Little Lamb

Little Lamb

Eight Mile Plains Shop 22/23 Runcorn Plaza 254 Warrigal Rd
Runcorn, QLD 4113

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/337/1698690/restaurant/Brisbane/Eight-Mile-Plains/Little-Lamb-Runcorn

My friends and I went to a restaurant called Little Lamb as a belated birthday celebration back in September. I had never been to the restaurant before and my friend Tina made the reservation as she had heard good things about the restaurant from work colleagues.  Little Lamb is a hot pot and charcoal bbq buffet restaurant. It was the best restaurant that Tina could have chosen because I love Asian food, buffets and cooking with friends!

When we got there, the restaurant was already packed with people. We could barely get inside the restaurant and squeezed into the entrance. Luckily we had a reservation and when we finally reached the front of the queue, we were seated straight away.

The buffet had a wide selection of skewered beef, chicken and fish for the barbecue as well as plenty of things for the soups, such as meatballs, noodles and eggs. There was also soft drinks, juice and tea available as well. We each selected a lot of things from the buffet, not a ridiculous amount but enough for me to regret wasting a little food.

There was a little charcoal barbecue at our table and it had this mechanical rotating thing that turned the skewers so all we had to do was take the food once it was cooked. I really liked the little chicken drumsticks that we cooked on the charcoal as the skin was seasoned with five spice, it was really juicy and crispy. I also loved eating some small fish too, nobody else was fond of it so more food for me!

For our hotpot, we had two different soups. We had a spicy soup on one side and a plain soup on the other. I don’t like spicy food so the plain soup was for me. We added various meatballs to the stock and ramen as well. The soup was yummy. We also had steamboat lamb which was the specialty of Little Lamb. We did wonder about the unusual name for the Chinese restaurant so mystery solved. Steamboat meat is thinly sliced meat, usually a little fatty and used for hotpots and soups.

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We had discussed having dessert but at the end we were all too full. I would definitely go to Little Lamb again as I really enjoyed myself. I can’t remember the price per person but it was affordable for families. I’m thankful for Tina for organising the dinner as she had a 3am wake up the next day to go on a fishing trip with her family. She even went to some trouble getting the reservation too as when she called, the person who answered said they didn’t speak English and she would have to wait until 3pm for person who could talk to her. Luckily she had a Chinese work mate and he helped her with the reservation.

Carlyn Girl's Diary: Outback Spectacular

I went to Outback Spectacular on my birthday with my brother Paul. Outback Specular is a dinner theatre show where you get a three course meal and a horse show. The show changes every so often and the latest show was Spirit of the Horse: with a tribute to Phar Lap.

There was already a big crowd when we arrived at Outback Spectacular. It was mostly big families and tourists. When the door opened, we were ushered into a foyer which was big enough to host functions by itself. There was a gift shop, dance floor, tables and benches along the wall. Guests could take photos with some of the star animals such as the horses and dogs. There were also photo walls where guests could get a professional photo taken with a ranch backdrop. My brother is a camho so he took all the photo opportunities and I had a photo take too.

There was a singer too to keep guests entertained. He sung well known Australian and country songs. Afterwards, we were all asked to enter the arena via two doors. We were given free cowboy hats when we first arrived and they either had a red or yellow band. The yellow bands went through door A and the others went to door B.

Nobody was allowed to take photos while the show was on as it might spook the horses. The show as fun, definitely good old fashioned family entertainment. There were jokes, songs, stunt riding and plenty of audience interaction. Call me childish but one of my favourite parts of the show was when a man came riding out singing a song to start off the show. I don’t remember what it was about, something about being in the country and with friends. The horse lifted its tail and pooped. That was pretty funny to me. The guy didn’t miss a beat and just rode to the next spot.

The food was a bit bland but good enough. It was well presented and reached the table hot. The servers were efficient moving from row to row quietly and quickly. Sometimes I forgot to watch the show and watched the servers doing their work. We also had servers coming through the rows to top up drinks.

Overall a good night out. I think Outback Spectacular is excellent for big family gatherings. There are discounts for booking for ten people or more and pensioners get a discount too. I think children will love the horses and stunt riding.

photos courtesy of outbackspectacular.com.au and www.smh.com.au

Happy Birthday Carlyn Girl! =)

Happy Birthday Carlyn Girl!

Today is Carlyn Girl's 27th birthday... ahh to be that young again! >.< <---- jealous bear face

Sometimes I think about what it is that makes a birthday special, what makes it stand out compared to any other day and how the tradition of celebrating birthday's came about?  While I don't know the historical answer to the question I think I know the personal one.

It's a day to be recognized for our individuality and what makes us... well... US!  It's also a chance for friends and family to recognize when someone is an important part of our lives. 

Carlyn shares a birthday with noted celebrities such as Lil Wayne, Avril Lavigne, Gwyneth Paltrow and Meat Loaf among others.  Today is also the birhthday of Google.  While it's a day we share with others it is also something that is uniquely ours through the lives we've touched. 

Carlyn has touched my life in a very special way and has been a truly wonderful and dedicated friend.  That's not something that comes easily when two people form an on-line friendship.  It's easy to get involved in our daily lives and forget about someone typing on a keyboard half way across the globe.  She is a very bright, articulate and fun person with an appreciation for arts, crafts, fashion and literature amidst other things that shape a person with real depth of character, identity and personality.  In many ways she has even shaped my identity with her Jon Bear cartoons that I have so come to admire, if not always being quite worthy of his exploits and adventures.  As a very private person myself, she has helped me to reach out to new experiences through our blog.  That is something I am and will be forever grateful for.

Carlyn also gives very sound advice, even when it takes a bear-brain a little time to have it sink in! =P It's such a gift to have someone who really listens to your problems, considers them and gives you a genuine answer/advice.   Thank you for being the best bag-face a bear could ever have Carlyn! <3

So I hope that our blogging community here will reach out with me in wishing her a very special birthday!

Now... normally I would not condone eating a bear... but I have found this bear cake and upon this occasion given the special circumstance I can concede a small measure of indulgence.

picture credit

So once again.. Happy Birthday Carlyn!  I hope it's as special as you are!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JON!

Today on the 7th of January is Jon Bear's birthday and he turns 37 today!

So Jon Bear, I hope today you have a wonderful day and a great year.