Wine Buff, Ranelagh & Salt Lick (Hobarts)

Salt Lick is a BYOB pop up restaurant that is open in Hobart's every Friday and Saturday.  We love the atmosphere here and we also love how the menu changes every month.

We had an 8pm reservation but beforehand we called to the Wine Buff to buy a bottle of wine.  We are completely clueless when it comes to wine so luckily the owner is very happy to give recommendations......and also tastings!  He had a bottle of Malbec open so while chatting to us about what to have in Salt Lick he gave us a glass to enjoy.  Brilliant!

This is the Beaujolais that we ended up buying.  There was one chilling already in the fridge so it was good to go!

We enjoyed the wine with our meal and agreed that it was a great choice finding it a combination of peppery and fruity.

It was "Diner Month" in Salt Lick and we couldn't wait to see how it was!

For starters there was a choice of wings.  We got a portion of each.  The ones on the left are Korean wings while the others are Garlic and Honey with house hot suace.  Both were extremely flavoursome and perfectly cooked (slightly crispy on the outside, moist falling off the wing on the inside.

Once Ciaran started eating his wings he remarked that he wished he had brought beer instead of having wine with his food.  For me as a non-beer drinker the wine was perfect but I think beer would have been a good option for him given the type of food that we were eating.  

Main was a choice of three sliders from a selection of four.

Corn fritter, coriander, avocado, chipotle mayo and macerated heirloom tomato.

Pan fried prawns in garlic butter, shredded iceberg, spicy Marie rose.

Sweetbread with confit lemon and caper mayo.

Beef short rib, kimchee ketchup and pickled daikon radish.

The sliders looked so good that we had eaten nearly all of them before I remembered to take a photo.  Ciaran's favourite was the prawn slider while I loved the vegetarian option, with the sweetbread slider coming in a close second.  Surprisingly the beef was our least favourite even though we had order the most of this one as we expected it to be the nicest!

The prawn slider reminded me of the fresh taste of fish tacos that I had down in Key West off  Garbo's Grill food cart.  We sat on the kerb and ate our food with a cold drink in hand taking shade from the midday heat under a large tree close by.

Dessert (which I think pushed me over the edge - I was so full!) for me was malted cheesecake with cherry cola syrup (which I asked for on the side) while Ciaran had a fried Apple Danish with ice cream.  I loved mine while Ciaran said his was "ok".

All in all a great night but after eating so much it was time to go straight home and not stop off for a drink even though we had received an invitation to join someone for a drink after our meal. Another great night in Salt Lick!

Jennifer Rothwell - New store in Powerscourt

Last night Amy and I attended the launch of Jennifer Rothwell's new store in Powerscourt.

I was delighted to be invited to this event as I adore this designers work - click here to see a dress that I bought a little while back.

Constance Harris introduced Jennifer Rothwell and told us of her past accomplishments.  The designer has had many great successes and lots of fans and followers.

Here is the designer and her daughter in stunning creations.  As well as using amazing prints the feel and fall of the fabric used fits the female form so well.

And of course we got to try on some amazing dresses!!

Here's Amy wearing a black dress.  It's worth noting that if you buy a dress from Jennifer she will tailor it to your figure so in essence you are buying a bespoke piece.

I was very tempted by this purple number (it comes in black also). The skirt had a slight A-line to it so it was extremely flattering.

To see a video of more of her dresses, click here.  I think that her clothes look both stunning on models and "real women" - they will always make you turn your head!

What do you think?  

Dyson Animal DC44

I've been thinking of getting a cordless Dyson for awhile now.  The other day I saw a great deal on the Animal DC44 on my Work Group Scheme.  I ordered it over the phone and they arranged to deliver it a few days later.

The reason I wanted to get a cordless is that we have two landings so the cord on out vacuum cleaner is not long enough.  It is hassle to pull out the plug and have to move it around to a point that can reach.  The other inconvenience is having to balance the large vacuum cleaner on the steps while working.

Here it is in the box - surprisingly heavy!

Here it is out of the box already to go.  It came fully charged which was very convenient.  Speaking of charging, it takes 5 and a half hours to charge fully which will give you 20 minutes on regular power and 8 minutes on turbo power.

I thought that 20 minutes wasn't going to be long enough but I got loads done.  I did the two flights of stairs and also the front room and the kitchen and I also gave the bathroom a quick going over.

I wanted to put up a picture of all of the accessories that came with this machine but Ciaran has packed them away somewhere.  I'll put them up when I discover where he stored them when I talk to him later this evening!

OMG!  Look how much dirt it picked up - I only vacuumed a few days ago!!
I remember when friends got a cordless Shark they were surprised by how much dirt was picked up even though their cleaner had done their house recently.  
I think maybe you are going in to areas that the regular vacuum cleaner finds it hard to get to???

So how do I find it?

Perhaps it does not have as good suction as my Nilfisk but for convenience it wins hands down.  If you live in an apartment or are tight for space I would highly recommend it!

Million Dollar Arm

Millionaire Dollar Arm is a feel good Disney movie that is hard to dislike.  It is based on the true story of Sports Agent JB Berenstein who goes to India to find cricket bowlers that can learn to become baseball pitchers in a year and go on to get a contract from a USA baseball team.

JB returns to the US with two Indian sportsmen who go on to get contracts from the Pittsburgh Pirates (true story) and along the way falls in love with his tenant Brenda (who in real life he goes on to marry).

Starring Lake Bell and the ever cool Jon Hamm (aka the even cooler Don Draper) Milliona Dollar Arm is a movie that will be enjoyed by the whole family.

We went to an afternoon showing in Cineworld.

We were first in to the cinema but were joined by about 20 other people shortly after.

My And My Broken HEart (Rixton Cover) Ukulele

So while I've been practicing away on my ukulele my sister has been practicing too!  Here she is singing her little heart out.....


Currently I am trying to learn "Rock me Mama like a Wagon Wheel".  I think I may have to put a request in with Katie that she does a tutorial for me on Youtube as I have to say I'm not making good progress......not to mention that I can't sing!

David's story: Road safety campaign

#thinkbike

My husband used to ride a very powerful motorbike a few years ago and on dark rainy nights I would worry that he may not make it home.  

The above video is reminder for us all to slow down and take care on the roads........and everyone can get home safely to their loved ones.

Creightons Shampoo - Perfect Blonde

My sister bought me a bottle of shampoo and conditioner that she loves.  I used it this morning and had such good results.  It left my hair so soft and shiny.  I think it really brightened my highlights and made my hair blonder looking.

This shampoo and conditioner are a real value buy.  Amy bought them in Penneys but I think they may also be available in Dealz.  If you see them make sure you buy them and give them a try!!

I blogged about the above Mascara (L'Oreal Flash Lash Flutter) before but I am mentioning it again because I saw it for sale in CVS when I was in the USA recently.  They were selling it for $8.99!!! What a bargain - I paid €18.00 in Dublin! 

If you are in the US you should definitely buy it at this price - not only is is a real bargain it is also an incredible mascara.  You won't believe how good it makes your eye lashes look!!