Day 6, 8/3 : Melbourne-Colonial Tramcar Restaurant

Day 6: Colonial Tramcar Restaurant
Early morning, Ben took us to Aunt Paula's place, about 15min drive from uncle's place.. Aunt Paula looked the same, but thinner..she was so happy to see us, especially seeing Mark for the first time..We attended Sunday service at a local church, called Kingdom Builders Church..the target audiences were those businessmen..The service today was rather special..there was a special speaker and he had the gift of healing..instead of giving a sermon, he demonstrated the power of healing on one of the church member..Both Mark and I were not used to this kinda service and felt a little uneasy, especially for Mark..He think this speaker is from a cult church..haha

After church service, we had breakfast at Aunt Paula's house..she cooked BBQ lamb and chicken, salad and bread! I loved the BBQ lamb..yummy..and her friend, Judith and her 3 daughters came to visit Aunt Paula also..Judith is a social worker at a rehab centre and she is from Cook Island..we played ping pong with one of her daughter and we had so much fun at her house..

Later in the evening, we were getting ready for the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant..this is one of the main attraction in Melbourne..Mark googled and found out about the tramcar..Ben lent us his pajero (more than 15 years old) so that we could drive to the city..however, we had so much 'fun' driving the car..the engine kept dying off..Sometimes it died in the middle of the road, in front of the traffic light..so dangerous..luckily, we managed to reach the destination safely..and the problem now was, we need the car for tomorrow as well, to drive to Philip Island..initially we were driving Aunt Paula's car, BMW, but because the GPS couldn't work with the BMW and we were not comfortable to drive to Philip Island by lookng at map, so our next option was to take the pajero as the GPS worked well with the car..anyway, you will read more about our Philip Island trip on my next entry

"Dining in Melbourne can be a fabulous experience, especially aboard the fleet of historical trams that have become The Colonial Tramcar Restaurant. These glossy, burgundy restaurants on wheels are the first travelling tramcar restaurants in the world and ensure a delightful innovative approach to dining.

As they cruise the scenic streets of Melbourne, diners can enjoy our fine cuisine and drink the very best of Australian wines or make a selection from our fully stocked bar at a fully inclusive price. The atmosphere is cosy, the service friendly and the decor as inviting as the colonial period these trams reflect.

The Colonial Tramcar Restaurant officially commenced operation in August 1983 and has since become a star attraction and tourist symbol for the city of Melbourne. Dining aboard the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant is not only a culinary delight, but also a trip into a little piece of Victoria's history"

We booked the late dinner menu set (AUD115.00/pax)..total 6 courses..

APPETISER		Cream, liver and cognac pate crowned with aport wine and juniper jelly Roasted red capsicum dip served with assorted crisp bread
ENTREES		Grilled kangaroo loin brushed with lemon myrtle, thyme and honey, served on vegetable and chive frittata with bush tomato chilli jam Smoked salmon and avocado mousse dressed with baby capers, red onion and tomato. Served with frisee and dill crème friache
* MAINS		Chargrilled breast of chicken seasoned with a sun dried tomato tapenade served with a mediterranean vegetable risotto, salsa verde and shaved parmesan Prime eye fillet of beef resting on a potato and herb rosti, accompanied by seasonal vegetables, onion marmalade and rich beef jus
CHEESES		Selection of Australian Cheeses served with dried muscatel grapes, pear paste, fruit bread and water crackers
* DESSERTS		Warm Sticky Date Pudding topped with butterscotch sauce served with cream white chocolate and passionfruit mousse with praline and vanilla raspberry syrup
* BEVERAGES		Wine Selected Victorian Red and White Wines From the Bar Beer / Whisky / Brandy / Gin / Vodka / Bacardi Rum / Dry Vermouth / Bourbon Coffee / Tea Liqueurs Port / Cognac (v.s.o.p.) / Drambuie / Dom Benedictine / Cointreau / Tia Maria Gratuities at your discretion

Besides the food, the waiters onboard were so hilarious and funny, especially one of them really can sing well..he used to be singing in the orchestra..very entertaining..The tour took about 3 hours..and again, we had problems with driving home with the pajero..haha..but thank God, we reached home safely! Aunt Paula was so worried too..she sms me several times while we were driving for the dinner, to ensure we reached safely..late at night, she sms me again..and told us, it will be better if we take her car to Philip Island tomorrow..and she had drew us a map..she said the journey to Philip Island was pretty easy and straight forward..She will drive the car to my uncle's house tomorrow morning and guide us from there..really grateful for her..