It was a Saturday morning when I rose early, had a facial appointment, ran some errands and returned home at noon. To find Mr NQN fast asleep like a baby. The poor thing works terribly hard but I did think that rousing him at noon seemed a reasonable hour. “Wake up, it’s sunny and gorgeous today!” I exclaimed.
“Mmhummpummh” he muffled into his pillow.
An hour later we were driving across the bridge along with half of Sydney winding our way down Military Road into Sydney Road in Manly and then making our way to the promenade on the beach. The Pantry is situated in the old beach house and information centre and it is smack bang on the beach. As far as locations go, there really isn’t much better.
Reservations aren’t taken for breakfast but they are for lunch and dinner and it is open all afternoon. Service from our first waitress is on the cold side only reaching the warmth of a smile once or twice which seems unusual for Manly where service is usually very warm and friendly. Another waitress is friendlier and there seem to be plenty of waitstaff floating around but none to take our order.
Iced coffee $4
The astonishing thing about this place, and I hope it doesn’t change, is the prices. Considering the view which is rather priceless and you can practically smell the salt water on the surfers paddling out onto the waves, the prices are incredibly reasonable. We didn’t try Laporello’s iced coffee but he assures us that it was good and worth a repeat visit for.
Nduja $10
Nduja is that very popular now Calabrian spreadable sausage in a casing. We ask the first waitress to check that this is their nduja whereas we’ve mostly had the traditional nduja which spreads like pate or rillettes. This is a salami similar to the one I had at La Piadina made by Quattro Stelle and is the hard or piccante version without olive oil added to give it that spreadable consistency. The nduja piccante salami is very thinly sliced and very dry and spicy although not what I was craving for which is the spreadable nduja.
Pickled octopus $9
They had just sold out of their last order of the arancini balls so we go for the pickled octopus. Served cold and tender it evokes memories of Mediterranean holidays and beachside meals. It’s just the right side of vinegary and has a great texture without a hint of rubberiness.
Angus beef burger, onion jam, coleslaw & chips $18
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| November 7th, 2011 by Not Quite Nigella
What’s in a name? When Queen Viv and I drove past Butch Foods one afternoon we were taken by the look , a homespun inviting look but also a name. As someone that was really supposed to be called Selina but never was (and I think it suits me better) I know what a name can do to you. So earmarked for a visit in my notepad I noted the first of that day’s good omens: a miracle park outside (1 hour yes but because we were sitting in the window I could lookout for parking inspectors) 
.
Belgian hot chocolate $4.50
Formerly a family run takeaway business for 20 years the building was built around 1886 and was infested with termites which necessitated a gutting and rebuilding using sustainable and recycled materials and equipment. The service is friendly from the young guy behind the counter who is very sweet and enthusiastic. We order a “hot chocolate with sticky marshmallows” (just regular marshmallows, I thought Sticky was a new brand!). And a chai latte which is so spiced Queen Viv’s eyebrows shoot up and her eyes pop. The hot chocolate is good although it tastes more of cocoa than chocolate. It comes in a sizable mug and try as I might I can’t finish it.
Clayton’s Jaffles $4.50
I’m delighted to see a jaffle on the menu as a homespun touch. They’re not made in those nifty jaffle makers that seal the ends rather it is done more as a toasted sandwich in a sandwich press. And although we ordered a ham and cheese one a cheese and tomato one arrives. Nevertheless it is quite good and with just the right amount of butter, enough to give it flavour but not enough to grease the fingers.
Pork and beans pie $7
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| November 6th, 2011 by Not Quite Nigella
I was so excited I could hardly dial the phone. I’m usually an email person, if the phone rings I stare at it for a good few seconds before realising that it is an object that I need to pick up and speak to (how I became such a natural at it during my teenage years is a mystery). But this question wasn’t one that I was prepared to wait for an answer for. I wanted to hear the answer yes immediately so I picked up the phone.
You see Dear Reader, I had found a restaurant that I was dying to try. It was in the new Cheap Eats book which I received a few weeks ago from the publisher. I was leafing through it in bed and one restaurant stood out to me: Al Dhiaffah Al Iraqi. Said to be the sole Iraqi restaurant in Sydney I knew my adventure loving friends Queen Viv and Miss America would also be intrigued to go on a trip out to Fairfield to give this little known cuisine a try. They answered a quick yes and I tempted Mr NQN with the knowledge that this would be a hearty meal for less than $20 a person and so a couple of days later we found ourselves driving towards Fairfield having picked up Miss America and Queen Viv on the way.
“Are we there yet? Surely we are!” Miss America said. He was hungry and admittedly so was I. It was 2:15pm on a Sunday afternoon and I had deliberately eaten a light breakfast. It was a hot day and we were hungry and thirsty.
“Ooh is that where we are going?” Queen Viv asked peering at the palm trees and the signage for Al Dhiaffah Al Iraqi. Inside about half of the tables are full and the staff are friendly and welcoming. We take a table for four and are given menus. It’s a short and sweet menu with twelve items including a yogurt drink and a tea and we take recommendations from our friendly waiter who tells us the most popular dishes.
And it’s true platter after colourful platter of two dishes in particular whizz past us while gigantic rounds of risen puffed bread and laid out on tables, one per person which is more than enough. A young girl dining with her family spoons rice into her mouth studiously trying not to spill a grain. We order three yogurt drinks before spotting the drinks fridge-a treasure trove of Iraqi soft drinks and pops. I go up and pick a couple of drinks including one called Pampa which the waiter who opens the bottle for me says is his favourite. The other drink I bought purely for the packaging, a Fez wearing gentleman for Abu Abed energy drink.
Pampa and Abu Abed $2
The Pampa is sweet and fizzy and refreshing with a quality somewhere between Coke and sarsaparilla with a slight fruitiness to it. The energy drink reminds me instantly of those sugary sweet medicines from childhood-nothing really natural and Mr NQN points out that it tastes in the same genre as Red Bull, a drink I only drank once several years ago and couldn’t sleep for 3 days so I’ve never touched a sip since.
Yogurt drink $2
The yogurt drink is similar to the Turkish ayran although less foamy. It has more of a home made yogurt taste or a goat’s yogurt taste and is salty and slightly thicker than ayran.
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| November 3rd, 2011 by Not Quite Nigella
“Dressing up is encouraged” I read. I bite my lip. I was destined to attend an Alice in Wonderland themed event and I looked at my Alice costume hanging up, bought on ebay a few weeks before. It barely skimmed my buttocks as most of the costumes available here seem to be of the cleavage baring and derriere showing variety. I had decided not to wear it for this Halloween as I thought that I really didn’t need to moon my guests. But inspiration struck, well actually a pair of white stockings struck-items I had no recollection of ever buying (does that ever happen to you?) and suddenly I had a very plausible, non butt baring Alice in Wonderland outfit.
I’m all for dress ups but with strangers, sometimes there’s the very real chance of you being the only one dressed up. And I told this to Studio Neon’s owner Matt Lee who has hosted these pop up dinners during October’s Crave food festival. He tells us of a time that he turned up at a dress up party wearing a nappy and he was the only one-surely a cue for one to turn around and high tail their nappy wrapped bottom out of there. Looking around me I see various Mad Hatters, Alices, Tweedledees and Tweedledums and rabbits. It’s not so bad.
Beetroot and wasabi macarons
Tonight’s dinner is one of Studio Neon’s themed dinner for Crave (the previous one we attended was A Viking Feast) but this time they’ve really brought the theme to the fore which I am ecstatic about. At each of our settings is a pretty china tea cup, a sign saying “Eat Me” and a perfectly textured and intriguingly flavoured beetroot and wasabi macaron.
Bec Chippington
Chef Bec Chippington is behind the pass in their purpose built kitchen and bubbles are flowing. An Alice gets chased around by a man in a bunny outfit. We are running late and there are only two seats left. I take the velvet “Queen’s chair” and sink down a few centimetres shorter than everyone else and feel just like Alice. Things are getting quite trippy indeed!
“Eat Me” sandwiches
I got a bit excited about the “Eat Me” sandwiches. Long time readers may know of my slight obsession with Swedish sandwich cakes. They’re the perfect idea for an Alice in Wonderland party or dinner because they look like they belong at a tea party but they’re savoury. Filled with white bread and slatherings of a creme fraiche filling, dill, capsicum and smoked trout they’re soft and very creamy I like the ocean trout in particular. They’re a bit difficult to cut with the cake cutter being that the bottom layers are made up of the bread ends but once a knife is given, it is easy to divide.
“Drink me” Hare tea
Next a rabbit consomme is offered in a silver teapot. Bec explains later that it was extraordinarily difficult to get rabbit carcasses to make the consomme with and so a little is poured in our tea cups to whet the appetite for the next course.
Dutch carrot, zucchini flower, candied walnut and buckwheat salad
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| November 1st, 2011 by Not Quite Nigella
There could probably be reams of paper wasted on how hopeless I am at following directions. Even though the eatery 13B has the very street number in the lane, I was the person looking around confused and scowling with a facial expression that reads “Where is that damn place?”.
I finally figure out where I am and enter the black walled and small eatery with some quirky, whimsical touches. The lunch menu has a total of 14 items including some version of pizzas and sandwiches which do sound awfully good. But me I’m just besotted by the current slider and mini burger trend and the fact that the burgers come with fries (which I feel all burgers really should). Formerly called The Safe House it has been renamed to 13B because of course that is the number where it sits on Burton Street in Darlinghurst (not that that helps me). There are black walls and ornate gold candlesticks and the atmosphere is welcoming and warm.
Chai $6
The chai tea comes in a teapot with a milky loose leaf Elmstock chai tea. I had to ask for the honey which was quickly furnished and a teaspoon was all I needed for a sweet, aromatic cup of milky chai.
Mini burgers $13
The burgers come out on toasted slightly hard buns with a herbed pork and veal mince which is moist and juicy like a sausage mince filling with a good amount of garlickly aioli sauce, caramelised onions for sweetness, tomato, lettuce and melted tasty cheese. They’re very good and even though I only meant to eat one of these I ate both quite happily. The only thing that I would possibly change is the buns to be a softer bun as they were a little harder to bite into. The chips are more oven baked wedges which have just the right amount of seasoning via some rosemary and salt on top.
Prawn risotto $18
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| October 30th, 2011 by Not Quite Nigella
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