The Greatness of.....Great Lunches.

[El Presidente]

After i finished up the Friday live vid review I headed off for a great long lunch with 14 close mates. This one was a little different as my good friend Manu flew in from Singapore. Manu is the man who helped me get into the cigar business in 1996. I worked with him in Asia for two years prior to that, was his corporate banker in OZ 8 years prior to that.

Manu is more than a mate, he is a mentor in many ways. I wish everyone could pocket a personal mentor who knows you backwards, been a friend for 25 years and who is successful and at peace/successful in their personal, family and business lives, one who is slow to comment and long on caring. From time to time we could all use one!

Lunch was at Birdcage, one of my favourite local restaurants where we booked the cellar section.

I love a simple lunch where the chef brings out plates and plates....and plates of food (completely up to him) and the wine runs freely. In the end it cost $100 a head which is a bargain here.

Headed back to the deck where we all had cigars, wine, 18 year old Chivas. the laughter was raucous, the mood light, the storytelling of experiences shared among us over the years.... litigious

At the end of a long day....Manu and I headed off to dinner at a leading local restaurant. Not sure how we got in....had a ball. Post dinner drinks and a cigar at a little bar not far from his hotel.

One of the great days that grounds you and at the same time inspires.

I wasn't inspired Saturday by any means.....arghhhh

Long live the long lunch done well!

[bolivr]

Amen. That's a cracker!

[Hash]

It is a blessing to have good friends and good cigars, what more can you ask.

[NJP]

A long lunch isn't a long lunch unless dinner and a night cap are involved. Good form.

[OZCUBAN]

Well said Rob you are I truly blessed to such friends possessed

And so true that's what I love about F.O.H ...it's the friendship

[Trimming]

Too few and far between.

[Rushman]

Sounds like quite a day. Good for you

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[helix]

The best......... hang'in with those few folks that set you back on track............priceless!

[ogus]

Glad to hear of this beautiful friendship

[Jeremy Festa]

I met up with a an industry colleague who is fast becoming a mate. It was at an industry lunch at Aria, here in Brisbang. It was a Wednesday (unfortunately not a Friday), for 30 people, the attorney general spoke about progress throughout the city, then we enjoyed lunch.

We started discussing the long forgotten Friday lunches. Now this colleague/mate, works as a young gun at a prominent law firm here in Australia. He had some great stories. One of which was relayed throughout the firm.

Goes like this...

Back in the late '80's early '90's, the epitome of cool, and a barometer of how high up the ladder you were in the practice, was how early you could leave for the famous, Friday lunch. And then not come back. He then asked me, "what do you think the record was?" To which I replied I didn't know, he said, "Thursday Lunch."

Went on to say, Christopher Skase used to come in and take the partners out from Thursday Lunch, through Thursday night, Friday, and into Saturday. Conjures up imagery of an Aussie version of Mad Men! And worse.

[...]

I love lunch stories. Similar stories can be heard of in various business, including insurance broking with which I'm familiar. Even better to be the protagonist of such epic stories

Well done Prez, keep up the good work!

[Colt45]

I wasn't inspired Saturday by any means.....arghhhh

what size skirt do you wear?

[Skyfall]

[Warren]

Saturday must have been a right off. You were in fine form when I left and there was still plenty of Chivas left at that stage and I know that you and Manu hate to see that stuff go to waste.

[tjohn7]

Great friends, great food, great cigars. Those are the days you wish would never end.