Hubby and I went for a weekend away in Brisbane recently. We took one of those mystery deals on Wotif where you pay for a hotel (details of rating, approx location etc given) without knowing what hotel it is. We ended up getting the Sebel in King George Square in Brisbane city. I was initially a bit skeptical of what we had bought into as hubby had stayed there a few years previous and wasn't impressed with it.
I thought "Oh well... we've stayed in worst hotels in India so it can only be better than that". Boy was I wrong... it was absolutely fantastic. Our room was gorgeous and the bed was HUGE. I have never had the pleasure of watching TV in bed. Boy did I make sure I enjoyed it while I could - lots cups of tea, glasses of wine were all partaken in this BIG king size bed.
{Now being the great blogger that I am I forgot to bring a camera so you'll have to do with the photo's I could find on the internet for most of this post!}
 | |||
| {source} Layout of the room. |
We then had the pleasure of going out for dinner that night in the city. We took a train into the Valley and wandered around Chinatown looking for a good "Vietnamese" type restaurant. Asian food is one of favourite cuisines. I could eat it all..day..long! We chose to dine in a restaurant called the Red Lotus in the middle of Chinatown. It was a really great restaurant, nicely decorated and had a really great atmosphere.
 |
| Red Lotus {Source} |
We started off with fresh Rice paper rolls with a filling of traditional pork patties served with a hoisin peanut based dipping sauce. These were moreish and took the edge of my serious hunger pangs. We were there quite early so we found we didn't have to wait very long for our starter or mains.
I chose the Green Papaya & Prawn Salad. It was fresh, light and delicious! I chose a main size dish and had plenty leftover to take home with me! It was huge!
Bevan had the Satay Chicken Stir fry (I think). He was a little disappointed in the flavour but it wasn't too bad all round. The dish didn't come with rice as your had to buy it separately, which is quite common in Asian style restaurants.
 |
| {Source} |
I would really recommend the Red Lotus if your ever in the vicinity of Chinatown in the Valley. It was a good night all round. We managed to make our way out of the valley back to the hotel before the "fun" began down there. I don't think I would like to be there at 1am in the morning if you get my drift.
The next day we wandered lazily down to southbank where we were in search of a good place for breakfast. After checking out a few high priced places we stumbled across this quaint little shop called "Poppy's Basket".
 |
| {source}- Hungry Kittens |
Poppy's Basket is a bakery cum cafe cum delicatessen. I love these types of shops, it tickles the foodie within me to see all the wonderful baked products, breads, croissants, brioches and not to mention all the freshly made salads, cakes, cured meats and cheeses. Heaven.
They have a simple breakfast menu where you chose each element to your dish that you wanted - such as scambled/poached/fried eggs and each side dish such as stewed tomatoes, mushrooms, bacon etc.
It was quite busy on sunday morning but the service was quick and efficient. I would reccommend dropping in here for a bite to eat and a coffee. It had a really great atmosphere and the food was really well done.
I didn't really intend for this post to be a "review" type post but I guess that's how it turned out. My intention was to write about my latest bargain but I had to tell you the before story before I got to that.
After all our fun in Brisbane we made our way home to Toowoomba. Along the way we always pass the small town of Margburg and signs saying "Antiques down in Margburg". Since we were in the meandering mood we decided to turn off and check it out.
 |
| Thanks to Goodle Street View.. |
We stopped in at the Scotland Yard Antique store which had two stores, one was the "old" store filled with old furniture etc that needed restoring and the main shop - (pictured above) - which was filled with proper restored antique pieces. This is where I got my latest bargain.... A old rustic jug filled with the most gloriously rustic kitchenware for $10. I used my fine bargaining skills and bartered my way from $20 to $10. Perfect for the whimsical wife house and photo props!
I am just in love with the old green sifter! You may just see it featured a bit in up and coming food photo's!
Don't forget to enter the Leftover Makeover - Cookbook giveaway. You have until 12pm on the 22nd of August to enter. So make sure you get in and leave me a comment to enter.
P.s. I will promise to bring a camera next time I go away! :-)
