Last year celebrity chef Serge Dansereau visited Port Macquarie to judge the Mid North Coast Signature dish awards. This year Serge is back … and he’s bringing his knives.
Vue Café & Bar is located at the river end of Hay St, Port Macquarie. Come and enjoy the fabulous views, relaxed atmosphere and delicious Peak coffee.
Jay Pringle, Monikar Hanimar & Elisa Fuduric at the Casino Royale
Sunshine we love you!
The endless summer is rolling on into the month of love, with February’s little love boat dropping anchor in our pretty city. No doubt ‘popping the question’ will be the order of the day, with lovelorn lads laying it on the line for their lucky ladies on Valentine’s Day. Dinner, roses, sign writing in the sky – what lengths will gents go to, to get the ‘yes’ that they so desperately request?
Diamonds are indeed a girl’s best friend – one carat or two, white gold or yellow, princess cut or baguette? Yes boys, there is a fine art in choosing the perfect diamond ring. In the wise words of a bejewelled Beyoncé Knowles: “If you like it you should-a put a ring on it! And it might as well be big and bling-a-licious!”
There was plenty of bling at the recent Casino Royale event on December 31. One hundred and forty guests welcomed in the New Year, Las Vegas style, with plenty of glamour and fun at Rydges Port Macquarie. Limos, lights and red carpets, as lots of lovely ladies and lads geared up for Casino night!
Las Vegas Ladies - Sarah Ward, Megan-Dekker and Kirby Holdsworth
Guests were treated to a ritzy Vegas show complete with stunning dancing show girls, professional black jack & poker croupiers, live six piece Vegas show band and, of course, plenty of bubbly! GM David Capper and myself got into the fun hosting a full house for the event. Special thanks must go to talented Nathan Brown & Francessca O’Donnell for the fabulous Vegas routines. Guests included Jason Sharp, Nicole & Wayne Prince, Liz & Mark Fuller, Beck Steele, Hawley & Ross Dwyer, Nicole Small, Leaha Stevenson, Sarah & Lucas Ward, Jay & Louise Beaumont, Dylan Gaul & Jenna Burton, who all partied on into 2009.
Patrick Wood & Melissa Stennet - 80s birthday flashback
Patrick Wood celebrated his 21st birthday in a blur of hairspray, glow coloured bike pants and scary shoulder pads with his retro 80s birthday bash in late January. Guests channelled Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, Billy Idol, Miami Vice and just pure bad taste to invoke the freakish fashions of the 80s. Guests, including Talia Moy, Brooke Gardner, Amanda Pass and Jye Engel enjoyed an impromptu performance by Patrick’s dad Eddie & brother in law dressed in Tina Turner drag to turn the night into a full-on 80s flashback.
DJ Brendan Crocker kept the tunes pumping until Sunday, with plenty of sore heads the next day. Many guests including myself are still suffering from a serious case of Bananarama overload and crimped hair cringe! Congratulations to Trish and the team for pulling off a fab night.
Grant Woods, Jon Pitkin & Kylie Malligan at the NBN Launch
NBN Television launched their 2009 season in late January, with an exclusive party on the penthouse roof deck at the Luxor Apartments on town beach. Fran Murphy, Bernard Corbett & Grant Woods treated guests to a private screening of the year to come, complemented by SilverSpoon canapés and premium wines. The stunning venue overlooking both Town & Oxley Beach was the perfect setting for the 60 guests to enjoy a sneak peak of the year to come. Attendees included Mark Lyon of BBQs Galore, Kylie Malligan of Let’s Go Travel, Jon Pitkin of Jons Family Jewellers, and Marilyn & Ian Joyce from P’chi Swimwear. Congratulations to Fran and the NBN crew for a wonderful evening.
We recently attended a fabulous do on the Gold Coast hosted by Gerry Harvey & John Singleton. The boys & wife Katie Page-Harvey hosted a dinner extravaganza in honour of the famous Magic Millions.
One hundred and forty guests were invited to the private marquee set upon the lawns of the Gold Coast Turf Club, including Luke Ricketson former NRL footballer, Sunday Telegraph Fashion Editor Melissa Hoyer, Melissa Downs from Channel Nine, Anthea Loucas, Editor of Gourmet Traveller, the CEO of BMW and a series of seriously leggy models direct from New York City.
Event designers David Grant and the girls from Map & Page created a decadent spread utilising vintage silverware and summer blooms accompanied by a fabulous menu from ‘John & Peter’ out of Sydney. Cassegrain Wines was selected as one of the table pours, rubbing shoulders with the prestigious Lanson champagne. The table settings were literally to die for, as was the delicious cuisine.
The face of the Magic Millions
A fabulous night was topped of by Michael Wright, our dinner guest winning the Best Dressed Male at the Magic Millions Race the next day – lucky sod winning $35K worth of cash & prizes! Good looks and panache – damn his good dress sense!
Oysters in the Vines made a huge splash on Sunday of the Australia Day Weekend, with fans of the slippery little suckers heading out in their droves to shuck & tuck into some rather tasty little oysters! Despite some early drizzle in the day, the weather was just the right temperature to get stuck into some serious tasting and relaxing. Guest chefs were on hand to create a series of oyster delicacies, with Cassegrain wine to match. Another great day put on by John and his hardworking team.
Valentine’s Day will no doubt put a significant dent in the pockets of those in love. One option for those looking for a bit of fun this Valentine’s day is the ‘Dig for a Diamond’ competition outside Vue Café & Bar next to Rydges.
On the day of love itself – Matt Howarth and his team from Star FM will be on hand to assist those lads & ladies wishing to get their hands on a big diamond ring for their Valentine.
All you have to do is dig through a tonne of sand to find it. Now where did I put my little bucket & spade … yep that’s right, there is no such thing as too much bling!
Till next month!
Kate
Compass Restaurant at Rydges in Port Macquarie offers informal but stylish dining. Featuring an open kitchen, a highlight of compass is dining alfresco on the terrace overlooking the Hastings River.
