Well, we’re at the start of a very long journey through the Northern Territory, folks, although in reality the whole trip was only a fortnight. I must say that it’s the most invigorating as well as enlightening holiday I’ve had since Japan.

I began in Darwin, where I touched down after a long 4.5 hour flight. God, Australia is big! After crashing on the hotel bed, the next thought I had was of food. I’d heard about Char, and since it was only 2 blocks from my hotel wandered down on a balmy Darwin evening.

Now this is what al fresco dining is all about! It was good to defrost after the chilly Sydney winter weather. It was also good to taste the pork belly and scallops, served with an apple peanut salad and chilli caramel sauce. I was tempted to try this after watching George cook up a pork belly/scallop dish on Masterchef. The skin of the pork was nicely crisp and the scallops were cooked perfectly. The salad and nutty sauce (along with a glass of Riesling), and it was a lovely dish for a tropical climate.

I followed it up with a Mango Panna Cotta with passionfruit cream. The panna cotta was lovely and light, but I think they went too far with the passionfruit here, which was too bitter for my taste.

The restaurant seemed to be popular with locals and visitors alike and got very full, even for a midweek dinner. I’m just impressed that Darwin has such a sophisticated dining option.