Oot and aboot: Episode 3

I'm officially on school holidays, and Hubs has also taken the next few weeks off. Brilliant. Some good amount of family time lined up, but also, a few opportunities for couple time, since we still drop Bubs off at childcare (to maintain routine). Hence a Big Day Out today.

We decided to see Ron Howard's Angels and Demons at Rivoli Cinemas in Camberwell.

We've always lurved Rivoli, and it was often our cinema of choice when we used to live out east, even though there were other, closer cinemas. It has retained much of its Art Deco design, so when you arrive in the foyer, and especially if your movie is at Cinema One, it feels very much like you've stepped back in time. You can read more about this National Trust-registered complex at Cinema and Theatre Historical Society.

As for Angels and Demons, it was surprisingly very entertaining. I'd heard it was better than The Da Vinci Code. After the first cardinal died, I did think, Sheesh, there's still a few more, but the pace and exposition were at least snappy and straightforward. The sets and locations were also appropriately highlighted, given that they are woven into the narrative.

For some reason, I was also more comfortable with the idea of Tom Hanks (Robert Langdon) as action hero this time around. But it has to be said that the real star in this film is Ewan McGregor (Camerlengo Patrick McKenna). Regrettably, I often forget how good he is, and how good-looking, until I see him in a film.

After the movie, we had lunch at Samurai Japanese restaurant in Hawthorn (via the urbanspoon app on Hub's iPhone - nifty). A great find, really. It's a hole in a wall establishment, completely without airs and serving super cheap but fresh Japanese fare. I think we spent $43 for a four course meal for both (miso soup each, small prawn tempura for me, deep fried pork dumpling for Hubs, shared sushi and sashimi set, chicken teriyaki main for me, chicken curry for Hubs, a couple bottles of Japanese softdrink called Ramune, and a shared dessert of green tea ice cream). There's also a thermos of green tea provided at each table without charge. Awrsum.