Simon's 41st Hawaiian Birthday at the Coach and Horses Hotel, Randwick (15 Jan 2012)

147 Avoca Street, Randwick NSW 2031

http://www.coachandhorseshotel.com.au

Celebrating another year older

After having a casual lunch at the Coach and Horses Hotel I was inspired by the improved menu to have my 41st birthday in The Red Room function space on level 1. Sundays usually incur a $1000 minimum spend on the bar for private functions but since my event was held during the day and I knew it wasn't going to be a big drinking affair I was able to convince management to thankfully waive the minimum spend. A $200 refundable security deposit was still required and I organised five different platters of food for guests which were brought up by Barry who was friendly and accommodating along with Hiro who looked after the bar area. The theme for my birthday has been Hawaiian for many years now — how else would I get to wear my Hawaiian shirt and lei. Bar prices for drinks was pretty reasonable with the cheapest bottles starting at $23. Making it affordable enough to order a few Mt Lawson NV Brut ($23 bottle) at the very start. The private function space worked out really well and was separate enough from any public thoroughfare so security of the area could be maintained. The decor and seating was comfortable and roomy enough for 48 adults and 9 kids.

The Vietnamese Vegetable Rice Paper rolls ($50, 25 piece platter) were very good and I was impressed to see the flavoursome dipping sauce was homemade. The decent sized Moroccan Lamb Skewers ($50, 30 pieces platter) were better than I expected with nice flavours and tender meat. Prawn Wontons ($50, 40 pieces platter) were tasty and cooked with a nice crispy outer wonton shell. The Vegetarian Arancini ($50, 30 piece platter) had nice flavours too except the packaged grated parmesan used was really smelly which could be easily fixed by using freshly grated parmesan. You could smell it from across the room when it arrived — I even thought it might have been baby Isabelle needing a nappy change. The Vegetable Cocktail Spring Rolls ($50, 50 pieces platter) were crispy and tasty as hoped — I'm such a lover of spring rolls at parties. The Wedges ($8) were hot and crispy as expected and a good way to fill any hungry stomachs at the end. Chef Anthony did a great job in providing above average platter food and hopefully freshly grated parmesan will be used in the future for the arancini to make it a winner. My birthday cake was made of mini cupcakes from Coles ($30, 72 pieces) which came in two flavours, chocolate and vanilla — with a tonne of sugar. They're probably not the healthiest cupcakes in town but they suited my requirements to be affordable, bite-sized and not needing cutting or cutlery. I could also spell out '41' on the platter.

Other birthdays for Simon:

• 15 Jan 2012 - Simon's 41st Birthday - Coach and Horses Hotel

• 8 Jan 2011 - Simon's 40th Birthday - Centennial Hotel

• 10 Jan 2010 - Simon's 39th Birthday BBQ

• 4 Jan 2009 - Simon's 38th Birthday BBQ

Other visits to Coach and Horses Hotel:

• 15 Jan 2012 - Simon's 41st Birthday in The Red Room, Function platter food

• 5 Jan 2012 - Octopus Salad, Buffalo Chicken Wings, Piri Piri Prawn Skewers, Barramundi, Atlantic Salmon, Prawn Spaghetti, Beer Garden

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Decent platter food, Friendly staff, Nice decor, Reasonably priced drinks, Function space suits around 50 people and sectioned off from public access, Easy access to bar area

CONS: Packaged grated parmesan used on Arancini making it very smelly — hopefully fresh parmesan used in the future, Minimum spend conditions may apply

MUST TRY: Vietnamese vegetarian rice paper rolls, Prawn wontons

BABY ON BOARD: Lift available to level 1, Plenty of space in function room and separated from main bar so pretty good for security of area

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41st birthday cake made with mini cupcakes from Coles ($30, 72 pieces)

Vietnamese Vegetable Rice Paper rolls ($50, 25 piece platter)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Moroccan Lamb Skewers with Yoghurt & Mint Dipping Sauce ($50, 30 pieces platter)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Prawn Wontons with Nutty Sweet & Sour Dipping Sauce ($50, 40 pieces platter)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Vegetarian Arancini ($50, 30 piece platter)

Vegetable Cocktail Spring Rolls with Sweet Chilli ($50, 50 pieces platter)

Wedges ($8)

Mt Lawson NV Brut ($23 bottle)

Drinks menu

Function room — plenty of comfy seating and easy access to bar

Babies on board

Poker and Thai boxing next door on level 1

After party drinks with an Aperol Spritz

After party munchies with Doughboy — really like their Malabar pizza (right) with prawns at the moment

$41 for 41st birthday — clever idea!

Hang loose

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Centennial Hotel: Simon's 40th Hawaiian Birthday Luau, Woollahra (8 Jan 2011)

88 Oxford Street, Woollahra NSW 2025

http://www.centennialhotel.com.au

Turning the big 40

For such a milestone age it was important for me to decide how and where to celebrate my 40th birthday. For many years my brother has graciously allowed me to have it at his place where we self-cater the food but this year I wanted to have a more relaxing time and make it less stressful for myself and those involved in helping. I scouted high and low for suitable venues and was really hoping for a place with a water view of some sort like the Deck Bar Lounge at Club Rose Bay, Fish Bar at Beach Palace Hotel or ECQ Bar at Quay Grand but in the end I decided on the Centennial Hotel after a casual drink visit back in November which didn't impose a minimum spend or charge for room hire. The final guest list of 96 adults and 5 kids were treated to welcome drinks of Redbank Emily NV sparkling which service staff topped up around the room plus fruit juice and soft drink was available from the bar all night. My traditional Hawaiian theme created a friendly atmosphere filled with colourful leis and shirts.

There was a big risk in ordering food from a place I'd never eaten at — especially for a food bloggers reputation — but I was thankfully very impressed with the canapés I ended up choosing for my guests. The kitchen accommodated my additional menu requests of Vietnamese Prawn Fresh Rolls which were filled with fresh ingredients, delicious Vegetarian Spring Rolls and decently sized Vegetarian Arancini Balls — I really loved the crispy spring rolls which all seemed to be kitchen made and full of flavour. Platters of Zucchini Fritters seemed to be a hit and the Cheese and Spinach Triangles had a nice flaky outer pastry and tasty filling inside which also seemed homemade as well. Decently sized Chicken Satay sticks were last to be served which were tender and moist although not quite as authentically charred and smokey in style which you'd love to find in a good Malaysian restaurant.

I always try and create a birthday cake which doesn't involve cutlery, plates and can simply be eaten with one hand. Cupcakes was the choice this year and I nearly decided to get the mini size from The Cupcake Factory at $1 each but instead bought 11 packs of mini cupcakes ($3.99 for 9) from Coles for less than half the price and presented them on white platters and arranged as the number 40 — a nice sugar hit of plenty of E numbers to end the formal proceedings of the night. I was very impressed with the professionalism and friendliness of the bar staff and how the platters of canapés were distributed around to the guests swiftly. Having my birthday at a catered venue certainly allowed me more time to mingle with my guests and enjoy the food and drinks at the same time — perhaps I should think about doing this next year.

A very cool canvas picture of myself was secretly organised so guests could write their birthday wishes and to help promote some of my Top 10 Food Highlights of 2010 I made everyone a handy little Happy Foodie New Year booklet. I received many generous presents and an amazing gift collection to go towards purchasing a brand new digital SLR camera which I've always dreamed about — I'm doing lots of research to decide what to get now. I'm truly honoured to know so many lovely friends and from the bottom of my heart I thank them so much for making my night very special and memorable.

Other birthdays for Simon:

• 15 Jan 2012 - Simon's 41st Birthday - Coach and Horses Hotel

• 8 Jan 2011 - Simon's 40th Birthday - Centennial Hotel

• 10 Jan 2010 - Simon's 39th Birthday BBQ

• 4 Jan 2009 - Simon's 38th Birthday BBQ

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Friendly and professional service, Tasty canapés, Plenty of free street parking, Spacious area, No minimum spend or room hire

CONS: No dancefloor, Closes at midnight, No water views

MUST TRY: Other dishes from the menu next time

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Redbank Emily NV ($29.80/bottle)

Redbank Emily NV sparkling chilling for welcome drinks

Vietnamese Fresh Rolls (20 pieces @ $45 platter)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Vegetarian spring rolls (20 pieces @ $45 platter)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Vegetarian arancini balls (20 pieces @ $45 platter)

Zucchini fritters (20 pieces @ $45 platter)

Cheese and spinach triangles (20 pieces @ $45 platter)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Chicken satay (20 pieces @ $50 platter)

Fries ($7.90 bowl)

Mini cupcakes ($3.99/pack of 9 from Coles)

40th birthday cake made from mini cupcakes

Final drink of the night: Pimms and lemonade to start off my gentleman's age of 40

Helium party balloons from Balloon Saloon — service was very friendly and professional 'It's always a party at Balloon Saloon'

Reserved area with private bar access

Gift collection card from all the friends that contributed towards a new digital SLR camera

Guest birthday wishes

Happy Foodie New Year Card — 10 highlights of 2010

Front bar and lounge area

Front bar area

Restaurant at the back

Back bar area

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