I am lousy at writing restaurant reviews. I had some good breakfasts last weekend. Both delicious, both completely different scenes. Poached is around the corner from my humble abode and I have found myself eating a greasy, eggy hangover curing breakfast there on semi frequent occasion. Batch is quite the nice little cafe however the music was a bit loud, and the other Saturday morning patrons talking loudly as a result made it difficult to hold a conversation. According to my breakfast date, this isn’t usually the norm. Being a uni student, she has the luxury of the occasional weekday breakfast there and apparently it is much quieter ambience wise.
Batch:
Shop 1 320 Carlisle Road
Balaclava VIC 3183
Blueberry Pancakes with Maple Syrup
(not quite pictured: Avocado & Fetta mash. This looked so amazing, I had food regret).
Perfectly fluffy pancakes with hidden blueberries lightly dusted with icing sugar. Not hard to screw up. I loved the little vial of maple syrup, and the peppermint leaf tea was a nice little touch, too.
Poached:
169 Lygon St
Brunswick East VIC 3057
T: 03 9387 2396
Omelette with Gypsy ham, tomato, fetta and mushrooms
My breakfast: I thought I’d give the egg battle another go, but I failed miserably. In saying that, the omelette was sufficiently delicious, but my stomach just doesn’t like to co-operate with my egglust.
Eggs Florentine
I would have to be feeling pretty self destructive to attempt any type of poached or soft boiled egg. I have it on good authority from my breakfast date that the Eggs Florentine is AAAAAAAA+++++++ would eat again.
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A list of things that I would like to cook in the coming weeks. No further explanation.
- I discovered that making Churros isn’t that hard via a new work colleague who part times at the Spanish Club on weekends. A cup of hot water to one cup of flour and a freshly cleaned deep fryer?! SOLD.
- Not really cooking, but Insalata Caprese as seen on Not Quite Nigella’s recent dining excursion to Da Gianni, Annandale; Another use for those fantastic vinegar cured anchovies from Casa Iberica on Johnston Street, Fitzroy. While you’re there, check out the Spanish Festa this weekend.
- Roast Chicken with Prosciutto and Potato Chicken and Pork are the ultimate gastronomical match made in heaven in my eyes.
- Pan Bagnat looks like one of the best sandwiches ever. As seen on XenexTumble
Yes, a bit anchovy obsessed at the moment!
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Roast Beef
No explanation necessary. Pierced the top with slivers of garlic, seasoned with salt and pepper and covered with rosemary. I think I could have taken it out of the oven about 15 minutes earlier though.
Stellini Soup
I got the idea for this from a recent recipe on 101 Cookbooks for Cous Cous soup. I had a craving for stracciatella but my cupboards and wallet are pretty bare at the moment (starting a new job and being a bit of a nomad) and I was out of eggs. Cue: some powdered stock, a teaspoon of minced garlic, some grated parmesan and 1/4 cup of stellini and we have stelllini soup! Voila! I also added some chopped up sun dried tomatoes and the usual seasonings.
Spaghetti and Kangaroo Meatballs
Loosely based on Jamie Oliver’s recipe that I saw on one of his myriad of TV Shows and incorporating a new found appreciation for our national fauna. Meatballs baked with roasted balsamic cherry tomato sauce and served over a huge tangle of spaghetti.
Tofu Don @ Momotaro Rahmen
To celebrate my *New* job (and payday! Hurrah!) Xenex and I went out for ramen adventures on Bridge Road, Richmond. There are a couple of awesome choices for Japanese in the area now (Read: Happy Kappa on Swan St and Maedaya which has just opened and is owned by former Mach Pelican member Toshi-8Beat) and being a former Richmond local (or Cremorne, or Burnley depending who you’re arguing with) I had wandered past Momotaro many times and never been inside. Styled like a typical takeaway shop, it still felt welcoming enough to sit inside. “Octopus Cakes”, gyoza and Daikon and Carrot Salads for sides and the Tofu was coated in a bitey gingery gelatinous sauce. Delicious.
Parma @ The Westside Hotel
My new place of employment can only be described nicely as“Out West”. Over the Westgate Bridge. On Friday we all had a pub lunch to farewell a co-worker on his last day. I love a good parma and I was told to give the Westside’s a try. Well. Let’s just say I’ve had better.
Marinara @ Kate & Julian’s
By some crazy act of coincidence Kate, Julian and I ended up in the same parts of Japan during September this year and we had some crazy good times watching Weezer, drinking and eating at various Izakayas and eating ¥400 spaghetti at Saizeria together. They invited me over to their cute little residence for Spaghetti Marinara (Well really how could I say no?) and some wine and nerding out about Wilco and Strong Bad. Mmmmmm Mussels.
So, that was my week food wise. What an effort! I think my goal this week is to find an excellent parma (is there anything that comes even close to the Royston’s Parmas of the World anymore?!) and eat something that isn’t a sausage roll from a truckstop for lunch. Hi Just Bento! I will finally get to put my Miffy Bento box and all those cool accessories that I bought from Tokyu Hands to good use! Hurrah!
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But I’ve been distracted by real life. This Week’s Eats will be up shortly, followed by regular programming later in the week. Well, as regular as you can get on a blog that’s three weeks old. In the meantime, here’s a picture of the nostalgia inducing Choc Dipped, Candy Coated, Teeth Rotting Soft Serve I had this afternoon from the ice-cream truck driving down the street where my Mum & Dad live…
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Spaghetti is probably my all time favourite pasta. I love how it swirls around on a plate, I love twirling it around on my fork and slurping it into my mouth. I love it plain with just some Parmesan, cracked pepper, garlic and butter. I love it with tomato based sauces. I love it with creamy sauces. I love it with Pesto. I LOVE IT.
So, here is a little how to on cooking the “Best Spaghetti Ever”:
Boiling spaghetti isn’t rocket science, but I implore you not to overcook it. Test it from time to time. You still want it to have “give” in the middle when you bite into it. To give you an idea, it should take about 8 minutes, depending on what pasta you’re using. It should have a recommended cooking time on the packet so use that as a guide. Always check how your spaghetti is going by tasting it.
Melt some butter in a fry pan over a low heat. When the butter has melted (make sure it’s not too hot) add some garlic that has been sliced into thin rounds. It’s really important that the heat isn’t up too high so that the garlic doesn’t burn and start to taste bitter. Now this is the best part. YOU CAN ADD ANYTHING FROM HERE. Some diced tomato, olives, anchovies, chili flakes… ANYTHING. Once your spaghetti is done, drain it and toss it in the fry pan. Use a pair of tongs to make sure the spaghetti is coated in the butter and everything else you’ve put in there. Serve with some cracked pepper and a big sprinkle of Parmesan. ENJOY.
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