It’s so lovely to be with Mum on Mothers Day!! I can’t even remember the last time we were together on this day… we’re normally a (very large) ocean apart. Been having lots of fun together pottering around! So since Mum always spends Mothers Day without me, I thought I’d give her a nice treat. When we were last together, she tried on the Louis Vuitton “neverfull” hand bag and I just loved it on her. So that was the perfect present which I got 🙂 I wanted her to have a perfect chuck-around bag, that was sturdy enough to be used as a casual everyday bag, but still nice enough to make it a statement bag even when she’s wearing casual clothes. I think the size and shape really suit her.. it’s cute but still class. Very pleased with it 😀

Louis Vuitton “neverfull” bag

I really like the gold clasp detail!

Kingsleys Steakhouse
29A King St
Sydney, NSW 2000

The other part of my gift was dinner at Kingsleys Steakhouse, a famous Australian steak and wine restaurant. Tucked into a courtyard in the City, it’s a historic three-storey stand-alone restaurant set in sandstone and wood (Trivia: it’s the oldest industrial building in Sydney, formerly a candle factory). The upstairs area were where we were seated – beneath dark wooden beams and next to wine bottles tucked into the stone walls. There was a large table of 12-14 people next to us, but it wasn’t intrusive since the restaurant was so large.

Only thing I wasn’t happy about was the fact that bread wasn’t served. At almost every fine-dining restaurant I’ve been to, they always bring out a complimentary warm bread platter for you to snack on whilst you wait. They don’t at Kingsleys. Not a good move. This missing bread was even more sorely noticed when the meals took ages to arrive.. I think about 45 mins? That is unacceptable for a restaurant that doesn’t provide complimentary bread whilst you wait twiddling your thumbs.

Apart from that silly oversight on their part, service was polite and friendly. We kicked off with some 2007 Krinklewood Francesca Mouvedre Rosé , a “Vibrant cherry pink in colour, attractive aroma of mixed berries, finishing refreshing crisp & dry” and a glass of 2006 Yering Station Pinot Noir, a “Cherry/raspberry, leaf mulch, spicy cinnamon oak & a hint of brown sugar”.

And the food? SUBLIME. We ordered, what else?, steak. I opted for the Certified Australian Angus Rib-Eye, 150 Day Grain Fed – total bliss. The steak was cooked perfectly with a very nice bite and flavour. It came served with some red wine jus but I would have preferred if we were given an option of mushroom sauce instead or something a bit thicker. I opted for fries as my side, which was a very good choice – they were perfection!! They were flat and thick-cut, and crisp on the outside but all hot and potato-y on the inside.. mmmmm!!

Dad had the Certified Australian Angus Eye of Fillet, 150 Day Grain Fed – which turned out a lot smaller than anticipated. A shame, because it was delightful! The steak was small and fat, so it was all juicy and tender on the inside. Very very good! Here’s a little soundbyte: All Kingsleys steaks are bred and selected under the strictest guidelines. The result is export quality produce selected from the top 1% of Australian Beef. Taste the difference.

Mum, upon great urging(!) from Dad, opted for the Puff Pastry Prize Winning Beef & Mushroom Pie served with mash potato and mushy peas.. otherwise known as The Most Expensive Pie Ever 😛 I was pretty curious about it, especially when it arrived looking none-too-fancy-looking. Seemed pretty pricey for just a pie? But one bite and OOOOOH!!!!!!! Worth every cent!!!!! The pastry was buttery, thick and rich.. and the pie was packed with steak chunks and mushrooms. It went beautifully with the rich gravy and was the star dish of the night, even better than their fabulous steaks. So glad Mum was convinced into ordering it 😛

Not feeling terribly satisfied until we had a small bite of dessert, we decided to share a Profiteroles with honeycomb ice cream and chocolate sauce. It was pretty amazing – the profiteroles were crisp and matched the honeycome ice cream beautifully. Even better yet were the chunks of honeycomb which were crisp but melted into a rich flavour in the mouth. Awesome stuff.

It was a terrific Mothers Day meal. I’d go back again, but this time, would appreciate that complimentary bread platter 😉

About to leave for Kingsleys Steakhouse

The entrance

Upstairs area

Beautiful rustic interior

Perusing our menus

2006 Yering Station Pinot Noir (Cherry/raspberry, leaf mulch, spicy cinnamon oak & a hint of brown sugar)
2007 Krinklewood Francesca Mouvedre Rosé (“Vibrant cherry pink in colour, attractive aroma of mixed berries, finishing refreshing crisp & dry)

Garlic Sautéed Mushrooms ($9.50)

Certified Australian Angus Eye of Fillet, 150 Day Grain Fed ($45.50)

Certified Australian Angus Rib-Eye, 150 Day Grain Fed ($39.50)

Mmm delish!

Puff Pastry Prize Winning Beef & Mushroom Pie served with mash potato and mushy peas ($32.50)

Absolutely divine

Profiteroles with honeycomb ice cream and chocolate sauce ($14.00)

The next morning, we did the Mothers Day 8km Run for Breast Cancer! We hauled ourselves up at 6am (!!!) and got ourselves there, all pumped up to run in the name of charity. It wasn’t too crowded and there was a great vibe – lots of people from all ages and sizes, and everyone just out to have a nice morning getting fit.

Chris did the run in 47mins and I did it in about 55 mins.. not great but oh well, I’m no hard-core athlete! Plus my belly was still full from the Kingsleys steak from the previous night 😛 The jog was beautiful though – along Sydney harbour and providing gorgeous waterfront views in fantastic weather.

It don’t get much better than that.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY MUM!!!!

All geared up

Hey lookie, it’s Wonder Woman!

Hee hee I love how smiley we are (but just ignore Chris)

Let’s stretch!

Following the aerobic stretches like sheep

Reeeeeeaaaaach

Walking towards the start line

All pumped up and ready to run

Aaaaaanddddd…. WE’RE OFF!!!!

Pretty views

The city, where my office is

Run, run, *pant*, *pant*

Rounding the corner and almost at the finish line!!!

Mum’s busted shoe

Collapsed on the grass afterwards, check out the cute pink bags we got, filled with goodies!

My sporty parents

Pleased with my medal. Excuse the pregnant-looking belly 🙁

People milling around afterwards, it was only 8am!

Weee aaaare the championnnnnssssss

The medal’s so pretty!