Sydney – mmm-yoso

Sydney – Dinner at Midden by Mark Olive

September 16, 2026 mmm-yoso Australia, Australian/New Zealand Cuisine, Memorable Meals, Sydney, Travel

We had one evening in Sydney before heading off on our way to our next destination. We’d be spending three night in Sydney on our way back, but I still wanted a memorable meal for this evening. I had come across this article in Atlas Obscura, one of their Gastro Oscura posts on a restaurant named Midden by Mark Olive. The restaurant is know for serving dishes made with Indigenous Australian ingredients. The head chef, Mark Olive is of the Bundjalung people one of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia. And is a well known celebrity chef in Australia. As a plus, the restaurant is located at the iconic Sydney Opera House. So, I made reservations……

We headed out to dinner early, taking our time, the long route, and really enjoying the view.

Passing places we’d seen earlier during our tour of the area.

Just taking it all in…..

Before arriving at the Opera House…..

The Opera Bar was doing some great business already as we passed.

We arrived and requested a table outside….of course!

I started with a cold one….

While we looked over the menus………

I knew one of the dishes we needed to get; the Indigenous Australian Grazing Plate, which has selection of Australian proteins and various items with Australian based dishes. We also got the Smoked Kangaroo Salad and I really wanted to try some Barramundi, which is not found “back home” in Hawaii, which I’ve seen on menus as Asian Sea Bass. So, I ordered the Smoked Blue Gum Barramundi.

As anticipated, the Indigenous Australian Grazing Plate was a mixed bag. The lemon tandoori crocodile had that “old reptile” sourness that I don’t care for. The Smoked Kangaroo was very lean and chewy, but had a nice smokiness and I enjoyed the gameyness. The Emu had an almost metallic tinge to it.

Could not really tell the difference between the Wild Thyme Hummus and the basic stuff. I enjoyed the finish of the Tasmanian mountain pepper leaf flatbread, but it was a little too hard for our tastes.

The cheeses were fine, but nothing outstanding.

It was an interesting introduction to the amazing variety of plants and meats in Australia.

The Smoked Kangaroo salad was fine, though nothing out of the ordinary.

The one dish that we had which changed how we ate for the rest of the trip was the Smoked Blue Gum Barramundi. Though it wasn’t because of the use of Blue Gum…which is a type of Eucalyptus….I’ve always thought that the leaves and such are poisonous, but I came to learn that the wood of blue gum really imparts a wonderful flavor when used for smoking.

Beyond the mash and the somewhat acidic broth which had a touch of spice….it was the fish that caught our attention. Wonderfully crisp skin, a moist-tender, mild- buttery sweetness to the flesh. Man, this was so good. We’d end up ordering Barramundi where ever we saw it on the menu.

It was a fun meal…with a nice variety…..the restaurant had a steady stream of customers…..

I’m glad we ate here as it gave us a fun base for our future meals.

Midden by Mark Olive
Western Broadwalk Sydney Opera House
Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

And as we headed back to our hotel, we totally enjoyed the view.

And there was one last…special stop I had in mind before calling it a night!

Thanks for stopping by!

Touring the Rocks and Circular Quay (Sydney) and Lunch from Marrickville Pork Roll

September 5, 2026 mmm-yoso Australia, Banh Mi, Sydney, Travel

I really wanted to get to see some of the sights in SYD during our short time there…especially in the area we were staying, known as Circular Quay and the Rocks. So, I hired a private guide for the morning. He met us at our hotel and were off. Sadly, the gentleman really didn’t seem into the job and mostly just pointed stuff out without any background or other info. So, I ended up doing a bit more research after the tour for context and such.

We headed off on the ferry from Circular Quay Wharf 5.

There seemed to be so many historical buildings in the area.

And of course iconic structures like the Sydney Opera House.

We would actually be having dinner at one of the restaurants at the Opera House this evening.

And of course there the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

We got off at Milson’s Point Wharf. and were led to the large Olympic Park. Which had so many sculptures and public art!

And the view from Milson’s Point is second to none!

And we were surprised to see Turkeys all over the place.

After looking things up; I found out that these are Australian Brushturkeys. They were almost driven to extinction, which led to the birds acquiring legal protection. Now, they are found thru out the city, and supposedly spreading everywhere in Sydney.

We walked to the Northern entrance to the bridge.

And crossed over. The views were of course wonderful.

Later on during our stay, we’d do a morning paddle in the harbor and were told that one of the nicknames for the Opera House is Nuns in a Scrum. You gotta love it!

You have great views everywhere….even when exiting the bridge.

We exited neat Miller’s Point and the Observatory Hill Lookout.

So many lovely green spaces everywhere! That’s the lovely Barangaroo Reserve above. A 15 acre park right on the waterfront.

From here we took the steep Baludarri steps down to the waterfront.

To an area known as Miller’s Point. Check out these harbour front homes.

You walk right out your front door to your boat/yacht!

Crazy, huh?

Crossing back under the bridge we got to an area known as Campbell’s Cove. Robert Campbell was a Scottish Merchant who built up this area, breaking the commercial stranglehold of the East India Company.

The warehouses he had built in the 1850’s still stand, called Campbell’s Stores they now house restaurants and various businesses.

The building I thought was a church is actually the ASN Company Building which has it’s own interesting history.

As we headed back to Circular Quay we passed this house.

When I asked about it; I was told “oh, it’s Cadman’s Cottage”…hmmmm…..ok? Well, you an find more info here.

I found this statue interesting.

It’s of William Bligh. Yes, that Captain Bligh. He was actually the Governor of New South Wales from 1806 to 1809! After the “mutiny”!

Walking back to our hotel we came across this.

It was an interesting dichotomy. On one hand, the Nurses Walk lays a path to the first hospital…you have to remember that Sydney was first populated with 750 convicts from Portsmouth, England in 1788. I read that many of the convicts arrived suffering from dysentery, scurvy, typhoid, and other illnesses. A tent hospital was established between George and Harrington Streets to care for those patients.

And then there’s the “Suez Canal”.

This is where water was drained. It’s also known as the haunt for various gangs and criminals. It was an interesting walk back to where we were staying.

And while our “guide” wasn’t really very good, there’s one thing he did which we enjoyed. Knowing we liked Asian type dishes, we stopped in a little alleyway a few blocks from where we were staying.

The name of the place is Marrickville Pork Roll. Now, I was wondering what the heck is a “pork roll”, but after a quick look it all became quite clear.

I had to crack up….it’s basically a Banh Mi Thit Nuong!

It was actually not too bad. The bread was a bit more chewy than I like; but quite yeasty and really crisp/flaky.

Loved the creamy funky pate, the pork was nice and savory.

Nice a refreshing pickled veggies……

This was not bad at all…..better than many of the banh mi shops here in San Diego.

We loved that you could walk down a random alley in Circular Quay and get a banh mi!

Marrickville Pork Roll
7 Loftus Lane
Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

From HNL to Sydney and Cocktails from Three Bottle Man

September 4, 2026 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Australia, Cocktails, Honolulu, Sydney, Travel

I figure I better get these posts done. After our visit to the Galapagos, the Missus was fully into exploring the reefs mode. Australia had been on our “list” for years, so we decided to go for it. Of course, I really wasn’t looking forward to flying all the way there from the West Coast…..and so, we decided on flying to and from “my home”…yes, that’s right…Honolulu. I’ve done all those posts already. The morning after our wonderful meal at Izakaya Uosan, we headed to the airport. Our flight left at noon and would arrive in Sydney at 745pm. We were flying Business Class…but man, the lounge was crazy packed, so we just hung out near the gate! What’s up with that?

Still, being able to sleep on our flight was key and the meals weren’t bad at all. And the little amenities bag was quite nice.

The pork belly was not bad at all…..

The Missus really enjoyed the Ube Rolls…..

That Shoyu Chicken wrap….which we had after waking up was a bit much though…..

Upon arriving, we actually took the train from the airport to Circular Key Station. I thought it would be an interesting introduction to the city. We caught the train and made it to our hotel…the JW Marriott.

We loved the view from our room.

We actually had a view of the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

I decided to get a nightcap so I went down to the lobby. Down some stairs and kind of tucked away I found a coffee shop during the day that became a cocktail bar at night called Three Bottle Man.

It was a really neat and quite chill place.

Talking to the bartender, he told me the inspiration for the place is based on William Pitt, who was the Prime Minister of Britain. Apparently, he popularized the “rule of three” and made sure to carry three bottles of liquor with him all the time! You gotta love it!

I went and had the Malfy G&T, which was nice and refreshing.

The bartender was so very friendly…something we’d find was the norm during our visit.

It was an enjoyable nightcap.

It was a fun introduction to Sydney.

Three Bottle Man (in the Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel at Circular Quay)
1 Bulletin Place
Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

We had a nice night’s rest.

After having travelled so much, I decided to book our room at the JW Marriott with Club Lounge access. It just makes things easier for breakfast for us.

Nothing fancy mind you, but enough to get us ready for the day ahead!

Thanks for stopping by!

Yomie’s Rice X Yogurt

November 8, 2024 mmm-yoso Australia, Desserts, Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt, Sydney

It's funny how doing a bit of travelling will expand your life and even add new items into your routine. Take for instance, Yomie's Rice x Yogurt which opened off Convoy back in May of last year. Honestly, I'm not much of a Boba drinks kinda guy and I just put Yomie's into that "bucket". Plus, ever since our return from Taiwan, the Missus has gotten some major sticker shock regarding the prices in tea shops, with one notable exception. More on that in a future post.

Before heading back to Oahu we stayed in Sydney for four days. Instead of staying right in the middle of CBD (not, it's not what you think, CBD = "Central Business District" here), we stayed right on the Southern edge of the district in the area known as Chippendale (and no, it has nothing to do with what just came to your mind either). It was close to transportation and I thought we might enjoy the area. Which we did immensely. We spend a good part; or even most of each day just wandering and exploring, and there seems to be a boba/tea/frozen yogurt shop on every corner; which totally reminded us of Taiwan.

Anyway, on one of our "walks" we passed this place.

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Look familiar? Anyway, the Missus was fascinated, it was a warm day, and so we went in and ordered two Jujube Yogurts, one with the purple rice, the other without. We both enjoyed it; though that Purple Rice is quite filling….well, it was quite filling period as we could only do half of each cup. It looked somewhat pricey at $6,7 AUD….BUT, with the exchange rate it was like $4.40 US! Anyway we returned a couple of days later and split the Haw version. Sadly, as we enjoyed our treats while walking, I never took photos. I actually never thought I'd post on the place as we were quite "busy".

Upon returning, I found out that this location was the original as Yomie's was started in Sydney!

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I mentioned to the Missus that Yomie's had a shop in San Diego; in Plaza del Sol off Convoy and She seemed quite interested! We also went to check out the location in Ala Moana Center and the prices looked good; being in the mid $6 range. Unfortunately, they didn't have Jujube or Haw which is what the Missus was craving.

To my surprise, after lunch one day, the Missus instructed me to drop by Yomie's Convoy. The place opens at 11 and I was thinking the parking lot might be crowded, but with China Max and other businesses having not reopened yet, we easily found parking.

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The place was quite empty….in fact, we've been the only customers in the place on all our visits….yes, we've been back like four times already!

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The menu looked similar to that in Sydney, which made the Missus happy. Though, we got major sticker shock at the prices.

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Most everything is over eights bucks? Yikes! More expensive than Ala Moana Center, how can that be? At that moment, we decided on the "Yomie's rule". Since the yogurt smoothies are pretty filling; we get one and share.

Here are our current favorites.

We always go with the "less sugar" option. Our current favorite is the Matcha Red Bean Yogurt ($8.50).

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The matcha adds a nice earthy-chlorophyllic flavor and is a good foil for the sweet-nutty red bean. We usually get this without the signature purple (forbidden rice). It's quite refreshing.

Other than that; we will usually get the Red Bean; sometimes with the purple rice ($8.50), sometimes without ($8.25).

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The Missus also enjoys the Jujube versions as well. We haven't tried any of the fresh fruit versions; perhaps during the summer?

Yomie's touts the health benefits of both the yogurt (the probiotics) and the purple rice (antioxidants) and claims everything is made fresh inhouse.

Well, it is the current favorite of the Missus and we've developed the "Yomie's rule" to deal with the price. And even though I don't have much of a "sweet tooth" I do enjoy the refreshing "less sugar" option. And heck, we've even been to the original location!

Yomie’s Rice X Yogurt
4688 Convoy St. Suite 109
San Diego, CA 92111

Where is the world are we – part 2

October 22, 2024 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Australia, Chinese Restaurants, Seafood, Sydney, Travel, yoso-silly

It was quite obvious from my previous post that we were in Australia.

We're headed home today from HNL, but I thought I'd do a quick post.

We spent our last couple of days "Down Under" in Sydney. For a change of pace we stayed in the Chippendale area. Which was quite bustling, but the main reason for staying in the area was….

Yes, Chinatown. When doing some research, it became obvious that there was not only Chinese cuisine here, but Thai Town and Korea Town abut the area. It is so culturally diverse!

The area also houses several Universities and the population near Chippendale really skewed to the younger crowd.

We did two wonderful activities during our three days.

The first being a morning kayak journey in Sydney Harbor.

The Missus and I were the only two people on this tour, so we had the guide, "Sam" all to ourselves. It was so much fun!

Like Sam said, "this is like paddling in a postcard!"

The second was an all-day adventure. This was a private tour, with a local and it was amazing! It was customized to our desires and we got to see wonderful views…..

Where tour groups don't venture.

We got to learn about the plants in the region.

We stopped at an area with Aboriginal drawings. It's kind of hidden off the side of the road. We were the only folks there. And I guess the site is not visited by many non-Aboriginal folks because a ranger came over to check. And it was great listening to him.

We stopped at seaside village where it's mostly locals since transit doesn't go here.

But the highlite was a stop at a Wildlife Sanctuary/Rehab where we got to meet the wonderful inhabitants of Australia up close.

And we got to spend some "Koala-ty" time with this fella!

His name is Arnold!

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One of the great benefits about staying in the Asian district was enjoying the diversity of food! Sydney has such a great variety….and some of the items were delici-yoso!

We spent our free time wandering down streets and alleys.

That's not to say that the Missus didn't get Her share of Barramundi….

Anyway, we're leaving for our flight in a few minutes.

Hopefully, my next post will be done from San Diego!

Thanks for stopping by!

Where in the world are we?

October 18, 2024 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Australia, Chinese Restaurants, Seafood, Sydney, Travel, yoso-silly

Well, sorry about the lack of posts. Things have been quite busy, activities and exploration every day! Plus, I'd been having issues with WiFi in some areas and was unable to download photos from my phone until yesterday.

Anyway, after leaving Oahu, where the heck did we go?

Well, this photo will just give it all away!

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You know where right?

We arrived rather late in the evening and after catching the train, which was fast, efficient, and inexpensive, then taking a short walk to our hotel. We settled in with just one full day.

In order to familiarize ourselves with the area….arriving when dark can be somewhat disorienting; I booked a private walking tour for the morning which did a great job of getting us oriented with this city of over 5 million!

The friendliness of the people, the cleanliness of this large city was wonderful.

And the range of wildlife, all protected, was something to see. Imagine walking down the street to see a wild turkey scrounging around? And most creatures seemed quite colorful!

Strangely, our dinner in the city was our only rather disappointing meal to date. Though the service was wonderful.

Soon, we were off to see something that has been on our "bucket list" for ages. Located in an area appropriately called the "Outback" resides a massive monolith!

It has always provided an air of mystery to the Missus and I. We flew in and stayed at the nearby town and did both a sunset program and a sunrise visit. We came to learn much about the native people of this area, though we just scratched the surface. We gained so much respect for their beliefs and the efforts being made to preserve both the area and those beliefs.

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We got a taste of some of the indigenous flavors.

Though after our third meal of kangaroo; the Missus had eaten enough!

Which was fine because our next stop was a fantastically laid-back beachfront city. We had things going on every day.

On the first evening we decided to make a visit to the aquarium on the spur of the moment. Upon arriving, we made the decision to purchase tickets for the small group after hours tour, which ended up being one of our favorite things we've done so far. The small group was led by a Behavioral Biologist and she was wonderful. More on that later.

In short, she knew all the creatures by name!

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