Mamasita

No-one can deny that there is a huge amount of fuss about Mamasita. Does it live up to the hype? Not exactly. Not wishing to spend 20 minutes waiting for a table, I’d organised a group visit (8-10 people) for a Wednesday night almost a month in advance, ordering the $55 pax banquet menu. I felt rather gleeful walking past the very long line up the stairs to the first-floor restaurant.

We were immediately hit by a wave of noise. I’ll warn you now, this place is loud and busy (perhaps expected) and not the place for intimate conversation. Shouting across the table seemed to get the conversation going though. It wasn’t too long before we were stuffing our faces with food though. First up, perhaps the best corn you’ve ever tasted.

“Street Style” Chargrilled Corn with Queso, Chipotle Mayonnaise & Lime

Amazing. Soft and juicy with a kick of heat from the chillies, I wanted to devour the entire plate myself. Unfortunately, the rest of the dishes just didn’t quite live up the standard this brilliant starter set.

Next to arrive were the Tostadita boards, consisted of tiny round corn tortillas, fried in the oil with a variety of toppings.

Tostadita Boards

With a fuzzy memory to accompany fuzzy photos, I recall vegetarian black-bean, chicken and beef renditions of the dish. I quite liked the vegetarian version, but the other two didn’t strike me as being particularly interesting.

Next up, more street-style food, the easily recognisable tacos and quesadillas.

Tacos

Quesadillas

While the banquet menu stated that the course would have two types of tacos plus one type of quesadilla as per chef selection, the presence of vegetarians meant that we had two of each. There were vegetarian black bean tacos, and chicken tacos, and vegetarian and chicken quesadillas. While the food was good, I was getting a little bored by the similar tastes on offer, and had a hankering for something completely different. Pity that the next course didn’t exactly deliver.

Mains: Chicken

See. More chicken. To make things worse, the dish was rather bland and suggested that the chicken had been marinated for nowhere near long enough. In all honesty, I prefer the Nando’s Peri-Peri chicken (extra hot of course) over this. The vegetarian main was much nicer though.

Mains: Chickpea patties with Mushrooms and Sweet Potato

The chickpea patties (not chicken!) were soft yet held together well. The standout wasn’t the patties though, but instead, the juicy mushrooms and the sweet potatoes. I tried my best to hide the fact I was actively searching for these under the patties, but I think someone might have noticed. No matter though, they were much happier in my belly than on the plate.

So, after a rather disappointing main course, we were served the dessert of ice-cream and flourless chocolate cake.

Ice-cream with Caramelised Popcorn

The ice-cream was smooth and creamy, but I wonder about the addition of popcorn. Not particularly tasty, these too dry adornments really weren’t to my liking.

The flourless chocolate cake was pretty damn good though and perfectly light.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

The knife was there so that we could split the five pieces between eight people. Really? Surely they could have just given us four and made life easier. I ended up with an entire one to myself, so I shouldn’t complain, but the mathematical side of me likes things to be neat. 5/8 is not neat.

As for drinks, Mamasita keeps with the theme by offering a large range of tequilas, Mexican beers, and the curious concoction known as the Michelada consisting of beer, lime juice, tomato juice.

Michelda

Not my cup of tea, but the drinker liked it enough to order a second. They must be doing something right with that combination!

All-in-all, overhyped. I’ve been told there are better Mexican restaurants down St Kilda way, but I’ll only be able to back that up when I go and try them out myself.

Mamasita
Level 1, 11 Collins, Melbourne
Mon-Wed 12pm-12am, Thu 12pm-1230am, Fri 12pm-2am

Twenty & Six Espresso

Another year, another new cafe to check out in Melbourne. Now that I’ve moved away from the University, it’s a lot more effort than it used to be to check out places in the inner north. Having heard good things about this newly opened cafe though, I organised a brunch catch-up with a friend that I’ve seem all too little of in the last year.

The cool cafe seemed like the perfect escape from a somewhat unbearably warm morning. As my friend was running late (it was a lazy Sunday after all), I settled down with an aromatic long black and the morning paper. The staff were attentive and polite, and the wait was actually quite pleasant. It didn’t hurt that the decor is charmingly cute.

Hello Deer

When my friend did arrive though, it was down to the very important business of eating. I was tempted by many items on the menu (mental note that I need to try more of them!), but settled on the Raw Energy Salad with an extra poached egg. This was an educated decision based on 1. It was a very hot day and anything heavier would have made me very sleepy, and 2. I needed any energy I could get for a Chinese New Year performance later in the day.

Needless to say, I was very happy when this arrived:

Raw Energy Salad

That is a giant bowl of salad by anyone’s standards. With a perfectly poached egg, a generous serving of pepitas, a touch of beetroot for sweetness, and a light but refreshing dressing, I could have eaten this for dinner as well. Mind you, the salad would have wilted in the heat, but this was certainly one of the best salads I’ve had in a long time.

My friend ordered the appropriately named Hulk Smash.

Hulk Smash

Now that is a heck of a lot of avocado, perhaps too much. Then again, the Hulk never did anything by halves. I had a bit of what he couldn’t finish and it was very tasty, but I doubt I could have finished it either.

All-in-all, a nice addition to the North Melbourne cafe scene. I hope they get their outdoor seating license soon, though I’d rather sit outside in Autumn than in the middle of Summer.

Twenty & Six Espresso
594 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne
Thu-Tue 8am-4pm, Wed Closed

Syracuse

After a wonderful dessert experience here recently, I’d been meaning to come back and try their breakfast menu. On an uncharacteristically cold and depressing summer morning, a warm breakfast was required and the thought of Syracuse wouldn’t budge from my mind.

So with the promise of rich coffee, a hot breakfast in quiet surrounds, my friend and I headed off to Syracuse. We enjoyed easy conversation while sipping our long blacks in the slightly busy dining room. We watched the efficient staff bustling about, taking care of all the diners, while we waited for our meals.

My companion order the Syracuse Big Breakfast – poached, fried or scrambled eggs on toasted sourdough with bacon, mushrooms, tomato, pork and fennel sausage.

Syracuse Big Breakfast

Ordered with an extra serve of spinach, the dish was satisfying, but without overdoing it. I took a cheeky taste of the pork and fennel sausages and they were certainly delicious.

I went with what seems to be new breakfast trend in Melbourne – baked eggs.

Baked Eggs

Complete with tomato, chorizo, potato, yoghurt and mint, this was one of the better renditions of the dish that I’ve had. While not the best (that honour goes to Hardware Societe of course), it was definitely more than passable.

I like this restaurant, with its mounted wine openers as decorations, minimalist chandelier, and walls of wine. Good service and good food means if I get my way, I’m heading back again for lunch and dinner. Not just the one, no, both.

Syracuse
23 Bank Pl, Melbourne
Mon-Fri 730am-late, Sat 6pm-late

Saint & Rogue

Ah, the ever-present dilemma of where to go for work drinks. I’m always up for a Google search and a catchy name will pique my interest. Thus, the decision was made to meander down to Saint & Rogue at the west end of the CBD.

This pub/bar/restaurant was very nicely decorated, all wood and soft lighting, as a pub should be really. Their insignia is everywhere it can be but it is rather well designed that I can’t fault them.

Saint & Rogue

Saint & Rogue

As we were there on a Wednesday, the place was understandably quiet but I have heard that things get quite lively on a Friday night. Nevertheless, we were quite happy to order drinks at the well-stocked bar while the restaurant area was opened upstairs. With a range of beers on tap, from Kirin, to Guinness, to James Squire, there really is something for every taste, unless of course, you really want a craft beer, in which case you should probably go to a microbrewery instead.

We were seated at a large table that was perhaps a tad too high for the very comfortable booth. I felt like a child sitting on enormous furniture. Perhaps sitting on one of the chair would have been a better idea. In any case, the menu soon distracted me. With a large range of dishes, including the usual pub suspects the Chicken Parmigiana, Steak and even a Surf ‘n’ Turf dish as the special, it was somewhat surprising that half our group ordered the Parma. They did seem very happy with their choice in the end, and most of the plates were polished off.

My side of the table ordered a little differently. The pasta linguine with cherry tomatoes, chilli, baby spinach,
kalamata olives, fresh basil, lemon oil & parmesan was deemed tasty, if perhaps a touch small, and the Surf ‘n’ Turf didn’t fail to impress.

As I wanted to leave some room for dessert, I went for the smoked trout, asparagus and toasted pinenut salad with
kipfler potatoes, baby spinach and horseradish cream.

Smoked Trout, Asparagus and Toasted Pinenut Salad with Kipfler Potatoes, Baby Spinach and Horseradish Cream

This wasn’t quite what I expected, but it was still quite good. The trout was delicately smoked and full of flavour, and the toasted pinenuts lent a satisfying crunch to the dish. The potatoes still tasted somewhat odd to me (perhaps because I ate so many chips beforehand), and I was a little disappointed at the lack of asparagus. I did feel nourished however, and that can be hard to achieve in a pub.

I was looking forward to dessert though. Whilst there were a couple of options on offer, multiple orders of only two of the dishes were requested.

Baked Honey and Limoncello Ricotta Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis

The baked honey and Limoncello ricotta cheesecake with raspberry coulis was by all accounts, a very good cheesecake. My co-workers seemed very enthusiastic when it arrived at the table, perhaps a little too much so. Whilst I was slightly jealous, I wasn’t at all disappointed with my choice of the coconut & lime pannacotta with pineapple jelly and toasted pineapple shard.

Coconut and Lime Pannacotta with Pineapple Jelly & Toasted Pineapple Shards

It should really say ‘shard’ but that’s just me being picky. The dessert with delicious, and suitably light. The coconut flavour was quite light, and I would have personally preferred a stronger flavour, but it was an interesting and comforting dessert.

All in all, Saint & Rogue has a great atmosphere, a large range of alcohol to choose from and most importantly, good food. If the boys weren’t so picky about not going to the same place twice, I’d drag them there in two months time. As it stands, I’ll need to come up with new ideas. Recommendations anyone?

Saint & Rogue
582 Little Collins Street, Melbourne
Mon-Fri 12pm-Late, Sat 4pm-Late

Di Bella Coffee Roasting Warehouse

Facing an early Saturday morning drive, and with little motivation to cook, it was decided that a trip to North Melbourne was in order. There’s enough good cafes within a stone’s throw of each other that deciding was the tricky part, but after realising that the coffee needed to be restocked at home, and that a good coffee really wouldn’t go astray, we settled on the Di Bella Coffee Roasting Warehouse.

The first thing you notice when you walk in is the variety of coffee beans available for sale. Being a roaster, this is of course hardly surprising. It was a beautiful morning so the cafe was opened up allowing a mixture of indoor and outdoor dining options. Settling at a table somewhat half-way between inside and outside, we ordered our coffees while perusing the tempting breakfast menu.

Latte

You can tell that from the bubbles in the foam that the milk was actually a little burnt.Definitely disappointing considering that I’ve had pretty amazing coffee from this place before. You can’t get things perfect every time I guess, but I had been really looking forward to my morning cup. Maybe I should stick to my usual order of a long black but I had wanted to mix things up a little.

Thankfully, I had an amazing breakfast lined up. I’d ordered a serve of poached eggs with asparagus, fetta, almonds, truffle oil and beetroot relish and was pretty impressed when it arrived.

Poached Eggs with Asparagus, Fetta, Almonds, Truffle Oil and Beetroot Relish

How well is that presented? It tasted even better actually. The eggs were perfectly poached and nicely runny (though you can tell they ‘cheated’ by using cling-wrap, but that’s alright), the asparagus was fresh and crunchy, the fetta was deliciously creamy, and the lightly toasted almonds provided a tasty counterpoint. I can’t say I tasted much of the truffle oil but I loved the slightly sweet beetroot relish. It’s also such a pretty colour (just indulge me, okay?)

My companion ordered a similarly tasty dish of poached eggs with avocado, tomato, coriander and chilli.

Poached Eggs with Avocado, Tomato, Coriander and Chilli

He certainly enjoyed his meal and polished it off rather quickly. The Asian inspiration lent an interesting twist to the traditional breakfast of poached eggs.

I’ve had nothing but brilliant experiences with the food here (the desserts aren’t bad either) and this is the first time that my coffee hasn’t been amazing. There’s nothing stopping me from coming back to this happy little cafe with fast, friendly service to boot. Here’s to more indulgent weekend breakfasts.

Di Bella Coffee Roasting Warehouse
19-21 Leveson St, North Melbourne
Mon-Fri 7am-5pm, Sat 9am-5pm

Dion Greek Restaurant & Taverna

After the success of a recent work dinner at Aspro Ble, a few of the boys were craving another Greek Banquet. Not being ones to frequent the same joint twice on nights out, we eventually decided on Dion Greek Restaurant & Taverna. Situated in the middle of the Little Greek end of Lonsdale street (which is all lit up with shimmering blue lights during the night), I’ve walked past it many times yet have never peeked in.

Upon arriving, we were promptly seated at a very long table. It would perhaps have been nicer to have a little more space, but that may be asking for too much considering the size of our group. Nevertheless, they were relatively accommodating to our various requests, including ordering separate vegetarian meals for the two vegetarians in our group.

Up first on the food front was of course, the prerequisite dips and pita bread.

Homemade Dips

Pita Bread

Nothing here was particularly impressive, and I’ve certainly had better dips elsewhere. Still, it’s not like they were exactly disappointing so I won’t fault them too much for that.

The rest of the entrees came in a quick flurry of plates, including the delicately flavoured saganaki (grilled kefalograviera cheese, lemon & oregano dressing). Once again, I’ve had better versions of this dish elsewhere, and slowly, it appeared that this would be the tone for the rest of the night.

Saganaki

The hard-to-pronounce Oktapothi Xithato (Marinated pickled octopus) and Loukanika (Char-grilled Greek spicy sausages) were both quite good.

Oktapothi Xithato

Loukanika

I didn’t manage to try any of the Dolmades (Vine Leaves filled with rice & herbs). The first and only time I’ve ever had this dish was when a temporary housemate of Greek origin made it for us during a random Sunday cooking session, and I recall it being quite tasty. No-one at this dinner complained, so I’ll take it that Dion’s version was decent.

Dolmades

The main seafood courses were then served. Up first was Kalamari, which, you guessed it, were pieces of deep-fried calamari with lemon & basil.

Kalamari

Somewhat like the calamari that you would get a stock-standard fish & chips restaurant, I didn’t particularly feel like eating much of this. The second dish, Garides, consisting of char-grilled king size prawns with lemon, oregano & olive oil dressing was better.

Garides

After a lengthy wait (is this typical of all Greek banquets?) the meat mains were served.

Arni Lemonato and Mixed Souvlaki

While no-where near as enormous as Aspro Ble’s offering, this was still quite a sizeable amount of meat. The lamb was tender and juicy, and the chicken was well-flavoured and while not exactly juicy, wasn’t at all dry.

This was accompanied your standard Elleniki Salata (Greek Salad).

Elleniki Salata

My only comment is that the feta should perhaps be cut up into smaller pieces. It was hard to split the cheese evenly between everyone, and after all that Saganki, no one particularly felt like a large piece of cheese anyway.

The meal was finished off with baklava and a curious custard-like concoction.

Desserts

Once again, this wasn’t as impressive as other desserts I’ve had at Greek restaurants, but was probably a lot healthier for me.

If anything, the portion sizes here are much better controlled than at Apsro Ble, so we left satisfying-ly full, rather than bursting at the seams. A much nicer physical feeling, but unfortunately the food wasn’t as well done. Not the greatest restaurant, but definitely not the worst either. You win some and you lose some – that’s just life.

Dion Greek Restaurant & Taverna
207 Lonsdale St, Melbourne
Lunch: Fri, Dinner: Mon-Sun

Goshu Ramen Tei (NSW)

As the oldest Ramen restaurant in Australia, and one of the highest rated Japanese restaurants on Urbanspoon Sydney, I had great expectations for this place. Catching up with a friend who’d recently moved up from Melbourne was the perfect opportunity to check this place out, and it didn’t disappoint.

It was a windy and chilly day, but the place was still very busy. We felt a little sorry for the neighbouring restaurant, but there seemed to be a customer base only loyal to Goshu. Indeed, they had a take-away service which was being made full use of.

The menu had the usual variety of Japanese dishes, from curries, to bento boxes, and of course, ramen. For starters, we ordered a serve of gyoza.

Gyoza

Nothing too spectacular, these gyoza were simple and satisfying and were perfect to munch on while waiting for our main dishes.

I ordered the beef sukiyaki set.

Beef Sukiyaki Set

This was definitely larger than I expected, the flavour was stronger than I was used to. It was undoubtedly tasty, but perhaps too much so. I’m not sure what spices and condiments they used, but they were certainly liberal with them. Nonetheless, I polished it off, and the small seaweed salad that I had ordered too.

Seaweed Salad

My memory is failing me a bit (we ate a lot on that trip!) but I think my dining companions ordered a chicken udon dish and a chicken curry and rice dish respectively.

Chicken Udon

Chicken Curry and Rice

By all accounts, the food was delicious and the serves were massive. Definitely value for money! The service was extremely efficient and friendly. As their menu says, “Your hostess, Aiko, always smile, from Aichi, JAPAN”. You could help but smile back.

Goshu deserves it’s reputation as being a great Japanese restaurant. Even though I’m not the biggest fan of noodles, I’ll be sure to try their Ramen next time.

Goshu Ramen Tei
5 York Street, Sydney
Mon-Sat 11am-10pm

Quay (NSW)

With the reputation of being Australia’s most awarded restaurant and one that prides itself on using locally sourced food, Quay was one of the must-eat-at places during a recent trip to Sydney. Having already exhausted ourselves with the degustation at Tetsuya’s, we were glad that we had only booked in for lunch, and went with choices from the four course menu rather than another degustation.

Before I get to the food, I must mention that the view from the restaurant is amazing. With large expansive windows, there’s a clear view of the harbour including both the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. It amused me to watch the ferries and water taxis bob along the water, as well as the endless stream of tourists, even a wedding party or two. The restaurant itself was light and airy, with plenty of space. We were lucky enough to have a relatively private booth (even if the seating itself was a touch awkward) and thoroughly enjoyed just being there. When a slightly inconsiderate patron wandered over and started a phone conversation during our meal, it wasn’t long before a staff member gently ushered her outside so as to not disturb anyone else.

Moving on to the actual meal, all in all, I was quite impressed but things were perhaps slightly too fancy for my tastes. So much was going on with every dish that there were moments of confusion as to what exactly you were eating. None more so than perhaps the appetiser. I didn’t hear the waitress very well, and so wasn’t even sure what we were eating. Jelly perhaps? It was very pretty, but tiny enough that I barely tasted what I was eating. Maybe my palate just isn’t good enough in that case.

Jelly?

I enjoyed the entrée a lot more. Being somewhat unadventurous, I ordered the sashimi of blue mackerel, smoked eel flowers, sea scallops, pickled apple and nasturtiums (similar to watercress).

Sashimi of blue mackerel, smoked eel flowers, sea scallops, pickled apple, nasturtiums

The dish was beautifully presented. The mackerel was pleasantly oily, the eel certainly interesting (if lacking a little in flavour) but I absolutely loved the softly delicate scallops. Always curious, M ordered the Mud crab congee consisting of fresh palm heart, hand shelled mud crab and Chinese inspired split rice porridge.

Mud crab congee: Fresh palm heart, hand shelled mud crab and Chinese inspired split rice porridge

I’m not sure why they specified “hand shelled mud crab” but I guess it always pays to be more detailed rather than less. I wasn’t even aware that machines could shell crabs, but I’m guessing they must exist to speed up large processes. Anyways, that is slightly irrelevant. What is relevant is that the dish was delicious. Comforting and homely, it was at the same time also inventive and exotic.

I’m not sure how to classify the second course seeing as dishes were all slightly heavier than entrees yet lighter than the mains (as expected). In any case, I definitely enjoyed my order of: Gentle braise of black lipped abalone, rare breed pig belly, shiitake, warrigal greens, ginger milk curd, earth & sea consommé.

Gentle braise of black lipped abalone, rare breed pig belly, shiitake, warrigal greens, ginger milk curd, earth & sea consommé

Once again, why “rare breed pig belly”? Was it a wild pig hunted from the forests of NSW? It was undeniably tasty so maybe they’re on to something there. I never find abalone full of flavour, but I do enjoy its texture, but it in this case it was slightly overpowered by the pork. Indeed, everything in the dish tied quite well together except for the pork, but perhaps it was included to ground the dish and distinguish it from a first-course entree.

M ordered the slow cooked coturnix quail breast, stone ground semolina enriched with Alba truffle butter, buckwheat, farro, walnuts, pumpernickel and malt.

Slow cooked coturnix quail breast, stone ground semolina enriched with Alba truffle butter, buckwheat, farro, walnuts, pumpernickel, malt

Once again, I think they’re being overly specific by identifying the genus of quail used but maybe I should stop nit-picking. The best part of this dish? The crust. With eclectic mix of ingredients, it was crunchy and full of flavour and made the quail slightly bland in comparison.

The mains were stunning though. I ordered the Berkshire pig jowl, maltose crackling, prunes, cauliflower cream, perfumed with prune kernel oil.

Berkshire pig jowl, maltose crackling, prunes, cauliflower cream, perfumed with prune kernel oil

Who knows why prune kernel oil is so special, and why they had to specify the breed of pig again? Actually, don’t answer that question, I’m getting side-tracked again. I loved the maltose cracking in this dish, which, like the top of a creme brulee, shattered so satisfying-ly with a small tap using the cutlery. The pig jowl was tender and full of flavour , and was offset beautifully by the prunes. I’ll be honest, when I returned home after the trip, I searched for a few pork recipes with prunes to make in the future.

M was brilliantly happy with his main course too: David Blackmore’s full blood Wagyu, bitter chocolate black pudding, ox tail consommé.

David Blackmore's full blood Wagyu, bitter chocolate black pudding, ox tail consommé

Once again, the meat was full flavoured and tender. The marbling of fat was as good as you would expect from top quality Wagyu, with the benefit of the cattle being fed a low-grain diet (hooray for being slightly healthier options). The extra $10 surcharge? Justified.

What we had been anticipating the whole meal was of course, the desserts. Eight texture chocolate cake!

Quay's Eight texture chocolate cake

I had an unreasonable amount of fun identifying and counting the layers. I’d think that I had found eight, then recount and only be able to find seven. In any case, it was satisfying and full of chocolate flavour without being overly sweet. The ultimate chocolate indulgence.

Quay's Eight texture chocolate cake

Of MasterChef fame, we present to you, the Snow Egg.

White nectarine snow egg

Impressive! Definitely ordered more for the visuals and the technical skill involved rather than the taste, this is perhaps the dish to go for when a lighter option is warranted.

White nectarine snow egg

The meal was rounded off with coffee and petit fours.

Coffee, Petits Fours

Being royally spoilt by Melbourne coffee, I was once again disappointed with Sydney’s offering but at least it was presented nicely. All in all, a wonderful meal with good food, good presentation, set in sophisticated surrounds. Given the option, I would still pick Tetsuya’s over Quay, but it’s interesting to see how two top restaurants in the same city do things so very differently.

Given the chance, try both and make up your own mind. Just expect to live off instant noodles for a few weeks if you do.

Quay
Circular Quay West, Sydney
Lunch: Tue-Fri 12pm-230pm, Dinner: Mon-Sun 6pm-10pm

Three Bags Full

I caught up for a brunch date at the wildly popular Three Bags Full with three out of the four beautiful girls (miss you S!) I’d sent 90% of my last semester at university with. It was a typical Melbourne day: a miserable rainy morning that warmed up into a beautiful sunny day. Unsurprisingly though, there was a significant wait in getting a table for four. I saw quite a few people give up, probably with the intent of finding food on Victoria St or the like, but there were those that steadfastly remained. Perhaps they knew that the food was definitely waiting for.

Three Bags Full

We were lucky enough to finally be seated in the small room adjoining the main dining hall. It had a chilled, suburban cafe vibe which is preferable in my opinion to the ‘hip’, crowded and noisy cafe vibe that was emanating from the other room. The essential coffees were ordered (cappuccino, latte, soy latte and long black – guess which one is mine) while we perused the extensive menu. The coffee wasn’t the best that I’d ever had, but it was pretty good and I can see why people would rave about it. As for the menu, with both breakfast and lunch options available, we were spoilt for choice.

Originally, I’d intended to order the vegetarian breakfast, but after seeing the specials menu and realising that I could get a potato and leek hash, with poached eggs and fried haloumi, my decision was made for me. If you’ve ever had breakfast/brunch/lunch/dinner with me, you’ll know that I’m addicted to potato hash/roesti, eggs and goat’s cheese. I never stood a chance with this dish.

Potato and Leek Hash, with Poached Eggs and Fried Haloumi

The potato and leek were nicely balanced in the hash so that there wasn’t a great deal of oiliness, and was lightly flavoured. The eggs were perfectly poached with a satisfying oozing of the yolk when they were cut into. I usually prefer my haloumi slightly crisper but perhaps more of the actual cheese flavour came through in this dish. All in all, it was a very good dish. I’d be hugely disappointed if it wasn’t on the menu next time I visit, which is highly likely, but perhaps they’ll plate up something equally as awesome. I want to go back now, even though it’s Christmas Day and they won’t be open. Maybe I’ll settle for McDonald’s instead.

I’m getting a little distracted though. The other girls also ordered amazing dishes, all as it would turn out, from the breakfast menu. I guess we just weren’t feeling like lunch yet. Like me, F had already decided on another dish before seeing the specials and subsequently ordering corn fritters, poached eggs and chorizo instead.

Corn Fritters, Poached Eggs and Chorizo

I found the corn fritters lacking a little in taste and a touch on the heavy side but the chorizo was good quality and very tasty. More poached eggs arrived on the table

Parmesan: Poached Eggs, Prosciutto, Truffle Oil and Grana Padano

Quite a decadent dish, but it was eaten in a flash by A, who pronounced it delicious. I actually had to Google Grana Padano before I realised the name of the dish was a dead giveaway. I think this indicates that I’d be a terrible detective. No detective work required for the last dish though, as C ordered the slightly more standard Benedict.

Benedict: Poached Eggs, Ham and Hollandaise

The coffee and food were good, and the prices were reasonable, it’s only a matter of whether you want to brave a wait and the crowds. If you have plenty of time to spare and don’t mind, or even thrive, on the hustle on bustle, then head down to Three Bags Full.

Three Bags Full
60 Nicholson St, Abbotsford
Mon-Fri 7am-3pm, Sat-Sun 8am-3.30pm

Adriano Zumbo Cafe (NSW)

Adriano Zumbo Cafe

Ta da! It’s not really hard to guess where we were on a sunny Spring day in Sydney based on the picture above. I was absolutely adamant that a trip to Adriano Zumbo Cafe was made on the recent trip to Sydney after watching his DVD. Strange as it may be, I’ve barely watched any MasterChef, and indeed have only heard about his macaron cakes and crazy leaning towers. No matter though, I’d rather taste the product than watch it on television.

As is the trouble with any event that you look forward to, the hardest decision is always where to start.

Adriano Zumbo Cafe

With a huge selection of cakes, pastries, cakes and ‘Zumborons’, we had first order coffee before our brains even kicked into gear in order to make a logical decision. One of the nice things about this cafe is that it really does seem local with a constant stream of customers coming in to buy some bread, with an order of a pastry or macaron, and a coffee on the side. (The coffee wasn’t great, but I’ve resigned myself to the fact that Sydney coffee just isn’t as good as Melbourne). The other is that you can watch the dessert-making process. Unluckily for us, it seemed that the day’s work was done. I’d guess that mornings are typically busier, and if you’re lucky, you might even see the man himself creating away.

On to the more pressing issue though, after some consultation, we decided on two desserts. My choice, the passionfruit tart otherwise known as the
tarte aux fruits de la passion.

Tarte Aux Fruits de la Passion

Look at those beautiful colours! Fancy and rich, but not too sweet. I love the tartness of passionfruit, and the summery vibe suited the sunny day outside. Utterly delectable, and relatively affordable at only $6.

The boy went for an almond berry tart.

Almond Berry Tart

Not quite as pretty as mine, but definitely well made. It certainly wasn’t as sweet or rich, but the nutty flavour of the almonds was definitely satisfying.

Of course, no trip to Zumbo’s would be complete without trying his famous macarons, so we had a couple (or perhaps a few more) to share. Some aren’t pictured because we ate them before I remembered to bring my camera out.

Lime and Mint Mojito, Hot Chocolate, Coconut Chilli and Lime

My favourite of the bunch was definitely the mojito. I doubt that it’s alcoholic (I’m sure that would just mess with the baking chemistry too much) but the clean taste was spot on.

Even though we’d had quite a number of desserts, an extra trip was made to the Adriano Zumbo Patisserie just up the road where an even greater selection of cakes awaited.

We restrained ourselves however, but only barely. It’s simultaneously a fortunate and an unfortunately circumstance that Zumbo hasn’t opened up a cafe in Melbourne yet.

Adriano Zumbo Cafe
114 Terry St, Rozelle
Mon-Fri 630am-4pm, Sat-Sun 730am-4pm