Miss Kay's - Blackwood St Mitchelton

You know your in a loving relationship when your spouse rolls over and starts beating you to ensure you wake up. After every nudge she said I'm hungry, which means that after awhile my will to sleep in would be beaten out of me. So instead of just taking it, I asked her what did she feel like and to my surprise her reply was I don't know. If I had a dollar for every time that was her response when it came to food. I questioned her about numerous places we had visited in the past and none seemed to take her fancy, so the task to find a new and satisfying place was now mine.

 

Around ten minutes later and some more interrogating over what to get for breakfast, we ended up down stairs in the car and surprisingly completely dressed. I didn't know exactly what I felt like for breakfast but I knew of an unexplored street that would probably house a nice place. Not far from home and close to Brookside shopping center is situated Blackwood Street, home to the farmers market and several cafes. We entered from the train track end and quickly found a car park situated close to the beginning or end of the shops depending on how you look at it. As I locked up the car I spun around and instantly became like a mosquito to a zapper when I saw this bright red neon sign across the road.  

 

 

Miss Kay's café invited us to browse its menu before entering and we found ourselves quickly pointing out the funny names of the food items. After getting past that and perusing the food on offer we decided this was the place. With that task completed we had to now decide on what to order. With a little bit of back and forward mumbling we decided to get two dishes and go halves in each to get the best of both. After entering the café and heading to the front counter where a lovely lady waited smiling, we placed our order for The Hulk Burger, Chicken and Waffles, The Elvis shake and a café latte. Our order was placed so I took a few minutes to look around before we got down to business. The inside of Miss Kay's was very happening with bright signs on a brick backing and on point comic book wallpaper. They have a few fantastic offers in store for the brave and one of them is a rock scissor paper battle against the barista to get a free coffee on victory, they also have their very own Miss Kay's eating challenge which involved a whole lot of food an a small time limit. The winners and loser both made the walls within the hall of shame and fame, more have failed then prevailed and the contents of the challenge tells you why. A massive 5 meat patty burger topped with 5 slices of cheese, tomato, Miss Kay's sauce and a side of dirty fries.

 

 

Just a short amount of waiting and Pokémon battling later we received our bounty, it looked and smelt amazing. I got the first go at the Hulk burger which needed a surgical cut to halve it, which I failed, luckily the skewer kept it standing tall. The bun was shiny, the grease was dripping and the scrambled egg was layered beautifully. Made with bacon, a pork and fennel patty, scrambled egg, Swiss cheese, BBQ sauce and tomato jam the hulk was packed with both calories and flavor. It all started to fall apart due to me butchering it earlier but what I got in before its collapse left me amazed.

 

Next up for the meal was some chicken and waffles with cream, ice cream and maple syrup. I've had chicken and waffles a few times before in numerous places, including the USA and for some reason it was always satisfying. After pouring the liquid gold on, slicing a bit of fried goodness and stabbing the waffle, I had a bite and was astonished at how sweet it was compared to the past versions. It felt like there was little chunks of icing sugar left in the waffle batter which exploded when you chewed. It was so sweet that I was about to give up on ever dieting again.

 

I looked at the thick shake standing tall and proud, wearing a Reece's Pieces Peanut butter cup as a cap. Elvis was a fan our hugely calorific food and I guess that's why this was named after him. I carefully removed the wrapped chocolate on top and ate that before stirring the shake to mix up the chocolate syrup with the described peanut butter flavor. I braced myself for my first sip but unfortunately it fell short of what I was expecting. It tasted a bit plainer, shorter of flavor and definitely missing most of the peanut butter flavor. I feel that mixing the chocolate in saved it from being a plain shake with nuts. One other thing that took away from the experience was the cardboard straw that eventually went soft and no longer held its ability to slurp up the liquid.

 

 

 

The overall experience was great for just randomly stumbling into the café on a whim. The food and atmosphere was fantastic. I found it a very fun store with the design and food choices which were cleverly named. Not recommended if your counting carbs/calories unless your aiming for a high number. We definitely will return to Miss Kay's and who knows I may get either the Hallouminati, The Jurrasic Pork or if I'm dressed for the occasion the Miss Kay's challenge. Some people have said its possibly the best burger place in Brisbane, we will have to consume more of the menu to see if that's agreeable.

Miss Kay's: Mitchelton

Address : 40 Blackwood Street, Mitchelton, Australia 4053
Phone : (07) 3855 2516
E-mail : functions@misskays.com.au

 

First Time 4wd - Glasshouse Mountains

A few days after our last adventure the P & O comedy cruise, we were lucky enough to get our hands on second hand 4wd 2005 Ford Courier utility. I was stoked that I finally got a ute, which meant that I no longer had to bug my mates when I needed to pick up or drop off stuff. Another great thing about this buy was the fact that it is a 4x4 , making it the first one I've owned and it opens a whole new world for me and my family to explore. Overall a very good buy due to the low km's for its age and the great condition that it was in.

 Today which is just over two weeks later, I got cleared by my Dr after my elbow surgery and he pretty much said "You can do whatever you want now, just don't elbow anything to hard". Great news for me as now I'm cleared to drive. So the first thing I did was drop my wife of at work and call a mate to organize a day out. We narrowed the choices down from going to see a movie or going for a 4wd to do some photography work/lessons. The second of the two choices obviously one as the new Fate of the Furious movie seems ridiculous. That's where the plan started, two hour later we actually met up and hit the road, heading up the coast towards the Glass House Mountains.

 After an hour of driving down numerous back ways to avoid the massive long weekend congestion we finally made it to the gravel. After chasing a dust cloud for a little longer we pulled up, locked the utes hubs and gave each other the nod. As we started making a slow move along the trails under the massive hanging power lines, I threw my Huawei Mate 9 on the passenger seat and turned on the radio.

At first I was a bit nervous of course, being my first off-road experience behind the wheel but I had been in the passenger seat enough to slowly pick of the very easy bumps and crests. I cracked a massive smile as my mate bull rushed his Navara through the first couple of water pits which I went around cause I wasn't ready to push it just yet. After following and watching the mud drop from his tail, I psyched myself up and went through the upcoming waterholes. The going was pretty easy and cause no stress to the Courier. On the approach of a rather big mud patch I backed of the accelerator and let the Navara stamp through, which after a massive nose dive into the mud, ending up losing his number plate which casually floated out on his exit. We discussed our options and came up with an idea for the retrieval mission. He changed to his $5 Kmart special footwear, pulled up his shorts to expose his albino legs and waded in. After walking the tracks he scratched in the mud a little and to my amazement lifted his new curved plate out of the brown water. It got a little messy and he ended up coming up with what looked like a fake tan but overall the mission was a success.

The run we started on stretched a few km's and ran parallel to the power lines which made it an easy task as the tracks were frequently run by maintenance staff. A very friendly time for someone with little off-road driving skills. That's not to say that it was all flat, there were some nice little climbs, shallow mud pits and some trenches to climb. I let the big black Navara lead they way and if he made it look easy I gave it a try and before I knew it my white car and started to go brown with a new mud and dust pain job.

 After the complete run of this track we decided to step it up a bit and go into the pine forest to hit up those tracks. The word on the web was they were a little more advanced due to their more rapid inclines, pits, boulders and rock climbs. It started of as a nice paced run down very flat roads and the only obstacle was the dust from the wheel in front of you. That slowly changed to rather nice climbs up rocks and dugouts. I picked the easiest looking way up most the times but when I had no choice I powered through bouncing up and down in the cabin. We reached a nice open area dubbed the motorbike playground where we positioned the cars for a few joint shots. We also read the words of those who have come before us, which helped us slowly conquered our way to a great raised opening where we decided to take a few more happy snaps and have a good gaze.

 Time slowly caught up with us so we had to make tracks to get back to the main roads. We located what we thought would be a good route and started following it until we found out that the section that lead to the road was not only very intimidating but impossible to pass in my standard rig. We looked at each other, looked at the track, then looked at each other again and then both grunted "Nope" at the same time. We knew we had been out smarted by Google maps but that wouldn't stop this crazy adventure. So we back tracked and after some dirt flicking, rock throwing and my head hitting the roof a few times we made it back to where we entered the massive forest.

 It was an amazing time and a great experience for myself as a first time off roader due to its mixture of mild to moderate tracks and the numerous options on trails allowing the inexperienced to go around the puddles. Through out the day we stopped numerous times and I took pictures with my phone and I'm absolutely amazed at how well they turned out. Every picture in this blog was shot on and edited on the Huawei Mate 9. I still have alot to learn about taking photos but even my photographer friend was quite happy with the way they turned out. I've put the remainder of the pictures into their own photo blog so if you want swing by next and check them out yourself.


Definitely going to hit some more tracks soon so stay tuned.

For more photos of my adventures follow me on Instagram:

@Shanwowmagic

#adventuresofshanwow

 

 

 

First time 4wd - Glasshouse Mountains Picture Blog

 



P&O LOL cruise

 

A few months ago my wife scuttled home from work with a very suspicious look on her face. Me being me, my first impression was that she spent money on something. Turns out I was right because after we played a silly game of close your eyes and you'll get a surprise, I held two tickets to the P&O LOL cruise. Pretty exciting stuff considering that it was going to be a nice weekend alone together and that it was also on the Pacific Dawn, the ship which we cruised on last October through various islands.

 

To give you a quick idea of the cruise itinerary , the ship was going to depart Brisbane on Saturday the 25th and travel to International waters. It would then do some maneuvers, stay out there for two days and then head back to be at port on Tuesday the 28th. While they ship does its things those onboard were going to be treated to the usual daily trivia, movies, music and have comedians have us LOL at the night events.

 

So the week before we had our bags packed, everything ready and then we got a text message saying the ship had been delayed. Sadly instead of boarding in the morning now it would be 7pm which meant we pretty much would lose the whole first day.

 

 

So once the time came we boarded our weekend home and had a sneaky peek of Brisbane Portside, waved to the people over watching from their apartments and then got ready for the mandatory safety brief. After surviving that brief the passengers that had already been drinking ran back to the nearest bar and we proceeded to the spa area to get the tour and pay for our weekend usage. At $59 per person we got access to the thermal room which has thermal beds, a sauna and a steam room. Which over the next few days we used as we chilled out watching Netflix. Apart from the random groups of people walking in for a tour, it was money well spent.

 

 

Cruises can be very busy and since the Pacific Dawn had just been refurbished we were unaware of the new eating format provided in The Pantry. It was a bit unusual and actually in my opinion had made getting a meal longer meanwhile providing a better variety. Last trip it was one line that progressed from start to finish while you self served. The new set up allows you to visit each individual outlet which provided served food of a specific nationality, including French, Indian, Mexican and Asian dishes. The slow down in this process was because you had to wander between stations and get separate plates for each visit, which meant that you could end up with 2-3 plates of food with some only having one item on them. The food was very nice though, which made up for the extra effort required.

 

Our favorite hangout apart from the spa was the Oasis. Situated at the aft of the boat and over three decks. A 18+ zone which gave us space from the drinkers, smokers and noise of the main open deck. It's a great space to catch up on tanning, read a book, listen to some lounge style music and have a beer with friends and loved ones. We had a bit of a lay down and tried to tan this ghost white body of mine before heading to the small spa pools for a bit of warmth and bubbles. The spas are only really big enough for 2-3 people but since they are situated on the highest level of the oasis you get a great view of what your leaving behind as the boat powers through the waves leaving massive wake behind.

 

 

Cruises usually have a destination but this one just plodded a course in the water, avoiding the northern parts of Australia due to the tropical cyclone that was developing. At first I thought, how bored am I really going to get if I can't get of this ship. P&O provide various activities throughout the day for all ages and most of them are free. Trivia, movies, scavenger hunts and a variety of booze testing are a few of your day choices, while the night had comedy, production shows and themed parties.

 

On the second night after having a delicious meal at the Waterfront restaurant and meeting our two new friends, we all decided to go watch the comedy gala and have a laugh out loud. The gala itself was a little bit of a let down as the format was 3 comedians who get 5mins each and then the lead show which was a 30 min sing and dance. The short time that the stand ups got was only really enough to warm you up and then they were gone, which left me wanting more but instead all I got was well known songs being sung with a few jokes. Not very laugh out loud and only slightly amusing. We did have an option to see the 18+ adult comedy at 11pm but the comedian seemed way to over the top with swearing so we decided not too and the next day we received feedback saying it was that great.

 

The remaining days of the cruise we returned to the spa, hung out with our friends and played trivia, won a scavenger hunt (not sorry kids), watched Fantastic Beasts and then saw the very confusing yet amusing production show Slumber. I believe it was about the creation of dreams on stage but really looked like the mild mind of someone on LSD with the monsters, dancing and colors.

 

My experience with this cruise was really relaxing even though it was a bit of let down across the comedy cruise aspect. I did enjoy myself, my back didn't due to the bed feeling like a plank of wood. I think personally if you go with friends or family as a small group it would definitely be more enjoyable as you could add entertainment among yourselves. Confinement to the ship over the few days may be a deterrent to some but they still offer a lot of fun to help you get through the slow times.

Raglan - New Zealand

 

Last week I was given the opportunity to do some more road tripping with the family through New Zealand's North Island. As usual we started our adventure in Wellington and then headed north to a place that was unknown to me but well known with the travelers from around the world.

 

As we switched on the gps it was giving us a rough estimate of 7 hours and that's on long windy snaking roads. Unlike when we were in the USA which are 4 to 8 lane massive highways that go reasonably straight for hours on end. So with the 4 of us and our tiny car packed to the roof with luggage we trekked on in intervals of a few hours at a time. The landscapes outside are always so pleasant to look at which helps you forgive the people that made the roads so meandering.

 

One mentionable stop I would like to discuss is Taupo, a rather decent sized place that resides beside the huge and very impressive Lake Taupo. The city has numerous places to eat and one which I thought was so cool is McDonalds. When I say cool I mean they are the only McDonalds restaurant that I know of that you can order your meal and eat it in a plane. We didn't however eat there as we went for Hell's Pizza because it had vegan options for our fellow travelers.

  

 

Now when your in NZ another thing your must do is visit some kind or natural hot pool to relax for about half an hour or if you want the whole day. When your in the Taupo you have a few options a drive away at numerous resorts or if you wish to keep travelling you can head to Rotorua or Waiwera. Waiwera has a nice little thermal pool with private rentals that in my opinion was the best hot pool that I had visited in all my trips to NZ and the picture below shows why. For $27 pp we got a private pool, towel hire and a bottle of water to keep fresh during our 40 min session, which is just the right amount of time to freshen you up for the any further daily activities.  

 

After smashing down a sickening sweet Memphis Meltdown we jumped back into our overcrowded 4 cylinder and powered on to Raglan. It rained, it got hot, we got bored, we slept, we listened to music and then I just played on my iPad. Surely enough we got there and soon after retired to our sleeping quarters.

  

So what do you do when you wake up in a place and have little idea of what to do? Good idea is to either ask the people your staying with or the locals, for us we had family and they had some great ideas. Being budget conscience we decided on taking a little trip back from which we came to Bridal Veil Falls.

 

  

After a small detour of the main road and a 10 min walk on some easy going path you reach the top of the falls. The stream was busy from the downpour in the previous 24 hours which gave the falls a thunderous roar and a very heavy misting at the bottom of the 55m drop.

 

 

After staring down at the people below I found an information board that alerted me to how this wonder was created through volcanic streams and rocks. There was only one sign that I didn't really like the look of and that was the one that stated it was over 250 steps to the bottom. I thought 250 steps that's not far at all, but what I didn't realize was that it meant 250 stairs with a viewing platform around the middle and the bottom. So we huffed and we puffed but we made it to the bottom.



 

 

Once we sat down and regained our breath out came the phones and quickly started snapping pictures of the falls. The water was pounding down and casting droplets into the air which made their way to the bridge that we stood on. After taking a few photos and thinking about the history of the falls, I felt very inspired to get back into writing this blog.

 

Now if you ever go to the falls remember to enjoy yourself down the bottom because its one hell of a trip to get back to the top. You'll probably start of strong out of the gates then die in the ass about 100 steps in unless your super fit like that women that came running down the stairs as we ascended.  My heart felt like it was trying to burst out my chest but we reached the top and took on last glimpse of the beauty before very slowly strolling back to the car and heading back to the camping grounds.

 

If your adventurous, family orientated or laid back Raglan can offer you various other activities to spend your time and money wisely on. Stores in town have organized surfing, swimming, fishing, eating, shooting, paintball and outdoor carts for visitors to enjoy.

 

We however just spent our time with the family and celebrated the 80th birthday of a very important women. With drinks, food, magic and music we partied till 10:30pm (camp rules) and then recovered with delicious breakfast the following day.

 

I really enjoyed my time in this new place and I could honestly do it all again with more time and money.



Taringa - Sizzling Mongolian Bbq house

There are numerous all you can eat restaurants around Brisbane and they all have that low cost tacky feel too aswell. Sizzling Mongolian BBq house has the eat as much as you want factor but has been dressed up to impress. 

Situated at 2/144 Indooroopilly road, Taringa this is a great venue for an event with work, friends or maybe the romantic date. The restaurant is decorated with black, red and gold inside while outside has been left alone so the views of the city are untouched. 

Now reading that may not tickle your fancy and I understand that. A restaurant is known for its food, well it's great food. So as I said earlier the offer for all you can eat is here and it's fantastic. 

Tonight it's you who gets to pick your dish from the cold box and watch as it gets barbecued right before your eyes. Beef, pork, lamb, beans, sprouts, carrots, pineapple, capsicum and many, many sauces. The choice is amazing and you could make many different choices in one sitting. Included in the $25 (adult) price you also get unlimited fried rice, noodles, chicken wings, spring rolls and prawn chips. 

I'm fond of a bit of a drink with dinner at special occasions and lucky for myself and you its a licensed restaurant. With a choice of beers, wines and spirits at a reasonable price. 

So if you fancy something different and your quite hungry or maybe you have a function coming up, make sure you have a look at Sizzling Mongolian Bbq House at Taringa. As it says on the menu, return as many times as you like, I know we will.

Sizzling Mongolian Bbq House

2/144 Indooroopilly road, Taringa

Ph: 3870 2272

Qld - Warner Brothers Movieworld

Being a Brisbane boy we have a lot of different things to choose when it comes to spending our weekend out. We can go to the city, up the coast, down the coast or inland to find some amazing attractions.

Whether your in Brisbane or the Gold Coast our adventure today takes place around the midway mark along the highway.

 

Warner Bros. Movie world is a popular movie related them park on the Gold Coast (well it originally was). It originally opened in 1991 and its attractions we're learning based and movie related. Some of these were a Movie studio tour, Police academy show and western action show which now have been replaced. The parks first roller coaster The Lethal Weapon opened in 1992, the same year the Batman adventure ride opened.

 

 

From the opening of the park till now it has changed numerous times. Rides changed as new movies were released, new technology motivated show changes and trends were another major factor.

In the 2000 - 2010 timeline huge movies impacted the creation of exhibits such as the Matrix and Harry Potter movie magic experience.

 

I was not lucky enough to visit the park as a younger man so I missed all the rides and exhibits prior to 2008. My first visit was just after they changed the police academy show to the Hollywood stunt drivers.

 

I've visited frequently over the last years because I've had the opportunity to purchase an annual pass which makes life easy when you feel like going. The price for a single entry has rocketed.

 

 

Over the last few years the park has shifted from movie related to super heros and in particular DC heros. They have opened new and replaced old rides with Superman, Batman and Justice league themed rides. The Scooby Doo coaster and the Wild West are all that remain of the movie rides. 

Why have they done this? DC entertainment is a company of Warner Bros indeed and which is now one of their biggest money makers. 

As soon as I entered this fact came to live with the gift shop decorations and the giant Batman Spaceshot that sits around the fountain. This is a fun ride which gives you the chance to be shot up the tower instead of many rides that drop you. It lasts about 30 seconds but is a great one to start the stomach churning fun early.

I always enjoy my time at theme parks due to the fact I love roller coasters. A typical visit means I will ride everyone before retiring for the day. The park made a few modifications to allow ride ease by placing the Superman Escape and Jokers Arkham Asylum (originally the lethal weapon) entries close. I enjoyed the change to Lethal Weapon as I'm a fan of the dark gritty side to the Batman storyline.

 

Once we rode these twisting, turning body bashing rides we casually wandered to the far side of the park and jumped on the Scooby Doo coaster and the Wild West soon after. These are both classics and a little more gentle on the body. I have to say, my favorite of all the rides is The Scooby Doo coaster, its just so much fun even for us big kids.

Luck for us the weather was a little grey and that turned many park goers away making the lines pretty short. We had half the park done by 1pm which allowed us to catch up on the last Hollywood Stunt Driver 2 show. This was tire screeching fun that got the crowd involved but not as good as the first show due to most of the show being a repeat action.

That's a wrap for the day as they say. As we were about to leave the parade started at the main square which we always feel obliged to stop and watch. A mixture of DC and Looney toon characters driving by before stopping for a short show, sounds fun, but it felt a little stale too me due to poor acting and some bad costumes.

After that finished we were done for the day and that left me where I am now. 

I had a great time like I usually do at theme parks but I feel that Movie World is stuck in the middle of a transition between movies and superheroes. It doesn't effect the overall fun you can have but it is a little confusing to have a strong superhero presence while the buildings still look like older movie sets.

Go check it out for yourself of course and have fun when you do. It's an amazing place for all ages and I'm sure the younger visitors will have a blast seeing their favourite heros.

For more photos of my adventures follow me on Instagram:

@Shanwowmagic

#adventuresofshanwow