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Mmmm, Sugaroom Restaurant for lunch today. I had a Capari and soda while we perused the menu, just because I hadn't had one for so long. Ah, always a good way to start a meal.

The menu, while not extensive, certainly covers all the bases. I started with celeriac soup with oxtail confit and a beetroot jus. I really wanted to eat this, as I'd just done a celeriac soup for a friend of mine, and wanted to compare the two. Mine was a little simpler, but I was happy to say that I got the soup right. I hadn't considered oxtail as a set-off for this dish, but it worked perfectly. I wanted to lick the plate. And the next time I make this soup, I'll be looking for an oxtail from the butcher...

Second up, I had the roast lamb with white beans, baby turnips and carrots. We ordered a side of beans with parmesen and pine nuts. And to wash it down, a bottle or Penley Estate Gryphon Merlot.

The lamb was tasty and tender, and the veggies paired with it nicely. Other dishes were pan fried squid with chorizo and rocket for starters; pork confit with roast fennel, cauliflower puree and salsa verde, and grain fed beef fillet with sauteed mushrooms and potato dauphinoise for mains.

I'd like to go back here at night when the lights of Balmain would be a nice outlook.

OK, I never comment on politics on this site. With this exception: Julia Gillard is an idiot. I've just watched an interview with her on the subject of "cyber-bullying". Not only did she waffle, avoid answering direct questions, (insert standard policical avoidence tactic here), but she obviously didn't even understand the issue that she was not answering questions on. Can't wait for a double dissolution or the next federal election so I can not vote for her.

After the Battle of Hamel in the First World War, the then French Prime Minister, Georges Clemenceau visited the Australian troops to thank them in person. He said

"When the Australians came to France, the French people expected a great deal of you. We knew that you would fight a real fight, but we did not know that from the very beginning you would astonish the whole continent.

I shall go back to-morrow and say to my countrymen: I have seen the Australians. I have looked in their faces. I know that these men will fight alongside of us again until the cause for which we are all fighting is safe for us and for our children.”

Lest we forget.

We went to Limani Seafood Restaurant for lunch today. I've been wanting to go here for quite some time. Years and years ago the building housed another seafood restaurant, and I remember it as being kitsch-y with nets and lobster pots. Well, Limani is nothing like that.

The restaurant is located above a little cafe right on the edge of Narrabeen Lagoon and has both indoor and outdoor (on the balcony) seating.

The food was pretty darn good. We ordered a plate of garlic bread to share, but I avoided the garlic butter, and just ate the bread, which was absolutely fantastic. I then started with the salt and pepper squid, which while tasty, was a little bit oily from the deep fryer. Perhaps the temperature was a tad low? Never mind, it was very nice.

For the main, I had the grilled hiramasa kingfish fillet, with a salad of red radish, fennel, oranges, mint, fetta and honey mustard dressing. Fantastic! I'd go back just to eat this dish again.

The restaurant has an offer of a free bottle of wine on your next visit if you fill out a comment form. As a couple in the party had been to the restaurant a couple of weeks before, we got a bottle of De Bortoli Willowglen Semillon Chardonnay, which was very drinkable.

I skipped dessert and just went for coffee. All in all, a very enjoyable afternoon.

Nigel called me up this morning to see if I wanted to go out on Karl and Bill's boat. Nigel was taking it out to give it a run after a bit of a disaster when one of the guys had run it without opening the sea cock, thus overheating the engine and destroying the impellor in the water pump.

They got a mechanic to repair the water pump, and Nigel wanted to give it a run to check that a) it started and b) that it kept running. Hehe.

Anyway, after a little trouble getting the diesel to kick over initially, I drove it around to Colin's Flat while Nigel bailed out a bunch of rainwater (did I mention the automatic bilge pump had inexplicitly stopped working?) We anchored up and cleaned up a bunch of rubbish that had accumulated over the last month or so while Nigel had been working on the boat.

Eventually, we took off again and ran the engine for about another half an hour. It would appear that the guys have been extremely lucky not to do further damage to the engine in the overheating incident. It could have cost them thousands.

Last night, I went and saw Jeff Beck at the Enmore theatre. The lineup included Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, Tal Wilkenfeld on bass, and David Sancious on keys.

I'm not even going to attempt to describe this gig. Let's just say that with Vinnie and Tal providing what has to be close to the best "engineroom" in the business, David providing the "mood" keys, and Jeff - well what can you say? - being Jeff, the performance was riveting.

A beaut day today for Australia Day. Gary and I scored a couple of bottles of 1999 Penfold's Yattarna over Christmas and today was the day to drink them. A couple of dozen Sydney Rock oysters, a kilo of tiger prawns, and some salad saw off the first bottle. And the second bottle was knocked off with a perfect King Island camerbert. Luxury.

Happy new year!

I went and watched the 9pm fireworks at Manly last night. Some of my friends set up a table (or should I say a number of tables) down there each year. They have to get there very early in the day to get their favoured spot. They have lunch and a few cold beers and stick around for both the fireworks in Manly, and the city fireworks at midnight. The city stuff is just visible. While you can't see the bridge, you can certainly see all the high stuff.

I arrived at about 8:30pm, stuck around for the fireworks, and then went back to the Corso to have a few beers with another mate.

I was home by 11:30pm in time to watch the city fireworks on TV.

Merry Christmas! We had lunch at my parents' place. One of my mother's sisters and her husband also attended. A nice seafood lunch was enjoyed by all.

My sister and her partner Warren came done to Sydney from up the North Coast for a two day visit. We went to dinner at Whitewater Restaurant for a feed, which I've written about before, and happens to be one of my favourite restaurants in Manly. My sister hadn't eaten there before, and as she's a bit of a foodie too, she enjoyed it a lot.