Pottery Green Bakers (Gordon - SYD North)

Well, amongst these years, I count my blessings that my family can all afford to spread our wings a little, to enjoy the various experiences without needing to worry. So as another weekend trip to Sydney wraps up, Mumsie and I could take the time out to go cafe-exploring, heading over to this new place that seems to have great reviews!

Pottery Green Bakery is seemingly tucked into a quiet corner of St John's Avenue near Gordon Station, but I predict it will only get busier as the renovation and upgrades to Gordon Station gets completed, and people pop on over to enjoy their morning coffee and pastry en-route to their morning commute to Chatswood & the City.

PCB has another location Lane Cove (well, judging by what's written in their menu), and I hope it looks a little like this place.

Walking in to the dimness, the eye is drawn immediately to their pastries cabinet, the coffee machine, signboards, and their cupboard of pies! *cues Stop and Stare*... one just stops and stares at everything that is on offer.

Walk on in, ask to be seated at a table, and grab a menu off the coatrack... actually, the menus are all in the shape of a coat-hanger, so they literally hang down near the coffee machine, so remember to snag one on the way through!

The noms are coming!

Mumsie had made a pot of Winter-Melon soup (冬瓜湯) before lunch - one of my favourite home-cooked soups... but unfortunately it's bloated my stomach a little. So instead of ordering two mains, we decided to share one meal between the two of us, ordering hot chocolate (Mumsie) and a flat white (me).

The lamb burger would set you back $17, but the flavoursome lamb pattie sitting within a soft toasted bun ought to win you over. Plenty of chips (crunchy edges with soft potato core) in their garlic/mayo sauce rounds it out nicely =)

Verdict 8.5/10
Cosy place, tasty food and good coffee. Pricing is fair for Gordon/North Shore, but might be considered a little more pricey compared to other sectors of Sydney.

Home Cooking: DUCK

Sorry folks: I have to say that I've neglected this blog for a bit. Mix of not having any entertainment, or SOME entertainment back in Sydney (but no time or patience to blog then)... or now: just having a little peer pressure to do a write up.

So this one's courtesy of Lily (you know who you are)!


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Duck Night!

I had a Luv-A-Duck half-duck sitting in my freezer for a little bit. Being Cantonese, we love our roast meats - Roast Duck is something I'm partial too. So now that Coles has a range of Luv-a-Duck products (Peking marinated breasts, straight duck breast, and now this half-duck)... who am I to refuse?

Setting: well, I rarely entertain (curse of living by yourself), but sometimes a great excuse comes along. That, and also had a kitchen assistant to do most of the work for me - lazy me! =D

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Okay, down to business: what did I do? A three-course meal.

1. San Choy Bao
2. Duck Pancake
3. Fried duck udon

I'll walk you through my thoughts and processes, and show the snapshots soon.
PS: I've left out the 'Duck' steps on each part: if you're using the same duck for all three courses, you learn to time it so that you can add the duck at the appropriate point - use your head first!

SAN CHOY BAO:
Inspiration and key recipe: http://www.luvaduck.com.au/recipes/view/peking-duck-san-choy-bou/52/#.VETlnyKUdsQ

San Choy Bao is almost always offered when you go out to any DECENT Asian restaurant that has Roast Duck on the menu (you can't NOT have the Peking Duck Pancake as the main 'Course', with the secondary option either SCB/duck udon/duck soup)

Key features: you NEED to get your hands on the water chestnuts somehow. When fried with Oyster or Hoisin sauce, it provides the key crunch for your meal.

Ingredients (in order):
Shiitake Mushrooms: one large or two-three smaller ones. To be Diced.
One clove of garlic, grated
(approx) 3-4cm piece of ginger, grated
One stalk of spring onion, sliced thin
200g of water chestnuts (I got mine tinned). To be diced.
100g bean sprouts (mine were tinned). Washed then diced.
As much duck meat as is appropriate.
Oil for frying.
Oyster/Hoisin sauce for colour and flavour.

Method:
*1hr before: have one large or 2-3 smaller Shiitake mushrooms immersed in boiling water.
1. Asian staple: Heat a good dollop of oil and fry your aromatics (spring onion, garlic and ginger) on high heat for about 30secs.
2. Toss in the diced water chestnuts, add a tablespoon of Oyster sauce (for colour and flavour). Fry on high heat for another minute.
3. Remove all and set aside until the duck is ready
4. Toss in the shredded duck meat, diced bean sprouts and diced shiitake mushrooms, add more sauce (if needed - colour and flavour), and stirfry on high heat for two minutes.

Service:
Serve the mixture up in a large bowl, have large cup-leaves of iceberg lettuce ready.
Let everyone serve themselves.

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2. Duck Pancake

I've already said this is a mainstay, so don't get this wrong!
Inspirations: http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/15430/peking-duck-pancakes

Ingredients:
Luv-a-Duck half-roast duck (pre-spiced with 5-Spice) - so technically this is "Aromatic Duck Pancake" rather than "Peking Duck Pancake"
Lebanese cucumber
Spring Onions/"Shallots"
HoiSin Sauce
Make your own Pancakes vs Store bought pancake.

Method:
Quantity does not matter: make as much or as little as you want.
Thinly slice strips <5cm of the shallots
Thinly slice strips <5cm of your cucumber (skin on/skin off is up to you)
Serve Duck as-is, and carefully slice shallow lengthwise strips of duck skin and duck meat with a sharp blade.

Feed yourselves and help yourselves: add duck, shallots, cucumber. Coat with sauce, fold the pancake, and NOM!

PS: if you want to try making your own pancake batter/fry it yourself, I've included this recipe that looks promising. I cheated with store-bought stuff.

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3. Fried Duck Udon.

Recipes: none. Home made and practiced over the months.

For me, soup-udon is a staple for when I don't want to think about cooking anything for dinner, but not pathetic enough to have two-minute noodles (all Asians have their personal stash). So out comes the udon, the chicken stock, some veggies: fresh hot soupy noodles for me!

Ingredients:

Ginger/Shallots/Garlic: Aromatic staples for fragrance and flavour - same as above in #1.

Shiitake mushrooms: same as #1: add as much as you want for the mushroomy bite. Diced

3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced/julienned (slice as thin/thick as you want)

Shallot stem/dark green bits: for a bit of crunch. ~2cm lengths.

Broken bits of iceberg lettuce leaves (hey, you can't expect to pull 4-6 PERFECT leaves all the time - put the scraps to use!)

Shredded duck meat

Soya sauce/Oyster sauce for colouring

Packets of Udon noodles, prepped as per packet instructions. 

(PS I used Nama Udon, but that's a family habit I've never questioned)

Method:

*1hr before: have one large or 2-3 smaller Shiitake mushrooms immersed in boiling water.
1. Asian staple: Heat a good dollop of oil and fry your aromatics (spring onion, garlic and ginger) on high heat for about 30secs.
2. Toss in the carrots, shallot stems and lettuce leaves, stir-fry on high heat for 2-3 minutes or when the veggies get soggy.
3. Remove and take off from the heat, waiting for the duck.
4. When ready to resume, add a dash of oil on med-high heat. Toss in the veggies to warm them up slightly.
5. Open two packets of Udon (400g), gently bend and fold and add directly into the pan. The noodles should start to separate after a few seconds of warm oil and the heat. Also toss in the diced shittake, any excess veggies you NEED to add.
6. Add soya sauce for flavour and colour, keep tossing the udon for about a minute.
7. Add the shredded duck (already cooked) and keep tossing the udon mix for another 2 more minutes.

Into a big bowl and serve =) Happy tummies.
For me: I made my portions set for all three courses together, so I had plenty of veggies and stuff left over. So I got out two more packets of udon - my resultant image is actually four-packets (800g) worth of udon there. I merely split the portions for two batches of fried noodled and fried all that.

Well, enjoy the cooking, and good luck doing your own!!

Saleem
-annoyanc3

Home Cooking II: Tema Italiano (Italian Themed)

The Second Foray

So, another week, another excuse to attempt to "cook". I still don't call myself a cook, just a creator of something that is passably edible. Okay... I jest - a little more than that - my expectations aren't THAT low.

In planning for tonight, my thoughts went mostly to the bottom level of the fridge: what is the most efficient (and hopefully tasty) method to clear out my oversupply of vegetables? Easy: Minestrone (vegetable soup). With soup as an entree/main, pastas and an Italian theme became an obvious follow up. With a little bit of help, a three-course meal became a four choice feast - enjoy!

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Menu de tema Italiano

Pane : Variant on Bruschetta
Zuppa: Minestrone
Primi: Spaghetti Bolognaise
Dolce: Coconut Sago with fresh fruits

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For me, planning this first course was the challenge: I had the other three parts planned and prepped, but felt that I lacked something. Shout out to Lindy and Tina for being my sounding boards and offering suggestions, leading me to this choice.

I felt starting with a bread dish might be a bit heavy: I've got carbs and tomato flavours aplenty, so why another dish featuring carbs and tomato? The idea of an entree is to tease the palette a little, yet be light and refreshing. So a bruschetta (crunchy bread) could fit the bill, depending on how you select your toppings.

Rather than doing all the work, I chose to serve the toppings separately and let my friend choose how much to add and suit personal tastes. What I have here is melted Camembert on Sourdough bread, topped by chilled dicing of cherry tomatoes, Lebanese cucumbers and basil, drizzled with olive oil.

Recipe:
(8) Cherry Tomatoes, diced or cut into 8ths
(7cm) Lebanese Cucumber, unpeeled, finely diced
two leaves of basil, shredded by hand
olive oil
Long stick of bread (I used Sourdough from the Coles bakery)
125g block of Camembert, sliced

Prep work:
1. Split the cherry tomatoes into 8th or finely dice. Likewise for the Lebanese cucumber - the quantity will vary depend on your tastes, number of serves, etc. I had enough here for 4+ serves.
2. Add the shredded basil leaves (and other herbs of your choice).
3. Mix everything together in a small bowl, stir through to mix evenly, and drizzle as much olive oil as you want. I poured a very fine stream for about a second.
4. Cover with gladwrap and chill.

Notes: my thoughts was that the cucumber provides a light tone, cherry tomatoes for a sweeter-sour note, with the cheese to provide a sticky stronger flavour underneath.

Service:
1. Grab your breadstick and cut on the diagonal - as many slices as you need.
2. Slice the cheese appropriately (cheese knife preferably) so you have strips of cheese running almost the whole length of your slice of bread.
3. Toast until bread is lightly brown or cheese gets melty (to your liking) - whichever comes first.
4. Top with the relish and serve immediately. Or put everything up on the table and let everyone tuck in.

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Zuppa: Minestrone (Asian Edition): a.k.a. 羅宋湯

Now this soup is one of my personal favourties and can often be found in Asian all-you-can-eat places. Also labelled as "Borscht" (without beetroot) or "Vegetable Soup"

With all soups, the major aspects involved are Patience and Flavour. Patience for the soup to boil, and appropriate additon of flavours and herbs to get your outcome.

Recipe: prefer to start this the night before to let the flavours come out in the soup.
1L Beef Stock
4 Tomatoes (quartered)
3 Potatoes (diced)
2-3 stalks of celery (diced)
6 carrots (peeled and diced)
1/4 Cabbage (shredded) - I grabbed drumhead from my local fresh food market)
100g tomato paste
Basil, Thyme (Herbs for flavour)
Pepper
Salt
2 tbspn of white vinegar

Method:

1. Prep up: Peel/Dice your carrots, celery, potatoes. Remove the vine/junction and quarter your tomatoes. Remove the core and stem from the cabbage, and roughly cut the outer leaves into 1cm strips (ie shredded).
2. Bring the Beef Stock to boil. Add water to dilute if the flavour is too strong.
3. Add all your diced materials (leave Tomatoes and Cabbage), bring the pot back to boil.
4. Add the quartered tomatoes, spoon in the tomato paste (for a sour and richer flavour). Add the shredded cabbage, herbs, then bring the pot back to boil.
5. Now turn down the heat to a slow simmer (you still want to see bubbles). Cover your pot with the lid, and leave a small crack for venting. Asian tip: grab a toothpick and wedge the lid open with a TINY crack... just be careful about not losing that toothpick INTO the soup ;)

Simmer for about 40mins, and add the white vinegar and a dash of pepper sometime in the last 5 minutes (roughly). Add more salt and pepper and vinegar to get the balance just right to your liking - and taste test every so often (and enjoy the flavour).

You can serve it right away if you like, but a running joke in my family is that the soup tastes even better after standing overnight. Which is why I'd recommend prepping the soup the night before and letting it stand and cool overnight (or put it in the fridge, no difference there). Before service, bring the soup back to boil and let it simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes - gives you time for last minute adjustment of flavours.

One last personal note: my mum has a variant of this where she adds beef towards the end as well - I'm just not sure exactly which cut of beef she uses. My suspicion is that it is slices of beef skirt, marinated the night before with soya sauce, sugar, salt, pepper and baking soda, possibly a dash of sesame oil, and added straight in after the cabbage.

Anyways, enjoy boiling and reboiling... just make sure you don't let the pot boil dry!

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Primi: Spaghetti Bolognaise.

Okay, after the inspiration for the soup, I fell a little bit flat with regards to serving up a full main, opting for a simple pasta dish. To add a bit of flair, I threw everything into the sauce...

Recipe:
Your choice of spaghetti/pasta, served according to packet instructions.
1 jar Pasta Sauce - I used Leggo's 400mL Venetian Herbs Tomato Sauce.
500g Lean (4-star) Coles Beef Mince
Carrots
Celery
White Onion
4-5 small White Mushroom cups
Cherry Tomatoes
Basil, Thyme

Potato chips: One Potato, peeled and thinly sliced
Broccoli Stems (or any vegetable matter of personal choice)

Method:
1. Dice up your onion, carrots & celery, Dice or slice your white mushrooms.
2. On high heat, fry your onions in oil for 1 minute or until slightly brown.
3. Toss in your diced carrots and celery and continue the stir-fry for another minute or two.
4. Turn down to medium heat, add the mince and use a spatula or wooden spoon to break the mince down into manageable size. Continue frying for another 4 minutes.
5. Quarter the cherry tomatoes, add this, the mushrooms and the Pasta Sauce and stir through. Bring to a slow simmer for 20 minutes.
6. At any point, add the herbs for flavour.
7. Pasta: follow the packet recipe for al-dente outcomes, or boil for +4 minutes for a more softer-in-mouth texture.

P1. Have oil on high heat on the frying pan for the potato chips: your intention is to use very hot oil to crispen the potato slices without frying the whole 'chip' to charcoal.
P2. Turn once at the 1.5, 2 or 3 minute mark: depends on how thick your chips are, and fry for another 1-2 minutes (vary by thickness)

B1. In a boiling pot of water: blanch your veggies for 1-2 minutes. Longer blanching = more soggy veggies.

Service:
Either ladle the sauce and serve, else place everything together and let everyone help themselves.

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Dolce: Sago dessert.

Now I love my Asian desserts, and this one is an easy one for me. Fortunately my friend feels the same way about sago - so create, chill and serve!

Recipe:

Coconut Sago:
Sago/Tapioca Pearls
Coconut Milk (1 can)
3-5 tablespoons sugar
Seasonal Fruits

Method:

You'll need to look up online for how to prepare "sago pearls" or "tapioca pearls" - there are a few variants on how to do this. The following way works for me:

1. Bring a pot of water (1-2L) to boil.
2. Add 3 tablespoons of dry sago pearls (that's plenty for 4 people) directly to the boiling water.
3. Lower to medium heat, Use a wooden spoon to stir the boiling mixture (not constantly, something between 'often' to 'frequently') for about 5-7 minutes, making sure the mixture is simmering/bubbling.
4. Use a strainer/colander/fine mesh thing to pour the mixture away, catching the pearls.
5. IMMEDIATELY run the pearls under a thin stream of cold water.
[The starchy tapioca will cause the pearls to glue and stick together if you left it in the boiling water - running under cold water reduces this effect and also tries to stop the pearls from being overcooked and become spongy]
6. Set aside.

Coconut Milk mix:
1. Bring one can of coconut milk to boil. Add one half-can of water, or milk, to dilute.
[Pressure point: practice of this step allows you to modify the flavour for your personal desire. I stay with milk + water + sugar for my personal combo]
2. When bubbles start forming (ie just before boiling), add 3 tablespoons of white sugar. Stir through with WOODEN spoon. [Add more sugar if you reckon you need more - again, something you master and adjust with practice. Most I have ever used is 5 tablespoons worth of sugar, but I liked it super-sweet at one stage.]
3. Maintain full boil for one minute, then turn off and let it cool gradually.

Service:
You can serve this hot - spoon sago into a bowl, add the hot coconut milk directly and eat.
Served cold: either add the cooled coconut milk to sago then chill the mix, or keep the parts separate right until service time.
Me: diced the strawberries, mango and kiwifruit together into a 2nd bowl, and served this alongside the combined-then-chilled mix of the coconut sago into the tumblers, as imaged.


Okay, Enjoy!!

Swiss Cafe (Gordon - Sydney North)

A slight pity that I have nothing great to say. It's a lovely deli cafe tucked within the Gordon Centre, having been next door to Woolies for quite a long time now. So there's good reason to come back here for the fresh sandwiches made daily.

On the breakfast front, it really depends on what you're looking for. On this rare surprise trip home, we were looking for a decent place to enjoy a breakfast for four and decided on this place. Ma had a Pear & Blueberry slice ($5, hint of fruity flavour on a banana/pear flavoured bread), Dad for Scrambled Eggs and Toast ($8.50, okay value). My brother leaned towards French Toast (two slices, $8.50) and I topped it with the Eggstravanganza - $14 for two slices of salmon on cream cheese with a side of scrambled eggs, all on toasted Turkish bread.

Coffees tasted good though: $3.50 for small, $4.50 for a medium cuppa brewed strong and hot.

Rating: 6/10 - Decent place for sandwiches, good coffee, but nothing exciting about the brekkie menu. Plenty of ham and bacon options available though.

85 Degrees Cafe (Selections around Sydney)

So I start a short blog update from a VERY short trip - Mumsie's Birthday!

Okay, not quite - I couldn't get time off work to leave Queensland on Mumsie's actual birthday, so called home as any good boy is required to. Little did she know that my brother and I had been cooking up a bigger surprise - that I'd be popping home for the weekend.

Unplanned.
Unscheduled.
Unannounanced.

UTTER TOTAL SURPRISE!

In hindsight: definitely worth it, and a very Happy Birthday to my dear Mumsie.

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Aside: well, we have to do something on the cake front. Last time I was home, we started a habit of purchasing four different slices, rather than a small cake to share. I think you guys have guessed it: we surprised her with another batch of flavours.

From left to right, these morsels can be purchased at 85 Degrees Cafe (Chatswood is my local one) for $3.50 - $4.20 a slice, and check in store for availability as 6oz or 8oz full cakes.

Hokkaido Strawberry: light milk (Hokkaido milk?) layered sponge cake on strawberry jams topped with crushed pistachio.
Blueberry Cheesecake: heavy on the cheesecake flavour, intermixed with blueberries and berry jam striping.
Taro Paradise: thick Taro-infused sponge coated liberally in Taro-infused purple cream. Decorated with a dollop of whipped cream and petal of white chocolate
Shangri-La Mango: cute decoration of strawberr(y) and cream encircled by a ribbon of white chocolate sitting on strawberry jelly. Multiple layered sponge cake separated by thin layers of (top) cream, (middle) strawberry jam and (almost bottom, orangey) mango.

Verdict: 8/10 - love the variety. Rumour has it that it may be all imported from overseas... - could anyone substantiate this??

My picks: Shangri-La Mango. Pretty & YUMMY. Not much on the mango side, but you get a nice refreshing mix of flavours throughout.
Hokkaido Strawberry gets a thumbs up: light and refreshing tang without a heavily kick of flavour - "Delicate and Fluffy"

Cheesecake is a no from me: too 'stodgy' and dense on the cheesecake flavour. Put in comparison to the others, the heaviness stands out =(
Taro Paradise - neutral: in essence we have a tradition Asian Cream cake without the fruit, lightly infused and coloured in the expected manner of any Taro offering. Without a strong Taro taste, this might turn away those who expect more.

Centurion Hotel/Meringandan Pub (Meringandan, country SE QLD WEST)

A short entry this one: country food at its fullest!

The thing with pub food is that it EXISTS! Nothing overly fancy, nothing overly special. Just a decent meal with plenty of food on a platter, served up at a decent price.

Tonight was one of the rare occasions where the crew I work with gathered for an out-of-work function - to celebrate the Engagement of our store manager to his partner (now fiancee) - best wishes to them! So we trooped out together, out into the northern wilderness just beyond the crossroads... welcome to Meringandan.

Now I haven't been to many pubs, but the impressions of this place meet the stereotype: beer-on-tap drinking room on one side of the entrance, 'dining' (or simply 'eating') room on the other side. Chalkboard positioned next to the kitchen entrance proclaimed the menu for the night... and I was surprised by the number of items available!

Long story short: I over-ordered: there was simply THAT MUCH FOOD!

The lamb shanks set me back $22, but you can see that volume speaks for itself. None of this "less is more" - just wholesome country food that fills the belly up! I ordered a side of chips with gravy ($9) as well thinking that the meaty Main wouldn't be enough... "Too bad, City Boy" echoed in my mind the rest of the night as I slowly but surely cleared out most of the meal - there were still a fair bit of chips left over at the end of the night :(

Verdict: 8/10
Don't expect polish or flair, but you get a great flavour with meat-falling-of-the-bone tenderness. And a full belly. And an awakening into Country Food!

Dragonfly Cafe - Eden Gardens (Macquarie Park)

Another day back home in Sydney, another opportunity to catch up with a friend from long ago - in this case, from over 10 years (we think). She's a friend of mine from very long ago, when we first met in primary school and music classes. Unfortunately we've lost touch over the years: barely stayed in contact but never had a proper catch up until now!!

Where, I ask, would two artsy, funny and cheerful people go? My excuse for selecting Eden Gardens is that I used to live in the apartment blocks opposite this place on Fontenoy Rd, so I've always been PAST but never into this nursery. My friend's excuse: don't we all love pretty things - especially from a feminine perspective!! Well, that she's driven past here many times too but never had an excuse to go in...

Situated opposite Fontenoy Rd in Macquarie Park (off Lane Cove Rd/A3 motorway) with traffic light turning pockets, Eden Gardens is built over the site of an old brickworks, with all the excavation cleared and filled, and is now a garden-nursery with display gardens (for exhibitions and events/weddings), conference facilities and a cozy cafe: Dragonfly Cafe (see below). The rooftop layout is quite aesthetic, with the panes deliberate set at a descending angle from vertical to the horizontal!

Food time!

Below are:
Eggs Benedict with Salmon ($16): delightfully filling for the price, with two larger-than-expected hunks of Salmon =)

Hotcakes with vanilla gelato ($11): hot yumminess topped with a runny sweet trickle of vanilla. I put this simply: once I started, I couldn't stop =)

Hot chocolate ($4, cup) and coffee ($4, +1 = $5 for a mug-size)

Food Verdict:

Nothing overly special - would probably rate it a 6/10 for ordinarily nibbles for an acceptable price.

**Plus points: go for the outdoor dining facing the nursery or the courtyard, with an open airy feel overall. Food portions are slightly larger than expected for brunching, but fair for the price.

**Down side: Could have a little more variety, menus hard to find (grab it at the cashier's counter on the way in).

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Dragonfly Cafe @Eden Gardens, Macquarie Park
307 Lane Cove Rd
Macquarie Park, NSW, 2118

Open for brunch, lunch and tea most days - see website for details

To get here: driving only, with onsite and underground parking - easily found as "opposite Fontenoy Rd, 2118" with traffic light control for traffic from both directions. Situated just north of the A2/A3 intersecton.
Public transport: buses-only, that stop at "corner Fontenoy Rd/Lane Cove Rd", with services from Macquarie Centre and Epping, possibly to Gordon and Lindfield.




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Bonus: happy snaps from around the Gardens - enjoy!