I'm one of those people who are totally in love with where they live.
We moved up here 3 years ago and have vowed never to go back down the mountain. With the ridiculous Sydney real estate prices and the amount of people everywhere, the move up just made sense.
House prices up here aren't as bad as it is in Sydney, although it's been catching up very fast in the last year, no matter what there will never be the same amount of people up here simply because the powers that be wont release the land.
Council wont even allow McDonald's to come up. The only big fast food franchise we have up here is Dominos :D I love how our council is like that.
Anyway!!! Enough bragging about my little hippie hood...
With Monday being Total Solar Eclipse Day, hubby and I decided to venture out and explore the mountains, get some fresh air, set some intentions, relax, balance ourselves out and flow with the Universe.
Driving along the highway we saw the market was on. Hooray! I was hoping it would be. I've been here a while, my neighbor has a stall there, yet I forget when it's on every time lol
Note: If you're going.. Ooo I might check this market out. Hold that horse. Make sure you get there early. Don't be a slow ass like us and rock up late. We drove around the block a few times before we could find a spot that was legal...
Walking in the first thing we see is the RFS (Rural Fire Service) is represented!
The RFS are our local heroes up here, a lot of them are volunteers and they do so much for our community. At Christmas they would drive Santa around on the truck and you hear all the kids come out of the houses. It's one of those small town perks we have up here.
Pretty much next to them was this guy.
"Traditional greenwood turner & furniture maker utilising ancient tools & techniques."
I swear I thought of my mate Gohba straight away. It looked so interesting, but I didn't want to gawk so we quickly moved on to see what else they had.
Wouldn't be a local market without local organic produce!
.... and lollies of some kind..
... and a few other stalls that I stupidly didn't take photos of on account that I felt shy taking a photo while they're all looking at me lol.
The biggest regret was not taking a photo of the Egyptian guy we bought hubby's drum and ankh from. I should have taken a video of this guy playing the drums. He did it so gracefully and with such ease - I was totally jealous.
We continued on to our destination Nineteen23
The first time we came here was for my birthday last year, loved it so much we came back for Valentine's Day this year and loved it so much again we took The Grans for lunch here a couple of months ago.
When we love something we LOVE something lol
Every time we come here we have the degustation/tasting menu.
Their Head Chef is a creative genius and likes to change the menu every season and according to what is growing in their organic garden on the grounds - so we like to come by and try the new menu. However, this is the first time we've come here as vegetarians trying out the vegetarian tasting menu, and as a new and constantly hungry vegetarian I was keen for a feed.
Are you ready for some food porn?
Smoked aubergine with blue cheese cream, macadamia praline & pepitas.
A slight variation from the menu - but one I prefer since I love eggplants. The blue cheese cream was not as pungent as I was expecting and complimented the eggplant nicely. The different textures from the slight crisp of the eggplant to the foam of the cream and the crunch of the nuts..
Total heaven. This was my fave dish out of them all.
Jerusalem artichoke and yogurt soup with pickled cucumbers.
This came out with just the garnish, cucumbers and oil in the bowl and the soup was poured in and created this rich, creamy goodness.
And once again, I didn't get the flavor hit I was expecting, but this is a good thing.
Chef Max has this way with flavors and subtlety that's just amazing.
Puff pastry with beetroots, turnips, sour cream and sorrel.
Another beautifully presented and delicious dish.
It was a good day to be vegetarian today!
Potato gnocchi with heirloom carrots, goats cheese and pine nuts.
The softest, pillowy gnocchi I have ever had and once again, with the whole textures and subtle flavors - it's pretty much a signature food experience.
Don't let the size fool you. This was by far the most filling dish out of them all.
Logan Brae apple granita & meyer lemon sorbet.
Not on the tasting menu but cos we come here so often we've made friends with the owner and now get spoiled rotten whenever we come 💓 Thank you Scott!
The only time I ever have granita is here. The last season granita was watermelon - which I thought was unbeatable but now I honestly don't know which I prefer. They're both perfect palate cleansers.
Finally!! And just as well cos I'm about to pop!
Wattle seed panna cotta with native currant and sauterne jelly.
If you're wondering.. It wobbled perfectly. Textbook panna cotta wobble.
And apparently those currants are hand picked from the bush up here somewhere. Crazy right? They were so good too!
Of course one last little treat from Scott, in form of that rich and intoxicating digestif. I know.. Spoilt plus!
What an awesome day. What an awesome place. If you're up in the Blue Mountains you HAVE TO come to Nineteen23.
That was pretty much my Sunday, last Sunday.
Spoiled and pampered, and so uttterly grateful for all my blessings.
Full as.f and couldn't be happier with the world - the perfect mindset and place to be for the eclipse the following day.
Topped off with this view on the drive home.
I swear I live in one of the best spots in the world.
Yep. Life's good! 💗
All pictures taken by me on my Samsung Note 3