Friday 18 July 2008

A Great Night Out

I seem to have fallen into a new routine. Once a fortnight, I head to my favourite library to return books I've borrowed. I then stock up on new books to read and take myself out to dinner.

I keep a running list of the books I come across in reviews, best seller lists, on Amazon, books of my interest of the moment (currently it’s the devaluing of luxury brands due to mass consumer access to them, or at least fakes of them), then print it out on library night.

In a previous life I would have bought a lot of these books, so it’s saving me a fortune!

My favourite library? I call it that as my closest one isn't that great. It’s an annex of the main library, which also isn't that great. My favourite one is much larger and always seems to have a much better book selection (their interlibrary group is much better than my local too if they don’t have something I’m after).

The food court upstairs from the library (it's in a shopping mall - classy!) is open until late as there’s a cinema complex on the level above that. It doesn't have chain fast food places in it, it’s full of excellent and cheap Chinese, Malaysian, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Lebanese and Indian options, plus one of the best yum cha places in Sydney. The local area has a huge Hong Kong Chinese expat community and the food court is always buzzing, so I see that as an indication of the quality of the food on offer.

My regular haunt seems to be the Malaysian. They make great Laksas for only $8, and the lady who works the counter greets me like an old friend. So I sit myself down, enjoy my Laksa, crack open one of my new books, and take in the ‘atmosphere’.

So you can have your fancy dining experiences (which of course have their place in the dining spectrum). I’m always amused but no longer surprised that I can get such good food in a place where the tables are bolted to the tiled floor.

Note: It occurred to me that not everyone would know what a Laksa is, so I've included some recipes!

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13 comments:

  1. Anonymous18/7/08 05:03

    Sounds fantastic! Great idea to spend quality time with yourself.

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  2. That sounds great! I love Thai food! Curry is my favorite!

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  3. Anonymous18/7/08 08:52

    It is amazing how some great stuff can be done for next to nothing. My wife regularly tells me how she loves going to the beach for simple fish and chips. Our budget loves it as well!

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  4. @Nicole - I'm single with no kids so I spend a lot of time with myself - *lol*

    @SavingDiva - I love Thai too, it was so great to be able to have it in Thailand. I do love me some Green Curry.

    @tehnyit - I agree about the fish and chips, I've got a great old school type one near my home, so if it's not Laksa, it's Fish & Chips. Occasionally I'll splash out on prawn cutlets instead for a really special treat! *lol*

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  5. I'm all about trying new and different foods, so this Laksa concept is new for me. I might have to write about it on my blog.

    Congrats on paying off your card. Like you I have given up purchasing books to use the library more. Makes so much more sense to save money and have less clutter.

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  6. That sounds like a perfect night out! My library has an online system where I can have books shipped to any branch I want, so even though my local branch isn't that great, I can have pretty much anything I want shipped there - they even email me when it arrives.

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  7. Anonymous19/7/08 06:28

    sounds wonderful! i used to love going to the bookstore in the mall and then grabbing lunch. your option is cheaper :)

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  8. Sounds like a peaceful evening. Reading and eating are my two favorite things to do :o) I love trying and cooking new foods. Like SavingDiva, Thai is my favorite. I can eat it all week long.

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  9. that reminds me of how much fun i used to have when i'd go an have a yummy vegie laksa on my own every coupld of weeks.. and with a book? sounds like a perfect getaway without going anywhere
    txemvzm: )

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  10. Anonymous20/7/08 21:37

    I need to start keeping a list of books too. When I take my 3 year old to the library once a week I get one book but can't always figure out which one I want quickly. With a 3 year old, this is not a good thing. A list would help!

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  11. Sounds just perfect to me. The library is one of my favourite places. I usually take hubbys card too and walk out with 20 books each time. Heaven!
    Hmmm...how do I get them to build a food court? ;)

    C xxx

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  13. Anonymous22/7/08 07:32

    My wife and I absolutely love going to our local library. It is relatively new and it is just refreshing to go in there and spend some time. I wish they had better food choices though.

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