Give Peas a Chance

Bistro Moulin; Monterey, USA

2010-11-04T22:17:00.001+11:00

During my recent USA trip, I spent a long weekend in Monterey. Since I was a total noob to the area, I looked up Yelp to find restaurants. Bistro Moulin was top-rated, so we wandered down some dark streets to find the little restaurant, tucked far away from the tourist hot-spots.

Bistro Moulin is a tiny little restaurant, specialising in European Cuisine. They have a small, but creative, menu, with a longer wine-list than menu selection. The vegetarian selection was extremely limited - lucky for me the dishes were fantastic.

It's like being in Paris again!

The small but interesting menu.

Where wine corks go to die.

We ordered a local wine - a Riesling from Scheid Vineyards, Monterey.

Supporting local industry ;)

Complimentary bread. So delish I wanted more.

Betteraves Roties ~ roasted beets, mache salad, goat cheese & candied walnuts.

The Betteraves Roties was a fantastic salad - light and fresh.

Fresh fish of the day.

Gnocchi con Spinaci~ spinach gnocchi au gratin.

The gnocci was divine. Light, fluffy, and covered in thick cheese. I could have eaten double the amount - and possibly made myself ill.

Fresh berries and cream.

The berries ... ahhhh fresh berries are so much better in the US and Europe.

Chocolate tart.

The tart was so rich I only finished half of it. It made me sick to the stomach to leave behind such a tasty tart.

I can't recommend Bistro Moulin highly enough. It more than lived up to the Yelp recommendation.

Bistro Moulin
867 Wave St
Monterey, CA, USA

BabyCakes NYC

2010-10-25T22:48:00.001+11:00

BabyCakes NYC makes cupcakes that are vegan as well as refined sugar-free, kosher, egg-free, gluten-free and soy-free. Thinking they must taste like cardboard? Nope! BabyCakes NYC are famous for a reason - delicious, healthy cupcakes, making them a must-see on my recent trip.

Cute shopfront tucked away in a tiny alley. Wouldn't have known it was there if we didn't have the address!

Adorable insides. The shop was packed while we were there, so it was amazing I was able to take this photo with no people in it.

Menu - on the front of the glass.

Gluten-free vanilla. Uh-mazing. How can something so tasty be good for you?

Spelt blueberry. Similarly amazing.

I was expecting the cupcakes to be bland and heavy, but they were delicious. Moist, light, sweet and creamy. BabyCakes NYC has also released a popular cookbook which is now high on my wish list.

Haha love NYC. Sign on the street outside the store. Too funny.

BabyCakes NYC

248 Broome St

New York, NY

Jacques Torres Chocolate; Brooklyn, USA

2010-10-24T22:20:00.000+11:00

When in a city as full of food as New York, it's advisable to stay with a foodie so you don't waste time and stomach space eating at the lesser food joints. I was fortunate to be staying with a trained pasty chef who made it her mission to take me to as many vego and chocolate places as possible. Culinary tours of NYC, eat your heart out.

One little placed I loved was Jacques Torres Chocolate in their D.U.M.B.O location, Brooklyn. This little shop was bustling with lovers of fine chocolate. I sampled some of the handmade truffles (or bon bons as they seem to be called here) and they were delicious - creamy chocolate and light fillings.

Hello Mr Chocolate!

Tasty treats.

Festive store.

Delish-looking cookies.

Big Daddy bar, oh yeah!

Jacques Torres D.U.M.B.O

66 Water St

Brooklyn

Greens; San Francisco, USA

2010-10-21T21:21:00.001+11:00

My latest trip to the US of A was filled with some fantastic food. My lovely friends looked up some great vego restaurants to take me, so I was completely spoiled for choice.

The one restaurant I did look up in advance was Greens in San Francisco. After reading a blog post about it, I was super keen to go. I invited three veggie-friendly friends, and we had a fantastic evening eating delish food and watching the sun set over the bay.

When dining on a Saturday night, you have to order from the Prix Fixe menu, which is a set price. It was $49 plus drinks when I was there, but during the off season, it includes wine. I am full of sadness that I didn't blog this sooner, as their menu has now changed and I was so jet lagged that I can't remember the names of the dishes. FAIL! The set menu included a starter, bread, an appetiser, a main and dessert.

Starter - goats cheese.

Bread. Fresh and delish. I *may* have asked for more ...

I don't remember what was in these ... epic blogger fail.

Heirloom tomato salad.

Rocket and mushroom salad.

Bean salad and ... I can't remember the rest of the dish!

Tortellini and tomato pasta dish.

Watching the sun set over the bay. Tres romantic!

We also had some amazing desserts, but sadly the photos were rubbish so they're not here.

The dishes at Greens are devine. Some really creative ideas and fresh produce = an amazing night out for any food lover, vegetarian or not. The restaurant was packed - but considering it's in SF, that's probably not surprising. If you're planning a visit, book ahead in plenty of time, especially for a Saturday night. Ask for a table by the window so you can be romanced by the view. SF, I <3 you.

Greens Restaurant
Fort Mason, Building A
San Francisco

Brunch at Di Bella; North Melbourne

2010-10-21T20:31:00.002+11:00

While in Melbourne, we took the opportunity to meet with a friend who lived locally. She recommended we have brunch at her favourite cafe, Di Bella, in North Melbourne.

Lucky we had her advice, or we wouldn't have noticed this awesome little cafe. The cafe is also the roasting house for the Di Bella coffee beans. Inside you can see the beans being roasted and on their way to becoming your next beverage.

Inconspicuous front.

While dining with locals, I like to adopt their customs. My friend and her boyfriend's breakfast custom is to order brekkie and a slice of cake at the same time. They eat the cake while waiting for breakfast to arrive. Unorthodox, but worth a try!

Cheesecake!

Some kind of blueberry slice.

An unidentifiable pastry ... cherry perhaps?

Pear and chocolate scroll - super tasty!

My actual breakfast - muesli with strawberry yoghurt. The muesli was amazing - full of grains and nuts.

Porridge!

Eggs benedict.

Beans!

Many kinds of beans!

Visit Di Bella for an authentic local breakfast. Do the double breakfast like we did, it's worth the taut stomach afterwards.

Di Bella Roasting Warehouse
19 - 21 Leveson St
North Melbourne

Koko Black; Melbourne

2010-10-21T20:19:00.000+11:00

I'm so lazy. This post has been sitting as a draft for over two months. I visited Koko Black when I was in Melbourne in August. I'd been to the Koko Black in Canberra and was keen to revisit the chocolate heaven in another state. We had to wait about 15 minutes for a table - popular!

Deliciousness lies inside!

Fancy hot chocolate. It was ok - not as good as French hot chocolate. I'm guessing it's the power they use?

Chocolate Moelleux: this was a kind of chocolate cake specific to the Melbourne store. It was uh-mazing.

Chocolate mousse. It was incredibly rich, so could only eat about half of it.

Lots to chose from on the menu.

I selected a few items to take back as gifts. They had several blocks with things like fruit and nuts in them.

Handmade chocolates - delish!

What I like most about Koko Black is the staff clearly love chocolate. The very helpful girl at the counter gave me a flier with the recipe for the chocolate moelleux when I commented how much I liked it. When are you opening in Sydney Koko Black?!

Brasserie Bakery Cafe; Banksmeadow

2010-08-01T21:24:00.001+10:00

I met a dear friend at the Brasserie Bakery Cafe in Banksmeadow for brunch/lunch today. I've been wanting to go for yonks as I love love their bread.

The store is kinda in the middle of nowhere, and has a very factory-like appearance. The cafe is attached to the bakery, where I'm also super-keen to try a class.

We arrived at 12pm and the cafe was packed. There was a long line to get a table, and another line to order and pay for food at the bottom counter. In this photo the crowd has thinned somewhat.

Sourdough hotcakes with stewed berries and honeycomb cream.

We both ordered the hotcakes, and they were just amazing. Amazing, amazing. Fluffy, light, fabulous texture (how exactly are they made with sourdough?), with the berries the perfect tartness against the hotcakes, and the sweet cream topping off the deliciousness. Sigh ....

The cafe also sells take-away pastries. I bought three to try back at home, more on them below.

The retail outlet attached to the cafe.

Bread, my friend. How I heart thee.

I bought a loaf of white sourdough to take home. It was just delish.

Cute little dinner rolls.

More gorgeous bread sticks.

Medieval bread-making device?

Gentlemen's Marmelade - love the name.

Seeded beauties.

Prize-winning bread.

Chocolate and caramel tart.

The chocolate and caramel tart was divine. Thick, dark chocolate covering a layer of sweet caramel on a buttery shortbread crust.

Lemon curd tart with meringue top.

The lemon tart was fabulous - soft, creamy meringue with bite-y lemon underneath.

Peach tart.

The peach tart was actually my favourite as I just adore anything with peach in it. The peaches were perfectly cooked, the tart soft with crunchy edges - amazing.

The Brasserie Bakery Cafe definitely lived up to its reputation. I will be back again soon!

The Brasserie Bakery Cafe
1737 Botany Rd
Banksmeadow
NSW 2019
Ph: 1300 966 845

Brunch at Bills; Surry Hills

2010-07-31T16:44:00.002+10:00

Sometimes the heavens seem to point you in the direction of food you have to try. A few weekends ago I had a serendipitious moment where I needed to take my dogs to a grooming parlour that was a few doors down from the famous Bills. Several of my foodie friends rave about Bills, so it was like it was meant to be.

Sadly, the restaurant didn't share my sense of divine purpose, and we had to wait about 45 minutes for a table, where we were then seated by the drafty door. Still, I had been waiting so long to try this amazing breakfast that I was still in a great mood, buzzing with anticipation.

I only took a few pics as I was delirious with hunger by the time our food arrived...

The husband's pretty coffee.

The husband's brekkie: Scrambled organic eggs with sourdough toast. Added roast tomatoes, bacon and mushrooms.

The husband's comments: Pretty good, but not spectacular. Portion of bread was too small for the rest of the dish.

Ricotta hotcakes with fresh banana and honeycomb butter.

My brekkie was amazing. Every bit as good as my friends had raved about. The hotcakes were fluffy, light and absolutely amazing. I will be back so I can order another serving of these alone.

Bills
359 Crown St
Surry Hills
Ph 9360 4762

Favoloso Cafe Store Deli; Bronte

2010-07-31T16:30:00.002+10:00

On a recent team offsite, we ended up at Favoloso Cafe Deli Store in Bronte. My team mate lives near by and promised us delicious things from her local cafe. She was 100% right and I was amazed I'd never heard about this little gem before. I presume the locals like to keep it a secret. Well, too bad, the secret's out now! Their website describes the cafe/store better than I could, as "a Sicilian-inspired cafe, delicatessen and local store with authentic, home-made meals and a great neighourhood vibe in true Italian-style".

Unassuming shopt front.

Deli section is attached to the cute cafe.

Lunch menu - chock full of vego options. Hooray!

Plus awesome specials - again, heavy on the vego options.

They specialise in awesome teas - this was a green variety.

Fluffy potato gnocci with pesto and parmesan. OMG. I wanted to eat it again once I was done.

Arancini balls with salad - so amazing.

Giant cookies bring out the kid in me.

They stocked Pat and Stick's ice-creams - we tried three varieties.

Carmel pecan - so amazing.

Favoloso Cafe Store Deli
43-45 Belgrave St
Bronte, NSW
Ph: 9389 8002

Gunners' Barracks High Tea

2010-07-31T16:09:00.001+10:00

A morning high tea in the drizzly rain adds an air of elegance to an otherwise gray weekend.

Yes, I was back at Gunners' Barracks again, with some friends who dearly wanted to try the famous high tea I always rave about. It was a cold day, but thankfully they provided us with heaters.

We had the afternoon tea, despite the 11am booking. We heard some of the wait staff explaining what each item was to different tables, but, sadly, ours was just delivered with no additional information, so I'm giving my best guess as to what each item was.

Vintage tea cups. Very elegant.

Close-up of the fine china.

Our sweets.

This was my favourite - a type of mango pudding.

Ohhhh delicious.

Peach muffins and vanilla cheesecake.

Sandwiches for the non-vegos - egg, beef and tuna I think.

My sandwiches - egg salad (this was my favourite), cucumber and avocado and tomato.

Savouries - scone (absolutely perfect - crunchy on the outside, fluffy in the middle), leek tart and curry puff. All really tasty.

Chocolate orange macaron. Really light and delicious.

Chocolate cake - creamy and moist. Really delish.

Tea selection - I can't remember what I chose. The amount you can chose from is impressive.

Tapioca pearls. Mmmmmm.

Once again, the service and food was superb. I wish every dining experience was as pleasant as a trip to the Gunners' Barracks.

End of Suakin Drive,

Georges Heights,

Sydney, NSW

Good Food & Wine Show 2010; Darling Harbour

2010-07-28T19:27:00.002+10:00

It doesn't seem like a year has passed since I last battled crowds to get the best freebies on offer at the Sydney Good Food & Wine Show. We arrived at 9:45 and when the doors opened at 10am we had a pleasant stroll around the floor before the hordes arrived.

This year we started out with a cheese masterclass held by Cheese Matters.

We started with the squishy cheeses - Persian feta, brie, Camembert.

Moving on to cheddar, parmesan and a nutty Swiss.

Last was the washed rind and blue cheeses. Blue = still not for me!

Persian feta - so tasty

Giant wheel of Camembert.

Brie - great with grapes.

Surprise Bay cheddar on apple with quince paste. Amazing. I had about four of these alone.

Parmesan on pear.

Washed rind with apricot.

We had matching wines - my favourite was this Preece Moscato. It's also the reason why I spent the rest of the show totally buzzed.

Lush Berries.

Up close - pretty patterns.

Difficulty maintaining structural integrity.

Sensational blueberries.

I bought a kilo of this amazing museli for a friend who is gluten intolerant.

I took home a Blood Orange oil - great for cooking into chocolate cake apparently.

Because I hadn't had enough cheese already ... the Cheese Matters stand.

I had this mousse last year too - so delicious from Sabor Portuguese Mousse.

Chocolate from Josophan's in the Blue Mountains. SO delicious.

Wine from Tempus Two. Again, what I surely needed was more wine.

Suckfizzle wine - delicious!

Love this display from Ernest Hillier's.

Watching Pete Evans cook the perfect pizza.

Chocolate frogs from Adora.

My stash.

There is a lot of talk over which is the better food event, this or the Taste of Sydney. I much prefer the GF&WS purely because the Tasty of Sydney had NO vegetarian food whatsoever, and I left hungry. In contrast, there was stacks of vegetarian food here for me to sample, and I left stuffed and satisfied. Mission accomplished.

Appreciate Chocolate Class at Signorelli Gastronomia

2010-07-11T17:33:00.001+10:00

I attended another of Signorelli's cooking classes for a friend's birthday. The chocolate-lover's birthday fell on the day of the course, so we considered it a sign from above that we were meant to be there.

This time, it was Appreciate Chocolate with Kakawa Chocolate's Jin Sun Kim and David Ralph. The class consisted of a master tasting session, history of chocolate and demonstrations of how to temper chocolate, make ganache and create truffles.

The evening started with a platter of delicious fruits and dipping chocolate, and some potent Toblerone cocktails.

Nothing says welcome like a tasting platter...

... and cocktails.

Ohhh, pretty things waiting to be tasted.

Kakawa's David Ralph spouts wisdom.

Ground up cacao beans - not especially tasty.

Dark chocolate - not my favourite, but not bitter like most generic dark chocolate is.

White "chocolate". Mmm sugary...

Blend of milk chocolate - love it. The markings are from bubble wrap.

Champagne truffles.

Basil truffles. Not for me, but very shiny.

Passionfruit/mango truffles. Amazing.

Almond slivers in milk chocolate.

Tempering chocolate.

Mmmm I'd like to lick the chocolate off the slab. Who cares about truffles.

Hello master bar tender. Thank you for the exquisite beverages.

The class was excellent and I learned a great deal about chocolate. I was also given a huge amount of chocolate to taste and then take home. I have a high tolerance for chocolate, but still felt ill after eating so much chocolate. I can't wait to go to Kakawa's store eat more of their chocolate!

SIGNORELLI GASTRONOMIA
Ground floor of Accenture/Google Building
Trouton Place Pyrmont NSW 2009
(opposite Metcalfe Park)
P: 02 8571 0616

Lachlan's Restaurant; Parramatta Park

2010-07-07T20:54:00.002+10:00

The past six months have flown. I can't believe we've been married for half a year already. Amazing.

We wanted to do something a bit fun for the occasion, so I booked lunch at Lachlan's Restaurant in Parramatta Park.

Lachlan's is smack bang in the middle of Parramatta Park. The building was once Lachlan Macquarie's old government house. It has been resorted and turned into a restaurant. Thankfully, the old world charm remains.

Strolling across the park, on a stunning winter's day, towards the restaurant.

Tables set up on the balcony.

We were a bit early, so took a stroll around the property. The restaurant sits on Parramatta River. Very picturesque.

Pretty!

Our cosy table by the fire.

Herb bread with sun dried tomato. Very nice, fresh bead.

Potato and cauliflower soup with croutons. This was sensational. Creamy, thick and steaming hot.

Fish and chips.

Pumpkin and ricotta tart. It was a bit over-cooked sadly. I've eaten it before at this restaurant and it was sensational.

Affogato.

Money shot.

Sticky date and banana pudding. It was quite nice, but could have done with a smaller cake portion and more sauce. It was a little bit dry.

Possibly the best thing about the restaurant is the service. The staff couldn't have been more helpful or considerate. It's also a great location, set smack in the middle of a beautiful park. I'll definitely be back.

Lachlan's Restaurant
Old Government House
Parramatta Park, NSW
1300 596 286

Cooking with Zumbo

2010-06-28T22:50:00.003+10:00

I have long been a fan of Adriano Zumbo, the fantastic pastry chef based in Balmain. I found a cooking class he was taking at the restaurant under my building - Signorelli. An evening with Zumbo? Who could resist?

The unlikely celebrity, Adriano Zumbo.

The class fell on an evening with torrential rain. Many people were running late - including the star of the night. Adriano arrived, full of apologies and bearing several trays of intriguing looking ingredients.

Adriano demonstrated two desserts that he had created just for the occasion. A new version of tiramisu and a lemon curd tart with olive oil sorbet.

Watching Adriano in action was fascinating. The softly-spoken man had the room's attention with his every move and word. Several members of the class were scribbling down notes furiously, asking questions that would help them re-create the recipe at home. I happily know what my baking limits are, so was content instead to photograph and listen to the words of wisdom the great chef had to depart on us.

As he cooks, Zumbo shares his tips and stories of his childhood. He tells us about his time in France and his dislike for their huge food wastage. After he mentions this I notice as the night goes on that nothing goes to waste. Any extra material is boxed up in plastic containers for re-use. Burnt pine nuts are salvaged.

Most interesting is watching Zumbo crack open eggs on handed, with the reflex of one who has cracked more eggs than I shall ever consume in my lifetime. He shows us how to separate the yolk using our hands for a cleaner separation (some recipes require the yolk and egg white to be cooked at different temperatures, so having bits of white left on the yolk can spoil the dessert).

Zumbo whisks up the first of many frothy components.

The finished product, "tirimisu".

Lemon curd tart with olive oil sorbet.

After the two-hour class, we get the chance to speak with Zumbo. He is humble about his success and thanks us sincerely for coming to his class. We bow in worship a few times before heading out into the cold night.

I meet the genius.

SIGNORELLI GASTRONOMIA
Ground floor of Accenture/Google Building
Trouton Place Pyrmont NSW 2009
(opposite Metcalfe Park)
P: 02 8571 0616

Doyles; Watson's Bay

2010-06-26T10:46:00.001+10:00

I had a rare fancy lunch out at Doyles on the Beach restaurant at Watson's Bay with work colleagues.

We caught the ferry from Circular Quay and had a touristy trip across the harbour.

30 mins later, we were at Watson's Bay. The restaurant is right near the ferry dock.

We found a table outside under a heater where we could still see the stunning view.

Cute little butters.

Super-tasty bread. Warm and crunchy on the outside.

Fresh oysters.

Seafood chowder.

Salad with Parmesan and pear. SUPER delish.

Pasta marinara - the only vegetarian option on the menu.

Stuffed prawns, fish, salmon, chips. Be warned, the stuffed prawns contain bacon.

Seafood marinara.

Cute coffee.

The food was all delicious - very fresh, tasty, with quick service. The only downside of the lunch was the politeness of our waiter. He was very unhelpful, especially when our fish-etarian found bacon in her fish. A word of advice - the customer is always right!

Storm rolls in as we leave the restaurant.

Ferry ride home.

Sydney, you are so beautiful!

Pizza Olla; Cammeray

2010-06-03T21:16:00.001+10:00

The rainy weather made me crave pizza, so we tried a new place recommended by a friend in Cammeray, Pizza Olla.

It was a great night for a quick, cheap, tasty dinner. They have a large pizza menu and cater well for vegetarians with several vege sections on their menu.

The restaurant is casual and modern. Simple, bright decor, with a large wine bar. The service was friendly and fast, the food fresh and delish.

Garlic bread.

Personalised pizza - BBQ sauce, bocconcini, pineapple, tomato.

The pizza was great. I had a regular size, which was the prefect size for me without overly stuffing myself. The base was crispy, the toppings plentiful. Yum!

Mmmm melty cheese!

Alec's pizza - love the basil leaves.

Pizza Olla
Stockland Cammeray,
450 - 476 Miller Street
NSW 2062
Ph 9776 6552

Emad's Restaurant; Surry Hills

2010-05-29T16:05:00.001+10:00

I'm working on a few other projects at the moment, so cooking and eating out have fallen by the wayside, along with blogging.

I had a rare night out at Emad's Restaurant in Surry Hills for a dear work friend's farewell. Emad's is a quaint little Lebanese restaurant with little rooms leading on to other rooms like a rabbit warren. Very cosy for a rainy night.

The restaurant has a run-down feel to it, which adds to the authenticness. The staff are friendly and cheerful, making for a warm environment.

Since we had a party of 10, we had the banquet menu including coffee or tea and baklava for $35pp. There were two of us vegetarians, so we received an alternate vegetarian banquet for the same price. We didn't see a menu or receive an explanation of the dishes, so I have no idea what they're called. The food was fresh, tasty and plentiful. I will definitely be back. Please excuse the bad photos - I was experimenting with and without my flash, so they're a bit odd.

Hummus?

Tabouli.

The meat version - very nice presentation.

Vege version. No idea what was in them, but they tasted great.

Mixed vege dishes - spiced potatoes, capsicum, mushroom, etc.

No idea what these were, but they were kind of lemony ...

Bonus entertainment before dessert.

Baklava and Turkish delight. Exquisite.

Herbal tea - I think it was rose.

Emad's Restaurant
298 Cleveland St
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Phone (02) 9698 2631

Becasse Degustation Dinner, Sydney

2010-05-10T20:40:00.000+10:00

The husband's birthday required a special dinner. I decided on Becasse purely because they offered a vegetarian degustation as a regular menu on their site, plus they have great reviews. I really appreciated having the menu to browse rather than turning up and hoping for the best, which is what I have to do at the majority of restaurants offering degustations. The staff tell me that they are really popular with vegetarians, and I can see why. Their menu is really delicious, with some creative dishes instead of the standard risotto and so on.

The standout dish was the dessert - it was amazing and I had to resist licking the plate lean afterwards.

I took photos of both of our meals, so the photos reflect the vegetarian and meat degustations. I decided to include the menus below instead of captions as this way you get a better view of what you get included in each menu - also, I couldn't remember which dish was which!

The menus offer matching wines. We only ordered wine with the husband's dishes as I had to drive home later. The wine was amazing, so I strongly recommend getting the matching wines for non-drivers. I have included the wines for the meat degustation since these were the ones we ordered. It ends up being about 3 standard glasses of wine in total, as a guide.

Vegetarian Degustation

Canapé

Amuse bouche

Salad of organic autumn vegetables
pea mousseline, white carrot purée, black olive and lemon balm

Heirloom tomato and green zebra gazpacho
golden tomato and olive oil sorbet

‘Potage Quat’ Saisons’

Courgette flowers
salad of pine nuts, pomegranate and mint

Caramelised endive and pear gallette
butternut squash purée, cocoa nibs and walnuts

Tortellini of beetroot
sweet potato mousseline, brown onion consommé, rye bread and chestnut mushrooms

Passionfruit vacherin
mango sorbet

Fresh autumn berries
lemon verbena and white chocolate parfait, almond dentelle

Meat Degustation

Canapé

Amuse bouche

Salad of organic autumn vegetables
pea mousseline, white carrot puree, black olive and lemon balm
2007 Hirsch “Heiligenstein”, Grüner Veltliner, Kamptal

Yabby tails and heirloom tomatoes
green zebra gazpacho, golden tomato and olive oil sorbet
2008 Caves de Pouilly-sur-Loire, Coteaux du Giennois, Sauvignon Blanc, LoireValley

Low temperature cooked Hapuka fillet
braised leeks and baby onions, clam beignets, curry and crème fraiche
2009 Allies “Saône”, Viognier, MorningtonPeninsula

Fricassée of king prawns and hand rolled macaroni,
local prosciutto and smoked crustacea butter
2008 Mac Forbes Pinot Noir, YarraValley

Braised pork tails and smoked scallops
caramelised calves sweetbreads, celeriac and congo potatoes
2006 Bodega Catena Zapata, Catena Malbec, Mendoza

Roast Gundooee organic grass fed wagyu
sauté of mushrooms, red wine and bone marrow
2008 Bress Shiraz, Heathcote & Bendigo

Crème fraiche pannacotta
kiwi fruit granita

Fresh autumn berries
lemon verbena and white chocolate parfait, almond dentelle
2009 Two Hands Brilliant Disguise Moscato, BarossaValley

204 Clarence Street,
Sydney 2000
Telephone: +61 (0)2 9283 3440

Gunners' Barracks High Tea

2010-04-06T20:17:00.000+10:00

The wonderful folks at the Gunners' Barracks gave us a complimentary Champagne high tea as a thank you gift after our wedding, so we decided to use it to celebrate our three-month-versary over Easter weekend.

It was a bit of a gray day, but the view still looked spectacular.

The husband. Musing over the last time we stood in this exact spot three months earlier.

Elegant china.

Tasty savories - scones, curry triangles and cheese tarts.

The sandwiches and delicacies came wrapped in a napkin to protect them from the predatory kookaburras. The waitstaff told us they liked to target the sandwiches... we laughed and started to eat up. True to the warning, a kookaburra swooped in and snatched a sandwich off a plate and took off before I caught a good look at it. Stealthy little bugger. Seriously impressive sandwich-stealing ninja skills.

The sandwiches - a mere moment before the kookaburra stole one.

Beautiful teas in polished tea pots. Mine was called "blueberry muffin" and indeed tasted like its namesake.

A very civilised way to spend a public holiday.

Amazing view from Georges Head.

Burnt Finger Pasta Bake

2010-04-05T20:32:00.000+10:00

I invited some friends over for dinner and made a new dish - vegetable pasta bake. I burned my finger on the saucepan boiling the pasta and spent the next 20 mins with my finger under the cold water tap while directing my fantastic husband on how to finish the meal for me.

The pasta dish tasted amazing and I will be making it again - although in a smaller amount as it made enough to feed about eight people.

Vegetable Pasta Bake (Feeds 6 - 8)

Ingredients

500g penne pasta
1.5 - 1.7L tomato pasta sauce
1 onion
4 large carrots, diced
1 - 2 large heads of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 - 2 large heads of broccoli, cut into florets
1 block cheddar cheese, grated

Directions
Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Lightly grease a large baking dish (30cm - 20cm ish).

Cook pasta until just tender. Drain.

Cook onion and pasta sauce, add pepper.

Place vegetables in a large microwave-safe dish. Nuke on high for 5 mins (or until just tender).

Add pasta and vegetables into the sauce and stir the sauce through.

Spoon into dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle cheese over the top.

Place, covered, in the oven for 20 mins. Remove lid or cover and cook, uncovered, for a further 10 - 15 minutes.

Serve with a side salad. I made a tomato medley salad with mixed green leaves and green capsicum. Dressing was a simple oil and balsamic mix.

Pasta sauce cooking.

Much penne.

Vegetables, pasta and sauce mixed.

In the dish, with cheese sprinkled on top.

Baked and ready to serve.

Medley of tomatoes.

Mixed with greens.

Taste of Sydney Food Festival

2010-03-14T21:09:00.003+11:00

I visited the Taste of Sydney festival today in Centennial Park with some girl friends. It was my first time at the festival so I wasn't sure what to expect.

The entry fee was $27 if bought online in advance or $30 at the door. My friend gave me a code to buy two tickets for the price of one, so off we went to the food fair. I should really have done my research first, because what I didn't realise was that there would be no vegetarian food there except for cheese and desserts... Of the many swish restaurants there serving their signature dishes in miniature, not a single one offered any kind of food that I could eat, except for their desserts.

Seriously hungry, I trawled the stalls for food I could eat, and came across the Grumpy Baker.

I tried several pieces of their amazing bread...

And settled on a delicious raspberry muffin. I don't usually eat muffins due to the high fat and sugar content, but this one was just amazing - the best I've ever had by a long shot.

Cheese tasting was next - representing was King Island Dairy and Tasmanian Heritage. I had the most amazing smoked cheese at the King Island Dairy stall...

And a delicious Red Square washed rind at the Tasmanian Heritage stall. I made a repeat visit and tried their Camembert and Swiss. OMG so amazing. Why is cheese so delicious?

My downfall was the McGuigan Wine stall. For $2 you could get a tasting of six wines. They had a Moscato I was desperate to sample, so ponied up the $2. It was money well spent as I was given an extremely generous serving of each wine and ended up more than a little tipsy. I bought a bottle of the Moscato and Riesling to take home.

We had put our names on the wait list at the Planet Cake stall to decorate cupcakes. After the wine tasting we made our way there and I tried hard not to slice myself with any sharp implements while the wine was whirling in my head.

The ready-made cupcakes cost $4 each, but if you did the decorating "class" you got the keep the cupcake for free. Score!

They gave us all a prepped cupcake and circle of fondant.

Simply roll on the fondant and rub the special piece of plastic over the top to smooth it down.

Class busy at work.

Rolled up pieces of dark purple fondant to make the body.

White fondant for the wings. Voila!

I finished off the afternoon with a caramel and pecan ice-cream from Pat and Stick.

So incredibly good!

My small stash - I had to restrain myself. Apart from the wine I bought some macadamia dukkah from A Taste of the Bush and red wine liquor vinegar from Pukara Estate. We're going over a friend's house next Sunday and I will be taking these, along with a loaf of Sonoma, for snacks.

I did have a really fun afternoon, and if I do go again next year I will eat some solid food first in advance...

Home Cooking Basics: Minestrone Stew

2010-03-08T12:17:00.001+11:00

Another hearty meal meal for cooler nights. This minestrone stew makes enough for 4/5 servings, so it's great to make on the weekend and reheat throughout the week. And yes, it says "stew" not soup. It started as a soup that I kept adding chunky veges to, so now it's more like a stew - which I actually prefer.

Minestrone Stew

Ingredients

2 - 3 cloves garlic
1 onion
1 - 2 spring onions
1 - 2 potatoes
2 carrots
1 tin crushed tomatoes
1/2 container tomato paste
6 cups vegetable stock
1 tin four beans mix
1/2 - 1 cup pasta spirals or elbows
1 tin corn kernals
1 cup frozen peas

Directions
Brown cloves of garlic, onion and spring onion in a large frying pan.

Peel and dice potatoes and carrots. Add into frying pan and stir for a few minutes. Add in bean mix and stir.

Add in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and vegetable stock. Simmer for 20 - 30 mins, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes start to soften.

Add in the pasta, corn and peas. Season to taste. Simmer for further 20 - 30 mins, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are soft enough to eat. Serve with fresh bread.

Fresh ingredients. Add or subtract any veges you like.

Browning the garlic, onion and spring onion.

With the potatoes, carrots and bean mix.

With the addition of tinned tomato and tomato paste.

Adding in the vegetable stock. Simmering.

Last step - pasta, peas and corn.

Served - note the stew-like appearance rather than soup?

Served with Sonoma soy and linseed bread.

Home Cooking Basics: Hungarian Casserole

2010-03-06T12:44:00.001+11:00

It's been getting colder at night so I've been breaking out the comfort food. I thought I would give this one a go this week for the first time.

Hungarian Casserole

Ingredients

1 green capsicum
1 red capsicum
1 onion
Four large potatoes
3 carrots
1 tablespoon olive oil
30g butter
440g tinned chopped tomatoes
250ml / 1 cup vegetable stock
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
2 teaspoons paprika

Crispy Croutons

4 slices white bread
1 cup olive oil

Directions
Cut the capsicums in half, remove the seeds and roughly chop. Chop the onion. Cut the potatoes and carrots into large chunks. Heat the oil and butter in a large heavy-based frying pan and cook the potatoes and carrots over medium heat. turning regularly, until crisp on the edges.

Add the onion and red and green capsicum and cook for 5 minutes. Add the tinned tomatoes, vegetable stock, caraway seeds and paprika. Season to taste. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

To make the croutons, remove the crusts from the bread and cut the bread into small cubes. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the bread, turning often, for 2 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towel. Serve the croutons with the casserole.

Ingredients ready to go in. The carrots weren't in the original recipe but I thought it needed more vegetables in it.

Capsicums roughly cut.

Roughly cut potatoes and carrots.

Cooking potatoes and carrots in oil and butter.

Adding in capsicums, onion, vegetable stock.

With the addition of tinned tomatoes. I added in two fresh tomatoes chopped as well as my tinned tomato was only 410g.

Bread cut into cubes.

Cooked after simmering for about 20 mins. The potatoes were cut too big so it took a long time to cook.

Croutons lightly fried.

Dished up with the croutons on top.

The flavour of the sauce was really nice and the vegetables were really delicious with the sauce slowly cooked through them. Next time I will add some more vegetables and maybe some mixed beans. I'd also like to try it with sweet potato instead as it's lower GI.

Khacha Thai; Crows Nest

2010-03-04T12:25:00.000+11:00

Thai restaurants on Sydney seem to be a dime a dozen. It takes a while to try them all and suss out the best from the mediocre.

We have a plethora of Thai places to chose from on the North Shore, and after much repeated sampling of the various offerings the husband and I decided our favourite by a long shot is the humble Khacha Thai.

This little restaurant sits on the side of the Pacific Highway, yet is always quiet inside. They have a water feature on one wall, and lots of carvings of elephants decorating the walls and menus.

What I love about Khacha:

Quick, super-polite service
Great variety on the menu
Super delicious, fresh food
Amazing presentation (Sadly not captured by my camera on this trip).

Bright interior.

Vegetarian spring rolls. Crunchy and filled with delicious noodles and veges. The sauce is plum, not sweet chilli.

Vegetarian Pad Thai - totally perfect.

Khacha Thai
308A Pacific Hwy
Crows Nest
NSW 2065
02) 9966 8444

The Counter; Crows Nest

2010-03-03T14:11:00.001+11:00

I love burgers. Love them so much that when I stopped eating meat a while back the only meat I missed was the good ol' burger. Since then I've discovered a range of vegetarian burgers from both restaurants / cafes as well as pre-made patties that are sold in most supermarkets.

Not all vegie burgers are created equal. I've had some really gross ones in fact. It's all in the search for the perfect vegetarian burger - and The Counter comes very close to perfection.

Lucky for me, this restaurant is in my 'hood, so I go there a little too frequently.

Counter Burger is unique in that you can custom-make your own burger. I'm a fussy eater, so this is super for me. When you sit down, you're handed a clipboard and menu form to fill in your order. Very civilised. Select your protein, bun type and toppings. The toppings come in regular and premium with pricing to match. The bottom part of the menu has tasty additions like fries, salads and shakes.

The shakes are amazing. I always order a vanilla malt and slurp it up before my meal arrives. They have more creative types like apple pie, but I prefer the original - it feels very 1950s diner.

When we go with friends we order a few sides to share - such as the 50/50 sweet potato fries and onion rings. The sweet potato fries are addictive and there's never quite enough to satisfy everyone.

The regular fries are also an item we regularly order - after all, what is a burger without fries? Inconceivable! Counter fries are crisp and fresh - I usually slather them in one of the many choices of sauce the staff helpfully give us with them.

A friend orders the 500g beef burger. It looks insane. The burger bun is WAY too small for the patty. Our friend wolfs it down while we watch in horror and admiration. He's a growing lad after all.

My vegeburger is a modest affair. I add carrot strings, pineapple, cheddar cheese, tomato.

Sliced burger - check out the neat layers!

The problem with burger places is the compulsion to shovel the food into your mouth as quickly as possible, which makes for a short dining experience - as well as eating remorse a few hours later when your insides expand and push against your rib cage. We never learn, and will be back, again and again.

The Counter

118 Willoughby Rd
Crows Nest NSW 2065
(02) 9436 2700

Cool Food: Chocogram

2010-03-02T15:26:00.002+11:00

What better way to get a message to someone you care about than through the most divine food of all? I bought this for the new husband for Valentine's Day just for a laugh. The peeps at Chocogram make it possible to order customised messages made out of chocolate. The quality is pretty good, and the presentation is very nice.

Home Cooking Basics: Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

2010-03-02T11:27:00.001+11:00

I have a very dear friend who is an amazing cook. She frequently invites me over for meals at various times of the day, and always has some delish vegetarian dish she's just whipped up for me to test drive. Around Christmas-time she made a spinach and ricotta baked pasta dish that I just loved. She emailed me the recipe and I gave it a go on the weekend with my new oven.

The recipe calls for conchiglioni shells (large shells), but since they're hard to find (I tried four different stores with no shells before giving up), I decided to use lasagna sheets instead and turn it into cannelloni.

The recipe is a family one combined a book recipe for the directions on cooking and using the lasagna sheets.

Ingredients:

1 packet fresh lasagna sheets
1 bottle / batch of red pasta sauce (I make my own, but you can use a store-bought one. Just make sure it's a large bottle)
2 cloves of garlic
1 onion
2 eggs
500g ricotta
1/3 or 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Frozen spinach (I threw in 6 clumps in this dish, but you probably only need around 4 as it was a bit too spinachy)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to around 180 (fan-forced).
2. Cut lasagna into equal strips the size of the cannelloni you want to make. Make sure they fit the size of the baking pan you're going to cook in length ways.
3. Boil water in a large saucepan. When water is on the boil, drop 1 - 2 sheets of cut lasagna into the saucepan at a time to cook. Leave in until just before al dente. Should be about 1 - 2 mins. Remove with a wide spatula with draining holes in it. Place on the bench on a damp clean tea towel or damp paper towels to cool. Do not let them overlap.
4. In a large fry pan or saucepan, pour in a small amount of oil, brown garlic and onion. Add red sauce and simmer for 15 - 30 mins until it's a deep red in colour.
4. Cook spinach to directions. Make sure you remove all water or the cannelloni will get soggy.
5. In a large mixing bowl, mix the ricotta, eggs, parmesan cheese and spinach.
6. In a large baking pan, spoon or brush a small amount of the sauce over the bottom to just cover it.
7. Make the cannelloni by picking up each lasagna sheet and spooning the ricotta mixture down the centre. Fold the sides up and overlaps the edges to make a cigar-shape. Place in pan seam-side down. Repeat, adding each cannelloni tightly next to each other, without squashing them.
8. Divide the sauce into two parts. Add water to one part to make it runny, and spoon over the cannelloni in the pan. This is to make sure it doesn't dry out. Leave the remaining mixture on the stove at low heat.
9. Place foil over pan, and then put pan in oven for 30 mins. Remove foil and bake for another 10 mins.
10. Remove pan from oven, sit for 10 mins. Dish up required cannelloni on places and spoon on hot fresh sauce to serve.

Lasagna sheets cut and ready to cook.

Garlic and onion browning in the pan.

Cooking the lasagna sheets.

Little lasagna sheets cooling off.

Filling mixture.

Making the cannelloni.

Sealed.

Tomato sauce bubbling away.

Placed on the tomato layer in the pan.

Sauce added on top.

After being cooked in the oven.

Sliced through.

Plated with the fresh sauce on top.

Cooking Basics: Eight-Vegetable Stir Fry

2010-03-01T22:19:00.004+11:00

Home I get asked a lot what I eat, like it's impossible for some people to contemplate meals ... without meat!

I cook basic meals most nights at home. I usually get home around 6:30 - 7pm and am too tired to think of anything creative. I have a good range of dishes I can whip up quickly without too much effort - such as the good ol' stir fry.

I made this one last week while we were unpacking and spending long hours at work. I try to use a lot of vegetables in my cooking for variety and nutritional value.

Vegetables used:

spring onion
red capsicum
carrots
broccoli
snow peas
baby bok choy
cabbage
cauliflower

I do a quick flash stir fry so as not to overcook the veges. I added walnuts towards the end, and cooked Basmarti rice to serve it with.

Cooking the veges that need longer time in the wok - capsicum, broccoli, cauliflower, snow peas, spring onion and carrots.

Baby bok choy sliced and ready to go in at the end.

When the veges are almost done, I add in the cabbage and bok choy. I also love bean sprouts but couldn't find any this time.

I add in the nuts and then sauce right at the end. I often make my own sauce, but tonight I used one from the supermarket as I was feeling lazy - a Kan Tong ginger and soy number that is really tasty.

Ready to be served.

Dished up on Basmarti rice.

Bin 24; North Strathfield

2010-02-15T11:25:00.003+11:00

I've been moving house and have no internet in the new place yet, so my posts are a little behind.

This dinner was for my dad's birthday last weekend, while we were smack in the middle of moving house. We met at Bin 24 in North Strathfield, a hatted Italian restaurant in the old Arnotts Factory complex.

This restaurant has some tasty food, but sadly only a few stock-standard vege dishes. I had the option of Tagliatelle with Mauri Taleggio, olives and rocket or pizza (there were four vegetarian pizzas).

I started with the sourdough, sharing with the husband. The service was pretty abysmal, particularly for a hatted restaurant, and the sourdough came out without the extras. I had to ask for them to be given to us, which is a bit of fail. The bread was lightly toasted and the pesto, oil and butter super delish once they actually arrived.

Grilled sourdough with pesto, olive oil and house churned butter

For mains we ordered some salads and extras to share, like the rocket and Parmesan salad. It was a great size, and tasted great - lots of Parmesan throughout the salad rather than the stingy amount you sometimes get with this dish.

Rocket and parmesan salad

My margherita pizza was delicious. Way too big for this person to eat on her own however, so we boxed up half to take home.

Margherita, mozzarella, fior di latte, fresh tomato and basil pesto

Tasty, tasty chips - these came with the husband's dish and I sampled a few.

Fries with house made tomato sauce

Broccoli with almonds - really delicious. The almonds were caramelised and were a great pairing with the broccoli.

Broccoli with almond

Dessert always features highly in our family. Chocolate mousse is one of my absolute fave dishes, so we had to order it. The presentation was beautiful, and the mousse - exquisite!

Chocolate mousse with orange cake and white chocolate sorbet

Morter & Pestle and Ben & Jerry's; Manly

2010-02-04T17:38:00.000+11:00

The husband and I had a date night in Manly. We head to a little Thai place we discovered on our last trip called Mortar & Pestle. It was a hot evening, so they had the walls/windows wide open, creating a lovely open environment which felt very suitable for a beachy environment. Since M&P is off the main roads, it's filled with locals and is reasonably priced. Add friendly service and tasty food, it makes for an excellent dinner in Manly.

Massive fold-out menu.

Hello vegetarian section! Woot, the choices.

The interior is very modern, with the Thai food authentic = a perfect combination.

The husband has a coconut ice drink, the name of which escapes me. Young coconut? Whatever it is, it's refreshing and light, and probably full of sugar.

We order the vegetarian spring rolls - the serving size is only three, which is a weird number. They are tasty and filled with delicious things, and we fight over the last one.

The husband chooses a seafood main - calamari. He says it's super tasty.

I have vegetarian Pad Thai - my fave. It's really delish and I eat it all, despite registering fullness half-way through.

Next stop is Ben & Jerry's, which is across from the beach. The ice-cream market must surely be reaching saturation point (we counted seven ice-cream sellers while walking around Manly), yet B&J is going gang-bustas. We enter the store and join the queue ...

A very apt sign, as this was indeed where the queue began.

Lots of flavours, some sadly sold out.

I love the cartoony design, and the cute cows. They look happy, and I like to think my ice-cream comes from happy cows. We had simple single scoops, but next time I want a sundae.

I had a scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough in a waffle cone, plus chocolate fudge on top. It was a huge scoop (it would want to be for the price) and was more than enough to satisfy this one. We watched the staff make waffle cones while in the queue, and it made me keen for the waffle since it was literally made in the store.

The ice-cream was really nice - but not spectacular. I enjoyed the giant chunks of cookie dough and chocolate chips, but would really prefer a stronger ice-cream base. I will definitely return though, and try more flavours.

Flying Fajita Sistas; Glebe

2010-02-03T10:46:00.000+11:00

A good work friend wanted to take the husband and I out to celebrate our recent wedding as he was overseas at the time and unable to make it. The friend is a fellow vegetarian, so it meant we could share multiple dishes and everyone was happy.

I wanted to try the Flying Fajita Sistas on Glebe Point Road, Glebe, because I noticed the high number of dishes they can do as vegetarian.

The menu has stacks of vegetarian options. We ordered three entrees and three mains to share *burps*.

Complimentary nuts

When ordering Mexican, it's best to get some punchy drinks to match the spicy food. The sangria was great - tres potent and delicious. The margarita - excellent!

"The perfect margarita"

A litre of sangria

To the left of where we were sitting hangs the "wall of pain". Sauce up your meal to dial up the spice-factor.

Trio of pepian, queso fundido and frijoles (V) $14.90

Empanadas Poblano Chilli with Tomatillo Salsa (V) $14.90

Mango and cheese quesadillas (V) $14.90

Chimichanga Braised chile and onion (V) $19.90

Enchiladas Ropa vieja (two vegetarian options available) $19.90

Burrito with Frijoles (V) $19.90

The food was delicious and plentiful (some might say too plentiful, but that was because we ordered like pigs). After fabulous food and a fabulous evening, I'll be back, many times over!

3 Steps Cafe; Bondi

2010-01-28T16:41:00.001+11:00

Australia Day was spent this year with the husband's uncle, whose birthday co-incides with this auspicious occasion. We suggested lunch at one of his local haunts, the 3 Steps Cafe in Bondi. What I love about this cafe: it's run by super-friendly staff, has all-day breakfast (woot!!) and it's really cheap. You can get a huge plate of food for under $10.

It looks like a takeaway joint from the street ...

But the inside is more cafe-like, with soccer jerseys all over the walls.

They have no printed menus here - just giant ones printed on the wall. As you can see, a huge selection of breakfast food.

It's over 40 degrees and I'm melting, so I go with a Cascade Apple Isle to cool down. Love these things. They're like crack.

And on to the food. It arrives super swiftly, and the staff are happy to customise orders. My "blunch" (what the husband calls breakfast-for-lunch) is GIANT but I'm so hungry I scoff it all down.

Poached eggs, mushrooms, toast, hash brown, tomatoes and baked beans.

The husband has bacon with his - worth the photo to show off the slab of scrambled eggs he receives. It looks weird but tastes pretty good.

Bacon, tomato, scrambled eggs, mushrooms, toast.

Because the uncle is a regular, we score a complimentary plate of baklava. Sweet! I love this stuff.

This place is a favourite because it's off the main road, so parking is much easier, and the staff are so super friendly we always feel welcome - unlike in some of the more up-market places closer to the beach. It's also close to my favourite bagel store, Glicks, which is where we went after wards to stock up on bagels. Oh, and did I mention it was super cheap? Love value for money in Sydney.

Ode to Sonoma

2010-01-26T09:39:00.000+11:00

The husband and I have an obsession with Sonoma bread at the moment. We truly can't get enough. My favourite is their Country White Sourdough. It's great for sandwiches, toast and dipping into olive oil as a snack.

The perfect bread loaf - not too hard and crusty on the outside.

For an afternoon snack, the husband and I cut up some bread and poured caramalised balsamic and olive oil into one bowl, and regular balsamic and olive oil into another, plus filled a third with dukkah.

Fauchon; Paris

2010-01-25T14:18:00.001+11:00

I'm a sugar junky. Will cry if sugar levels are depleted. On a trip to Paris last year, the husband took me to Parisian store Fauchon on the day he proposed (he knows me only too well).

The store has bright pink doors. Nothing says welcome more than that. The store is split into two buildings - one that's a cafe, the other is a store where you can buy their treats in boxes to take home. We go to the store first to stock up.

We find fresh jellies, truffles, biscuits, hot chocolate, coffee, tea, dessert toppings, plus much, much, much more. I went a little berserk.

The hot pink theme extends to their boxes. I bought several boxes just to take home the packaging.

In the cafe, we ordered desserts and sat down to recover after the chocolate-shopping extravaganza. Of course there were macarons, we are in Paris after all. Fauchon is well-known for their avante guard desserts, much like Zumbo is in Australia. I could definitely see where he gets some of his inspiration from after visiting this chocolate establishment.

Mona Lisa eclairs.

Truffles on sticks.

The husband ordered the interesting dessert below - I can't remember what it was, but it had rum shooters in it.

I ordered a take on the traditional fruit tart. The biscuit base was a lit crisper, with pistachios, and topped with raspberries. I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

If you're visiting Paris, make sure you drop by. The staff are extremely pleasant and, as you can see, happy to let people take an excessive amount of photos (unlike at Laduree, where they told me to put the camera away). Plus, you get to take home lots of hot ink boxes ...

Zest Restaurant; Nelson Bay

2010-01-25T13:26:00.001+11:00

After our January 3 wedding, the new husband and I head up to Nelson Bay for a mini-moon. We found a hatted restaurant up there - Zest - and booked in for an evening to celebrate. The restaurant is in the middle of the main shopping drag - a tiny place amongst takeaway shops and the local Coles. It was quite a delightful surprise to step inside into an elegant dining establishment and leave the tourist town outside.

While Zest doesn't have any vegetarian mains on the menu, they were prepared for us and offered me several off-menu choices on arrival.

Because the items I chose weren't on the menu, I don't remember exactly what I ate. The portion sizes were great though, and we were sadly too full for dessert.

We started with warm sourdough with cultured butter & sea salt. No photos though we were were so hungry we waffled it down before I thought to get out the camera.

My entree was the ricotta gnocci with mushrooms - along with other tasty ingredients I sadly can't remember. The gnocci was light and fluffy - totally delicious.

Ricotta gnocci with mushrooms.

Next, the risotto. Standard dish for vegetarians at a lot of restaurants. This was beautifully cooked, with the peas adding a delightful freshness to it.

Risotto with peas.

We also shared a salad - from memory heirloom tomatoes with bocconcini and basil. Very tasty and a large serving.

Tomato salad with bocconcini and basil.

The staff were extremely friendly, the service outstanding. I would definitely return for a nice night out next time I'm in the area.

Home Cooking: Breakfast - Eggs

2010-01-24T23:39:00.000+11:00

Weekends I make eggs for breakfast for me and the husband. I usually scramble but I'm on a poached egg kick lately. I've never poached them before (don't ask), so I asked friends over Twitter for tips (thanks for the quick replies!).

Step one: roasting tomatoes in the oven. Our oven only has one element that works, so I put it on about 200 degrees and hope for the best.

I am a lover of white bread. It took me a long time to give it up in it's pure, sugary form. It was only after much trialing of many brands that I found this Helga's Sourdough White with mixed seeds.

On to the eggs. I only eat free-range. It's hard to know with a lot of brands if they are genuine free-range or not since the laws governing labelling of packaging are very vague. I like Manning Valley, but prefer eggs from chickens I actually know when given the choice. The husband's mum often has chickens so is our egg source, however she had a sad incident where her chickens were all killed, so we're back to the supermarket while her fence is being rebuilt and new hens bought.

My eggs look funny. And there's a lot of white rubbish remaining in the water. Is this normal?

Ta-da! Tasty breakfast to power us for a day of spring cleaning.

Not Bread Alone; Crows Nest

2010-01-24T23:22:00.000+11:00

My absolute favourite breakfast place, not only near me, but in Sydney thus far (I know, big call!). Not Bread Alone is a cute little cafe that is always packed. We turned up for brunch yesterday, when the temperature was soaring over 40 degrees. Yeouch ...

They serve all-day breakfast (huzzah!) plus a lunch and dinner menu.

The husband orders an ice coffee. Delish, but fails to finish it. He blames the extreme heat and it takes him a while to recover from the excessive dairy.

My mango frappe is a much better choice.

Breakfast has several vegetarian choices, plus they are happy to customise menu items to make them vegetarian.

Poached eggs, sourdough toast, tomatoes, spinach and house backed beans.

I feel like protein today hence the double-hit. It's all so tasty I hoover it down and grown as my stomach aches.

The perfect poached egg.

NBA also make the most amazing corn fritters. On the menu it comes with bacon, but I like to substitute the bacon for a hash brown.

Sweet corn and chives fritters.

When we pay the bill we get Fantails with our change. A little bonus to keep us going. Yum!

Glebe Point Diner

2010-01-24T22:36:00.001+11:00

On the way to see a play at the Seymour Centre, the husband and I stopped for pre-theatre dinner at the Glebe Point Diner.

The diner is on the quiet end of Glebe Point Road, and has an unassuming front to it - we almost walked straight past it.

Inside it has an upmarket diner feel to it. Cute chalk boards, loads of wine on the shelves (indicative of the massive wine list we were about to encounter), and supremely quirky staff. We were served by a girl with a '50s look to her - very retro-chic. The staff were all extremely friendly and helpful, making for a relaxing, enjoyable evening.

The menu was a folded A4 piece of paper. The front food, the rest devoted to wine. The vegetarian selections weren't huge (a few appetisers, one main, and some sides, plus desserts), but they certainly were really tasty.

The husband and I shared a few dishes this evening before watching a play at the nearby Seymour Centre.

Glebe Point Diner bread with house churned butter.

Pinot Gris Farago Hill

The wine came in its own little carafe - cute!

House-made lemonade.

The lemonade was a hit with the husband. I'm not usually a fan, but this was not acidic like lots of fresh lemonades often are. It was refreshing, and I loved the paper straw!

Fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with three cheeses.

The zucchini blossoms were delicious. Light and not overly-filling.

Seasonal vegetable plate.

Delicious vegetable spread with some surprise inclusions.

Poached peach with vanilla ice-cream and raspberry.

Meringue with passionfruit curd, passionfruit ice-cream and fresh passionfruit.

The desserts were exquisite. The meringue light and crunch with delicate filling, the peach bursting with flavour.

We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner here, and, seeing as it's so close to work, we will be back!

Australian Food Blogger Award Launch @ La Mint Restaurant

2010-01-22T14:33:00.005+11:00

I managed to score myself an invite to the launch of the first Australian Food Blog award category, hosted by the Australian Association of Food Professionals at La Mint Restaurant in Darlinghurst with my friend Forager.

I've never been to a food blogger meet-up before, so was super-keen to check it out and meet some more bloggers.

The event was hosted by Australian Pork, and we were shown the new Australian Pork TV commercial before it aired on TV.

Afterward, I stayed for dinner and got to know some excellent bloggers like Peter G from Souvlaki for the Soul and Ed Charles from Tomatom. The food was also excellent - a whole page of the menu devoted to vegetarian options. Yay!

I was inspired to start this new blog just for food, as I find there is a huge lack of Australian food blogs out there.