Bidding farewell to the North Shore is a sad goodbye. For years, I’d always thought that there wasn’t much in the way to eat around here but I was sorely mistaken and set straight by many loyal readers who pointed out great finds in the area. Living close to Neutral Bay meant that I had a range of fantastic Japanese food within 10 minutes and one of my favourite places was Japaz, a Japanese tapas place. I later learned from Yas from Hungry Digital Elf that Japaz also has a cafe called Atomic Espresso across the road and they happen to serve Katsusando (Fried Pork Katsu Sandwiches) from Thursdays to Saturdays. Only 20 of these sandwiches are made on these days and if you want to nab yourself one, you need to ring ahead and reserve your “sando” (Japanese for sandwich).
Evidence of my Limited Edition lunacy
Yes this is a Limited Edition Sandwich. The two words Limited Edition can either bore or excite someone. Sadly I’m one of the latter. If I hear that only a few are available of something, the desire to covet and own one of these things is exponentially increased. The Louis Vuitton Murakami collection was one such instance of instant smitteness. I had to have the Murakami Retro bag. I rang LV and put my name down and pestered them every few days to see whether a shipment had come in. When it did, I bought it, used it and then after a big fat raindrop plopped on the cream leather trim (you can probably see it on the right of the bow), stowed it away in its dustbag for years, just in case it ever got marked again, taken out only on occasions where a dress or outfit specifically matched the colours. I never said I made sense did I?
Cappucino $4
This afternoon Mr NQN and I find ourselves on the small Atomic Espresso cafe on Wycombe Street in Neutral Bay. The chef from Japaz walks past us and gives us a quiet Irasshaimase and nod. The waitress is friendly and we tell her that we are here to collect our Katsusando and have lunch so we order coffee and a pasta dish that she recommends. It’s called Atomic Espresso so we have high hopes for the coffee and we’re not let down. It’s a great, full bodied coffee.
The Limited Edition Pork Katsusando $15
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August 3, 2009
by Not Quite Nigella
There’s nothing more painful than ill conceived or contrived beachside chic and conversely there’s nothing better than welcoming true beachside chic. Sydney does it so well and so badly at times. Badly is when the view speaks or shouts louder than the food which is a scant afterthought and prices rival that of a 5 star restaurant just because you happen to be sitting across from the ocean. Vespacific cafe is of the other ilk, a little retro style beachside cafe with a Vespa theme running through it in Narrabeen on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Service is said to be friendly, servings tasty and huge and they also happen to be very vegetarian friendly (and incidentally we see that they also compost but not in that in your face kind of way that shouts “I’m fashionably green!”). It’s a beautiful sunny Winter’s day in Sydney so what better way to spend it than to be beachside. I confess it’s a compulsion of mine whenever we get a nice sunny weekend day in Winter.
Vespacific is relaxed – when I call them to see if I need a booking the woman says “Oh ok sure, for how many people?” and when I answer “Two” I hear her tell the staff “Hey guys there’ll be a table of two at two o’clock, just keep a table for them”. When we arrive, we see that the cafe is located across from the water where there is a raised wooden viewing platform. And what’s this for? For checking out the surf of course. Canny locals get their sustenance to take away from Vespacific and watch the waves breaking.
When we arrive we nab a table near the window. It’s not quite an ocean view, more a grassy view but there is some comfort to know that the ocean is past the grass. I breathe a sigh of relief to find that the menu features all day breakfast items. That means that their famous Mega Bacon and Egg roll is available and it’s got my name on it. We order the Punjabi Eggs for my husband and a croissant with banana and a liquid chocolate shot to share. The menu has a wide range of vegetarian options including some that have me switching allegiences from omnivore to vegetarian such as the “Gourmet toast with roasted capsicum, eggplant, caramelised onion, capsicum and olive tapenade topped with fried halloumi and fresh herbs”. Prices are extremely reasonable with most items under $10. I kid you not.
Australian Meat!
I look around. It’s almost like a set of Home and Away it’s so beachy and laidback. There’s plenty to see including a bookshelf with a book “How to do sex properly” and a battered but well loved 1869 edition of “Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management” simply propped up on the shelf without ceremony. I enjoy flipping through it and reading about the “Mulligatwany Soup made with Australian Meat” and the wages awarded to male and female household servants with different wages suggested for those that receive sugar, tea and beer.
Also true to the name, there’s a red Vespa adorning one wall behind a print of a surfer midflight (we spy a mini Vespa keyring on the owner’s key chain too), paintings from local artists and Barbie, Skipper and Ken in a red convertible on the countertop. Perhaps I’ve been too absorbed in my copy of Mrs Beeton’s Guide to Household Management but the food arrives quickly. It’s freshly made and hot and smells inviting so I dig in eagerly.
Cappucino in a Mug $3.50
Mega Bacon and Egg Roll $12
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June 30, 2009
by Not Quite Nigella
Sydney’s mantra is undoubtedly “Location, location, location!” such is our twin obsessions with property and waterviews. I was put onto the Thelma & Louise cafe by loyal reader Caz and when I saw the location was alongside a wharf, it was a no brainer. I checked the weather for the upcoming long weekend Saturday and we were rearing to go.
So it seems was much of Sydney for we were greeted with a line snaking out onto the street when we approached the cafe. Cars stopped and stylish young things craned their necks out to see what sort of queue had formed and drove off when the challenge and wait looked too daunting. Couples came and went after asking about the wait whilst some got takeaway coffees and food. One crowd of four women are apologetic when they tell us they have a booking and go to the head of the queue. We stood our ground (well I did, Mr NQN went to sit down on the bench and take photos). You see I was starving and was determined to nab one of the prized tables out on the balcony perched right above the lapping waves. I didn’t know how I was going to get it – after all the line in front and behind me suggested that I would be lucky to get any table I could.
I watched and I waited. The seated patrons would occasionally glance our way and then look away and drink their wine. I picked up a copy of the paper as I felt too stalkerish staring them down having already checked out the cafe’s interior. It’s full of trinkets and retro items as well as a clock stuck permanently on 6.43. There’s a billy cart filled with flowers suspended from the ceiling and black and white photographs of Jean Harlow and Bette Davis. To the right is a small square shaped kitchen where two women (Thelma and Louise?) tend to the palates of the folks of Neutral Bay. After waiting 30 minutes, a couple on the balcony leave and the waitress ushers us through with a smile. We have finally landed a table on the balcony and breathe a sigh of relief.
View from the table
Breakfast is served until 12 noon but as it’s 2.30pm we’re choosing from the Winter Lunch Menu. Items sound warming and we choose the Seafood Linguine and the Spicy lamb mince with Zaatar Turkish bread as we’re both seeking pure comfort food on this slightly chilly Winter’s day. A coffee is ordered for Mr NQN but a Babycino is ordered for me. I know I’m not a child but Your Honour this one comes with marshmallows and after all fits the theme of comfort food.
Cappuccino in a mug $4.80 on left and Babycino $1.50 on right
Service is said to be pushy, rude and or scatty according to eatability but there’s none of that today. In fact all 3 waitresses that we encounter are absolutely pleasant and full of “Yes madames” and smiles. Perhaps that has been an improvement. We receive our drinks, and the coffee is good but the babycino is mostly foam and is lukewarm which may be in fact the norm for babycinos to avoid burning the mouths of babes. I’m not a connoisseur.
Seafood Linguine $26
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June 9, 2009
by Not Quite Nigella
I have a little black book. A little black Moleskine actually that I write down places that I’d like to eat. It’s full of recommendations and I often flip to it for inspiration and regularly consult with it. And one place that was on the top of the list and the very first entry was Brasserie Bread. It remained uncrossed off for ages, mainly as they are open during hours that I just don’t or can’t really get to Banksmeadow (near Botany) closing at 2pm on Saturdays. But this one Saturday morning, we had to be in the general area early at 9am and I immediately scheduled in a visit there for breakfast. And they’re now open on Sundays too.
Free kid’s cooking classes
It’s kind of in the middle of not very much and I don’t wish to offend residents of Banksmeadow but by that I mean there aren’t a lot of shops or a lot to do out there aside from visit. And visit they do. This Saturday morning the communal tables and separate tables are full. There’s a large gaggle of mums relaxing – and you might be wondering how a bunch of mums can relax. Easy, take the kids to Brasserie Bread where at 10am and 12pm, they can learn how to make bread for free and take home the goodies they make. Needless to say classes are booked months in advance and I can only imagine the mums relief at the day rolling round where they can offload their kinder if only for an hour to relax with a cup of Allpress and have a child learn the valuable skill of bread making at the same time. In the cafe area, the banquettes are said to be the right height for kids to stand on and peer into the kitchen windows and watch the bakers doing their thing. There are also adult classes for $130 per person.
The front display has their award winning pane croccante which we tried as part of the Easter Show deli bag which was fantastic. Although we tried a packet of the Nigella seed croccante, the Rosemary flavour is the award winner. Samples for these are generous and the rosemary is indeed the best out of the two.
There are also samples of their sourdough and lemon and garlic flavoured olive dips which are also delicious.
Having wanted to go here for so long and stalking the menu, I know what I want. Ordering and paying at the counter, we’re lucky to snag a table quickly. We order the sourdough pancakes which we can have with either raspberries and double cream or maple syrup and bacon. I choose the latter – nothing stands between me and bacon. We also order a Croque Monsieur and the Organic Sourdough toast with avocado, tomato & goat’s curd. All eggs are free range organic.
Allpress coffee
Organic sourdough toast with avocado, tomato & goat curd $10
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May 11, 2009
by Not Quite Nigella
On our way to meet Queen Viv at Piccolo Bar in Kings Cross (said to be the oldest cafe in Kings Cross), Queen Viv calls my mobile to tell me to switch Radio FBI on. For who else is being interview but Vittorio, the face of Piccolo Bar, the tiny, cozy little cafe which has taken up residence in Kings Cross since 1950. Unfortunately just as the interview is starting we go through the tunnel and miss most of it. Ah well, it only makes us more interested in meeting up there. It’s been about 15 years since my last visit.
We walk past the tables and Vittorio is outside giving me a good look up and down as if I’ve fallen from a spaceship. I learn that this is how he looks at all new customers and that he is certainly a character. There’s a $3 minimum (how these things charm me) and when my husband comes in, he does the same looking at him closely from the side, head cocked horizontally. It’s a tiny space, much like the name suggests and in its heydey they crammed 25 people into the inner cafe, which if you’ve visited, you’ll see that it’s quite a feat.
Vittorio’s eccentric charm isn’t lost on us and he floats about collecting plates and taking orders. He playfully and dramatically scolds a young girl on a mobile phone telling her to get off the “devil’s tool” and proudly says that he doesn’t own one. I ask him about the numerous Cate Blanchett pictures dotting the landscape and he clasps his hands together and assumes a dreamy countenance “Oh I Looooove her! I adore her, she’s like an angel” he trills. And no she hasn’t visited 
Books offered to us by Vittorio
We make our order and the chef cooks everything one at a time. Regulars file in and get a familiar greeting. A Matthew McConaughey lookalike says that he feels like soup so the chef gives him some soup to taste. Vittoria stops by our table and in an avuncular gesture, plonks down some second hand books for us and asks us if we’d like to take some books home with us. His charm offensive is taking effect.
Queen Viv orders a toasted turkish bread with artichokes,avocado, mushroom and cheese.
Omelette with up to 3 filling $8.50
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April 16, 2009
by Not Quite Nigella
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