Bella Vista Restaurant, Santa Barbara

We had heard great things about the sunsets at Butterfly Beach  and the Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara, so on our last night, we decided to head to the resort for dinner around sunset.

Parking was a breeze, right out front near the beach, or you could valet if you wished. The staff were fantastic, remembering us from earlier that day and welcoming us individually by name, ensuring we were seated in an area with a great view over the beach and that we were warm enough - thanks to the lovely fire pit and gas heaters.

The service was excellent. Our waiter was attentive, but not intrusive, and very knowledgeable in relation to the food and drinks menu, even down to outlining ingredients in some of the sauces.

Our meal that evening:

Entrees:
Grilled Octopus - Green Olive Potato Salad, Warm Pancetta Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette
Wild Boar Pappardelle - Pinot Noir Braised, Morel Mushrooms

The octopus was the star of the show here, beautifully smokey, yet delicate flavors.

Mains:
Organic Chicken - Porcini Bolognese, Soft Polenta, Romanesco Broccoli
California Duck Breast

The duck proved the better dish here.


Sides:
Truffle Parmesan Fries, Roasted Garlic Aioli


We rounded the meal off with some very strong (be careful if driving) but yummy cocktails - the end to a perfect evening.

This restaurant boasts a beautiful location with the beach just across the road> We were treated to an amazing Santa Barbara sunset and some other diners advised that earlier, they had seen a few pods of dolphins, so you never know your luck.

The atmosphere in the outdoor seating area was relaxing and romantic, the perfect end to our stay in Santa Barbara.  Highly recommended

Cafe Sydney, Circular Quay, NSW Sydney Australia

If you are hosting visitors from overseas or want an impressive view for a special occasion then this is the place you need to book. We have impressed a number of friends with this amazing location overlooking both the Opera House and the bridge.

For the view and the food, the prices are quite reasonable. After all, you are in the middle of Sydney looking at an amazing vista. Whilst its not Michelin starred, the food is good, but remember, it is still casual dining and not a fine dining french restaurant. That said the meals are of decent size, flavors are great, wine and cocktail selection are good and the staff are fantastic.

As you might have guessed this is no secret spot. Right on Circular Quay, perched atop customs house, the restaurant can be easily accessed on foot or by public transport from within or outside of the CBD and if you want the table with a view you will need to get in early.  Over the last few years we have needed to book at least 2 months in advance to ensure we secured our favourite spot and leading up to any holidays we expect you would need to get in even earlier to snag that space.

Can recommend:

Entrees:
Cannot go past the crumbed crab cake, grilled prawn, cornichon, fennel, sauce gribiche - best dish in the house, beautiful.

Main:
The following have been hits with us over the last few visits:
Twice cooked duck leg, fig, thyme gnocchi, cavalo nero, jus
Cone Bay barramundi, prawn, baby carrot, pearl barley, harissa, lemon butter
Peppered beef tenderloin, brussels sprouts, swiss brown mushroom, bone marrow, jus

Dessert:
Double chocolate slice, pistachio crumble, passion fruit sorbet, creme fraiche

TIP: Book a table outside.  In winter, they crank up the gas heaters and staff provide cozy blankets. We have enjoyed the restaurant in the heat of summer, as the cool breeze kicks in and in the chilly winter enjoying apple and rhubarb crumble with our blankets, snuggled up having a coffee. On our last visit we enjoyed a huge thunderstorm across the city from underneath the outdoor awning.

http://www.cafesydney.com/

Our Favorite Things in Vegas

After returning from our fourth visit to the 'city of sin' there were some things we continued to do, some places we gave a miss and some that were even better than we remembered.

After having a relaxing, yes, that right we RELAXED IN VEGAS.....time, we are sure to return for a fifth trip, and when we do, these are the things we will be doing:

1. Staying at Wynn Las Vegas - this is our favourite hotel right now and returning recently, following a 6 year gap, it was better than ever. The resort atmosphere and exemplary service makes for a truly relaxing experience. TIP: pay the extra to stay in a tower suite - the additional pools, complimentary breakfast and level of service is well worth it. 
2. Driving a tank. Yep, you can do it all in Vegas and although there was no time to fit it in this trip, its definitely on the list for next time
3. Cirque Du Soleil, If you haven't seen Cirque Du Soleil in Vegas, you haven't seen Cirque Du Soleil at its best.  Having seen the majority of Cirque shows in Vegas, our firm favourite by a mile is KA at MGM Grand
4. Take a walk down The Strip. Las Vegas is ever evolving, each trip we find something new and interesting on a walk down the famous strip.  Free entertainment, courtesy of Bellagio Fountains or the Volcano at Mirage, this time we were disappointed to see that the Sirens of TI show has been permanently cancelled to make way for shops, which leads us to....
5. Shopping at the Premium Outlets North, whilst we didn't stock up on this visit, there have been times when we have truly been pushing that luggage limit and once where we couldn't talk our way out of paying excess baggage due to some great prices on designer brands.
6. Visit the Grand Canyon National Park . We have flown over it, drove out to it for half a day, tipped toed our way around the Skywalk and on the next trip we plan to raft through part of it. A beautiful and unique place well worth travelling out to see - and yes, it is quite a way to get there so allow a full day.
7. Restaurant Joel Robuchon , its worth it
8. Cheaper dining options...... we love the Buffet at Mirage for dinner.  They have a great choice of food, plenty of items cooked fresh to order and its great value for money.
9. Visiting the Spa at Encore . What an experience. Not only is the spa beautiful and relaxing, it has a great menu of treatment options and packages that could well keep you there all day and have you floating out on a cloud.  The Moroccan mud wrap was amazing and when you book a treatment, you are welcome to turn up well in advance and linger on afterwards enjoying the rest of the facilities including sauna, plunge pools, showers or have a relaxing herbal tea and some fruit.
10. Get married - yep, definitely going to renew our vows on the next trip to Las Vegas, why not, its a bit of fun and with almost 90,000 a year doing it, its not like they are short of options. www.vegas.com/weddings/

Social Eating House, Broadbeach, Queensland

Social Eating House is a newish restaurant, in Broadbeach on teh Gold Coast.  It focusses on a shared dining experience and offering a great range of small and large sharing platters with plenty of flavor.


As we were staying at Peppers on Broadbeach, the restaurant was conveniently located just downstairs on Oracle Boulevard.


We visited in December 2013 and were very impressed with our meal, drinks, the restaurant and the staff. We enjoyed:

  -  ½ Shell Hervey Bay Scallops, Red Curry, Tomato and Kaffir Lime
  -  1kg Boneless Salt Bush Lamb Shoulder, Slow Roasted In Sheep’s Milk Yoghurt and Lamb Stock
  -  Grilled Red Claw Yabby, Tarragon and Brown Butter Emulsion, Shaved Fennel, Jamon and Rockmelon Leaf
  -  Roasted Chat Potatoes, Caper and Lemon Mayo
  -  Green Leaves, Fennel, Peas, Feta and Mint

The lamb was by far the star of the show. Slow cooked, packed with flavor, moist and tender, melt in the mouth goodness. The green leaves, fennel,peas, feta and mint where there perfect friend for this huge piece of meat allowing us to ensure we finished the entire piece (it was slightly larger than expected).

We have tried a few slow cooked lamb shoulders at other restaurants however, this one is by far the best

This casual, relaxed and trendy restaurant/bar is a great place to catch up with a  group of friends. We will definitely be visiting again.

http://www.socialeatinghouse.com.au/