OK well if I were to include George Clooney into the prize, I don’t think my site could have handled the traffic. Today Dear Readers I am offering you a very special prize. Drumroll please…a Nespresso CitiZ Coffee machine. Now your coffees can be made in an instant, but they won’t be instant coffees. I first tried these when I was travelling in Austria and it seemed that most of the hotels we stayed at had one in the room. I was grateful to be able to make a cup of coffee without having to call for room service. I remember peering at the machine curiously. There only seemed to be one button there and so I pressed it and out came some coffee – with crema!
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My parents always taught me that when looking for good food from a particular country, ask the people native to the country. Better still, when you walk into the restaurant and it’s filled with these people, you know you’ve chosen the right place. When Mr NQN and I went to Myriam’s place for dinner we asked her, her fiance and her French friends where they thought had good French food in Sydney. The answer was unanimous: La Brasserie in Darlinghurst.
Down the William Street end of Crown Street which is more Woolloomooloo than Darlinghurst really, La Brasserie is a French style Bistro that has been open for 3 years. The bread is a great start, fresh and soft inside with a spiky crunch on the outside it’s paired with some delicious French butter. And French butter has got to be my weakness, how much do I love thee…
Entrecôte Steak $36
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Last year I was privileged enough to interview Michelin starred British chef Fergus Henderson. It was one of my most exciting times as a food blogger and perhaps one of the interviews I am most proud of. My good friend Queen Viv had a hand in that and one day a few weeks ago, she told me about a recipe of his that she had clipped from a newspaper. He had recommended this dish to feed a family, and it was a recipe that pleased children as they invariably love sausages.
I was quite interested in this recipe, not because I needed to feed a family as it’s just Mr NQN and I but if you hadn’t guessed by my recent posts, we’re battening down the hatches for Winter (I’m being a tad dramatic here, it’s not quite that cold-yet!). Queen Viv emailed me the instructions and they were disconcertingly vague – a little like when someone tells you a recipe over a dinner conversation across a table and it’s peppered with vague quantities and lots of hand gestures. These instructions make perfect sense to them as they’ve made it at home but I’m a little wary and seek measures. We both had been to Eumundi Smokehouse and had in our possession some of their absolutely lovely fresh sausages and she decided that the venison and beetroot sausages would be the ideal companion for this dish. She reported back positively and rapturously about it and I set it aside to cook one night as I didn’t have any rocket, wild or otherwise, in the fridge.
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Who me? I’m innocent…
One of the things I miss most about living in Mosman is the birdlife. Living near Balmoral Beach on the top floor of an apartment block meant that we had kookaburras, cockatoos and rainbow lorikeets visit our balcony on an almost daily basis. None of these birds however stole a sandwich from me. Until now of course. And a confession? I liked it!
Queen Viv and I are Afternoon tea lovers from way back and we’re headed to Gunner’s Barracks to take part in their afternoon tea and new Winter menu. We’re late as of course anything involving Queen Viv and I always involves an element of tardiness. Constructed in 1873, the sandstone building was originally a place for the military. Since October 2005 it has been serving afternoon tea to lucky locals and visitors. We take in the sweeping views of the Harbour and realise instantly why it is always so booked out by wedding parties. We’re shown to our table outside with little heaters positioned strategically to take the almost Winter chill off.
Spiced quail and chestnut soup, spinach, baby coriander $19
We take a look at the regular menu. Today we’re sharing a combination of a High Tea and a three course meal which of course we’re happy to share. We start with a dish that just surrenders to Winter. The Quail and Chestnut soup has two plump pieces of quail in the centre atop a creamy chestnut soup with a distinct curry taste to it via coriander seeds. There’s some sauteed spinach sitting under the quail. The dish is warming both by virtue that it’s a hot soup and also via the curry flavour.
Roast rump of lamb, shepherds pie, carrot, parsnip, garlic and thyme jus $29
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I’ve heard that Oprah doesn’t like using the word “luck” or “lucky’ to describe happenings. For her, using the word luck takes away the hard work someone has done and she chooses to define luck as “when preparation meets opportunity”. I used to think that people were just lucky to be able to do things that they loved and that somehow an angel had tapped them on the head and ushered them through some gilt edged doors and they had gone to meet their destiny.
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