31 July 2024

Snow in Perisher Blue and Mezcal Restaurant in Cooma

Previously:


I like to book my stay in a self-service apartment or house through Airbnb.  Because they are legit and transparent with ratings, information and details of both hosts and guests.  Besides, they normally do good price as well. 

In this trip, we stayed in Cooma city.  It is only one and half hours away from Snowy Mountain but yet they are quite a town, you can find supermarkets, a few restaurants and cafe as well as snow gear hire shops.  Pretty much all you need are there.  The accommodation is somehow cheaper than the one in Jindabyne.  We were so lucky to get this place (Mountain Bike Pad - the house name in Airbnb), the hosts are lovely, and the house is so spacious and clean.  
 











Same as previous year, we booked our Skitube pass in advance through online as the earlier you purchase your pass, the better price you will get.  Also, if you plan to come and use Skitube more than once, keep your mountain pass card, you can re-use this.  I lost mine, so I have to pay this again and the price is increased.  It was $5 per card and now $6.  Don't lose this, you can save some bucks on this.






Quite a sad little snowman here


As you all know, food here in the mountain top is extremely expensive.  Last time we got some hot dogs and it was long queue and pricey yet hard to get seats as well.  This time, we spotted Yama noddle shop right in the corner and there were a few seats available, so we thought WOW, glad to easily find some seats.  And the thought of having some hot broth in this freezing icy temperature outside would be the perfect thing to ever happen.  So, we ordered one with pork and another bowl of chicken noodle.  For me, the broth tasted ok or maybe because I was hungry but then my hubby was totally completely disappointed until I found out that he paid $34 for a bowl of noodle and a bottle of beer.  Yeah!!!  The price was crazy.  We can't seem to find a decent food here, except for those hot chips.  





At night, we came back to Cooma and had our dinner there.  It is this Mexican restaurant that got our eyes on it.  The place is called Mezcals tequila bar and restaurant.  Their decoration is taking me to Coco movie setting.  


Pina colada $16.50 and paloma $17.50

They do really great cocktails here.  

Elotes $8

One of the Mexican dishes that I personally love is this grilled corn that normally comes with cheese, lemon and chili.  This corncob to be exact served with their housemade chipotle aioli and ricotta salada cheese.  It has a balance between sweet, tangy and spicy.  

Birria Questaco $24

They come in four generous pieces of beef tacos filled with onion, coriander and served with the beef broth on the side.  The taco itself was a little bit dry but once we dunk it into the broth, it levitated the beef tacos.


Chicken taco $18

Kids beef quesadilla $10

Mezcal Tequila Bar & Restaurant
Shop 1/114 Sharp St., Cooma
Ph: 02 6411 3860
Opens: 12pm - 9pm

29 July 2024

From Sydney to Snowy Mountain: Via Berry and Canberra

Winter is still around the corner.  Something that can only be done in Australia during these colder months is having joy and fun of winter wonderland at the Snowy Mountain.  For us Sydneysiders, Perisher is our closest snowy holiday spot and one of the popular snow destinations in Australia.  From Sydney CBD, it would only take less than 6 hours' drive to get there.  But along the way, there are so many activities or attractions that worth to explore and see. 

We did a similar trip last year, please check out my post from this trip for more details on the place we stayed and Skitube to get to Perisher Blue.  This time around, we stayed in Cooma, it is two cities away from Jindabyne with only 45 minutes driving distance.  It is still very convenient where the Bullock Flat station is approximately one and half hour away.  If you book your stay with Airbnb, you could find better deals in Cooma compared to Jindabyne.  


In that morning, we left home at 5am because we were going on the long way where we stopped in Berry for breakfast then passing Canberra before arriving in Cooma.  There is one famous pie shop in Berry town called Milkwood Bakery.  Every time we stop by here, we always get something from them whether it could be savoury or sweet.  They do freshly baked goods in the house that taste delicious and within reasonable price.  It was half past seven in the morning and there was quite queue already.  



Beef bourguignon pie


Ham and cheese croissant

Lemon and poppyseed cake

Lemon meringue pie





We then laid ourselves on another popular pastry shop in town, named Berry Donut Van.  So, double sugar hit breakfast this morning.  Loaded with sweetness, what a great thing to start the day, do you all agree?  They only have two flavours donut, original with cinnamon sugar dusting and with Nutella fillings.  The best thing from this donut is their incredibly freshness.  They start frying in batches as per customer order.  You can't get any fresher than this, believe me!  You need to wait for a while though, but it is rewarding.  




They sell original donut a piece for $2.80 and half dozen is for $13, while Nutella donut costs $4.50 each or $23 per half dozen.  You can also get them in a whole dozen of 12 pieces.  The texture of the dough is soft yet not too chewy nor dense.  And oh boy!!  Those sweet Nutella fillings were abundant.  They punched six or seven holes on that ring donut so you can get that oozy chocolate filling in every bite.  They were delightful.  Even to have it after they cold, it is still yumm...





We made a brief visit at the Parliment House in Canberra and after that let the kids had a little bit fun in Yarralumla Play Station.  In here, the kids can ride on a train, feed animals and also play mini golf.  











We then continued driving to our main destination which was Cooma city and so excited to see our house to stay for the next two nights booked from Airbnb.  See you all Octie Appetie readers in the next blog, hope you all enjoy reading my little journey...


109 Queen St, Berry
Ph: 02 4464 3033
Opens: 6:00 - 16:00

73 Queen St, Berry
Ph: 02 4464 1968
Opening hours: 8:30am - 4:45pm

9 Pescott Lane, Yarralumla
Opens: Monday - Friday 9:30 - 16:00
            Saturday & Sunday 8:30 - 17:30

Stay tuned for the next blog still in Snowy Mountain: