaurant, and my second quest for Tooheys Old…
9:04 PM and back in the hotel room. Just give me a couple minutes to lose the shoes and get comfortable and I’ll start right back up again.
So, getting into it again – sat down in front of the computer having a Tooheys Extra Dry, which is ultra cool because there’s a cooler of beer available to purchase by the front desk. First sip, second sip – I prefer the Tooheys New, but this isn’t bad. Clear bottle, reminds me of MGD in the US. I also sampled another beer tonight at a place called Docks by Darling Harbour called…
Well now. Seems that I’ve just deleted all my music on my iPod by plugging it into this laptop for the sole purpose of playing the music. Hmph. I would just like to take a few moments to think very… Let’s call them malicious thoughts towards Apple. I have no music. Hmph. Look there – I was listening to music last night and now nothing and it’s only Tuesday. I suppose I could listen to what has been spared in the massacre – we have the Art of War by Sun Tzu, How to Win Friends & Influence People – RIGHT, Liberalism is a Mental Disorder, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Running with Scissors, and In a Sunburned Country which makes no sense at all tonight considering the fact I got rained on this evening. At least I still have Team America and Shooter should I want to watch a movie I’ve now seen a couple times already. Seriously, I’m a little upset about this. Sydney “free” television isn’t like having basic cable or something. I have either five or six channels in the hotel room. What makes things ironic is that the channels are normal TV and they have something like a 42” flat panel HDTV in here. Balls!
Television is turned on for noise and… oh yeah, it’s an American show – that Hell Restaurant or whatever it is. Honestly, I think that show is crap, but it’s better than Australian Gladiators right now. Fair enough?
Stupid &$&@)$ iPod. Okay, so Capitan Torres – did you happen to look up the menu yet? I thought it looked pretty good online and since I’m not going online tonight I asked the front desk how to get over there because that is what they are good at. Right? Right. So, after giving them the website to pull the address I realized another similarity between US retards and Australian retards, oh wait – both countries have retards. …right. Although some of them don’t delete all their music off their iPod huh? Anyway, so Capitan Torres or lack of was a bit disappointing, but I try to make the best of things so I made my way to Darling Harbour. With any luck plugging in my camera card won’t just immediately delete all the pictures so I can add one to this entry. Hey look, there’s some images and video.
Okay, so made my way over to Darling Harbour and walked along the north side of it finding a restaurant called Docks. Best things about Docks? Carlton Draught – excellent beer. From what I’ve seen, Australia doesn’t have much in the terms of “dark beer”. You know, porters, stouts, or even IPA’s. Everything seems to be a lager of some type or another. Before you comment, I will say YES, I’ve tried Cooper’s IPA, but I’ll also say that it’s not all that good either, therefore it does not make the good list. So Docks had the beer and I ordered a half-dozen oysters with lemon and mirin. It sounded good so It thought hey, why not right? It’s Australian. Okay, so there is what sounds good and what is good. They weren’t bad, but there’s a difference between oysters that have sauce on them and oysters that are shucked within 2 minutes of being served to you. I had the first. They weren’t bad, but in having fresh seafood before I knew these had been “out” for a little bit. Paid, left, moved on. Took pictures and then found…
Nick’s Seafood. Nick’s Seafood is not a bar with a restaurant around it. Nick’s is a seafood house – they have a pretty good idea of what to do. Walked in, seated, and ordered a half dozen of Sydney oysters and a glass of Taylor’s Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon 05’ blend. Splendid. FRESH Sydney oysters are different than PEI or Miyagi’s or Wolcott’s. Size is close to a medium sized Miyagi oyster, but the flavor is something completely different. Served with lemon, a red pepper sauce (similar to Tabasco), and a mango sauce I proceeded. They aren’t sweet which good oysters often are – they are very rich though. I think the term buttery is overused, but I can’t think of another word to describe their flavor. Their texture is different too – softer than other oysters I’ve had. Sydney oysters - big fan. Next up were the grilled prawns. They were good but I regret not ordering the scallops that were on the menu. Don’t get me wrong – the prawns were very good, but a shrimp is a shrimp is not a scallop. The wine was just fine. So far the beer is good, but different, and the wine has been very good. Anyway, getting close to 10PM here so I should start to get ready for tomorrow – meeting with a reseller of our products and they’ve been quoting some high dollar items…
Cheers -
9:04 PM and back in the hotel room. Just give me a couple minutes to lose the shoes and get comfortable and I’ll start right back up again.
So, getting into it again – sat down in front of the computer having a Tooheys Extra Dry, which is ultra cool because there’s a cooler of beer available to purchase by the front desk. First sip, second sip – I prefer the Tooheys New, but this isn’t bad. Clear bottle, reminds me of MGD in the US. I also sampled another beer tonight at a place called Docks by Darling Harbour called…
Well now. Seems that I’ve just deleted all my music on my iPod by plugging it into this laptop for the sole purpose of playing the music. Hmph. I would just like to take a few moments to think very… Let’s call them malicious thoughts towards Apple. I have no music. Hmph. Look there – I was listening to music last night and now nothing and it’s only Tuesday. I suppose I could listen to what has been spared in the massacre – we have the Art of War by Sun Tzu, How to Win Friends & Influence People – RIGHT, Liberalism is a Mental Disorder, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Running with Scissors, and In a Sunburned Country which makes no sense at all tonight considering the fact I got rained on this evening. At least I still have Team America and Shooter should I want to watch a movie I’ve now seen a couple times already. Seriously, I’m a little upset about this. Sydney “free” television isn’t like having basic cable or something. I have either five or six channels in the hotel room. What makes things ironic is that the channels are normal TV and they have something like a 42” flat panel HDTV in here. Balls!
Television is turned on for noise and… oh yeah, it’s an American show – that Hell Restaurant or whatever it is. Honestly, I think that show is crap, but it’s better than Australian Gladiators right now. Fair enough?
Stupid &$&@)$ iPod. Okay, so Capitan Torres – did you happen to look up the menu yet? I thought it looked pretty good online and since I’m not going online tonight I asked the front desk how to get over there because that is what they are good at. Right? Right. So, after giving them the website to pull the address I realized another similarity between US retards and Australian retards, oh wait – both countries have retards. …right. Although some of them don’t delete all their music off their iPod huh? Anyway, so Capitan Torres or lack of was a bit disappointing, but I try to make the best of things so I made my way to Darling Harbour. With any luck plugging in my camera card won’t just immediately delete all the pictures so I can add one to this entry. Hey look, there’s some images and video.
Okay, so made my way over to Darling Harbour and walked along the north side of it finding a restaurant called Docks. Best things about Docks? Carlton Draught – excellent beer. From what I’ve seen, Australia doesn’t have much in the terms of “dark beer”. You know, porters, stouts, or even IPA’s. Everything seems to be a lager of some type or another. Before you comment, I will say YES, I’ve tried Cooper’s IPA, but I’ll also say that it’s not all that good either, therefore it does not make the good list. So Docks had the beer and I ordered a half-dozen oysters with lemon and mirin. It sounded good so It thought hey, why not right? It’s Australian. Okay, so there is what sounds good and what is good. They weren’t bad, but there’s a difference between oysters that have sauce on them and oysters that are shucked within 2 minutes of being served to you. I had the first. They weren’t bad, but in having fresh seafood before I knew these had been “out” for a little bit. Paid, left, moved on. Took pictures and then found…
Nick’s Seafood. Nick’s Seafood is not a bar with a restaurant around it. Nick’s is a seafood house – they have a pretty good idea of what to do. Walked in, seated, and ordered a half dozen of Sydney oysters and a glass of Taylor’s Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon 05’ blend. Splendid. FRESH Sydney oysters are different than PEI or Miyagi’s or Wolcott’s. Size is close to a medium sized Miyagi oyster, but the flavor is something completely different. Served with lemon, a red pepper sauce (similar to Tabasco), and a mango sauce I proceeded. They aren’t sweet which good oysters often are – they are very rich though. I think the term buttery is overused, but I can’t think of another word to describe their flavor. Their texture is different too – softer than other oysters I’ve had. Sydney oysters - big fan. Next up were the grilled prawns. They were good but I regret not ordering the scallops that were on the menu. Don’t get me wrong – the prawns were very good, but a shrimp is a shrimp is not a scallop. The wine was just fine. So far the beer is good, but different, and the wine has been very good. Anyway, getting close to 10PM here so I should start to get ready for tomorrow – meeting with a reseller of our products and they’ve been quoting some high dollar items…
Cheers -
Monday, April 7, 2008
Milk
Apologizes for no writing yesterday – was a great day; played tourist. I managed to see a large amount of Sydney, although I am still only beginning to experience it.
This morning I woke up close to 3:00 AM local time, which makes sense considering I fell asleep close to 7:30 or 8:00 PM last night. Slept well, watched TV for a bit – which is very similar to US television except there are far fewer channels – but ABC and NBC apparently exist here. Anyway…
Went down to the hotel’s breakfast as I don’t know the local establishments and I need to ensure I meet Sam, my boss, at 9:30 here at the hotel. Had steak fries, fried egg, very thick bacon – and it was bacon, not Canadian bacon, a couple sausage links which I believe were chicken sausage, but I’m not sure and baked beans. I went back up for some of the broiled tomatoes, some orange juice, and then tried the coffee. Actually, before I get into the coffee I’ll let you know that I did in fact try the legendary Vegemite. It has the consistency of creamy peanut butter, and the color of tar. Taste wise it definitely screams “yeast” and is extremely salty. I had two bites of it on toast and then made sure I wiped my butter knife off before going back to the bacon.
They had an automatic coffee maker, which could make a latte, cappuccinos, and Americano. I went with the Americano selection, as “coffee” was not available. My God was it good. This machine outside any, and I mean any, Starbucks barista in the US. The genius developers of Starbucks in Seattle should be concerned – this cup was just outstanding. Keep in mind that I love my coffee maker at home and have been “that guy” who’s gone to Starbucks every day to get a Venti sized bold and thought it was great.
So, having enjoyed, yes enjoyed, my breakfast I thought I’d treat myself with the cappuccino selection to see what this machine was capable of. Press the button and within a minute I’ve got a cup of cappuccino. On my first sip of the froth, which I generally try to mix in, I said out loud “holy shit”. I have never had a better coffee drink in my life. Well, except for that time at my friend’s Keith’s wedding where I was drinking ¾ Kahlua with ¼ coffee in it, but this is a different scenario altogether. The coffee itself was very good, but what’s made this so much different and better is the milk. I was told that the Aussie’s do not pasteurize their milk, which provides a much different flavor, but did not think that the result was so dramatic. Flavor and texture – this was a much thicker and richer beverage. To compare the US Starbucks cappuccino and the ibis Hotel’s machine would be to have a cup of instant hot chocolate made with water compared with real melted chocolate mixed with whole milk. I found it to be that much different.
I’ve got another 45 minutes before Sam comes to pick me up so I suppose I’ll write something up regarding yesterday’s experiences and will most likely post it prior to this post.
This morning I woke up close to 3:00 AM local time, which makes sense considering I fell asleep close to 7:30 or 8:00 PM last night. Slept well, watched TV for a bit – which is very similar to US television except there are far fewer channels – but ABC and NBC apparently exist here. Anyway…
Went down to the hotel’s breakfast as I don’t know the local establishments and I need to ensure I meet Sam, my boss, at 9:30 here at the hotel. Had steak fries, fried egg, very thick bacon – and it was bacon, not Canadian bacon, a couple sausage links which I believe were chicken sausage, but I’m not sure and baked beans. I went back up for some of the broiled tomatoes, some orange juice, and then tried the coffee. Actually, before I get into the coffee I’ll let you know that I did in fact try the legendary Vegemite. It has the consistency of creamy peanut butter, and the color of tar. Taste wise it definitely screams “yeast” and is extremely salty. I had two bites of it on toast and then made sure I wiped my butter knife off before going back to the bacon.
They had an automatic coffee maker, which could make a latte, cappuccinos, and Americano. I went with the Americano selection, as “coffee” was not available. My God was it good. This machine outside any, and I mean any, Starbucks barista in the US. The genius developers of Starbucks in Seattle should be concerned – this cup was just outstanding. Keep in mind that I love my coffee maker at home and have been “that guy” who’s gone to Starbucks every day to get a Venti sized bold and thought it was great.
So, having enjoyed, yes enjoyed, my breakfast I thought I’d treat myself with the cappuccino selection to see what this machine was capable of. Press the button and within a minute I’ve got a cup of cappuccino. On my first sip of the froth, which I generally try to mix in, I said out loud “holy shit”. I have never had a better coffee drink in my life. Well, except for that time at my friend’s Keith’s wedding where I was drinking ¾ Kahlua with ¼ coffee in it, but this is a different scenario altogether. The coffee itself was very good, but what’s made this so much different and better is the milk. I was told that the Aussie’s do not pasteurize their milk, which provides a much different flavor, but did not think that the result was so dramatic. Flavor and texture – this was a much thicker and richer beverage. To compare the US Starbucks cappuccino and the ibis Hotel’s machine would be to have a cup of instant hot chocolate made with water compared with real melted chocolate mixed with whole milk. I found it to be that much different.
I’ve got another 45 minutes before Sam comes to pick me up so I suppose I’ll write something up regarding yesterday’s experiences and will most likely post it prior to this post.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
San Francisco, New York, Hawaii, and Las Vegas
20080405_Sydney Australia_24.0-105.0 mm (140)
Originally uploaded by ZeeDesertRat
Next step was to get to the hotel so I had to find an ATM in order to get a cab. ATM was no problem, although I’ll probably freak when I see what my bank charges me for pulling out of this particular machine. Went outside and the weather hit and it hit hard. It was probably around 55 degrees Fahrenheit, 40-50% humidity, and somewhat breezy. I couldn’t have felt anymore “at home” than when I got outside and felt a beautiful San Francisco day all around me. The sky seemed to be a much deeper blue, obviously from the ozone hole above me, and the cloud formations where something I have never seen before. The clouds made me feel as if I was in the middle of a storm, in the sunshine, and wouldn’t mind having a Pepsi while sitting outside at a local restaurant’s patio. Got in the cab and I was on my way.
I forget the cab driver’s name, but I learned my first bit of Aussie slang English. In short his English was far different than the custom agent’s vernacular and I would guess that is due to education, although that is just a guess. He has a nephew that is a solicitor in Boston, MA who originally studied to be a doctor but dropped out that program after fainting witnessing his first up close surgery. I suppose the citizens of Boston should be grateful for that. Moving on though, the drive into downtown Sydney or the CBD (Central Business District) felt very similar to the drive up 19th into San Francisco. The slightly wet asphalt looked the same as it met the concrete sidewalks, the air felt cool and moist, and the smells in the air were a combination of the ocean, damp grass, and a number of different trees. Then the drive into the CBD.
If you’re from the SF Bay Area imagine this driving being from Daly City or Pacifica directly into the finance area of San Francisco. Buildings are everywhere, streets are annoyingly one-way, and you can hear horns and sirens echo off the skyscrapers. In driving around I felt like I was in New York again, although that might be because my driver got lost. On a Sunday morning there were very little people about, and not too many cars out either. It wasn’t eerie or desolate, but it was completely unexpected. You might ask why I’ve made the comparison to NY even though Sydney screams SF – the reason will come up later in the day with the amount of people walking everywhere.
Checked in, I went up to my room which was slightly larger than my cell was while in NY last year, got online to tell everyone I had survived the 13+ hour flight, tried for a nap, and decided it was time to see what Sydney was all about. I won’t lie to you – this is my first travel anywhere outside of the US so I hesitated quite a bit before making that small first step for Kurt outside of the hotel. I probably took an hour or two trying to memorize some of the main streets from Google Maps, but finally trekked outside.
Within 10 minutes I was to Hyde Park and had already given directions to two couples that were LOCAL. Then in walking through the park I gave directions to a group of guys from somewhere in Europe, and then again to another random person who had got lost while walking their dog. All in all I forgot all about my “never traveled” hesitations and proceeded to the Royal Botanical Gardens where Australia’s first Flugtag was going on. Beautiful gardens – smelled like walking through the SF Zoo in the fall but instead of seeing the birds in cages the birds of the zoo where all around me. The animal I liked the least in the park where the bats – screaming at each other probably because they are all trying to sleep in the trees upside down during the day. Onwards to the Opera House which was barely visible through the trees.
The Opera House however cool was a bit of a let down. First off I should have had my wide-angle lens with me while up close to it. I think it might have had some better framing if I had that lens. Secondly from at the time of the day I was at the Opera House there were clouds all around and the Opera House being white with white clouds in the background does not give it justice. I was surprised that the outside texture of the Opera House is tiled. Most pictures show it from afar gleaming white when in reality it’s actually an off-white stain and in small tiles. Those shots along with those of the Harbour Bridge might need to be manipulated later this week while I have some downtime. I’m thinking black and white with some high contrast. Sepia? Maybe, we’ll see how the week goes.
Running from Sunrise
There’s really not all that much exciting to write about while on an airplane. I originally had some intent to write something profound about it being 11:34 AM on Saturday in Phoenix and it being 4:34 AM on Sunday in Sydney, Australia. I think I’m over it already. Altitude is around 35,000 feet, airspeed is something like 500 miles per hour, and they’ve got an episode of Grey’s Anatomy on which just had the Asian chick basically strip from her scrubs into a purple club dress. I suppose there could be worse things to have in front of you while sitting on a plan for over 10 hours.
Oh goody, they’re coming around with breakfast. Something in Styrofoam…
Okay, it was scrambled eggs, a sausage link, bacon I think, and fresh fruit. No really, the fruit was the best part – it was actually fresh. The grapes were the best.
Incidentally if you are wondering – the Grey’s Anatomy chick was dressed for a date and then she and her date, both doctors, had to save the life of someone at the restaurant.
So I’ve come up with a title for this entry – Running from Sunrise. If I look east I see a sunset, but in all reality that is Australia’s sunrise coming quick after the plane chasing us into the country. Looking west it’s just dark. It’s only 5:15 AM Sydney time after all. The colors themselves are beautiful – a deep dark blood red at the horizon blending into a holiday Thanksgiving orange, almost a gold, then white and finally a number of shades of blue as if you were seeing the ocean bottom drop off from a coastline.
Typing this in Microsoft Word on a 13-inch MacBook OS X (10.5.2), 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and 1GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM. The whole point of that sentence was just to keep me typing. I’m now wide-awake after breakfast, coffee, and some orange juice. Oh, and I’ve got 27% of battery left after leaving Phoenix fully charged – I’m impressed with it’s longevity, although for the first part of the trip I listened to my iPod, listening to “In a Sunburned Country” by Bill Bryson. iPod was not in the Microsoft dictionary. How competitive…
My seat is 41C, which is an aisle seat. There was no one in the middle seat and at the window is Lance, a British native now living and working in Australia. He sounds like some type of consultant and knew about PCI-DSS compliance and understood what I do which is sell products for vulnerability assessment, remediation, compliance reporting, data leakage prevention, and malware or application control. Word also doesn’t know how to spell malware. So back to Lance, pronounced Lawnce, he slept through the whole flight just walking up a bit ago. For a Brit I was impressed when he ordered coffee. Probably MI6 keeping tabs on me.
So you can get Grey Goose vodka for $33.00 per bottle, duty free, and Johnnie Walker Blue for $155.00 with a note that it’s $220.00 domestic. Past that there’s some wallets, perfumes, and jewelry.
Okay, got to listen to the announcement – talking about customs... So no food – got it. Food also includes instant coffee or tea. Now they’re talking about Qantas’ gates. Okay, so anyway, the duty free thing is kinda cool, but not really.
Just off the coast of Australia now per the map… 31,500 feet, 463 miles per hour and -45 degrees Fahrenheit outside the cabin. Microsoft can spell Fahrenheit.
I’m digging the controls for iTunes built into the MacBook. The Function keys all have corresponding keys for play, stop, fast-forward, and so forth which is nice so I don’t have to switch windows to stop playback.
71 miles more and have been in the plan for 13 hours 22 minutes. Estimated arrival is 6:04 AM. Really didn’t seem all that bad, although I’m sure I’ll be hurting later today being completely wiped out. My plan today is to get to the hotel, drop the bags, get the camera, computer, and walk around. Hyde Park was referred by a friend of mine and the hotel is close by there, and then maybe I’ll just get lost until I get tired and have a cab take me back to the hotel.
Definitely descending now. I suppose it’s time to shut down the computer…
Oh goody, they’re coming around with breakfast. Something in Styrofoam…
Okay, it was scrambled eggs, a sausage link, bacon I think, and fresh fruit. No really, the fruit was the best part – it was actually fresh. The grapes were the best.
Incidentally if you are wondering – the Grey’s Anatomy chick was dressed for a date and then she and her date, both doctors, had to save the life of someone at the restaurant.
So I’ve come up with a title for this entry – Running from Sunrise. If I look east I see a sunset, but in all reality that is Australia’s sunrise coming quick after the plane chasing us into the country. Looking west it’s just dark. It’s only 5:15 AM Sydney time after all. The colors themselves are beautiful – a deep dark blood red at the horizon blending into a holiday Thanksgiving orange, almost a gold, then white and finally a number of shades of blue as if you were seeing the ocean bottom drop off from a coastline.
Typing this in Microsoft Word on a 13-inch MacBook OS X (10.5.2), 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and 1GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM. The whole point of that sentence was just to keep me typing. I’m now wide-awake after breakfast, coffee, and some orange juice. Oh, and I’ve got 27% of battery left after leaving Phoenix fully charged – I’m impressed with it’s longevity, although for the first part of the trip I listened to my iPod, listening to “In a Sunburned Country” by Bill Bryson. iPod was not in the Microsoft dictionary. How competitive…
My seat is 41C, which is an aisle seat. There was no one in the middle seat and at the window is Lance, a British native now living and working in Australia. He sounds like some type of consultant and knew about PCI-DSS compliance and understood what I do which is sell products for vulnerability assessment, remediation, compliance reporting, data leakage prevention, and malware or application control. Word also doesn’t know how to spell malware. So back to Lance, pronounced Lawnce, he slept through the whole flight just walking up a bit ago. For a Brit I was impressed when he ordered coffee. Probably MI6 keeping tabs on me.
So you can get Grey Goose vodka for $33.00 per bottle, duty free, and Johnnie Walker Blue for $155.00 with a note that it’s $220.00 domestic. Past that there’s some wallets, perfumes, and jewelry.
Okay, got to listen to the announcement – talking about customs... So no food – got it. Food also includes instant coffee or tea. Now they’re talking about Qantas’ gates. Okay, so anyway, the duty free thing is kinda cool, but not really.
Just off the coast of Australia now per the map… 31,500 feet, 463 miles per hour and -45 degrees Fahrenheit outside the cabin. Microsoft can spell Fahrenheit.
I’m digging the controls for iTunes built into the MacBook. The Function keys all have corresponding keys for play, stop, fast-forward, and so forth which is nice so I don’t have to switch windows to stop playback.
71 miles more and have been in the plan for 13 hours 22 minutes. Estimated arrival is 6:04 AM. Really didn’t seem all that bad, although I’m sure I’ll be hurting later today being completely wiped out. My plan today is to get to the hotel, drop the bags, get the camera, computer, and walk around. Hyde Park was referred by a friend of mine and the hotel is close by there, and then maybe I’ll just get lost until I get tired and have a cab take me back to the hotel.
Definitely descending now. I suppose it’s time to shut down the computer…
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