Monday, March 22

one morning, two brunches

It's probably unnecessary to tell you that I love brunch. But I do. I know there are some people who just "don't do breakfast" but I am not one of them (and I don't understand people who are: I wake up positively starving).

So brunch gets a thumbs up from me. And today - lucky me - I got to have two brunches, with three lovely ladies.

The first was at The Cove, in Drummoyne. After D and I walked around The Bay, we settled in for coffee and eggs. While the service was pretty poor (a sign instructed us to "Wait to be Seated", which took forever...despite the fact that there were at least ten empty tables; our coffees arrived after our meals did; the staff were blunt and not very helpful) the food was good. I was disappointed that the "crumpets with strawberries, honey and mascarpone" weren't fresh, homemade crumpets. I mean, who wants to pay $12.50 for supermarket crumpets? Not me. I was tempted by the muesli, but after our 8 kilometre walk, bacon and eggs were in order. I settled on the breakfast special - poached egg with avocado salsa, tomato relish, bacon, rocket and house loaf. D ordered house loaf with fried eggs and bacon. Everything was delicious. The house loaf is soft, gorgeous bread that is just perfect with the crispy bacon and gooey poached egg. The avocado salsa and tomato relish added more texture and depth - the tomato was quite sweet, a nice break from the salty bacon. It was just enough to satisfy, too. D reported that her bacon and eggs were similarly fantastic, and we both enjoyed the coffee.

On to Brunch No. 2 at Cafe Pavilion, Abbotsford, with Ed and Nurse Jacquie. Since I'd already eaten quite a bit at the first brunch, I decided to restrain myself, and ordered a cranberry and raspberry Nudie (no fresh juices, which is a shame) and the fruit salad with berry yoghurt. Nurse Jacquie ordered the blueberry pancakes (from the specials) and Ed went for grilled mushroom topped with asparagus, ricotta and dukkah. Not something I'd have chosen, but it was delicious. The blueberry pancakes were just what pancakes should be - fluffy, soft to the touch, buttery and golden. It's funny - pancakes seem such a simple meal, but so often cafes (and yes, me) get it wrong. It's easy to overbeat the mixture, I guess, and to overheat the grill. It's just fantastic when you get really good pancakes, though, so Nurse Jacquie won the ordering competition today. Topped with a handful of plump, fresh blueberries, a dollop of mascarpone and a drizzle of honey (it smelled like manuka), they were amazing. I went back for a second bite.

My fruit salad was just what the doctor ordered - a heaping plate of rockmelon, honeydew, watermelon, passionfruit, blueberries, red grapes and pineapple. The berry yoghurt was very sweet, and there wasn't much of it. I would have preferred a simple Greek yoghurt, but I suspect I'm in the minority there.

Special mention must also go to Nurse Jacquie's banana-nut-shake, which was so, so, so good. Never have a normal milkshake again - always, always, always add a tablespoon of nuts before you blend. Such a great taste.

Until next brunch...

The Cove at Drummoyne
1 Henley Marine Drive, Drummoyne
+61 2 9719 3022
www.thecoveatdrummoyne.com.au

Cafe Pavilion
378 Great North Road, Abbotsford
+61 2 9712 0366

Sunday, March 21

australia's 50 most eligible men...

...is an odd blog post title for a blog about food. But last week, Cleo published its annual list of Australia's 50 Most Eligible Bachelors, and not one - not two - but three foodies made the cut. It's official: women love men in the kitchen.

The three foodies awarded Eligible Bachelor status were pastry chef Adriano Zumbo, who came to national prominence when he appeared on MasterChef last year, Curtis Stone, a chef who is experiencing major success in the States, and Luke Burgess, a food photographer and chef, who tells Cleo that his best tip for aspiring chefs is to "read, read, read."

Just a day later, Jill Dupleix wrote about TOYS for Good Living. TOYS is "Taste of Young Sydney", a group of young, spunky chefs (including Zumbo) who are orchestrating a series of foodie events aimed at Sydney's young gourmands. The article was about the young chefs' inventiveness, ambition and nous - three very attractive and laudable qualities, that definitely inspired Zumbo, Stone and Burgess's places on the Bachelors' list.

Friday, March 19

omg cookies

For those of you who aren't part of the Gossip Girl generation - or have no interest in being part of it - "OMG" means "Oh my God." Variations include "OMFG" ("Oh my fucking God") and "ZOMG" (even I, a relative whippersnapper, don't know what this means).

Anyway, today I created OMG Cookies. I've named them thus because when I tasted them, I thought, "Oh my God, these are GOOD." They are super-quick to make, and require just eight ingredients, most of which you'll already have in your pantry or fridge. Which means, lucky you, you can make them right away.

OMG Cookies
Ingredients
1/2 cup toasted almond slivers and pine nuts*
1 cup coconut
2 cups icing sugar
1/3 cup cocoa/ground chocolate/chocolate chips
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon sugar

1. Preheat oven 200 degrees Celcius.
2. Mix all ingredients except salt and regular sugar in a bowl.
2. Using a tablespoon measure, scoop balls of mixture onto lined baking trays.
3. Mix sugar and salt together, and sprinkle over each dough ball.
4. Bake for 10 minutes.
5. Devour.

These cookies are amazing - really crispy on the outside and so chewy and gooey on the inside. They are such a great afternoon snack - and I bet they'd be perfect mashed into or over a few scoops of good-quality vanilla bean icecream.

Monday, March 8

lunch for dad

Last week, my brother and I made lunch to celebrate my Dad's 50th birthday. This was an exercise in frustration for a few reasons...but mostly because my brother, Big Bird, is a wee bit hopeless when it comes to cooking. Oh, and he was dreadfully hungover.

BB is three years younger than me, and while we get along really well, we don't have too much in common. For instance: there was no olive oil in his pantry. This should probably tell you something about the differences in our priorities.

We have cooked together before, but usually at my Mum's house, which is stocked with all sorts of gadgets and foodstuffs that make cooking a breeze. At BB's house, there are two pans, one tray and three sets of cutlery (ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife, in short). But we did succeed in making a three course meal - here's how.

1. Time. We allowed half an hour for shopping and 1.5 hours for preparation.
2. Delegation. BB isn't a kitchen native, so I happily bossed him about, shouting temperatures and times like Nigella on crack.
3. Rage. When BB told me he didn't have any olive oil, I shouted at him. Same for when he didn't answer his phone or the doorbell when we were trying to get into his house. Hey, when it comes to little brothers, sometimes you've gotta be tough.
4. Laughter. When BB lost half the couscous down the sink, we just laughed. I mean, at that point, what can you do?
5. Booze. For the guests, not us. Keep the table wet and you'll be a success, no matter how charred the meat.

We also served an easy entree that looks fancy, is relatively cheap and also provides two servings of vegetables. Even BB, who normally wouldn't consume anything green except Gatorade, finished his serve.

Stuffed roast capsicum
Ingredients
4 red capsicums, sliced in half lengthways, pith and seeds removed
500 gm grape tomatoes (mini Roma would also work well)
1 garlic bulb, peeled and separated into cloves
1 spanish onion, chopped in wedges
1 cup of baby spinach leaves
1/3 cup shaved parmesan
1 cup basil leaves
1/3 cup olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celcius.
2. Arrange capsicums on oven trays, empty side up. Fill with garlic, tomatoes and onion.
3. Bake for 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile, blitz the spinach, basil, parmesan and oil in a food processor (not too long - you want it to be a bit chunky).
5. Serve capsicums with pesto spread over them. Delicious hot or cold.

Saturday, March 6

febfast...over at last

I never knew how many restaurants had alcohol-fuelled titles until I ate in two of them in one week. While I was abstaining from booze. Hmm.

My Mum and I decided, on January 31, that we'd attempt FebFast. No booze for 28 days. It seemed achievable until I realised Caliban and I were going on holidays for six days during Feb. OK, OK - 22 days without alcohol. That's reasonable. We were certain we could do it. And you know what? We did. Hurrah!

But my month off the sauce was definitely made more difficult by eating at the Bavarian Bier Cafe and Sake in the space of five days. OK, beer I can live without. Especially on a Monday night. Alright, a cold beer would have cut through the fatty veal schnitzel and sauteed potatoes nicely, but as I said, I could live without it.

But sake? Mmm. That's a different story. My friend Miss M and I went to Sake very early on a Friday night. Miss M doesn't drink too much, so she wasn't offended when I said I wasn't going to imbibe. (Honestly, you should see the looks on some people's faces! It's as if I've told them I'm taking away their booze as well as my own.) We feasted on Sake's excellent menu - grilled chicken and zucchini skewers, assorted sashimi (including some of the freshest, tastiest tuna sashimi I've ever eaten), spicy miso chips with salmon and tuna sashimi (a big hit; if only there were more than four on the plate!!), the crispiest and best salt and pepper tofu I've ever had, butterfish lettuce cups (a must), green salad, and a Philadelphia handroll (skip this one: cream cheese in sushi??? Not for me). The food was all excellent, the cute waiter deserved every penny of his tip...but I couldn't help but think there was something missing. That's right: hooch. Every time someone else received their sake or wine or beer or champagne, I felt a little twinge, the way diabetics must feel when their awful friend orders the profiteroles for dessert.

But never mind, because the following week, I went back to Sake with my considerably more booze-friendly friend D, who happily joined me in a glass of Pinot Noir. It was a soggy mess of a Sydney night, so we holed up cosily at Sake with dynamite and spider maki rolls, chicken ka-arage with assorted salsas (not to be missed - it will make you rethink fried chicken) and some disappointingly bland prawn and lotus skewers. But in all, Sake is a delight. The service is excellent, the food even better and the drinks menu extensive. Next time, I must try the chocolate fondant...even if I'm dining with a diabetic.

Sake
12 Argyle Street
The Rocks
Sydney
+61 2 9259 5656
www.sakerestaurant.com.au