I was in town last night for a much needed girls night out and manage to catch these photos of a clear dusk sky as it silhouetted the QVB and Town Hall.
I had some time to spare before dinner so I stopped off at Myer to get a bit of gift card power shopping done.
Myer’s twitter account got back to me pretty promptly to confirm that only Myer specific gift cards can be redeemed online whilst the generic cards are accepted in store.
Mission accomplished! I got my shower gels (aka hand and body washes, as per the rebranding), some lovely samples and the name of my next Malone fragrance. Incense and Cedrat, you are going to be the Middle Eastern inspired scent of my fragrance wardrobe.
There were lots of pretty things in Myer’s Malone concession.
And I discovered a unique way of sampling bath products.
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| www.newcoffeemakerreviews.com |
My lovely sales assistant pumped a little shower gel into a bespoke Malone paper cup, added some water and frothed it all up with one of those hand held milk frothing whisks. I wonder why this hasn’t taken off more widely across fragrance counters?
The girls and I were scheduled to meet at the QT Hotel. What better place for a chat about clothes and shopping than on a hot pink chaise lounge nestled on feathery cushions behind a couple of mannequins dressed in double denim?
I’ve not stayed at the QT but my walk through it made me start thinking of ways that I might possibly swing an overnight stay in a hotel that’s only 15 minutes away from home. It’s all so quirky and humorous. From the lifts that talk to you to the bathroom mirrors held in position by a pair of hands to the art installations that line the corridors between rooms.
The three of us had such a lovely evening. Out on our own on a school night with the children in the safe and loving cafe of responsible adults other than ourselves. We got a bit dressed up and we drank some lovely bubbles for which we have our sommelier for the night to thank.
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| www.cellartracker.com |
It was far too dark inside Gowings Bar and Grill to take a photo of the bottle. Readers, if you love champagne but find the popular ones a little sharp flavour wise, give Louis Bouillot’s Blanc de Blancs a try. It’s got a wonderfully mellow flavour and interestingly comes from the Burgundy wine making region, south of Paris in contrast to the traditional champagne making regions that are north.
There was downloading, debriefing and uploading to Instagram. Yes, even the bread and butter made it to my feed…
Chef was not pandering to any of that ordering off the menu business so while I tried hard to be good by asking for a baked potato or greens with my rib eye ($48),
Chef would only give me the house sweet potato fries. They were thick cut and they were sweet potato so I see where he’s coming from in declaring that they’re healthier than french fries…
I’ll confess here that I’ve always been a bit hesitant about hotel restaurants in terms of both ambience and the wow factor with regards to the food. I’m glad to say that Gowings was a very pleasant surprise. The decor is as quirky as the hotel yet it was also a very comfortable place in which to eat. There was enough chatter and laughter from the adjoining bar and the noise never threatened to drown out the lively conversation of our table. We also didn’t have to shout to make ourselves heard nor whisper because tables were set too close. The staff were all very friendly, helpful and attentive.
With regard to my meal, the steak was perfect but the surprise performers were the desserts. Of course we ordered a couple of desserts among the three of us and of course we shared. Staff were very flexible about this and set the desserts at the centre of our table with individual plates and cutlery for each of us without our having to request this.
The beignets ($16 for 4), dare I say it, were better than those I had at Cafe du Monde. Gowings serve theirs with a Valrhona dark chocolate sauce.
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| Oh New Orleans, you’ve followed me back home! |
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| Spooky, isn’t it. How I managed to eat interpretations of the same foods in two different countries… Well, interesting at the very least. |
Gowings’ Classic Profiteroles ($16 for three) were filled with vanilla ice cream and creme patissiere.
The profiteroles were as light as clouds which made them the perfect foil the richness of their accompaniments.
Gowings, I’ll be back. I love your food and your beverages and I love your service. I also love how easy it is to do a little pre dinner stealth shopping on en route to my booking.
The equal and opposite reaction to my Gowings Girls Night Out looks a little something like this…
Cookie and Kate’s soba noodle salad for lunch
Psyllium with my Weetbix or baked oats for breakfast, I even scored a whole Woolies dollar with my latest bag.
Persisting with my crack of dawn trips to the gym. It’s the only time of the day I’m guaranteed to have to myself and once I do get there and start moving, I do feel more human. My Aeropostale leggings have been a powerful motivator. So much more fun to wear than plain old black leggings.
I’m determined to try all the desserts at Gowings. Have you been? What’s been your favourite so far?
Wishing you a mid week girls (or boys) night out in your immediate future.
They are so good for the soul.