Birthday celebrations

A BIG Thank You to all my dear family and friends who made this birthday extra special! I got spoilt all throughout the day with lovely messages, gifts and gestures right from the stroke of midnight!

The day couldn't have started out any better with baby Kayden waking up before I did and playing contentedly by himself, without having me jumping out of bed, startled from my deep slumber from his cries like most morning. (Usually because he is demanding a feed!)

A lovely surprise early lunch celebration was first on the agenda from the closest around me, right in the comforts of home. Warm and toasty, Roast duck, tulips and chocolate in my tummy!

And as you can see, Kayden was more interested in the candle flame than singing Happy Birthday to me. Oh well, at least there was no one else to fight with for the chocolate mud muffin.

Hubby and I stopped giving each other gifts a few years ago. No Christmas or birthday gifts. But certainly our 30th was an exception? I bought him a BBQ unit and for mine, he got me personalized car licence plates! So, really, I was not expecting him to arrive him early from work that day with more flowers and cake in hand!

That night, grandma and Aunty Stef babysat Kayden. Des and I had a reservation to a new restaurant in town called Maze, of the Gordon Ramsay fame.

All dressed up and about 10 minutes after kissing Kayden our goodbyes, we commented how we have not been out on a date like this for a long time. Just the two of us going out, because we can and want to, not because we have a friend's wedding to attend or errands to run! We held hands and smiled to each other in the car. And there's no baby in the back seat going "Da da da da daah!". Woo hoo!!!!

When first told I was up for a treat and going to Maze, I was beyond excited. We sat in traffic for almost an hour before we actually got to the restaurant. I haven't been to fine dining place quite like this. And, as we inched closer and closer to our destination, I got even more excited and even felt a little bit sick with anticipation!

What if I didn't like the snobbish atmosphere?

Or what if I didn't like or know how to tackle eating the food?

Or worse yet tip my glass over!?

I had read mixed reviews of the restaurant prior to going, and from what I read, I was probably going to be dead blind in there because it was said to be dim. (I have a bad night vision!)

But I am glad I was so wrong! The staff were friendly and welcoming. We were ushered to our table near the floor to ceiling windows. We sat underneath these lights and, Des commented that the lights look like dead
corpses hanging off the ceiling. Whatever, I can see what I am eating!

I relaxed. And the night went off without a hitch.

This was my favourite dish of the evening. I could smell the aromas of the applewood smoked kingfish even before it came to me! That white fluffy ball you are seeing is actually FAIRY FLOSS! Who would have thought it would pair perfectly with the flavours on this dish! IT WAS AMAZING!

We each had 4 dishes and a dessert. It obviously wasn't a cheap place to go to, but for the quality of the food and I might even add, a pretty decent portion for a place like that (they were pretty generous sized tasting portions), we were surprised and more than happy to pay 100 per person (wine and drinks included!) for the gastronomic experience! We will be sure to revisit Maze again.

When we got home, Kayden was none the wiser that we have been out for almost 5 blissful hours!