CAFES, BIRTHDAYS and LUNCH WITH MRS WOOG

That’s right, this is what November feels like. I’d nearly forgotten, which just shows my short-term memory need to be shot to bits. Wasn’t it November, like, three weeks ago? I’m having real trouble working out where 2016 has gone, I really am.

Perhaps I must look over a few of our very own IG Editions and piece the year back together!

If (as I think they have been) previous weeks have been as much fun as this one was, it’ll make a lot more sense.

This week my brother’s been in town, which has added to festivities. We’ve got a trip planned in a couple of weeks to go up to Brisbane and see him too, so November’s already looking like a full month. and that’s how Silly season gets under way, isn’t it?

Anyway, this week we’ve been exploring a couple of local cafes – one of which (The hunter Works) has just celebrated its second birthday, but a lot more on that later. We also had the pleasure of catching up with the eminent Mrs Woog for lunch and have been enjoying the long-awaited Sydney summer.

So get stuck into our most current IG edition and we’ll see you on the flip side.

Cheers – Jim & Christina xx

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The sight of a lot more pleasure ships out on the harbour indicates the summer really is getting under way. but it’s quite something when you see the tall ships sailing. And on the ideal side the sails of the Sydney Opera house – see what I’ve done there?

Mrs romance is out exploring a lot more of the Balmain foreshore this morning. She’s discovered this fascinating cliff walk – can you see the creepy face carved into the rock?

It’s breakfast time and my brother needs his coffee. This stunning caffeine vision is at the colourful tables of cafe d’Yvoire down in Balmain East. The service is lovely, the coffee (Toby’s Estate) is exceptional and the food – as you’re about to see – is splendid!

This is cafe d’Yvoire‘s baked eggs and ricotta in a chorizo ratatouille. It’s my brother’s breakfast and I’m very anxious about getting food envy…

But there’s nothing to worry about: my eggs benedict with a generous portion of smoked salmon, in-house made hollandaise and topped with black caviar and edible flowers has arrived. Not only is it extraordinarily pretty, this is also one of the best egg bennies I’ve had.

If you’re trying to find breakfast or lunch in Balmain, you won’t go wrong here.

As I said earlier, there are a lot more and a lot more ships on the harbour as the weather improves, but there’s no clearer marker that summer’s here than cruise ship season! It’s actually pretty amazing seeing these massive ships float around.

Today we’ve caught up with our charming mate Mrs Woog from the highly acclaimed blog Woog’s World. What a treasure this lady is – and as it turns out we share her love of dumplings… though if you don’t like dumplings, there’s probably something wrong with you.

We’re at the new Shanghai in Chatswood, where they serve outstanding dumplings… and also our new favourite: rainbow beef. If you’ve tried this dish, you’ll know what I mean. If you haven’t, it’s only a case of ‘not yet’!

The rainbow beef was a Woog introduction, which we thank her for. It’s pretty much all I can think about at the moment.

Anyway, Mrs Woog had the presence of mind to snap a shot of us (thank you, Mrs Woog) before we left. We forgot – what horrible bloggers. There’s also no evidence of our lunch either… though that’s probably a good thing. We always tend to over buy at dumpling houses.

Happy birthday to one of our much-loved cafes in Balmain: The hunter Works! This little tucked-away cafe just off the main street through Balmain has everything we love in a cafe. amazing food, utmost coffee and the friendliest service you’ll find in Sydney.

They also focus on local and in-house produce, are very conscious about sustainability and provenance, and love Australian-made products.

For their birthday, they’ve made a decision to give the coffee maker the day off and are partying with some delicious stone and wood beer from Byron Bay instead. They’ve also cooked up a bacon storm on the barbie. These little brioche bacon rolls are going down a treat.

It’s a cracking party and we can’t wait to get back there!

Finally, here’s our post of the week: Where to stay in Borneo – Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu. I had no idea there would be international hotel chains out here on the world’s third largest island where some of the densest virgin rainforests are.

But even on the equator (the capital of Sabah is only 5 degrees north of it), you’ll find luxury. This is undoubtedly a foreign-owned chain hotel, but it’s run by localsand the flavour here is absolutely Sabahan. check out our full review here!

This week’s travel Recap

Each week we go back in time over some of our much-loved travel destinations using never-before-seen photos of our travels. Here’s where we’ve been looking back on this week.

El Capitolio in Havana, Cuba was the seat of government until the revolution and is now the Cuban Academy of Sciences. If it looks familiar, that’s because, in the 1920s, it was built to resemble the us Capitol building in Washington DC!

We love talking about Cuba and our time there. It’s been one of those places we’ve wanted to check out for such a long time. Here’s a lot more on what we’ve written about this amazing country.

Tulum, Mexico is an extraordinary part of the world. and this is the trifecta: the dazzling blue of the Caribbean, white sandy beaches of the Yucatan and ancient Mayan ruins overlooking it all. These ruins are some of the only remnants of the Mayan civilisation that are on the coast. nearly all the rest are in the heart of jungles throughout this part of Mexico.

We loved our time here in Mexico. Here’s a lot more on what we’ve written about Tulum and the Yucatan.

Just love the colours of the Saguaro in palm Springs. and with that pool ideal in the middle of this beautifully renovated mid-century motel, this is one of our top places to stay in Hollywood’s Playground.

As the sun sets over the Caribbean, the coast of Mexico and the town of Tulum become even a lot more beautiful. This is the Yucatan in the far south-east of Mexico, and it’s a sensational part of the world. and even better than that – our hotel, which only has 4 rooms in it – is just over our shoulder.

Casa de las Olas has to be one of the loveliest places we’ve stayed. Yes, the rooms are terrific and so are the views, but the people here are what makes it so special. check out our full review of Casa de las Olas here!

If you’re trying to find dramatic coastlines and an amazing road trip holiday, you can’t go wrong with the drive south from San Francisco, California. The west coast of the states is absolutely stunning.

You must also check out our full travel plan of our drive down to LA from San Fran. We’ve got some terrific details of our trip to help you – but be warned: it will make you want to start packing ideal away!

This is our way home to our rental property at Aleenta Phuket. This has to be one of the most luxurious, romantic hotels we’ve ever stayed in, and the walkways over the massive fish-filled water feature around the resort is just the start of it. We’re talking private pool, romantic beach-side dining and an extraordinary day spa frequented by motion picture stars.

Check out our full review and video walkthrough of this hotel here.

We hope you’ve took pleasure in this week’s IG Edition. Here’s to a terrific November for us all! See you next time. J&C x

Images by Mr and Mrs romance by means of Instagram: @MrAndMrsRomance and courtesy of Mrs Woog.