Felt a little awkward tasting since it was on-request compared to the other venues on the tour, which trotted out all they had. However, the recommendations for sweeter wine were not bad, and we were very tempted by the Gewurztraminer. Only thing was being a wine newbie, I tried asking some probably-stupid questions and got a few blank looks. XD Oh well. Nice, sophisticated venue.

At the Tempus Two complex. Was a little busy when we were there. They were running 12 bottles of something for $60, but we 1. didn't want to buy so many and 2. were rushing off for the rest of the tour. Nice atmosphere, though, and we were allowed to try what we requested.

Some interesting chocolates. Got to try a few as part of a wine tasting tour. Chocolate mint was superb and fresh...though not so fantastic after we bought some home, for some reason. Chili bark had a initial kick that, weirdly enough, toned down really quickly.

I got some chocolate frogs (very hard! Much harder than the thins) but the rest was a tad overpriced for me.

This new business just opened last Thursday so I would probably cut them some slack. Located in the aging Eastwood Shopping Centre (more like Complex or Plaza), this store takes the place of a Chinese bbq restaurant. Had a grand opening 20% off when I went, but ordered takeaway and waited for more than 15 mins, only to find my food beside the server. No idea how long it'd been there.

The menu is simple at just 14 or so dishes. Prices are ok at about $10 each,

Approximate cost: $10

The menu and even the taste reminds me of Manmaruya, for some reason. Chicken namban was very nice, home-made chunky mayo on top of crunchy-but-not-soggy chicken encased in lightly-sauced batter; in fact, everything in the bento was nice, down to the grated pear on the salad. (Though the salmon sashimi was a funny cut..) Miso ramen was alright. Preferred the rice to the ramen. Portions were normal, not large but not particularly small either. Prices ranged from $10.80 (ramen and some cheaper donburi, I think) to $17.80 (bento) or more.

Approximate cost: $13

Red wine served was pretty bad, but to be expected at the price. Deviated from the deal offered by Groupon so that instead of all-you-can-eat, it was two mains per person instead. Well, didn't really feel like arguing. D: The dessert, however, was nice. And the food was average, which is more than what some other people got at this place, I hear.

Small place, not much ambience. Maybe more for takeaway. Got a cake here and was delicious, but it's pretty hard to ruin a chocolate mud cake. XD Service was friendly. Was a little out of the way unless you work nearby.

Beautiful outlook, beautiful cafe environment. It's a great pity that the business has been sold. But they're still selling wine at the moment, with everything discounted. Not sure how long they'll have stock.

The white port was really nice, especially with some lime/lemon juice. But even discounted, wasn't sure about $30 a bottle. Rest of wine $90 for 6.

Wonderful service, though. Nice pouring~

Went for a cellar sampling as part of a tour. Esther (?) was really nice, and very friendly. A homely cellar door experience. Wines were of superb quality, tending towards the light side. Fell in love with the Verdelho dessert wine ('ice wine') despite the more costly price tag.

Olive oil was beautifully light though a little overpowered by the Dukkah. I preferred tasting just bread with the oil, but I'm weird that way. XD

Fantastic day at Hunter Valley at a variety of wineries, as well as a surprise trip and tasting at the Hunter Valley Chocolate Company. Full tour, Adam was upbeat for the entire day (don't know how he managed it!) Aside from that, we visited Lucy's Run (superb wines, a brilliant homely atmosphere from Esther), Robyn Drayton (massive pity they're selling/closing down, I wanted to get a bottle of that white port but..sigh), the Tempus Two complex (Meerea supposedly had 12 bottles for $60, missed out on that since we were too busy mucking around the Smelly Cheese Shop etc D:), and Sobel's, with a lunch stop at Harrigan's.

Wines were quite interesting, and all the staff were really nice. Got to sample a wide variety. Overall a great experience. Adam was friendly and informative, though most of the commentary was only during the Hunter Valley region. But I guess there's not all that much to say! XD Already a lot of info as it was. I was really impressed that he tried his best to drop people off at spots that were more convenient for them. Superb service. :) Thanks, Adam!!

Only minus I can imagine is the seat I was in was rather uncomfortable. That's really more a fault of the bus design than the tour, lol. But I realised after shifting (towards the end of the trip, when there were empty spaces) that it's just that comfort level varies depending on where in the bus you sit. I preferred the front row, felt like more leg room, but ymmv!