Sydney has one of the most spectacular harbours in the world and one of the best ways we find to enjoy them is with a picnic. With the crazy weather around lately, it becomes hard to predict when will be a good day to have one or when will leave you soaking and running for tree cover. This particular Sunday, after having a quick bite for lunch, we saw the grey skies parting to reveal a glorious sunny day. With a boat regatta that my husband wanted to see from Bradley’s Head in mind, we stopped by The Bather’s Kiosk, the take away kiosk which is part of the huge Bather’s Pavilion building and purchased some sweets to enjoy while watching the boats go by.

Its hard choosing, the savoury filled baguettes look good ($8.50) and the heated tray with quiches and pies smell enticing but I’ve had lunch already so I am deciding on a sweet. I’ve had the chocolate mousse ($3.50) before and knew that I had to repeat the experience so that is popped into my collection. I spy some small blueberry cakes, like friands, with 4 for $1 so that’s an obvious choice. Rounding off my purchases, I go to the ice chest and select some Blood Orange Gelato ($3.50) from their many flavours available. I love Blood Orange when its sweet and I know that it will be gorgeous here. There’s also all sorts of chips, pretzels, croissants, coffee, salads and pastries as well as lollies and sherbert pops and a cherry clafoutis that I am eyeing but reluctantly put back. There’s also beach towels and sunscreen and newspapers. A kid’s and adult’s beachside dream really.

Blood Orange Gelato $3.50

Driving up to Bradley’s Head, we lay out the picnic blanket and try our bounty. The blood orange gelato is first, as its melting and one wooden spoon in and I know I’ve made the right choice. Perfectly sweet, not overpoweringly so, the true blood orange flavouring comes through in this fine textured gelato. This is nothing short of superbly refreshing and quenching. If I were on the beach, there is no question that I would’ve bought another.

Small blueberry cakes, 4 for $1

The little blueberry cakes are next. I assume these are what the restaurant use as their petit fours. They’re lovely and eggy, rich and flecked with hazelnut meal. Some of the tiny cakes have 2 blueberries, some 1, with some exploded. Nevertheless, they still taste fabulous.

Last but not least is the richer than rich chocolate mousse. I’d had this a year earlier and surprisingly, the price hasn’t changed which is a pleasant surprise. What has changed is the chocolate balls on top, which used to be crispy and crunchy malted chocolate balls, like teeny tiny maltesers. Now they are soggy and relatively flavourless. Bring back the original balls! The mousse however remains the same. Gorgeously, richly and decadently chocolatey which a moist mud-ish centre. Its the kind of dessert that you loathe to share but almost have to because of its richness.

Chocolate Mousse $3.50

I know I’ll have to come back, just in the name of research and all…

The Bather’s Kiosk

2b The Esplanade
Balmoral 2088 NSW
Phone: +61 (02) 9968 4961
Open: 7am-6pm 7 days
Cards accepted

I’m not terribly fussed about Doyle’s the restaurant. I had a really, really bad meal there several years ago consisting of a boring piece of fish and the lumpiest, driest mashed potatoes I could imagine and from my distant memory I can recall some very soggy vegetables and a pretty big bill so I’ve never really wanted to venture back. One thing that I do go back for consistently is the Doyle’s Fisherman’s Wharf seafood takeaway, specifically the seafood basket. For $16.50 there’s enough freshly fried seafood for two people and it’s not just fish but also prawns, scallops and calamari. We were lent a convertible car this one particular weekend and we thought what would be the best use of it on these seemingly few and far between sunny summer days. Watsons Bay and the scenic drive seemed the right order.

We find a park right next to the usually frantically crowded Doyle’s which means that the food gods are looking after us. The stretch of grass in front is full with tourists and people enjoying the sunny day and eating their takeaway. I line up as I need little time to decide - of course we are having the seafood basket. There is a rather unfriendly grumpy man behind the counter who seems intent on being rude to everyone in sight. Unfortunate but seeing as he stands between me and the seafood basket I place my order with him. Our seafood basket, a large tray with definitely enough for two emerges a few minutes later. Instead of sitting picnic style on the lawn, we opt for the large tabled area to the right and back of the takeaway.

Opening up our golden fried seafood bounty we see that they still don’t provide tartare sauce, but a sweet chili instead. Why oh why can’t they give us tartare? We start with the king prawns which are quite juicy with a light coating of crumbing (Prawn count in box=3). The scallops with the roe on are next, and they’re soft and fresh and lovely and thick (Scallop count=2). Bliss. To add to the rapture, calamari, which can be tough and chewy is melt in the mouth (Calamari ring count=5). I don’t think I’ve had better calamari. My husband, not usually a calamari lover declares these the best. So I’m looking forward to the big pieces of fish (Fish count=3 pieces).

Unfortunately whatever magic they weaved for the rest is lost on the fish. Even with copious amounts of lemon squeezed from the one piece and salt from the extra sachets, it’s flavourless. I try and try again but give up. It’s devoid of flavour and I leave my hungry husband to have the rest. The chips are fat chunky traditional cut chips and they’re quite good, with a few twice fried chips at the bottom of the box which I have a perverse joy in eating.

We lean back full and watch the crowds board the ferry in front of us.

Doyle’s Takeaway Watsons Bay

11 Marine Parade
Watsons Bay Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9337-1350
Open 7 days until sundown

There’s a lot to be said for standing out in a crowd. Especially if it’s for good reasons rather than bad. On busy restaurant Glebe Point Road, Flying Fajita Sistas stands out for its name and whimsical artwork depicting Mexican winged fairies. It’s not your typical sombrero decorated Mexican food joint. The atmosphere is that of a funky family or best friend run restaurant. I’m assuming the girl at the front in the bright blue Mexican style dress (with a touch of Tree of Life) is one of the said sistas.

We walk upstairs past the intriguing 4 row display of chili sauces named the “Wall of Pain” featuring such stomach clenching sauces as “Sudden Death” and “Kiss Your Ass Goodbye” and walk past 3 staff members who in turn greet us with a big smile and hello. It’s all very welcoming and we’re left to ponder the menu, full of sopes, dips, burritos, tamales, enchiladas, chimichangas and of course fajitas done with a myriad of different fillings from Achiote pulled pork, chicken and mole rojo, corn & cheese, mango & cheese (vegetarian), sweet chipotle chicken, King prawns, steak, frijole beans (vegetarian) and braised chile and onion (vegetarian) . Narrowing the choice down to just one is hard but I am convinced by my waiter’s recommendation of the Pulled Pork Quesadilla ($18.90). I also order a single tamale ($6) as I’ve yet to try one, only knowing of the phrase “hot tamale”.

We order and sit back and enjoy the view. There’s a cute little private balcony with enough space for two couples. It’s hard to talk as there isn’t a lot of soundproofing and since it’s Saturday night and everyone around is a bit jolly, we mostly lip read.

Whilst we are waiting two small trays of mexican spiced green olives arrive-they’re delicious and lightly spicy.

Quesadilla with Achiote Pulled Pork $18.90

We’re not waiting long when our dishes arrive on round edged rectangular plates and they’ve got us drooling from the look and aroma. My Quesadilla with Achiote Pulled Pork ($18.90) has four huge quarters of crispy edged quesadilla which are absolutely packed with soft, stringy but delicious pulled pork. There’s so much pork filling that it’s bursting out in a blissful, bounteous manner. They quesadillas are covered with a glorious riot of red cherry tomato salsa and accompanied by salad and mexican rice. Delicious as it is, I simply cannot finish this large a serve and the remaining half is gratefully snatched up by my eager and hungry husband who adores this. He has this earmarked for a future visit.

The King Prawn Fajitas come out on a sizzling cast iron tray on a bed of sauteed onions and capsicum along with a separate warmer of 4 flour tortillas and a cute compartmentalised tray of fillings ranging from sour cream, guacamole, jalapenos, pineapple, cheese, chili sauce and sour cream as well as salad, mexican rice and black beans.

Fajitas $24.90

They smell heavenly and I am eager to assemble my Fajita. There isn’t a great deal of each topping and each compartment is quite shallow to boot, with only a tiny handful of cheese and the chili sauce is very mild. The mexican rice and black beans are a great combo together though and I find myself going for these rather than a second Fajita (also due to impending satiety). My husband complains that while it tastes fabulous, he would need double the amount for him to get full. Anneli though finds it just right for her and the Assman wants another 1/2 serve to feel full. What is good though is that the cost of ordering King Prawn Fajitas is the same as the Vegetarian or Frijole bean version.

I try some of the Vegetarian Fajitas and the vegetables made up of sweet potato strips, zucchini and capsicum are delicious. Actually I could see myself ordering this and being quite happy with it.

Frijole Chimichanga $18.90

I try some of the Chimchanga ($18.90), a name that has Tuulikki stumped so that we resort to calling it a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for her. It’s a deep fried flour tortilla filled with Frijoles and fried til crispy. It’s good if a touch dry due to the frying, the outer reminiscent of that of a Samosa. Still the filling is delicious and Tuulikki is immensely happy with her selection.

Frijole Enchilada $18.90

I try some of A’s Frijole cheese scorched Enchilada ($18.90) and whilst it’s good, I know that the Pulled Pork will always get my vote over the Frijoles although I do like the softer less crunchy at the edges of the Enchilada and melted cheese on top.

Throughout our meals, the water is regularly topped up by our waiter and we’re asked if anything is needed without being too pushy. Nothing is ever a problem and they seem genuinely interested to see that we enjoy our meals.

Curiously my Tamale never arrives but by then I am too full from my meal to even consider this and they deduct this from the bill without any fuss. Our bill arrives in a cute little card decorated with the Flying Fajitas design. As we can’t do much talking and we are full to bursting, we’ll forego the desserts, exit past the mix of traditional and modern Mexican painting and photographs and the Ubiquitous Wall of Pain and get farewelled by the Sista in the blue dress.

Flying Fajita Sistas, Flavours of Mexico

65 Glebe Point Road Glebe 2037
Tel: +61 (02) 9552-6522
Fax: +61 (02) 9552-6855
http://www.flyingfajitasistas.com.au/

It’s been years since my last visit to Pondok Buyung but I know what I want and what I want is BRAINS! No I haven’t turned into a zombie although you’ll certainly be forgiven for thinking I have such was my first reaction when my sister introduced me to their lamb’s brain curry. I insisted that I wouldn’t eat it but watching her delight at getting the whole portion suggested to me that I was missing out so I tried a bit that she had mashed up so that it looked less brain-like and I was hooked. She was less thrilled as that meant that she had lost half of her portion.

Also if you’re missing Bali or Indonesia, and being Australian, you’ve probably been there at least once, you can reminisce here. It’s more Padang cuisine from Sumatra rather than the touristy areas of Bali. On Anzac Parade, sort of opposite Peters of Kensington, Pondok Buyung is not the most attractive of eateries but it will provide you with authentic Indonesian food and the authentic Indonesian experience. So I warn my husband before we visit that whilst it’s not gorgeous inside, the food will make up for it and cross my fingers and hope that nothing has changed.

The two women behind the counter are sweet and softly spoken. I ask if they have the brain curry and they seem a little surprised. “You would like brains as in lamb’s brains?” she says tapping the side of her head. I nod eagerly and she says regretfully “Sorry we’ve run out” and shows me the bain marie with just the curry sauce. I must look devastated because she looks at the pot boiling behind her and says to me that a new lot will be ready in 10 minutes. I’m more than happy to wait and we order drinks while we are waiting. The ginger coffee has run out but they have ginger tea ($2) and Eis Chendol ($3). Their menu hasn’t changed for years, I only know this as the phone number at the top is still missing the 9 in front of the 8 digit number. There are all sorts of Indonesian specialties and drinks (the drink’s trademarked logos faithfully reproduced on the menu).

Ginger Tea $2

We try the tea and in a word, it’s delicious. My husband, usually a man of few words, keeps telling me “Mmm it’s good” and I try it and indeed it is. Already sweetened, the hot tingly ginger literally dances on the tongue like a fizzy mineral water and warms you on the inside. It’s terribly good, so good that my husband drinks it all and immediately orders another.

Eis Chendol $3

My eis chendol is an arresting looking sight of latte coloured drink with green “worms” of rice flour droplets and is refreshingly good and strong with palm sugar and coconut milk.

They let us know that the brain curry is ready and whilst we try and order other things on the menu apparently all that is available is the Nasi Campur-a selection of 3 bain marie dishes and rice ($7.50 for 2 meat and 1 veg dish or $8 for 3 meat dishes both including free sambal and hot tea). I’m not sure when the other soups are available, perhaps they are a lunch only item and dinner is just Nasi Campur.

Nasi Campur $7.50

As my husband is not very hungry having gorged himself on white peaches, I am doing most of the eating. I choose the lamb’s brain curry, the beef rendang and the braised chili eggplant ($7.50) and I also order the potato cake and an omelet for him ($2.50 each).

Lamb’s Brain curry closeup

Digging into the lamb’s brain curry first it’s as good as I remember it to be. Supremely soft and melt in the mouth the sauce is delightfully mild and aromatic. I mash up some for my husband knowing that otherwise he won’t eat it, after all, it does still look like brain. He likes it too.

The beef rendang sauce is good too but the beef is not as meltingly soft as I’ve had it. It’s good although not very strong in lemongrass which always enhances rendang. The chili eggplant is soft and tasty and not too oily which it can sometimes be. My husband particularly enjoys this.

Omelette and potato patty $2.50 each

Trying the other plate, the potato cake is good, similar to the filling of a samosa with a slightly crispy outer. The omelet is crispy and bouncy on the teeth and would be great with the rice and curry sauce but of course I’ve managed to polish all of it off. It wasn’t really hard, rather very easy in fact to finish it all.

We observe their customers, a steady stream of them, half non indonesian and half indonesian. The indonesian customers eat in whereas the non take away their goodies. We want to cry out to them “You’re missing out on the ambience!” although I’m sure they’d only look at us incredulously.

Pondok Buyung

124 Anzac Parade
Kensington NSW 2033
Australia
T: 02 96632296
Open 7 days
Monday-Sunday (except Thursday) 10:00-20:30
Thursday 10:00-7pm

I don’t get any late night cravings for Sourdough but should you be struck with insatiable Sourdough lust later in the night, take note of this bakery: St Honore on Miller Street in  North Sydney is open until 8pm every night. I’m visiting at lunch time so that I can try some of their filled sourdough rolls as well as various pastries and of course, cakes.

It’s a small but well stocked bakery with many varieties of bread, filled baguettes (smoked salmon, chicken and vegetarian) pies, pastries and a displayful of cakes with plenty of the old favourites such as sour cherry tarts, apple tarts, french pudding and creme brulee as well as more stunning “couture looking” options such as a white and dark chocolate mousse. After much umming and aahhing, particularly over the cakes, I purchase my selection and bring them home.

Smoked Salmon baguette $5

The pastries aren’t warm so I need to heat them up before eating them so I start with the smoked salmon baguette ($5). It is spread with cream cheese, a thin slice of smoked salmon, alfalfa and dotted with capers. Although the smoked salmon at first does not look like enough, it’s quite perfectly proportioned. The crunchy sourdough goes well with the ingredients and I find myself craving this after it’s long gone.

Sourdough pizza $2.50

I try the slice of sourdough pizza ($2.50) next - unfortunately the pizza dough doesn’t seem to be particularly sourdough-ish at all, it looks and tastes just like regular pizza dough. The topping is alright but nothing particularly blissful. If I can be blunt the topping is similar to what you’d find at Coles in the bakery section. For $2.50 for a 10×10cms slice it’s not bad value though.

Quiche Lorraine $3.80

I’m hoping for better when I try my namesake Quiche - Quiche Lorraine ($3.80). It’s smallish and very eggy and the bacon/ham flavour is very strong throughout with some thinly sliced mushrooms. The ham is very finely diced throughout it and the crust is good.

Sourdough dinner roll $1.20 each

I have also bought 2 small sourdough dinner rolls ($1.20 each). They’re good and crunchy although not as “sour” as I like it. They would be great alongside a soup although I confess that I think they’re a touch on the pricey side given their size. The Luneburger 90c Champion roll is much better value and a lot bigger.

Ham & Cheese croissant $3.50

The last of the savouries that I try (and I shared these with my husband so I didn’t just eat 4 of them hehe) is the Ham and Cheese croissant $3.50). This croissant is buttery and flakey, just the way I like it and if it were freshly warmed and baked, it would be superb. With some judicious reheating it’s very good, juicy, crunchy, crispy and creamy (the creamy being the cheese spread inside).

White and dark chocolate mousse $4.80

We’re onto the cakes last. The first cake, I had tried before and enjoyed it a great deal. It’s the white and dark chocolate mousse ($4.80). It’s a chicly presented chocolate globe which is lightly dusted in cocoa then given the white chocolate stripe treatment. Inside, the mystery is unveiled. It’s a thin disc of chocolate sponge, a layer of sweet white chocolate mousse and on top of that, a layer of bittersweet dark chocolate. It’s then enrobed in a thin layer of dark chocolate with white chocolate zigzag lines. The sweet white and bitter dark chocolate work beautifully together and are as light as air or the fluffiest cloud.

Opera cake $4.20

The Opera ($4.20), one of the more difficult cakes to make due to the ultra thin layers seems like a fitting conclusion to the gastronomy-fest. Its lovely with the almond sponge alternating with ganache, coffee and cream (although the texture of the whipped cream is almond mock creamish) with a splash of alcohol.

In a weird way I feel comforted knowing that if I have any late night pastry or bread cravings, a delicious solution is close at hand.

St Honore Sourdough bakery

50 Miller Street North Sydney (opposite Greenwood Plaza)
Tel: +61 (02) 9929-4388
Open 7 days