Cirque du Soleil and Sushisuma

Had the advantage of being part of a group booking for some Cirque du Soleil tickets, for the latest production: Dralion. The advantage of the group booking? $10 discount. However, It still means that you pay over $100 per ticket.

Prior to heading to fox studios, we went to Sushisuma to eat. I had been here the week before, prior to seeing Sigur Ros at the Hordern, and I have been here a few years ago. I remember having to queue up on the street outside waiting for a table.

The renovations have included a new "waiting room" upstairs, where you are expected to order. If you haven't ordered, don't expect to be able to secure a table downstairs. Terse communication from the waiters mean that it is generally the other customers that explain why you are up here, and what to do.

Luckily, no waiting on a Thursday night. We got the enormous Kaiso Salad (mysteriously lurking in the entreee section of the menu), the teriayki fish dinner set, and a bowl of tempura udon. The dinner set was very good value, and although only one set was ordered, the other party got some agedashi tofu and the vanilla icecream with red bean and green tea topping. I loved the sauce that the Kaiso salad came with - it was a mountain of mostly shredded cabbage, carrot and wakame. I ended up taking away some leftovers home, although of course, it was not the same the next day. Searching for it online only seems to come up with an "instant" packet of the stuff, and no explanation of what a Kaiso salad is, or what dressing to use. plum dressing?

Cirque du soleil - the acrobatics were amazing, especially the girl who stood upside down on her hand on top of a pole, and then twisted her body this way and that. Just watching it, you couldn't believe that her body was connected at all, it was like there were two separate disjointed "bits". I also enjoyed the trampoline section where the multiple acrobats bounced between two trampolines, "walked up the wall", and then onto an intermediate platform inbetween fun and enjoyable.

However... what I didn't like. I found the costumes a little bit "twee" and predictable. What is the point of getting the acrobats to head backstage, change one chinese style costume for another (including a fake "mop-end of hair" for another). I vaguely remember reading a smh review of the show, which mentioned something about a rather weak story line joining the whole lot. Some of the artists I actually, well, the girl in the blue costume near the end of the show, who did the ribbon acrobatics. Watching her, it was all very routine, and she didn't look like she was enjoying herself at all. And ARGH, what was the point of the two singers? Silly winged costumes, songs that were nothing, and the 'hey look over there while I change the set' technique. I - uh- ... actually got a little bored near the end of the show.

It's so very easy to be critical and judgemental .. but really, when you're paying over $100 for the ticket, wouldn't you expect more! Anyway. I did enjoy myself. I am glad I went and saw the show once, but I don't think that I would bother to do so again.

New Socks

After the washing fairy has washed and dried the clothes, and it comes to sorting. I always seem to end up with the mismatched pairs, or the ones that have matching holes in the toe. His excuse: Your socks are always shorter than mine, and I have the softer ones. This problem is not helped by the fact that I like men's business socks.

In response I have just bought 3 new 3 packs of socks for me. Count them! And not only that, I am going to monogram them so he can't claim them as his own.

Adelaide: Central Market

So, my first Adelaide morning was spent wandering around Central Market. I liked it. Like a cross between Queen Vic and Prahan markets in Melbourne (except without the free and abundant samples). And arrgh, why can't we have markets like this in Sydney! There was coffee, nut shops (Charlesworths appears to be an Adelaide institutions), smelly cheese shops, and the biggest chocolate crackle that I have seen!

After some debate (across the road in a cafe on Gouger Street), I decided to get a baby goats cheese (Le Crottin d'Anton), a Barossa Valley Cheese 'baby bert', a truffle...! (My first one ever. I got the French summer one, rather than the stronger Tassie Winter one). Also, the house blend from the coffee bean shop, and one of the ginormous chocolate crackle in dark chocolate.

I went to the Sydney Growers' Markets the next weekend (good timing, eh?), and it was fun, and it was sunny and glorious and there were samples to taste and try... but I wish the Sydney ones were a weekly occurrence (or even daily, if I could stump it), instead of a "special" occasion.

I have read in the mX though, that there will soon be a weekly Hawksbury Harvest farmers markets on Friday mornings at the corner of cook & phillip park (St Mary's Cathedral, or sort of where William Street starts). Exciting! I hope there will be good bread.

Mmm.. duck

We tried the duck with 'ginger & star anise' pastabilities pasta on Sunday night.

I prepared as suggested on the packet, with a bit of soy sauce flavoured "asian greens" (spinach). It was quite nice, although the presentation was terrible. (I don't know how you could do it if needed at at dinner party). The inside tasted a bit like those little roast chicken livers you get from the chinese bbq duck places. (Also Suan-i-san thai place on Pitt St in Sydney).

I also tried to pan fry a few, to get a 'healthy version' of the ones they do at the markets for samples. Not much luck… I think you really need to deep fry them. I ended up with normal looking pasta, with some uneven brown dried bits where it had been in contact with the pan.