...And virtually another month has gone since my last update, time really is flying at the moment! You might be pleased to hear that this one is intended to be fairly brief with everything that's going on at the moment but I wanted to make sure that I took the opportunity to wish you guys a merry christmas and a happy new year. I've never really been very good with Christmas cards (not since my secondary school days where the number of cards you received each day was a direct measure of your popularity) and plus they're not particularly eco-friendly. So...
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!
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It's been a VERY busy month for us, and most definitely a tiring one, but I feel like we've achieved a great deal too. We are obviosusly another month into running the restaurant and it's amazing how much more you can learn in a month! And the restaurant has been really busy : on multiple occasions, we've surpassed the 200+ covers mark in a night which we're told was somewhat of a rarity in previous years. In fact, one Saturday we managed over 250 - which effectively meant that we sold every seat in the house at least twice. Actually thinking back to it, we didn't have enough chairs at one point and I found myself running up and down to Leonie's apartment borrowing some of her dining chairs to try and fit everyone in! We were absolutely exhausted by the end of that shift. But obviously it's certainly not just about numbers and the team tries very hard to make sure everyone leaves after a good meal and an enjoyable experience. (That said, we do get some grade A as$holes in the restaurant from time to time and I really have to bite my tongue very hard - but I'll save all that for another update.)
Our new food menu (thank you Seb!!) and Drinks List are both ready to launch - we just need to line up the till, make sure we're ready in the kitchen and out front in terms of staff training and awareness - and then press the button...
Through some of our wine suppliers, we've also hosted a few wine tastings for the front of house staff to help build knowledge and confidence when talking to customers and recommending wines and food pairings. For myself, my wine awareness has certainly developed a little and I find myself discussing the differences between a Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio and steering customers towards a certain grape variety depending on what they've ordered. And yes, there's probably still a touch of bluff somewhere in the middle of all that at times.
We also put on a lunch for the Camp Quality (children's family cancer charity) organisation where about 80 kids and their carers came into the Drunken Admiral for a meal. The staff dressed up as pirates to help set the theme and we very much hope that the children enjoyed their visit.
Other News
Our boxes have arrived from London!! Yes, all 23 of them. That said, we haven't unpacked much and the boxes are stacked up in a cellar under Craig's house. It's remarkable how quickly you can becomed used to living with very little in the way of personal belongings. It makes me wonder how "ruthless" we really were when we sorted through everything back in London to work out what to ship. Either way, it's good news that the boxes have arrived and everything got through Customs which was the real worry.
Photo on right: boxes leaving London
Photo on left: boxes arriving in Hobart
Shylo (our rescue dog) has been adopted! An interested family flew all the way from Queensland to come and meet her on Friday and then they booked her a seat (kind of) and flew her back to Queensland 24 hours later. We're very pleased that she's found a permanent home and she's been a wonderful (albeit naughty) house guest over the last two and a half months. The house seems a little empty without her hopeful little face sniffing around the place but it's good news for her as she's been spared "termination" and has a lovely new family to look after her. I think Craig plans on fostering another dog so watch this space...
(Update to Blog 10 minutes after first posting : scratch the last sentence - Craig has just brought home another foster dog. Our latest family addition is called Monty and she is very shy and currently hiding under a bush in the garden. She's been mistreated in the past and we're told she is afraid of men - which means that in a house with 3 guys and one Brierlie, she's got some serious therapy ahead of her!)
When in Rome...
I have been here in Hobart long enough now to pick up some local lingo (alphatetical order), some of which I thought I'd share with you - either for your own amusement or to help get you ready for your visit...
To Bag Out (verb)
To give someone a hard time, eg "I was bagged out mercilessly last night following yesterday's disappointing Ashes scores courtesy of the cricket loving kitchen crew.")
Bogan
Basically the Aussie equivalent of a Chav - which in Tasmania may also be used interchangeably with "Chigger".
Cobber
Translates pretty well for the way the term "mate" is used in the UK, eg "thanks cobber!".
Eskie
Portable storage device for keeping beverages cool (and most likely "stubbies" - see below) which is pretty much a national obsession in itself over here. Beer that is not served at virtually near frozen conditions is simply not acceptable.
Loose
Popular colloquialism linked to alcohol intoxication, eg "let's get loose...!".
Stubbie (or sometimes Stubby)
Short glass bottle used for beer - generally about 375ml made with relatively thick glass.
Thongs
Auusie term for "flip-flops" where confusion could lead to a potentially awkward beach day scenario.
Toot
Despite Crocodile Dundee's attempt to educate the world in all things Australian, the Dunny seems to be a pretty outdated term here for "toilet", which I think is rather disappointing. "Toot" however is all the rage, especially amongst the Ladies Who Lunch demographic. (Pronounced like "put" rather than "hoot".)
...That will do for now. I wouldn't want to overload you guys too early.
And I'm now giving surfing a go! It's something that I've toyed with a little on holidays and trips over the years but I've never had the opportunity to sink my wave riding teeth into until now as HK, the Midlands or London are not massively well known surf destinations. But it's time to make the most of what Tassie has to offer and an abundance of coastline and great swell conditions are way up that list...
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| Rich picking up his board at Stranger Boards in Rokeby |
We've had the Sea Shepherd ship fleet in port over the last month which has been interesting for a variety of reasons. The Sea Shepherd organisation is a non-profit marine wildlife conservation organisation and they've been in the press a great deal over their run-in's (literally) with the Japanese whalers. Anyway, we've had a lot of the crew in the restaurant over the last few weeks and they've been an interesting group to meet. The actress Michelle Rodriguez has also been in town lending her support and we had a near miss where Brierlie nearly ran her over as Michelle crossed the road in a world of her own as she chowed into an extra large bag of chips (that's crisps for you guys back home). Whilst it might have made for a good story for my Blog, that was a lucky escape all things considered.
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| 2 of the 3 Sea Shepherd boats moored 50m from the Drunken Admiral |
If anyone is looking for a Christmas gift idea that might save on pounds (well one type of pound anyway) but deliver points on the personal touch, Brierlie has been mastering her baking craft and has built up her own Blog to share some of her treasured recipes...
http://brierlie.blogspot.com/
And that's pretty much a wrap for now... Except to say that we have bought ourselves a house! We hope to settle on the 23rd of December which would make it one of the speediest settlements in history but with a very strong wind behind us, and a little bit of luck, we might just manage it!
Lots of festive love to you all... xxx.
PS - Crays are in season! (Say hello to Mr Pinchy - putting my artistic talents to the test.)
