Excellent news: our excellent friends, David and Jo, have had a gorgeous baby girl - Little Miss M. Caliban and I have been visiting the new parents at their house (much easier for D&J - babies require a lot of time and energy to move), armed with a variety of brunch goods.
Last week, I read about Buppa's Bakehouse in the SMH. An American bakery in Newtown, it specialises in bagels (boiled, natch), homestyle American pies and cakes, and even stocks Ben & Jerry's icecream (one of the few retailers in Oz to do so...so far!). I couldn't believe our luck. We were due to visit D&J, and as David is Canadian, and Jewish, bagels would be the perfect baked treat to bring. I also know he loves cheesecake, and that Jo is up for pretty much anything sweet and frosted - so I could hardly wait to go nuts at the Bakehouse and buy up big.
Unfortunately, it seems that a lot of people pay attention to Helen Greenwood's SMH reviews. By the time we got there on Saturday afternoon (around 2pm), most of their stock was gone. Faced with scarcity, we took home four plain bagels (blueberry is also normally available), two slices of red velvet cake, a slice of Key Lime pie, and a slice of blueberry cheesecake.
We ate the bagels unadorned - without cream cheese, and untoasted. This was not a great idea. Whether it was the bagels themselves, or the lack of tart cream-cheese-y goodness, I was not impressed. The bagels seemed a little stale, to be honest. Were they yesterday's bagels? Hope not. On the other hand, I hope they weren't indicative of the fresh bagels Buppa's has to offer. Either way, I'm definitely willing to give them another go, but next time, I want dense, chewy bread that's not crumbly and tasteless.
When we're with D&J, we have the greatest idle chats. Babies, Friday Night Lights, books, Christmas, holidays, friends, work troubles and so on...it's guaranteed fab natter. We chat over the sweets. Jo and I are huge fans of the red velvet cake, which features white chocolate frosting (as opposed to the more traditional cream cheese frosting). The mild chocolate flavour of the red velvet definitely wants something richer on top, so the white chocolate pairs well. Like all good American servings, Buppa's piles on the icing thickly. It's exquisite. I only wish we had more.
The Key Lime pie is also fantastic. Unfortunately, it has an almond meal base, which tastes great but means that David, who is allergic to nuts, has to pass. We're only too happy to scoff his portion. The base is similar to that of a cheesecake, and the Key Lime filling is creamy, and properly strong on citrus. Lime is one of my all-time favourite flavours, and I am certainly not disappointed by this pie. The filling is thicker and denser than a cheesecake filling (which tends to be a little fluffier), and the lime flavour would be fab with some raspberries or cream (or both!) on the side. FYI. The blueberry cheesecake, too, is made with almond meal (poor David!) so we have to do the tasting for David. This is more about the texture of the cheesecake than the flavour of the blueberries (rightly so, I reckon: blueberries don't really have enough punch to do the heavy work here). The filling is rich and creamy and yes, slightly fluffier and lighter than its pie cousin. Grins all round.
Buppa's Bakehouse
482 King St, Newtown
www.buppas.com.au (note: website currently under construction)
+61 2 8065 0681
Monday, November 30
Sunday, November 29
the winery by gazebo
This summer, so far, I have been invited to The Winery, a new watering hole in Surry Hills, exactly eight times. Given that it's only been open for about two months, this is pretty staggering. I needed to pinpoint the reason for its popularity. So I went to discover The Winery myself.
Marky, Bec and I head to TW on a warm summer's afternoon. Having heard that TW is the place to be and be seen, I decide to wear something cool and trendy. Of course, when I walk in, I see that my efforts will go unnoticed, anyway - everyone here is wearing their Sunday best. Humph.
The Winery is run by the same cool folks who run Elizabeth Bay's Gazebo, famed for ladies' lunches, cool cocktails and a scrummy, on-trend menu. It's located in the recently revamped part of Crown St - approximately the blocks from Foveaux St to Campbell St. There's a new swish grocery store (Thomas Dux), an amazing-looking library (I'm so sad it wasn't there when I lived in Surry Hills) and a whole new host of cafes and restaurants. The Winery, tucked behind the sandstone gates next to Thomas Dux, is just another part of the ongoing gentrification of Surry.
I arrive early, order a glass of Riparian Pinot Gris (at $8, it's the cheapest on the menu) and start reading at an outside table. I quickly discover that this is one of my favourite pastimes - drinking wine in a bar, reading my book. I consider the discovery as consequential to my world as that of, say, penicillin, to the rest of the world.
When the ladies arrive, we order a jug of Pimm's & Sangria - at $15, we decide it's the cheapest way to drink here. It's also delicious, a bonus. We're all hungry, so we order from the option-heavy menu. There's a selection of share plates (I love sharing food, but we decide that we're all so starved that, as much as we like each other, we need our own meals right now), mains, cheeses, sides and desserts. I've heard that the veal and chorizo sausage roll with pear chutney is actually better than a Bourke St Bakery snag roll (and, I suppose, at $18, it should be), so I order it. Bec goes for the crispy squid, mint, coriander and chilled cucumber salad, which is heavy on the squid and utterly more-ish. Marky acts the ploughman and orders the ciabatta and dip board, which comes with olives, parma ham and a generous chunk of cheddar.
My sausage roll is: a) huge (probably about 25cm long); b) delicious; and c) fairly high on the artery-hardening scale, I'd say. I admit I was reticent to indulge in a sausage roll without the requisite tomato sauce to accompany, but I'm happy to say that TW's pear chutney did the job nicely. If only there was more of it. Bec and Marky report happily that their meals are going down a treat, and to celebrate, we order another jug of Pimms & Sangria.
Bec has spied a dessert that takes her fancy (marscapone and golden peach trifle with flaked almonds), and, ever a sucker for chocolate, I'm keen to try the chocolate brownie with icecream, fairy floss and hot fudge sauce. Sadly for our gluttinous appetites, neither is available. Sure, it's busy at TW, but at 5pm on a Sunday arvo, should you really be telling customers you're out of food? Especially when you're right next door to a grocery store, no?
Anyway, I had fun at TW. It's full of beautiful people, but if you can stomach that, you'll have a good time there. I can't wait to go back to try the Girls' Picnic (only on Saturdays).
The Winery by Gazebo
285A Crown St
www.thegazebos.com.au/winery/
+61 2 9331 0833
Marky, Bec and I head to TW on a warm summer's afternoon. Having heard that TW is the place to be and be seen, I decide to wear something cool and trendy. Of course, when I walk in, I see that my efforts will go unnoticed, anyway - everyone here is wearing their Sunday best. Humph.
The Winery is run by the same cool folks who run Elizabeth Bay's Gazebo, famed for ladies' lunches, cool cocktails and a scrummy, on-trend menu. It's located in the recently revamped part of Crown St - approximately the blocks from Foveaux St to Campbell St. There's a new swish grocery store (Thomas Dux), an amazing-looking library (I'm so sad it wasn't there when I lived in Surry Hills) and a whole new host of cafes and restaurants. The Winery, tucked behind the sandstone gates next to Thomas Dux, is just another part of the ongoing gentrification of Surry.
I arrive early, order a glass of Riparian Pinot Gris (at $8, it's the cheapest on the menu) and start reading at an outside table. I quickly discover that this is one of my favourite pastimes - drinking wine in a bar, reading my book. I consider the discovery as consequential to my world as that of, say, penicillin, to the rest of the world.
When the ladies arrive, we order a jug of Pimm's & Sangria - at $15, we decide it's the cheapest way to drink here. It's also delicious, a bonus. We're all hungry, so we order from the option-heavy menu. There's a selection of share plates (I love sharing food, but we decide that we're all so starved that, as much as we like each other, we need our own meals right now), mains, cheeses, sides and desserts. I've heard that the veal and chorizo sausage roll with pear chutney is actually better than a Bourke St Bakery snag roll (and, I suppose, at $18, it should be), so I order it. Bec goes for the crispy squid, mint, coriander and chilled cucumber salad, which is heavy on the squid and utterly more-ish. Marky acts the ploughman and orders the ciabatta and dip board, which comes with olives, parma ham and a generous chunk of cheddar.
My sausage roll is: a) huge (probably about 25cm long); b) delicious; and c) fairly high on the artery-hardening scale, I'd say. I admit I was reticent to indulge in a sausage roll without the requisite tomato sauce to accompany, but I'm happy to say that TW's pear chutney did the job nicely. If only there was more of it. Bec and Marky report happily that their meals are going down a treat, and to celebrate, we order another jug of Pimms & Sangria.
Bec has spied a dessert that takes her fancy (marscapone and golden peach trifle with flaked almonds), and, ever a sucker for chocolate, I'm keen to try the chocolate brownie with icecream, fairy floss and hot fudge sauce. Sadly for our gluttinous appetites, neither is available. Sure, it's busy at TW, but at 5pm on a Sunday arvo, should you really be telling customers you're out of food? Especially when you're right next door to a grocery store, no?
Anyway, I had fun at TW. It's full of beautiful people, but if you can stomach that, you'll have a good time there. I can't wait to go back to try the Girls' Picnic (only on Saturdays).
The Winery by Gazebo
285A Crown St
www.thegazebos.com.au/winery/
+61 2 9331 0833
Saturday, November 28
azuma kushiyaki
When you hear that Tetsuya Wakuda favours a particular restaurant as his after-work hangout, you make it your business, as a fledgling food blogger, to get there. And eat. And eat, and eat.
So, one Friday night after work, I met two of my favourite dining companions, Miss M and Miss B, at Azuma - our very own after-work hangout. Miss M is one of my favourite people to share a meal with because she eats pretty much everything (note: I have an incredibly low tolerance for people who "don't eat seafood" or "stay away from dairy" and so on. Life = too short.) Also, she almost always makes sure we order something vaguely healthy, which means she is a wonderful (and wonderfully entertaining) foil to Miss B, whose diet resembles something from This is why you're fat. Of course, the frustrating thing is that Miss B herself looks like a ballerina, despite eating Krispy Kreme sundaes and banana bread topped with bacon, maple syrup, icecream and blueberries. (Case in point: last night I got a call from Miss B. "I'm in Manly," she said. "Guess what I want to know?" "Uh...where to find Ben and Jerry's?" "Bingo!" she replied.) But, it's a great thing to eat with Miss B, because: a) it's quite hilarious to see the reactions of waitstaff when she orders an entire meal of side dishes, for instance; and b) sometimes she actually hits the mark and comes up with flavour combinations enjoyed by all.
So, to Azuma we went. Sandwiched between the George St Greater Union cinemas and Kentucky Fried Chicken, we weren't sure what to expect. Miss M and I ordered a glass of Stella Bella semillon sav blanc each, and as we waited for Miss B, snacked on edamame beans - warm, without salt. This is my favourite way to eat edamame - I find they're flavoursome enough, without the huge chunks of rock salt some bars and restaurants load on.
When Miss B arrived, it was time for more wine and ordering. After a lengthy discussion of the menu, we settled on a selection of skewers (the dish that Azuma is famed for), Nasu Miso (eggplant in miso with minced chicken) and a Spider Roll.
The Nasu Miso was perfect - eggplant and miso are such a match made in heaven, it's hard to go wrong. The thick, gelatinous miso sauce covered the eggplant entirely, and the mild chicken flavour was a bit of a relief from the heaviness of the miso. Thumbs up from all - even Miss B.
I love a good Spider Roll, mainly because I LURVE soft-shell crab. Azuma's was no exception. The sticky rice enveloping the crispy crab and its creamy Japanese mayonnaise (which is so much better than any Western attempt at mayo, in my opinion), topped with roe, was such a perfect accompaniment to our wine. The wine, light and crisp and citrus-y, was such a wonderful counter to the rich, creamy, texture-bending spider roll. Yum, yum, double yum.
And then, the skewers. We've ordered the Wagyu beef tongue skewers with curry salt, Duck breast with Japanese sansho salt, Paradise prawn and crispy head and wild scallop with soy and homemade garlic oil. The skewers are $3 each, which is decidedly within Miss B's med student budget, so we order three of each and settle down to a feast. The waitress brings out the salts and explains what each of the flavours are - but doesn't tell us which goes with which. She also lets us know that it's perfectly acceptable to eat the prawn's head - something I'm keen to try, just for the hell of it.
The Wagyu beef tongue is gorgeous - cooked to rare perfection, it marries well with the spicy, sweet curry salt. I try it with the green tea salt we're given, too, and it's so good. The green tea salt, by the way, is an out-and-out favourite of the whole table. It's perfect with the wild scallops.
The duck skewers are basically everything you'd imagine - soft to the bite, rich and moist and juicy. We dutifully dip them in the black pepper salt and suddenly, they're even better. Yum. And while each of us has a go at eating the whole prawn - shell, head and all - only DDS (that's me) finishes us. A win for the food blogger!
Miss B and I decide we need more to eat, so we order a Tamago Yaki (Japanese rolled omelette). I love the way the Japanese make their omelettes - instead of serving them flat, they roll them tightly until the omelette is a thick roll of egg, filled with vegetables or meat or tofu. This omelette is simply egg, and it's also simply delicious. A light way to finish the meal, it would also be a great starter. As predicted, Miss M orders the mixed green salad with ponzu vinaigrette, so we're able to get our fill of greens before the night is through.
After we paid (less than $50 each - fantastic value in my opinion), we set off for dessert (unsurprisingly, Miss B's favourite meal) at the adjacent Azuma Cafe. Sadly, it's past 10pm, so it's already closed (in Sydney?? On a Friday night? In the middle of the city?). We resolve to find gelato somewhere nearby, and return to the Cafe another time.
Azuma Kushiyaki
Ground Floor Regent Place Shopping Centre
501 George St, Sydney
www.azuma.com.au
+61 2 9267 7775
So, one Friday night after work, I met two of my favourite dining companions, Miss M and Miss B, at Azuma - our very own after-work hangout. Miss M is one of my favourite people to share a meal with because she eats pretty much everything (note: I have an incredibly low tolerance for people who "don't eat seafood" or "stay away from dairy" and so on. Life = too short.) Also, she almost always makes sure we order something vaguely healthy, which means she is a wonderful (and wonderfully entertaining) foil to Miss B, whose diet resembles something from This is why you're fat. Of course, the frustrating thing is that Miss B herself looks like a ballerina, despite eating Krispy Kreme sundaes and banana bread topped with bacon, maple syrup, icecream and blueberries. (Case in point: last night I got a call from Miss B. "I'm in Manly," she said. "Guess what I want to know?" "Uh...where to find Ben and Jerry's?" "Bingo!" she replied.) But, it's a great thing to eat with Miss B, because: a) it's quite hilarious to see the reactions of waitstaff when she orders an entire meal of side dishes, for instance; and b) sometimes she actually hits the mark and comes up with flavour combinations enjoyed by all.
So, to Azuma we went. Sandwiched between the George St Greater Union cinemas and Kentucky Fried Chicken, we weren't sure what to expect. Miss M and I ordered a glass of Stella Bella semillon sav blanc each, and as we waited for Miss B, snacked on edamame beans - warm, without salt. This is my favourite way to eat edamame - I find they're flavoursome enough, without the huge chunks of rock salt some bars and restaurants load on.
When Miss B arrived, it was time for more wine and ordering. After a lengthy discussion of the menu, we settled on a selection of skewers (the dish that Azuma is famed for), Nasu Miso (eggplant in miso with minced chicken) and a Spider Roll.
The Nasu Miso was perfect - eggplant and miso are such a match made in heaven, it's hard to go wrong. The thick, gelatinous miso sauce covered the eggplant entirely, and the mild chicken flavour was a bit of a relief from the heaviness of the miso. Thumbs up from all - even Miss B.
I love a good Spider Roll, mainly because I LURVE soft-shell crab. Azuma's was no exception. The sticky rice enveloping the crispy crab and its creamy Japanese mayonnaise (which is so much better than any Western attempt at mayo, in my opinion), topped with roe, was such a perfect accompaniment to our wine. The wine, light and crisp and citrus-y, was such a wonderful counter to the rich, creamy, texture-bending spider roll. Yum, yum, double yum.
And then, the skewers. We've ordered the Wagyu beef tongue skewers with curry salt, Duck breast with Japanese sansho salt, Paradise prawn and crispy head and wild scallop with soy and homemade garlic oil. The skewers are $3 each, which is decidedly within Miss B's med student budget, so we order three of each and settle down to a feast. The waitress brings out the salts and explains what each of the flavours are - but doesn't tell us which goes with which. She also lets us know that it's perfectly acceptable to eat the prawn's head - something I'm keen to try, just for the hell of it.
The Wagyu beef tongue is gorgeous - cooked to rare perfection, it marries well with the spicy, sweet curry salt. I try it with the green tea salt we're given, too, and it's so good. The green tea salt, by the way, is an out-and-out favourite of the whole table. It's perfect with the wild scallops.
The duck skewers are basically everything you'd imagine - soft to the bite, rich and moist and juicy. We dutifully dip them in the black pepper salt and suddenly, they're even better. Yum. And while each of us has a go at eating the whole prawn - shell, head and all - only DDS (that's me) finishes us. A win for the food blogger!
Miss B and I decide we need more to eat, so we order a Tamago Yaki (Japanese rolled omelette). I love the way the Japanese make their omelettes - instead of serving them flat, they roll them tightly until the omelette is a thick roll of egg, filled with vegetables or meat or tofu. This omelette is simply egg, and it's also simply delicious. A light way to finish the meal, it would also be a great starter. As predicted, Miss M orders the mixed green salad with ponzu vinaigrette, so we're able to get our fill of greens before the night is through.
After we paid (less than $50 each - fantastic value in my opinion), we set off for dessert (unsurprisingly, Miss B's favourite meal) at the adjacent Azuma Cafe. Sadly, it's past 10pm, so it's already closed (in Sydney?? On a Friday night? In the middle of the city?). We resolve to find gelato somewhere nearby, and return to the Cafe another time.
Azuma Kushiyaki
Ground Floor Regent Place Shopping Centre
501 George St, Sydney
www.azuma.com.au
+61 2 9267 7775
Monday, November 2
oops...i did it again
Well, DDS readers, I’ve done it again. I said I wouldn’t. I swore I wouldn’t. But I’ve neglected you – again.
In lieu of potentially empty promises, I’m going to do what no good marketing guru would advise me to do. I’m going to tell you about all the fantastic food blogs I’ve been reading while I’ve been away from my desk. Eep. Let’s hope Caliban (my unofficial, inhouse PR man) isn’t too cranky about it.
First, from the SMH’s Table Talk blog, Simon Thomsen talks about perving on food from shop windows. Oh Simon, I’m with you there. The first time I went to NYC, I took a kajillion snaps of cupcake store windows, just because I thought they looked so great. And who doesn’t love peeking into a bakery window, or wandering the aisles of a good deli, just to see what they have?
At the moment, I am trying really, really very hard to not eat all the yummy things I love. As I’ve written before, Caliban and I are getting hitched next year, so in an effort to whittle myself down to Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy proportions, I’m giving the good stuff a wide berth. Luckily, I’ve discovered nutritionist Kathryn Elliott’s fab blog, Limes and Lycopene, which is packed with her helpful health info and lots of easy, nutritious recipes. Check it out.
Other food blogs I’m loving right now are Inspired Taste (I’ve got to try their Chocolate Zucchini bread!), everybody likes sandwiches (the title had me), One Hungry Chef (recommended by a friend of Caliban’s – and now I’m hooked) and stone soup.
But enough about them, let’s talk about me. I’ll be back blogging ASAP. Promise. Really. Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a chorizo sausage in my eye.
In the meantime, check out my cupcake recipe in the latest issue of Cosmopolitan!
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