橋頭的冰激凌三文治小推車前擠滿人群，班蘭三文治土司，厚實的像磚頭一般的冰激凌，天哪！好想也來一塊，只可惜肚子里早已全部空隙，連半點都塞不進了，最終也只是看一看影個像就當是吃過了 0-0

There were 3 options for lunch - 4 course lunch for EUR 75, 5 course lunch for EUR 85 and 7 course tasting menu for EUR 125. I opted for the 4 course lunch. A manager must have spotted my confusion with picking the right dish, she came over and explained the ingredients and offered me her recommendation.

Before I picked my lunch, Amuse Bouche was already presented on my table. It was a thin slice of parma ham and melon clinging onto a set. I contemplated for a while how I should eat it, since I wanted to minimize the chances of eating with my hands, but I gave in at last and just unclipped and put it in my mouth. I was surprised even though they were of such thin layers, the smell and taste lingered in my mouth for a long time. Apart from this, I was presented with other amuse bouche that unveiled the curtain to a neo-Austrian dining scene.

As soon as I was done, a server arrived with his Bread Cart. I was overwhelmed with the different kinds of bread they had. From the server's elaboration, I picked a honey-flavored dough. The restaurantwas indeed very thoughtful, there was lemon zest on the lemon flavored cream cheese to be served with the bread.

I loved their arrangement that before every course, they placed a small card on the table, with elaboration on how the dish was prepared and where the ingredients were originated. My first course was Loquats with Celeriac, Peas, Malabar Spinach & Pistachios. The Celeriac was cooked with loquat kernels, with steamed spinach and roasted pistachios. With every bite, there was a growing sense that I ate very healthy and had food right from the nature. Loquat was a kind of fruit that riped in early spring, tasted a little like apricot and had a very aromatic flavor. I was impressed that Austrian cuisine consisted of such naturally flavored food. 

The second course was my favorite, I tasted every bit slowly that I could be able to remember - Perlfisch with Pumpkin, Isabella Grapes & Watercress. Perlfisch exists of small population today that it is only allowed to be caught by licensed fishermen. It was panfried to be served with sides which were cooked with meticulous thoughtfulness. The fish skin was of perfect crispiness but the fishmeat was tender and juicy. It definitely became my favorite along with black cod. I was usually just ok with pumpkin, but I could not resist from finishing all. It was seasoned with balsamic vinegar and apple, cooked with brown butter, and tasted sensational! Only the outer part of Isabella grapes were prepared but they already had an intense aroma of Japanese grapes! It was the first time I realized watercress could be so delicious when it was served in the form of cream. My taste bud literally could distinguish all the different taste but they all blended in and created a perfect flavor.

Not long after I was done, my third course came - Lightly smoked Danube Salmon with Oats, Tomatoes & Gooseberries. The salmon was of lighter pink than the usual salmon, and it was very tender. I especially loved the tomatoes that there were all kinds which you could have imagined - red, yellow, orange and green, totally satisfied my love for tomatoes. A thin coat of chia seeds was toasted on top of the salmon, which matched very well with the tomato and gooseberry juice.

I was certainly very happy with the previous courses, that I could not stop myself from eating more. I asked the server if I could add a cheese platter (to make a 5 course lunch instead) at this stage, but she explained the dessert was already on its way, and asked if I minded to have cheese after my dessert. I nodded in agreement without any hesitation, totally forgot about rushing for my flight.

How a restaurant made a strong impression on customers does not only depend on food quality, but also its service. I was indeed very thrilled to see I got to receive 2 desserts! Since I asked the server for her recommendation, she actually requested the kitchen to prepare the one which she recommended with a complimentary smaller portion of the other. My first dessert - Medlar, Violets and Crepes was crispy with Japanese medlar, which gave a faint hint of apple flavor. There was violet jam inside. Violet ice-cream was served on the side with petals. It resembled a slight twist of apple strudel and placed the merit on different cooked forms of violets. The second dessert was an Apricot Dumpling, which was an Austrian classic. It was a hot deep fried dumpling with apricot inside, which was still very soft and juicy.

The two desserts were filling, but I saved room for cheese. I let the 'cheese expert' know I was a fan of Comte. OMG, the Comte they serve was of 4.5 years, I only had 36 months before and this Comte was divine. Nutty and rich and its aroma filled every particle of air in my mouth~  The rest was picked by the expert according to my preference. He made a good pick of the other kinds, and the server who came with his bread cart used his expertise and paired my cheese with different kinds of bread. Thanks for both, to nicely wrap up my lunch.

Just when I asked for the bill, they offered me les petit fours. Too bad I ate in a rush or else I would be late for my flight. But I was very lucky afterall, to have found Steirereck by chance on the net, and had one of my best lunches in my life. Not only is their food impeccable, but their service also impressed me to the utmost extent. I did leave the table for a bathroom break, the moment when I returned to the table, I discovered my napkin was changed to a new one, instead of having the old one which I had used throughout the whole meal. One flaw from this experience is that I might be more picky in my future foodie encounters.

在澳洲工作時,記得有一位澳洲太太告訴我,如果要找工作的話,最好先到每一個city的賭場,因賭場是需要大量不同階層的職位,就是這樣,我去每一個新地方的第一天,總愛先去賭場看看有沒有工作職位之餘,也會順道碰碰運氣.今天來到New Zealand,雖然已經沒有WORKING VISA,但賭場已便成我首個要來拜訪的習慣,今天就來看看New Zealand和澳洲的賭場有沒有什麼大分別吧!在澳洲某些城市的賭場,是不用我show passport,本來想試試直入賭場時,職員馬上上前要求我給他check passport,哈哈,唯有在我的背包找找吧!職員檢查之後,便行入賭場. 心想,詁不到Auckland面積總算大,沒有想過,賭場沒有那麼的大,和澳洲Perth,Sydney相比,真的有一點距離,而且最低投注,相比和澳洲也是小的.來到賭場,我比較喜歡玩21點. 本人去賭場落注玩時,習慣了要看看不同枱的21點約15分鐘,覺得心血來潮便會落注. 哈哈,今天來到Auckland,詁不到有NZ$150收穫,NZ$150約港幣900,Yeah!!! 可以幫補我的旅費了.離開賭場之後,約步行1分鐘,就在賭場的前面,有一個大型刺激的機動遊戲. 可惜,沒有人玩. 嘩,向鬧市中有這個機動遊戲,真係好特別,如果我身邊有兩個朋友想話一齊玩,我都可以大膽地一試.不知不覺,在賭場已超過一小時,已經是下午2:00,不如搵間cafe食件蛋糕嘆杯咖啡吧!

在西方國家,總是想過著悠悠閒閒的生活. 在下午時段中,嘆著cheese cake品嚐著Cappuccino多麼寫意. 在下午時段,不是太肚子餓的時候,自己一個在town裏不停行著,剛好在後街裏發現一間café充滿著八十年代的工廠感覺,加上自己這段時候特別想要free wifi,而這間café,如光顧便可以有free wife ticket,就是這樣便坐下來慢慢休息一下吧!

剛在café裏享受完一個簡單的tea之後,我又獨個兒在town走走,突然讓我看到有一個小型的露天餐廳及商鋪. 繼續步行,便看見有一個草地,草地上放著不少紅色的梳化,這一刻又突然又令我回想起在澳洲初時,和朋友躺在草地,一邊望著藍色的天空,一邊和朋友傾計,多麼的寫意啊!

正準備找巴士站回朋友家時,我看見了有一尚算大型的商場Downtown. 雖然,現在的我,對購物不太大意欲,但也好奇參觀一下. 起初,這商場的感覺,就像香港的中型商場的感覺,如荃灣的愉景新城,新元朗中心這類型,但慢慢發現,唯一和香港大大不同的地方,便是商場也有不少family games,如在相片中. 還有多一個發現,就是NZ很多買日本卷物壽司,如美食廣場或小店鋪也是,多的程度比澳洲多很多,真的詁不到日本壽司文化深入影響了新西蘭.