Murray's Bagels, New York.

It’s 12.07am AEST and I’m about to eat breakfast. I’m not an insomniac. I’m in New York. It’s ok to be jealous. 

Many hours of research has revealed that Murray’s Bagels on 6th Ave has perfected the NY bagel. I’m no expert on the subject. But I’m great at pretending. 

10.07am. Get in line with half of the West Village. Peruse the extensive menu. Practice your order over and over in your head.. ‘Cinnamon bagel with strawberry cream cheese, cinnamon bagel with strawberry cream cheese’. Repeat. Reach the front of the line. Forget your order. Say the first thing that pops into your head in a heavy Aussie accent. Repeat your order minus the accent. Collect your plain bagel with eggs and bacon. 

Regardless of the ordering mishap, I am chuffed with my spontaneous choice. The plain bagel is chewy with a dense bread flavour. Yet the insides are somewhat light and fluffy. See those little holes in the bagel? I’m pretty sure that’s the sign of a perfect bagel. Fluffy. Yeah, I’m an expert. And the bacon is oh so crisp. You don’t want chewy bacon on a chewy bagel. It’s all about the textures, and this bagel has all of them. 

A sweltering summer is currently edging closer to  NY, and the coffee here is CRAP, so drink it cold. It helps. 

Ignoring my better judgement, I brave the line again and order the cinnamon bagel. It’s like a giant, chewy hot cross bun slathered with cream cheese that is punctuated with chunks of real strawberry the size of your face. Perfection. 


Murray's Bagels
500 Avenue of the Americas, New York.
www.murraysbagels.com

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The St Kilda Galleon Cafe, Melbourne

Galleon Cafe in St Kilda is my all time favourite place to eat in Melbourne. I've been fortunate enough to travel all over Australia, both for pleasure and work. Because of all this travel, I have eaten a lot of breakfasts from all different places. I therefore believe I am in the perfect position to make the following statement. Hands down, Galleon Cafe serves the best eggs benedict in Australia. Seriously. Perfectly cooked eggs every time, creamy hollandaise sauce, all served on a lightly toasted bagel. Pure bliss. Do yourself a favour and get a sweet potato hash brown on the side as well. You wont be disappointed. Care to offer a rebuttal? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter..  where do you think the best eggs benedict are served?

Studying the menu closely. Just get the eggs benedict, damn it. Silly girl.

Honey served with your tea. Forget the sugar, get organic. Drink some bonsoy. Do it now.

Oh, behold the gloriousness. Just sit and look at it for a little while. Ponder life over the perfect eggs. (Eggs Benedict with homemade hollandaise sauce and leg ham, one egg $11 or two eggs $13. Sweet potato hash brown $3.50)

Pancakes are also a tasty option. But don't skip the eggs. Have the pancakes for dessert after your eggs.  (Pancakes with lemon butter and strawberries, $12.50)

Poached eggs, vegetarian style. Also good. (Sweet potato, basil and feta hash served with wilted spinach and one poached egg, $13. Side of Hollandaise sauce, $1.50)

Ok. You've waited long enough. Bust open your eggs and behold the gooey goodness. Savour. Enjoy. Return many, many times over.

The St Kilda Gallon Cafe

9 Carlisle Street  

St Kilda VIC 3182

(03) 9534 8934

http://galleoncafe.com.au/

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Little Creatures Dining Hall and Ponyfish Island, Melbourne

Earlier in the year I visited Perth for the first time on a business trip. Perth is stunning. I had such a great time; the people are wonderful, the beaches are stunning and the food was great.. expensive, but great. And the red-eye flight back to Sydney.. not so great. But that's a whole other story.  

I was told by several people that I had to visit the Little Creatures Brewery in Fremantle. As a huge lover of beer, I put this on the top of the to-do-list. An amazing set up, great food and the cheapest pints in Perth! After such a great experience in Perth, you could imagine my delight after stumbling upon the Melbourne Little Creatures Dining Hall in Fitzroy. 

After a short wait at the bar we were led to our booth in the dinning hall. In the spirit of trying everything, we opted for a few share meals. Above, fresh cut chips with garlic aioli $8.50.

The eggplant, spinach, dukkah, goats cheese pizza $18 was gorgeous. Also featuring a generous slathering of caramelised onions, the sweetest of both the eggplant and onion was perfectly paired with the cheese and dukkah.

 Carrot, walnut, beetroot, goats cheese salad $15

Later that evening we visited the very new, very trendy Ponyfish Island Bar. Like all good bars in Melbourne, Ponyfish island requires a trained eye to find the entrance. Located under the Yarra River Pedestrian footbridge, access is via what appears to be a set of emergency stairs. The bar itself is decked out in recycled tables and chairs, a few milk crates and lots of fairy lights. There is a limited menu, but we just opted for a few post-dinner ciders whilst enjoying the hipster crowd surrounding us.

Little Creatures Dining Hall
222 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
03 9471 5500
https://www.littlecreatures.com.au/


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Ponyfish Island
Located under the Yarra Pedestrian footbridge
(connecting Southbank to Flinders Street Station)
Entry via stairs.
http://www.ponyfish.com.au/

 
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Biota Dining, Bowral.

Just this weekend the boyfriend, Michael, and I spent a lazy few days in the Southern Highlands. A quick hour and a half drive from Sydney, Bowral is the perfect location for a short getaway, particularly in the Autumn/Winter when the leaves are turning orange and the air is fresh and crisp. Perfect!

A few months ago I picked up a Cudo voucher for the new Gilbraltar Hotel (more on that experience later). Obviously a popular voucher as we had to wait a few months before we could book. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it meant we arrived in Bowral post opening of Biota Dining, the new venture from James Viles. I spied a review of Biota on Gastronomous Anonymous just before our long weekend, and thankfully Michael agreed that it was a must visit.

 “Biota is a dining experience supporting both local farmers and growers, focusing on artisan produce incorporating seasonal botanicals in all aspects of its menus and environment.. Our onsite automated glasshouse grows over 40 varietels of seed imported from france, netherlands and local suppliers which gives us a constant seasonal harvest of shoots, cresses and seedlings getting put to into gastronomic practice on a daily basis.” - biotadining.com

 

We book for a Saturday night and upon entering the restaurant we find that we’ve scored the premier table – right in front of the kitchen! We have an amazing view of the servery and can see/hear every movement from within the bowels of the kitchen. Around the opposite side of the building is the lounge. Comfortably decked out and featuring a separate menu of tapas style food. Watching the working of the kitchen all night makes me realise my job is mundane in comparison.

 

The wine list is extensive and features a few local wines. I choose a sauvignon blanc from Centennial Vineyards, which is right next to our hotel, only to discover that they are all out. The waitress recommends another local wine and I am horrified to discover that I’ve just agreed to a chardonnay. It wasn’t too bad and the glass size was overly generous (I hear chardonnay is making a comeback, though?).

We start off with warm bread and smoked butter, followed by an amuse-bouche of apple, tomato and Chamomile. The tomato is overly acidic on its own but is palatable with the apple pure.

For entrée I opt for the banana prawns in cured scallop broth with cucumber, green tea and dill seeds ($19). The severing was huge, with a whopping six large banana prawns on my plate. The prawns were perfectly cooked and the broth was tasty, however I did find it to be a tad salty.

Michael ordered the barbecued calamari, dressed with sugar snap peas and celery ($22). I managed to wrangle a small mouth full from him and again, the calamari was perfectly cooked. I despise rubbery, overcooked calamari!

Moving onto mains, we argued for quite some time as to who would order the lamb rump ($41). I came up winner (or should I say, Michael was generous enough to change his order at the last second). The lamb is cooked medium rare (I wasn’t asked for my preference) and is placed on a creamy bed of olive caramel. What I loved most about this dish was the oat milk rolled in garlic ash and hazelnut. Michael summed this up perfectly when he compared the texture of the oat milk to ‘yogo chocolate yoghurt’. It is creamy and light and not at all what I was expecting – more of a bocchini texture? I try a smear of the oat milk with the lamb and it isn’t bad. But what I find to be even more enticing is crumbling the overly crunchy bacon rind over the milk oat. The creamy texture with the salty, teeth shattering bacon is divine!

Michael has ordered the grouper with oysters and nashi ($38), this is a scary prospect as he wouldn’t normally order fish. But I am assured the fish is flaky and the oysters well cooked.

Letting our food settle, we peruse the dessert menu while taking in the exciting scene unfolding in the kitchen. It seems the apprentice was left in charge of picking salad and herbs from the garden for tonight’s dinners, and he hasn’t picked enough or decent quality produce. After a fantastic spray from James, (Michael is highly amused to hear the ‘f bomb’ dropped a couple of times) we see the apprentice with a big bowl running out the back door into the garden to grab more salad.

It was amazing to see James and his kitchen at full steam. By now (approx 9.30pm) the restaurant is about three quarters full and we overhear whisperings from waiters and the kitchen that there are VIPs dinning in the lounge. Even with all this on his plate, James notices that we are still sitting, staring at our dessert menus and he calls over a waitress to send in our direction and take our order. Did someone say Super Chef?
 

There will be no sharing when it comes to dessert. Michael orders the caramel pear, raw cacao ice cream, warm buckwheat and malt ($16), while I opt for the slightly more exotic silken honey and pumpkin cream, pumpkin seed shortbread, curds and whey, ginger juice sorbet ($15). The pumpkin cream is light and airy, and the shortbread is buttery and melts in the mouth. But my favourite part of the dish is the ginger sorbet. Delightfully fresh, I only wish I had a bigger serve!

We have to roll ourselves out to the car, bellies bursting at the brim thanks to the huge servings we were dished up. Michael isn’t normally one for fine dining, he can’t understand why someone would pay an exuberant amount of money for a tiny portion of food on a oversized plate. Our bill comes to around $160, which we both believe to be unbelievably cheap considering the quality and quantity of food. Even a week later, Michael continues to tell me, over and over, how impressed he was with Biota. This was definitely one of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had. The service, the food, the ambiance - everything was fantastic. I hope to return very soon to try out their lounge menu – the mini wagyu burgers sprawling out of the kitchen looked amazing!

Move over, Eschalot. There is a new player in the Southern Highlands and I’m sure the awards will be flooding in very, very soon.

Biota Dining
Address: Kangaloon Road, Bowral, NSW 2576
Phone: 02 4862 2005
Website: biotadining.com

Bankstown - Part Three. Gia Hoi Vietnamese and my secret desire to swim in a vat of Pho soup!

If I died tomorrow I’d want the last thing I ate to be Bun Bo Xao. No, not a cake. Vietnamese food. I am addicted. My idea of the perfect meal is a big bowl of beefy lemon grass, fish sauce goodness, followed by a taro pearl milk tea from Easy Way (Yes, I’m also addicted to Easy Way. I’ve passed this addiction onto The Boy. Stop judging me).

(I'm always oddly entertained by the cutlery and condiments on tables at Asian restaurants. Orange chopsticks to match the decor, and three different types of chilli sauce, for the not-so-easily pleased)

I’m lucky enough to have an amazing Vietnamese restaurant just around the corner from my workplace. It’s bright orange and makes great Bun Bo Xao. My dear friend, Cat, is my tutor is everything Vietnamese. One day while eating at the orange restaurant Cat mentions to me “You realise this place also has a branch in Bankstown?”. ARE YOU KIDDING ME! 

This revelation is very dangerous. Prior to this exact moment I had been traveling to Hurstville to get my fix, now it was a measly 5 to 10 minutes from my front door (depending on traffic). 

So off went The Boy and I one raining Sunday night. Turn the corner and just up ahead I see the bright orange exterior shinning like a beacon of delicious hope! It does have an actual name - Gia Hoi. But everyone knows it as the orange restaurant. 

(Fresh rice paper rolls with shredded pork. 4 pieces, $7)

Super hungry, we order an entree and main each. Fresh rice paper rolls with shredded pork to start. Personally I don’t think they have enough pork and the texture is a bit gritty for my liking, but The Boy is sold, gobbling up my share. 

(Braised beef rice vermicelli salad - Bun Bo Xao. $9)

Of course I ordered the braised beef rice vermicelli salad. This comes with a fabulous fish sauce dressing called Nuoc Cham. It’s a common dipping sauce accompanying many vietnamese dishes. It consists of one part lemon/lime, one part fish sauce, one part sugar, two parts water, chilli and garlic. When served with Bun, shredded carrot is added.

It’s not normally spicy or hot, but the Bankstown branch seems to serve theirs with a little bit more chilli, which is fine by me particularly on this cold, dreary night.  

(Crispy skin chicken)

The Boys crispy skin chicken egg noodle soup arrives without the chicken. I assure him the chicken is served separately and it will arrive shortly,  but he is very hungry so he starts slurping down soup and noodles by itself. 

(Crispy skin chicken with egg noodle soup. $8)

He enjoys the chicken, but maintains that the soup is a little tasteless. I did suggest on arrival that he get the pho -  a beef broth soup that is so tasty I wouldn't mind swimming in a giant vat of it. 

In contrast to Haymarket, the Bankstown branch is a little bit cheaper, but just as tasty. The sizes are super generous, so we roll ourselves out of the orange haze and head off for coffee with friends. Perfect Sunday night.

Gia Hoi Vietnamese

299 Chapel Rd St

Bankstown 2200 NSW

Phone: (02) 9796 3388

Bankstown - Part two. Sindbad Bakery

We all do it. And we all love it. If you haven’t managed to suck down all of that greasy pizza for dinner, you’re gonna pop it in the fridge and save it for breakfast tomorrow. Because it tastes better the next day. I once heard a rumour that Pizza Hut were going to bring out a line of cold pizza, just for the not-so-niche market of breakfast pizza lovers.

And because Pizza Hut won’t give you a breakfast option, I’m going to show you one (and the ‘cold pizza’ is yet to be release by the fast food giant).


When in Bankstown, get yourself to a Lebanese Bakery for some Lebanese Pizza. I don’t care which one. Anyone. Just get there. Soon. Got it? Good.

Here is my favourite, Sindbad Bakery. The Boy introduced me to the Lebanese pizza, traditionally called Man'oushe or Mankoushe. It is eaten for breakfast accompanied by strong Lebanese coffee. Basically it is a Lebanese flatbread, cooked at extremely high temperatures with a variety of toppings including ground beef, cheese and za’atar or oregano. And it is super cheap. And tastes amazing.


On this cold, raining Sydney morning The Boy and I opt for a variety of take away pizzas to share.

(Clockwise from top left) This is how you are supposed to eat the pizza. No slices here, just folded over to hold in all the tasty-ness. Get ready, steady aaaannnnnd.. EAT IT! But that’s no fun for photos so let’s pull ‘em apart! First off the rank is the simply named Meat (Lrg $4), this is ground beef, tomato, onion and a variety of herbs and spices. Then we have the Cheese (Lrg $4), we’re told this is haloumi but I don’t find it as salty and chewy. We think it could be a mix as the cheese is stringy like mozzarella. Last is the Oregano (Lrg $1.50), also known as za’atar. This is a herb mix made up of dried herbs including oregano and thyme, with a smattering of sumac. The Sumac is a dried berry which adds a very tangy lemon flavour to the mix. Must eat this one with coffee. 

For the grand total of $9.50 we have breakfast for two people. Now we fold ‘em back up and whack ‘em in your gob, wash it down with a coffee or tea. Breakfast of champions. Or will you be sticking to your ‘cold pizza’?




Sindbad Bakery


Shop 4, 2-10 Restwell Street
Bankstown NSW 2200
(02) 9796 3165

Bankstown - A foodies guide, Part One. Titanic Cafe

I thought I might do things a little differently this week. I’d like to know a bit more about you. No need to leave me your credit card details, blood type etc.. Just generic stuff really. What’s your favourite food? Do you prefer eating in or out? Would you rather local cheap thrills or expensive food porn experiences?

........

..................?

Bit shy, aye? Ok, well I’ll go first then. Let’s visit my local foodie haunts.

I grew up in the Bankstown area. South West Sydney. To quote Wikipedia directly ‘Bankstown has one of the most ethnically diverse communities in Australia’. Did you know that? I didn’t. But it is well known amongst Sydneysiders that Bankstown is home to a large Lebanese population, and it is also home for a large population of Vietnamese.

As a result Bankstown houses a diverse range of middle-eastern and Asian cuisines (much to my delight and enjoyment!). So please, indulge me while I show you some of my favourite places to eat in Bankstown during the next few posts – a foodie’s guide, KayB style. And I promise I will get back to the cakes very, very soon!

(Argila and cake display at Titanic Cafe, Bankstown) 

First stop on our tour of Bankstown is Titanic Cafe. I’ve been coming here for some time now, whenever I get a call from a very dear old friend, Max, who is a Bankstown local as well. Max also happens to personally know just about every single person that works in the place (not sure if that’s just because he is at Titanic so often?).

This particular night is very exciting because I’m finally going to meet his wonderful girlfriend, Lisa. Max has been looking for ‘the one’ his entire life and last time we caught up, shortly after he first met Lisa, he declared to us that he’d finally found ‘the one’.

So off we went to meet the new girl, but we were very much mistaken because Lisa was no longer his girlfriend, but his fiancé! I think every person in the place turned and looked at us because I screamed so loudly when Lisa brought her gorgeous diamond ring out of hiding. Lucky I had my camera and notebook because I don’t think I would have been able to remember anything about the meal with all the excitement and joy and wedding talk that was to follow.

But yes, we did eventually eat. 

(Mixed grill shish $18.99 with tabouli, chips, hommous and garlic dip) 

Three of us share a mixed dip, mixed grill and bowl of tabouli. Plenty of food for three people. The mixed grill comes with char grilled lamb, chicken and kafta. The meat is lovely and tender and is perfect wrapped up in a bit of Lebanese bread with hommous and tabouli.

(Mixed dip plate $13.90) 

The hommous is amazing. And the babaganosh has that perfect smokey flavour, followed by a creamy avocado dip, all served with a basket of fresh Lebanese bread.

I think we probably should have just order the medium size bowl ($7.99), but the tabouli goes great with the dips, and is extremely fresh. 

(Tabouli large bowl $14.99) 

Titanic also has one of the most extensive selections of argila. The argila (which has many different spellings and is also known as Hookah, which has a straight-neck tube) is a water pipe used for smoking flavoured tobacco. There are smoking and non smoking areas at Titanic, and their argila menu ranges in price from $19.99 to $24.99.

 Flavours include banana, mint and apple, but tonight Max opts for a ‘Titanic special’ which is a combination. It produces a thick smoke, so thick in fact that you can almost chew it. And the intense flavours waft over the whole table. A little bit of housekeeping: Max has told me (on many occasions because I always seem to forget) that when sharing the argila, you never pass the hose on with the end/opening pointing at the person. You bend the hose back on itself so the end/opening is pointing to yourself.  Sort of like scissors.. I mean, when you pass on scissors you always pass on the handle, not the pointy end.. as not to stab them!

The only real problem with Titanic is the lack of falafel. They used to make a sensational falafel, but for some reason it no longer features on the menu? I always ask, just in case, but nope. It is yet to make a return to my belly!

The atmosphere is great, made much more authentic by the elderly Lebanese men sitting in huddles over their argilas sipping strong Lebanese coffee. A perfect way to end the night.

So, your turn now. You know at least one thing about me, I like Lebanese food. Do you?

Titanic Cafe

49 Raymond Street, 

Bankstown.

(02)9708 3688

KayB's foodie guide to New Zealand

New Zealand is a ridiculously gorgeous country. Everywhere you look there is something new and beautiful to gaze upon.

Late November this year the boyfriend and I set off to spend two and a half glorious weeks driving around New Zealand. Both of our parents had ventured off to the land of the long white cloud at some stage during 2009 so we had plenty of first hand advice to run with. One fact my parents had brought back with them was that food in New Zealand was expensive and horrible. Bugger! How was I going to satisfy my inner foodie for the next two and a half weeks?

It seems my parents were very wrong (possibly aided by the fact that they only ate in pubs during their entire trip!). The Boy and I ate like royalty. Not to say we didn't have a couple of crappy meals, but the good experiences far out weighed the bad. And here are our tips for travelers heading to New Zealand.

Christchurch.

The Bicycle Thief.

If you didn’t look hard enough you would trip over this place. Dark, wooden interior bathed only in candle light shelters this place from prying eyes. But once you are inside the darkness is cosy and comfortable.

I am a huge fan of polenta. I think it is terribly under rated but unfortunately I cant spread the love of polenta because I cant cook it!

(Polenta fries $10.50 NZ)

The Bicycle Thief however can cook polenta. The best polenta chips I’ve ever eaten. Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. And the boy loved them so much as well, he was actually trying to fit another day into Christchurch just so we could go back for more.

(Coppa Pizza - coppa salami, rosemary, walnut, ricotta, rocket. $30 NZ)

Reviews of The Bicycle Thief praise their gourmet pizzas which aided my choice for dinner that night, while the boy opted for a chicken main.

The pizza was gorgeous, with an amazing freshness added by the peppery rocket. My only comment would be that it was a tad on the salty side with the combination of the salami and ricotta.

(Pollo di Molla - chicken, pistachio, silverbeet ballotine on goats cheese & shallot potatoes with white truffle oil. $28 NZ)

The chicken was perfectly cooked (the waitress even explained to us how you can tell by the colour of the meat as to whether it is cooked correctly) and matched perfectly with the shallot potatoes and goats cheese.

Queenstown.

Aggy's Shack - Fish and Chips

Locals will tell you that Queenstown is the last place in the world to be bored. There is far too much to do. And eat. Fish and Chips in New Zealand are supposed to be the best in the world. I was skeptical but keen to test this theory. I only ate fish and chips once in New Zealand and yes, it was the best fish and chips I’ve ever eaten.

(Seafood basket for two $30 NZ)

On a beautiful corner of the lake stands a tiny yellow and black shack that sells fish and chips to locals and tourists alike. We go for the ultimate in fish and chip dinning by order a seafood basket for two. Now, I’m not one for shell fish.. prawns, mussels, lobsters, balmain bugs etc. I know, I know, call me crazy, but I will now bite my tongue because these prawns are the best I’ve ever eaten. I sucked all these bad boys down before the boy even got a look in! But he got to eat all the mussels, exclaiming ‘They taste like the sea! That’s how you know they’re fresh.’

By the time you get through all the seafood on the top, the chips at the bottom are soggy. But if you’ve eaten all that seafood, chances are you wont have any room left to eat the chips. They are purely there for ascetic purposes.

Or maybe you could feed them to the very friendly locals who are more than willing to take the food right out of your hands.

Wine Tastes - Central Otago Wine Experience.

A fun way to get the night started in Queenstown is to hit up the Wine Tastes - Central Otago Wine Experience. The place is filled with shag rugs and big leather arm chairs. But incase the decor doesn’t set the mood for you, Billy Holiday is playing softly in the background.

(Salami platter)

Head to the counter and grab a wine card, order a cheese platter then head straight to the nearest tasting bar to fill up your glass.

You insert your card into the machine and select the size of the taste you would like. The charge is added to you card which you pay at the end. The majority of wines on offer are New Zealand and the selection changes daily.

Fergburger.

Unfortunately I didn't have my camera handy for this experience. It was an impulse stop and one which I highly recommend to anyone heading to New Zealand. Cheap food, cheap beer and the best hamburger I’ve ever eaten. We both opt for a classic Fergburger with prime New Zealand beef patty, lettuce, tomato, red onion, aioli and tomato relish. This is not a burger for the faint hearted. Its the kind of burger you eat with two hands and slather all over your face. You’ll also end up with lock jaw from trying to get your mouth around the entire burger!

Other fun options on the menu include the ‘Bun Laden’ falafel burger, ‘The Codfather’ fresh cod fish burger and the ‘Sweet Bambi’ with wild New Zealand deer and plum chutney.

Locations.

The Bicycle Thief

21 Latimer Square, Christchurch NZ

www.thebicyclethief.co.nz

Aggy's Shack - Fish and Chips

Cnr Marine Parade and Church Street, Queenstown

Wine Tastes - Central Otago Wine Experience.

14 Beach Street, Queenstown NZ

www.winetastes.co.nz

Fergburger

42 Shotover st, Queenstown NZ

www.fergburger.com