NICK'S SEAFOOD @ COCKLE BAY WHARF

I had my first 'night-out' with my young friends last night in the city : Evans from Malaysia, Felix from Germany & Esther from Taiwan who, like me, are doing 6-days a week. Basic Cuisine but Intermedaite Patisserie since she finished BP 3 months ago. A few others were supposed to join but dropped out of our 'L'Art de Vivre' last minute, their loss. BTW somehow Evans & Felix found my blog so I better watch what I say from this moment on! These 2 young chefs - Evans has won cooking contests, Felix is with the Cirque de Solil kitchen team in Montreal. They work like machines on speed-mode in the kitchen; fast & precise. The good news is they set high standards for the class, the bad news is, my incompetence is now glaringly obvious. Thanks guys .... you get my drift?

Cockle Bay Wharf was hot last night, Australia (at least Sydney) seems unaffected by the bad economy, in fact employment rate picked up last month here. I was early so I ordered my 1st alcoholic drink in 4-weeks ie Absolute vodka martini, very dry, 4 olives @ A$12 a shot. I had 2 while people watching, great fun! I was told by the hostess, a 6-ft tall blonde from Stockolm, that Nick's is 'the best restaurant' on the promenade at Darling Harbour. When I asked her how does it rate against Ponthius, the 1-star Michelin joint in her hometown - where we dined with our Seabourn friends last summer - she just smiled. We shared a large seafood appetizer, a large hot & cold seafood laden main course, a plate of extremely large mussels that taste like the tiny ones in France, plus a large Greek salad ... all washed down by a red & a white. I forgot to bring my camera but the food was not bad, though mainstream. The waiter said Nick's is #2 across the State of NSW in liquor consumption @ A$1 million per month, or A$250K per week, or A$35K per day. Does it sound right, we know the Aussies can drink but is this possible?

Off to my 3-hour Sunday walk now, it is simply gorgeous out!