melbourne

What to say - I LOVE MELBOURNE FOOD!!!!!!

Such good food - such good coffee. The standouts:

The Moroccan Soup Bar - situated in North Fitzroy, when a friend suggested it, I had to get on-line to check reviews. I was a bit cynical I admit about a place that had soup in the title, even though I love soup. What I found on the internet were unequivocal raves about the place, which it totally lived up to. It's hard to quantify exactly what is so appealing about this place and I tried - I took a poll with all the people I was with. The results?
The line snaking out the door, so that if you get in you feel like one of the chosen people. Really.
The spoken menu - nothing written.
The attention to personal detail - food intolerances, allergies all catered for.
The ambience - cluttered, warm, bright inviting colours, rickety chairs so you feel like you've been invited to someone elses house.
An owner that obviously feels passionately about what she does.
The price! 20 bucks for a banquet that included 4 extremely delicious courses and was so massive that we were in danger of exploding. I had to go for a walk in the middle of it.

Atomica - Brunswick St, Fitzroy.
I'd never been to Atomica before but what I found was great coffee (their own blend), a comprehensive menu with some good sweet and some good savoury, good service despite crowding, a communal table that was great to sit at. I had some french toast with caremalised bananas and pecan crunchiness that was the bomb.

Marios - Brunswick St, Fitzroy.
I always go to Marios to feel like a local. They've been there forever, the food is always consistent (not fantastically innovative or anything, but nice), the coffee is lovely, the service is soooo quick and I love the gruff waiters in their ties, waistcoats and aprons, they do breakfast all day and you can bet your bippy you'll run into someone vaguely famous there. Not Tomkat sadly, but still, Spicks and Specks is pretty good.

Babka - Brunswick St, Fitzroy. Are we detecting a theme here?
Oh. My. God. What can I say about Babka that hasn't already been said? The BEST croissants, baked yummy things ever. The smell. The warmth. There's always a queue to buy baked stuff or to get a table. Locals come prepared with a paper and take up a posi against the wall until they get a seat. I got up super early (for me)(on Saturday) and headed down to share a table with a complete stranger and it was soooo worth it as I tucked into my citrussy blintz filled with cottage cheese. YUm!

Cafe Bedda - High St in Northcote.
So good! Italian never tasted so fresh and clean.
Starters: Warm olives, (yuk I thought, but promptly changed my mind when I ate them), eggplant fritters, pork and fennel sausages - yum!
Mains: I had some soft pillowy gnocchi in tomato sugo with scattered basil leaves - so simple. Awesome.
Great desserts: a twice baked chocolate souffle that looked like heaven!!! I had cannoli and coffee and felt all italian.

let's groove tonight

Friday nite was a big night out for us ... yes.... woohoo.. get down.. wait for it.. we went to the Groove Cafe! For dinner!

Those of you in the know will know that over the dry season the Groove (out the back of the Nightcliff shops in Nightcliff) is open for occasional Friday and Saturday nite shennanigans - Off the Page poetry and spoken word events, dances, bands, solo guitar performers etc etc. When I came to Darwin I described the Groove as being like a lesbian nite in the 80's LOLOL. ALSO, its pretty close to the kids playground at the shops - so if you get a strategically placed table - or just place one strategically like we did, you can watch your munchkins wearing themselves out while you eat. Anyway I get a bit excited about going which is pretty sad I know. So off we went.

The Groove is pretty casual, a little hole in the wall cafe where you order, a fridge full of drinks you can buy or just help yourself to water - in front is a fridge with a selection of salads and baked pastry and quichey type things and outside is a massive open air but undercover dining area under a huge awning. The dinner menu for these nites consisting mainly of pizzas and burgers - none of which are fantastic, all of which are part of the charm of the place. That and seeing the chef meander round the corner in his stained apron with a handful of salad greens he had obviously just picked up from the 5 Star Supermarket!!! The real bonus is that its licensed, so you can get a beer or a wine while you eat. And they have decent coffee too (fairtrade), good chai and yummy smoothies. Also the lunch stuff there is very very good and whilst I have never been the recipient of a good breakfast there, loads of people go there regular like, so there must be something keeping them coming back!!!

So to the picture (not the one of the cafe) - the picture i've posted is NOT of anything we ate at the Groove because it was dark by the time it arrived, and not worth photographing really - it's of some VERY hot, yummy crispy chips that we got from Nightcliff Fish and Chips to tide the kids over - a variable fishnchippery that somtimes just hits the right spot.

Groove Cafe, 4/35 Progress Drive, Nightcliff
Nightcliff Fish and Chips - same shops, different corner

Cawfee - next day

Coffeenut

I've been bagging out Coffeenut ever since it first opened. Fair? Definitely not. Never had a coffee there ever. Completely unreasonable. Stopped in there the other morning to try a short black with a mate and it was gooooood!!!!Admittedly the boy on the machine had to ask how long she wanted it, but at least he asked. It was black. It was tasty. It had golden crema. Even though that word *crema* makes me feel sick, even i know it's one of the hallmarks of good coffee.

Coffeenut (all they do is coffee) - open in the mornings in Smith St, Darwin (next to Manoli's)

Cawfee

Jays Coffee - Take 2.

I really like the fact that after my fish and chips (they must be good for you, the Health Minister was lurking in Finnegans kitchen with a beer) I could stroll over, get a coffee from Jay's and take it out on the jetty. How cool is that!!!

First impression - he looks STRESSED. Of course this may be because, coffee wanker that I am, I'm (after asking of course) SNIFFING his single origin coffees. *shrugging* Anyway I end up opting for a very delicious smelling Brazilian Coffee, but disappointingly, it tastes weak - good but weak. One of my friends tastes it, if anything a bigger coffee wanker than I am - and pronounces her theories:

1) the beans have been slightly over-roasted and that's why the flavour doesn't have as much depth as it should

2) the cup is too big and therefore the ratio of milk to coffee is too high

And promptly dumps her short black (also Brazilian and very tasty, if a tad long) into my latte and LO! the coffee is perfect. Problem solved.

My advice? Go for a small coffee. It's only $3 bucks.

FULL BALL!!!!!!! Glenti or bust (and I nearly did)

Went(i) to Glenti this weekend! LOLOL For those of you that don't know, every year Darwin's Greek community has a massive Glenti festival down on the Esplanade in town. I realised that I've been in Darwin for over 3 years now (eek!) and I'd never been, so I talked Director Chick into coming downwith me. Shit was it FULL. ON. People swarming everywhere. Masses of greek specialites on sale, loads of calamari, souvlaki's, honey puffs - even a dessert tent. To be completely frank about it, I wasn't paying as much attention as a food blogger should cos I was so overwhelmed I ran in to get food for everyone and then ran out and retired to a shady tree to have a picnic away from the fray!! By the time I had eaten 5 little rice and mince filled vine leaves, some delicious and very special pork sausages from Crete containing bits of onion and herbs, loadsa dip, some chips (curious), calamari and about 8 of those honey puffs, I was fit to burst! And yet, foolishly, I persuaded Director Chick to come with me on an adventure to check out Jay's Coffee Van..... *flourish*

Jay is an obvious coffee afficianado who has set himself up in a cool little position down on the lefthand side of the Nightcliff Jetty. After hearing about him 3 times in one weekend, I persuaded DC to head over there on the way home from Glenti to get a coffee to share (sample the goods) and to check out his set-up. There he was, surrounded by old folk sitting on foldup chairs enjoying the sunset, struggling with a line of small children clamouring for icecream and trying to make coffees on his little coffee machine. The set up consists of a trailer containing said machine, a Logastro icecream freezer, a little fridge selling cool drinks and water, sink, stereo etc. I also noticed that he offers 6 different types of coffee (I'll have a better look next time) which from recollection were offered as a single origin coffee. He also sells bags of freshly ground coffee. His permit says that he is able to operate on weekends and public holidays from 6am - 8pm, but the covert intelligence I've been able to gather tells me that he is most likely to be found at the Jetty around the 2pmish mark, Friday to Sunday and public holidays.

So - the coffee. Well for all the hype it wasn't a bad coffee - it was much better than the swill that Box Jellyfish are offering in their similar operation located at the Nightcliff Swimming Pool carpark on weekend mornings. Creamy and hot - and cheap! $3 for a small and $3.50 for a medium - 50c for extra shots or soy milk. It tasted okay, but in my limited knowledge of coffee, I would say it lacked a depth of flavour - it sure didn't make me go WOW! What's that coffee! I MUST buy some! But nice enough for the foreshore. My only criticism would be the size of the coffee machine - he was really only able to comfortably make one coffee at a time and what with the icecreams and the soft drinks and the taking of orders and money you really need to have two people on board making it all happen.

Anyway - good to see another small operator and coffee freak creating another option around town!!

Jay's Coffee

Left-hand side of Nightcliff Jetty

Weekends from Friday to Sunday from 2ish - 8ish

i've been called a slacker before y'know!!!

It's been brought to my attention that chickwithguts has been VERY slack lately. it's not like i didn't know that, its that ive been working really really hard at work (not slacking off) so have slacked off in the area that previously i wasn't so.. well... slack in! Plus my phone died which meant that my super dooper photos suffered cos i had to go back to my old phone.. anyway none of this means that i haven't been thinking of food, obsessing about food, EATING food (altho this has suffered too from recent tummy bug action, which has just meant a lot of miso) and taking photos of food, it just means that none of it has made it's way onto my blog...

Anyway.

A round up of the past month. I went to Perth. Had some GREAT food there. My standout would have to be Divido in Mount Hawthorne http://www.divido.com.au/index.htm Check out the dinner menu and you will find the thing, the dessert, the ONE if you will - my new grrlfriend, Croatian Doughnuts with almond and vanilla custard and summer berries - although on the nite I had it, it was served with roasted rhubarb!!!!! Words cannot express how i loved this dish - it had everything i love in a dessert - it was comfort food with great flavour and flair ... it was divine..it was divino! Sadly I was too taken with my new love to take any photos of her....Croatian Doughnuts - will you marry me?

Old Bud (OB) and i checked out Voyage Kitchen and Deli at 128 West Coast Drive cos a friend had said it had great coffee - the brekky menu looked good and it was PACKED - old bud and i got take away coffee and lunch and sat in the sand on the beach opposite - so it could have been the general ambience of gorgeous sunny perth day on white sandy beach with sea lapping at stuff, but the coffee WAS rich and yummy and my ham and cheese panini (which i swore off years ago cos perth got completely panini obsessed and i decided that panini was the foccacia of the 00's) did seem to be particularly tasty.

Went to Cimbalino in Dalkeith too - last time i couldnt taste anything, this time i could taste too much! the coffee always rocks here, but the bircher muesli was too sweet for me and the croissant i ordered came out cold, not warm and flaky - i was only consoled by OB, who told me in no uncertain terms that in Paris croissants did not arrive all flaky and warm...? Still not convinced by that, but it worked for me at the time.

I had two brekkys at Sayers at Shop 1, 224 Carr Place Leederville (swapping my old haunts for new this trip). OH. MY. GOD. So good!!!! I went to Sayers when it first opened, drawn by the tenuous link to Tarts in Northbridge. I was unimpressed by the froufrou cushions, the massive gilt mirror on the wall and the businessy clientele - but this time.. well maybe i've just chilled the fuck out. It's 2 years on and the mirror is still there, so are the cushions, but the music was good, the ppl a mix of business types...hipsters and well...us! The first brekky i opted for some savoury bizness - poached eggs, home made beans, rocket and parmesan, potato cake - again, my words fail me.. it was all just so and tasted amazing. The second brekky i opted for sweetness and being partial to a pancake, i ordered the ricotta pancakes with strawberry compote, double cream and maple syrup. well. pancakes - light, fluffy, just a HINT of ricotta oozing from the centre, fresh strawberries, dusted in icing sugar. And MAjor brownie points for all the rest of the things on the plate coming in little individual pots so that you can mix and match everything until its just how you like it. PLUS the woman who took our order recognised us from another cafe we used to hang out at all the time and was very enthusiastic about it, which stroked my pathetic ego. Only drawback - the coffee. Looks promising, not unpleasant, but fails to really drive it all home. Nevertheless, double thumbs up to Sayers.

My last night in town i went to Jessies Curry Kitchen, which has had a number of really flattering writeups including respected Perth blogger Abstract Gourmet and the Beaufort St Bloggers:

http://abstractgourmet.com/2009/04/jessies-curry-kitchen/

http://www.eatingwa.com.au/articles/186/

In fact these were what led me there - that and the fact that when OB and i went on a reconnaissance mission to check it out, Jessie told us that she cooks fresh every day. Twice. Frankly, this shows the kind of foolhardy dedication to quality food that will suck me in every time, so we invited everyone down for a goodbye Jay, hello Jessie dinner. All that needs to be said is in the two links above really. Cheap as chips (cost $130 for 9 of us), yummy, good sized portions, personable service (Jessie's partner Jeya runs the floor), the best Teh Tarik i've had since Singapore (hurrah! Jeya told me you have to use Boh tea ONLY and he lugs it in from Malaysia packed into a suitcase LOL). Check it out.

http://www.ozeating.com.au/restaurants/dim-sim-cafe/

Last but not least, I had yum cha twice. Now you'd be hard pressed to find better dim sum than at Darwin's Tasty House, but in Perth the benchmark used to be Hoi's Kitchen (RIP). When i was informed that the chef from Hoi's was now at a new place, Dim Sim House on William St in Northbridge I had to check it out. The cafe is a new style cafe rather than an old school dim sum house, but the food rocked. And the SQUID! It brought a tear to my eye. Service was great. And they serve shanghai dumplings which made OB and Tables very happy. Ate a variety of dim summy type stuff and it was all delicious. So if you like it - get on and eat it.

ok nuf from me now.

:-)))

i wanna be the minority....

heard that Coffeenut has opened in Smith St in the old Gourmet Deli site - Hungry drove past it a few weeks back and stopped to get her morning coffee (she said it was nothing special, but given it had just opened i'm willing to give it a go before writing it off - as an aside, this led to a discussion where we floated the possibility that liking the coffee we like (strong, full of flavour
etc) makes us a minority in a world of people who really like shitty weak coffee).

Coffeenut only do takeaway coffee from the morning until midday, but Hungry's mate, Gourmet Chick tells me that they sell Kopi Luwak - the kind of coffee that is made of beans poo-ed out by a civet cat - at $45 a cup!!! i thought i'd make them a deal - if you can make me a REALLY KICK ASS latte from ordinary beans, i'll have a go of your $45 coffee.

holiday part 2 - coffee

I branched out this holiday to try a few local blends - I bought a Fiori expresso blend (Fiori being a WA coffee roaster in West Perth) which was bloody gorgeous and I bought some coffee from the Yallingup Coffee Roasting Company which i don't like that much.... this may be coloured by my experience in said store and in Dunsborough, which i found to be less than desirable - which leads me to the conclusion that you can build funky cafes and do whatever you like to make it look good, but you can't take the yobbo out of Dunsborough.

holiday part 1 - breakfast

Sorry about the double breakfast photo, still figuring out the intricacies of blogging!! (if anyone has any tips.. ?)

Well i flew out from the big D and managed to successfully manage to eat my way round Perth and not take any photos of anything cos i was so excited about all the food options.... after a few days and some clarity (Perth has more food definitely but lots of stuff about the eating experience in Perth still shits me to tears) i took myself off to the Merchant on Beaufort St in Mount Lawley for breakfast - avec camera phone! Going to the Merchant was in the interests of my neural pathways, never been there, the sissy said it was good ... rocked up - its all very funky with some couches, a bit of al fresco table action, perused the menu which has some funky little spanish options and some yummy looking frittery things on it, so i asked for the first option and was told it hadn't been made yet. hmm. asked for my second option and was told that it hadn't been made yet. mmmmmm. asked for my third option which was poached eggs a slow roasted tomato, house made baked beans, mushrooms, that gorgeous Fresh Provisions bacon (i think it comes from Elmars, the german butcher over the road - it is smoked and Freshies is the only place I have found to buy it - it is the BEST EVER!!!!! EVER!!!!!) and spinach (they said they hadn't PLUCKED IT FROM THE GARDEN YET - not - no, they didn't have it yet (!), so i got given rocket instead). It was all VERY delicious, although my eggs came out all boogery and i had to ask them to give them a bit more heat and the coffee was weak as piss, which was funny as they had quotes from the "barista" on the menu about the latest coolest coffee blend. The juice i had which had beetroot and all kinds of yumminess was really good. So i took myself away having had a bloody good breakfast that i had to work to get - which is not the best way to start the morning but far from being the worst. The Merchant needs to pull it's socks up a bit - don't put stuff on the menu you dont have yet!!! Or better yet, GET IT DONE IN TIME!!! Perth still has a way to go before it becomes Melbourne, but the old Perth brekky which used to be Fast Eddy's or nought, has improved outta site.

The only other brekky I had which was in any way memorable was at Cantina 663 on Beaufort St, near the Astor Cinema. Service is ace, really quick, the coffee is great, the tables and booths are comfy with lots of configurations and options for having something to eat and there's the whole undercover outside arcade thing going on so you can sit at a table and set your kid free and watch them crawling out the arcade door and onto busy Beaufort St at peak hour....oops

Food is tasty, presentation good, nothing humungously special about it, just good decent food. I had banana bread, toasted (yum) and some of their house-made granola which comes with some fresh fruit... also had scrambled eggs another time and they were pretty good - not amazing like the ones they used to have at Tarts before it went up its own ass, but good.

still waiting on photos but will post when they come through.... :-)))