Ourimbah Takeaway (December 12)

So the Mariners were playing Auckland that night at Central Coast Stadium, with the kick-off scheduled for 7.35pm. My fellow gaming buddy, Mariner supporter and occasional drinking companion Gerry and I had been making plans for a week to go to this game. 
However, the weather intervened that day, storm clouds gathered and the drizzle set in. Text messages were swapped. I could, if I felt like it, walk up the road from my place to the nearby Everglades Country Club and see Australian band Regurgitator or even just stay at home to watch it. Gerry then suggested why not head over to his place in Ourimbah and watch the game there. It would be better than sitting at home by oneself and neither of us wanted to be at the stadium getting wet. We had done that enough times already over the years. I agreed, hoping to get away before the rain got heavier. 

And it did. I did make it to Gerry's, but ended up quite damp though despite wearing a raincoat. We then waited for a gap in the weather to get a bite to eat and some drinks. It was less than a five minute drive to the nearest bottlo and a decent variety of takeaway establishments for us to choose from. We opted for the quick and easy Kebab and Burger Bar on the Pacific Highway not far from the train station. Seeing we were the only ones there at the time, we didn't have long to wait. A chicken schnitzel burger each and a small chips between us and that was all we needed.
It turned out to be the right call. A very satisfactory meal to suit the occasion and reasonably priced as well. The rain though would ease up before game time, however, looking at the sparsely populated stands during the broadcast we obviously weren't the only ones to give the game a miss that night. We can make up for it on New Year's Eve with the double header against Brisbane. 

All the best for the festive period! Cheers!

P.S: Last week I managed to get a long overdue writing project finished and uploaded. Blutmunth: A Trial by Combat, is my fourth novel which has been decades in the making. I started work on the tenth and final version of the book prior to Xmas last year with the goal of getting it online before Xmas this year, which I just managed to do. It is currently available on Drive Thru Fiction for $4 AU along with my three part Feudball fantasy football series. Be advised, you need a DTF account with adult content enabled to access the page.  

All links correct at time of posting.
Food image taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2025.     

 

      

Xmas lunch with the support group in Woy Woy (Dec 4)

This year, the mental health support group that I've been attending since 2011, decided to go somewhere different for the annual Xmas lunch. There are two pubs in Woy Woy, both within a stone's throw of each other near the waterfront. Both have also changed owners in recent years and have also undergone extensive renovations.
The pub we chose was the Woy Woy Hotel (established 1897), which is right next door to the Gnostic Mana Café (see 4 April 2024 post). I hadn't been there since, well, it had to be well before COVID. The last time I dined there I received some poor service from staff and decided not to go back.

Until now. The venue is a vast improvement from what it once was. The entire pub had been completely renovated - the dining area had been expanded, a covered beer garden with a children's play area installed and it now had a rather pleasant front bar area as well.

There is plenty of choice in the menus. One could choose from the main menu (which offered pizzas, burgers, kids meals and deserts), the $20 lunch time menu and pensioners could order from a discounted $18 menu if they so desired. I opted for the stock-standard chicken schnitzel from the lunch menu, then had Belgian waffles for desert. Whilst I had no problems with the schnitty, with a rather crunchy crust and a juicy breast fillet, I could not finish off the waffles. Whilst I have eaten far better schnitzels, at $20 it is good value and with an alcoholic beverage to wash it down you're only looking at a $30 lunch instead of $40. Honestly, I'd go there just for the waffles.

I also had a mate coming up from Bendigo (Victoria) that evening. Rather than waste time looking for somewhere else to dine, I just took him straight back to the pub. Still a little full from lunch, I ordered a Woy Woy burger whilst he settled for a steak sandwich. We were both happy with our dinner selections and had a couple of drinks before leaving as well.
I dare say I'll be heading back there again. One can sit in air conditioned comfort rather than broiling outside in the summer heat. It's a short walk from Woy Woy station and there's a large public car park almost directly behind the pub.

Links correct at the time of posting.

Pictures taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2025.