The cooking, eating and travel blog of a hungry blogger from Sydney, Australia featuring original recipes, interviews and articles on all things food @ Not Quite Nigella

Monthly Archives: February, 2009

Ocean Foods, Drummoyne

Posted in Cheap Thrills $20 or under pp,Eating,Restaurants by cuisine,Sydney - Inner West,Takeaway & Fast Food

“The best Fish & Chips in the Universe” is a big claim. Ocean Foods claims just that. Not just Sydney, not just NSW or Australia, or the World but the Universe. It almost throws out a challenge to the stomach inclined to test it out. So one swelteringly hot Sunday this Summer we did just that. Awarded the best outstanding seafood outlet 15 years in a row, is Ocean Foods situated in Lyons Road in Drummoyne (if only it were closer to a beach!).

The lines are almost as famous as the fish & chips with reports of the line snaking around the counter down to the cafe two doors down. We’re lucky this Sunday night, well in a relative sense, in that the line doesn’t stretch quite that far but it’s still long nevertheless and standing in the queue which is about 30 people deep I’m waiting for about 10 minutes for my order to be taken and 5-10 minutes for the order itself. I take the time to examine the menu. It’s huge, ranging from sushi and sashimi and cold seafood to the deep fried stuff with almost everything you could deep fry except for the Mars Bars. There’s also a whole grilled fish which I wanted to order (from $12.95-$15.95) but am persuaded to order the salt and pepper calamari ($8.90). The guy behind the counter tells me “it’s smaller but I enjoy it so much more”. I also have stomach capacity for salt and pepper calamari and will go almost to the ends of the earth to find a good one. I also order the classic Fish & Chips ($10.50) and 2 potato scallops (one of my childhood favourite treats) $1.20 each or 4 for $4.40.

I stand off to the side, there’s much yelling, clanking and organised chaos. Well actually I wasn’t sure if it were organised and for a moment there I actually wondered whether I would get my order or not. The owner yells out to the guy that took my order about his forgotten calamari (mine) and he appears. He puts it all together and I get my steaming hot packets of fish. I take these outside to my husband who has been patiently holding a table outside for us and we tear open the paper bags.

The crowd outside is mixed, there are some families but it’s mostly guys who drive doof doof cars. The outside tables and chairs are clean but situated very close together who despite the no smoking signs light up after their meals.

Salt and pepper Calamari $8.90

43 comments | February 23rd, 2009 - 7:00 am | Not Quite Nigella

Pay It Forward and a Lime Jello Cheesecake Pudding

Posted in Cooking and Recipes,Other Sweet Things,Special Events

One reason why I love food bloggers is not only do they understand me, they’re a truly inspiring and mindblowing bunch. Take my blogging buddy Barbara from Barbara Bakes, an amazing mum that came to Australia recently with her family. Not only did she give me 2 awards which I cherish, she included me in her Pay It Forward after I asked her about the cinnamon chips that she used in the fantastic Cinnamon Apple Candy Cane Kolache with Cinnamon Drizzle as I was dying to make it. Check out her blog for more delicious meals and lovely commentary.

Of course our Quarantine inspectors got into this-luckily they didn’t remove anything!

Fast forward a short time and the package guy (who just laughs at the amount of packages I get) handed me a huge box. I had no idea who would be sending me such a huge package but a quick glance showed me that it was Barbara. To say that I was excited was an understatement. The box was HUGE and beautifully packaged up.

Inside there were the much anticipated Cinnamon chips, 3 bags in fact which means that I can let myself go wild with them, Candy melts in green, blue, yellow and peanut butter (all fabulous colours that I find hard to make with gels as they’re so strong in colour), a packet of Lime Jello (Utah is the state that consumers the most Lime Jello and they even had a Green Jello pin for the Salt Lake City 1992 Olympics!) a brownie serve from a fancy pants store Orson Gygi, 8 packets of Reese’s Limited Edition “The Big One” Elvis Peanut Butter and Banana Creme cups, a peanut butter mould to make my own peanut butter cup flavours, an Elvis CD and a lovely CD where Barbara takes me on a photo journey of her hometown and assembling my package! It was a good thing that my neighbours weren’t home such was the screaming and jumping with excitement!

I stashed the PB cups in the fridge for a bit to firm up and after a very long 10 minutes ripped them open to reveal the most delicious Peanut Butter cup flavour. The Banana creme is just right inside them and a perfect foil for the rich peanut butter and chocolate. You see Barbara is a clever cookie and when she asked me what I might like in my package I mentioned hearing about the Elvis cups but not being able to get them here. So she looked on ebay and found some for me. So not only are food bloggers generous and friendly, they’re also very clever

Hershey’s Cinnamon chips-I was so excited about these!

Here is some information on Pay It Forward:

“There are so many lovely giveaways in blogland, bloggers eagerly commenting and abuzz with the excitement of winning an unexpected gift, but that’s it. Someone wins, and then the generosity comes to a screeching halt and we go on with our lives. Nice, but lacking in momentum. This giveaway is a little different, however, because the “receivers” are also to become “givers”, if you will. In fact, that’s the most important rule of the game… ”

The rules: I will select three people who leave a comment on this story for the next week until midnight on the 1st of March, and will send them a gift within the next 365 days. I am willing to post anywhere in the world, so don’t let that stop you from commenting. The catch is that you must have a blog and be willing to do the same thing.

If you just want to leave a comment but don’t want to be part of Pay It Forward just say that in your comment

I leave you with Barbara’s recipe for Green Jello and cream cheese salad. It’s a deliciously light and fluffy cheesecake mousse pudding that, light as air with an intriguing flavour.

Lots of love,

NQN

xxx

53 comments | February 22nd, 2009 - 7:00 am | Not Quite Nigella

Solitary Kiosk, Leura Falls, The Blue Moutains

Posted in Aust wide Eating & Travel,Blue Mountains

Leura Falls’s Solitary Kiosk in one of those places that has been around since 1913 and the first thing you notice is the absolutely lovely view. So much so that it used to be called the “Fork ‘n’ View” as a testament to a common (swearing) utterance heard when people saw the view offered.

The Fork ‘n’ View of the Jamison Valley, Mount Solitary and Kings Tableland

We’re here for brunch and it’s fairly empty, a surprise for a well known establishment. We’re shown to a table in the restaurant area even though we are after the kiosk and it’s full of white walls, paintings and sculptures.

Apple Juice $4.50

We make our order with the friendly waitress. We order a selection of breakfast items as well as the lunch Charcuterie plate as well as coffees and juices. The almost clear apple juice is by Logan Brae, that favourite apple juice of the Blue Mountains made at Shipley Platueau. It’s different from what I remember, slightly more bitter. My husband supposes that it’s because they’re using younger less sweet apples.

Cappucino $3.50

The coffee is served in an Australian Aboriginal decorated cup and isn’t bad-quite strong indeed.

Banana bread with butter $6.60

20 comments | February 21st, 2009 - 7:00 am | Not Quite Nigella

Crema Catalana (Catalan Crème Brûlée)

Posted in Cooking and Recipes,Other Sweet Things

I don’t think there is a person alive that doesn’t like Crème Brûlée. Although now that I’ve said this, this is no doubt an invitation for someone to pipe up that they don’t. But let me argue this one variation for those a little jaded with Crème Brûlée. Crema Catalan is for those of you, who are a little tired of a vanilla, those who have had one too many with a non existent toffee crack. This Spanish version of Crème Brûlée is beautifully fragranced with orange zest, lemon zest and cinnamon.

I bought these gorgeous Italian Terracotta ramekins months ago with Crema Catalana in mind and promptly shoved them in the back of a kitchen cupboard only to rediscover them one afternoon cleaning up. I love this version of shopping, I call it shopping for things you’ve forgotten you’ve bought. Rediscovering purchases is a favourite pastime of mine as the thrill of buying repeats itself and of course you end up loving everything as you chose it in the first place.

I know that buying a blowtorch might seem a waste of money, and given that I use it only a few times a year, perhaps it is, but for some reason I’ve never been able to caramelise a Crème Brûlée under a grill properly. I think that perhaps I get too impatient and stick it under the grill before it becomes requisitely scorching hot. The grill element is also quite high in comparison to the tray so the Crème Brûlée ends up overcooked and the sugar just only slightly caramelised. Although many recipes say that you can do this under a grill so by all means try it there before shelling out for the heavy duty equipment. I admit I am a little frightened of using my blowtorch as I am just too clumsy for it. I also feel like I need a Welder’s mask and of course my train of thought immediately goes to Flashdance and before I know it I’m singing the Flashdance theme and pretending to be a welder cum dancer. And thus you can see why I shouldn’t be wielding a blowtorch. And why I close the curtains when I do so.

58 comments | February 20th, 2009 - 7:00 am | Not Quite Nigella

Hill’s Butchery & A Burns Supper of sorts with Haggis

Posted in Cooking and Recipes,Holidays,Specialty Shopping

We get together with friends Teena, Phillippe, Gina and Hot Dog quite often (a bit too often for Hot Dog the unsociable creature that he is). And as fate often works in mysterious ways, Teena had come across a butcher that sold Haggis. None of us had tried it although I do have memories of being in Primary School and having a “bring your own plate from your culture” day. My best friend then was Scottish and she brought Haggis. She had it cooking away, the aroma making us all hungry and lining up for a piece. Until she told us what was in it. The line of kids couldn’t have disappeared more quickly. And even I am ashamed to admit I abandoned my friend food-wise and I couldn’t bring myself to eat it.

Now that I am a more adventurous eater, I lament the lost opportunity. But Teena’s suggestion allowed me to try the Haggis on what was coincidentally Robert’s Burns’s (author of Auld Lang Syne) birthday on January 25th. For those of you unfamiliar, Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish made up of Sheep’s pluck (the heart, lung and liver) mixed with suet, oatmeal and seasonings and stuffed into a sheep’s stomach. You may be able to understand why we almost fainted when first hearing about it. It is usually served with mash potatoes or “Tatties” and a dram of scotch whisky.