I was going to post a bit about last Saturday, but it looks like I've been beaten by both Mike and Justine! No matter, I'm sure there's still enough story left for me.

Ange and I had spent the better part of Saturday morning house hunting. There's only two months left on my lease, so whenever I've had the chance I've been trawling real estate agents like an old woman at a trash and treasure market. It's been good to get out there though. We're quickly picking up the bizarre, twisting language that the agents use. There's no trace of exaggeration used when I say that a "european laundry" is nothing more than a small cupboard complete with sink and space for a washing machine.

Apart from that, and other small setbacks (not being able to find a property being another that comes to mind) our searching hasn't been too bad. We're beginning to narrow down the sorts of things we're looking for in a domicile.

But, I've wandered from the original point of this post, which was Saturday night. Ange and myself along with Mike and Justine went out to a trendy little Cambodian restaurant in New Quay called Bopha Devi.

After struggling to find a car space, Ange and I got to the restaurant to find Mike and Justine seated and waiting for us. After a quick glance at the menu (OK, I studied it like it was a torah), we went for the shared plate option. Something I'm seeing more and more around Melbourne's eateries.

For entree Ange ordered the chicken ribs, that was served with a nice smear of sambal chilli on the plate. Justine went for the pumpkin filled parcels, which is both an adequate description and no-nonsense name. Through a crazy twist of fate, both Mike and I ordered the k'dom, a rather nice variation of the humble spring roll. Each one a delicious mix of crab and chicken meats pressed and rolled up in a crispy bread wrap. When drizzled with sweet chilli sauce they were amazing.

The mains were good, but those k'dom had set the bar pretty high.
Mike ordered the amok, a green tingled fish curry served wrapped in a banana leaf. Justine surprised by ordering a distinctly, non-vegetarian chicken curry. My choice, rice noodles sprinkled with shredded, dried shrimp and surrounded with pieces of boiled egg, radish and bean shoots did not impress the table mates. Top marks to Ange for ordering the prawn lort char: a school of prawns draped with thick egg noodles and a truly excellent sauce.

As our evening came to a close we headed out to the boardwalk, pants two sizes too small. As if we weren't bulging with enough food already, the girls decided to cap the night off with two big serves of gelati. Which I assisted in eating, if only to stop it melting of course.

I'm up for round two. How about you guys?

I've got a few half-finished entries floating around behind the scenes, so I thought a better idea would be to condense them into the one grandiose entry.

I started the year, funnily enough, in the same house I am currently living in. I'd been invited up for a new years party and spent the night drinking, eating and playing various card games. One memorable occasion from that night was having a food fight with Kris while speaking with friends in Sydney on the mobile.

At the start of May I took up the offer to move into the house. With the help of Dad I shifted all my belongings into the house over half a day. I'm happy to say that the new housemates definitely suit my personality better and that my stress levels dropped at a legendary rate.
2006 also saw me push my gourmand ideals further. Ange and I discovered an amazing amount of restaurants hidden around Melbourne. Top of the list is the "veg-aquarian" masterpiece that is SOS. Honourable mentions go to escagrill and of course Mercato in Daylesford.

This year finally saw me attend the Good Food Show with Ange. I'd been trying unsuccessfully for a few years to get to the show, both with and without the girl. We spent hours there just absorbing the food, wine and expert advice. It's one for this year for sure.

Pushing my body to an almost hedonistic level had some adverse effects. Around the beginning of September I discovered that I'd ballooned out to almost 100 kilograms. Justine proposed a race, and so began The Biggest Loser website-style. She just piped me at the post, but continued exercise and illness has brought me down to that weight I was a few years ago.

Speaking of Justine, and of course Mike, this year finally saw them get hitched after six years of defacto adventures. I was lucky enough to play both photographer and best man. Also married off in a blaze of white were Ange's friends Tony and Age (where I threw elbows as I tried to grab the garter). And of course I can't forget Briony and Sean's wedding. Though with the amount of booze I had consumed there was a very good chance that I would've blanked out the entire night.

I can't forget the new arrivals this year: We graciously welcomed Adamo, Tiana and Cooper to the big wide world.

What better way to finish off a post than with some notes on the end of the year. Not wanting to be anywhere near the city doing the new years celebration, Ange and I escaped to the outskirts of Wilson's Promontory a few days before the clock ticked over to 2007. The little place we'd rented suited our needs very well, although we did have to bring every bit of food we'd require. No free milk and bread at this place.

Of the four days spent down there, we got out for two short, but entirely enjoyable hikes. The rest of the time was spent indoors hiding from the howling wind that whipped off the Antarctic, bounced through the Prom's impressive mountain range and hit the cabin with all the force it could muster. We were successfully able to while away the remainder of the time by playing the Wii, reading and cooking various meals.

Not a bad way to begin 2007. Not too bad at all.