The cooking, eating and travel blog of a hungry blogger from Sydney, Australia featuring original recipes, interviews and articles on all things food @Not Quite Nigella

Category Archives: Breakfast & Brunch

Cafe Ish, Surry Hills

Update: As the owner Josh has publicly stated “Lorraine aka Not Quite Nigella is a bitch” and insulted my blog, I can’t say that I would recommend my experience here in any way.

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33 comments | January 19, 2009 by Not Quite Nigella

I won’t often get up before 9am on a weekend except in exceptional circumstances. My friend M is one of them. She has two spirited sons that won’t wait for a brunch and so I found myself setting the alarm for the ungodly hour of 7.30am one Saturday morning. I had all of the best intentions, to walk to Awaba Cafe. However I was confronted by two things: a bitterly cold 11 degree weather and what I refer to without any affection, the “Hill of Death”: i.e. Awaba Street.

If you’ve ever tried walking all the way up Awaba Street from Balmoral Beach you’ll know what I mean. And if you haven’t and have simply driven up and down it, I have no doubt that you’re having a chuckle at me because it doesn’t seem very steep-but don’t laugh until you’ve walked it. They even have an annual run called “The Balmoral Burn” which is simply running up Awaba Street. I’ve walked it myself, once and once only and that was enough for me. I knew it would be hard so I ditched the heels and wore ballet flats and even then I found myself going slowly and rather gingerly down the hill. I passed puffing, red faced and sweaty people all looking like they’d trade in their first born for a taxi ride up the hill. When I was nearing the bottom, there was a man, red and sweaty shirt off pushing a baby stroller up a hill. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that it got worse.

I reach my destination and M and her kids are there waiting already. Awaba Cafe is a sleek all white building with open windows to make the most of the spectacular beach view. It hasn’t aged a bit since I last came here years ago. It’s about three quarters full, mostly full of families and young couples. The kids are of the well behaved variety and there’s no tantrums to be had here today.

Cappucino $3.30

Although the staff are busy and bustling, the coffees take a while to arrive (mine isn’t quite hot enough) and the boys are getting very hungry. Thankfully the food arrives after about 25 minutes.

Scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, chives & toast $16.50

My eggs are a generous serve, although mysteriously cold but given how long it took to arrive I am reluctant to send it back. I wonder how long they had been sitting on the countertop. The salmon rose is also generous but with a few too many grey bits tucked in under the bottom.

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9 comments | October 11, 2008 by Not Quite Nigella

Kazbah on Darling’s Breakfast Banquet, Balmain

I’d often heard of the Breakfast Banquet at Kazbah-legend has it that for the small sum of $20 per person, you will be plied with an unbelievable amount of good food. Actually it’s not legend, the menu is clear on the website but let’s not mention that I never saw that. The catch is, that you need at least 8 people for this (and if someone cancels, you’re stuck paying for their place). A service charge of 10% is also mandatory. We decided that Mother’s Day breakfast would be the ideal day to do this. A time to indulge the mums for all of the breakfasts that they made us and to stuff ourselves silly. Since it’s Mother’s Day, there’s a 2 hour time limit for the Breakfast Banquet.

It’s 9.30am, a ludicrously early time I admit. I actually got up at 7am to get ready in an effort to look semi reasonable. Isn’t it against the law to wake up before 9am on a Sunday? It’s the only time they can take us and considering how busy it is when we get there we feel lucky that we got a table. A group before us has arrived late for their booking (about 40 minutes late which admittedly is really quite late) and as they’ve got a 1 hour limit, the waitress clucks that she doesn’t feel that they’ll have enough time in 20 minutes to order and eat. Phew, we’re not that late. We’re seated at our huge but very squishy table. One of our party is ill so we remove one chair so we have a little more room although elbows are touching at all times and eating can get awkward.

There are crayons to draw with and I know my in laws, a family of artists will go crazy over these.

The crockery is pretty – laid out as alternating blue and red sets.

We are supplied with mint water (there’s no mint taste however, it’s decorative) and all other drinks are charged on consumption. We listen to some of the drink specials and they sound delicious. Some settle for coffee (there is also Turkish Coffee) and some for a juice special: Pineapple, mint and lime juice.

Pineapple, mint and lime juice $6.50

The Pineapple, mint and lime juice is lovely and full of real, fresh crushed pineapple with the pulp still there. I don’t mind pulp at all, it at least assures me that a real fruit was involved in the process. The mint is very mild and the lime gives it a little tartness.

Turkish coffee $4

The Turkish Coffee I am told is good, sweetened and thick, like it should be.

Latte $3.50

Date & Banana Porridge

Before we know it, the first three of the courses arrives: Date & Banana Porridge. It comes unsweetened but is thick and creamy and the dates give it a little sweetness. Sprinkling it with the brown sugar provided renders it delicious.

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19 comments | May 13, 2008 by Not Quite Nigella

Deus cafe at Deusexmachina, Camperdown

Deusexmachina is a motorcycle shop that we’ve driven past many a time which peaked our interest due to the clever name and eyecatching windows. Deus Ex Machina means literally in Latin “God out of a machine” which is a rather clever name for a motorcycle shop, cum cafe, cum gallery. The way it reads on the outside almost looks like “De Sex Machine” which really catches the eye. And for those who can’t quite recall what Deus Ex Machina means, it’s a plot device used in books, movies or television that allows for the improbable but neat solution to resolve a situation or plot. Think Dallas and the question “Who Shot J.R.?” being resolved with “It was all a dream”. I couldn’t have ever imagined stopping there to have a look as I don’t have any interest in Motorcycles until I read that they actually had a cafe attached to it, called naturally, Deus cafe.

One lazy Sunday afternoon we decided to have lunch there (ok it was brunch but at lunch time). As they close at 3pm we had to get our butts into gear, across the bridge and down the peculiarly numbered Parramatta Road earlier than we would normally leave the house on a cold Sunday.

Entering the huge space of the cafe you’re immediately struck by the low lighting, large communal tables and the fact that it is jam packed for an area that doesn’t have that much nearby. The mark of Dare Jennings, the Mambo founder is stamped across everything. It’s that rustic, laidback, boy friendly but not girl unfriendly look where objects look like a collection of cool vintage and new.

We share some surprisingly soft and comfortable wicker couches with others and I go to order. I take a good 5 minutes standing (probably open mouthed) trying to decide that to order. There are specials that finish at noon, cakes, rolls, salads, breakfast eggs in all sorts of variations as well as more substantial lunch food like lamb shanks. I wanted to order the Bircher muesli with fresh stewed fruit but they’ve sold out, as they have with the granola with yogurt and fresh fruit. I settle on the fruit toast ($4) as I’m told it’s made on the premises, a New England Clam Chowder with Deus roll ($10) and a Lamb sausage with tzatziki, tomato confit on Deus bread with chips ($12). It’s order and pay at the counter and they provide complimentary help yourself filtered water. There is a huge tables of magazines from the New Yorker to the Sunday life and newspapers so I grab some and get reading.

Fruit toast $4

Our fruit toast arrives first, two thick wedges of lightly toasted raisin bread with 2 squares of butter at the perfect temperature so that it spreads easily. I am glad to see that it is packed with lots of raisins and even though my husband isn’t a big toast eater, whereas I am, he enjoys this as much as I do.

New England Clam Chowder $10

The New England Clam Chowder and the Lamb sausages arrive together about 10 minutes later. The clam chowder is full of lots of bacon, celery, potato and some very tiny sliced up clams. Although it’s not particularly clam-my or briney, it’s creamy and comforting and lovely with the freshly baked roll, which is like across between a panini and a turkish roll. I’m hoping my husband won’t like it but of course he does.

Lamb sausages with tzatziki, tomato confit and chips $12

The Lamb sausages sit within a split lightly toasted Deus roll with two confit of tomatoes and a generous serve of tzatziki. The sausages are strong in fennel seed and whilst it’s nice, there is a little something lacking in the sandwich. I find myself adding salt which improves it slightly but not enough for me to want to eat more. My husband finds that there is too much roll for the filling and I have to agree. The french fries are actually stone cold which is a disappointment but we can’t be bothered waiting to wait for a fresh serve.

We’re full so we walk into the shop adjacent to the cafe where there is the distinct smell of grease and oil. Lots of motorcycles, books and interesting displays adorn the shop and for a motorcycle enthusiast, it’s probably their idea of nirvana.

Deus Cafe, part of Deus Ex Machina

98-104 Parramatta Road Camperdown
Tel: +61 (02) 9557 6866
Parking to the right via Barr Street
Open 7 days:
Mon-Sat: 8:00-3:00pm
Sunday: 9:00-3:00pm

http://www.deus.com.au/

8 comments | May 1, 2008 by Not Quite Nigella

Ripples café at Milson’s Point

At a location that would make any tourist or Sydney sider proud, sits Ripples Cafe at Milson’s Point. I tossed up whether to go to the Ripples at Chowder Bay or this Milson’s Point one but location won the day. If only it were sunny.

A work breakfast is vastly different from a lazy Sunday brunch. For starters it commences at 8am, a time when on weekends you should legally be asleep. But even the raindrops falling can’t deter me from rising early. I’ve already perused the menu on the website so I know what I want.

The location is indeed magnificent. Right near and under the Harbour Bridge, the water view with the Opera House across the water to the left and Luna Park a minute away you couldn’t get much better for a sunny day. Since it’s raining, they’ve put up a little plastic fronted tent to protect from wind and rain.

There are only two tables this morning, one with three road workers in bright plastic gear and ours. The French waiter takes our order for coffee and food. I order the Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict on English muffins ($16) and because of the name, the Kick ass beans ($4.50). N orders the sour cherry french toast with cinnamon and berries ($12).

Latté $3.80

Our coffee arrives shortly after and our food not too long after that- not surprising given there are only two tables. However it seems that the waiter has mixed up N’s order and given him the Apple hotcakes and Rhubarb compote. N is not a happy camper.

Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon $16

My eggs benedict are two large poached eggs on two English muffins halves with layers of cooked smoked salmon and hollandaise. I prefer my smoked salmon to be uncooked but this is not a dealbreaker as it is good still. The dish has a tangy Hollandaise which is how I prefer it rather than some of the blander Hollandaises. The muffins is only very lightly toasted, in fact I am not sure if it is really, only warmed. The eggs have huge, runny yolks and overall it’s decent but not wowing or spectacular and not like the Eggs Benedict at Wharfy’s although admittedly the ambiance is better here than sitting on a wharf.

Kick ass beans $4.50