FoodieChat

I first came across this italian eatery and delicatessen when we held a function at the Waterside, Homebush Bay, and someone came in with these amazing woodfired pizzas.  Crispy thin base, and with topped with fresh ingredients to savour the base and not piled one inch high like some pizza joints these days.   So on another sunny birthday day off (why do they only come once a year?), we set out to find this pizza again.  It’s actually in a little piazza hidden away between the apartment blocks - I’m sure the locals would like to keep their secret to themselves!  I’m torn - do I shop first, or eat first??  Well stomach won as usual, and we sat ourselves at one of the tables on the street - strangely enough, all enclosed in a plastic awning despite being a gorgeous day.

I had to have a taste of the pizza again - from a plate not a takeaway box, and it did not disappoint.   For lunch, there is only a limited specials menu, and I selected the salamari, olive and chilli pizza ($15).  Just enough for one person - the base was as crispy as I remembered - not merely the vessel for a mountain of topping, but as much as star as the toppings itself - which complemented it, not over powered it, the real way it’s meant to be done.  None of the processed plastic cheese either - real slices of mozarella melted into the fresh tomato base, and scattered with just enough salty salamari and torn olives.   The review on Sydney Morning Herald recommended the calamari fritti ($16) which my friend ordered - and I reluctantly swapped a slice of my pizza to try.  It wasn’t the oily greasy rubber bands that I expected (who am I to disagree with Simon Thomsen!)- but the flash fried, and ever so slightly battered rings were much lighter than most versions, and served with chips and salad.

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 It certainly is a demonstration of a chef’s humility when they open a lower priced offshoot and make their top cuisine affordable for all. Think Becasse and Plan B (with its $10 Wagyu burger and $2 lemon tarts); Fifteen Restaurant and Canteen, and in Leura: Solitary Restaurant and Kiosk.  Whilst the restaurant offers 5 courses for $95, a mere $10 will get you a hearty gourment brunch or lunch in its kiosk located on the same premises, same sweeping views over the blue mountains.   A charming weatherboard hut perched atop a ledge midway between Katoomba and Leura, set in a garden filled with blooms.  I started off with a tangy, tart and perfectly sweet home made lemonade ($3.50). 

The lemon zest added even greater depth of flavour; and the sourness of the lemon was balanced with the sweetness of the sugar syrup.   Equally delicious was the coke spider (my first taste can you believe it!).  Our group was pretty evenly split between the steak sandwich, caponata salad and chicken sandwich. So you would have thought that the kitch would find it easy to fill the order for 8.  Sadly I think they weren’t accustomed to the influx of Sydney siders for APEC long weekend holiday, so the food took forever to come - I felt sorry for the couple that came after us! But lucky there is the view, and well when you go to the country you’re not in much of a rush anyway!  The open steak sandwich ($15.50) was a good sized minute steak cooked medium well, served between two delicious thick slices of wood fired bread - the crumb dense enough to hold in the home made tomato relish, sweet delicious caramelised onion, lettuce, and grilled tomato.  The caponata salad ($15.50) captivated us when we saw another patron (we assumed regular) order it.  A warm salad piled on top of the same bread (which I am so glad is not sourdough) - comprising diced zucchini, eggplant, tomato, onion, celery, pinenuts and olive oil - hearty vegetarian feast that created added interest through the listing of dark chocolate on the menu!

The humble chicken sandwich was given a gourmet style makeover and still priced only marginally above a Sydney CBD cousin at $9.90!  Thick slicse of poached chicken breast mixed with home made mayonnaise and herbs.  I was told that the bread had a lemony twist - not sourdough I was told by two sources.  The cress was on the side rather than in the sandwich - meaty enough to last well into your hike!  As we left filled with full stomachs and even better, full wallets, we passed the sweet offerings of the day - basket of fresh baked scones, dense sinful looking brownies and huge florentines.  

Does bushwalking get any better than this? haha.

90 Cliff Drive, Leura Falls www.solitary.com.au

The August 2006 issue of delicious magazine had a guide on Illawarra and Wollongong which was the inspiration for an overnight stay and drive down to the BellaChara resort and spa down in Gerringong (10mins from Kiama).   We stopped for devonshire tea (as is compulsory for any country drive!) in the historic terraces in Kiama.  Really friendly owners who insisted on remaking my mocha when my elbow accidentally knocked it.  Perfect country-style home-made scones too ($4.50 for 2).  Nearby, we visited the Crooked River Winery, where we picked up some white port and some delicious olive oil (which I’ve been having with woodfired bread).

We were lucky enough to be staying on a Sunday night for Bella Bake - a set $25 three course roast dinner (with entree and dessert) - a bargain!! More so by the fact that the chef is formerly of MG Garage, est and Level 41!  The restaurant is a trendy dim room with a lounge area sectioning off both sides of the room, and a large communal bar table which also serves as the buffet table for breakfast.  Entree for that day was a ham and barley soup - which came with a warmed bread roll (which required prompting as the staff were run off their feet that night).  It was hearty and extremely filling - and probably would suffice me for dinner on its own!  The smokey ham pieces had shredded spinach (or some green vegetable) in it; and was thick with barley.   For the main, roast of the day was lamb, which I don’t like, so I opted for the alternate, the barramundi with a lemon butter sauce.  Both came with a mezzaluna of baked sweet Jap pumpkin, green beas, sweet potato and chat potato.

And finishing off with the pear tart (sliced pear baked on piece of puff pastry, with a dollop of creme fraiche and caramel sauce).  Very full indeed but with not much to do except hire a video from the reception and watch it in bed on their 60inc (?) plasma screens in the room. 

The next day, the promised continental breakfast turned out to be a buffet - YUM, with hot selection of crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, thick and sweet French toast (which I ate with the fruit compote designated for the yoghurt), and garlic mushrooms.

Pastries were croissants, danishes and pain au chocolat, as well as all you can eat banana bread and tomatoes with cheese (served cold).  Four different types of bread were self toasted; and juices were apple and orange.  Obviously, I had to leave self control at home because I’m on holidays right??

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The Sydney Morning Herald wrote this handy article about best places to eat brunch in Sydney. I better get cracking as I’ve only been to two of those - and one of those I wouldn’t set foot in again!

http://www.smh.com.au/news/good-living/breakfast-is-the-toast-of-the-town/2007/08/06/1186252595398.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2 

This petite bakery - in size but definitely not clientele - is as well known by the locals lucky enough to live nearby as the foodies and other followers who have heard of this secret (including Kylie Kwong apparently).  Be prepared - there will be a queue.  But it moves extremely fast as people generally know what they want.  Happily, no one wanted to sit at one of the three tiny tables indoors just inside the window; and we grabbed those and watched the beautiful people pour in.  We tried the pizza ($8) - vegetarian, or proscuitto, which the staff offer to heat up for you.  It gave a glimpse of the bread that it is very well known for; and wasn’t heavy at all.  Of the many gourmet pies and sausage rolls, we tried the chicken pie ($4.50), filled with tender braised chicken and vegetables with a slighty touch of spice.

But as we horsed down our savouries what we really had our eye on was the patisserie treats, which today were two varieties of creme brulee tart ($3.80 each)- ginger creme brulee, or strawberry and vanilla.  The ginger tart was dotted with pistachios and the top crispy and wafer thin, enclosing the creamy smooth filling which was delicately infused with ginger.  The vanilla and strawberry one was slightly less set in the middle but had a lovely strawberry surprise in the bottom.

And finally, the rhubarb and almond tart; or the quince tart beckoned in the window begging to be taken home to be enjoyed later.  The bakery has a set schedule of which breads are available when.  There is plenty of surrounding street parking.