BROWN ST NEWTOWN

My beautiful cousin turned 19 this weekend. We decided to venture into Newtown for brunch and a small treat. Satelite Café is located half way down Brown Street (on the corner of Brown and Wilson Street) Newtown. The service is a little slow but the food was really worth the wait. If you want a true Newtown style café, this is your place. The barista was something straight out of That 70s Show ;) Love it. I had the avocado toast with lemon, tomato, feta and coriander with a soy Banana Whip (Yum), the girls had the Berry Pancakes with black sesame glaze (really good), Smash Hash, stir fry potato with bacon, shallot and garlic confit YUM – it was all really great, recommended.

Walking back up to my car (easy park on main road King Street) we passed The Pie Tin (below), located almost at the corner of King and Brown Street in Newtown. Now this place is amazing, instant warm and fuzzy feeling as you enter the door, there are a heap of sweet pie options and then the hot pie range just fantastic!! Particularly impressed with the Mushroom Stroganoff Pie for the vegetarians!!! They have won a bunch of awards including Barista of the Year 2010 so this place is definitely worth checking out.

SEAL ROCKS NSW NORTH COAST

Hubby and I took a break last weekend and headed up to beautiful Seal Rocks which is part of the Myall Lakes National Park about 50km north of Newcastle, just past Nelsons Bay. Seal Rocks is a magical area and really feels like you have stepped back in time, back to the 80’s when life was simple and you spent your day surfing, eating and hanging out. Time, in fact, seems to stop here, the days are so long and you feel so relaxed. The fishing (they say) is pretty great, and the surfing is just spectacular. If you are not into either, the beaches to walk, swim and enjoy are amazing – crystal blue waters with abundant marine life. I love that development seems to have completely missed this town, apparently the locals think this is perfect, so take note of the dirt road in and out of area, just adds to the charm I think!


We stayed in the log cabin at Treachery Camp http://www.treacherycamp.com.au/ , great spot as you had access to both Lighthouse Beach and Treachery Beach. The log cabins are separate to the main camping ground, set up on the hill with water views, very private and quiet. Perfect.




The other accommodation options include Seal Rocks Holiday Park http://www.sealrocksholidaypark.com.au and my favourite for next time – Sugar Loaf Point Lighthouse http://www.sealrockslighthouseaccommodation.com.au/

THE PANTRY MANLY

Living on the Northern Beaches, it becomes quite rare that new and exciting restaurants open, unlike the CBD where it seems every week there is somewhere new to try. My lovely brother-in-law's 40th birthday dinner last night was at The Pantry on Manly Beach. Opening in late October with a small revamp since then, The Pantry was just such a huge surprise - everything from the interior design to the food. The location is the best in Manly - right on Manly Beach in the middle of the walk way. The views are amazing. The food is a mix of Tapas and bistro style dining. The margaritas/cocktails were perfect!


For entree we had a small selection of tapas including: peppers stuffed with goats cheese, pigs belly risotto balls (not my choice), scallops with Gruyere cheese and mushroom and tomato bruschetta. It was all sublime - the peppers were amazing, melted in your mouth.

For mains, no one had food envy, the choices included: rainbow trout baked in salt with side salad, roasted chicken with seasonal vegetables, spicy pork sausage with home style mash, salmon baked in paper bag with vegetables and salad and mine (I think the best choice) Tagliatelle with calamari, chilli, butter and pangritata (YUM)

Strongly recommend for you to try this restaurant - we will be back to try the breakfast and lunch menus!!!!! Website under construction (they really need to get this moving) it's www.thepantrymanly.com.au

DECORPAD

Another amazing site…. DecorPad is a source for decorating, renovating and home building. 30,000 members since 2008, now that is certainly an achievement! I love the colour inspiration paint gallery and the huge library of inspiration, advice and ideas. Here are some inspiring images to get you started, visit their site at http://www.decorpad.com/ for more information and inspiration

FAUX BAMBOO CHAIRS

Here are some images of my current obsession… faux bamboo dining chairs. My current stylist hero is Jonathan Adler with his use of bold colours throughout the home. I’m yet to find where I can purchase these magnificent chairs, but they are the goal for our gorgeous wooden dining table. The only place so far I have found that custom makes the chairs is Subtle Finish http://www.subtlefinish.com.au/ based in Byron Bay. Costs are very reasonable and they deliver to Sydney and Melbourne. I’m on a mission….