Doing it Greek Style, George Calombaris' new restaurant - Gazi

A couple weeks back I met a good friend of mine for an end of year dinner.  My friend is one of those up town lawyer types who generally picks the best restaurants in town.  Lucky for me, he also insists on paying...The venue for our dinner on this occasion, the relatively new George Calombaris establishment "Gazi". This restaurant occupies the old Press Club area on the corner of Flinders Street and Elizabeth Street.

My mate and I are enthusiastic eaters to say the least, so the only option worth our consideration was the "Doing it Greek Style" menu. This munu is a 10 dish sharing menu and includes your choice of souvlakakia (souvlaki, for those who asking what the?).  I should add the souvlakakia comes in a number of amazing varieties including soft shell crab (my choice on this occasion), duck, and the standard fare of beef and chicken.  The souvlakakia comes in traditional Hellenic fashion, that's right, the chips are in the homemade pita! Other memorable moments included the chicken with white beans, tyrokafteri and finished off with Loukomathes (delicious Greek style donuts).

Service was solid and fun.  We sat at the bar which gave us a birds eye view of the chefs and spit - beware it can get warm sitting up there.

Drinks were secondary to the food and we stuck with a solid sparkling wine (I didn't order, so I can't share the name).  I only know it was local and my dinner companion knew the maker

Check this one out when you're next in Melbourne.  Unlike most new and trendy Melbourne eateries, this one thankfully takes bookings.

Duck and Soft Shell Crab Souvlakakia

A frequent flyers dream - BOSE QuietComfort 20i Acoustic NoiseCancelling Headphones

If you are a frequent flyer like me than chances are you already own a pair of these beautiful babies, or something similar.

The truth is, I own two pairs of noise cancelling headphones, the above mentioned and the earlier model QuietComfort 15 model. 

I am not going to bore you with a run down of the specifications of each, and let's face it - I am in no position to talk to these on a technical level, I simply appreciate function and form over technical specifications.  What I can do is talk about the practicalities of each set and from my personal experience share with your whether they are a valuable addition to your travel carry-on bag.

The fact I own two pairs should tell you that it's worth owning these.  Having said that, I flew over 60 times last year and without these headphones each flight would have been noisy, boring and painful.

For me the question became one of real estate availability in my carry-on. When you are packing a laptop, iPad, work note books, documents and chargers - space becomes a premium and your bag gets heavy!  As such, I moved to the new model inner ear 20i model - it's about the size of an iPhone, once it's packed up in its case.  You need to remember to charge the built in battery, but most airlines have in seat USB charges in a pinch.

Is the quality as good as the 15 model you ask? It depends - I think that overall the older 15 model is more comfortable and has slightly better sound quality, but I'm splitting hairs in respect of the difference.  The simple point is, the quality is still vastly superior to any airline headphone set and only marginally lesser than the older 15 model.

Price wise, you are looking around the same ball park figure of $399AUD.  If you are like me and travel to the U.S. every now and then you will pick them up a little cheaper - perhaps saving about $50 after USD conversion.

Check the BOSE website for the full technical jargon.

BOSE QuietComfort 20i Acoustic NoiseCancelling Headphones

Burger hunting - The Merrywell Crown

How do you finish off a day at a 5 star luxury day spa? Burgers and beers of course! We'll that's what we did yesterday after such a wonderful day at the Crown Spa (see earlier Blog). Last nights the Angus burger at the Merrywell was the perfect finish. Juicy angus beef patty topped with beef short rib and accompanied with the standard lettuce, cheese and pickle and the not so standard truffle aioli was delicious. Check it out next time you're around that area. Remember burgers on a budget downstairs and pub fare with a twist upstairs.

Luxury in Melbourne - Crown Day Spa

Luxury in Melbourne - Crown Day Spa

Crown Day Spa

Exciting day of pampering yesterday at one of Melbourne's most luxurious day spa destinations, Crown Spa. This was a first time visit for us and it did not disappoint. I have only recently discovered the wonders of a good day spa and slowly I am navigating through the different treatments and also ancillary services on offer (i.e. pools, saunas, hammams etc.)

On this occasion your indulgence all begins when you drive up to Crown Towers and valet park your car (valet is free with every treatment of an hour or more).  I don't know about you, but I got hooked on valet parking in Los Angeles and only wish we do it more often here in Melbourne and at the same price!

Next you head to the elevators and catch it up to the third floor.  It's a bit of a walk from the elevator through to the secret spa entrance, but persevere as it is worth it.

We booked the 60 minute Couples Relaxation Massage this time, which was in a private couples room and was absolutely relaxing (in fact I almost nodded off a couple of times).

However the real gem with this destination is that you are able to avail yourself of the other amenities of the Spa for the day.  This includes access to lockers and changing area, lounge and showers stocked with Molton Brown shower products.  Perhaps the best part is the full access to the Crown Towers luxurious indoor pool and the Spa Aqua retreat, complete with Hammam and Vitality Pool.  This is where your $155/hour massage pays for itself.  Our 60 minute treatment turned into 5 hours relaxation, and we didn't even need to travel far to get there.

Service was excellent with helpful staff on hand to assist to your every request.

This destination is a must try for a complete day of pampering - take a book and relax!

Crown Spa website

Crown Towers pool, photo Crown Towers website

Lounging poolside at Crown Towers