Last Saturday I attended an excellent seminar on palliative care conducted by the Cognitive Institute (www.cognitiveinstitute.org) conducted on behalf of MIPS, a medical indemnity organisation which I belong to (www.mips.com.au).
The attendees were a mixture of general practitioners, specialists, hospital medical officers and medical educators, and the very open discussions between participants and the facilitator (who is an experienced GP) were very valuable.
It was very interesting to discuss the impact of culture on the approach to death. The human race has a 100% mortality rate, but we heard about a range of cultural approaches ranging from family shielding the patient from the knowledge of impending death to accepting death as a normal part of life. As in every other important area of life, preparation makes a difference- for the patient, for loved ones and for the health practitioners advising and providing care.
In contrast, just a few days previously, I had cause to reflect on how sudden and unexpected death can be.
On Thursday last week I was sitting at the kitchen table working when I became aware of the sound of a persistent helicopter buzzing overhead. Most commonly this occurs when there is a Police helicopter in the area (as I remember when I was living close to the Hoddle Street shootings many years ago), but when I went outside and looked it was a Channel 7 News helicopter. I therefore surmised that something significant must have happened in the immediate vicinity and started to find out what it might be. I started to search news sites on the Web, turned the TV on for news updates, and then turned on the ABC radio.
Normal radio programming was interrupted to bring the sobering news of a fatal fiery car crash in drizzy overcast conditions just a couple of hundred metres down the road. Three people (and perhaps a fourth) had been instantly incinerated with no hope of escape.
In these situations it is very much a case that, as poet John Donne once famously said, “no man is an island entire of itself”, and when it is something terrible that has happened in your local area, one feels an incredible need to understand what has happened and exactly where it has happened. It is not a form of ghoulish voyeurism, but rather a sense of being part of the local community and sharing in the shock and grief and sorrow for those who lost their lives and their families and friends.
So, I went for a walk in the light drizzle towards where I understood the accident to have happened. The Police had both distant and close roadblocks in place, and it was obvious that a lot of emergency responders were hard at work. I wasn’t interested in getting too close, but just to clarify the location where the accident had happened, and from the corner of a small nearby park could see the burnt out rear end of a car covered by a blue tarpaulin resting against a residential fence, diagonally opposite the suburban railway station. The Police said later that it was just a horrible freak accident where a chain of circumstances had culminated in the tragic outcome. If you have ever heard of the ‘Swiss Cheese Model’ which is used in human factors theory to explain how adverse events happen, then this was a perfect example. Just so profoundly sad!
It did make me slightly anxious about driving that evening in the same drizzly conditions, and the information that has been provided about the crash analysis goes to reinforce the point that in wet overcast conditions all drivers should slow down, drive carefully and not take any risks.
The Age Newspaper, 3 May 2012: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/police-fear-fourth-body-20120503-1y0zs.html
The Age Newspaper, 4 May 2012: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/fishtail-link-in-fiery-triplefatal-car-crash-20120504-1y2w7.html
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Monday, May 7, 2012
Surprisingly good ice-cream from Coles!
(Updated 15 June 2012: Strawberry White Choc added; 23 June 2012: Photos added. Updated 24 December 2012: Lamington Style added. Updated 28 January 2013: Mango Swirl added Updated 01 November 2014: Coconut Lime and Chocolate Orange added.)
Coles Supermarkets recently introduced a range of premium one litre ice-creams. Now, I'm not a big ice-cream eater, but in the noble tradition of the Scandinavians, who love their ice-cream even in winter, I decided to try out a few flavours despite the somewhat chilly time of year and was pleasantly surprised at just how good they are! All the ice-creams are made with real cream.
Verdict: Recommended
Rum and Raisin
The ice-cream is a light butterscotch colour, and has a smooth creamy taste with a definite sharp flavour of rum. It contains plump and juicy raisins which are similarly rum-soaked in flavour.
Rocky Road
This has a solid chocolately background which is not overly sweet, with crunchy nuts and pieces of soft springy pink and white marshmallow as well as some raspberry swirl.
Chocolate Fudge
This one has a denser dark chocolate base with syrupy swirls of fudge and chewy chocolate pieces.
Strawberry White Choc
This ice-cream has a fresh, smooth, sweet and creamy strawberry flavour that bursts out in your mouth like a sunny spring day. There are delicate slivers of white chocolate which amplify the richness of the tasting experience, chunks of real strawberries and tendrils of raspberry swirl, adding small bombs of zesty tang.
Mango Swirl
Smooth and creamy vanilla ice-cream accompanied by sassy and tangy mango sorbet swirls with real mango flavour.
Coconut Lime
All those of you who are fans of the individual 'Lime Splice' ice-creams will like this one. It has a base of creamy vanilla ice-cream mixed in with generous strands of shredded coconut and pockets of pale green zesty lime flavour. All these elements combine for a refreshing taste.
Chocolate Orange
All who are fans of the famous 'Terry's Chocolate Orange' will like this ice-cream version. There is a nice creamy chocolatey taste with an overlay of orange essence. It is not too rich and the citrus element is not too overpowering. A nice combination and good as a special treat!
Coles Supermarkets recently introduced a range of premium one litre ice-creams. Now, I'm not a big ice-cream eater, but in the noble tradition of the Scandinavians, who love their ice-cream even in winter, I decided to try out a few flavours despite the somewhat chilly time of year and was pleasantly surprised at just how good they are! All the ice-creams are made with real cream.
Verdict: Recommended
Rum and Raisin
The ice-cream is a light butterscotch colour, and has a smooth creamy taste with a definite sharp flavour of rum. It contains plump and juicy raisins which are similarly rum-soaked in flavour.
Rocky Road
This has a solid chocolately background which is not overly sweet, with crunchy nuts and pieces of soft springy pink and white marshmallow as well as some raspberry swirl.
Chocolate Fudge
This one has a denser dark chocolate base with syrupy swirls of fudge and chewy chocolate pieces.
Strawberry White Choc
This ice-cream has a fresh, smooth, sweet and creamy strawberry flavour that bursts out in your mouth like a sunny spring day. There are delicate slivers of white chocolate which amplify the richness of the tasting experience, chunks of real strawberries and tendrils of raspberry swirl, adding small bombs of zesty tang.
Lamington Style Ice-Cream
Indulgent
chocolate ice-cream with rich raspberry, swirled with creamy vanilla ice-cream
and dessicated coconut.
Well, this
is an interesting take on an Australian classic, and it took me a while to be
persuaded to try it (really only until it came down to $5.00 a carton,
along with the remaining ice-creams in the Coles range).
It is
indeed very chocolately in appearance but mild in flavour, with a variegated
appearance; presumably the mix of chocolate and vanilla mentioned above. There
are occasional flecks of raspberry flavour and quite chewy pieces of dessicated
coconut (in a semi-frozen state).
To my mind it
is a brave experiment that doesn't quite work. The chocolate is a bit wimpy,
the rapsberry insufficiently prevalent, and the coconut just sits there and
doesn't do anything - its normal sweet, succulent, juicy nature is missing, as
is the classic offset of the golden sponge base. It is probably inoffensive
enough and sweet enough to be wildly popular with children, but I would advise
adults to choose one of the more sophisticated flavours previously reviewed.
Smooth and creamy vanilla ice-cream accompanied by sassy and tangy mango sorbet swirls with real mango flavour.
Coconut Lime
All those of you who are fans of the individual 'Lime Splice' ice-creams will like this one. It has a base of creamy vanilla ice-cream mixed in with generous strands of shredded coconut and pockets of pale green zesty lime flavour. All these elements combine for a refreshing taste.
Chocolate Orange
All who are fans of the famous 'Terry's Chocolate Orange' will like this ice-cream version. There is a nice creamy chocolatey taste with an overlay of orange essence. It is not too rich and the citrus element is not too overpowering. A nice combination and good as a special treat!
Moreish coffee from Timor-Leste
Coffee Mio Timor-Leste Blend
Verdict: Recommended
The Friends of Baucau, a support group for the Baucau region of Timor-Leste, import a fair trade organic coffee blend as a fundraising measure.
The beans are ground and packaged by Coffee Mio into 250g bags, which are available at selected City of Darebin and City of Yarra customer service centres. For further information refer to the Friends of Baucau website: http://friendsofbaucau.org/get-involved/buy-coffee/
The ground coffee is highly aromatic, with a strong, nutty smell which almost has a hint of the rainforest about it.
Once brewed the flavour is strong, robust and unapologetic. There is a good depth of flavour, with a sustained bitter and nutty underlying character which develops into a lingering aftertaste leaving a tingle on the tongue. This is a coffee which can be savoured rather than sculled.
If I had to think about the mental image that drinking the coffee conjurs up when I close my eyes, it would be the sort of coffee you would brew over an open fire in a rustic log cabin and enjoy drinking with friends.
Verdict: Recommended
The Friends of Baucau, a support group for the Baucau region of Timor-Leste, import a fair trade organic coffee blend as a fundraising measure.
The beans are ground and packaged by Coffee Mio into 250g bags, which are available at selected City of Darebin and City of Yarra customer service centres. For further information refer to the Friends of Baucau website: http://friendsofbaucau.org/get-involved/buy-coffee/
The ground coffee is highly aromatic, with a strong, nutty smell which almost has a hint of the rainforest about it.
Once brewed the flavour is strong, robust and unapologetic. There is a good depth of flavour, with a sustained bitter and nutty underlying character which develops into a lingering aftertaste leaving a tingle on the tongue. This is a coffee which can be savoured rather than sculled.
If I had to think about the mental image that drinking the coffee conjurs up when I close my eyes, it would be the sort of coffee you would brew over an open fire in a rustic log cabin and enjoy drinking with friends.
Apple refuses to bite ...
Late last year I decided to buy an Apple iPad "Smart Cover" as a Christmas gift, and as it was a little difficult to find time to shop in person, I looked online. I found an Australian company specialising in computer cases and accessories which was offering what appeared to be a genuine Smart Cover at a good price, so I ordered one. Once it arrived I became suspicious that it was in fact a counterfeit product, especially when I compared it with a friend's genuine Smart Cover.
Having been a lawyer in a previous life, I did not wish to support products which were an example of "passing off" and exploiting Apple's industrial and intellectual property, and contacted the retailer via email to ask for either an exchange for a genuine cover or a refund. After several emails there was no reply, so I thought that I had given them a fair chance to avoid reporting of the matter and then approached Apple offering to provide it with details of the seller and send them the actual counterfeit product and packaging. I made two different submissions through the Apple website, and after I did not hear anything back I also went to some trouble to get the email contact details of a person within Apple Australia. I wrote to this person twice, also with no response. I was then forced to come to the conclusion that I cared more about protecting Apple's intellectual property than it does and that I was "on my own" in terms of seeking resolution of the matter.
I then renewed my pressure on the retailer, and eventually (after a delay of several months) received a full refund after returning the goods after threatening to report them to the authorities. Since life is too short to follow up every injustice that you come up against, and especially as Apple seemed disinterested in doing anything about the counterfeit accessories, I made a decision not to report the matter to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, so in this instance the forgers have "got away with it".
The moral of the story is that if you are concerned about buying a genuine product, be very careful about buying online, and check with the retailer in advance whether the item is in fact genuine or a copy. If you want to be sure, buy from an authorised retailer. Some stores like JB HiFi will offer a small discount on the RRP if you ask for a deal (but Apple does not give them much room to move).
As the old legal saying goes, "caveat emptor" (buyer beware)!
Having been a lawyer in a previous life, I did not wish to support products which were an example of "passing off" and exploiting Apple's industrial and intellectual property, and contacted the retailer via email to ask for either an exchange for a genuine cover or a refund. After several emails there was no reply, so I thought that I had given them a fair chance to avoid reporting of the matter and then approached Apple offering to provide it with details of the seller and send them the actual counterfeit product and packaging. I made two different submissions through the Apple website, and after I did not hear anything back I also went to some trouble to get the email contact details of a person within Apple Australia. I wrote to this person twice, also with no response. I was then forced to come to the conclusion that I cared more about protecting Apple's intellectual property than it does and that I was "on my own" in terms of seeking resolution of the matter.
I then renewed my pressure on the retailer, and eventually (after a delay of several months) received a full refund after returning the goods after threatening to report them to the authorities. Since life is too short to follow up every injustice that you come up against, and especially as Apple seemed disinterested in doing anything about the counterfeit accessories, I made a decision not to report the matter to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, so in this instance the forgers have "got away with it".
The moral of the story is that if you are concerned about buying a genuine product, be very careful about buying online, and check with the retailer in advance whether the item is in fact genuine or a copy. If you want to be sure, buy from an authorised retailer. Some stores like JB HiFi will offer a small discount on the RRP if you ask for a deal (but Apple does not give them much room to move).
As the old legal saying goes, "caveat emptor" (buyer beware)!
The Cider Stakes
Having bought some Swedish cider from Dan Murphy's last year out of curiosity, a few months later they also had a 'taster' pack of twelve different Australian and international ciders so these have been tried and ranked into (a) worth drinking again and (b) did not impress.
Five of these are good enough to recommend.
1. Bulmers Original Cider 330mL. 4.7% alcohol. An authentic apple cider. (Australia)
2. Three Oaks Cider Co. - Original Crushed Apple Cider. 330mL. 5.0% alcohol. (Australia)
3. Old Mout Cider. Classic Apple. 330mL. 4.5% alcohol. (New Zealand)
4. Castaway Cider. Apple. 330mL. 5.0% alcohol. (Australia)
4. Castaway Cider. Apple. 330mL. 5.0% alcohol. (Australia)
5. Kopparberg Preium Cider with Stawberry and Lime. 330mL. 4.0% alcohol. (Sweden)
The Swedish Kopparberg Lime and Strawberry cider is pinkish in colour and has an interesting taste which is a mixture of tart and sweet, in accordance with its contents. Some may feel it is an alternative version of an 'Alcopop', but it would be a refreshing choice chilled on a hot day.
Whilst not in the mixed pack, the Swedish Rekorderlig Winter Cider is also pleasant drinking, It can be consumed warm in winter, but is also quite lovely chilled, with a fruity cinnamon-tinged flavour
Fish and Chips - Swimmingly good!
Great Bite
Seafood, Fish & Chips
134A Station Street
Fairfield Vic 3078
Tel: (03) 9481 3790
Visited for dinner, Friday 5 May 2012 and subsequently
Closed on Tuesdays. Open from 11am to 8.30pm other days (9pm Friday).
Verdict: Recommended
This is one of the many fish and chip shops in the local area. Conveniently located in Station Street, Fairfield, it is accessible by car, train (a short walk) and bus (stops right out the front).
They sell fresh seafood as well as the take-away staples of fish and chips, hamburgers, steak sandwiches and souvlaki,
Seafood, Fish & Chips
134A Station Street
Fairfield Vic 3078
Tel: (03) 9481 3790
Visited for dinner, Friday 5 May 2012 and subsequently
Closed on Tuesdays. Open from 11am to 8.30pm other days (9pm Friday).
Verdict: Recommended
This is one of the many fish and chip shops in the local area. Conveniently located in Station Street, Fairfield, it is accessible by car, train (a short walk) and bus (stops right out the front).
They sell fresh seafood as well as the take-away staples of fish and chips, hamburgers, steak sandwiches and souvlaki,
It is a bit of a Friday night treat to have fish and chips (perhaps a hangover from the European or Irish Catholic heritage of many Australians) and Great Bite rarely disappoints.
The Family Pack #2 ($22.00) includes three blue grenadier, three potato cakes, three dim sims and minimum chips. They are willing to substitute three calamari rings for the dim sims if asked (not all fish shops will do this, and have in the past lost my custom as a result).
The serving of chips is a fairly standard size, but the size of the other components is usually generous. The blue grenadier fillets were large, thick and juicy, and like the calamari rings had a wonderful "melt in the mouth" quality with crisp batter on the outside. The potato cakes were also crispy on the outside and soft and melting on the inside. The chips had a similar presentation as well as a light sprinkling of salt, which made them very moreish.
All the pack contents were deep-fried to a dark golden colour, but were definitely not overcooked. All the food disappeared quickly without complaint!
Service is friendly and staff remember 'regulars'. Based on past experience, I would recommend not ordering too close to closing time.
On all visits since the original visit the standard has been consistently good. The fish is always juicy and "melt in the mouth". The recomendation stands!
The Family Pack #2 ($22.00) includes three blue grenadier, three potato cakes, three dim sims and minimum chips. They are willing to substitute three calamari rings for the dim sims if asked (not all fish shops will do this, and have in the past lost my custom as a result).
The serving of chips is a fairly standard size, but the size of the other components is usually generous. The blue grenadier fillets were large, thick and juicy, and like the calamari rings had a wonderful "melt in the mouth" quality with crisp batter on the outside. The potato cakes were also crispy on the outside and soft and melting on the inside. The chips had a similar presentation as well as a light sprinkling of salt, which made them very moreish.
All the pack contents were deep-fried to a dark golden colour, but were definitely not overcooked. All the food disappeared quickly without complaint!
Service is friendly and staff remember 'regulars'. Based on past experience, I would recommend not ordering too close to closing time.
On all visits since the original visit the standard has been consistently good. The fish is always juicy and "melt in the mouth". The recomendation stands!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
The River Kwai flows smoothly ...
River Kwai
Thai and Burmese Restaurant
3/1310 Centre Road
Clayton South Vic 3169
Tel: (03) 9545 5688
www.riverkwai.com.au
Open Monday to Sunday, 5.30pm to 10pm all year around.
(Visited for dinner, Tuesday 1 May 2012)
Verdict: Recommended
This is a gem of a restaurant, tucked away in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs. The interior is tastefully decorated in a red and gold theme, which is echoed in the stylish menu folders and the red tablecloths and brass cutlery. The female wait staff, attractively clad in elegant simple black dresses, were polite and helpful.
As the birthday guest of honour in our group is elderly, we decided to move shortly after arriving due to the noise levels in the front of what is obviously a very popular restaurant, and were thereafter able to enjoy pleasant and audible conversation in the back of the dining room.
Carafes of water were provided, and the meal commenced with a small complimetary serving of roti bread and meat curry on a traditional asian soup spoon.
We selected three curries and some plain rice. Due to a mix-up in the kitchen, a seafood curry was brought to the table rather than the vegetarian curry we had ordered. The waitress offered to replace it, but it looked so attractive that we decided that we would keep it.
Dish 23 - Green curry with chicken
Fragrant green curry with bamboo shoots, Thai eggplant, carrot, red capsicum and sweet basil leaves.
This was the 'lucky dip' surprise curry. It was visually impressive, arriving on a large triangular platter and was quite different in taste to the two creamy Thai curries, with a more tart almost smoky flavour. The fish had a 'melt in the mouth' quality and the rest of the seafood was generally 'just right' in terms of the amount of cooking, but I did feel that the scallop that I had was a little over-cooked. One of the standout elements was the use of strands of fresh coriander, which had softened with the heat to contribute to the overall mix of flavours.
All three curries were tasty and enjoyable. Perhaps the only somewhat negative comment would be that the ratio of sauce to contents in the curries was weighted more heavily in favour of the sauce, with the result that there was a lot of delicious sauce left over. More rice or roti bread would have been needed to mop this up.
Gluten free dishes are available on request as well as a wide selection of vegetarian treats.
Thai and Burmese Restaurant
3/1310 Centre Road
Clayton South Vic 3169
Tel: (03) 9545 5688
www.riverkwai.com.au
Open Monday to Sunday, 5.30pm to 10pm all year around.
(Visited for dinner, Tuesday 1 May 2012)
Verdict: Recommended
This is a gem of a restaurant, tucked away in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs. The interior is tastefully decorated in a red and gold theme, which is echoed in the stylish menu folders and the red tablecloths and brass cutlery. The female wait staff, attractively clad in elegant simple black dresses, were polite and helpful.
As the birthday guest of honour in our group is elderly, we decided to move shortly after arriving due to the noise levels in the front of what is obviously a very popular restaurant, and were thereafter able to enjoy pleasant and audible conversation in the back of the dining room.
Carafes of water were provided, and the meal commenced with a small complimetary serving of roti bread and meat curry on a traditional asian soup spoon.
We selected three curries and some plain rice. Due to a mix-up in the kitchen, a seafood curry was brought to the table rather than the vegetarian curry we had ordered. The waitress offered to replace it, but it looked so attractive that we decided that we would keep it.
Dish 23 - Green curry with chicken
Fragrant green curry with bamboo shoots, Thai eggplant, carrot, red capsicum and sweet basil leaves.
A delightfully creamy and slightly spicy sauce was accompanied by fresh and tasty vegetables and thinly slices of chicken breast. An enjoyable but distinctive variation on the 'Thai green curry' theme.
Dish 27 - Gang Phet Ped Yang
Fresh roasted duck breast in a creamy red curry sauce with whole cherry tomato, bamboo shoots, lychees, snow peas and basil.
Dish 27 - Gang Phet Ped Yang
Fresh roasted duck breast in a creamy red curry sauce with whole cherry tomato, bamboo shoots, lychees, snow peas and basil.
This imaginative combination of flavours in a subtle glossy sauce came together well. The duck was thinly sliced and complemented in texture by a mixture of linear and chunky vegetables.
Dish 41 - Seafood curry (Burmese)
Mixed seafood of half a crab, mussels in their shells, fish fillets, scallops, prawns and squid cooked in a tomato-based Burmese sauce.
Dish 41 - Seafood curry (Burmese)
Mixed seafood of half a crab, mussels in their shells, fish fillets, scallops, prawns and squid cooked in a tomato-based Burmese sauce.
This was the 'lucky dip' surprise curry. It was visually impressive, arriving on a large triangular platter and was quite different in taste to the two creamy Thai curries, with a more tart almost smoky flavour. The fish had a 'melt in the mouth' quality and the rest of the seafood was generally 'just right' in terms of the amount of cooking, but I did feel that the scallop that I had was a little over-cooked. One of the standout elements was the use of strands of fresh coriander, which had softened with the heat to contribute to the overall mix of flavours.
All three curries were tasty and enjoyable. Perhaps the only somewhat negative comment would be that the ratio of sauce to contents in the curries was weighted more heavily in favour of the sauce, with the result that there was a lot of delicious sauce left over. More rice or roti bread would have been needed to mop this up.
Gluten free dishes are available on request as well as a wide selection of vegetarian treats.
Starting out with Orienteering and Rogaining
(Updated 9 July 2012)
In Victoria the Police are provided with support for bush search and rescue operations by volunteers from the SES, Bush Search and Rescue, Alpine Search and Rescue and (within the ski resports) Ski Patrol. Navigation skills, including map and compass and GPS usage, are important skills in this context.
Where do you go if you want to start developing good old fashioned map and compass skills? Melbourne is fortunate in having Orienteering Victoria and the Victorian Rogaining Association as well as a number of orienteering clubs. These organisations are very welcoming and supportive of beginners and the emphasis is on coming along to an event and "having a go".
The VRA runs events regularly throughout the year and there are also a lot of orienteering events, including the popular park and street orienteering series. Over winter OV runs a series of bush orienteering events called MelBushO.
On Sunday 8 July I attended the BushO event at Plenty Gorge in Melbourne ($10 for adults). The volunteer officials were very friendly and helpful, and there were four different courses ranging from easy to hard to cater for the full range of participants from beginners to experienced orienteers. I completed the easiest course at 2.5km with 9 checkpoints, and this was both fun and good experience. You didn't really have to feel worried about getting lost and as the checkpoints were close to the starting area. It was possible to navigate pretty much just with the map (which is apparently how they like beginners to start out) but compass skills might come in handy for the more difficult courses. I enjoyed it enough to want to do some more in the future!
At the end of April 2012 the VRA ran a very successful (free) training day at Birdsland Reserve (in the outer suburbs of Melbourne), which provided practical experience in navigating to checkpoints as well as tips and advice from a VRA trainer with each small group. The volunteer trainers were generous with their time and advice, and we all enjoyed some welcome refreshments provided by the VRA at the conclusion of the day. It was also good to demystify the whole process and there was certainly a great deal of enthusiasm generated amongst the participants for taking part in forthcoming rogaining events.
The VRA runs a "partner-finding service" for each event so that no-one need be constrained from participating due to lack of a someone else to form a team.
Victorian Rogaining Association: http://vra.rogaine.asn.au/
In Victoria the Police are provided with support for bush search and rescue operations by volunteers from the SES, Bush Search and Rescue, Alpine Search and Rescue and (within the ski resports) Ski Patrol. Navigation skills, including map and compass and GPS usage, are important skills in this context.
Where do you go if you want to start developing good old fashioned map and compass skills? Melbourne is fortunate in having Orienteering Victoria and the Victorian Rogaining Association as well as a number of orienteering clubs. These organisations are very welcoming and supportive of beginners and the emphasis is on coming along to an event and "having a go".
The VRA runs events regularly throughout the year and there are also a lot of orienteering events, including the popular park and street orienteering series. Over winter OV runs a series of bush orienteering events called MelBushO.
On Sunday 8 July I attended the BushO event at Plenty Gorge in Melbourne ($10 for adults). The volunteer officials were very friendly and helpful, and there were four different courses ranging from easy to hard to cater for the full range of participants from beginners to experienced orienteers. I completed the easiest course at 2.5km with 9 checkpoints, and this was both fun and good experience. You didn't really have to feel worried about getting lost and as the checkpoints were close to the starting area. It was possible to navigate pretty much just with the map (which is apparently how they like beginners to start out) but compass skills might come in handy for the more difficult courses. I enjoyed it enough to want to do some more in the future!
At the end of April 2012 the VRA ran a very successful (free) training day at Birdsland Reserve (in the outer suburbs of Melbourne), which provided practical experience in navigating to checkpoints as well as tips and advice from a VRA trainer with each small group. The volunteer trainers were generous with their time and advice, and we all enjoyed some welcome refreshments provided by the VRA at the conclusion of the day. It was also good to demystify the whole process and there was certainly a great deal of enthusiasm generated amongst the participants for taking part in forthcoming rogaining events.
The VRA runs a "partner-finding service" for each event so that no-one need be constrained from participating due to lack of a someone else to form a team.
Victorian Rogaining Association: http://vra.rogaine.asn.au/
Orienteering Victoria:
http://www.vicorienteering.asn.au/
Bush Search and Rescue Victoria: www.bsar.org/
Alpine Search and Rescue Victoria: www.alpinesar.org.au/
Emergency medicine at the coalface - experiencing a music festival!
I have earlier mentioned (in connection with the World Track Cycling Championships) the great opportunity I have been given of working with Event Medical Services Australia (http://www.emsa.com.au/emsa/Home.html) as an occasional member of the medical first response team at public events.
Last weekend I was part of a large team of around twenty people which provided first aid services for the Creamfields Music Festival in Melbourne. The team consisted of first responders (Paramedic/Nursing students), a senior paramedic and two doctors. Ambulance Victoria was also in attendance and available to assist with seriously unwell patients and hospital transports. I was given a 'heads up' that there were likely to be drug overdoses involved, so spent a couple of days during the preceding week reading up on illicit drugs and overdoses and also sought the advice of one of my tutoring colleagues who was an emergency physician in a past life and provided me with some excellent articles on GHB.
It was an interesting experience for me, never having had much practical exposure to the management of anything other than acute intoxication, but my colleagues had seen it all before and were very capable and confident in management, so I learned a lot. Even though I had read about it, it still seemed quite remarkable how quickly GHB users can go from unconscious to recovered. We saw people who had used GHB, LSD, ecstacy and of course lots of alcohol. Due to the rapid recovery rate there was minimal call on Ambulance involvement.
The Police came to advise us that they had increased their presence since last year's Festival, especially at the entrance gate, and had five sniffer dogs and a very large number of personnel. When I went to observe, it seemed as if one person was being pulled aside every few seconds to be taken to the holding area for investigation. The Age newspaper reported that two hundred people had been arrested for drugs infringements. Perhaps GHB is more difficult to detect as it is colourless and odourless, but we probably had the Police to thank that there were not more overdoses. A couple of people swore that they would never use drugs again due to the bad experience. It would be nice to believe them.
For excellent information and fact sheets relating to illicit drugs (and an iPhone app) from the Austrailian Government National Drugs Campaign, see:
http://www.drugs.health.gov.au/internet/drugs/publishing.nsf/content/home-1
This is an article relating specifically to the Creamfields festivals in Melbourne and Sydney:
The Age Newspaper: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/drugs-neardeath-plunge-at-creamfields-concerts-20120430-1xu4x.html
This is a further article in which a senior member of Victoria Police comments on the prevalence of and attitude towards illicit drugs and mentions some of the medical implications:
The Age Newspaper: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/top-policeman-lashes-out-at-drug-national-disgrace-in-wake-of-rave-arrests-20120506-1y73y.html
A subsequent interesting article about Ambulance Victoria callouts involving both illicit and prescription drugs:
The Age Newspaper: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/prescription-drugs-alcohol-wreak-havoc-20120507-1y95h.html
The Age Newspaper has recently established a "Wiki" page which lists a number of articles relating to the drugs debate and has a link to the WikiCurve and online comments and debate:
http://www.theage.com.au/national/drug-law
A couple of days of days before Creamfields there was an article in The Age (http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/the-drugs-in-the-mail-20120426-1xnth.html) about anonymous websites such as Silk Road which offer illicit drugs for sale (some of which are even advertised as being lab tested for purity). These drugs are then shipped directly to the purchaser and carried by Australia Post right to the front door. According to the article, Australia Post only has the capacity to screen a small fraction of all parcels arriving into Australia. As has been said in the Press lately, it appears that the war against drugs is a war that cannot be won. However, it is indeed fortunate for drug users that in our affluent Western society they are provided with a safety net against the ultimate form of self-harm in death by overdose. Ambulance services will attend anyone in trouble, and our medical team was on-site to save people from themselves and resuscitate them if they stopped breathing. I wonder if they truly appreciate the risk they are taking and if they would still take it if they knew how easy it is to die or be permanently disabled from a simple lack of oxygen to the brain ...
Paramedics are the unsung heroes of our health system, and after hearing a lot over the past couple of years about what they do on a daily basis, I have nothing but respect and admiration for them and their work.
The Police came to advise us that they had increased their presence since last year's Festival, especially at the entrance gate, and had five sniffer dogs and a very large number of personnel. When I went to observe, it seemed as if one person was being pulled aside every few seconds to be taken to the holding area for investigation. The Age newspaper reported that two hundred people had been arrested for drugs infringements. Perhaps GHB is more difficult to detect as it is colourless and odourless, but we probably had the Police to thank that there were not more overdoses. A couple of people swore that they would never use drugs again due to the bad experience. It would be nice to believe them.
For excellent information and fact sheets relating to illicit drugs (and an iPhone app) from the Austrailian Government National Drugs Campaign, see:
http://www.drugs.health.gov.au/internet/drugs/publishing.nsf/content/home-1
This is an article relating specifically to the Creamfields festivals in Melbourne and Sydney:
The Age Newspaper: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/drugs-neardeath-plunge-at-creamfields-concerts-20120430-1xu4x.html
This is a further article in which a senior member of Victoria Police comments on the prevalence of and attitude towards illicit drugs and mentions some of the medical implications:
The Age Newspaper: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/top-policeman-lashes-out-at-drug-national-disgrace-in-wake-of-rave-arrests-20120506-1y73y.html
A subsequent interesting article about Ambulance Victoria callouts involving both illicit and prescription drugs:
The Age Newspaper: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/prescription-drugs-alcohol-wreak-havoc-20120507-1y95h.html
The Age Newspaper has recently established a "Wiki" page which lists a number of articles relating to the drugs debate and has a link to the WikiCurve and online comments and debate:
http://www.theage.com.au/national/drug-law
A couple of days of days before Creamfields there was an article in The Age (http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/the-drugs-in-the-mail-20120426-1xnth.html) about anonymous websites such as Silk Road which offer illicit drugs for sale (some of which are even advertised as being lab tested for purity). These drugs are then shipped directly to the purchaser and carried by Australia Post right to the front door. According to the article, Australia Post only has the capacity to screen a small fraction of all parcels arriving into Australia. As has been said in the Press lately, it appears that the war against drugs is a war that cannot be won. However, it is indeed fortunate for drug users that in our affluent Western society they are provided with a safety net against the ultimate form of self-harm in death by overdose. Ambulance services will attend anyone in trouble, and our medical team was on-site to save people from themselves and resuscitate them if they stopped breathing. I wonder if they truly appreciate the risk they are taking and if they would still take it if they knew how easy it is to die or be permanently disabled from a simple lack of oxygen to the brain ...
Paramedics are the unsung heroes of our health system, and after hearing a lot over the past couple of years about what they do on a daily basis, I have nothing but respect and admiration for them and their work.
Critical Care Education Services - a learner becomes a teacher!
Six years ago I attended a Basic Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support Course conducted by Ken Hambrecht of Critical Care Education Services, and over intervening years have attended ECG Interpretation, Acute Life-Threatening Emergencies, Recognition and Treatment (ALERT) and Paediatric Advanced Life Support Courses. Ken always impresses me with his encyclopaedic knowledge of critical care medicine and attention to detail as well as being one of the nicest people that you could ever possibly meet. After the PALS course I was emboldened to approach Ken and ask if he ever heard of any clinical education opportunities and he was kind enough to offer me the possibility of assisting with some of his courses.
As a result I recently spent a most enjoyable Saturday afternoon running a workstation teaching groups of nurses and doctors the basic approach and methodology of intubation. For me it was a lovely opportunity to share the knowledge and skills that I had acquired through my work as an Anaesthetics registrar, and I enjoyed the feeling of having these tools in my hands again. I do miss being involved with full-time clinical medicine and hope that I will be able to further my skills and experience in acute medicine again in the future.
Since then I have also run skills stations in another Basic Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support course on Paediatric BLS and Advanced Airway Management (intubation/laryngeal masks) and also the airway management station at the Paediatric Advanced Life Support course. It always gives me a 'warm inner glow' when the people on the course are enthusiastically grateful for the session!
Critical Care Education Services: www.criticalcare.edu.au/
It is interesting to reflect that I have been fortunate in being able to obtain all my clinical and educational work since early last year through personal contacts and not being afraid to approach people and ask. As the iconic saying goes, "nothing ventured, nothing gained"!
As a result I recently spent a most enjoyable Saturday afternoon running a workstation teaching groups of nurses and doctors the basic approach and methodology of intubation. For me it was a lovely opportunity to share the knowledge and skills that I had acquired through my work as an Anaesthetics registrar, and I enjoyed the feeling of having these tools in my hands again. I do miss being involved with full-time clinical medicine and hope that I will be able to further my skills and experience in acute medicine again in the future.
Since then I have also run skills stations in another Basic Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support course on Paediatric BLS and Advanced Airway Management (intubation/laryngeal masks) and also the airway management station at the Paediatric Advanced Life Support course. It always gives me a 'warm inner glow' when the people on the course are enthusiastically grateful for the session!
Critical Care Education Services: www.criticalcare.edu.au/
It is interesting to reflect that I have been fortunate in being able to obtain all my clinical and educational work since early last year through personal contacts and not being afraid to approach people and ask. As the iconic saying goes, "nothing ventured, nothing gained"!
If at first you don't succeed ... Scandinavian Pre-Hospital Research Project Proposal
(Updated 11 February 2013)
Having always been a bit of a "Pollyanna" at heart, in early 2012 I embarked on my fourth Churchill Fellowship application (from the early 1990s to the current day) and received my fourth rejection letter. I was also rung by the Victorian Chairman to stress that there was nothing wrong with my application or excellent qualifications but it was merely that the Panel preferred other topics in the extremely competitive environment. This was very disappointing, not only for the time and effort on my own part and that of the referees, but also for the fact that it is extremely difficult to find funding for 'boutique' projects of this nature, which are cutting-edge in their own way but not part of mainstream health research and funding. I suggested to the Churchill Fellowship that perhaps they could do unsuccessful candidates the kindness of having a web page that directed them to other possible alternative sources of funding.
One other option was to apply for an Emergency Services Foundation Volunteer Scholarship. However, this required the endorsement of the head of your organisation, and it was stated to be a "recognised emergency services organisation", which raised issues of its own, as no volunteer search and rescue group or ski patrol in general is specifically recognised under the Emergency Management Manual Victoria. A volunteer with Alpine Search and Rescue has to go through Bush Search and Rescue and then to Victoria Police (as the recognised agency with responsibility for search and rescue). Bush Search and Rescue declined to endorse the project due to the ski patrol component. Ski patrol endorsement could have been obtained but difficulties were encountered through the scholarship secretariat in appreciating that the role of ski patrol was separate to that of search and rescue and thus obtaining a ruling as to whether ski patrol would be recognised as an emergency services organisation for the purposes of the scholarship application. In the end time ran out and I was told to wait until the next round of applications at the end of 2012 and to try again then. I had supplied two written references from both the search and rescue and ski patrol side, but these were deemed insufficient as according to the letter of the law an endorsement of the head of agency was required.
I was both despondent and disappointed with this outcome, as I had spent about a week putting the application together and been involved in extensive email correspondence and telephone conversations in trying to get the application accepted for consideration and the Foundation had publicly stated that they wanted to encourage more scholarship applications. Whether it was sufficiently meritorious to receive a scholarship is another matter but I would really have appreciated the opportunity to have it considered. It has all been so difficult I don't know if I will in fact try again unless the administrative issues are clearly resolved beforehand.
(Update)
With a change of personnel in the National Ski Patrol body, I was able to arrange endorsement of my (expanded) research project proposal and have submitted it as an application for the 2013 round of volunteer scholarships. This year I decided to go direct to Ski Patrol for endorsement as Ski Patrol has operational independence from Victoria Police.
This is a brief outline of the proposed project (the full proposal is available at: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/30234302/Pre-Hospital_Research_Project_Proposal_2013.pdf):
Scandinavian Pre-Hospital Search and Rescue and Ski Patrol Research Project Proposal
Location: Sweden, Norway and Iceland.
Purpose: Learning from and benchmarking international best practice in order to optimize domestic best practice.
Key topics to be examined:
These topics would be addressed through interviews with relevant respondents, site visits and a series of ‘answerable questions’, which would be distributed beforehand (together with a short briefing paper) to the proposed host organizations. (Further details appear in the Methodology section.)
The Australian Ski Patrol Association (“ASPA”) is a member of FIPS (Fédération Internationale des Patrouilles de Ski)1, an international association of organisations involved with the multi-disciplinary aspects of ski patrolling and ski safety. Through working together with the ASPA VP International Liaison, a number of useful contacts would be sourced for the project. I am also a member of the International Society for Skiing Safety.
Having always been a bit of a "Pollyanna" at heart, in early 2012 I embarked on my fourth Churchill Fellowship application (from the early 1990s to the current day) and received my fourth rejection letter. I was also rung by the Victorian Chairman to stress that there was nothing wrong with my application or excellent qualifications but it was merely that the Panel preferred other topics in the extremely competitive environment. This was very disappointing, not only for the time and effort on my own part and that of the referees, but also for the fact that it is extremely difficult to find funding for 'boutique' projects of this nature, which are cutting-edge in their own way but not part of mainstream health research and funding. I suggested to the Churchill Fellowship that perhaps they could do unsuccessful candidates the kindness of having a web page that directed them to other possible alternative sources of funding.
One other option was to apply for an Emergency Services Foundation Volunteer Scholarship. However, this required the endorsement of the head of your organisation, and it was stated to be a "recognised emergency services organisation", which raised issues of its own, as no volunteer search and rescue group or ski patrol in general is specifically recognised under the Emergency Management Manual Victoria. A volunteer with Alpine Search and Rescue has to go through Bush Search and Rescue and then to Victoria Police (as the recognised agency with responsibility for search and rescue). Bush Search and Rescue declined to endorse the project due to the ski patrol component. Ski patrol endorsement could have been obtained but difficulties were encountered through the scholarship secretariat in appreciating that the role of ski patrol was separate to that of search and rescue and thus obtaining a ruling as to whether ski patrol would be recognised as an emergency services organisation for the purposes of the scholarship application. In the end time ran out and I was told to wait until the next round of applications at the end of 2012 and to try again then. I had supplied two written references from both the search and rescue and ski patrol side, but these were deemed insufficient as according to the letter of the law an endorsement of the head of agency was required.
I was both despondent and disappointed with this outcome, as I had spent about a week putting the application together and been involved in extensive email correspondence and telephone conversations in trying to get the application accepted for consideration and the Foundation had publicly stated that they wanted to encourage more scholarship applications. Whether it was sufficiently meritorious to receive a scholarship is another matter but I would really have appreciated the opportunity to have it considered. It has all been so difficult I don't know if I will in fact try again unless the administrative issues are clearly resolved beforehand.
(Update)
With a change of personnel in the National Ski Patrol body, I was able to arrange endorsement of my (expanded) research project proposal and have submitted it as an application for the 2013 round of volunteer scholarships. This year I decided to go direct to Ski Patrol for endorsement as Ski Patrol has operational independence from Victoria Police.
This is a brief outline of the proposed project (the full proposal is available at: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/30234302/Pre-Hospital_Research_Project_Proposal_2013.pdf):
Scandinavian Pre-Hospital Search and Rescue and Ski Patrol Research Project Proposal
Location: Sweden, Norway and Iceland.
Purpose: Learning from and benchmarking international best practice in order to optimize domestic best practice.
Key topics to be examined:
- Alpine and wilderness models of (and equipment and facilities for) casualty care and interface between ski patrol, search and rescue, ambulance and medical services.
- Content, layout and standardization between agencies of incident reporting forms for the accidents occurring in alpine and wilderness areas and the underlying ‘data set’ used for encoding and processing of this data.
- Authorised use of medications by emergency responders in the treatment of casualties.
- First Aid training for emergency responders – ski patrol and search and rescue.
- Training in mass casualty triage principles for emergency responders – ski patrol and search and rescue.
- Establishing the extent to which ski patrol and search and rescue organisations are formally recognised as part of the ‘Emergency Services’ and the extent to which funding of these organizations is provided by government bodies.
The Australian Ski Patrol Association (“ASPA”) is a member of FIPS (Fédération Internationale des Patrouilles de Ski)1, an international association of organisations involved with the multi-disciplinary aspects of ski patrolling and ski safety. Through working together with the ASPA VP International Liaison, a number of useful contacts would be sourced for the project. I am also a member of the International Society for Skiing Safety.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
A Thai surprise - Thonglor Garden Restaurant
Thonglor Garden Thai Restaurant
108 Hoddle Street, Abbotsford 3067
Tel: (03) 9419 1268
Dine in and take-away
Visited for dinner (Friday 20 April 2012)
Verdict: Recommended
Spreets vouchers (http://spreets.com.au) recently offered a deal for Thonglor Garden Thai Restaurant. The reviews we had read on Urbanspoon were mixed, so we approached the restaurant with an open mind. We travelled by train to Collingwood Station, and the restaurant was only a couple of minutes walk away, just to the south side of Gipps Street in Hoddle Street.
This is a very intimate venue in an unlikely location on a major thoroughfare. The restaurant is small and has a nice ambiance, somewhat like a comfy home dining room, with subdued lighting and a black feature wall at the back with feature mirrors and a red couch in front of it. "Cool jazz" was playing (at just the right level) in the background. This soft easy listening music was a good accompaniment to the meal. There is a polished wooden floor and wooden chairs and tables. The chairs have comfortable cushion pads on them (perhaps in response to earlier comments on Urbanspoon).
The meal voucher included a glass of house wine as well as a three-course meal. There was a choice of red or white wine. The house red was light but very drinkable. The restaurant is also BYO and fully licensed. Glasses of water were also provided.
Seating inside the main room consists of six tables (2 x 6 seats and 4 x 2 seats) and there are additional tables out the front of the restaurant and in a small courtyard.
There was only one waitress, but she was extremely polite and helpful, and each course arrived in a timely fashion. The menu is presented in a charming small menu book with a traditional Thai cover and handmade paper.
There was a wide choice of entrees and main courses. The mixed entree ($11.90) consisted of two fish cakes, two spring rolls and two curry puffs (the latter two were vegetarian) and was served with a tasty sweet chilli sauce. The spring rolls had a lovely subtle flavour and finely julienned vegetables. The curry puffs had a light fluffy pastry filled with melt-in-the-mouth potato (and carrot) and a complementary combination of coriander and peas. The fish cakes were a bit chewy but had a zesty flavour with a spicy 'afterburn'.
The main courses sampled were Green Curry with Chicken ($14.90) and the house special, Karee Talay ($22.90), a yellow curry paste with egg, vegetables and seafood. The two curries complimented each other well.
The green curry had a thick, creamy, sweet, spicy and tangy sauce with moist and thinly sliced pieces of chicken and squeaky fresh sliced carrot, beans, zucchini, green capsicum and broccoli. It was a nice balance of flavours. It came with a large bowl of freshly steamed rice.
The Karee Talay came on a square plate, with garnishes of finely chopped chilli on one corner and fresh salad on the other. It was more subtle and gently spiced but with complex flavours and the chilli added a kick. In addition to the egg, the colourful vegetables included red and green capsicum, carrot, onion, zucchini, shallots and broccoli. There were two prawns, two calamari rings and four mussels. The mussels and prawns were nicely cooked and the calamari was "just right". (The only criticism would perhaps be that the seafood was a little on the light side quantity-wise.) This was definitely an enjoyable dish, and did not really require rice to accompany it (which was just as well as we had run out after eating the green curry!).
The dessert was a choice of vanilla sundae or banana fritter. Both came with vanilla ice-cream and strawberry sauce, but it did actually taste of strawberries. Not the finest part of the meal but it was a refreshing way to finish.
Just as a general comment, none of the voucher deals seem to offer tea or coffee at the end of the meal. This would be a nice way to round off the meal. However, peppermint tea at home was just as enjoyable as usual!
108 Hoddle Street, Abbotsford 3067
Tel: (03) 9419 1268
Dine in and take-away
Visited for dinner (Friday 20 April 2012)
Verdict: Recommended
Spreets vouchers (http://spreets.com.au) recently offered a deal for Thonglor Garden Thai Restaurant. The reviews we had read on Urbanspoon were mixed, so we approached the restaurant with an open mind. We travelled by train to Collingwood Station, and the restaurant was only a couple of minutes walk away, just to the south side of Gipps Street in Hoddle Street.
This is a very intimate venue in an unlikely location on a major thoroughfare. The restaurant is small and has a nice ambiance, somewhat like a comfy home dining room, with subdued lighting and a black feature wall at the back with feature mirrors and a red couch in front of it. "Cool jazz" was playing (at just the right level) in the background. This soft easy listening music was a good accompaniment to the meal. There is a polished wooden floor and wooden chairs and tables. The chairs have comfortable cushion pads on them (perhaps in response to earlier comments on Urbanspoon).
The meal voucher included a glass of house wine as well as a three-course meal. There was a choice of red or white wine. The house red was light but very drinkable. The restaurant is also BYO and fully licensed. Glasses of water were also provided.
Seating inside the main room consists of six tables (2 x 6 seats and 4 x 2 seats) and there are additional tables out the front of the restaurant and in a small courtyard.
There was only one waitress, but she was extremely polite and helpful, and each course arrived in a timely fashion. The menu is presented in a charming small menu book with a traditional Thai cover and handmade paper.
There was a wide choice of entrees and main courses. The mixed entree ($11.90) consisted of two fish cakes, two spring rolls and two curry puffs (the latter two were vegetarian) and was served with a tasty sweet chilli sauce. The spring rolls had a lovely subtle flavour and finely julienned vegetables. The curry puffs had a light fluffy pastry filled with melt-in-the-mouth potato (and carrot) and a complementary combination of coriander and peas. The fish cakes were a bit chewy but had a zesty flavour with a spicy 'afterburn'.
The main courses sampled were Green Curry with Chicken ($14.90) and the house special, Karee Talay ($22.90), a yellow curry paste with egg, vegetables and seafood. The two curries complimented each other well.
The green curry had a thick, creamy, sweet, spicy and tangy sauce with moist and thinly sliced pieces of chicken and squeaky fresh sliced carrot, beans, zucchini, green capsicum and broccoli. It was a nice balance of flavours. It came with a large bowl of freshly steamed rice.
The Karee Talay came on a square plate, with garnishes of finely chopped chilli on one corner and fresh salad on the other. It was more subtle and gently spiced but with complex flavours and the chilli added a kick. In addition to the egg, the colourful vegetables included red and green capsicum, carrot, onion, zucchini, shallots and broccoli. There were two prawns, two calamari rings and four mussels. The mussels and prawns were nicely cooked and the calamari was "just right". (The only criticism would perhaps be that the seafood was a little on the light side quantity-wise.) This was definitely an enjoyable dish, and did not really require rice to accompany it (which was just as well as we had run out after eating the green curry!).
The dessert was a choice of vanilla sundae or banana fritter. Both came with vanilla ice-cream and strawberry sauce, but it did actually taste of strawberries. Not the finest part of the meal but it was a refreshing way to finish.
Just as a general comment, none of the voucher deals seem to offer tea or coffee at the end of the meal. This would be a nice way to round off the meal. However, peppermint tea at home was just as enjoyable as usual!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
On the coffee trail ... Part 2
Foxy Brown Espresso
31 South Crescent, Northcote
Tel: 9481 4454
http://www.foxybrown.com.au/
Visited Sunday 15 April 2012 at around 11.00am.
Take-Away Cappuccino $3.70
Rating: 8.5/10
31 South Crescent, Northcote
Tel: 9481 4454
http://www.foxybrown.com.au/
Visited Sunday 15 April 2012 at around 11.00am.
Take-Away Cappuccino $3.70
Rating: 8.5/10
Close to Westgarth station opposite the Hurstbridge rail line, this converted Federation-style house has tables inside and out (on three sides of the building) and a verandah out the front. It appears busy and popular, and had a variety of breakfast/brunch/lunch options (including burgers and sandwiches), cakes and muffins. There was unpleasantly loud music playing when I came in, but this stopped abruptly.
Once again the froth had collapsed by the time I had walked home, but the coffee left behind was a milky rich inviting hue. Taste-wise it was smooth, soft and creamy with a hint of sweetness (perhaps both a benefit of unhomogenised milk) and a nutty almost tangy aftertaste. Sipping it created a warm and homely sensation, as if you were sitting around the kitchen table (or an open fire) savouring your coffee. Very drinkable but flavoursome and satisfying - no need to gulp!
(From "The Age Coffee Army Handbook 2012" http://coffeearmy.tumblr.com/)
Boy, are these guys into coffee: they have a custom espresso machine and source their own beans widely (PNG, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and beyond) and have them roasted by an independent specialist in North Melbourne. Ask for a "cortado" - a half-strength half-latte from a single-origin bean.
Penny Farthing Espresso
206 High Street, Northcote
Tel: 9482 2246
http://pennyfarthingespresso.com/
Visited Sunday 15 April 2012 at around 4.30pm.
Take-Away Cappuccino $3.50
Rating: 8.5/10
This tiny shop has seating inside and out, and has the air of a well-loved old fashioned kitchen with wooden furniture. It is open from breakfast until late most days (ideal if visiting the Westgarth Cinema). The service was very friendly and the barista seemed genuinely pleased that I asked about the coffee they were using.
This coffee had a gorgeous complex sharp and inviting aroma and the flavour was correspondingly multi-dimensional but very distinctive. Closing my eyes and tasting the nutty bitterness conjured up thoughts of hot steamy climes and rich brown colours. Very smooth on the palate with a gentle aftertaste. Another one to savour and enjoy.
Update: Monday 5 November 2012 at around 3pm.
Based on my previous positive experience, I met a friend here for afternoon coffee. Our coffees were served in a cup and saucer and beautifully decorated (see photo). Unfortunately they were only lukewarm on this occasion. However, my cappucino was beautifully flavoured, with a strong, dark and smooth taste which made me think of tropical rainforests, and there was some natural sweetness added by the milk. There was a subtle aftertaste which reinforced the flavour.
My friend ordered one of the home-made sultana and fig muffins, which was generously sized and a rich golden colour in appearance. It was pleasant enough taste-wise, but unfortunately a but overcooked on the outside and very crumbly.
Table service is provided if you are 'dining in' and was friendly and attentive. A carafe of water was provided on the table. More substantial food is also available for the hungry diner. There were several people in the cafe sitting alone using computers, so this is obviously tolerated if you buy something.
(From "The Age Coffee Army Handbook 2012" http://coffeearmy.tumblr.com/)
Brothers Trevor and Steve Simmons roast, brew and retail coffee from this quaint Northcote shopfront, including a single-origin decaf and their Vintage Espresso blend featuring Sumatran, Colombian, PNG, Guatemalan and Brazilian beans.
Once again the froth had collapsed by the time I had walked home, but the coffee left behind was a milky rich inviting hue. Taste-wise it was smooth, soft and creamy with a hint of sweetness (perhaps both a benefit of unhomogenised milk) and a nutty almost tangy aftertaste. Sipping it created a warm and homely sensation, as if you were sitting around the kitchen table (or an open fire) savouring your coffee. Very drinkable but flavoursome and satisfying - no need to gulp!
(From "The Age Coffee Army Handbook 2012" http://coffeearmy.tumblr.com/)
Boy, are these guys into coffee: they have a custom espresso machine and source their own beans widely (PNG, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and beyond) and have them roasted by an independent specialist in North Melbourne. Ask for a "cortado" - a half-strength half-latte from a single-origin bean.
Penny Farthing Espresso
206 High Street, Northcote
Tel: 9482 2246
http://pennyfarthingespresso.com/
Visited Sunday 15 April 2012 at around 4.30pm.
Take-Away Cappuccino $3.50
Rating: 8.5/10
This tiny shop has seating inside and out, and has the air of a well-loved old fashioned kitchen with wooden furniture. It is open from breakfast until late most days (ideal if visiting the Westgarth Cinema). The service was very friendly and the barista seemed genuinely pleased that I asked about the coffee they were using.
This coffee had a gorgeous complex sharp and inviting aroma and the flavour was correspondingly multi-dimensional but very distinctive. Closing my eyes and tasting the nutty bitterness conjured up thoughts of hot steamy climes and rich brown colours. Very smooth on the palate with a gentle aftertaste. Another one to savour and enjoy.
Update: Monday 5 November 2012 at around 3pm.
Based on my previous positive experience, I met a friend here for afternoon coffee. Our coffees were served in a cup and saucer and beautifully decorated (see photo). Unfortunately they were only lukewarm on this occasion. However, my cappucino was beautifully flavoured, with a strong, dark and smooth taste which made me think of tropical rainforests, and there was some natural sweetness added by the milk. There was a subtle aftertaste which reinforced the flavour.
My friend ordered one of the home-made sultana and fig muffins, which was generously sized and a rich golden colour in appearance. It was pleasant enough taste-wise, but unfortunately a but overcooked on the outside and very crumbly.
Table service is provided if you are 'dining in' and was friendly and attentive. A carafe of water was provided on the table. More substantial food is also available for the hungry diner. There were several people in the cafe sitting alone using computers, so this is obviously tolerated if you buy something.
(From "The Age Coffee Army Handbook 2012" http://coffeearmy.tumblr.com/)
Brothers Trevor and Steve Simmons roast, brew and retail coffee from this quaint Northcote shopfront, including a single-origin decaf and their Vintage Espresso blend featuring Sumatran, Colombian, PNG, Guatemalan and Brazilian beans.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
On the coffee trail ...
With the success of the Melbourne Age newspaper's "Coffee Army" campaign, a two-week half-price offer for some of the coffee houses rated as finalists was too good an opportunity to miss!
Therefore this undercover agent offers some humble opinions on the coffee sampled (both take-away and in-house), and a bean review for some new coffee beans that I have just bought..
The Espresso Room
410 High Street, Northcote
Tel: 9489 4000
Visited Saturday 7 April 2012 at around 2.30pm.
Take-Away Cappuccino $3.50
Rating: 9/10
Although the froth had collapsed by the time I was able to get the coffee home and drink it, it had a beautiful aroma, lovely smoky and nutty taste and a smooth flavour with a delicious slightly bitter aftertaste that lingers on the tongue. You can only conclude that you have had a quality coffee. I didn't feel the need (as with a lesser product) just to gulp it down in order to quench your thirst, but rather it was something to savour and enjoy. Very satisfying - one for the connoisseurs!
The service was great and the cafe itself has a very pleasant ambience, with tables inside and out and jazz playing in the background. It was quite possible to have a normal conversation over the top of the music. The menu offers a wide selection of freshly- made food at reasonable prices (breakfast/brunch/lunch). I would definitely come back to eat here. It is obviously popular with what I am told is "MAMILs" (middle aged men in lycra) enjoying a well-earned treat whilst out cycling.
Three Bags Full
Cnr Nicholson and Mollison Streets, Abbotsford
Tel: 9421 2732
http://www.threebagsfullcafe.com.au/
Visited Sunday 8 April 2012 at around 1.30pm.
Take-Away Cappuccino $3.70
Rating: 6/10
I'm sorry to say that this was a disappointment. Obviously this converted warehouse is a hugely popular establishment, with a packed dining area and a queue of people waiting to get in and eat, and there was also quite a long wait for the take-away coffees. Loud repetitive rock music was playing in the background, and conversation was not possible without ramping your voice up several notches. The food on the tables from the breakfast/lunch menus appeared fresh and appetising and the diners seemed to be enjoying it.
The coffee itself had a dark bitter flavour but was bland compared to the silky complexity offered by The Expresso Room and lacked the same degree of aftertaste. I wouldn't go back, either for the coffee or the ambience.
IKEA Richmond
Victoria Gardens Shopping Centre,
Cnr Victoria and Burnley Streets, Richmond
Tel: 8416 5000
http://www.ikea.com/au/en/store/richmond
Visited Sunday 8 April 2012 around 3.30pm
Mug of Cappuccino $2.50 or free for IKEA Family members (bottomless in either case)
Rating: 6/10
Although this is not a recognised coffee house, it is a pleasant enough refuge for those after a quick caffeine fix in the midst of more stressful activities such as shopping!
IKEA uses UTZ Certified fair trade coffee and commercial coffee machines offering a limited selection e.g.: Cappuccino, Latte, Long Black. On the plus side, the coffee has a pleasant strong bitter flavour and a good aftertaste. However, there is probably a bit too much froth on top, and it tends to go cold quite quickly. Still an enjoyable cup of coffee and despite the barn-like ambiance it is quite possible to find a quiet corner and take advantage of the free Wi-Fi or alternatively the reasonably priced food offerings. The enormously popular breakfast special (bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, tomatoes and hash browns - side serving of baked beans $0.60 extra) remains amazing value ($2.95), particularly on Wednesdays when it is cheaper still ($1.95).
Bean Review Harris Reserve Colombian High Altitude Grown 100% Arabica Coffee Beans
Sustainable coffee - UTZ certified
Strong - 4 bean rating
Verdict: Recommended
When you first pick up the bag and smell the aroma, it has a certain 'wow' factor, so I couldn't wait to try it. The beans were finely ground in a 35 year old Moulinex coffee grinder and made up with freshly boiled filtered water in a Pyrex coffee plunger. I first tried it black, and was struck by a gorgeous aroma and the complex dark nutty flavour that also has a hint of smokiness about it and also lingers almost as a tingle on the tongue long after you have swallowed. It is strong and unapologetic but oh so good! The caffeine levels didn't take long to start helping my headache to reduce in intensity so it is also therapeutic!
The Espresso Room
410 High Street, Northcote
Tel: 9489 4000
Visited Saturday 7 April 2012 at around 2.30pm.
Take-Away Cappuccino $3.50
Rating: 9/10
Although the froth had collapsed by the time I was able to get the coffee home and drink it, it had a beautiful aroma, lovely smoky and nutty taste and a smooth flavour with a delicious slightly bitter aftertaste that lingers on the tongue. You can only conclude that you have had a quality coffee. I didn't feel the need (as with a lesser product) just to gulp it down in order to quench your thirst, but rather it was something to savour and enjoy. Very satisfying - one for the connoisseurs!
The service was great and the cafe itself has a very pleasant ambience, with tables inside and out and jazz playing in the background. It was quite possible to have a normal conversation over the top of the music. The menu offers a wide selection of freshly- made food at reasonable prices (breakfast/brunch/lunch). I would definitely come back to eat here. It is obviously popular with what I am told is "MAMILs" (middle aged men in lycra) enjoying a well-earned treat whilst out cycling.
Three Bags Full
Cnr Nicholson and Mollison Streets, Abbotsford
Tel: 9421 2732
http://www.threebagsfullcafe.com.au/
Visited Sunday 8 April 2012 at around 1.30pm.
Take-Away Cappuccino $3.70
Rating: 6/10
I'm sorry to say that this was a disappointment. Obviously this converted warehouse is a hugely popular establishment, with a packed dining area and a queue of people waiting to get in and eat, and there was also quite a long wait for the take-away coffees. Loud repetitive rock music was playing in the background, and conversation was not possible without ramping your voice up several notches. The food on the tables from the breakfast/lunch menus appeared fresh and appetising and the diners seemed to be enjoying it.
The coffee itself had a dark bitter flavour but was bland compared to the silky complexity offered by The Expresso Room and lacked the same degree of aftertaste. I wouldn't go back, either for the coffee or the ambience.
IKEA Richmond
Victoria Gardens Shopping Centre,
Cnr Victoria and Burnley Streets, Richmond
Tel: 8416 5000
http://www.ikea.com/au/en/store/richmond
Visited Sunday 8 April 2012 around 3.30pm
Mug of Cappuccino $2.50 or free for IKEA Family members (bottomless in either case)
Rating: 6/10
Although this is not a recognised coffee house, it is a pleasant enough refuge for those after a quick caffeine fix in the midst of more stressful activities such as shopping!
IKEA uses UTZ Certified fair trade coffee and commercial coffee machines offering a limited selection e.g.: Cappuccino, Latte, Long Black. On the plus side, the coffee has a pleasant strong bitter flavour and a good aftertaste. However, there is probably a bit too much froth on top, and it tends to go cold quite quickly. Still an enjoyable cup of coffee and despite the barn-like ambiance it is quite possible to find a quiet corner and take advantage of the free Wi-Fi or alternatively the reasonably priced food offerings. The enormously popular breakfast special (bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, tomatoes and hash browns - side serving of baked beans $0.60 extra) remains amazing value ($2.95), particularly on Wednesdays when it is cheaper still ($1.95).
Sustainable coffee - UTZ certified
Strong - 4 bean rating
Verdict: Recommended
When you first pick up the bag and smell the aroma, it has a certain 'wow' factor, so I couldn't wait to try it. The beans were finely ground in a 35 year old Moulinex coffee grinder and made up with freshly boiled filtered water in a Pyrex coffee plunger. I first tried it black, and was struck by a gorgeous aroma and the complex dark nutty flavour that also has a hint of smokiness about it and also lingers almost as a tingle on the tongue long after you have swallowed. It is strong and unapologetic but oh so good! The caffeine levels didn't take long to start helping my headache to reduce in intensity so it is also therapeutic!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Darkness and Light - The Great Easter Triduum at St Francis' Church, Melbourne
 |
| St Francis' Choir, Melbourne, Australia |
Eastertide is one of the great joys of life for the chorally inclined, and so it is for St Francis' Choir, Melbourne.
St Francis' Church is the oldest church still on its original site in Melbourne, with a history stretching back 170 years, and is under the pastoral care of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament. The choir has been part of its history for much of that time, and the modern mixed choir is one of Melbourne's finest liturgical choirs, with a repertoire stretching from the Middle Ages to the present day. The choir normally performs at the 11:00 mass on Sundays as well as at all the additional major celebrations during the year, and on these latter occasions is often joined by soloists and orchestra or brass.
The Easter season begins with Palm Sunday and progresses through Holy Thursday, Good Friday (Commemoration of the Passion in the afternoon and Tenebrae in the evening), Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday (with brass) and lastly the morning of Easter Sunday (with orchestra and soloists). This year the Choir undertook a selection of music that was beautiful, inspiring and challenging but rewarding. It is always somewhat ironic that whilst the majority of the population is enjoying a lengthy secular break, for those who celebrate the underlying meaning of Easter, it is the hardest-working period of the year.
The Easter season begins with Palm Sunday and progresses through Holy Thursday, Good Friday (Commemoration of the Passion in the afternoon and Tenebrae in the evening), Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday (with brass) and lastly the morning of Easter Sunday (with orchestra and soloists). This year the Choir undertook a selection of music that was beautiful, inspiring and challenging but rewarding. It is always somewhat ironic that whilst the majority of the population is enjoying a lengthy secular break, for those who celebrate the underlying meaning of Easter, it is the hardest-working period of the year.
St Francis' Choir, Melbourne: http://www.stfrancischoir.org.au/
St Francis' Church, Melbourne: http://www.stfrancismelbourne.org.au/
Holy Week & Easter
| ||
| April 1 Passion/ Palm Sunday | C. Willcock G. Malcolm J. S. Bach | Trocaire Ingrediente Domino Crucifixus |
| April 5 Holy Thursday (6.00pm) | R. Heagney J. Kuhnau O. Gjeilo T. L. da Victoria | Missa Castanea Tristis est anima mea Ubi caritas Tantum ergo |
| April 6 Good Friday (3.00pm) | J. S. Bach P. Casals C. Mawby A. Lotti | Crucifixus O vos omnes The Reproaches Adoramus te, Christe (No. 1) |
The office of Tenebrae will be celebrated at 8.00pm | ||
| April 7 Easter Vigil (8.00pm) | H. L. Hassler H. L. Hassler A. Scarlatti | Missa octo voci Laudate Dominum Exultate Deo |
| (with Canzona Brass) | ||
| April 8 Easter Sunday | W. A. Mozart W. A. Mozart G. F. Handel | Missa brevis in D, K. 194 Laudate Dominum Hallelujah! |
| (with the Chamber Strings of Melbourne) | ||
Disaster Evaluation - Terror strikes at the heart of Norway
As someone who has lived in Norway for a time and still feels close to this wonderful country (having returned twice since), my heart went out to the Norwegian people when the whole world was rocked by the July 2011 twin terrorist attacks which shattered so many lives in this peaceful land.
In December 2011 as the final assignment for the Disaster Evaluation subject which formed part of the Monash University Master of Emergency Health program, I applied a disaster evaluation framework to this tragedy. The topic and Introduction appear below by way of background, but if interested the entire paper can be downloaded from: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/30234302/Disaster_Evaluation_Norway_Dec11.pdf.
Topic: Select a ‘crisis event’ and prepare a framework for an evaluation proposal using a framework or frameworks drawn from the Unit resources. Discuss your choice of framework/s and evaluation method.
Introduction
The selected ‘crisis event’ is the terrorist attacks in and adjacent to Oslo, Norway on 22 July 2011. A précis of the event and its aftermath is presented and its characterisation in terms of disaster terminology is considered.
A variety of evaluation modalities and timings are presented in the literature, and the suitability of these for evaluating this event is discussed, as is the importance of understanding the context and, in these particular circumstances, undertaking longitudinal evaluation.
A framework for an evaluation proposal has been synthesised from a combination of the ANLAP Guide[i], the reporting frameworks developed by Kulling et al[ii] and Bradt[iii] and the 2003 EU Workshop Report on ‘Lessons Learned’[iv] (“the Stockholm Report”). The applicability of this proposed framework to the Norwegian event is examined, together with some key contextual evaluation issues, likely key stakeholders and sources of information.
The event and its consequences have wide-ranging implications for the Norwegian authorities, those affected and Norwegian society in general, including in the areas of security, health and multiculturalism, and will play an important role in shaping Norway’s future disaster management strategies.
[i] Cosgrave J, Ramalingam B, Beck T. Real-time evaluations of humanitarian action. An ANLAP Guide. Pilot Version. Overseas Development Institute; 2009. (Hard copy distributed to students in MEH5060.)
[ii] Kulling P, Birnbaum M, Murray V, Rockenschaub G. Guidelines for Reports on Health Crises and Critical Health Events. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine 2010; 25(4): 377-383.
[iii] Bradt DA, Aitken P. Disaster medicine reporting: The need for new guidelines and the CONFIDE statement. Emergency Medicine Australasia 2010; 22: 483-487.
[iv] European Union. Report: Disaster Medicine Lessons Learned. EU Workshop Stockholm; 18-21 September, 2003. (Electronic copy distributed to students in MEH5060.) Available from: http://ec.europa.eu/echo/civil_protection/civil/prote/pdfdocs/sv_report_en.pdf. Accessed 29 November 2011
In December 2011 as the final assignment for the Disaster Evaluation subject which formed part of the Monash University Master of Emergency Health program, I applied a disaster evaluation framework to this tragedy. The topic and Introduction appear below by way of background, but if interested the entire paper can be downloaded from: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/30234302/Disaster_Evaluation_Norway_Dec11.pdf.
Topic: Select a ‘crisis event’ and prepare a framework for an evaluation proposal using a framework or frameworks drawn from the Unit resources. Discuss your choice of framework/s and evaluation method.
Introduction
The selected ‘crisis event’ is the terrorist attacks in and adjacent to Oslo, Norway on 22 July 2011. A précis of the event and its aftermath is presented and its characterisation in terms of disaster terminology is considered.
A variety of evaluation modalities and timings are presented in the literature, and the suitability of these for evaluating this event is discussed, as is the importance of understanding the context and, in these particular circumstances, undertaking longitudinal evaluation.
A framework for an evaluation proposal has been synthesised from a combination of the ANLAP Guide[i], the reporting frameworks developed by Kulling et al[ii] and Bradt[iii] and the 2003 EU Workshop Report on ‘Lessons Learned’[iv] (“the Stockholm Report”). The applicability of this proposed framework to the Norwegian event is examined, together with some key contextual evaluation issues, likely key stakeholders and sources of information.
The event and its consequences have wide-ranging implications for the Norwegian authorities, those affected and Norwegian society in general, including in the areas of security, health and multiculturalism, and will play an important role in shaping Norway’s future disaster management strategies.
[i] Cosgrave J, Ramalingam B, Beck T. Real-time evaluations of humanitarian action. An ANLAP Guide. Pilot Version. Overseas Development Institute; 2009. (Hard copy distributed to students in MEH5060.)
[ii] Kulling P, Birnbaum M, Murray V, Rockenschaub G. Guidelines for Reports on Health Crises and Critical Health Events. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine 2010; 25(4): 377-383.
[iii] Bradt DA, Aitken P. Disaster medicine reporting: The need for new guidelines and the CONFIDE statement. Emergency Medicine Australasia 2010; 22: 483-487.
[iv] European Union. Report: Disaster Medicine Lessons Learned. EU Workshop Stockholm; 18-21 September, 2003. (Electronic copy distributed to students in MEH5060.) Available from: http://ec.europa.eu/echo/civil_protection/civil/prote/pdfdocs/sv_report_en.pdf. Accessed 29 November 2011
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Melbourne
http://www.2012trackworlds.com.au/
Sunday, April 1, 2012
A massage at last - Inversion Body in Fitzroy
www.inversionbody.com.au
Goodlife Health Club, 41 Johnston Street, Fitzroy, Melbourne. 1300 474 155.
My first visit was originally through another ‘deal voucher’ (www.ourdeal.com.au) in mid-2011, but capable and friendly masseurs Carolyn and Pete offer a discount voucher for a return visit, so this seemed very worthwhile, although it has taken a while to arrange! On both occasions Carolyn has provided a very thorough and relaxing ‘toe to head’ remedial massage using essential oils and carried out in a very pleasant ambience with dimmed lights and background music. The experience itself can be highly recommended!
I would add a note of caution about parking in the Health Club car park next door. There is a lot of graffiti on the walls and pillars and my car bonnet was ‘tagged’ with graffiti during the visit. Fortunately the perpetrator used water-based paint so after some time and effort it was erased. It is difficult to understand the mindset of individuals who so readily deface the property of others who have done absolutely nothing to offend them, and it was a pretty brazen act during daylight hours. I also noticed later that one of my hubcaps had 'gone missing' in the absence of any recent jostling with the kerb, so it is more than likely that it happened at the same time!
There is some street parking available, but it is restricted at most times. However, the Health Club is close to the corner of Johnston and Nicholson Streets so is on a bus route and close to a tram route if public transport is a preferred alternative.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
iSimulate Advanced Life Support Resuscitation Simulation Application for iPad
www.iSimulate.com.au
This amazing software was demonstrated at a recent Australian Resuscitation Council meeting and was developed by one of the ACT members of the ARC. It has a variable monitor display including an ECG trace, arterial line, etCO2, BP, SaO2 etc, and an inbuilt defibrillator function. The instructor can alter the ECG trace and students can then respond in real time e.g. to deliver a shock (without risk of harm to anyone) or commence CPR. Heavy manikins are not required so training can be delivered in any location.
There is a licence fee of $2,000 in first year and then $500 a year thereafter. It uses a wireless router for a LAN. They can also supply the iPads already set up (for an additional fee). There is additional information downloadable from the website and an email newsletter that you can subscribe to.
It is certainly an exciting development in resuscitation simulation training and apparently has been taken up enthusiastically by healthcare agencies around Australia.
Los Amates Mexican Restaurant
Spreets vouchers (http://spreets.com.au) recently offered a deal on a local Mexican restaurant, Los Amates, including margaritas, nachos and mixed enchiladas. The decor and the staff were genuinely Hispanic, and the food was excellent. For starters, both the lime and tamarind with chilli margaritas were flavoursome and refreshing. Although small, the nachos was delicious, with a tangy fresh tomato sauce, crunchy round corn chips and a beautiful guacamole with a refreshing taste of coriander. The melted cheese on top was a little sparse, but the black bean paste (a variation on the oft-used refried beans) was outstanding.
The final course was a mixed platter of chicken enchiladas with three different sauces - a light tomato and green chilli sauce, a thicker more spicy sauce and a chilli and dark chocolate mole sauce. This was accompanied by side servings of beans, a carrot-coloured rice dish with chunks of fresh tomatoes, and a lettuce and tomato salad with balsamic dressing. All in all, tasty, fresh and satisfying, but the main dish could have been heated up a little more as the cheese on top would have been better melted . It was just as well dessert was not included!
The service was attentive and quick, but this was in part due to needing to move customers through to make room for the later second sitting. The food and ambience seemed more authentically Mexican than chain restaurants like Taco Bill, and the overall experience can be recommended.
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