Sho Noodle Bar

Melbourne - We checked out and had to store our luggage at the Hotel's coin dispensing lockers.  $5 for the 1st 8 hrs, then $3 to continue to 11hrs.  By the time we came back to pick up our luggage it was already 11 hrs of usage.

After we packed up on the last day of the Cisco Live 2012,  we waited for a long time outside the Melbourne Exhibtion for a taxi.   It was a long wait and then decided to cross the road to the Crown casino entrance to hail a taxi - still no luck as most of the taxi had passengers in them.   We decided to cross back to the exhibition area and book a taxi - still no taxi.  Finally, we walk down the road to Crown Plaza Hotel and caught a taxi there.

We walked to Crown casino to have some good noodles which come highly recommended from Lesley - Sho Noodle Bar.  For A$17.50 you can choose the type of noodles you want (udon, cantonese, etc..) and 3 types of fillings (beef, beef brisket, dumplings, etc..) and type of soup base.  The meal comes in a large bowl and it was very delicious and filling.

Lesley and my flight back home is late around midnight and had some time to 'kill', so we watch the latest movie 'Hunger Games' @ 8pm show.   The begining was quite boring and I almost fall asleep but as the plot thickens it became more and more exciting.  By 10pm, we are wondering should be leave or the show will end.  But we had to leave by 10:15pm - so we never knew the ending....

Claypot's Seafood & Bar

Melbourne - We met Armen, and the 3 of us went to St. Kilda for good seafood restaurant - it was my selection - Claypot's Seafood @ 213 Barkly Street, St. Kilda. They had good reviews for this restaurant and when we arrive it was crowded and there were 5 groups of people in front of us waiting for their seats. We had to sit at the bar and waited about 40 minutes before we were called to our designated table. We were very pissed because the restaurant did not tell us that they had ran out of many seafood - ran out of crabs, small prawns, most of the shell fish. So with hobson's choice - we tried what the waiter proposed.

We had Shellfish stirfry with rice, a plata of 3 types of fish and King Fish. The best wass King Fish - it was so fresh and delicious. The seafood was fresh but the service was really bad. It was the attitude of the waiter that serves us that spoilt the whole atmosphere of dining at this restaurant. But I was told that most Australian restaurant service is really bad.

Cisco Live 2012 - Melbourne

Melbourne - I had a booth at a technology exhibition and conference called 'Cisco Live 2012 Melbourne' and it was held at Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.   It is located opposite Crown Casino.   We are moving in equipment today @ around 9am.

For lunch, Lesley and I walk down Chinatown to have some timsum @ Westlake Chinese restaurant.    Melbourne Chinatown even has their own website.    The tim sum was just average.   Chinatown is along Little Bourke Street - a short walking distance from our hotel.

Lygon Street - Australia's Famous "Little Italy"

Melbourne -  Today's weather is very nice around 17C in the morning.  

For dinner we went to Lygon Street which is a very colourful area with many Italian restaurant and cafe.     We went to the restaurant that I was familiar and the pizza is really good - iI Gambero Italian Restaurant.    We had 2 pizzas and it tasted so good - the Hawaian Pizza which is Ham and Pineapple had good quality ham and cheese.   The glass red wine which I ordered did not taste so good and should have order a bottle rather a glass. 

After which we adjourned to Brunetti - the original location at Lygon Street was big and it was crowded with people having Italian deserts and coffee.  The price of the deserts is out of this world - 4 small Macorcoons cost A$10 i.e. A$2.50 per tiny Macoroon.    There is branch in Singapore @ Tanglin Mall.

Melbourne

Melbourne - It was a good flight and the SQ flight arrived on time.   Lesley will arrive about 25 mins later.   I had dinner @ P.J. O'Brien's - an Irish pub and restaurant.  I had their P.J. beef irish stew pie and it tasted very good.   The temperature was 19c.

Whilst we were waiting at the taxi stand, a taxi drove by but he forgot to pull his hand brake and it move forward and the driver nearly hit the passenger loading his luggage onto the taxi in front.   In a flash that nearly save the passgenger legs, he jump up onto the bonnet of the oncoming taxi.   It was such a frightening experience happening in front of our eyes.  What a stupid taxi driver; he could have cause serious injury to the passenger.

Our Hotel was ibis Melbourne @ Little Bourke Street - a small and budget looking Hotel.  The room is small and spartan but clean.   The hotel is very near Chinatown - a 5 minutes walking distance.   Internet access @ this hotel is very expensive A$ 5 for 2 hrs of internet and A$10 for 24hrs or 250Mb download.   As today is the final racing day of F1, the hotel rates were A$ 269 and from tomorrow the rates will drop to A$129.

Melbourne: Greek Restaurant

Melbourne - Joe and I pondered what restaurant to eat for tonite and I said 'Greek'. I never had Greek food and there is an enclave of Greek restaurants. So, we walked and walked looking for a good Greek restaurant. In fact, there was one Greek restaurant that is near the hotel but a nice elderly couple was coming out of the restaurant and informed us that the food is not good.

We finally settled for this Greek restaurant; Stalacities restuarant: 177-183 Lonsdale Street, 03-9663-3316. Greek food has lots of lamb dishes and we opted for a platter of skewed lamb and chicken - it's delicious. Top this up with Pita bread. We also had their homemade bread but it does not taste great. On the whole it was a very hearty meal!

Melbourne: Italian Town

Melbourne - The Qantas flight over was full. We just arrived Melbourne and the weather was very nice. The hotel is right in Chinatown - Crossley Hotel Melbourne (managed by Mercure) @ 51 Little Bourke Street. A boutigue hotel with rooms that are clean and nice. The only drawback is their wireless internet access. We purchase the Telstra wireless Hotspot daypass after the 2nd log-in, we were not able to log-in anymore. Joe had the same problem too - and was on the back of the front manager to solve this problem. It took her close to 2hrs to get in touch with Telstra and still they could not resolve the wireless hotspot problem. So, the hotel had to move us to 3rd floor where they had wired internet access.

Lunch was nearby at Chine on Paramount on Little Bourke Street. The chinese food was normal but overly priced.

In the evening, with a yearning for Italian food, we spoke with one of the concierge of Melbourne Hotel and he told us that the best Italian food is about 40 mins out from our current location and we can take the tram there. There are many Italian restaurants located in this town. So, off we went and boarded a tram to Lygon station.
The tram ticket counter was within the tram itself and we were not sure whether to pay for not. Some ladies standing near by informed us that we have to pay but since we are tourist it's ok.

Restaurant: Il Gambero, 215 Lygon Street, Carlton - 03-9347-5791. The food is really good. It's really worth the trip there.