Adventures in the Antipodes.....

(....or not.)
I had to take a quick trip back to Melbourne, Australia recently to take care of some family business, and I didn't have ANY spare time, so I didn't get to any bars, breweries or restaurants. But, the good news is that the local bottle shops had plenty of good beers to keep in the fridge at my mum's place, including a few I'd not tried before, and the local food shops offerred a plethora of fantastic fresh fare for me to cook.

The beer on the far left was a simple lager brewed with NZ Nelson Sauvignon hops, and was delicious. The Pepperjack was a beer mixed with some Shiraz grapes and made in the Barossa Valley. Little Creatures was the staple in my fridge, along with Melbourne's Mountain Goat Brewery's Steam Beer (not pictured.)

 

 

 My mum lives in a predominately Greek area, and the local shopping centre reflected this with an abundance of fish markets featuring fresh octopus and fresh sardines! Cooked simply in a little garlic and olive oil, the elusive (to Detroit, anyway) sardines were just superb (though my mum said she preferred the canned ones!). Another evening saw us feasting on giant fresh shrimp over linguine. And another on duck breast with a pomegranate and balsamic reduction sauce. And, I can't forget the freshly caught rabbit, courtesy of a friend of my mum's, braised with prunes and James Squire Porter, and accompanied with Tasmania's Cascade Stout.

My only free two hours during the whole time away saw me at Acland Cellars, an amazing bottle shop that specializes in imports that nobody else has. Check out what I found there......(and the prices!)

Alaskan Smoked Porter!!

I resisted the urge to buy the Consecration to bring back with me, but kicked myself as I was eating the duck breast......