Cappuccino – indeed, not bad I’m told.

And the latte.  These come in small and large. Syrup or non syrup. Quite reasonably priced.

Okay, having gained a bit of a spare tyre aka muffin top over winter, I tried to go for something healthy (ie no sausage or bacon).  For me this came in the form of the mushroom, ham and pesto omelette with no cheese.  With a slice of sourdough and some mange-tout as salad, it was very satisfying, and not over cooked at all. Baby Lucas adored it too and helped me polish off a third of it!  The filling was generous but did not overcome the eggs.

Salmon benedict – perfect chubby ooozy eggs and a generous amount of salmon.  But what puzzled me was why it wasn’t served on english muffins, and instead only one piece of toast? Not that much sauce, but oh well, my friends seemed to not care much!

Now what I SHOULD have ordered and lingered over for a bite was the French toast.  Yuuummm…. it was sooo soft and delicious – soaked brioche, fried until brown, not too eggy, and this gorgeous berry compote on it.  It was delicious and I could have eaten alot more – but definitely not the whole plate as I definitely need some savoury for my breaky.

They also make a baklava French toast which I am curious to try for next time!

Take 3 cups of rolled oats, and soak overnight in 1.5 cups of apple juice.  Then in the morning, stir through a cup of yoghurt – any flavour – I’ve used vanilla or strawberry.   Let it continue to sit in the fridge and let the oats get softer, and then when you’re about to serve, stir in some chopped roasted almonds, some grated apple and some honey.  I garnished it with more almonds on top of a dollop of more yoghurt; and some apple which I grated with my finger slicing device otherwise known as a mandoline.  *shudder*.  Well, off to a healthy start, it must mean that you’ve earned the right to a fry up.  cooking bacon and eggs and sausages for 7 people could mean a morning of slaving away at the stove, rather than entertaining – a definite no no.  And that’s where my tray bake english breakfast comes in.

You can have it all prepared and put in the oven and all you’ll need to do is cook the eggs, and delegate someone to make your toast!  Turn on your oven to 200 degrees, put in as many sausages as you need, cook for 10minutes.  Then, put your mushrooms in, and drizzle with some oil, and layer your bacon on top.  Bake for a further 10 minutes until your bacon is cooked to your liking and the mushrooms are soft. How easy is that??  I served it with sunny side up free range eggs and woodfired italian toast.  With my 3 course breakfast, one sausage and one piece of toast was enough!  My tomatoes were gorgeous – sweet and rose red, so i opted to serve them au natural and simply seasoned.  They tasted amazing!  And if your guests still aren’t stuffed, serve them what was regarded as the favourite of the day – french toast with poached pears and caramel sauce.  Again, really handy because you can make both the poached pears and the caramel sauce before people come!

I poached some buerre bosc pears in a syrup of half water, half sugar with a cinnamon quill chucked in.  I boiled them til i could poke a knife in.  Then chill in the fridge.  For the caramel sauce, mix butter, cream and brown sugar in a saucepan on low heat until combined.  For the french toast, beat eggs with some sugar and milk, and soak the bread in until it’s all soggy.  Then panfry in a little butter.  Plate up and enjoy warm and you’ll forever have your friends banging on your door for more

The restaurant itself is a wide open warehouse space on ground level, and a mezzanine level.  A number of very large communal tables made of polished timber are surrounded by trendy stainless steel chairs.  A bar runs along the length of the window for gazing out into the street – or for me to sit and read my paper as I intend to, every single weekend for the rest of my life  There are also tables of four as well.  Well , not time to eat yet – so I browsed around the shop.  It wasn’t so huge, but the offerings were quality.  Fresh italian crusty bread in every shape you would need for your weekend gourmet table, and at VERY reasonable prices.

The deli has a wide variety of salumi and other meats, as well as anti pasti.  Judging by the hooks above it, I am guessing that some lovely legs of proscuitto may soon arrive

Some yummy meat to go?

And for cheese buffs – there is also a climate and humidity controlled room!!!!  Two in fact!  I think they are still to stock, it is opening day after all

And its unique drawcard – the roasting facility.  Shiny, spanking new in red, and enclosed in a glass room for all to watch.  If you want to make your own blend, you can – if you want 50kgs minimum that is!

I had lunch plans… but gee it certainly was hard to resist the sweets on offer there  they looked so fresh they might as well have come from nonna’s oven that day.  Tick to resisting temptation

Although I did have to have a drink.  What’s the point of going to a coffee roaster and warehouse if I don’t sample their namesake?  I had a skim mocha. It was only $3.50.  And believe me, it was GOOD.   So smooth down your throat and not harsh or bitter or burnt at all like some coffees!

Well, I had had a taste.  I wanted more. So I went back that night for dessert!  First up – skim hot choc.  Not bad.  But i asked for more chocolate as it tasted of warm milk.

For dessert – the most inexpensive creme brulee ever – only $8!   Perfect sugary crust, and served generously with four slices of fresh made biscotti.   Sorry that the custard still didn’t beat my gold standard of best ever creme brulee (the Sheraton on the Park buffet one) – but hey, it’s opening day!   There’s still time to perfect it!

I looked longingly at the plates of pizza and pasta going by – sad that I had had dinner already  But…. sad no more, because as I lifted my eyes, this giant mamma of a plate came at me! Wow!!!  Italian waffles, the special – only $9!!!  TWO waffles served with hazelnut gelato and whipped cream.

But wait – there’s more – sandwiched between them were two further scoops of gelato – chocolate and Italian vanilla!  Where in town do you get even just 3 scoops of gelato for that price, let alone waffles!!!  I was informed by the manager that the waffles are made by an Italian lady daily.   Let me say that the chocolate gelato was to die for.  It was dark and rich and I could say that it was probably made with the best quality chocolate money could buy.

This place has so much promise.  I really look forward to trying more things and keeping you up to date!

On our recent trip to Hong Kong, one new yum cha dish that we tried and adored was XO sauce fried rice noodles. Soooo simple to make, especially since XO sauce is so readily available now – even at Coles! By no means a low fat dish, but it’s just 4 ingredients! Firstly, buy a packet of those rolled rice noodles from your local asian grocer. I actually even saw them at Harris Farm too. Cut them into chunks. Then, heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok, then add the noodles and toss around until crispy on the outside and gooey in the middle. Then, add one tablespoon of XO sauce, stir fry until fragrant, and then a splash of light soy sauce. If you have some, add some chopped shallots until wilted. Take off the heat, and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Serve. Eat alone. Do not share! hehehe  Breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner – or all of them!

More virtue growing as after one hour, we still had had only that small cold pre-prepared course!  So at 1:30, finally finally, we got our mains:  eggs three ways: Chorizo and sun dried tomato egg tart; spinach and mushroom omelette on a ciabatta crouton; and an egg benedict.  The tart was very fresh and eggs cooked still a bit runny – perfect! Would have loved some more chorizo though.  My favourite was the omelette. The spinach was very tasty, and was drizzled with a goats cheese dressing.  And finally, the egg benedict –  the sauce was universally agreed to be excellent, but the ham was disappointing, as it tasted like shaved ham from woollies, and almost on its last day IMHO.

You can see why we chose this deal as we got a third course. A waffle to share between two, with two scoops of vanilla bean gelato on top, drizzled with coulis and white chocolate sauce in the holes.  Oh MMAaaannnnn it was ssoooooooooooooooooooo nice…. the best waffle I’ve ever had!!!  Still warm, crispy on the edges from the sugar, and just the perfect amount of sweetness combined with the sauces.  This is definitely worth coming for, and in combination with the apolegetic free coffees, was almost enough to quench my annoyance at the long wait for the table (I know it wasn’t their fault, but still, 35 minutes I could have gone for a lovely walk in the park!) and the long wait for the food.

I also loved the room – however slightly noisy – which therefore makes it perfect to bring your kids!  I’ll be back to try their dessert tasting plate which we eyed off the table next to us!

The dude at the grill – the master BBQ-er has perfected the rhythm of turning, cooking, filling, passing.  I’m sure it’s a hot and smoky job, but we appreciate you!  The result is the most amazing juicy (huge) mouthful.  These guys also make an appearance the Entertainment Quarter markets in Moore Park.  But I sure am hoping that they will turn up at tomorrow’s Burwood Festival. I am counting on it!

This funky little cafe even sells coffee making wares.  It shows that they are serious about their beans! Because they even blend and grind their own!

Despite the tempting cakes and coffee machine shopping, we were here for a feed.  There is a good chalkboard menu of specials, as well as an all day breakfast menu and some toasted turkish bread specials.  The BLT arrived and I immediately had food envy.  It was stuffed with layers of crispy bacon, not dry at all, gourmet mesclun, and tomatoes – it certainly puts soggy white iceberg lettuce filled tiny BLTs to shame!  It’s served with a leaf salad that has a yummy balsamic vinegrette.

I selected something from the specials menu.  I have thing for corn fritters, and as they had the on the menu, along with garlic fried mushrooms, roasted tomatoes and grilled capsiscums, I didn’t even think twice.   It was definitely dressed up to city style standards, but what I was disappointed about was that the fritters were more like pikelets studded with some corn kernels.  Bills’ corn fritters have made me accustomed to more like corn cakes, which are chunky and barely held together with flour.  So almost 100% corn if you will.

Because there was no dressing or sauce served with it, the dish lacked of seasoning. But I have to say, if there were pikelets they would have been perfect as they were so fluffy!  Build your own breakfast is also available:  this is smoked salmon, poached eggs and spinach.  Perfectly poached eggs with just set whites and runny yolks.  I think the spinach was expected to be sauteed as in the city, but overall, a balanced dish.

The service isn’t as fast as your typical CBD joint, but that also means you aren’t pushed out and can linger over your coffee.   What also caught my eye was the sign out the front for mums saying ‘brst feeding welcome’.  Worth a try if you’re in town and looking for well priced, freshly prepared light meals

The menu was HUGE!  Ssssoooo many choices.  It’s a big menu for  a big breakfast. So many different things to try, ranging from bacon and egg rolls to ‘Voluptuous Veg’ – aka poached eggs on green beans and sweet potato and zucchini fritters.  We opted for the sweet corn fritters with poached eggs, spinach, bacon and tomato relish.  Two big corncakes arrived piled high with bacon (a bit crispier would have been better) and lavished with perfectly poached eggs and a dollop of relish.  Check out the size of this mountain of food!! Exactly what I was hoping for and more!  The fritters were not too doughy yet still held together well.  Sort of like chunky pancakes, with a spicy curry flavour from the relish which added a slight heat.

Everyone was eating mushys and their garlicky aroma filled the air as you walk in.  Side of mushys – $3.

And second most popular choice, the BIG BREKKY, the cafe’s namesake!  Two rashers of bacon, two eggs any way you like, two MASSIVE slices of buttered toast, vine ripened cherry tomatoes, a small chorizo, more mushys, and for some different – potato gratin and pear chutney.  Admittedly, I didn’t really like the gratin that much. A plate full of saturated fat needs a fried hash brown IMHO And personally I’m not a fan of savoury fruit, so my chutney stayed on the plate.  Everything else was delish though. The eggs were cooked crispy on the edges, mushys full of garlic flavour, and the cherry tomatoes a very posh touch.  Great value at $18.

This little cafe must have been a local’s secret – until SMH unleashed it!  It hits all the right notes without being pretentious or posh.  Great food and REALLY good service from the friendly staff, totally unphased by the number of kids there – who can also play outside on the grassy outdoor back area too.  Very quick service too.

Well one disadvantage of sitting near the kitchen is seeing all the goodies go past.  And what we could not let past was a taste of the pancakes.  Baci pancakes in fact.  YUM, two huge thick flapjacks sandwiched with (not enough ) nutella, dusted generously with icing sugar and cocoa and fresh strawberries. See for yourself!   I found them a bit doughy, but my friends liked it that way.  A scoop of ice cream really would have completely made the dish too!  But I think we definitely had had our weeks’ serve of calories hehehe.  What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday.

Of course we had to try the big breakfast.  Two eggs poached, roasted tomatoes, sauteed field mushrooms, bacon, and a jumbo slice of toast.  I found the toast was a bit wet from the poached eggs, so maybe some resting aside would have done it good. But the mushrooms were certainly meaty and delicious. 

We also tried the corn cakes with bacon, rocket and avocado salsa. They also do a smoked salmon one.  Unfortunately, the bacon was cold.  But the salsa was nice, and the corn cakes were flavoursome and crispy on the edges.  I asked the waiter whether they were make “frittery” or “pancakey” and he told me frittery, but in my mind, the flatness makes them more pancakey, and my favourite corn fritters are still at Zenja Cafe or Bills.  But these were really nice corn pancakes!

Breakfast is served all day on the weekends, so we also had the chance to have the beer battered fish and chips.  Crispy and light batter, chunky and crunch chips.  Defintely would have these again.

The staff are lovely, and the place was filled with mothers and prams – it’s so spacious and airy. I would say, only come here if it’s nice weather, otherwise the open-ness of the cafe would be quite cold if it’s rainy or windy!  Brunch for 3 was a total of $60 including a drink each.

Building 13, Blaxland Riverside Park
Jamieson Street, Newington NSW 2127
(02) 9714 7513

This is my interpretation of a pumpkin and leek lasagna from Australian Good Taste magazine.  I never would have thought that something with no meat could be SO tasty, such that I even relished leftovers!  It makes a great work lunch too.

Ingredients

• A wedge of pumpkin, chopped into 1.5cm cubes
• 250g of baby spinach
• Clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 6 free range eggs
• 200g sliced mushrooms.
• 1/3 cup of cream
• 1 handful of chopped mixed fresh herbs (I used parsley, basil and oregano)
• A handful of vintage cheddar cheese, grated

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. 
2. Microwave the pumpkin until cooked through.
3. In a non stick frypan, heat up a tablespoon of olive oil; then saute the garlic until fragrant, but not brown
4. Add the mushrooms, saute for a few minutes; then add spinach (washed) and saute until limp.
5. Line a baking tray with nonstick baking paper (otherwise the egg will be baked into it and very hard to clean – if you can at all!).
6. Lay the pumpkin over the paper; then scatter over the mushroom and spinach mix.
7. Beat the eggs, add the cream, mix in the herbs and season generously with salt and pepper.
8. Pour the egg mix over the veges; and scatter over the cheese.
9. Bake for 40 – 50 minutes until set.
10. Serve warm with a side salad, or cold with your lunch the next day.