Last year towards the end of Winter I rang Corner 75 to make a booking. Being that it was on a Saturday night, they were fully booked and it was with a sense of sadness that I realised that it would be another year until I could make another booking. You see I love the idea of eating these hearty Eastern European cuisines in Winter but come Summer, I’m all about salad.

I’m with my usual partners in crime, Miss America, Queen Viv and Mr NQN.  We arrive on this chilly Winter’s evening and find a brightly lit and full restaurant. The clientele mostly appears to be Hungarian and it is decorated with lots of pretty Hungarian touches from embroidered aprons to whips. A candle holder that also holds salt, white pepper and paprika sits on the table. Pictures of the Hungarian Presidents line the walls to the bathrooms upstairs. Service from our waitress is sweet, friendly and knowledgeable.

Langos with sour cream $6.50

The entrees come out very quickly. I know Miss America will love this as he adores pastry. I recall having this at Manly markets a year or so ago and this deep fried dough is frightfully addictive. You know it’s deep fried dough after all and not exactly going to get you ready for swimsuit season but you just cannot help eating more. We dip it in the strong raw garlic sauce and then spread sour cream over it for a crunchy, oily, garlicky and creamy sensation. Bliss.

Cold Cherry Soup $9.50

Queen Viv tries the cold cherry soup. “Oh it’s wonderful” she says “Just the right balance of flavours”. I try some and she’s right. It’s a sweet, milky soup  made creamy with sour cream and given aromatics with cinnamon. There are also whole sour cherries at the bottom and it’s delightfully good.

Hortobágyi Crepe $9.50

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Dear Lovelies! It has been a little while since I had a To Market To Market but have I got a grand selection for you! The lovely people at these companies agreed to send out a pack of these items to some lucky Not Quite Nigella readers so that you too can sample their goodies instead of just reading about them!

Just leave a comment at the end of the story telling me which product you’d like to try and why. I’m very sorry overseas lovelies but these can only be posted within Australia. The giveaway ends at Midnight AEST on the 1st of August

Toblerone

OK I know that Father’s Day sneaks up on us so I have you sorted! Or if you don’t want to give this enormous block of Toberlone to your dad and feel like it should be yours, I promise I won’t breathe a word Toblerone was my first favourite chocolate when I was a child-it was Swiss and I thought that it was the kind of chocolate that Heidi would have eaten (the book character, not the one half of Speidi)

Thanks to  Toblerone, six lucky Not Quite Nigella readers will receive a 400g block of Toblerone for you (or your dad! )

The Essential Ingredient “Classic Jus”

OK so you make your own stock. But have you ever made your own jus? OK I know now that I ask a load of people will say yes but I am one to admit I’ve never made one, only having bought them. Somehow the idea of spending 12-24 hours making a jus hasn’t quite made it into my repertoire. The Essential Ingredient (where my credit card goes for a workout) has a jus that is rich, flavoursome and restaurant quality but available to home cooks. They come in 150g and 300g jars at $12.45 and $18.95 respectively.

Thanks to The Essential Ingredient, twelve lucky Not Quite Nigella readers will receive a 300g jar of Classic Jus!

Kopi Luwak experience

I’m sure as avid foodie connoisseurs, you may have heard of Kopi Luwak. This is made from the droppings of the Asian palm civet (a cat like creature) and can only be found in coffee regions of Indonesia. Olio in St Leonards is the first place in Sydney to serve this rare coffee. Olio also holds tastings for this coveted coffee known as one of the world’s delicacies along with a half hour personalised tour with the roaster, Sam Gabrielian and owner, Nicholas Aspros.

Thanks to Olio, one lucky Not Quite Nigella readers will receive a Kopi Luwak experience for two including breakfast worth $50! This can be redeemed at their St Leonards location Monday to Friday.

Simply Wize Gluten Free Bread Mix

I know I am not a gluten free eater but I have many readers that are and as such I am always on the lookout for good gluten free goodies. I was sent some Crusty Bread Mix by Simply Wize and I followed the instructions, quite honestly not hoping for much as I had heard mixed reviews for gluten free bread. I was surprised to try the bread as it was lovely and soft. It wasn’t so much crusty as a sourdough but it was good. And the ultimate compliment? Mr NQN liked it better than regular non gluten free bread!

Thanks to Simply Wize, six  lucky Not Quite Nigella readers will receive a box of the crusty bread mix and a box of the French stick mix!

Blistop

OK I have a funny story about this product and how I figured out that it worked. It took me ages to get the chance to test it out as I don’t often get blisters on my feet. Anyway I packed this away with me on holidays and when we went through LAX my feet were killing me as my boots were too tight from the swelling thing (how unglamorous!). Anyway after passing through the X-ray scan I took out the little canister and sprayed my left foot with it only then realising that it was an aerosol! Mr NQN saw it and panicked, told me to put it away before I got arrested by homeland security or cavity searched. Anyway, the pain went away on my left foot but my right one that remain unsprayed still hurt. And that’s how I know that it works. And I didn’t get arrested

Thanks to Blistop, five lucky Not Quite Nigella readers will receive a canister of Blistop!

Muesli Mixer

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There are a couple of things that I’ve learnt in life:

1. Never look in a magnifying mirror unless you want to make a good day turn bad.

2. Meat tastes better on the bone.

I’m sure I know more but the sight of my reflection in a magnifying mirror has scared the bejeezus out of me

There are certain times when eating with your hands is de rigeur and this is one of them. I recall the first time I ate crab with my hands. I was horrified at the idea of getting sauce all over my fingers. I looked around the table and saw everyone else munching away with their hands coated in this glorious chilli sauce and here I was looking aghast at the concept. I soon realised that eating with your hands meant that you got more of the good stuff. My father however is still persistent and refused to eat it with his hands. Everyone else in the family simply rolls their eyes at him.

This recipe would have to hold the record for the recipe I’ve wanted to cook for the longest time. I saw it years and years ago on Oprah and usually when I really want to cook something, I just cook it straight away or at least within a few weeks. This baby has been sitting here in my folder for several years. Not for any fear of cooking ribs mind you but just because I completely forgot about it. Then I purchased myself some gorgeous baby back ribs and I thought back to that rib recipe that Oprah had raved about. She said that the meat was slow cooked for so long that the meat just fell off the bone and it’s supposed to be her favourite rib recipe of all time.

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