Thanks Leo, Jarrod and Mick

BRISBANE 3.5 10.8 13.9 15.10 (100)
SYDNEY 3.4 6.6 11.7 14.8 (92)
Match report from The Sydney Morning Herald here. More about the farewell to the boys here and here and here.

Adam Goodes

A bit of wind and Jarrod gets treatment

3 quarter time

Absolutely

Last game for the year

Bobby Skilton.

Poppy's 71st

Happy Birthday Dad.

Grubs done. Time for the footy. Mickey O, Leo Barry and Jarrod Crouch's last game.

Flinders Inn 4

Overall Flinders Inn is pretty bloody good. Very good value too compared to some of the hatted places we've been to recently (mains for less than $30). Nice to get change from 500 bucks let alone change from $200 like tonight. Flinders Inn is too new to have any rating from The Good Food Guide yet but I expect it to get a reasonably good score in the next edition.

Dessert.
Quince tarte tartin.
Steamed chocolate pudding, orange, honey ice cream.

Flinders Inn 3

Mains
Flinders daube de boeuf, parsnip, turnip, mustard cress.
Confit pork belly, roast cauliflower puree, caramelised apples.
We also got sides of delicious mashed potatoes and green bean and eschallots.

Flinders Inn 2

Pan seared scallop, roast tomato, pickled jerusalem artichoke salad for entree.

Flinders Inn

We're eating up the road from home in Paddington at Flinders Inn. A fairly new place, they've been getting a bit of press lately and the chef has some pedigree. I like a chef who's bigger than me.
Oysters natural from Merimbula for starters.

At the Captain Cook

While we wait for a table at the Flinders Inn we're having a beer, a Blue Tongue, at the Captain Cook Hotel on Flinders Street Paddington.

400

Galileo's telescope is 400 years old today. Well, yesterday in Australia, but it is still the 25th somewhere in the world. Google's Doodle, the main Google logo, was even adapted for the day thus:

Yesterday we figured out how to use our replica Galileoscope properly, that is, in all its 50x power glory. The most we'd got out of it up to now was with 25x power. We can see Jupiter as a disk with a couple of very faint cloud bands visible now. I reckon it is amazing considering we're in the middle of Sydney with all that light pollution and last night was pretty hazy too. Awesomeness squared. I haven't been able to take any snapshots through the scope but other people have and if you click here you can see Jupiter pretty much how we see it except we can see the moons too.
There's a bunch more photos on Flickr here but I particularly like this one. And remember, they've all been shot through this US$15 telescope.

Sunday arvo footy

Bloody Pies smashed the Swans dammit.

Fish for everyone

7 news live from Martin Place

Chris Bath, on the left, and some other goober. The Seven Network's main Sydney studio is on Martin Place as has big picture windows on three sides so the punters can watch the goings on. It's also across the road from where I work.

Rockpool Bar & Grill

For takeaway Wagyu burger and fries. Neil Perry is in the kitchen too. No wonder he didn't cook for us at Rockpool last week.
The bottom line? David Blackmore’s Full Blood Wagyu Hamburger
with Bacon, Gruyere Cheese and Zuni Pickle ($22) is awesome. Yeah I'd pay 22 bucks for that... I did in fact. I also had the Hand Cut Chips for $12 and while very good they're just chips and not worth 12 bucks to take away. I'd have them in again though because they really are good chips. Anyway the burger is big and beefy and juicy and the wagyu flavour is the star. It isn't overwhelmed by the Gruyere or the pickle. I'd go as far to say it is better than the wagyu burger from Plan B even though the Plan B wagyu burger is half the price of Rockpool's.

Rockpool Bar and Grill is at 66 Hunter Street Sydney.

So it isn't Summer

But a fine kiwi Summer Ale from Monteith's certainly hits the spot.
Goes well with this.

Pancakes for lunch

Michelle had told me we can't go to the Pancake Parlour any more because these pancakes are so good. We have buttermilk pancakes with whipped butter, real Canadian Maple syrup, bacon, poached eggs, oven baked tomatoes and Michelle also had some English spinach.

Update for German Sibling: The recipe for whipped butter is essentially that - you beat the shit out of some room temperature butter until it is light, white and fluffy. The buttermilk pancakes are easy too. One or two cups of self raising flour an egg and maybe a quarter to half a cup of sugar. Whisk that and add butter milk until you have a pancake mix consistency - not too runny. I used about 450 ml of buttermilk today. You can use ordinary milk like we have for most of our lives but lately I've found the buttermilk gives it that Lovely Pancake Parlour flavour. I do it by look and feel. I don't measure it all out as such. Try and get some real Canadian Maple Syrup. The maple flavoured just doesn't cut it. Even in the Pancake Parlour they charge extra for the real deal otherwise you just get the flavoured shite - but it will do in a pinch. Honey works too I suppose.
It is the one gastronomic contribution from Yank culture that I think is sublime. A couple of years ago I would've had a fit if you made me eat this but now...
PS: Michelle said she has all those lovely recipes on her blog but the one you want is pancakes. LOL :-)

Meanwhile I went shopping

Portuguese tarts and a madelena from Sweet Belem in Petersham. Tijelada (custard flanny thing) from the other pastry shop a few doors down from Sweet Belem.

Saturday morning sleep-in

Rockpool 7

Nice mural.
The kitchen.
Petit fours and coffee. Also came with salty caramel chewy lollies and delicious light marshmallows.

Rockpool 6

Course 4.
Mandarin cloud with white chocolate mousse and sherbet.
Passionfruit souffle with passionfruit ice cream.

Rockpool 5

I'll update what we're having when I get home. Too pissed now.
At home update (well the next day at work).
Course 3.
Mulloway with king prawn, radish, pea tendrils and oyster vermouth sauce.
Red braise of rangers valley short rib, tendon and shiitake mushrooms with flowering garlic chives and crispy sichuan shallot cake.

Rockpool 4

Course 2.
Seared scampi, tea smoked potato puree, braised cabbage and bacon with scampi bearnaise.
Grilled scallop with stir fried southern calamari, smoked bacon and squid ink noodles.

Rockpool 3

Course 1.
Lobster, abalone mushroom, tea smoked duck prosciutto and asian pear with pepper caramel dressing.
Fragrant crab broth with hand picked mud crab, dashi custard, tapioca and wild bamboo pith.

Rockpool 2

Canapes.
Chilled zucchini and Parmesan cheese foam tart.
Tortellini with pine nuts and currents. Can't remember what was in the tortellini.