As I walked up towards the Ocean Room still high from my interview with Fergus Henderson and the strong coffee I had just sipped, I spied a gigantic black ship with Steve Irwin written on the side. I checked it out and it’s a Sea Shepherd anti whaling vessel. As a whale lover I’m interested to go on board and take advantage of the free tours while they are docked here. Reem arrives shortly after and she is interested in going on board too. First things first, we girls need to eat.
The Ocean Room is a beautiful space with a high ceiling. Looking up I see wooden batons suspended from the ceiling (my first thought, French rolling pins) all in different sizes to create a wooden wave feel. Apparently there are 42,458 of the suspended Javanese wood batons. In the centre of the room there are winding banquettes and at the front there are dark wooden tables where we are seated to take advantage of the view. Normally the view is of the Sydney Opera House, however today the view is of the ship Steve Irwin which is docked today.
I ask for the speciality and there are two items, tuna done 5 ways or the tuna wing which takes 40 minutes. We’re running out of time as we want to go onboard the boat so we order a few dishes and do what food bloggers do best. Share and dissect everything. Maximum tasting opportunites you do understand… Service is polite and the meals are brought out quickly as per our request.
Complimetary Tomato Somen
The glass of chilled tomato somen is delicious with a clear taste of tomato in it despite the somewhat clear look of the broth. It also has a touch of bonito flavour to it and the noodles are silken and slippery and styled prettily.
Chotto Collection Raita’s collection of five assorted Chotto $23
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I used to be able to wear heels every day to work. I used to scale ladders in them (I used to work in a shoe shop) and tread the treacherous city pavement in them without any problems. But now heels are reserved for special occasions only and day to day during Winter I’ll wear boots or ballet flats and in Summer they’ll be thongs (the sandals people, not the g strings my American readers who might be muttering “too much information” right about now 
).
I know it’s hardly thong weather on this particular weekend with this sudden cold snap but think of your tootsies come a couple of week’s time. The lovely people at Pininho sent me some of their thong decorations and some to give to NQN readers! These are cute little decorations that you stick on your thongs and they come in some rather cute patterns. Of course I went for the strawberry (hey how about a macaron or cupcake Pininho guys? 
) and a Gold Skull (very Alexander McQueen and Halloween).
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MamaMia and I were hungry, it was 9.45am and we were driving around the North Shore in search of food. She stopped in front of Delicado Foods in McMahons Point and pointed at the striking red and black facade. “That’s the place I was telling you about, it’s always full. Always.” It was music to my ears and to our stomachs as we sauntered up to the front, past the rather impressive looking wine shop (it was only 10am so we bypassed it), through the deli, past the small but pretty courtyard to find a seat outside. We both grab a cushion (and why don’t all cafes have lovely cushions to rest against?) and take a look at the menu.
The deli section
Courtyard area
We’re looking at the breakfast menu as well as their extensive beverages menu. There is a range of teas and coffees as well a Bloody Mary section (only available after 11am!) which is a Virgin Mary where you can select the range of spiciness you want from the mildish Siesta to Running With The Bulls for what sounds to be an extreme chili hit. There’s an Adults Only coffee called Cafe Carajillo which is a black coffee with a shot of Spanish Brandy on the side ($14) and it is another after 11am item. Sadly since it’s early, we miss out on these but we choose a couple of coffees and the churros for breakfast (would this qualify us for extreme eating?) and something I completely butcher when pronouncing called the Huevos al plato al modo de Avila.
Cafe Canario $4.50
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I first heard about this rather bizarre concept from the blogger Morta Di Fame (meaning literally dying to eat, a concept I can wholly understand). She linked to a recipe for Bacon Jam which was originally a product that a company called Skillet Foods makes and sends around the United States. Knowing that I’d have no chance of getting my greedy paws on a jar I simply daydreamed about it and for every day since I saw it, I’d think about it. I’d eat eggs and think “This would go so well with that Bacon Jam” and eat some slices of tomato on sourdough and think “Something is missing, I think it’s bacon jam!” and I became somewhat of a food stalker thinking about it day and night until I got my hands on some double smoked bacon and the rest as they say, is eating history.
I should add this obsessiveness to my next10 or 12 Things You Should Know About Food Bloggers. Sometimes, when we hear of a recipe, we just cannot get it out of our minds and it preoccupies our thoughts for all waking (and sometimes sleeping) hours. We suddenly won’t rest until we do this recipe. And you may know that Bacon is my Waterloo. I give up and surrender my worldly possessions to this smoked meat.
I cooked it for two hours, watching the shade go from pink to a dark, glistening brown and then pulverised it in the food processor and tasted it. It was fabulous. I’ve developed this rather annoying habit of High Fiving people (which worries me somewhat as I wonder if it goes along with speaking about yourself in the third person) and if I were anyone else around I would have High Fived them. This was good stuff indeed. I don’t know how it compares with the Skillet Foods Bacon Jam as I’ve never tried it but this is good on it’s own and doesn’t need to be an imitation.
You can do this with regular bacon but smoked or double smoked bacon is best to convey the bacon flavour but it is by all definitions delicious. if you use regular bacon the addition of liquid smoke might be a good idea to replace the smokiness. Sweetish (it is after all a jam) and spicy (although the spiciness can be adjusted to your taste) the savoury goodness of it and the versatility meant that after 4 days, the jar of this bacony friend was depleted. During this past long weekend I asked Mr NQN what he wanted every day for breakfast and the answer was: “That Bacon Jam”.
So tell me Dear Reader, do you get obsessive about recipes or food items? If so, what food was your latest obsession?
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“It’s only polite really if you knock an animal on the head to eat it all: tripe, heart, feet, ears, head, tail. It’s all good stuff.”
So says Fergus Henderson, famed chef of St John restaurant in London. He’s sitting in front of me this greyish Sydney morning in the lobby bar of his hotel. Henderson is much more than just an advocate of nose to tail eating. Peel back another layer and he’s one of the most fascinating people to interview. It’s 11am and true to his known love of a tipple, he has just ordered a Campari and White Wine. He checks his watch and smiles “It’s a respectable hour”. The 46 year old Londoner is dressed in a navy blue jacket with his trademark tortoisehell Harry Potter style glasses. He’s unfailingly polite, accommodating, modest and willing to talk about anything and everything from offal, death threats, pornography, squirrels, his Parkinson’s diagnosis and Anthony Bourdain.
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