Look what I found! Nigel's website!

http://nigels-kneads.com/page004.html

Signatures (from a source)

And my source says: Got a tip from a kiwi builder friend of mine (Hi Duncan!) ... Signature’s Cafe in the Chinatown building. Had a quick lunch there today and it was damn good. A little Greek lady serves it up and just wants you to be happy – calls everyone darling (couldn’t really understand much else she said!). I had a skewered sausage thing – looked like some kind of native mammal poo to tell the truth – but it was delicious and meaty and garlicky, with extra garlicky-ness in the yoghurt sauce. There were also stuffed cabbage leaves and a spanakopita about the size of a truck tyre. Greek sweets too. I think my poo skewer plus salad was $8.50.

Nigel - we love you

I wrote before about Nigel and his Kneads (bread) - he is just becoming more and more prolific. His breads can now be found, albeit in limited quantities, every day at Greenies Wholefoods in the Rapid Creek Shopping Village, Parap Fine Foods on Parap Road, the Gourmet Deli on Knuckey St in town, at the Mitchell St night markets (not sure when these are on) and somewhere else... *thinking* dammit I know there's somewhere else, but my memory is failing me - oh and I hear that Martin of Martin's cafe in Coconut Grove is selling Nigel rolls to go with his soups. His rye bread really is the bomb - I brought some into work the other day and it was snapped up by my workmates - he makes a mean sourdough.. it's all really really good.
You heard it here first.

Silent Disco Imix

Just for something a little bit different.... a month ago I played at the Silent Disco at the Darwin Festival.. you can download the imixes from Itunes here:

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=333212640

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=333212641

Gourmet Traveller

not Mingy in the slightest!

Ming Court... what to say what to say. Last night as I tucked into my second straight night of Ming Court Pizza, somebody asked me if I had blogged about it, to which I thoughtfully replied in the negatory. The reason it was a thoughtful reply is that I spend a lot of time blogging about really good places or really bad places, but can forget to write about the staples that sustain us - and we regularly eat their pizza.

Ming Court Pizza has never been my favourite pizza place, there's too much in the topping department, the bases bend under the weight like nobodies business and sometimes I can't tell a Margerita from a vegetarian, but it's the closest to our house, the one with the funniest service (and possibly the most helpful if you get them on a good day) AND never in my puff have I come across a Chinese restaurant that makes pizza, which surely makes it the most unique pizza place in Darwin, if not Australia. They are pretty expensive for what they are, but they are loved far and wide, have a massive wait on weekends of up to an hour, are cherished for their wide range of pizzas that span standard aussie toppings to gourmet vegetarian (the Meditteranean with blobs of greek yoghurt), not to mention their range of Asian pizzas (never been game enough to try one but they even have a Thai-style pizza). The garlic bread is usually a bit limp but it's ok. It's all ok. It definitely deserves a mention.

Ming Court

Jingili Shops

18 Jingili Terrace

Jingili NT

Ph: 89851755

BEST BURGER

A little while ago the NT News ran a competition to see locals vote on the best burgers in town. It was narrowed down to 3 finalists and the taste test saw Melissa's Takeaway win hands down and I've been meaning to get down there ever since. So today I did. Well OH MY GOD is not all I have to say - I also have to say that it was the PERFECT burger. Soft white bun, home-made meat patty that definitely contained fresh herbs and spring onion, beetroot, fried onions, perfectly shredded lettuce (iceberg, thin), thin slices of tomato - it was the bomb.

Melissa's Takeaway
Shop 12, Westlane Arcade
Darwin NT
89422001

Bull or no bull?

Suffice to say that circumstances led me to the door of the Raging Bull Steakhouse in Parap, in the far end corner of the Parap Village Tavern (15 Parap Rd, Parap), or if you're really motivated you can check it our here: http://www.parapvillagetavern.com.au/categories/Raging-Bull-Steakhouse/

Now I've never eaten at a Steakhouse, let alone one in Darwin, the NT, or a pub, so I had no idea what to expect.... except that I figured it might be grimier, harder and involve more guns. But I had heard (word on the street and all that) that this was a good place to get a steak. Which is not something I get to eat a lot. So I pushed open the doors and found.... a bright, inviting, well lit space with polished concrete and wooden floors, highchairs, families, clean bathrooms, good service, wine, lots of Australian and imported beers and meat - lots and lots of meat. The only thing I found marginally offputting was the faint odour of smoke drifting through from the pub next door, but to be fair it was very very faint - detectable only to a nose-to-the-wind-ex-smoking-nazi (me).

To dinner: well they have a big, well set out menu focussing on meat, but providing seafood, vegetarian and kids choices and there are also daily specials (check that link for massive schnitzel nite, massive steak nite etc etc - salads and greenery of any kind are definitely an afterthought). My dining partner (podner) and I ordered some calamari as an entree and it took ages to come out. It was ok, a generous serve, tender (if a bit floury) but passable. Mains saw me asking for some guidance from the staff and they recommended ribs (ribs! how .. how... meaty!!) with a smoked sauce, mash and salad and my podner ordered steak. Steak steak steak. He was very happy with it, it came exactly as he'd ordered it (rare) with a little rare flag on the top, HUGE, with mash. I didn't love mine, although I felt the romance of being at one with the wild west with my ribs - they fell from the bone, tasted ok, but my tummy definitely paid the price for it all later! Mash was very creamy but untasty and the salad was fresh with a little mustard vinaigrette that I didn't mind. Dessert was pretty uninspiring - choc mousse slice with icecream and cream - it wasn't hideous and if I hadn't thought to put my spoon down I would have absentmindedly eaten the whole thing....all in all I would probably go back in a pinch, I've had much much worse food.

I must apologise for my all over the font-ness

I’ve been sending my blogs via email and they come up in all different fonts and sizes!!!

 

So if anyone can tell me how to fix it….. !

 

 

Gourmet Traveller mention

An honourable mention – stoked!

 

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From: Sam
Sent: Monday, 14 September 2009 2:25 PM
To: J
Subject: RE: [chickwithguts] so not Thailicious!!!!

 

Hi there – have you seen gourmet traveller? Your blog gets a mention in the restaurant guide!