Sartorial Sunday: Maxi dreaming

Is it just me or do you sometimes wish you had a magic wand too? It could transport you to sunny resorts and make everyone's heart sing with just a flick of the wrist.

My little bro is having a rough trot so we were down in Geelong to see him this weekend. The area reminds me of my university years and summer holidays at the beach. Unfortunately, it was grey and gloomy today so no frollicking in the sea for me.

I'm living vicariously through my Polly Dolly this week and sending her off for some fun in the sun, or better still, some reading time under an umbrella on a sunbed with a cocktail in hand. Being the kind soul that I am -and so that I feel like I am on holiday too - I've loaned her my white thongs, Tiffany pendant and Savvy Chic book (a birthday gift that I'm reading greedily). Lucky Polly Dolly has a Stella McCartney gloss nylon bag and vintage maxi dress of her own. Sunscreen is a must, so she's taking some 30+ Le Tan. We agreed that it has the best smell and consistency. Bon voyage Polly Dolly. May there be sunshine in your heart and a few teeny rays kissing your face.

This is my entry in the Polly Dolly weekly Polyvore challenge (but I'm trying to learn Photoshop so I used that rather than Polyvore) in conjunction with my own Sartorial Sunday .

No inner demons lurking in Geelong's Mr Hyde

On a Sunday lunch and stroll around Geelong, there is no doubt why they call this Victorian coastal city Sleepy Hollow. The eatery crowned Country Champ in The Age Cheap Eats guide is so quiet at 12.30pm that we laugh at ourselves for making a booking. Perhaps all the locals are still eating breakfast or prefer their own cooking. Oh well, it's their loss. The solitude at Mr Hyde allows us to explore the impressive historic bank building without inhibition.

In contrast to the light and airy feel of the main room, the two side rooms are darker, but more sophisticated than gloomy. A lamp casts a soft, golden light over the dark club lounges in one, and time in this space is sure to result in taking up whiskey and cigars. In the other, purple reigns. A wall of art deco mirrors and replica Philippe Starck Louis Ghost chairs add some design class but this is the less impressive of the rooms. I am enamoured by the huge chandelier and decorative ceiling in the main room. Bro #3 likens the pattern on the cornices to a continuous swastika. I prefer to see a Celtic influence but either way, it's nothing short of dashing and provides a fitting overhead from the grand chesterfield booth we settle into.

As for the food, it is friendlier than the surrounds may suggest. The Turkish pizzas had some stiff competition with recent visits to pizza supremos L'uccellino in Yarraville and Pizza Verde in Kyneton but it held up well. The tiger prawns got me.

Marinated tiger prawns, red pesto, sweet corn, coriander ($16.50).

Screaming Seeds Marrakesh spiced butternut pumpkin, Meredith goat's cheeese, fried sage ($15). Mmm, loving sage right now. I'm pleased as punch to have acquired a sage cutting this weekend from the Jan Juc clan's garden.

L-R: seared Istra chorizo and scallops, shaved fennel, garlic oil ($12.50), fried rough cut sweet potato, cumin salt, lime and dill mayonnaise ($9.50), pan flashed calamari strips, harissa spice, slow roasted garlic ($10.50). 

My pick of the mezze dishes is the scallops with delicious morsels of fennel sliding around them.

Geelong is lucky to have Mr Hyde but even with the accolades it has received, I'm not sure the locals realise what they have, or at least they didn't today. There is nothing like people to create atmosphere, if only there were more of them. Surely, they weren't all at the football?!