I love travelling far and wide for a meal-it’s part of the whole adventure of food. However there are times when you just want a minimum of fuss. These times usually come about when one is pressed for time or when your friend has a new baby and of course can’t travel very far!

Christie and I were meeting up for lunch one day and as a Marrickville local she has partaken of a bountiful breakfast here at Celini’s. There are Turkish rugs on the tables and lots of warm wood and velvets in some settings while others are more regular cafe looking tables and chairs in others. Service is really wonderful and genuinely welcoming from the staff. And if it looks like we ordered a lot, it’s because we did-we did so with the intention of taking it home so we wouldn’t have to cook in the heat!

Ayran $4

I start with an Ayran which is a slightly salty yogurt drink which is more watery than a lassi. The first time I tried it years ago I wasn’t smitten but once you expect the slight saltiness it’s very good.

Celini’s meze for two $20

The meze for two features two dips which we were able to select and we Christie chose the carrot and I chose the hommous. True to our selection we preferred the dips that we chose-the carrot has  slight tangyness to it whilst the hommous is creamy and smokey and thick. It comes with warm, slender batons of soft Turkish bread,  stuffed vine leaves, some gorgeous cheese filled lady finger deep fried pastries, creamy herb topped feta and halved fried button mushrooms flavoured with oregano.

Iskender kebab $19

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Don’t worry Dear Reader, you haven’t missed Valentine Day nor have I managed to do some time travel in between meals (although wouldn’t that be fabulous). Nor is this a story from about a year ago from Valentines Day 2010. Mr NQN and I were invited to sample Aperitivo’s Valentines Day menu ahead of the hallowed day of romance this year. At $60 a head it is a Valentines Day menu that won’t have you reaching for your eyes (gouging etc) and they have a six course menu on offer.

Involtini: Mullet involtini filled with asparagus & tomato concassé with vermouth reduction served with 08 Cavalier Pepe Falanghina Campania $10/150ml glass extra

There were two types of the mullet given, one with the skin on and one without the skin on. They’re both good although I preferred the skin off version (which is a change as I usually like skin on fish) but I felt that the skinless version was more delicate and “less fishy” if that makes sense and matched better with the asparagus and tomato concasse. There is a touch of bitterness at the very end from the vermouth reduction. Glasses of wine here come in 75ml, 150ml glasses or 375ml carafes and Mr NQN has asked for a wine by the glass to match it. He falls in love with their recommendation, a 08 Cavalier Pepe Falanghina Campania which is said to be a less floral version of a sauvignon blanc. In fact he asks where it can be purchased he likes it so much.

Apple & honeydew gazpacho

The gazpacho is interesting tasting more of apple than honeydew although I’m not that taken by this cold soup as it reminds me of apple sauce. It is served with spicy croutons which give it a more savoury flavour but they do end up a little wet from where they sit in the soup and I ate my shortly after it was set down while Mr NQN took photos of this.

Pepper tagliatelle served with sardines & cherry tomatoes finished with prosecco

The pepper tagliatelle is wonderfully silky and very well cooked and it is flavoured with sardines, breadcrumbs and small pieces of cooked cherry tomato. It has a strong flavour from the sardines but I do like the little crunch from the breadcrumbs and the lovely pasta texture. Because the sardines aren’t immediately apparent, it makes the strength and saltiness of the topping a bit of a surprise.

Salsicce Pizza (extra course) $22

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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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