After a good part of a lifetime bumming rides from people and trying to avoid both public transport and exorbitant cab bills I have finally become a driver myself. And the role of a driver entails, kind of like karma for all lifts gleaned, is that I pick up people. Not strangers mind you, but visitors from overseas like Catty who is visiting our sunny shores from London.

And I figured where better to head on a Sydney summer’s day than the new Adriano Zumbo shop in Manly? Unfortunately the weather didn’t quite get the memo on our intentions and cast us an overcast day. But no matter, we were heading to a beach to eat Zumbo goodies so it can’t have been all bad right?

When people have said that the store is small they weren’t kidding. You could drive straight past it without even knowing it was there. Just one little sign pokes out from the grey painted building and a dug out portion of the shop reveals boy’s toys. Not adult boy’s toys but children toy’s under glass underfoot. It is small and on the left there is a selection of pastries both savoury and sweet. In the centre are the cakes and to the right are the macarons.

Some of the cakes haven’t yet arrived for their daily delivery and I have to admit that I am really looking forward to trying the cakes that were featured on the SBS show Zumbo. There was the the wasabi eclair and the Milo chocolate milk which proved most vexing in terms of construction. But first things first, we need brunch or more specifically we need savouries. Despite the number of times I’ve been here I’ve never tried a savoury item. As Catty is Australian she tells me that she misses sausage rolls so we figure there’s no better time to reacquaint oneself with the quintessential Australian tuckshop treat? There are three varieties to choose from: pork & fennel; beef bacon and chilli and African spiced lamb.

Pork and fennel on left and beef, bacon and chilli sausage roll on right $4

We took the sausage rolls outside onto the esplanade and sat down to eat them. Not a bad view huh? We could tell that the pastry was good when we cut these in half. There were buttery shards of pastry covering both of us and whipping around in the wind. The pork and fennel has two layers-one of pork and a herby layer with fennel. We both found that a little too herbal. The beef, bacon and chilli sausage however is divine-like an old school sausage roll but butter with the right balance and combination of flavours. And you know how some foods never quite taste quite as good as when you ate them as a child? Well it helps if you have a pastry chef making said food. Then it’s as good or even better.

Cob and co $9

Savouries consumed, we head back to the cafe where they tell us that the second cake delivery will arrive shortly. The Cob and Co is described as a case of corn meringue with a centre of mango lime gel, corn cream and corn mousse and popcorn crunch. We had to eat this in the store as the shop clerk was worried about transporting this home. It has spiky meringue drops on the outside stuck into a marshmallow outer and inside was layers of mango lime gel (which weren’t particularly distinct but gave some tanginess to offset the sweet outer), corn cream and corn mousse. And despite all of this the whole cake isn’t too sweet, just nicely balanced. A jarring note is the popcorn crunch layer at the bottom which has a burnt taste to it, like caramel that has been taken just a bit too far. It isn’t really necessary for taste although we suppose it is necessary for construction.

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I’m no Maeve O’Meara, that’s a fact. She is a legend and in a league of her own really and I am only but one hungry stomach. However one thing that I really love is being a tourist in my own city. There are so many areas that I haven’t yet discovered or only scratched the surface of. And I always find the best way to get to know an area or a culture is through the food that they eat. When Miss Haberfield emailed me a few weeks back and suggested that I do a food tour of Haberfield, I jumped at the chance. For years ago when I visited Colefax chocolates and talked to the owner’s father Reg, he would tell me that this was how the Italians shopped. They might eat out in nearby Leichhardt but when it came to shopping and eating at home, Haberfield was it.

One great thing about doing your own shopping and eating tour here in Haberfield is that everything is in within  few minutes walk of each other as most of the shops are concentrated on busy Ramsay Street. The key if you come on a weekend day is to start early and of course you get a sense of the atmosphere but if you’re looking for a low key shop, ideally a week day is best.

Espresso Galleria

We start off at Espresso Galleria for much needed caffeine. In the predominantly Italian suburb of Haberfield, a Greek man serving coffee would certainly raise some ruffles but his short blacks and cappucinos have won over locals. Mr NQN has a flat white and I start with a chai which are both excellent. This is a tiny space but furiously busy and “Manny” that is Emanuel Patniotis literally makes coffees non stop.

Chai Latte $3.40

There are small pastries and sandwiches to go with coffees but there’s not much more on the menu as it’s clearly all about the coffee. I’m meeting friendly local Miss Haberfield here who was kind enough to give me the lowdown on all of these places. Isn’t it lovely to have a local willing to share their knowledge and insider tips?

Flat White $3.40

Paesanella

The mother lode for cheese, keen NQN readers may have caught up with my adventures in their factory in Marrickville on my previous tour. The Marrickville factory, despite all commercial concerns, is closed on Saturday but this retail store in Haberfield picks up when the factory closes and then some. The range here is quite different and I find myself staring wide eyed and slack jawed at the display.

Miss Haberfield sees what I am eyeing. “It’s layers of gorgonzola and mascarpone and it is divine” she says. She is talking about the Mascarpone Reale with the layers of gorgonzola and mascarpone and topped with walnuts. There is also the figaro with dried figs instead of the walnuts which when cut, resembles a slice of cake. There is also Ubriaco cheese which means “drunken” in Italian where the cheese is soaked in wine and covered in grape must and matured. Dot who works there is the ex head chef of Longrain and happily chats about the produce.

For good measure we get a slice of the baked ricotta ($17.99/kg) and the Rollatte Ripiene which is a roll of mozzarella, proscuitto, spinach and olives ($34.99/kg). For the road we get an apricot filled with mascarpone blue and a a date filled with mascarpone. Both are sweet, rich and creamy.

All I can say is that the Mascarpone Reale and Figaro (both $34.99/kg) are the kind of thing you might want to put on your death row meal request. They are both divine, I think I slightly favour the Figaro as I think a sweet touch goes well with gorgonzola. If you are going to try anything from here, make it one of these. The baked ricotta is excellent as is the Rollatte Ripiene and Dot was kind enough to slip in some sun dried balsamic tomatoes.

David Gojak Butchers

A relative new comer to the area, it hasn’t taken long for Slovenian butcher David Gojak (who himself is the son of a Slovenian butcher) to win over hearts. His is a family business with his wife, dad and son working here. There’s the familiar plastic strip curtain but when you look closer you’ll see that this butcher has some tricks up his sleeve. For a start all of his pork and pork products like bacon are all free range and female pigs. And the prices for things like pork belly are $15.99 a kilo which is a good price for free range pork.

David and his wife Mateja

And then there’s the chevapi skinless fat beef sausages which are divine and packed full of flavour. At one end he has a heated section where he doles out already roasted pork (with a lustfully good looking crackling) and gives tasting of sausages like his chorizo, chicken & rocket or continental (a gorgeous garlicky number). Above the counter are the smoked goods which are smoked using Oregon woodchips and include chabai, cacciatore, loins and belly and mini prosciutto.

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“I think a lot of people come here after the gym” Dillon says and we look around. Well, if I were to sweat it off at the gym I might reward myself with a burger. Mr NQN, my buddy Christie and her husband Dillon and I are at the Grill’d in Darlinghurst. Mr NQN has had a hard day at work and all he wants is a juicy burger. This branch of Grill’d is so new that there’s a “You can’t touch this” sign over the beers in the fridge as they await their liquor license (slightly torturing the boys I can imagine). There is a Learners sign asking diners to be patient as the staff are new.

We’re sitting at the large communal table at the front and looking at the menu. Burger fillings are divided into beef, chicken, lamb, veggie and steak sandwiches with most of the burger options being for the beef burgers. I have a hard time choosing as I usually like veggie burgers but they aren’t jumping out at me. Another unusual thing is the lack of side orders. It’s chips with a dipping sauce and that is it. No other types of fries, desserts or drinks aside from pre packaged soft drinks. Even if you wanted to buy more, you couldn’t. There are two sample rolls on the counter, a large flour dusted soft white panini or a wholemeal roll. There is a gluten free option but oddly it does say “Gluten free rolls may contain traces of gluten” which I suspect would not please a celiac’s disease. Perhaps they’re being overly cautious as they may be processed on the same equipment as other buns.

The Almighty $12.50

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