Flowers, Favourite Foods and Fathers.


Don’t you just love spring?  The sun and warmth that kisses practically each day of the season start the day slowly but surely and just linger into the evening.  Nothing about the weather is as insistent or oppressive as days in summer can be.  Spring, I am so glad you’re here at last!

In the shopping world, the start of spring just isn’t about the new season fashion collections, it’s also about the annual David Jones flower show at the Elizabeth Street, Sydney store.  This year, the flower arrangements were inspired by the 14 families of scent from the fragrance wheel used to describe and classify perfumes.  My favourite display this year would have to be the pair of matching walls of yellow roses designed to look like giant perfume bottles.

There were bursts of colour everywhere I turned.

Magentas and pinky oranges livening up a marbled floor.

Whilst bursts of yellow and deep green lit up the normally glossy black Giorgio Armani counter.

High fashion and high towering floral arrangements are a natural match.  
In news slightly related to fashion eyewear (it was that previous photo of vases atop the Tom Ford display that reminded me), I picked up my new spectacles yesterday.  The Italian summer holidays finally ended, making it possible for my University of Coco Chanel tortoiseshell frames to be shipped out to Australia.  Just in time for me to wear them on the plane this Tuesday.
The giant vases of flowers lent an air of tranquility to the usually bustling beauty hall.  Even the ladies of the Lancome counter couldn’t resist taking a snap of the flowers in a rare moment of Saturday morning serenity.

I hadn’t noticed how striking the carved statues adorning the stair cases of the ground floor were until I saw them against a background of bamboo and exotic foliage.

From the rarefied world of marble and exotic flowers to the pedestrian malls outside.  There’s always something going on in Sydney.

This crate looked as if it had been dropped from the sky with the aid of a rainbow coloured balloon.  On closer inspection, the crate was full of ice and soft drinks.  I couldn’t get a photo of the inside of the crate because so many other people were diving in for the drinks.

I do have good news if you’re a fan of Malaysian food though.  Jimmy’s Recipe is in the Galeries Victoria on George Street.  I don’t know how long its been there but I noticed it for the first time yesterday.  It’s on the street level and beneath it is a newly refurbished food hall with the likes of Chat Thai as tenants.

Whenever I’m hungry in the CBD, I’m just too lazy to battle Chinatown or the business end of George Street to seek out the Malaysian hidden gems that everyone raves about and the thought of then having to wait for a table does my head in.  Jimmy’s Recipe ticks all the boxes for me – it’s short walk from Town Hall, has plenty of seats and was relatively quiet for a Saturday lunchtime when I visited.

The most famous dish at Jimmy’s is the laksa (as the menu explains) but I was in search of the Asian version of chicken soup – wonton noodle soup.  I got a generous bowl of fresh egg noodles, plump wonton and vegetables (extra serve 40 cents extra) for $8.  Which is about the price of a burger meal at Macca’s these days only more filling and nourishing.  The serve was so generous I couldn’t finish my noodles.  The soup was clear and flavoursome without the MSG and salt overload that can sometimes happen at quick and easy restaurants.

My meal was ready almost the second I’d finished paying for my order.  In addition to noodle dishes, there are curries, roti and those fried foods that seem to go so well with noodles and rice – curry puffs and murtabak.  The chilli sauce is a belachan style and was a surprise success story with my bowl of noodles.

The eating area extends upstairs next to the kitchen and service counter.  Communal tables fill the space and it’s a self service arrangement in terms of cutlery and condiments.  Floor length glass doors open out to the mall at the left of the restaurant and there’s always interesting art work to look at outside.

Eating here was like being back in Malaysia or Singapore and I’m so happy that I’ve barely made a dent on the menu with my first visit.  All the more reason for me to visit again the next time I’m in the city.

Jimmy's Recipe on Urbanspoon

Before I finish today’s post (to confront my packing, it’s worse than housework, I reckon), I’d just like to wish all the dads and dads-to-be a Very Happy Father’s Day.

I hope you’ve spoiled the dads in your life rotten today.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *