Sydney Cellar Door

i get it now! apparently you just need to show the original credit card once, so screw everything else...i guess there are times when i feel like i should have a credit card, but then all those chick flicks suggest otherwise...also, i understand those final stuff! for snowboard/ski cross, you get times first off to get ranked, the faster you are, you can choose your starting gate (there are 4). then there are 8 heats, then quarter finals, semi finals, then small finals to rank the 5-8th positions from semi finals, and big final to rank 1st-4th i.e. the medal place. so funny tonight in ladies ski cross since the commentators were like "fingers crossed the people in front fall" so the aussie can progress to the next round. only 2/4 people can go to the next round. a lot of people fall in ski cross compared to snowboard. i think snowboarding is really cool.

talk of the day yesterday was how fb bought whatsapp for $21billion aus, which is a lot of money compared to instagram which was just $1 billion. 

talk of the day today was half price messina. not many of these type of things are discounted. so once i saw the deal, i bought it straightaway, about an hour later, it was sold out even though it was 1 per person/account. also talk of the day was how that russian won first place in figure skating since she stumbled/wasn't perfect. like snowboard is all about "overall impression" but apparently since they want Russia to win, overall impression doesn't matter as much, even though to me overall impression for ice skating is pretty important! a lot of the stuff is rigged this year. like i've heard russia kind of rigged it to win the draw/bids to be the host country. another thing, my bro saw once russia was versing another country in ice hockey, and the puck was in-even the camera inside the goal showed it passed the line, but the referee overruled it so the team versing russia would lose. not that i despise Russia, i think the 15yr old Yulia is promising. i feel like her signature move is the mount and spin at the end of her routine since people are nowhere near as fast. i definitely prefer free skating over short-you can add in so much more style. i also like pair free skating since they chuck people around and are ever so synchronised. ice dances are just dancing and lifts, but they don't always have the usual ice skating jumps/turns.

yogurt berry and creme brûlée, nachito (pineapple, honey, cinnamon) sorbet and apple pie-$6 each

thanks JB-Hi5 for the shout (not sure if you read this since you're work life is so hectic!) the yogurt berry was very yogurty/creamy but not enough berry flavour. creme brûlée just had toffee bits and in vanilla bean gelato. i liked the nachito since you had a massive hit of cinnamon, and i love my cinnamon. pineapple was a bit subtle in it though. the apple pie tasted like its name. also, the salted coconut and mango salsa was interesting...

on the way back from uni, i saw the stands all set up, and coincidentally the Sydney Cellar Door started today, so spontaneous food adventure. it was at hyde park south this time, and unlike the night markets, this had a lot more stalls. obviously less food because most of the stalls were wine, but still more stalls set up/less tables and chairs. the food this time round was slightly more decently cheap (not saying it isn't overpriced), but less stir fries etc. there was also more samples to try as well. messina was there and if i didn't have it earlier today, i would've tried some of their other creations things since i wasn't in the city during their "carnivale" creations. the wine there isn't cheap. cheapest is 1 glass for $25 for 5 tokens, and each token is 60ml of wine, which is only about 3 standard servings...so about $8.30 a glass...oh, change of mind, that's actually decently priced to try the wines. i think it's pretty cute how they have different regions with their signs like Hunter, Orange etc. 

pork belly-$12

yes, it's not really worth it, but it's the most "worth it" thing there since it's by chefs from intercontinental sydney, and at Cafe Opera, you can't really find savoury stuff for $12. i think this was worth it, beautifully and "lovingly" presented by the chefs (well as beautiful as "fast food" can be plated on disposable plates). the pork belly was tender and nicely seasoned (but not overly salty), the sweet potato was sweet, the peaches and plums gave a slight acidity, and the crackle gave a nice texture (since there wasn't any pork crackling, but i'm guessing it's just harder to cook and maintain the crunchiness of a crackling in a small stall/outdoorish kitchen)

kangaroo and red wine pie-$5

not sure if it's supposed to be a kangaroo shape on the pie.

chunks of kangaroo!

didn't get any wine, but i walked past pie by Mick's Bakehouse and thought why not? it's a lot smaller than what you would probably get in one of the shops, but i'm at a wine festival, so i thought i should get this pie since it had some sort of wine, and i love my kangaroo. meat was in chunks, and was nice and tender. this pie is different to other pies, then again, it really depends on personal preference. this pie felt "healthier" than others since it was more doughy/sturdier, and not 99% butter filled puff pastry(even though it melts in your mouth and delicious-it's almost all fat...). the gravy was thicker so easier to eat and cut, unlike other pies which has it's sauce and mince spilling out making it messy to eat.