Restaurant: Löwenbräu Keller

This is for all you lovers of meat!

Knuspriger Schweinebauch

Oohhh-la-la!  That my dear readers is a dish called Knuspriger Schweinebauch, one of Löwenbräu Keller's specialty.

Löwenbräu Keller is Sydney’s popular and authentic Munich-style restaurant.  They offer a hearty cuisine from breakfast to dinner and imported biers in a traditional bier-hall environment.

 
The first time we ate here was last Winter and so we can't resist trying one of their biers, Löwenbräu Original.  Crisp but felt smooth when I drank it and very refreshing.
 

This Summer, we instead had Lemon Lime Bitters and Orange Juice to soothe us on a hot day.

Lemon Lime Bitter and Orange Juice

 


Some of the dishes we've tried:

Schlachtplatte for 2.  Löwenbräu’s Selection of Bavarian Specialties:  Sausages, Chicken Schnitzel,  Meat Loaf and Roast Pork Belly, served with Mashed Potatoes, Sauerkraut, Braised Red Cabbage, Bread Dumpling and Bier Gravy.  Since we ordered this dish for two, they doubled everything up and added a big Pork Knuckle on top!

The Pork Knuckles was a huge sinful treat!  I loved the crispy skin outside and the juicy meat inside.  The sausages tasted good but the schnitzel and meat loaf was not as tasty.  The Roast Pork Belly was a winner and left me craving for more. 

Schlachplatte for 2!

Pommes Frites.  A siding of saltless chips which I truly appreciate.  I love it when a restaurant serve chips with no salt because one of the things that terrifies me is food (especially chips) with too much salt.  

Pommes Fries

Löwenbräu's Burger with a siding of chips.  Big and chunky meat but not as juicy as other burgers we've tasted.  However, it was flavourful enough to savour every bite.

Löwenbräu's Burger

Knuspriger Schweinebauch.  It is crackling Roast Pork Belly with Löwenbräu Bier Sauce, Sautéed Potatoes and Slow-Braised Red Cabbage.    It is definitely my favorite dish in Löwenbräu.  

This is truly sinful that's I don't eat this kind of food all the time.  The best part is the crunchy pork skin on top.  It was a bit salty for me but it actually went well with the meat part of the Pork Belly which had less salt.  I also loved the roasted potatoes, sweet and smoky.  And most of all, I love the red cabbage, a bit sour and soft.  The whole ensemble was a celebration of flavours and texture.  I loved it! 

Knuspriger Schweinebauch

For a good time and great food, visit the Löwenbräu at The Rocks.


Löwenbräu Keller
Corner of Playfair and Argyle Streets
The Rocks, Sydney NSW
Phone: (02) 9247 7785
Email: reservations@lowenbrau.com.au
Open 7 days, 9:00am til late

"A Wife's Charmed Life" visited Löwenbräu Keller twice as an anonymous guest.

Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life (1990-2005)

Have you ever wondered how you've come to like or love a certain photographer? 

Being a photography enthusiast, I have always wondered why I've come to love my favorite photographers--and there are only a few.  And no, it's not because I'm an enthusiast that I've set a high standard. There are no high standards at all.  In fact, I realized that when it comes to loving a photographer's work of art, I only look for one thing. A soul.

There are a lot of great photographers.  But there are a few who capture photographs with soul and one of them is Annie Leibovitz. 

I've come to know her thru her photographs of Queen Elizabeth II, the Obama family, John Lennon and Yoko Ono and Demi Moore when she was pregnant (her nude photo in Vanity Fair that came out in 1991).  

I've always admired her work because (1) she's one of the most trusted photographers of well-known people; (2) there's always something breathtaking about her photographs and (3) her photos have soul.

On our 4th wedding anniversary (20 January 2011), the Husband and I decided to celebrate the day by indulging in our love for photography.  We are very lucky that the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney is exhibiting Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life 1990-2005.  It was an opportunity to get to know Annie Leibovitz and her work.  The exhibition showed photographs of her family, her travels, her triumphs and sorrow.  Other than showing some of her most unforgettable work with well-known celebrities, the photographs were a record of some of the most personal moments of her life.  It was a very engaging and lovely collection. 

This is my most (super-duper) favorite photograph of hers.  It was a photo of her deceased lover, Susan.  The photo was captioned "Susan Sontag at Petra, Jordan 1994".  This photograph spoke volumes to me.  When I saw this photograph, I was unable to move my feet and just kept staring at it.  It almost moved me to tears.  In this photograph, it somehow tells me how big the world is out there.  How there are so much more to discover, to feel, to love, to share.  After seeing all the photographs in the exhibition, I went back to this photograph one more time and look at it again before we left.  One day, I'll have a copy of this photograph hanging on a wall of our future home.  Someday.

There will never be an exhibition without the book.  Most of the photos found in the exhibition are in this 3-kilo book (yes, it was that heavy, I weighed it!) which serves as a souvenir to all who have seen her exhibition and a learning tool for enthusiasts like me.  It is available at the MCA souvenir shop for AUD$85.00

The exhibition brought together almost 200 photographs and you need about 1 1/2 to 2 hours of viewing her photographs. 

Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer’s Life 1990–2005 
Organised by the Brooklyn Museum,
19 November 2010– 27 March 2011
 
Admission $15, concessions $10
MCA Members free
Children 12 years and under free
Family (2 adults and 3 children aged 13-17) $40
 
Click HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS

Life Insurance For a More Secured Future

One of the things I invested in when I became financially stable was a life insurance.  Some people take life insurance for granted but the advantage of having one is the fact that whatever happens to me, I know my family will be taken cared of.  "Having a life insurance gives you peace of mind" may sound cliche to some but for me, it is so true.  I feel a bit more secure knowing that I'm insured for life.

In Australia, if one is having difficulty in finding a policy for life insurance, all they have to do is check out iSelect's website and they can make a comparison on all the life insurance providers available to them.  It's so easy to navigate their website.  All you have to do is fill in the details in the GET A QUOTE portion of the page and it will lead you to another page asking for the types of cover you need.  Just click on your choices and in a few minutes, iSelect will generate a quote for you!

If you don't have a life insurance yet, think it over now and compare quotes.  It is better to be prepared than sorry.

Affirmation: Simplicity

Affirmation:

I will make
my life
simpler.

One of my simple joys on my birthday (22 Jan 2011)...a ferry ride!

Personal Reflection:

Now that I'm older, I base my decisions on consequences that will make my life easier and simpler. 

Nowadays, I stay away from situations I know will bring complications and stress into my everyday living.  I don't mind being stressed as long as I know it will result to something productive. 

I spend my time with people and moments that will make me happy.  Time is precious so I choose wisely on who I want to spend it with and what to do during my spare time.  I don't want a complicated life so I don't like spending time with complicated people.  Life is so short to be spent in negativity.

I embrace technology if it will make work and managing the home more productive and time-efficient.  If it's a product that will truly help me and my Husband in having a quality life, why not?

Simplicity is not just  a matter of wanting the simple and inexpensive things.  I believe it is more about one's mindset in life.  For me, being simple means "un-complicating" things in life.  I believe it's about making smart choices in order to have a stress-free life.
Have a great week, everyone!