The countdown is well and truly on for me at work as the project I'm working on is nearly complete.
We (well....I) planned a farewell dinner for the core team members that are still remaining in the wind-down period. The restaurant of choice was The
Flower Drum; an institution all by itself in Melbourne...legendary service, superb Cantonese cuisine and an amazing track record for being one of those establishments that has managed to stay at the top of the restaurant tree for well over 30 years now.
Being the main instigator of, what I've dubbed, the Woo Hoo

dinner and also being keeper of the purse on the project, we naturally gravitated towards the Chinese equivalent of the degustation menu; complete with wine matching. And the thing about being Chinese? We aren't talking about portion sizes fit for ants here...
I'll let the food do the talking; because all I'd be doing is going WOW! Delicious! for every single thing I ate. It's been close on 24 hours and I'm still in a food coma.
The first entree...er....appertizer for the North Americans. Farmed Jade Tiger Abalone, thinly sliced and wok tossed with spring onions. Served with prawn and shrimp sauces.
Second appertizer. South Australian King George Whiting fried in a crispy batter and served with fresh lemon juice and 5 spice powder.
Third appertizer. Quail Sang Choi Bao - minced quail meat cooked together with chinese sausage, ****ake mushroom, bamboo shoots and spring onions; served in a lettuce leaf cup.
First main course or entree. Fresh South Australian Crayfish, wok cooked with house-made chilli XO sauce, served on a bed of egg noodles.
Second main course. Peking Duck!! Not just one....
...but two serves each!
Third main course. Black Angus rib eye beef cooked medium rare, dressed in a black pepper sauce with seasonal vegetables.....
....served with Special Fried Rice.
I didn't hold much hope for dessert. Afterall, the Chinese aren't exactly famous for desserts....and sure enough....we were offered the choice of Deep Fried Ice Cream or Banana Fritters.
None of us could make a choice; so, we got offered one of each.
Surprisingly adequate!
And to go with coffees and teas, the kitchen brought out huge plates of house made Almond Biscuits.
I'd like to go back to sleep now!

