birthday

Yes, it's been a while, that's true. But I have 2000 words due tomorrow, so what better time to blog?

A lot has happened since last I wrote.. including a birthday dinner of mine at BCoz, Riversdale Road, Hawthorn (here). It's a certified organic, completely ready-to-comply-to-whatever-dietary-requirement-you-can-throw-at-us 'fine dining' restaurant (we threw nothing, and they actually seemed quite disappointed).
I was 21.

I was having an anxiety problem, and shouldn't have had more than a sip of the delicious organic rose-tinted sparkling wine we started with, because after the lovely tomato salad...no photos of this, alas, but Bcoz's description: yarra valley heirloom tomato, pickled cucumber, feta, basil & spinach salad... who knew there were so many kinds of tomato?
The Black Russian ones tasted like baked beans. Yes, sophisticated lady am I...

Anyway, after some different zucchini flowers (with half-zucchini attached!) - rice battered, with quinoa, pickled vegetable and brazil nut salad - I felt wrong by the time the soup appeared, and I don't generally care much for soup. This was fine, but it was just soup. How cute the bowls were, though! (Photos très artistiques par ma plus 'tite soeur.) And the bread that came with tasted just like out of Mum's bread machine, but they'd stuck white to wholemeal dough, which was just as cute as the bowls, and we had butter. Mmm. Anyhow, the soup was a ducky broth with sweetcorn and pasta. So when the Moreton Bay bugs arrived, beautifully done (wok tossed queensland bug meat, leaves, macadamias, spanish onion,
chilli salad passionfruit dressing), it was all I could do, once I got back from the Ladies, to look sadly on and try to tell myself I'd feel better once I'd swallowed some food.

Didn't work for the chicken with cashew and coconut, albeit this was tastable art, and it was gorgeous. Okay, a description is called for. It was amazing. Menu said: crisped milawa free range chicken, leaves, wonton wafer, dried mango, cashew nuts, coconut dressing. OH the coconut dressing, woe to be without appetite.

Wondering if I felt better after another trip to the loo, I didn't even try for more than a taste of the lamb (on sweet potato mash with mustard seed sauce), though I did get a photo.
But! Appetite somehow reappeared in time for dessert. Funny, that.
Dessert platters were good. My favourite was possibly the warm banana soufflé - inspired! Apple and pear 'bread pudding' was very good with an interesting sugary crumb. It was nice with the toffee icecream, which they had told us was vanilla bean, but the pudding was a bit too much sugar, which makes my throat hurt. Needed cream. 'Bread' here wasn't referring to actual bread, but a cakey entity.
What else... the coconut and lime tart was great, went beaut with pineapple sorbet. Fun, fun. The chocolate hazelnut marshmallow was funny but good. I liked it. But the whole dessert platter needed some cream accompanying.. the sweet needed diluting!

Next birthday, either something spontaneous or nothing. No more stress.
If anyone sprang a surprise posh dinner, or lunch on me, I wouldn't mind, though. That wouldn't be stress.