Met up with a former business associate (and possibly a future employer) for lunch at Pony Dining in The Rocks today. It isn't the sort of place you can whip out a camera phone, unfortunately.

Before I got there, I had popped all of the change I had into the parking meter (the ones down at The Rocks don't take credit card or mobile phone payment...grrrrrr), which covered me through to 2.46pm. But I got so swept up in the experience at the restaurant that I forgot all about the car parked outside.

Imagine my relief when, upon returning to the car at 3.52pm, I hadn't received a ticket from the parking cops. Hooray!

Oh, for the record, the two of us muched our way through a series of "small plates" including....

-- Grilled Italian flat bread with smoky eggplant & white bean dip
-- Wild baby rocket with pear, fennel and parmesan salad
-- Grilled chorizo with chilli jam
-- Goats cheese, zucchini, potato and parsley frittata
-- Citrus cured salmon on toasted brioche with crème fraiche
-- Marinated sardine and pumpkin tartlet
-- Crisp fried prawns with sichuan spice and sweet soy sauce
-- Wood-fired chipolatas with tomato relish
-- Seared sirloin in soy, lime, chilli and ginger dressing