Excelsior Jones @ Ashfield

A friend of mine has been telling me to try Excelsior Jones for months, and when they won Best Cafe in Time Out Food Award 2013, I figured it was about time I went. I personally, would have never thought such a cafe would exist in the suburb known for their dumplings. Therefore, as a brunch date, we headed to Ashfield to check out Excelsior Jones.

Excelsior Jones is located on quite a strange intersection, where apart from the cafe itself, there are homes and a few mechanics. But, never judge a book by its cover right? Upon walking in, there was a great smell of coffee and pancakes! The pancake smell was extremely deceiving considering there wasn't a pancake item on the menu.

Pretty Mocha

Berry almond tart

After smelling the pancakes, and not seeing them in sight I thought we would need a sweet hit. I went to the cabinet, and from the several pastries such as friands and cupcakes I chose the deliciously looking berry almond tart. My partner ordered a cappuccino while I ordered a mocha for myself, and accompanied with the tart was a great way to start the day.

Poached eggs with toast, relish, feta and sauteed mushrooms

We both ordered the same dish of poached eggs with toast, however chose different sides. Excelsior Jones allows you to choose from a range of sides such as; bacon, relish, mushrooms, feta, relish, avocado. I ended up with the relish, feta and mushrooms and my partner chose a nice and simple side of avocado. The relish was amazing and when added with the feta, a great balance of sweet, salty and tangy flavours. There is not any other way of having mushrooms for breakfast than with a lovely butter based sauce. Of course, the best part of a breakfast are perfectly poached eggs!

Overall, Excelsior Jones was a great place for breakfast. The staff are friendly, where a staff member saw my partners film camera and had an in-depth talk about photography and cameras for a good 10 minutes. I definitely want to go again and try their lunch menu.

Good food, good times!

Metro St James @ St James

A day out with a friend, always calls for a good meal to be involved. We then decided to hit up Metro St James. Metro St James has been open since March this year, and has been getting a great level of business. There most recent enterprise was pay with a kiss. The idea is to pay with a kiss, meaning you get your coffee for free if you are at the counter and kiss your partner. I didn't part take in this, however a lot of people did and it had a lot of buzz on radio and other social media websites.

Big Healthy Breakfast

Poached free range eggs, hot salmon, avocado, roasted tomatoes & ricotta on soy quinoa toast

A lovely big hearty and healthy plate of food. All the colours that you want to see when eating breakfast, with fresh flavours. A great start for anyone's day!

House made baked beans, poached eggs and feta w/ side of toast

My choice for breakfast. I wanted to try the baked beans, to see how they compared to The Grounds of Alexandria. They are more tomatoey than the grounds, but just as good. The addition of the feta adds a lovely saltiness to the dish. Eating baked beans on toast was a very fulfilling breakfast.

Metro St James is a great place to start your day in the big city. 

Good food, good times!

Melbourne Bites: Hardware Societe, Lux Bite & La Belle Miette

A day trip to Melbourne and the food that was involved.

1. Hardware Societe
2. St Ali (coffee break)

3. Lux Bite

4. La Belle Miette

HARDWARE SOCIETE

120 Hardware St, Melbourne VIC 3000

Baked Eggs 

Left: chorizo sausage, piquillo pimientos sauce, crunchy almonds, queso de cabra goats milk cheese

Right: Sweet potato, thyme & jerusalem artichoke puree, triple cream brie

Charcuterie coddled eggs

cured meats, hot smoked salmon, fromage du jour, condiments

LUX BITE
38 Toorak Rd, South Yarra VIC 3141

Rainbow of macarons

Meringue Monster
Green tea sponge, pistachio, watermelon yoghurt, sour strawberry mousse and meringue

Lolly bag cake: As seen in Masterchef 2013

Almond jaconde, freckle Crunch, mandarin jaffa ganache, musk mallow, spearmint buttercream and redskin glaze

Endless Love

Lychee ganache, rose cream, lychee and fresh raspberries

Our delights!

LA BELLE MIETTE
30 Hardware Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000

Macarons
Left Column: Lavender, Earl grey & chocolate, Violet blueberry, Lemon, Salted caramel and Opera cake
Right Column: Raspberry, Pimms & pomegranate, Rose, Cherry blossom & sake, Scone, Bastille

Macarons

Left to Right: Lemon, ginger & pineapple, Heilala crème brulee, Mandarin & Jaffa, Sour strawberry, Ribena Lemonade, Coffee Candy (Kopiko), Bamboo Oolong tea and Kaya toast 

Hoard of macarons =D

Baroque Pantry @ The Rocks, Sydney

Baroque is one of my favourite Sydney based restaurants, they provide exquisite food in their bistro, and beautiful desserts. So, when I found out they were introducing a new concept of Baroque Pantry (January 2013), I was extremely excited to be able to dine at Baroque for breakfast/brunch. With the new concept, they have set up a Parisian themed lounge area on the outside of their restaurant, allowing diners to enjoy the lovely Sydney weather.  They also have a bicycle outside their restaurant which sets a Paris aesthetic (I thought it was a random bike, but after walking past a few times I realised it was part of the restaurant). This post contains two of my visits to Baroque Pantry.

Crispy pork cheek and cucumber salad

Mmm pork cheek! This pork cheek was marinaded in a BBQ style sauce, with a lovely sticky nature. Due to the sauce though, the skin wasn't as crispy as I would have enjoyed. The fresh cucumber salad was vibrant with greens and purples. The cucumber was slightly pickled, which added a tang against the quite sweet pork cheek.

House smoked ocean trout, green mango and young coconut salad with cucumber.

This was a fresh salad with a great taste. The green mango was the highlight for me, the light sourness with the sweet coconut was exquisite. A lovely salad to help balance the dining experience. 

Heirloom tomato tartlet, fresh gongozola cheese, basil and balsamic dressing 

A pastry filled with flavour. You can't go wrong with anything with tomatoes as the main component. The use of gongozola cheese is extremely strong, which was balances with the diced tomatoes and drizzle of balsamic vinegar. My friend loved this dish a lot.

Pompadour - Raspberry mousse, passion fruit cream centre and almond nougatine

Now to the desserts. Baroque offer lovely cakes and pastries in their cabinet, but on their dinner menu they also offer other desserts such as souffle and creme brulee. The pompadour is a delight, with the combination of the beautiful taste of raspberry and passion fruit. The macaron shells on the outside provide a crunch to the delicate mousse centre.

Baroque chocolate eclair - Chocolate choux pastry,Valrhona chocolate ganache and chocolate crumble

Mmm eclair! This is new to the Barqoue cabinet of delights. The choux pastry was filled with a chocolatey centre and topped with tempered chocolate. This is perfect for the lovers of chocolate!

Baked egg with mushroom, thyme and garlic 

On the Baroque menu they are know as Egg Cocottes aka baked eggs. Baked eggs are one of the best ways to have eggs (including poached eggs). My friends ordered this dish, and it was her first time trying a baked egg. The yolk was runny, and all the flavours were beautifully combined. The only down fall was that there was a bit too much butter on the bread. Other then that, a pot of joy!

Eggs benedict with spinach, ocean trout, hollandaise sauce and sourdough 

An all time breakfast favourite - Eggs benedict. Oozing eggs with spinach and trout can not go wrong. The sour dough was crunchy on the outside, and soft on the inside. I asked for the hollandaise sauce on the side, because I am not the biggest fan, but I did eat a bit and there was a creamy texture with a slight tang.

Mango, coconut & lime and strawberry macaron

As always, Baroque is known for their wonderful macarons so I couldn't leave with out purchasing some little treats for myself. The mango, coconut & lime was beautiful, with all the flavours merging together. The strawberry was tasty as well, with a strong flavour of strawberry. Baroque is one of my favourite places for macarons!

I have not had a disappointing baroque dining experience, and with great service and great food I hope that stays the same.

Good food, good times!

ExpressOrganica @ Concord

We all love a good brunch spot, but what about a place that is practically open all day everyday? ExpressOrganica is the place to be. . They are known as one of Sydney's Best Coffee Spots, and have been mentioned in SMH Everyday eats guide 2012. 

They provide an all day breakfast, lunch menu and dinner menu. The menu showcases an array of various foods, without having too many choices. The breakfast menu was my favourite, where I have never spent so long trying to decide what to eat. We decided to order some coffees and 2 breakfast/brunch choices.

Pretty Mocha

Vegetarian Stack

All the brunch favourites, avocado, poached eggs, sautéed mushrooms, baby spinach and roasted tomato and sourdough bread. I chose the dish without hollandaise sauce, because I am not the biggest fan, but either way, it was tasty. You can also add extras to the dish such as salmon, if you want some more flavours to start off your day.

Asparagus & sweet potato salad

This was part of the specials, and sounded too good to not order. It was composed of asparagus, sweet potato, mixed salad, cherry tomato, feta and walnuts. I thought the highlight of the dish would be the asparagus, where in fact it was the sweet potato. Perfectly cooked sweet potato, that helped with the salty feta and balsamic dressing.

The overall dining experience was exceptional with wonderful service, and great coffee. The store itself provides a warm vibe, with the brown and cosy décor. The bill was $44 for 2 people, which includes 2 coffees and 2 mains.

Good food, good times!

Circa Expresso @ Parramatta

This cafe has been on my eating list for a very long time now, and since it was uni holidays it was about time I went (which resulted in me going twice). Circa Expresso is located in an alley way outside of Westfield shopping centre. It is a quirky cafe with a painted wall upon entry, a bike hanging on one of the walls, and little bits and pieces everywhere (definitely not what you expect in Parramatta). 

First:

Baked eggs with sujuk, Danish feta, diced tomato & chilli and toast served in a pan

This is what I call a great breakfast (that isn't bacon and eggs). Sujuk is a spicy Turkish sausage which I found similar to a spicy chorizo sausage. This entire dish was delicious, all the bits and pieces were beautiful, and the eggs had a runny centre. A slight hint of chilli to the dish bound everything together. To me, there was not one bad thing to the dish.

Breakfast granola: Poached rhubarb, yoghurt and fresh fruit

This was my vegetarian friends dish. I don't eat granola, or yoghurt, so this dish isn't a very me dish. However, I did like the poached rhubarb.

Second:

Coffee

A mocha to start a lovely brunch with a good friend and it was the first coffee I have ever finished. I have always given coffee a chance, but never been happy or pleased with the taste. But this time, I was very happy.

Penne with portobello mushrooms, pork & fennel sausage, baby spinach and parmesan

One of the specials of the day, pasta for only $12. This was a great pasta dish with simple yet strong flavours that complemented each other. For the price, it was a great pasta, even better than some pastas I have tried in high end restaurants.

Pork and fennel sausage served with caramelised onion, pickled cucumber, baby spinach 

served on sourdough bread

We all love a good sandwich, and this is one for the books. The pork and fennel sausage were juicy and filled with flavour. I really enjoyed the pickled cucumber, it added a saltiness that was balanced with the caramelised onion. 

French toast with poached rhubarb, labne and pistachio

After our savoury part of brunch, we turned to the sweet and seeing French toast on the line of specials, was an offer not to be refused. The French toast was different to how I make it at home, using bigger bread that soaks in more of the batter. The poached rhubarb, with the subtle labne and crunch of pistachio. Nothing wrong with this dish, it was just spoonfuls of tastiness. 

Banana bread with passion fruit butter

This was so tasty, I could eat it every day. The banana bread was served slightly warm, but the passion fruit butter is what makes it great. It was smooth and delicious. It was just gloriously wonderful! Possibly my favourite thing on the menu.

Both times at Crica Expresso were exquisite, with friendly staff and even better food. Definitely hits the spot for a great brunch!

Good food, good times!

Newtown Bites

I woke up one morning, and thought I need an afternoon of good company and great food. I messaged one of my close friends and decided, lets go to Newtown, and off we went to some of our favourite places and venturing to some new ones.

First stop: Luxe Bakery (195 Missenden Road, Newtown NSW 2042)
No matter the sweet craving I always have to go for savoury first to set the mood. So we decided to start our Netown bites with some savoury brunch delights.

Toasted herby chicken with prolone cheese, lettuce + tangy orange sauce $10

I have yet to try a bad sandwich at Luxe Bakery, and that streak continues. I had a taste of what was one great sandwich, with the moist chicken and orange sauce. I wished the sauce had a bit of a stronger taste, nevertheless it was wonderful. 

House cured trout with hash browns, poached egg & truffle oil $16

The house cured trout is my idea of a good lunch. Everything on the plate works well together, and the perfectly poached egg gives the dish that little extra kick. This is my second time having this dish, and compared to the first time, the trout didn't have a lightly dill coat. The dill definitely makes a difference to the taste, adding another level of freshness to the trout.

Second Stop: The Pie Tin (1a Brown Steet, Newtown NSW 2042)

Let the sweets begin! This was our debut to The Pie Tin, after seeing chocolatesuze post a photo of some awesome looking pies she was eating, I had to get in on the action. Walking into The Pie Tin and seeing all the pies in the glass cabinet, made them all look irresistible. Flavours including apple, chocolate brownie, strawberry, snickers, oreo, pumpkin, coconut custard, raspberry & lime jelly and more! After a good 5 minutes, we finally decided on which sweet pies to get.

 GIANT APPLE PIE!!

 Pie prices: $6.50 - $7.50

We purchased American sweet pumpkin, and coconut custard pie. The pumpkin pie was my favourite of the two, it wasn't to sweet, but it was sweet enough to just hit the spot. The coconut custard pie was relatively light. It had more of an egg custard filling, compared to a vanilla custard filling. Which didn't quite tickle my fancy, but tasted nice regardless. The coconut added a little extra sweetness.

Third Stop: Gelatomassi (262 King St, Newtown NSW 2042)

I read about Gelatomassi in a SMH article titled Sydney's tastiest gelato. Not realising where it was located until we walked passed it on the way to luxe, I made sure we came back for a taste. Ice-cream is a weakness for me, especially at a place like Gelatomassi where there are plenty of flavours to choose from.

Price range: From $4.50

After sampling a few flavours, we chose pistachio and dark chocolate, due to Four Square where most people stated they enjoyed these flavours. The sweetness of the pistachio complimented the bitterness of the dark chocolate resulting in an awesome combination of flavours. The texture of the ice cream was smooth, and creamy, yet not too milky. It reminded of the ice cream at Pompeii (in Bondi) but Gelatomassi is cheaper and I think will be one of my new favourite spots to eat ice cream.

Final Stop: Black Star Pastry (277 Australia Street, Newtown NSW 2042)

The journey ends at one of Newtown's hot spots, famous for there chocolate éclair and watermelon cake, Black Star Pastry. The main reason we went there was to try there new granita, that was a limited edition summer item, but they didn't make it on the day, so instead we chose the blueberry lavender tart ($6) and lemon meringue tart with basil jelly ($6).

The blueberries on the tart had a sugar coating, which I personally didn't like too much. It made the tart a bit too sweet for my liking. I am unsure to what the filling of the tart was but it was nice and light, and went well with blueberries that weren't coated in sugar. Nevertheless, a well flavoured sweet sensation.

The lemon meringue tart with basil jelly was definitely interesting. The thing I found intriguing was the shape of the dessert, and the perfectly torched lines on the meringue. The meringue with the lemon curd tasted typical to a normal lemon meringue tart, however the basil jelly is what made a difference. The basil jelly added a 'herby' taste to the dessert, which worked strangely well with the sour lemon and sweet meringue. After a while, the lemon became a bit overpowering, but I wouldn't have expected any less.

Good food, good times!