Sydney: Lazy Day #2

Lazy day again!

We know from past experience that when we get to the end of an extended trip, we want some downtime before heading home. Perhaps it is because we know that the return date is upon us. Or perhaps it is because we are “sightsee’d out.” Or perhaps it is because we are simply tired … the adrenaline that has kept us going has run out.

We were expecting that we would want to be lazy once Uluru moved into the “checked column” of our Down Under Adventuring. And that is why we opted to return to Sydney instead of going somewhere we hadn’t been to before. This way, we don’t feel guilty for not going out and about much.

Breakfast was on the enclosed balcony once again … tomato and cheese toasties with mini Turkish pide bread. Afterwards, Mui went off to run errands. Later, I joined him to take care of a few grooming appointments so that we wouldn’t have to deal with them when we get home. Then, back to the apartment until it was time for our evening plans to come into play.

Around 4:30p, we left to go to Darling Harbour for a pre-dinner stroll. We walked across Pyrmont Bridge — a heritage-listed swing-span bridge that lays claim to being one of the oldest in the world … still operating. Stopping to enjoy the skyline from different vantage points, our pace was slow. Then we turned around and made our way towards Wharf 1 @ Barangaroo as the sun set.

Anason is a Turkish word that means “anise.” It is also the name of a restaurant owned by Chef Somer … one of the co-hosts of the TV show, Master Chef Türkiye. I don’t recollect who reminded us of his restaurant when we first arrived in Sydney in December. Regardless, we were unable to get a reservation to dine at the restaurant at that time. So, we added it to our end-of-the-trip Sydney stay.

Turns out that we missed meeting Chef Somer — he apparently left to return to Türkiye last week. Nonetheless, we had a delightful meal. Anıl, the host, gave us a front row table overlooking the harbor for a dinner with a view. There was hardly anyone when we arrived, but the place was packed by the time we got to our main courses.

Mui ordered Tekirdağ 10, a smooth Turkish rakı (not unlike the Greek ouzo) … accompanied by the traditional feta and melon (though it was cantaloupe in this instance). I don’t care for the taste of anise, so I stuck with an Australian beer. We opted for a single entree to share — Tilba haloumi, drizzled with honey and lavender. For mains … I ordered the mantı (think miniature dumplings filled with ground beef, served with a yogurt sauce); Mui ordered the grilled octopus. We wrapped up our excellent meal with pistachio baklava, served with fig ice cream. Delicious.

After our tasty dinner, the walk back to the Meriton Suites was most welcome. Along the way, we even came up with a plan for an unexpected bit of sightseeing for our lazy day #3 … and our last day in Sydney.Baca lagi