Belated birthday brunch

Garry and I have enjoyed brunch at the highly acclaimed Icebergs Dining Room & Bar on Bondi Beach this month. Our meal was funded by Hamish and Matt. They gave me a dining gift voucher for my 50th Birthday last year. After much talk and little action, Garry and I finally got our act together and booked a meal before it expired.

This was the first time at Icebergs for both of us. The restaurant has long been on our "must-do" list as it's received rave reviews since opening its doors in 2002. The venue sits on the top floor of the Icebergs Surf Life Saving Club overlooking iconic Bondi Beach. The location alone is worth the experience.

Sadly, Icebergs didn't wow us.  The service was a little sterile. Likewise, brunch probably didn't show the kitchen at its best. We also discovered that our brunch package included just one barista coffee each. This wasn't disclosed up front. As a result, we were stunned when we were hit with a bill for almost $30 for two additional coffees we'd ordered during our meal.

Despite the disappointment of a petty coffee bill, we couldn't have picked a better day to visit Bondi. The winter sun was dazzling, and the beach looked spectacular.  After brunch, we made the most of the weather and did the coastal walk to Bronte and back before making our way home.

Frigid Melbourne

We’re back in Melbourne for business this week. We've flown down in August for the last two years to spend a week exhibiting our company at the AGHA Gift Fair. This event is split between two venues; some exhibitors are based at the Melbourne Conference and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) in town, while the rest, including Artiwood, are based at the less salubrious Showgrounds near Flemington Racecourse.

Several contractors have joined Garry and me to help set up and staff our stand. This includes Gaby and Robbie whom we fly in from Mullumbimby, plus Emily and her Mum who coordinate our organic plush toy section. It’s a busy week that sees us spend the entire day on-site at the showgrounds before returning each night to our Airbnb apartment. Gaby and Robbie are also staying with us.

For this event, I’ve rented a three-bedroom rooftop penthouse in Brunswick. The apartment features a massive outdoor balcony. However, it’s bitterly cold in Melbourne (and we’ve discovered that there’s no gas in the BBQ) so we’ve spent very little time enjoying this spectacular outdoor space. 

I must admit that the two days we spent setting up our stand weren't much fun either. The venue's loading dock doors remained open during set up. As a result, the ambient temperature inside the building was as cold, if not cooler than outside. It was a bitter 5C when we arrived on site shortly after 9:00am on Friday. The daytime high then briefly hit 13C, before dropping to 10C around 5:00pm.

This apartment is the first Airbnb rental I've booked. I finally yielded to market forces and registered with the app in April. Last year I booked us into a tiny serviced apartment that wasn't memorable by any stretch of the imagination.