#northside fish and chips

[hunterpool]

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[lolabean1998]

Ali-Cat part 7

Sweet Pea Fanfic

Ali woke early the next morning still wrapped up in Peas arms, she couldn't help but smile to herself but she knew it wouldn't be like this for long. Pea wasn’t the kind of guy that dated or slept with a girl more than once, the fact that he hadn't made a move on her was a shock but she figured she should leave before he gets the chance. She carefully lifted her head from his chest, moving painfully slowly so she wouldn't wake him. But the second her head was raised and off his chest, his arms instinctively tightened around her waist pulling her closer to him.

“Nice try princess, it’s only 5 am. Go to back to sleep.” Pea mumbled sleepily, his deep morning voice sending excited shivers down her spine. He gave her a gentle squeeze when she stayed half way to sitting up. “Ali-Cat go back to sleep please, I’ll give you a lift to school later stop worrying.” He soothed opening his eyes and tilting his head to look at her, a lazy smile tugging at his lips.

“Pea, that's very kind of you but i don’t want to be another trophy to add to your collection. We both know this isn’t you, if i leave now it takes away the temptation.” Ali replied calmly trying her best not too sound rude, Pea released his grip slightly sitting up so he could look Ali in the eye properly. 

“Do you really think that little of me? You think that's why i took you in last night. Ali i took you home because you weren’t ready to be home alone, you needed to feel protected.” Pea explained, his feelings hurt at her assumption, not that he was going to show it. “Now go to back to sleep it’s way to early.” He muttered curling back under the duvet pulling Ali down with him. She didn’t know what to say, if she didn't know better she’d almost say he cared about her and what she thought of him. But she did know better, she knew it was just the lack of sleep making him like this, once he’d woken up a bit he’d be back to being his usual player self.

“Pea what are you doing?” Ali asked waking up to the smell of fresh pancakes and turning to see Sweet pea folding a fresh set of clothes by the drawer next to Ali. Pea looked up at her grinning proudly, before strolling back into the kitchen.

“Showers free to use and the clothes on the side are from Toni so you don't have to go all the way home to change.” He called back to her, “Hurry though your tea will get cold.” Ali couldn’t believe her ears, she climbed out of bed and jumped in the shower, the thought of how much effort Pea was putting in playing happily on her mind. 

After a quick shower, Ali threw on the torn jeans and large t-shirt that had been folded for her, there was no way the t-shirt belonged to Toni.

“Hey Pea, who’s shirt is this?” Ali wondered walking through his trailer to his living room/Kitchen. Pea’s jaw dropped when he saw Ali stood at the counter, a large grey t-shirt sloping off her shoulder slightly exposing a black lace bra strap, her hair pulled up in a neat scruffy bun revealing her make-up less face. He couldn't believe how beautiful she was, he quickly handed her a plate filled with pancakes and blueberries and a mug of steaming hot Tea. His face holding its usual smirk, masking his true feelings but only just, Ali could see the usual emptiness in his eyes had gone but she couldn't quite figure out what had replaced it. 

“Your looking at me funny, why?” She asked through a mouthful of food. 

“You don’t have a funny for me to look at Ali-cat Funny is a description not a body part.” Pea retorted smugly making Ali roll her eyes.

“Always the comedian.” She replied drily, before a small chuckle escaped her lips breaking her dead pan expression with a playful grin. “Seriously though stop looking at me like that! If you gave me a lift home you wouldn’t have to see this side of me. I’d have my make up to cover this up.” She gestured to her face like it was some kind of gruesome rash, her face a twisted contortion of disgust. Pea raised a very unamused eyebrow, gritting his teeth in annoyance to her words, he strolled over to her lifting her head with both hands so she was looking directly into his eyes.

“Don't ever say that! Promise me, Promise you’ll never think like that again.” Pea demanded. Ali froze in surprise to his reaction trying her best to avoid his gaze, his face was warm but serious, almost like her words had mortally wounded him.

The next few days at school were filled with the drama that followed the Serpents, Reggie had decided to tag the school logo with the Serpents, in an attempt to get rid of them and Jughead had rebelled against the new dress code. Ali had managed to settle in rather successfully, finding sanctuary in her new friends, Veronica and Archie. 

However since getting her jacket and tattoo there had been one thing plaguing her, minus the new judging glares and snarls from the Northsider section of the student body. Since that one life changing, eye opening night, sleep had been almost impossible, every time she had tried to catch some shut eye it felt as if she was forgetting something. Something important and she was over come with the strangest of feelings, like she had forgotten a part of her the only way she could describe it was by saying it was like she had left a limb behind. Sweet Pea had kept his distance, the sudden rush of feelings towards the new member had spooked him but he still kept an eye on her. It was impossible not too, he felt like a moth being drawn towards the light, he knew he’d get burnt but he couldn’t help it, resistance was futile. 

“Ali-cat you look like crap what’s going on?” Sweet Pea demanded pulling her into an empty class room, the dark circles under her eyes beginning to show through her make up. He had kept his distance for long enough, seeing her like this was killing him the evidence clear on his stressed body language and worn out expression. Ali stood dazed for a second, the sudden change from heading to the library in the busy corridor to being dragged into an empty class had sent her exhausted brain into a confused tail spin. Sweet Pea pinning her to the wall with a hand either side of her head as he gazed into her eyes with a blend of worry and frustration.

 “Ali! What’s up with you, you look awful!” He stated again when she didn't responded the first time.

“Thanks for the confidence boost Jack ass.” Ali retorted scowling up at Sweet Pea, holding his gaze for a moment before heaving a huge sigh and tilting her head to rest against his arm. “I’m just tired is all, not getting enough sleep. Nothing to worry about, now can i go study?” She asked apologetically, yawning at the thought of sleep. Her eyes feeling heavier than ever now that she was surrounded by the warm, comforting glow that seemed to swallow her whenever she was around Sweet Pea.

 He could see the exhaustion taking hold of her and his heart melted, he sighed pulling her into a tight, emotion filled hug. He felt as if all his problems had disintegrated the second she was wrapped in the safety of his arms. Ali felt her whole body relax into him, the feeling of being incomplete had gone the moment she was with Pea.

“Ali we both know you aren't getting any sleep at all, you can’t hide it from me. Come on you can miss one class, you need to get some sleep.” Sweet Pea mumbled into her sweet smelling hair, Ali pulled away opening her mouth to argue but Sweet pea spoke before she had the chance. “Don’t argue Ali-cat, there’s no point studying if your brain is too tired to remember any of it.” He reasoned.

“There’s no point Pea, I’ve tried everything. I just can’t sleep.” Ali protested, she wanted nothing more than to spend her weekend off, in bed asleep and watching Black Adder. Sweet pea smiled leading her through the now deserted corridor towards the car park where his bike waited patiently for him.

“Not everything Princess, come on we’ll pickup something to eat on the way to my trailer. Maybe you just need a change of scenery.” He smiled warmly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they left the building.

 After stopping off at Pop’s to pick up some food, Sweat pea drove Ali to his trailer, biting his lip throughout the whole ride. The feeling of her arms clinging tightly to his torso sending sparks flying through his veins. He pulled up outside the steps to his trailer, helping Ali off his Harley focusing all his energy on surpressing the boyish grin that was desperately fighting its way to the surface.

“Pea, let me help. Please, i feel bad for making you pay and for letting me stay here to rest.” Ali pleaded watching helplessly as he pulled 2 slightly chipped plates from the cupboard and some cutlery from the drawer before dishing up the delicious food. His eyes flicked up warning Ali as she approached the kitchen counter, Ali froze throwing her hands up mockingly in defence before bursting into giggles.

“Ok, ok jeez. If looks could kill...” She bubbled wandering past him to his room patting his shoulder as she went.

 “You haven't made me do anything, I want to do this. Believe it or not I do have a heart” Pea called watching curiously as she appeared a few moments later with a large duvet thrown over her head. She dumped the thick, blue cover on the worn old couch and began fluffing and folding it to make it more comfortable.

 “Ali what’re you doing?”“I’m making sure we’re comfy whilst we watch Black Adder.” She grinned waving a small stack of CD’s at Pea. “And i know you have a heart, it’s one of the things i love about you.” Ali’s eyes shot wide open and she cringed when she realised her little slip up, with any luck he wouldn't notice. 

But he had noticed, he wandered over carrying 2 large plates full of food an intrigued expression on his face.

“What do you mean one of the things you Love about me?” He asked handing her a plate and sitting down next to her so she could lean into his side. Ali didn’t know how to respond, all ability for speech had gone out the window as she sat there opening and closing her mouth like a fish.

“I-I ugh, hmm. umm Ok well you see ...” She drifted off looking nervously at the plate in front of her. Sweet pea watched her nervous body movements for a few seconds until it clicked. She loved him too.

“Ali look at me,” He whispered, raising her chin with a oil stained, over worked hand. Ali reluctantly shifted her gaze over to him, frowning when she saw the unbreakable grin on his face. 

“I’m in love with you, i think you were trying to say something similar.” He chuckled at the wave of relief that crashed over Ali’s face, tears springing to her eyes as it hit. “Ali-cat why are you crying?” He asked brushing away a tear from her cheek. Ali sniffed looking up at him.

“I have no idea,” She laughed wiping away the tears of joy that were now streaming down her face. “I love you too Sweet pea.” She grinned snuggling into his side and placing a tear stained kiss on his lips.

@soffie-toscana​ @everheart12​ @lady1505​ @karleedaniels27​

Masterlist

[lindoig8]

Katherine - 18-22 June

Friday, 18 June

The last 100-odd kilometres to Katherine was an easy drive on hard-top and we stopped at the first Caravan Park to try to get in – alas, completely booked out. So was the next one and we had previously stayed at both of them. We rang a couple of others and they were all full too but we were able to get into the Northside Caravan Park – and what a quaint place that was. It was a rubbish tip, a construction site, a demolition site, a let’s-see-if-it-falls-down-itself site, perhaps some sort of shared aboriginal hostel, weird ‘gardens’ and an accidental sculpture park, huge trees, busses, trucks, freeloaders, massive fifth-wheelers, campers, tents, annexes without vans, you name it – an incredible schemozzle! The unisex bathrooms were painted iridescent yellow and some other building was a rich royal blue, but mostly everythoing was colourless, except where someone cleaned their paint-brushes or emptied the spray-cans against a wall. There were showers in a pit next to the porcelain throne (no toilet paper in any of them) with the drain simply being a few central tiles being removed with a poly-pipe running outside the shed. Altogether it was gross, but we stuck it out for two nights until we were able to book into the huge Katherine Holiday Park (at twice the price).

When we arrived in town, we rang the guy who said he could fix our air conditioner and he said to bring the van around in half an hour. So we checked into our very strange caravan park but didn’t disconnect and drove straight off to the A/C man. We were there for a couple of hours or so because they found that the circuit breaker had burnt out (no reason – these things just happen) and they had so send another technician off to source a new one over the other side of town. We had to pay in cash – they don’t do card! – but fortunately, we just had enough – with a little over to buy fish and chips for dinner. And pretty awful they were too! Last time we were here, this shop was fantastic – oversized serves and completely delicious – but it has a new owner now, stingy with the chips and soggy, fatty fish in burnt batter. We have definitely crossed him off our favourites list.

We had a night off from DVDs and will start a new series tomorrow – Killing Eve!

Saturday, 19 June

We did a bit of quick shopping in the morning, a few groceries, a couple of things from the pharmacy and some booze, but just stayed around the van most of the day. It was hot and we found that the air conditioner was not fixed. The fan was working, but the refrigeration component was not. We contacted the guy who did the work and he promised to come to the van on Monday morning to have another look at it.

We did some more planning and organising for the next couple of weeks and caught up with most of the family by phone and dealt with the previous week’s email and business records. We even had time to download and look at some of our photos. I went out for an hour or so looking for birds along the River, but it was hard work in the scrub and the rocks and rills and fallen trees caused by regular flooding – and I saw almost nothing anyway, so it was not a big success story.

We started watching Killing Eve at night and it certainly promises to be weird. It is a spy thriller (I think), but almost everyone seems to be on both sides – not that that is a big issue because half of them have already been murdered. It is one of these exceedingly frustrating productions filled with totally irrelevant/obnoxious blaring music, interspersed with snippets of whispered conversation (the plot) that makes it particularly hard for hearing aid users such as yours truly to follow anything – especially when we are constantly turning the volume of the music down to avoid the wrath of our neighbours. But we will see….. (A few episodes later, something of a plot seems to be emerging – abstruse as it is – so we will keep watching and hope it ultimately proves fulfilling.)

Sunday, 20 June

Heather had been having some back pain (bouncing around in the car?) and couldn’t find her pain meds so I gave her a couple of mine last night. I think they helped a little, but she woke with all the listed possible adverse reactions and felt awful most of the day so we mainly just hung out around the van again. We did a a big load of washing and few minor maintenance jobs and I went for a long walk around the park and adjacent bush and river areas looking for birds. I saw a few, although nothing exciting, but I scared 11 kangaroos away when they suddenly realised that I had wandered silently into their midst and they sped off in 11 different directions.

Apart from that, it was mainly writing, working on photos and generally loafing around – I even read for about an hour.

Monday, 21 June

The air conditioning man arrived by 9am and spent close to two hours here. He was up on the roof for some time so I took advantage of his ladder and climbed up and cleaned our solar panels and our two little skylights. The solar panels were probably working at about 25% capacity with all the dust and bird crap cemented on – at least they are clean for the moment, but obviously not for long.

The guy eventually found the problem – the thermostat is cactus. If you whack it in just the right place, it sometimes works, but not often. He couldn’t find another one in Katherine, so we are now booked in at Mt Isa in a couple of weeks’ time where they have the part and can do the job. I have also found someone in Mt Isa who has the parts to get our Hayman-Reece stabiliser system serviceable again so that will be two stones with one bird or similar.

Despite the time he (and his boss) worked on our van, there was no charge for the A/C guy’s time – so we would definitely recommend them!

We had a superb roast lamb dinner at night, cooked outside in our magic double-sided frying pan. We cooked onions and potatoes with it, but Heather fried up a great combination of baby beetroot, green beans, garlic, herbs and butter as an accompaniment – it was brilliant!

Tuesday, 22 June

We had only booked in for 2 nights here, but decided that we deserved another day to rest before tackling more challenging roads. We have just been hanging out, blogging, and lazing around with the utmost of industry. I drove into town to visit the bank, but apart from that, there is precious little to report. Showers coming up before dinner!

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New Post has been published on https://travelonlinetips.com/the-best-places-to-eat-seafood-in-brisbane-right-now-3/

The best places to eat seafood in Brisbane right now

From riverside fine diners to elevated fish and chips, first-class seafood is having a moment in Brisbane right now.

You can choose to eat rarefied Italian with breathtaking views of the river and the Story Bridge, or head for the suburbs and go large on crisp-battered fish and hand-cut chips. Either way, you won’t go hungry.

Here’s 10 of the best places for seafood in Brisbane, plus the top takeaways and fresh seafood markets.

Arc Dining and Wine Bar

Arc Dining and Wine Bar opened in February 2019 and immediately became a hit with Brisbane’s bright young things, a relatively sedate oasis at the far end of a heaving Howard Smith Wharves precinct. Executive chef Alana Sapwell is a veteran of Sydney’s Saint Peters – arguably Australia’s best seafood restaurant – so it’s perhaps no surprise her menu is dominated by fish and crustaceans.

There’s Mooloolaba spanner crab served with gala apple and cranberry hibiscus; Cairns tropical painted crayfish with cultured butter; and crab pasta with periwinkle and garden gremolata. The food is backed by a fabulous 400-bottle-strong wine list compiled by award-winning sommelier Ian Trinkle. The venue itself feels more like a magnificent greenhouse than a restaurant – all the better to show-off its spectacular riverside views.

Where: 5 Boundary Street, Brisbane

Perch’d

Perch’d is about as quintessentially Brisbane as you can get, Jen Byrnes and Patrick Laws opening their elevated fish and chippery in an old ‘Queenslander’ shop in the bucolic south-side suburb of Coorparoo. Here, everything is prepared in-house, from the sauces and pickles to the perfectly fried hand-cut chips.

The kitchen dishes up a rotating menu of three types of fish – it might be local mahi mahi, snapper or blue-eye trevalla, the selection depending on market availability – along with calamari, prawn cutlets and potato scallops. The grub is matched to Australian small producer wines and beers from Green Beacon – one of the city’s best craft breweries.

Where: 1/252 Cavendish Road, Coorparoo

One Fish Two Fish

One Fish Two Fish is part of the wave of rarefied fish restaurants that has swept across Australia in recent years. Daniel and Amelia Miletic’s handsome little eatery occupies an old Queenslander in Kangaroo Point, just a stone’s throw away from the Gabba sports stadium.

It’s a beautiful spot to pull up in the front bar for claw sliders and cajun fish tacos, washed down with a couple of Balter beers. But the restaurant menu is where it’s at, chef Daniel flipping seafood pots-au-feu, fragrant seafood risottos and a whole salt-baked fish that the Miletics source locally whenever they can (Queensland goldband snapper and red spot emperor are regular examples). Where to sit? On the beautiful back deck with views across Raymond Park is best.

Where: 708 Main Street, Kangaroo Point

Aria Brisbane

Aria Brisbane relaunched mid-2017 spruiking a greater focus on engaging with local suppliers and regional produce. Now, when running through head chef Ben Russell’s exquisite menu of pared-back entrees and mains you can choose from Mooloolaba spanner crab with bonito, corn and avocado, or Bundaberg snapper served with shallot, miso and daikon, all backed by arguably the best wine list in the city.

Besides, this is one of Brisbane’s go-to fine diners, with gobsmacking views overlooking the river. In town for a special occasion? This is where you need to be.

Where: 1 Eagle Street, Brisbane

Jellyfish

Many choose to dine at Jellyfish simply for the stunning location. Outside on the terrace, looking across the river towards the Story Bridge, it’s about as Instagrammable as Brisbane gets. The food, though, from exec chef Angelo Velante and head chef Tom Swapp, is just as good. You can choose from an a la carte menu that includes Hervey Bay scallop ceviche and grilled Moreton Bay bugs served with shaved radish, olives, capers and a beurre noisette.

It’s the restaurant’s fish menu, though, that truly sets it apart. There’s grilled swordfish and mahi mahi from Mooloolaba, and crispy skin goldband snapper from Cairns. Match your fish to a side, order a bottle from the lengthy wine list and settle in to enjoy the sunset.

Where: 123 Eagle Street, Brisbane

Otto Ristorante

Head chef Will Cowper’s brief when accompanying Otto Ristorante’s expansion to Brisbane was to create a menu rooted in the Sydney superstar’s approachable, classy Italian, but fine-tuned for Queensland’s warmer climate. It’s only natural, then, that it includes a heap of local seafood. There are Hervey Bay scallops with veal sweetbreads; raw Mooloolaba yellow fin tuna with smoked ham hock mayonnaise, capers and fried pig’s ears; and Mooloolaba champagne lobster spaghettini.

Cowper’s market fish varies but he often leans toward Mooloolaba mahi mahi or the latest catch of coral trout or red emperor from Chis Bolton, a line fisherman operating out of Kurrimine Beach in Tropical North Queensland. Perhaps the restaurant’s most unforgettable dish, though, is its Moreton Bay blue swimmer crab and mascarpone ravioli, which comes finished in a rich black garlic crema. Enjoy it with an imported bottle from one of the city’s best wine lists and some eye-popping views of the Story Bridge.

Where: 4/480 Queen Street, Brisbane

Ol’ School

Brisbane is experiencing a revolution among its once humble fish and chippers, chicken salt and cheap tartare chucked out in favour of hand-cut chips and house-made malt vinegar. Leading the charge is Ol’ School in South Brisbane, chef Jesse Stevens writing a simple menu that offers just one type of fish – whatever was freshest at the market that morning (think halibut, goldband snapper or maybe dory) – grilled or battered, with your choice of chips, onion rings or salad.

Elsewhere, there’s swordfish katsu, fish burgers and salt and pepper baby calamari. As for drinks, there’s no soda fridge here – choose instead from a short list of local wines and beers such as Bia Hanoi, Moon Dog and Young Henrys.

Where: 58 Hope Street, South Brisbane

Gambaro Seafood Restaurant

Northside locals have for decades been calling upon Gambaro Seafood Restaurant as a go-to occasion restaurant. It’s easy to see why, this family-owned eatery peddling an abundance of the best seafood from across the region. There’s local live mud crab, Moreton Bay bugs, and Queensland barramundi and cod.

It’s the simple things, though, that Gambaro arguably does best: order from its menu of fresh fish served either grilled, battered or panko crumbed, throw in a side of hand-cut chips and you’re looking at elevated Brisbane comfort food. The charming Caxton Street location – beguiling during the day, heaving with revellers at night – accounts for the rest of appeal.

Where: 33 Caxton Street, Brisbane

E’cco

One of Brisbane’s most iconic restaurants, E’cco Bistro has had a new-found pep in its step since moving into Newstead’s well-heeled Haven precinct, taking the opportunity to reorient itself towards pared-back food cooked in a straightforward style.

That includes the restaurant’s seafood offering, E’cco chef and co-owner Philip Johnson often heading down to River City Seafood fish market in Eagle Farm to pick the best produce for dishes such as kingfish crudo, a Moreton Bay bug risotto and pan-fried John dory. Happy hour at The Terrace, E’cco’s nearby alfresco younger sister, has quickly become a rite of passage for locals drawn in by $1 oysters and $6 beer, wines and ciders.

Where: 8/63 Skyring Terrace, Newstead

George’s Paragon

The menu at George’s Paragon is so long it’s almost intimidating: from mussels, oysters and chowder to seafood crepes, barbecued bugs and whole lobster thermidor, whatever your heart desires this riverside restaurant probably has it.

Such scale means seafood is sourced from across the wider region but George’s regularly deals in Moreton Bay bugs, oysters and squid, Mooloolaba king prawns and tuna, and north Queensland barramundi and snapper. This is unfussy eating, right down to the early bird specials and generous kids’ menu, but the quality and value of the seafood on offer can’t be beaten.

Where: 1/10 Eagle Street, Brisbane

Top 3 seafood takeaway options

Blue Ocean Seafood: 5/380 Cavendish Rd, Coorparoo

Clayfield Seafood Markets: 5 / 823 Sandgate Road, Brisbane

Sandgate Fishmonger: 90 Flinders Parade, Sandgate

Where to buy fresh seafood in Brisbane

Samies Seafood: 33 Remora Rd, Hamilton

The Fish Factory: 355 Lytton Rd, Morningside

Inala Fish Market: Shop 1/156 Inala Avenue, Inala Civic Centre

Where’s your favourite place for seafood in Brisbane? Share in the comments below.

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<p><h2><strong><span style="color: #f79646;">Further To The NorthSide</span></strong></h2></p>

From one island to a peninsula

From one island of Denmark to a half island of Denmark (otherwise known as a peninsula); a total of 116 miles, on a train that goes under the sea in a tunnel as well as above the sea on a bridge, we travelled from Copenhagen to Aarhus for this year's

Plush digs

We arrived at our AirBnB, a plush student digs, with all the specifications that 4 lads from The UK would need to furnish our needs during our stay. It immediately felt like a lads' holiday. But we were there for the serious business of getting the shot!

Gonzo

One of the perks of the job is that I can write this review whilst casually sipping on a beer; I joked with Matt and had a lot of banter about making our review of the festival in the vein of Gonzo journalism, pioneered by Hunter S. Thompson who was renowned for his wild benders when reporting, but to be fair, I'm still trying to come down from the high of the festival so I'm just chilling with a cold one (it's 11:30am, by-the-way, but, hey, like Sheryl Crow sings, I like a beer buzz early in the morning).

Racking up a tab

More banter ensued as we arrived to meet our fellow journos – I could say Gonzos but you have to be a Doctor of Journalism to earn that kind of reputation, man. They were waiting for us at the aforementioned apartment, a one-bedroom one-living room with kitchenette area and a bathroom, but you could see from the style of how it was all made up that there's a reason that Danes are considered to be one of the happiest people in the world. Like I said, it was plush, and more than comfortable for an affordable budget price, even though Matt can claim it back through the business (don't ask me how that works, “just send me the bill,” I said).

Credentials

Thursday afternoon was already upon us and we were eager to get our press credentials and enter to feel the place out in terms of what the protocol was for getting into press junket areas. It was a bit different for me since my role was only auxiliary and most definitely glorified, but, alas, here I am to tell the story. The plan was to get in for 2pm so that Matt and his colleague Joe Miller could snap D/TRIOT on the secondary blue stage but we ended up at a checkpoint being confronted by resistance at the security gates. All Matt's hardwork putting the hours into his Danish lessons over the past year or so came in handy at that point as he was able to negotiate fluently, although, I did hear him drop the word “checkpoint” into what was otherwise all but perfect Danish. The sun was blazing and we didn't appreciate that until what would come to be much later when we all looked like a spanked lobster. So, after waiting 20 minutes at the security checkpoint for some official or other to finally let us in we were ferried across to the Blue Stage where Matt and Joe entered the junket and myself and Joe's auxilliary, a burly Scot with a placid charm called Lee, were left to our own devices.

Junket

So, naturally, with the sun shining we decided to get a beer and listen to D/TROIT from the site whilst Matt and Joe were in the press junket area (tucked in at the front in between the crowd and the stage). For the first band of the festival they sounded like bog-standard funk n' soul and the people there were ambling about, buying drinks, or playing Klask (which is supposed to be the national game of Denmark!). We didn't know what would happen to Matt and his colleague Joe after that but we had a rally point so all was well and we found out after that as soon as they'd had their 3-songs-worth of shots they had gone down to the smaller red stage area to photograph a new up-and-coming band called Findlay, a band that after he had seen them Matt was raving about saying things like: “you know when you're just really grateful for a band like that to come along? Well, they're one of those bands.” Must've been 'cause they're from my birthplace Stockport, England. What a Viaduct! Next up was a personal favourite of mine – Warpaint. I'd seen them before in Portugal and their sound is perfect for the big stage setting, but the other lads, now re-united as a foursome, said they sounded a bit too dreamy for their tastes so unfortunately for me I was dragged away before they could finish their set as we headed back to the apartment for Spag. Bol..

Thursday night festivities

After some good food and a few beers back at the apartment we found ourselves back on site in time for Future Islands, who I'd heard about when I was doing my MA back in 2015. I recommended to the others that we see them because they had such an unusual style owing to their frontman who would dance in a captivating way or suddenly growl down the microphone at the audience over parts of songs that should hold a melody. Tell me you haven't seen a frontman behave like that before! However, they were merely OK, but that owed to the fact that we were several beers deep and we were quite far away from the front this time and if I hadn't have been familiar with them already they could have sounded like just another band. Matt thought that the growling thing was a bit funny, though! Immediately after seeing that band with us, Matt and his colleague went to the press area – a relaxing and comfortable area where you could get free refreshments if you had your press pass like we did – and were told to follow the junket leader around to make preparations to follow Bjork. Little did they know that when they got there that Bjork's manager insisted that no photographs were to be taken and so Matt and Joe were censored. I was in the front rows with Joe's assistant Lee for the Bjork set and looking back on the whole experience of NorthSide Festival she was clearly the best act and easily my favourite – that distinctive vocal was offset by the deepest of bass grooves, a concerto of flute players joining in for one particular song which sounded magical and her outfit was just surreal!– she was wearing a very flattering red dress and had this peculiar red face mask on complete with a black-feathered headdress.

The War On Drugs were to be Matt's last assignment of that day and they took to the stage 11:15pm and played an hour and a half set – by this point, I was definitely trying to compete with Hunter S. Thompson in terms of how much I thought it was appropriate to drink, promptly got lost for about half-an-hour before being rescued and we went home after that, leaving Joe and Lee to see out their night having a boogie to The Internet in the smaller red stage area.

The morning after the night before

Next morning came and it was Friday. I'd completely crashed out the night before and was feeling sad that my advances towards a plethora of women had been unrequited so I made the resolve not to drink that day and help Matt out as much as possible. Rival Sons and Aurora were the first two assignments that he tackled but it wasn't until we saw N.E.R.D that the crowd began to seriously move! Of course, there he was down in the press junket area for the allotted 3 songs-worth while Pharrell Williams got the crowd going with his entourage like nothing I've seen before in my time as a festival goer. Arms were swaying from side-to-side, people were crowd-surfing, and whole swathes of people were crouching on demand only to jump back up and pogo when the beat kicked in again. I departed from the N.E.R.D set a bit early to go and take up a place in what would be the Liam Gallagher crowd awaiting his appearance with anticipation. It was a good job I did, too, because although the crowd was sparse to begin with by the time Liam Gallagher came out they were throngs farther back than the eye could see. He began his set with the lead track from Oasis' debut, Rock N' Roll Star, to which he introduced it: “there's not many of these around today,” before resuming his usual arrogant swagger as if to embody the title of the song. Its epitome! A lot of what he said in between songs could have been seen as rude and arrogant but the crowd lapped it up and the more the set went on the more you realized that he was living off the back of the reputation of Oasis and the set promptly became a hit-parade of the Oasis back-catalogue, which was to be expected, naturally. I stayed until the end of the set to which I'd sang along in parts and found that I'd really enjoyed it. But, just check out Matt's masterful photography!

After it was over I made my way to see A Perfect Circle because I am a massive Tool fan I have a lot of respect for their singer, Maynard James Keenan, who has a great vocal range, but I found myself a lot less inspired by the APC set and left to retreat to the press area for some much needed relaxation and found the guys there gathered talking about the photos they had taken. It was at this point that Matt had published an interview with his colleague Joe about what being an exclusive photographer at this type of festival meant to him, and Matt said to me: “this is our festival.” And that was it; the exclusivity of it, the prestige of having access to the artists, mingling with all the other journalists. It made you feel important, and if it wasn't for people like Matt, making sure the world can see these stars they simply wouldn't have the recognition that they have today, so we owned it.

Headliners … Over, Under, and Out

We took a break in the gap between what would be Queens Of The Stone Age headlining that Friday night. The National could be heard grooving along on the breeze in the background as we ate some Danish fish n' chips, better than traditional English fish n' chips in my opinion but I don't think I was convincing Matt about that. Since QOTSA frontman, Josh Homme, had gotten into trouble recently for kicking a photographer in the face from on stage there was tighter press-controls for their headline set and only a select number of photographers were given a specific wristband for that show. Matt was on the list, a fact that added to his prestige. They headlined the Friday night at 11:15pm and played and hour and a half set; they were tight, the guitars sounded good, and the vocals were excellent. At one point, the drummer broke out into a drum solo and ended it with a rimshock on the snare drum that was so hard it blew out the left-hand speaker box and killed the visuals on the televisual displays. The set raged on but it wasn't until after ten minutes of technical difficulties that the sound on our side of the stage came back to life, to a great cheer from the crowd. QOTSA could still be heard playing as we left that night and arrived back at the apartment where we had a nightcap and reminisced. Joe and Lee were to stay on extra for the final day, but, for Matt and I it was over and under the sea and back to Copenhagen, sunburnt and satisfied!

Words by Elijah (Content Marketer).

[williamkurk]

#wkfoodventure - Lobster Roll at @fishbarchicago!! It's a bonafide experience, and taste as good as it looks! #magnificent #wkfood #wke #chicagofood #lobsterroll #lobster #america #chicago #chitown #may #2018 #magic #magnificent #chips #cray #love #fishbar #northside #powerful #igers #iphonesia (at Fish Bar Chicago)

[hungrycookiee]

Tinker goes against the definition of insanity. That is, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. The ‘Mischievous Little Dreamers’ – the same team behind Penta, Mob Espresso and Temperance Society have unearthed the formula to lure the finicky Melbourne cafe crowd. There’s plenty of fish in the sea and many of us are hooked. You may have noticed similarities between all three sister restaurants. The same successful formula is replicated with slight tweaks: signature bubblegum bright smoothies, colourful Pannacottas and hotcakes laced with gardens of edible flowers. One look at those smoothies and I know the ‘Dreamers’ have been here. That’s successful branding. But how does Tinker compare to its’ sisters?

The Northside is booming with new openings, from the burbs of Essendon to the bearded flurries of High St, Northcote. Tinker is cafe chic, designed for the IG crowd. Pretty plates of food whip around, the bustling hotspot. Chia seeds this. Kale that. The detox crowd are kept happy with Gwyneth Paltrow approved dishes. For the ‘treat yoself’ crowd, there’s fried chicken burgers, hotcakes and more. We opted for a combination of both. Having returned from an overly indulgent YOLO trip from the USA. The breakfast bowl was a necessity, to cleanse previous sins. The crunch of pita chips, rubbery haloumi, soft avocado, bursts of cashew pesto, cherry tomatoes, yoghurt – provide an appealing mix of texture and flavours. I’m normally not a salad gal, but this is acceptable for a lean and green option. And… oops added bacon. Burger wise, the fried chicken burger is on point, with a Chipotle slaw and smoked cheese. Admittedly, not a healthy option, but we washed it down with a chia seed mango smoothie?

A quick scroll through social media will reveal glowing reviews for the mango saffron pannacotta. The Orange blossom hotcakes emulate the flavours of Jaffa, topped with an indulgent vanilla mascarpone. Texture wise, the hotcakes were rather dense. Plating wise, it was beautiful, but I wish I ordered the pannacotta. Not dissimilar to its sister cafes. Tinker’s draw points are its sweet options. Gather your own mischievous gang and try this Northside cafe.

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Breakfast Bowl w/ Cashew Pesto, Quinoa, Avocado, Kale, Cherry Tomatoes, Haloumi, Yoghurt, Poached Egg, Pita Chips + (added Bacon)

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Burger w/ Chipotle Slaw, Smoked Cheese, Rosemary Salted Fries

Orange Blossom Jaffa Hotcakes w/ Orange Curd, Dark Chocolate Swirled Meringue, Strawberries, Vanilla Mascarpone

Mango Smoothie w/ Coconut Milk, Yoghurt, Honey

Hungrycookie dined courtesy of Tinker Northcote. All opinions are strictly my own.

Tinker Northcote 235 High St Northcote http://tinkernorthcote.com.au/

The Colourful Breakfasts of Tinker in Northcote Tinker goes against the definition of insanity. That is, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.