Hungry One’s birthday

It was the Hungry One’s birthday on Monday. There’s a bit of precedence for splashing out at birthdays.

Last year was a wine sodden trip to Orange and Selkirks. The year before was a small surprise party at the Quay Grand- I’d smuggled in contraband and stocked the fridge with boutique beers and bubbles. There were coffin bay oysters with Tetsuyas dressing and coriander, little tartlets of caramelised onion, thyme and goats cheese, a hunk of tuna sashimi, slices of Bourke st bakery baguettes with truffled butter, shot glasses of white chocolate, raspberry and passionfruit mousse and mini chocolate tarts.

The night started civilised but didn’t end up that way. Some of the more recalcitrant guests started hiding toothbrushes and other necessary toiletries in strange places throughout the suite. The next day we went to the zoo. It was tame in comparison.

This year on a whim tickets were bought to the Gold Coast. The place of unabashed excess. We stayed at the tallest building. We booked go to best ranked restaurant. We went to the themepark with the roller coaster with the most Gforce (exactly what you want after a weekend of wine and food).

Not thinking we’d be able to get much above souvlakis and hooters burgers I packed a secret picnic.

Watching the sunset we downed a bottle of 1995 Croser and ate a very simple, plane friendly feast of;

Olive bread croutons, pesto dip, San Danielle prosciutto, Lavosh, pear, Blue Castello and buffalo mozzarella. For dessert; cherries, strawberries, Lindt 70 % chocolate and hazelnut nougat.

It was civility itself. Happy birthday babe. I hope you liked it.