“Sicilian food?” I muse out loud when Mr NQN asks me what other Sicilian restaurants Sydney possesses. I think and think but can’t recall many at all. So when I wanted to show Alex (who was visiting from interstate) a nice Sydney vista, I thought Gusto in scenic Watson’s Bay would be a good choice.
I love the car ride to Watsons Bay, past the lighthouse and water and before long I arrive at the glass fronted restaurant. Inside Paolo the chef and owner is talking to Alex and explaining about Sicilian food and how it differs from Italian cuisine. He tells us that it has sharper flavours and usually has a sweet and sour combination and tends to be spicier. They use vinegars and to balance this they use sweetness. Ricotta is the most frequently used cheese.
Antipasto plate
We start with an antipasto platter with pecorino cheese, grilled sweet potato, zucchini and ricotta filled grilled eggplant. I love the ricotta filled eggplant as it’s divinely soft with a smooth ricotta filling.
Bread with three olive oils
The crusty Italian bread comes with a traffic light of olive oil (or an Italian flag, not the Sicilian flag which we’re later shown) with three olive oils: an extra virgin, pesto oil and a chilli oil. They’re gorgeous and we find the chilli oil very spicy indeed. Paolo tell us of how he was trained in Sicily where for 6 years he went back and forth between Australia and Sicily for 6 years chasing each Summer but was told on doctor’s orders to stop doing that as his immunity has suffered as he hadn’t experienced any Winters. Damn! There goes my plan to follow Summer climates around the world 
Gnocchi al Pomodoro e Basilico $22.90
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I was tired and grumpy and terribly hot here at home and all I could dream about was working in an air conditioned office. The only benefit to working in an office apart from office birthday cakes. Even in the heat I was thinking about dinner (you can’t keep a good eater down). I wanted to make something good with the mince I had taken out of the freezer but a ragu seemed a bit too Wintery and jaffles although very tempting, weren’t quite hitting the spot. I wanted cake too but this was not practical as I wasn’t in the mood for creaming and all of that production until it hit me when surveying the tortillas that I had in my fridge. I could make a quesadilla cake! I usually use chorizo or ham in a quesadilla but the mince would make it easier to cut.
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I always think of male chocolatiers as a little bit Willy Wonka and female chocolatiers as a little bit Vianne (played by Juliette Binoche) in the film Chocolat. Female chocolatiers would have a softer, deft touch with the customers and sense intuitively what their needs and wants are as soon as they walk in the door. Profiling via chocolate if you will.
We were hot and a touch cranky when we were walking through Kirribilli. It was an unseasonably warm day and I had dressed all wrong. The car was parked a bit further away than we wanted as it was Kirribilli Market Day. I had my parents with me and I wanted my mum to choose a gift for her birthday from Coco Chocolate, a newish chocolate shop that had only opened up a few months ago. I had also forgotten to write down the address for it so I was cranky at myself more than anything. Then out of nowhere, there was a pretty sandwich board on the main street of Kirribilli and it pointed us in the right direction. I went from lost-at-sea-with-parents to a purposeful guide within seconds. I looked up and what had to be one of the prettiest, girliest shopfronts greeted me in a little side street of Kirrbilli.
Tattoo Collection
I opened the door and was greeted with cold air conditioning which was most welcome on this hot day and the whole store was just what I needed. It’s a tiny shop absolutely, not enough room to swing a cat really and come Easter I’m quite positive that the store will be knee deep in North Shore socialites buying sweet things for their families and friends. There is a steady stream of customers and the owner Rebecca greets us and lets us know that if we want anything to let her know. Phew, no hard selling. Originally a shop in Edinburgh Scotland, Coco Chocolates is also stocked in London at Harvey Nichols and Selfridges. We learn that whilst she is Australian, Rebecca moved overseas to Europe to learn the art of chocolatiering and opened up shop in Edinburgh but the urge to return to Australia was too strong.
Artist’s Collection: Paint Splattered Sugar Coated Dark Chocolate $20
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Last year’s Jessie Steele giveaway was such a success that The Cupcake Courier peeps thought that it was high time for another! Jessie Steele, if you didn’t know, designs gorgeous aprons that are of Heirloom quality that are designed to be timeless and passed on between generations. I have the Josephine apron and adore it as it has a most flattering and adjustable fit with lovely thick pink grosgrain ribbon and a side bow. So we are giving away a rather generous pack-and you can either keep it for yourself or give it to your mum for Mother’s Day coming up (although we will be teaming up with The Cupcake Courier again for a Mother’s Day giveaway too-shhh don’t tell anyone, it’s a surprise! 
).
So drum roll please…we’re giving away two sets of Jessie Steele goodies!
In the first pack:
1x Jessie Steele Josephine Apron worth $39.95
1x Jessie Steele Josephine Tote Bag worth $29.95
2 x Jessie Steele Josephine Pott Mitts worth $15.95 each
1x Jessie Steele Josephine Oven Mitt worth $15.95
Plus a pack of Marie Shion Sugars!
Total value: over $120!
In the second pack:
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After our rather adventurous day, we have dinner at Cafe de Paris, a restaurant that is said to serve classic French dishes. It has cooled down considerably and all I can think of is a nice warm soup and I’m hoping that if they do classics, that French Onion Soup will be on the menu. We rush in out of the cold and sit down and I’m relieved, there is French Onion Soup! Because it is the Wild Foods Weekend, there is a special menu that features some wild foods mixed among more regular dishes. Me, I’m just glad that I don’t have to face another Huhu Grub!
French Onion Soup $9.50
The food arrives quickly and the French Onion Soup is rich in wine and very warming and just what I needed. There is one piece of gruyere topped bread (admittedly I always hope for a bit more as that’s my favourite bit) and the serve is deceptively large.
Petite salad $6.50
The petite salad is a colourful mix of salad leaves, capsicum, carrot, red cabbage and snow pea shoots and is well dressed in an oil and vinegar dressing.
Beef Short Ribs
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