Yelawolf in Sydney

Yelawolf at the Metro Theatre in Sydney! What?

 Too bad for you if you just got excited because you think you are going to see Yelawolf perform at the Metro anytime soon...  it was March 31, 2012. I wish you could relive my experience with me. That would be so much fun.

So when tickets went on sale Saturday morning at 9 I had two computers up and my little hands ready to click click click and I got them pretty quick. Tickets were $52.00 each and I couldn't wait!

On the day of the concert we left Cronulla just after 12 because I wanted to get to the city and look for Yelawolf just in case he was walking around. And of course he wasn't, but a girl can dream. 

Anyway, we went to The Star Bar on George Street because we heard it was good and Jon wanted to watch the Cronulla game. Well the place sucked. Sucked real bad. No one was in there but we waited a few minutes until someone came out to take our drink orders. We asked them if they were playing the game and they said yes, but clearly they were dickheads. We walked upstairs to check it out and were not impressed with the bistro either, only because we wanted to watch the game and they couldn't accommodate. We left and went across to the Albion Place Hotel. It was just where Jon needed to be. They had screens everywhere playing different games. They even changed one of the tele's to the Sharks game because we and another small group of guys asked. We sat and watched the game for bit and had a few drinks then ordered DELICIOUS chicken schnitzel burgers and chips.

So like an hour before the show we went to line up at the door. I wanted a really good spot. 

The metro theatre has a big standing room floor and then towards the back they have sort of like standing level steps. We decided to stand in the first one closest to the bar which didn't really matter but I will get to that.

On one hand I was hoping no one knew who Yelawolf was and that it would not be crowded but on the other hand I wanted it to be sold out because he deserves it and it would be so much fun. If it wasn't sold out, it was pretty close because the place packed quickly, like real packed. 

The first act was Dj Victor Lopez, I am not sure if I liked his style. Well I did, but just as soon as I started to like what he was doing he changed it into something I wasn't too keen on. I wouldn't mind seeing him again though. Then The Havenotz played. I think they were Australian, they sounded like Australian Hip Hop. I wasn't too fuss, but I think it was mainly because I was so excited for Yelawolf. Then of course Briggs. He was pretty cool. 

And then, YELAWOLF!!!!

As soon as I heard the intro to Radioactive I looked at Jon and asked if he would care if I ran to the front. He laughed and said okay so that is just what I did. I worked my way through the crowd and a big guy let me in next to him. He was very nice.

I was bruised for days because I had to squeeze into the front row against the railing. The entire length of the show people were squishing me on both sides and pushing forward causing my ribs to hit against the railing but it was SO worth it!

The energy was thrilling and I loved it.

 Yelawolf opened with Daddy's Lambo! One of my old favorites.

 

 I got this video off YouTube, the picture quality isn't as good as a few others I found, but I like this one the best. 

 Setlist:

1. Daddy's Lambo
2. Trunk Muzik
3. No Hands
4. Hard White (Up in the Club)
5. B.E.T. Cypher 2011
   (Own Verse)
6. I Wish
7. Get Away
8. Growin’ Up in the Gutter
9. Let's Go
   (Verse from song by Travis Barker)
10. Box Chevy
11. Pop The Trunk
12. Marijuana
13. Billy Crystal
14. Love Is Not Enough
15. I Just Wanna Party
16. Good To Go
17. Encore:
17. Let’s Roll
    
      I was screaming every single word I knew to all the songs but my mouth and brain just do not work that fast! I don't know how he does it.
    
    I knew I had a great advantage for some pretty good pictures but I couldn't focus on stuff like that, not in the middle of my favorite concert! So I literally just had my arm out and clicked randomly. Out of like 100 pix, a few actually turned out not too bad. Not good, but not too bad.
    
    I love this one.
    
    

     

    "Yela and JD"

    
    

    I did what I could with iphoto, I will play around a little more with it. You get what you get at the moment.
    
    

    

    

    I wish I could remember what song this was!

    
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

     

    
    

    I saved the best for last. This is my favorite picture of the night:

    
    

    

    
    

    
    
    

Thanks for reading!

My experience at Jamie's Italian, Sydney

 

We drove to Rockdale and took the train into Townhall. I had no idea where we were going until we crossed the street and I saw the line of people out the door waiting to get a table at Jamie's.

Yay! My partner, Jon, surprised me for our TWO YEAR Anniversary to lunch at Jamie's Italian in the city. 

Jaime's Italian

Jamie Oliver's Italian Restaurant on Pitt Street in Sydney, NSW Australia

The wait was about 15 minutes. The hostess took our name and phone number. We decided to sit at the bar so we received a pager.

We were seated fairly quick. As soon as we sat down, literally, our server came up to us and turned our water glasses up. He then asked us what we would like to order. Having never been there before we said we were not ready. He did not greet us with a hello or tell us his name.

I had a chance to look at the entree's before he came back and asked for our order again. I asked for water and a complementary serve of bread. 

He returned immediately. He asked if we would like balsamic with our olive oil and acted put out when I replied "Yes". 

I had a chance to read three pasta descriptions before he was back again. I am not a slow reader, okay? 

We were deciding between three pasta dishes: 

1. TRUFFLE TAGLIATELLE
$14.50/$24.00Finley shaved wild black truffles tossed with butter, Parmesan & netmeg. A real luxury

2. TURBO PENNE ARRABIATA
$10.50/$15.00Curly penne tossed in sweet tomato sauce spiced with chilli, garlic & Parmesan with herby breadcrumbs

3. BUFFALO RICOTTA RAVIOLI
$14.00/$21.00Delicate parcels stuffed with creamed ricotta, lemon, mint & Parmesan. Pure heaven

And a couple of mains:

 TUSCAN WILD BOAR SAUSAGES
$22.50Juicy red wine & fennel sausages served with a warm, minty lentil salad & salsa rossa piccante

 BURGER ITALIANO
$19.50Wagga Wagga beef with fontina cheese, salami, soft lettuce, tomato salsa, dill pickles, chilli & fried onions

I also was thinking about ordering a side salad with my half portion of pasta:

APPLE & GORGONZOLA
$9.00With honey-roasted walnuts & peppery watercress

We both really wanted the Ravioli or the Turbo Penne. I asked Jon to order the Ravioli so I could try it. The description said "Pure heaven". I ordered the Truffle Tagliatelle.  Our server asked if we wanted anything else and literally ran off before I had a chance to ask any questions. 

He did not ask our portion size so I assumed the first price was the lunch price and that is why he did not ask. I wanted to order a salad but felt really awkward when I was ordering so I thought I might order a dessert if I was still hungry.

Because I am such a fatty I forgot to take a picture of our food! I always do that. I get too excited and eat straight away. Our portions were really small. As I looked around the room I came to the conclusion that we had received half portions. 

Poor Jon had such a small bowl of ravioli, it looked like he only had about five. I had a small taste and OMG it was DELICIOUS! The pasta was so very thin and I loved the tang of the lemon. The filling of the buffalo ricotta was very small, which was nice and light but not too satisfying for my partner. When asked how his experience was he said "He wouldn't rate it" which is the worst comment. 

My pasta was yummy too. The portion was small as well and I was certain that it was the lunch/half portion. The taste of the sauce was very buttery and I couldn't taste the depth of the truffle as I had hoped... but still very enjoyable. 

I was satisfied but Jon was still a little hungry. I decided to order dessert because I love Jamie's desserts. I nearly ordered the Tiramisu because I remember watching him make it with a friend on "Jamie does Italy". But I opted for:

THE ULTIMATE BROWNIE
$8.50Chocolate, raspberry & amaretto brownie with vanilla ice cream

I didn't taste any raspberry or amaretto but I still loved it. Jon thought it was too rich.

Full Menu for Jamie's Italian

On JamieOliver.com there is a section for leaving a comment about the experience at the restaurant. The following is what I sent. I tried to be nice about it but I am still really sad.

"Because I have been talking to many people about my unpleasant experience I feel it is only fair that I share it with the restaurant. 
My partner surprised me for lunch at Jamie's Italian yesterday for our two-year anniversary.
Being a huge Jamie Oliver fan this was a very sweet gesture. We were seated promptly within about 15 minutes.
As soon as we sat down at one of the two seat tables along the wall we were greeted and asked if we were ready to order. I like being "greeted" as soon as I sit down but this felt like harassment. Because we were dressed in non-business attire I thought that was a bit pushy but decided to think nothing further of it because I do realize it is a popular place for a quick business lunch. Our male server did not have any pleasantries or even tell us his name. When he returned I had only read three menu items. I asked for water and bread and he brought those very quickly and again, in a sort of pressure type of way asked for our order.
I could hear the lady server next to us being so nice and friendly asking her customers if they would like to hear the special of the day. I was so disappointed because we were never asked that. When he returned again he just stood there with his tablet out, waiting.
When we ordered we assumed the first price was lunch and second was dinner (our mistake). We were not asked if we wanted half serves or full. But he had quickly taken our order and we had questions but our server seriously ran away before we were finished.
The food was very yummy. I had the truffle and my partner have the buffalo ricotta ravioli. He doesn't appreciate the yumminess of the lemon and thing pasta so he doesn't rate it. He was also very upset because he had different expectations but this is not our complaint.
Now this is our fault, when we received our meals we felt they were a half portion. Having never been to Jamie's before, I am used to large portions of Italian so our meals looked like a half. So when we received our bill we were gutted at how small the portions were and what we were charged.
We just feel robbed. I am such a huge Jamie Oliver fan and this has left me feeling very sad.
Our server seemed like he hated being there and our experience was tainted due to his negativity".

Jamie's Italian Homepage

Hummus Dip

Hummus

How to make Hummus dip:

 It might be easier than you think. Unless you already make it. Then you know how easy it is.

Dedicated to Kellie Horner 

 

Ingredients: 

1 can chickpeas (400g)

3 tbs Tahini

3 tbs Lemon Juice

1-2 tbsp chopped parsley

2 tsp Paprika

5 tbsp Olive Oil

1 clove garlic, crushed (optional)

1-2 tsp salt

You will need a Blender or Food processor 

Rinse Chickpeas under running water. 

Combine rinsed chickpeas, 3 tbs Tahini, 3 tbs lemon juice, chopped parsley, 2 tsp Paprika, 5 tbsp Olive oil, crushed garlic and salt in food processor. Blend until smooth. Taste. 

You may wish to add more salt. You may also wish to add 1 tbsp at a time of lemon juice, tahini, or olive oil depending on taste.  

*For garnish I sprinkled lemon and salt, then a drizzle of olive oil, followed by paprika and a few red chilli's.