Birthday lunch at the Everglades (April 30)

It's a rather damp day outside so I'd thought I'd rattle off a blog post whilst I had the chance. It's (mostly) a quiet day at home this week, though on Friday I'll be heading south to Sutherland for ShireCon for a day of gaming. Actually I haven't really done much since May 7, which was a mental health support group meeting in Gosford. I took an opportunity to do some grocery shopping, including a rare visit to the Abcoe Retail Store at Niagara Park shopping centre (formerly the Sara Lee factory outlet store) just up the road from the Niagara Park train station on Washington Avenue, then topped groceries up again on Tuesday (May 12) seeing, well, when one is at home and the weather isn't that great, one eats, one writes and one plays computer games for four days...

But a couple of weeks ago I decided to venture up the road to the Everglades Club and treat myself to a birthday lunch. I had originally intended to go out to Erina Fair for a bit, then felt I might even stay at home instead. In the end a walk up the boulevard became the plan. Not the first time I've done a birthday stroll up there for lunch (I did the same thing back in 2023 before I had even started this blog) yet it had been quite a while since I had actually visited the club. The last occasion was in 2024 on November 10 for Regurgitator, forgoing a Mariners home match against Auckland on the day. Like I've said before, the Everglades may be just up the road but I still visit the leagues club in Gosford more. In fact I'll be going there for a Blood Bowl league match next Wednesday (May 20).

I also took the opportunity to renew my membership, although it turned out to be a bad day to do it. For starters, when I walked in around 11.40am there was nobody on the front desk. I eventually found somebody, then was told that the financial year ended today and that I should come back tomorrow (May 1) to get the full benefit of my membership. I honestly felt like saying I may not be back again this year, for I might just forget about do it at all, so I just renewed it. It was $25 for three years. I'm certain I didn't pay that much way back in 2022 when I first joined the club. Obviously they needed the extra cash to pay for the recent renovations.

The Nine Restaurant and Bar hadn't been altered at all and for the most part the menu hasn't changed either. I discovered that if my birthday had fallen on a Tuesday I could've taken advantage of their weekly specials, seeing Tuesday is schnitzel day. On that day, a chicken parmigiana is $25. Because my birthday fell on a Thursday this year, it'll cost $29 with a members discount. Then there's a glass of alcoholic ginger beer on top of that as well so it'll be around $40 all up.
The meal, served with my choice of salad and chips (one day I'll find out what vegetables are being served with it and take the mash option) arrived at my table quickly enough seeing there wasn't that many many people present. It was good but not brilliant. I found it was a little too wet in places, with one knobbly end spitting at me like an oyster when I bit into it. Juicy I don't mind but that was just a bit too much. For me, the Gosford Hotel does a more consistent parmi and you're only paying one dollar more for it than a discounted meal at the Everglades. The pub trivia is also cheaper there too. At Everglades they run theirs on a Tuesday, with a cost of $25 but with better prizes. In Gosford you do have a choice of the GH or the leagues club on a Tuesday. We've stuck with GH because we like the atmosphere, the host is pretty good and the food is fine. It's also more convenient to get to for all of us.
And that's the thing. You have to sum it all up when you're going out these days. I look back at my previous post to see I paid $28 for a schnitzel burger at a cafe in Woy Woy. At the leagues club in Gosford I can get a chicken schnitzel for $26 and turn it into a parmi for an extra $3. For a chicken meal these days, that appears to be the standard prices you're paying. The last time I had the Caeser's Palace burger at Grill'd (back in March) with a choice of fries and a drink it was roughly the same. The thing is, they are still consistently good. However, with these prices, someone like myself on a fixed income isn't going to be eating out every week. In the last week of April, it was a birthday and a trivia night within four days. Add bus fare to the tally and that's $90 for two meals. I can buy that much in groceries in two shops yet I'll be eating for most of the fortnight at home.

Links correct at the time of posting.

Pictures taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2026.

An Afternoon out on the Peninsula (April 21)

The last of a trio of food reviews for the day. We're currently in the twilight period of the day. I've stretched my legs, had a shower and started dinner. Must say it's been a rather productive day today. Hope I can continue in this vein tomorrow.
So on Tuesday (April 21) I had a couple of things to do in the area. The first was to collect some mail from my PO Box in Umina Beach. The second was to get my Flu Vax jab at the surgery I semi-regularly attend in Woy Woy. Once the latter was done, grocery shopping was required. I had decided that I wasn't just going to go to Deep Water Plaza in the afternoon after collecting the mail, might as well make a day of it. The laptop gets packed as well so I can do something in the three hours I'll be hanging around. Of course, I'll need lunch. Today I desired a burger, one of the chicken variety. The choices were BFF outside Deep Water Plaza, Lush 1659 inside the plaza, or stroll to either KFC or McDonalds. Lush won seeing the weather wasn't too great. Sure enough, not long after entering the shopping centre it starts raining again.
Last time I dined at Lush was in 2024 when I had lunch with a friend of mine. BFF was in 2025. Either way I was going to be updating my dining experience at one of these places. Though they were a little busy on Tuesday (it was around midday when I ordered there) I still got my chicken schnitzel burger in about ten minutes. Same sized plate as last time, pretty much the same amount of fries and the burger was practically the same as well.

First bite though and the schnitzel was quite hot. Was it just taken out of a microwave? I had to let it cool for a bit before biting back into it. This time round, there was no problem with finishing the meal off. I even took my time seeing I was going through my e-mails.
I checked my bank account before finishing this post to find a $28 debit from the cafe. That included a can of drink and a surcharge for a bank card transaction. I felt that considering the size of the meal, $28 wasn't worth it. However, that seems to be the average price charged these days for a burger meal. The meal itself wasn't that bad though I'm now thinking that for better value I'd be better off buying a takeaway from the noodle place outside or wait until I got for my monthly trivia night at the Gosford Hotel. I may pay $30 there for a chicken parma with salad and chips but it's worth it.

Link correct at time of posting.

Picture taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2026.

Exploring Singapore Noodle Options 4 (April 2)

The second of my meal reviews for the day. Since I finished the first post (A Burger in-between Rounds), the weather has changed for the better. The temperature has dropped a point, the sun is out and one member of the local wildlife is wandering around my lawn picking at what's on it. In this case, it's a hungry kookaburra that has been quite successful and is now perched on the fence no doubt feeling rather satisfied.

I was a little busy at the start of April, with my mental health support groups on the 2nd and the 7th. This month being one of the rare occasions where I attended the Thursday group in Woy Woy before co-facilitating the Tuesday anxiety group in Wyoming. I also had to stick around at home on the Thursday, just in case technicians upgrading the electricity meter at the front property needed access to my place. They didn't and by midday I was walking down the laneway to catch the bus into Woy Woy and join the group at our usual location for the meetings on the foreshore during February to April. There was also a Mariners double-header at the stadium on Saturday (April 4th), the last one for the current season.
My choice of meals that lunchtime depended on which stand my bus pulls up at at the station. If it's towards the front, then it's the Noodle House on Blackwall Road. If it's at the rear, it's Woy Woy Asian Noodle and Chinese on the outside of Deepwater Plaza. Either one of them, I had decided, was going to be sampled yet again and this time added to my noodle posts. The bus stopped at Stand A, so it was Noodle House.
However, upon walking down Blackwall Road, I noticed that the casual cafe was unfortunately closed that lunchtime. This made things a little awkward. I had my heart set on a noodle dish and I really wasn't going to change my mind. Tempted as I was to try a nearby Thai place I hadn't dined at before, I decided to wander back towards the plaza, which meant crossing the main road back and forth before progressing towards the waterfront.
One bonus of getting lunch at Asian Noodle is that they have a lunch deal. If you order one item from 1-35 on the menu, you can add a can of soft drink for a $1, bringing the grand total to $13.90. Singapore Noodle is selection number 13. It is little more than a stove and a fridge but there is room for a couple of tables indoor and another pair out the front. The place is also quite popular for various menu delivery services.

On this occasion, I was satisfied with my meal when I finally got to the covered picnic benches where we've been dining for years. Both places that I've mentioned are currently running two and three behind Yi Yi in the Imperial Shopping Centre. The one I ate this time is worthy of being second with just enough curry powder to give it a kick, which is how I usually like it. Like the current leader it is consistently good and even with my fussy diet I find myself emptying the bowl completely, although when I grabbed another takeaway on the 10th, after doing some grocery shopping, one of the pork pieces felt like it had some bone in it and I had to remove it. That's been the only time that's happened since I've ordered food from there

Picture taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2026.

Links correct at the time of posting.

A Burger in-between Rounds (March 21)

A very autumn day here today. Overcast, sun is struggling to pierce the clouds but according to the weather app it's 20°. Sure doesn't feel like it. Regardless of what it's like outside it's a good day to to stay indoors and catch up on my blog posts, of which there are several to get through.
The food blog has three and this is the first of them. I had almost forgotten this one after the repeated trips to Parramatta for the Women's AFC. It's a crossover post for the gaming blog seeing this is related to an event I participated in on March 21.
For four years now at the Ourimbah RSL, which is on the main road pretty much in the centre in the township, there has been one day Blood Bowl tournament held, which, for some like myself, is usually the first one they play in every year. I've been running, or co-running gaming events on the coast since 2006, though these events didn't become official until 2010 with the first running of the Gosford Gauntlet. As a specialist gamer, I'm glad to see these events on the coast, which have grown in size since Covid, attracting players from Sydney and beyond.
The venue is very easy to get to. Being on the main road, it is a short 5 minute walk from the local train station albeit that you have to cross the road, then cross back over again to get to there. Being one of the smaller stations though it's only serviced once an hour. You can get a bus to the location (from either direction the #36 passes through there) or you can drive if you live locally. Some of the Sydney-siders do it seeing there's an M1 freeway intersection about a minute north of the venue.
Result wise, it wasn't that great for me, with just one draw to show for it out of the three games. (If you want to read the match notes you can find them here when I've posted them. Just one of the few posts I need to create.) The first game was terribly frustrating and I was quite relieved to get downstairs for a drink and a bite to eat around 12.30pm.
Last year I opted for the loaded fries. This year I went for a burger, which range in price from $25 to $32 if you're not a member. On their dining room menu you have a choice of four. Having had their beef burger before, I decided on the fried chicken option this time, which is served with cheese, slaw and sriracha aioli with a small serving of chips, which is standard for all burger meals.

The burger wasn't too bad, though I found the slaw quite annoying seeing it escaped the burger with every bite. Not to worry, you can eat it up with the chips. It was the right option in-between rounds and it was just the thing I needed before returning to the games room upstairs, after washing it all down with an alcoholic ginger beer.
There are plenty of other food options for a quick bite on a games day. The entrees have a varied selection, including the stock standard potato wedges, spring rolls and garlic bread. There are salad options as well though if you want something quicker and cheaper you can grab a sandwich or a sausage roll from the coffee bar.
Ourimbah RSL is a nice venue. Staff are genuinely friendly and you can stick around for a drink or two outside if time allows, stay for another meal, watch the live sport on multiple TV sets or listen to the evening entertainment. It is a very convenient option for yours truly seeing he has a mate that lives a couple of minutes down the road. Even if he isn't going, one can catch the #36 practically right outside his front door and can get dropped off at the school across the road.

Links correct at the time of posting.

Picture by Geoff G Turner (c) 2026.

Exploring Singapore Noodle Options 2 (March 4)

So, after the first excursion to Parramatta was successful, I stayed an extra day with my Ourimbah football mate in order to view an upcoming Mariners match that night (March 4). Of course, we weren't going to stay at home all day so we went for a drive to have a bite to eat and do a little shopping.
Westfields Tuggerah is a very convenient location not far from Tuggerah train station and well serviced by several bus routes. With me currently in Woy Woy it is a bit of a hike to get there. One can take a train to there then either walk to the shopping centre or hop on a passing bus, which would take most of hour from my end of the coast. For me, I could also take a #55 bus to Gosford then a #36 or #37 bus from Gosford station which will take me straight there. However, that's a 70-80 minute trip if your connections are good. From my mate's place in Ourimbah, it's a 15 minute drive or the #37 bus for a slightly longer trip.
Transport options aside, there are plenty of food options inside the two levels of the main building and outside as well. Me, well, I generally prefer the food court, unless we're going to make an occasion of it and eat somewhere a little more up-priced.

There are plenty of options in the court. Usually, my first option is Master Noodle, which has been there since I first started visiting the shopping centre two decades ago. I find the food usually lacks in quality consistency. However, on this particular day I found my meal rather nice, though the carrot cubes were a little harder than I expected. The rest of the vegies were fine and bite-sized. I don't mind the yellow noodle and added curry powder gave it a little kick which I appreciated. I generally go for a large plate, half noodle and half rice, with a can of drink. Total cost is about $16.

I've been a bit lazy with some of the more recent posts and not added a water shot. I plugged in a back-up drive and found some old ones I took around 2014 of a small lake in the suburb of Mardi, just off McPherson Road. I don't think it even has a name. There was plenty of feathery critters there on the day that I visited, with an interesting assortment of common and uncommon birds. On foot it's a fair hike from the shopping centre but you only need to go straight up Gavenlock Road then turn left into McPherson. It's behind a housing estate.

Links correct at time of posting.

Pictures taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2026.

Exploring Singapore Noodle Options 1 (Feb 25)

So I started my more formal assessment of my favourite oriental dish whilst in Gosford last week to do some more gaming. Wednesday night is games night at the Central Coast Leagues Club and I had plenty of time to kill before going there. So I ventured to the food court in the Imperial Shopping Centre to the one place on the Central Coast where I have been eating (regularly) longer than anywhere else.

Yi Yi Asian Cuisine pretty much looks like many other food court outlets. On 28 October 1999 I was wandering through the shopping centre on my way through to the train station, roughly a month after having moved to the Woy Woy peninsula, fully intending to go straight home after attending an appointment in town. As I headed for the Mann Street entrance/exit I passed a group of people in front of a games store with some very familiar gaming boards set up. A quick enquiry revealed that there was a Blood Bowl league playing there every Thursday night. So I made a quick trip back to my home in Umina Beach to fetch my miniatures, with enough money left for the return trip and something to eat. The rest is history.
The menu for the takeaway has improved in quality over the years, with set menu options added to what was available on display in the bain-marie. I can still recall derogatory remarks about what was on on offer by my new gaming companions when I first bought food from there. There was one thing though that I had found quite different from other places I dined at – the fried rice, the current manager once assured me, was steamed rather than fried. In recent years I was appreciating that more and more and had ordered it so often that when she sees me coming she only has to point and I only have to nod. It's generally white and fluffy, with little chunks of ham, peas and scrambled egg.
However, last Wednesday, I decided to do something different, keeping her on her toes as it were, ordering the Singapore Fried Noodle from the set menu and choosing to dine in for a change. If you add a drink to the cost it's little more than $20. I had enough time to go get one from the nearby Reject Shop, returning in time to see them bring the meal to the counter.

One of the things I appreciate in this noodle dish is the colour. There is a lot of it and the added ingredients are rather appreciative bite-sized pieces. It's a mild dish, hardly any curry powder in this offering and I took my time in devouring it, leaving nothing but some grease on the plate and a used wooden fork. For a proper meal, one can combine this with either the cheaper rice option or splurge and get the special fried rice. Either will set you back around $30 but it's two good meals there. I should also add, they have moved with the times after Covid and you'll find that they have food delivery options through the popular purveyors.
It's still pretty good after all these years which is one thing I really appreciate about the place – it is consistently good. Well worth paying a few dollars more. Like my preference for a good chicken schnitty, this is the place that I'll compare all Singapore noodle dishes to. It is the benchmark for my examination of other takeaways.
I practically lived in Gosford from the 20th to the 28th. Feb 20 to 22 I went to four football matches at the stadium, with two NRL trial games on the 21st and a Mariners matches either side of it. On the 24th was our pub trivia night at Hotel Gosford, which we didn't do so well at but had a good time anyway, then there was the games night at the club and finally one more Mariners' match on the 28th. It was yet another instalment of the F3 Derby and a rather tense and hard fought fixture. To come over the next two weeks, Asian Women's AFC Cup matches in Sydney.

P.S: Due to my particular eating disorder I actually find this meal quite palatable, using a little psychology on myself to get some vegetables and other meat into the system. I surprised my father once when we were dining out in Bathurst, before he passed away in 2004. The waitress asked for our order and I quite happily responded 'Singapore Noodle please!' The look on his face was priceless.  

Pictures taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2026.

Links correct at time of posting.

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.

The impromptu mini pub crawl in Gosford (Oct 19)

I never get tired of the view. :)

So the first Mariners home match for the new season is over for the afternoon and they've won in an extraordinary fashion against their local rivals the Jets. A few celebratory drinks are in order. Why not a mini pub crawl? We'll start at the leagues club and work our way down to the station where we can catch the #37 bus home.
Of course, at some point, we're going to need something to eat. Leagues Club? Nope, currently too busy. Gosford Hotel? We'll be there Tuesday for trivia. Railway Hotel? We haven't eaten there yet, so why not?
I have been there a couple of times before, the more recent visit was the night of the home grand final against Melbourne Victory in May 2024. It was absolutely packed. This time it's around 7pm on a Sunday so it's considerably quieter. When I first went there I felt I was walking into the set of a noir film, right when a deal was being made between rival cartels and just before a badge gets flashed and all hell breaks loose. Gees my imagination gets the best of me sometimes... lol It's right in the centre of the Gosford CBD at the bottom of one of the more recent tower additions, right where Dutton's Tavern used to be.
But it's rather nice. Cosy even. Though it is primarily a steakhouse, there are plenty of other options on the menu. One goes for the steak and guiness pie, another for the classic chicken schnitzel, and seeing I'm in the mood for a burger, I take the crispy chicken option. All are served with chips with an option for salad, gravy and sauce. All items are over $25, which is pretty much par for the course in pubs and clubs these days around here.

It's worth it though. We didn't have too long to wait and during that time we chat and watch one of the many screens displaying a live sport fixture. The food is very good. I'm not too keen on chili sauce on a burger and due to my finicky nature I don't like cucumber either. However, after having consumed a few alcoholic beverages I don't care and finish the lot. In fact, all three of us pretty much lick our plates clean. We're all very satisfied and stay for another drink before moving on for our last port of call.
It was a short but good evening out. Most importantly, we started the new season with a win. Cheers!

All pictures taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2025.

All links correct at the time of posting.

Shopping at Lisarow (July 23)

Tuesday night a group of us paid a visit to the Hotel Gosford for our monthly pub trivia night. Rather than travelling back home to Woy Woy, I opted to stay over at my mate's place in Ourimbah seeing I was gaming at the Central Coast Leagues' Club Wednesday evening.
We had time to kill before the game, so before we settled in for a movie, my host decided to go for a grocery and lunch run to the nearby Lisarow Plaza, which was opened in 2007. It's a decent sized shopping centre, with two supermarkets, bottleshops, chemist, butcher, bakery, etc. with a variety of food options such as Thai, Italian, Domino's Pizza, Subway, a patisserie and a chicken takeaway. Having already sampled the fare at the patisserie (their sausage rolls were quite delicious I should add), this time I opted for the takeaway.

Formerly known as the Lisarow Takeaway, Ori's Charcoal Chicken & Kebab can be found in the bottom left-hand corner next to Subway, facing an outdoor dining area and the carpark. It has an extensive menu, offering breakfast options, salads, sides, wraps, rolls, kebabs, burgers and of course, a variety of chicken meals. There is a small dining area inside the store as well as the outdoor option. Their chicken schnitzel burger is quite adequate – lettuce, mayonnaise and a schnitzel which is cut in half and served on a large round sesame seed bun. I dined around 1.30pm and didn't need to have anything else until I got back home at 10pm. Looking at the menu though you may be better off buying the grilled chicken burger for the same price ($15.90) which has extra ingredients. I suppose it depends on your needs at the time. By the way, Menulog, Uber Eats and Door Dash all deliver Ori's.

As for nearby watery vista, well, there is the nearby Lisarow Wetlands at the corner of the Pacific Highway and The Ridgeway opposite Lisarow train station. The pictures that I have of it are around 12 years old, well before the adjoining apartment buildings were constructed.

Links correct at time of posting.

Pictures taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2013 & 2025.

Catching up with rels at Wyong Leagues Club (June 22)

So, whilst gaming last Saturday I received a text message from my sister asking me if she was at the right place. (She was close to my house but not quite there.) I must admit, it was quite a surprise. When she said she'd visit me within a couple of months I didn't expect it would be a couple of days after she had said that. Anyway, I provided an address as to where I was gaming and around 4pm there she was. 
After a night at a local hotel, we paid a visit to a cousin from mum's side of the family on Sunday morning, which then turned into lunch at Wyong Leagues at Kanwal. I hadn't been to this club since my sister lived in Lake Haven about a decade ago and I can safely say that the place hasn't changed since then.
For food choices, you have a choice of the Bistro or Sentosa, which provides a variety of Asian meals. I gave in an opted for some Chicken Pad Thai, which I hadn't had in quite some time. I must say it was absolutely delicious.

The one thing I'm finding common now when dining out, is the cost of meals. If you're not a member, a meal and a Brookvale Whisky and Dry on tap could well cost you about $40. Trust me, there wasn't much change left over. Still, I wasn't there so much for the meal and drink, but to catch with relatives. It was a nice spot to do it.

As for watery vistas to visit, the club isn't that far away from the Tuggerah Lakes. However, my sister and I stopped off at a little spot, roughly a five minute drive away, just off the Pacific Highway at San Remo, where my sister used to take her son fishing. Wallarah Creek branches off Budgewoi Lake, which when full, covers an area of 1400 hectares (3500 acres). It's the middle of the three Tuggerah lakes, which all connect, at The Entrance, to the Tasman Sea. If you're feeling energetic, you could walk from San Remo around the northern shore of the lake all the way around to Budgewoi. Last Sunday was a good day to do it seeing it hit 20°. Not bad for winter. 

Links correct at time of posting.

Pictures taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2025.

Hotel Gosford Revisited (April 15)

I had to bump this back to the front again on account of a recent meal that I had there. If you've been reading these posts, then you know I've been visiting the Hotel Gosford at least once a month to participate in the pub trivia. February has been our best month, with an equal second place that netted us a $30 drink voucher, which was duly consumed at the next event that we attended in March. Last Tuesday, well it was an acronym heavy night which affected our score, though I did win a $10 drink voucher in one of the in-between round games, correctly identifying Shaun Micallef in a picture question.
I arrived at to the venue around 5.30pm, having taken the #55 bus from my stop on Ocean Beach Road on the peninsula and getting off across the street from the pub, which is very convenient. Seeing I was in a rather good mood, I opted for the Chicken Parmigiana that night (a $4 upgrade from the schnitzel) and grabbed a drink from the bar. I had no sooner finished checking my e-mail when my meal arrived.

Unfortunately the picture from my mobile phone doesn't do it justice, so I'll be upgrading that first chance I get. (A wonderful error with the device that only allows me to take pictures as screenshots...) It was far better than the schnitzel I had at the same venue back in Nov 2 last year and I'd go as far as saying that it's the best schnitzel related dish I've had since I started doing this blog, bumping the meal that I had at the Kincumber Pub way back on May 12 2023 to second place. I may revisit that place and another at Erina Fair that I haven't been to in years, just to see if their parma's have improved. After all they do have the right of reply. Lol
One of my trivia team-mates decided to have a parma as well, opting not to include a salad with the meal. Personally, I'll take the option to get some veges into my system seeing I don't generally buy much for home due to the price and that I really don't eat them quick enough, so they usually go to waste. Dining out, well that's a different matter. On this occasion, the schnitzel was resting on the chips and covered with smoked ham and melted cheese which was absolutely scrumptious. $42 all up (including the drink) may seem a bit expensive, but it's a quality meal and I may well have another one next time I'm there.
Hopefully we'll do a bit better in our May trivia appearance. Cheers!

Links correct at time of posting.

Picture taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2025.

Appointment day in Woy Woy (April 10)

It was overcast, warm and very much like every other day in Woy Woy – busy. As a pedestrian, you really have to have your wits about you getting from one place to the next, especially the carparks around Deepwater Plaza.

Anyway, it was a double appointment day in the little shopping district, starting with the doctor around 11am and the Optometrist at 2.30pm. In-between the two I had to make a quick trip down to Umina to pick up the mail from my PO Box, then find somewhere to eat.

It wasn't too hard. I could've taken the easy way out and grab Chinese takeaway at one of two places in DWP, or walked to one of the two global chain restaurants, but I decided to pay another visit to a café that I dined at a few years ago after moving back to the peninsula.

The BBF Café (Bringing Best Friends Together) is a family owned café in a prime location in The Pavilion, which dominates the carpark. It's a short stroll from the rear entrance of DWP, three bus stops, the train station and the optometrists where I had my appointment. One can dine inside or out, with plenty of choices on the menu.

It was a good idea. Schnitzel burger, no problem, with a can of a popular soft drink and a small bowl of chips $22 all up. It wasn't too busy, so I had my meal within ten minutes and I took my time eating it. Toasted bun, good sized schnitty, crispy, juicy and I really must've been hungry because I devoured the lot.

Personally, I have a preference to eating there rather than Lush 1659. I prefer to have a bit of space when dining with a view, where Lush is in a busy spot indoors and quite cramped. Weather also plays a factor in this. On a fair day BBF is a good option. If I need to grab a bite before heading anywhere in the future (during the day) then I'll go there, weather permitting.

Pictures taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2025.

Links correct at time of posting.

A Night at the Footy (February 11)

There hasn't been that much in the way of opportunities for me to go out and have a bite to eat around here recently. I had felt that I could start comparing Chinese takeaways for their Singapore Noodles (seeing I had sampled several places recently for that particular dish) but last night I finally managed to do one that I should've done a long time ago, considering how many times I've been there.
Yesterday I once again found myself at the Central Coast Stadium right on the edge of the Brisbane Water. It's well over 250 visits to the stadium for three football codes since 2000 and I've never gotten tired of the view. Unlike the previous post, which was a rather wet day for the opening matches of the 2024-25 A-League season (womens then mens), here I was at what was going to be the last home match of the Mariners' Champions League Elite 2024-25 campaign against the ten time Malaysian Super League champions Johor Drul Ta'zim. It was a reasonable night weatherwise, a little balmy but otherwise fine.

One cheeseburger a la mode in Bay 27.
Carefully balanced on my knee for the shot.

On the menu tonight, well, the only thing I really could rate was the cheeseburger meal. Honestly, there's not much to a cheeseburger meal so you'd have to do something really bad to stuff it up. With a 600ml drink and a large bucket of chips, you're looking at $26 all up. To be honest, the burger wasn't that great. It was a simple, slightly thick meat pattie, combined with a small dollop of sauce, a slice of cheese and a couple of slivers of gherkin inside a plain white bun. Oddly enough, it was very similar in taste and content to the cheeseburger you could get across the road at the Central Coast Leagues Club. The drink's producer was covered by a sticky white label (no doubt for sponsorship purposes) with the chips being quite tasty with a hint of being beer battered. By themselves you're looking at $8 for the (slightly) bigger bucket. There are other options on the menu, like fish and chips, hot dogs, sausage rolls and pies. I've pretty much tried everything else and to be honest you're better off bringing your own food in (which a mate of mine does whenever he visits), maybe your own non-alcoholic drinks as well. Still, it's okay once in a while, which I'll have to adhere to. Last Friday (8 Feb) I ventured into the city to see Kate Miller-Heidke at the Recital Hall in Wynard and forked out $16 for a can of cider and a packet of potato crisps. No sandwiches on offer, at best a selection of cheese and crackers, though I bought cheaper ones at the kiosk at Central Station on the way back home. It really is hardly worth buying food or drink at the venue these days.
Anyway, I can take or leave the stadium burger and chips. I'd suggest eating at the club first before attending a match but seeing it gets quite busy over there before the game you'll have to get there at least an hour before the gates open, or take your chances elsewhere, depending what day the match is on and what time the game starts and finish. Friday and Saturday nights aren't too bad, with several dining places of various sorts open in the main street, including the Hotel Gosford, which I reviewed on 2 November 2024, where I've been going once a month for the Tuesday night trivia.
By the way, in what was a busy night for officials with a send off, yellow cards, players being stretchered off and plenty of referrals to the VAR, the visitors won 2-1. The Mariners' final match in this campaign will be overseas on Feb 18. My next game there could well be the women's fixture against the Wanderers on Feb 22, though there will be a couple of rugby league trials there this month as well.
Cheers!

Like I said, never get tired of the view. :)

Updated 12 April, 2025.

All links correct at time of posting.

Photographs taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2025.

A rainy day lunch in Gosford (November 2)

Apologies for such a long gap in-between posts, but I've limited my dining options recently in order to save a few dollars. I've been getting quick bites to eat from fast food chains, which I won't do reviews of anyway, but I am still tempted to do a quick review at some point of two Chinese takeaways that I've eaten at recently in Woy Woy. My stock standard choice at these places is a Singapore Noodle. Honestly, if you can't get that right... I could compare them to a takeaway in Gosford where I've felt I've had the best SN, or even to a place in Sutherland where I go to when I'm down there for gaming excursions. I'll save all that for a future post.
However, I did get an opportunity recently to eat at a well-established venue in Gosford that has had an extensive refurbishment in recent years, taking advantage of the fact that a mate of mine (and his girlfriend) was calling in on his way through to Taree. Trackwork just happened to be scheduled for this weekend from Hornsby all the way up to Brisbane it seems, and the weather being rather wintry, the best option for my visitors was the Hotel Gosford just across the road, where it was considerably easy for them to get back to the station for their connecting coach. For me, I had other plans, which was an A-League double-header at the Central Coast Stadium with the local women's side kicking off their season at 2.15pm that afternoon. It was from there I took my scenic shot of the Brisbane Water. Naturally, it's a much nicer view when it's not raining and the sun is out but beggars can't be choosers eh?

3pm on a Saturday afternoon in November...

The Hotel Gosford, in the past, hasn't had the best reputation. It had been considered a pretty rough pub (not as bad as the now demolished Central Coast Hotel where a pair of towers are being built) and it just wasn't a place that I felt comfortable with visiting let alone dining there, having not setting foot in the place since 2012. However, it has had a two-part makeover in the last five years, starting first with the drinking and gambling area, then the restaurant.
Now it's a much different and quite pleasing to the eye. The dining and drinking areas are kept separate and one doesn't have to set foot in the latter to get to the restaurant. There is plenty of room, even offering a view of the kitchen, with a bar nearby as well. Even on a rainy Saturday with half the tables appearing to have been reserved, the three of us was still able to find a table, though I got a little toasted with the heater at my back.

So, true to form, I opted for a simple chicken schnitzel whilst my mate, whom I've known since high-school, chose a beef burger. Both of them came with a small order of fries, whilst the schnitzel had an optional salad as well. The cheeseburger was $16, the schnitty $25. There was plenty on the drinks menu as well, though I stuck with a Canadian Club and dry on tap. His GF wasn't feeling too well after the trip up from Bendigo (early flight to Sydney then bus to Gosford) and just had a glass of red wine.
We didn't have to wait long for our meals, probably around 10-15 minutes seeing it was a little busy, but it allowed us to have a chat and get side-tracked with the background touristy video footage of random places around the globe. Both meals were appreciated and definitely hit the spot. The schnitty wasn't the best that I have had – though juicy it was a little on the small side, but it was on par with ones I've had at the Central Coast Leagues Club and the Everglades. The price was about the same too, though one does get a slight discount being a member of the other two establishments. Staff was pleasant, service was pretty good as well and the finished plates were recovered in a timely matter.
Personally, I still wouldn't eat there by myself, but I'd be quite happy to take a date there (if I ever have one – lol) or meet up with friends. I should, for a comparison, go up the road to the Railway Hotel just to see what their fare is like. Gosford has been getting an upgrade (if it can be called that) and has got a variety of food options to offer.
But it's still Gosford. It's not the best of places to dine in. You can construct as many towers as you like to try and get a better class of resident, but it is what it is, still a dive with a lot of vacant shops, derelict buildings and empty lots and a transport hub with people wanting to get somewhere else. For the most part, I'm just there for the soccer during spring and summer.

P.S: At our last Anxiety support group meeting on Nov 5, myself and the other co-facilitator decided that we'll try and host a social event for the following Tuesday (Nov 12) and contact those who don't regularly turn up and see if we can entice them out with a pub trivia evening at the Hotel Gosford. Only four of us turned up, but we had a good night anyway. So perhaps gathering a group, have a bite to eat and a few drinks and see how good you go with the quiz wouldn't be a bad night out. Must've been at least forty people when we were there.    

Pictures taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2024.

A rainy day lunch at Woy Woy (April 4)

The Woy Woy Hotel, with the Gnostic Mana Café next door on the corner.
Can't believe this is the only picture I've got of it, taken in 2018.

It wasn't the greatest of days to dine out but we did anyway. It was the monthly meeting of one of my mental health support groups, and with the weather the way it is (a forecast of three days of rain, which started on Thursday) our regular outdoor meeting on the Woy Woy waterfront was transferred indoors to the nearby Gnostic Mana Café on The Boulevard. This was the first time I had been to the café in over twenty years, the previous time being in my first stint on the peninsula (1999-2005), on an occasion when I was getting my laundry done at the nearby laundromat.

We arrived around 11.15am, with our tables waiting for us (only nine of the group were expected to turn up) and the early-comers having plenty of time to peruse the extensive menu that had breakfast and lunch options. Vegans were catered for and those requiring gluten-free options only had to ask. 

Most of the meals were in the $20 to $40 range and I was spoiled for choice in the burger department, but stuck to my regular choice of a chicken burger, in this case a grilled Portuguese version with bacon and lettuce (and a side order of fries) minus the tomato and avocado. No point in putting them in the burger if I'm just going to discard them eh? Other meal options taken by the group were steak sandwiches and good old fish and chips. Meals were prepared quickly despite the place being quite full and the staff were rather helpful when enquiries were made about the contents of the meals.

Must say that the burger was quite good. For $21 it was considerably better than the schnitzel burger I had at Café Lush over at Deepwater Plaza last month and I actually polished the whole lot off. Those that took the steak sandwich option found it tough going seeing the meal was just a wee bit too much for them. However nobody was complaining about the quality and we all left satisfied with our choices. I even had some desert, opting for a couple of choices from their gelato bar. Blood orange and Turkish delight were are stark contrast, with the former rather strong (and just like the soft drink I occasionally drink) and the latter rather mild. At $9 for a small cup with two healthy scoops (unlike the small serves bought at the Central Coast Leagues Club back in December) it was a lovely way to finish the meal.

Still plenty more places to visit in Woy Woy. :)

Pictures taken by Geoff G Turner (c) 2024.

Link correct at time of posting.

Elevenses at Woy Woy (March 15)

Seeing my other two blogs have had new posts recently, it's time for this one to get a little love. :)
The problem with Woy Woy (if it is a problem) is that it's most likely going to get quite a few posts here seeing there are so many places to eat. I could even do a post comparing Chinese restaurants/takeaways, or even Thai restaurants seeing there's a few of them in the CBD as well, apart from the one I prefer.

Deepwater Plaza from the walk-bridge spanning Railway Street in Woy Woy. Taken in 2018.

Anyway, last Friday I had an opportunity to have lunch with a friend who came up from Sydney's West to take care of some family business. So I took her to a nearby café based in Deepwater Plaza that I've been meaning to try - Lush 1659. The location had been taken over fairly recently after the closure of the previous establishment (which I believe was Café DMR but I'd have to check that) and had walked passed it many times and just hadn't been game enough to try it out.
So we did. It's conveniently located almost in the centre of the building facing Lowes. Naturally I opted for the chicken schnitzel burger which came with a small serve of fries. For $20 the meal pretty much covered the entire plate and I was quite satisfied with what I ate. I couldn't quite finish the meal, which seems to be a regular habit of mine.
If you're after a quick fix and not after anything too exotic, then this will suit you. We timed our arrival perfectly (about 11am) and got our meals within ten minutes of ordering with the tables half-full. Service was good, staff were polite and no doubt I'll head back there again at some point when I need a break from Chinese takeaways and fast food chain restaurants. Lol

Links correct at the time of posting.

Photo by Geoff G Turner (c) 2024.

Gosford - Second Helping (December 7)

After dining with my local mental health support group yesterday (Dec 7) at the Central Coast League Club, I felt the need to update it. Twenty of us rocked up to our annual Xmas lunch/meeting to dine at the recently revamped dining/bar area in the club, and to be honest, hardly any of us left satisfied.

The southern side of the CCLC from the neighboring park.

Before Covid, the leagues club had a very popular all-you-can-eat buffet, which was bringing in plenty of regular customers, including myself, who was living in East Gosford at the time and was dining there at least once a week. There was a large variety of choice, from roasts to Asian dishes, seafood to more iconic western offerings. For those who didn't want to gorge themselves there was always the bistro, which had a smaller menu but overall, the quality of food was better. Covid practically killed off the AYCE buffets, so the club renovated the Baker Street (eastern) side to make the bistro more appealing. Renovations were carried out in other areas of the club, namely the poker machine rooms as well as the sports bar and a lounge area on the western (stadium) side.
Then, for some reason, this year they decided to renovate again and shift the restaurant to the western side, create a separate cafe and a larger sports bar, which is what we have now. One can guess where all the money has come from, which has now turned the dining area (with a kid's playroom) into something akin to a 4-star restaurant. However, as I joked to friends, it doesn't help if your average client is a 2-star customer at best. 

I don't know whether to class it as a boon or a hindrance, but there are currently four menus on offer in that area. You have the restaurant, the cafe, a small pizza selection and the actual bar itself which provides snacks. Now for the uninitiated, this could well be confusing. The first time I ate there after the renovations (lunchtime on Nov 12) I opted for the cheeseburger from the bar menu, failing to notice that it didn't come with any fries, unlike its predecessor all those times before. Like a lot of burger places, it appeared to have shrunk in size, making the $14 (members) price tag appear somewhat excessive. To be honest it wasn't very filling and as for the taste, well I had honestly eaten better offerings at a certain world-wide fast-food restaurant who used to offer free burgers on Mondays if the locals won their home match that weekend. At the time it settled my stomach, but during and after the double-header I needed something else to eat, settling for quick and easy fries on both occasions. I had also brought in friends for a bite to eat after the game, who were turned off by the prices of the steaks and other meals, settling for cheaper burger and pasta options instead.

The calm before the storm. Brisbane Water on the evening of Dec 8. 

Now wind the clock forward to yesterday with a large group in attendance, occupying two large tables with easy access to the bar. Naturally, we ordered a variety of meals, with the popular choice being the chicken schnitzel, which is what I had. Other dishes included steaks, salmon, the wagyu beef burger, a rather large stuffed eggplant (Pacman would've had trouble eating it on the run) and salads.
The problem began there. I would be willing to forgive a restaurant for stuffing up so many orders if they had been busy, but they weren't. The dining area was roughly half full. Take us away and staff would've been bored. Having eaten and drunk there on numerous occasions, I recognized quite a few members of the regular staff which had dealt, with ease I should add, with large crowds before, such as the home semi-final night with Adelaide back in May. Why then, were some people's meals forgotten completely, even deleted off the list, with others getting something completely different? If you order a steak, you expect a steak, not a brisket with a suggestion that you should take it or wait another twenty minutes for your original order. By the time one member of the group had received her salmon, I had already finished off my entire meal. She had purloined the slice of lemon from my plate (seeing I never use it) and just as well – it didn't come with lemon. The salmon, BTW, in her words wasn't any better than what she usually had at home.
For the schnitzel, well, when someone asked about it, I said I was slightly disappointed. The last schnitzel I had had there (on the other side of the building) was better and larger than this burger patty sized offering and the chip serving would've been lucky to half cover a tea saucer. The salad was nothing special, almost their standard side dish with shaved carrot, some chopped up lettuce and a single cherry tomato covered in dressing. I had finished the meal off completely and was contemplating desert, but politely holding back until other people had finished. In the end I had two small scoops of ice-cream and left it at that.
Plates were not cleared in a timely fashion either, with the people who had made the booking been compelled to lodge a complaint with the duty supervisor who offered to remonstrate with staff afterwards. Kind of hard to enjoy your coffee with dirty plates stacked around you.
So, in conclusion, the service got a thumbs down with the meals ranging from good to average. I compared the fare with my hosts on the return trip, with us both agreeing that the food at the smaller Everglades Club in Woy Woy was better than the revamped leagues club. In all honesty, for pretty much the same price, if you're going to a game across the road, you'd be better off buying a meal there when you go in. There's not as much choice, but the meals, on the whole, are prepared quicker. Those with a member's discount though are better off having a drink or two at the club before attending, which is what I'll be limiting myself to from now on.
Perhaps I should have something different at the stadium (other than chips) and review that as well, eh?

Links correct at time of posting.

Picture provided by Geoff G Turner (c) 2023.