MamaMia and I were hungry, it was 9.45am and we were driving around the North Shore in search of food. She stopped in front of Delicado Foods in McMahons Point and pointed at the striking red and black facade. “That’s the place I was telling you about, it’s always full. Always.” It was music to my ears and to our stomachs as we sauntered up to the front, past the rather impressive looking wine shop (it was only 10am so we bypassed it), through the deli, past the small but pretty courtyard to find a seat outside. We both grab a cushion (and why don’t all cafes have lovely cushions to rest against?) and take a look at the menu.

The deli section

Courtyard area

We’re looking at the breakfast menu as well as their extensive beverages menu. There is a range of teas and coffees as well a Bloody Mary section (only available after 11am!) which is a Virgin Mary where you can select the range of spiciness you want from the mildish Siesta to Running With The Bulls for what sounds to be an extreme chili hit. There’s an Adults Only coffee called Cafe Carajillo which is a black coffee with a shot of Spanish Brandy on the side ($14) and it is another after 11am item. Sadly since it’s early, we miss out on these but we choose a couple of coffees and the churros for breakfast (would this qualify us for extreme eating?) and something I completely butcher when pronouncing called the Huevos al plato al modo de Avila.

Cafe Canario $4.50

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It’s a cold, cold Winter’s night the evening we head across the bridge for Emmilou, a Tapas style restaurant in Surry Hills. It seems that no matter how many layers I wear (four), the wind penetrates to my core and when we see something floating down softly from the sky my husband and I say to each other in unison “It’s probably snow”.

When we reach the warmly lit Emmilou on Bourke Street, we rush straight past the covered outdoor section into the warm centre of the restaurant. Doors are closed to keep us warm and Chris and Joel from Emmilou are welcoming hosts. Chris Cranswick -Smith, the owner and head Chef had emailed me earlier extending an invitation to dine at Emmilou and having walked past this place only a few weeks ago I happily accepted. The difference between Chris and other Head Chefs? He spends a lot of the time on the floor getting to know the customers and seeing their reactions to meals.

Chris Cranswick-Smith

I have a quick browse of the cocktail menu and a couple of things catch my eye there including “Hot Buttered Rum” and “Vote for Pedro” which has Pedro Ximinez Sherry, Dark Cacao, Grand Marnier warmed & served with Turkish Coffee Ice Cream. I figure I’ll go for those at the end. For now though I leave myself in the hands of Chris, who you may have caught on Ready Steady Cook which plays on Channel 10 at 2pm on weekdays. He has just finished filming 29 episodes so no doubt he’ll be on again. He asks if I have any allergies or dislikes and I tell him that apart from kidneys and tripe, I am fine.

Before you leave, will you sleep with me? Somehow in French it doesn’t seem so sleazy…

The walls inside are scrawled with French sayings cataloging the propositions from one staff member to the other. One such phrase translates to “Before you leave, will you sleep with me?”. On one wall plays a black and white movie and above us, music plays although it’s still easy to talk. Diners sit in Philippe Starck Ghost chairs and I take this opportunity to convince my husband that we need some in our new place. They bring out a large bottle of Cabreiroa Spanish mineral water.

Amuse Bouche: Cauliflower beignet

We start with the amuse bouche, a delicate cauliflower beignet with mushroom foam. It’s a delicious start to the meal with the cauliflower aroma strong and the bite sized beignet is nice and crisp. Accompanying this is a soft, spongey house made raisin bread with a spicy tomato chutney – and it’s spicy with a nice kick. “I like chili” confesses Cranswick Smith says. His dishes are mostly Spanish, with many from the Basque region as well as having French influences as he has lived and worked in all areas.

Sliced Queso Manchego, Cherry Syrup and Croutons$18

The Pinchos y Picas part of the menu is the Basque section and from this we start with slices of Queso Manchego cheese with a sweet cherry syrup and crispy croutons. There’s also a streak of garlic alioli (similar to aioli) which provides a savoury contrast to the sweet cherry syrup.

Gilda: White Anchovy, Olive & Pickled Pepper (pic above) with Cured Wild Boar (pic below) and ‘Alioli’

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Craig Macindoe from Mumu Grill

Some restaurateurs are canny. Craig Macindoe from Mumu Grill is one of them. Whilst some restaurants lack even a basic website, some realise that not only is a website crucial, but your presence is also commanded on places such as twitter and facebook as that is where your diners are too. After Good Living printed a list of chefs and people in the food industry (food bloggers were largely absent from this list) chefs scurried online and figured out what twitter was quickly. Craig was there tweeting well before this mass invasion and as someone who sees the potential in food blogging, he invited 10 of us to dine at his Take It Slow Wine Dinner on him.

Craig and one of the Arcadia Saltbush lambs

The Take It Slow movement was started by Italy’s Carlos Petrini in 1989 as a way of consciously combating fast food and life and presumably to preserve La Dolce Vita in response to people’s waning interest in the food they eat and its origins and how our food choices impact the rest of the world. In turn this dinner involves letting us know all about how the food and wine is produced and knowing who and where it comes from. This dinner celebrates the Slow Food Movement in that the produce and cooking time took a total of  18 months (the 18 month jamon), 16 hours (the slow roasted Saltbush lamb and double roasted duck) and 40 minutes (the brown sugar pavlova).

Hanging the meat to tenderise it

Dining with me tonight are: Simon, Howard, Shez. Anna, Arwen, Lisa, Trina, Jennifer and Steph. At 6pm we’ve arrived to have a pre-dinner tour of his kitchens and backstage. Yes for a food blogger, a kitchen visit is like getting a Backstage Pass to meet your favourite artist. He shows us the cool room where they hang their meat for several days to tenderise. He also shows us the whole lamb, about 6 months old and about 12 kilos heavy and proceeds to hang that too. He points out that the space is cleaned and tested every 2 days for bacteria which you need to do if you hang meat. Hanging meat helps to break down the fibres in meat which in turn, makes it more tender and soft.

He also shows us the food preparation for tonight. The catalan bread is topped with tomato oil which is a fantastic and incredibly tasty sauce and it is topped with 18 month Jamon. We also see the duck which has been cooked twice and we take a peek (not too far in) into the purpose built meat oven.

The olives are juicy and spiked with rosemary and are delicious. We’re given a Mr Riggs Viognier 2008 and a Mr Riggs “Yacca Paddock” Tempranillo 2007.

The smell from the kitchen is beckoning but first we hear from Graham Strong, from Arcadia Saltbush Lamb who along with his parents raise the lambs on a diet including that of Old Man Saltbush in the Riverina district of NSW. They are suppliers to not only Mumu Grill but also Becasse and Etch. I wrote earlier about Saltbush lamb and the benefits of raising lamb on this but in short Saltbush is a hardy perennial which helps to reduce the salinity in soil which helps in times of drought which of course we have a lot of in Australia.  They are also part of the WWOOFing movement (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) where in exchange for working on the farm, you get accommodation and food and get to be part of the experience.

Arcadia saltbush lamb roasted for 13 hours served with minted eggplant and white bean paste, green beans, beetroot jus

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