Lobsters, Locals And Electric Cars

Every year, the Sydney winter seems to take everyone by surprise. None of us seems to cope!

I’ve heard it equated to childbirth—the way mothers will forget the pain and trauma of having a baby or they’d never do it again. Sydneysiders seem to be annually surprised when the city gets chilly.

In spite of the temperatures being low (lower than normal?), we’ve still managed to fit some fun into the cold days.

Lobster long lunches, birthday parties, trips up the coast and a cheeky wine-tasting or two have seen us through winter thus far. Let’s hope there’s more to come.

In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this catchup.

Cheers—Christina & Jim xx

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Pearl Dining, Sydney - Chef's banquet lobster long lunch

This afternoon, we’ve ventured into the city for a lobster long lunch. That is, the lunch is long, not necessarily the lobster.

Pearl Dining on Bridge Street is a top drawer modern Cantonese restaurant offering one of the best-value high-end lunches (Tues-Fri) anywhere in the city.

Tucked away in the retail section of the new AMP tower with Harbour Bridge views, Pearl has the best location in the Quay Quarter Precinct. But here’s what you get in your ‘Lunch Meets Lobster’ chef’s banquet meal for $98pp.

Pearl Dining, Sydney - Chef's banquet lobster long lunch - pickled cherry tomatoes

Once we’ve settled in, enjoyed a glass of Tattinger and admired the views over the city, our first course in this opulent lunch lands: pickled cherry tomatoes, Chinese plum, fruit vinegar and mandarin gin. Not an item I would’ve ordered from this description, but I tell you what, we’d have missed a brilliant dish.

The cherry tomatoes have been peeled and lightly pickled so as to amplify the tomato flavour so that they are rich, juicy and truly delicious. They’re served in a sumptuous jelly, of the remaining elements listed, creating a delicate perfumed aside to the plump little tomatoes.

Pearl Dining, Sydney - Chef's banquet lobster long lunch - pork, prawn and quail egg sui mai dumplings, and fried radish cake

Next, we’re served a sui mai dumpling each that looks a little odd. Not your average dim sim, these are filled with steamed pork and prawn with a smoked quail egg on top.

The egg looks little ‘eyebally’, but as you bite in, the delicate pork and umami-fuelled prawn lead into the egg, which is perfectly cooked, leaving you with a creamy yolky aftertaste. I could eat a plate of just these and be very happy.

Along with the dumplings, we’re served one of my favourite dishes: pan-fried radish cake. Slightly gelatinous and crispy at the edges, this is Cantonese comfort food at its best. Especially as the cake is decorated with pieces if crispy scallop.

We also order a couple of glasses of wine. The list here is excellent, with a generous selection of by-the-glass wines. They even have a few of the top-end options available via Coravin, which Christina takes advantage of.

Pearl Dining, Sydney - Chef's banquet lobster long lunch - wok fried Tasmanian red lobster

Next, we’re presented with the main event of the meal: the wok-fried Tasmanian lobster. The kitchen has portioned this big red beauty up for us already, so no need to do battle with the spiky reinforced carapace.

I must admit, I’m a lobster skeptic; I struggle to see what the fuss is all about. Ordinarily, I’m a crab man. But I tell you what, this lobster has me converted.

Far from it being my usual expectation of ‘just a giant, overpriced prawn’, this dish, accented with scallion, crispy shallot and onion, is delicate and delicious. The wok has made the meat both delightfully chewy yet lightly crisp on some edges. Wonderful.

Our lobster comes with sides of steamed choy sum and an aggressively moreish Cantonese style steamed thin egg noodle, lightly fried in duck fat and mixed with crumbs of crispy duck meat.

Pearl Dining, Sydney - Chef's banquet lobster long lunch - lobster and sides

We leave Pearl Dining full and satisfied. This is a lunch that deserves a follow-up cocktail at one of the Darling Quarter’s many bars—maybe Martinez or Cancun Boat Club.

If you don’t feel like lobster, there’s a wagyu ribeye menu ($86pp) that serves as an impressive non-seafood alternative. But the lobster is so good, it’s worth the extra few bucks.

ALL Accor Live Limitless party at the Sebel Quay Suites

Tonight, we’re taking in the incredible views from the Recreation Deck of the Sebel Quay West Suites in the Rocks. How beautiful is the city from up here?

We’re at the Sebel to hear about Accor’s latest loyalty points partner—Woolworths’ Everyday Rewards.

From now on, you can transfer your ALL Accor Live Limitless points to your Everyday account for groceries. Not a bad partnership if you don’t think you’ll use your points on hotels.

We’re looking forward to the partnership going the other way, where we can spend our Woolies points on hotels and travel!

ALL Accor Live Limitless party at the Sebel Quay Suites - Everyday Rewards partnership

Once the cold evening has outweighed the beauty of the city, we go inside to enjoy a delicious dinner of seared scallops, beef stripling and lemon curd tart with macadamia praline.

We also get to hear from, among others, the fascinating Chris Chamberlin from Point Hacks, who dazzles us with tales of how to maximise loyalty rewards, credit card points and flight status.

Darling Magazine - Balmain Rozelle Chamber of Commerce - Jim and Chirstina Butcher Mr and Mrs Romance

Here’s something pretty exciting that’s happened to us: we’re in a magazine!

Issue 14 of Darling Mag, the local bulletin for Sydney’s Inner West, has featured us and some of our favourite places to go in Balmain, Rozelle and Lilyfield. You can read the whole story (page 18) and see the whole issue here.

This story was based on our article on date ideas in Balmain that you can find here.

Port Stephens NSW

This week, we’re on a getaway to beautiful Port Stephens about two hours north of Sydney. We’re also here to test-drive a new car: the long-range version of the ZS EV, MG’s compact electric SUV.

We weren’t sure if an EV would make it as far as Port Stephens, but it’s had no trouble getting us here. In fact, even the dark rainy conditions we drove up in last night weren’t a problem—the windscreen is so clear it was as if it wasn’t raining at all. And now the sun’s out and the sky’s full of rainbows.

Check out the video we’ve created for MG here.

Our MG ZS EV in Port Stephens

We love coming up to Port Stephens. We’ve written so much about this place, it’s one of the few destinations we feel like we can fully relax without the fear of missing out on content opportunities, we’ve written so much about this area over the years.

Still, we make sure the stories we have done are as up to date as possible. You can find our Essential Guide to Port Stephens here.

doq Marketing Agency 15th birthday party

Back in the city, I’m at a milestone birthday party tonight for a client of mine. Japanese-owned marketing agency doq has been around now for an impressive 15 years.

We hear from owner-founder Yoshinori Sakuno, who you can see here with Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and also VIP guest Chef Adam Liaw about the virtues of travelling to Japan. Couldn’t agree more.

doq Marketing Agency 15th birthday party

The food at tonight’s party is outstanding, with a satisfying array of sushi, delightful little soufflés with grilled fish and scallops with two types of roe are just the start of things.

Back outside, we hunker under the heaters to enjoy a taiko drum performance and perhaps another glass of Chardonnay from the bar.

Snatch Game drag queen Blankety Blanks

Long-time fans of all forms of drag, Christina is off to watch RuPaul’s Drag Race Snatch Game Live. If you’re not familiar with the show, Snatch Game is a segment of RuPaul’s Drag Race where the queens play a version of Blankety Blanks, dressing up as iconic celebrities.

Rhys Nicholson is a brilliant host and the show is a mix of performances and the game show. So many hilarious moments ensue and many that we’re sure the queens hope stay off social media!

Pinot Noir tasting for The Shout's Trade Buyer's Guide mag

This afternoon, Christina and I are at another tasting for industry booze mag The Trade Buyer’s Guide by The Shout. This time, we’re tasting Pinot Noir from Australia and around the world.

With two dozen wines to try, we have our work cut out for us this tasting. I know. It’s a tough life, right? Don’t worry, we’re ok.

If, like us, you’re interested in what’s happening in the booze industry in Australia, you don’t have to be a venue owner or journalist to receive this magazine.

Sign up here for your free copy of Trade Buyer’s Guide. It’s so well produced and the comments from the tasters are so insightful. 😉

SheaMoisture party with Michelle Ruzzene, Christina Butcher, Deauvanné Jarvis

L-R: Michelle Ruzzene, Christina Butcher, Deauvanné Jarvis

Christina is starting the day off beautifully at a breakfast at Promenade on Bondi Beach. An iconic spot for a long lunch, Promenade makes for a gorgeous event space for the launch of the latest SheaMoisture Aloe Butter scalp care range.

It’s also a fantastic opportunity to catch up with our friend Deavanné, who is MC of the event.

Sydney skyline moonscape

We hope you’ve enjoyed this little catch-up. Here’s to another full moon rising!

Cheers

Jim & Christina xx

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