So far I've identified seven categories for my occasional "Documenting Our Urban Environment" series; Little Shops, Big Retail, The Wheels Of Commerce, Urban Infrastructure, Industrial Sites, and The Home Front. Oh wait, I said 7. Indeed. The most important of all, Eateries.

One of the best restaurants that I've encountered in the Illawarra, nay, pretty much in the country, is My Pantry in north Wollongong. Not for the views; it effectively has none, looking out as it does onto a street and a large hotel on the far side of it. Not necessarily for the furniture, which is functional rather than artistic. Maybe for the décor, which is made up of eclectic bric-a-brac and posters from the dolce vita of the late 50's / early 60's (for the most part) Mediterranean.

But the food. Oh the food is so very, very good. The quality, the subtlety of the tastes, the refinement of the cooking, Such. Good. Food.

On an unrelated note, over the last 20 years governments have closed down a lot of regional (and suburban) post offices and leased them out to agents. The former Thirroul post office, for example, was closed down and postal services were taken over by a cheerful and friendly Asian couple in the white timber cottage next door (seen to the right of this shot).

Where am I going with this?

The family that runs My Pantry bought out the old post office building and refitted it as a new restaurant called The Postman's Quarter.

The view will be as good as My Pantry's is. But if the food is, I don't care.

Naturally, this will need to be sampled.