Things you've never dreamed of

February 17th, 2014

Salamanca Market, Tasmania

So after I posted that last bit of 3pm coffee stream of consciousness I realised I haven’t posted since October last year. Bad Rose, no biscuit. I’ve done stuff and eaten things since then – here’s a really short one just to keep all three of you happy.

I went to Tasmania with Mr Gif in January to attend a wedding. It was a last minute invite (read: mid December) but we were like fuck it, we haven’t been in Tassie yet so we’ll do this thing. Everyone told us to go to Salamanca Market so we did.

Whisky tasting

We started the morning with a bit of whisky tasting cos we’re classy like that. On display here is the Three Capes Whisky and McHenry London Gin from the William McHenry & Sons Distillery. I’ve become a bit of whisky fan over the last year – I like this a lot, but for Tassie whiskies I prefer Nant.

Raspberry danish

“Wtf”, I hear you say. “Did you really just post a half eaten Danish on your blog?”

Well, yeah. Haters gonna hate.

(It was delicious. Look for the Summer Kitchen Bakery)

Tempura mushrooms

This was the highlight of the food there for me – tempura mushrooms. Giant plate for $7. Mr Gif doesn’t eat mushrooms so I got to eat the entire lot. Awww yisss

OK so I did feel a bit sick afterwards.

Wallaby burrito

OF COURSE I HAD TO STOP WHEN I SAW WALLABY BURRITO. This was the Pacha Mama Mexican stall.

Wallaby burrito

I was expecting something quite gamey, but the wallaby meat was tender and quite delicate. Tastes kinda like lamb. I like it. I reckon it’s a good one for people who aren’t too much into (or are new to) game meat.

I’ll eventually write more about Tasmania. Stay tuned for stories of our wild nights out in empty towns.

December 6th, 2009

Pistachio and Rosewater Cupcake

Food porn post coming, but just needed to post this first:

cupcake

Pistachio and rosewater cupcake, recipe from 500 Cupcakes.

I’ve only started learning to bake so I was well chuffed when this turned out OK. The cake bit is delicious – very fluffy and moist. Dunno about the icing though. I’m not a huge fan of cream cheese icing but it goes well with the rosewater. Also, I need to invest in a dropper for food colouring. That’s some lurid pink right there.

November 15th, 2009

Bits and Pieces

If you’ve been paying attention, you’d know that I bought a red capsicum chilli relish from the Newtown Festival. It’s by a company called relish this.

Capsicum chilli relish
I fell in love immediately with the packaging, because I’m a sucker for well-designed product packaging (I once bought a $4 “water for women” because it was purple – marketers take note). I mean geez you’d have to be made of stone to not smile at a logo with love hearts on it. Also I’d buy any food products with the word “feisty” on them (marketers take note).

When I was at the festival I had a bit of the relish on a cracker with cheddar cheese. This stuff is really damn good. It was sweet but not cloyingly so and the sweetness nicely complements its spiciness. The relish has bits of currants and apples that will go nicely with anything cheesy or salty. This particular relish is available in both mild and feisty, but to be honest I wouldn’t get the milder version because I find most relishes too sweet for me if it’s not spicy. Still, I love the product and you should buy truckloads of it because (a) it’s delicious and (b) the people behind it seem awesome. Go forth and spend!

Once I tasted the relish I knew what I wanted to do with it. Here’s tonight’s dinner:

Lamb burger
Lamb burger made with tagine spice mix and fetta cheese, topped with capsicum chilli relish. Man everything went so well together I feel like another one even as I’m typing this.

In other news, The Cupcake Factory recently opened a store in Balmain. I bought a cookies and cream cupcake today.

Cupcake
It’s very pretty, and the cake bit is OK but the icing is too sweet for me. This was $4.

My favourite cupcake place is still Ghermez as it’s the only place I found that doesn’t use overly sugary icing. Sorry Cupcake Factory, I really wanted to like you.

September 13th, 2009

Balmain eats

I live in Balmain – there’s no shortage of places to go for a lazy breakfast here.

19 October 2008

Breakfast at La Bohème followed by a trip to Adriano Zumbo.

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La Boheme Breakfast – fried ham topped with fried eggs, rye bread, beetroot and pickles.

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May’s pick. Little Big Breakfast – a one-serve portion of everything you get in a big breakfast.

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My pick (and one of my favourite breakfasts ever), Veggie Feast – fresh tomatoes, avocado, wholegrain toast topped with ricotta & wilted spinach, a poached egg and capsicum spread.

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A selection of cakes at Adriano Zumbo. This was back when there were no long lines outside his shop every weekend (good for him, bad for me, excellent for my thighs).