It’s no secret that there is a trend towards moving away from buying fruit and veg from the supermarket and buying it from greengrocers or specialist fruit and vegetables shops. We’ve all heard of the apples being in the deep freeze for months before reaching the supermarket shelves and the proof is in the eating and the staying power. Whatever you’ll buy from the supermarket will last less than a week while you’ve paid a premium price. The point was really hammered home to me when I started buying produce from Kirribilli markets. It was a revelation. My lettuce lasted for ages without going brown and shrivelled. The avocadoes ripened quickly and beautifully and when I sliced them open there was not a speck of black, only the most gorgeous unblemished green. The Spanish onions were cheap and lasted for weeks, perhaps more but we used them all. If I could buy all of F&V there I would but since they’re only at Kirribilli once a month, I’m left to fend for myself in the F&V wilderness.

Kirribilli markets

When I heard that Flemington markets had set up a markets to you delivery service where they delivered to you a box of fresh F&V for $45 I was curious. $45 is the Movers box, ideal for couples. There is also a Standard box suited to a family of 4 for $55 and a Family box which is 1.5 times the size of the Standard box for $68, all delivery costs included. I never get out to Flemington markets, it’s too far away and they close too early on weekends for me. So this was the next best thing. And I love being a guinea pig so I was eager to try this service.

Ordering was fairly easy, they have a website where you specify which items you want and don’t want and then pay online. You can also choose 1/2 size, full size or double size serves of a particular fruit or veg. There was a glitch in the payment area, I didn’t get the chance to put in my credit card but the website thought that I did. A customer service person Patty rang me that afternoon to take my credit card number and she gave me some hints as to how to order. She suggested taking out celery and lettuce and items that take up a lot of room. I told her that I really love baby spinach, mixed salad leaves and rocket and a function where I could put a preference for certain items would be useful. She let me know that I would receive an email asking for feedback and that I should put that in.

My haul $45

One thing I did have issue with was the courier, Fastway couriers. I’ve previously had very bad experiences with them as our intercom doesn’t work all of the time and despite being given instructions to call us they never do so we don’t get our packages. I expressed my concerns to Patty and she said that she would try and get one of their own delivery people to deliver it to me. She called back later saying that she wasn’t able to get them to deliver to our area on that day but she had put a large note on top with our number and not to leave it at the door.

The note about the intercom, of course ignored by the courier …

And of course you guessed it, on the day of delivery, Fastway just left the box downstairs at the front door without calling us. Luckily there was no-one wanting a free box of fruit and veg. And of course there is a very clear note on the top saying “CUSTOMER WILL BE HOME ALL DAY, DO NOT LEAVE AT FRONT DOOR. PLEASE CALL XXXX XXX XXX FOR CUSTOMER TO COME DOWN” which was promptly ignored.

I received a 45cms x 30cms x 30cms box about 2/3 rds full (it should have been about 1/2 full). This is what I received, a rather impressive haul I thought:

• Apple: 3 x green = 380g
• Apple: 3 x Royal Gala = 346g
• Baby spinach: 86g bag
• Bananas: 2 green 2 yellow =642g
• Bean Sprouts: 250g bag
• Broccoli: 1 head 384g
• Capsicum: 1 red 246g
• Carrots: 5x=470g
• Cauliflower: 1/2 head 502g
• Chinese Cabbage: 1/2 head 1.108kg
• Continental parsley: 1 large bunch
• Coriander: 1 bunch
• Cucumber: 2x=258g
• Eggplant: 1x small=250g
• Grapes: 1 bunch 398g
• Lemon: 1 large 186g
• Lettuce hydro: x1
• Mandarins: 6x=510g
• Mixed leaf salad: 100g bag
• Onion: 1x red=164g
• Oranges: 3x=924g
• Parsley: 1 large bunch (Continental)
• Parsnip: 1 large 284g
• Potatoes: 7 large Desirees =1.784kg
• Rocket: 92g bag
• Rockmelon: 1 x 1.176kg
• Shallots: 1 bunch 5 shoots
• Sweet Potato: 2x =680g
• Tomatoes: 4 vine ripened =546g
• Zucchini: 2x= 300g

Total cost $45 including delivery -13.8kgs including box weight

I missed out on 1 spanish onion, a lot of baby spinach, rocket and mixed salad and 1 parsnip. However I can’t complain in the slightest as I suspected I had overpacked my shopping list. However as I mentioned, a facility where you can rate the importance of the items would be useful as I would have happily ditched the oranges, some potatoes or chinese cabbage for my beloved salad leaves.

Rocket with brown spots (1/4 was unmarked)

After 4 days

Capsicum with worm-organic without the benefits

As the week went on, I noticed that some items went bad quite quickly, a mandarin turned black within 3 days, my one and only red capsicum had a large worm boring through it (yes I heard from my vegetarian in laws that it means that it’s closer to being organic but do I care? I needed to go to the store now to buy a replacement for the dinner party), the rockmelon started to go bad after 3 days, most of the rocket had brown spots on it and a tomato started to go bad after 4 days.

After 1 or 2 days

The worst item (apart from the capsicum with the ghastly worm) was probably the hydro lettuce which I tried to eat a day or two after receiving it only to find that it had brown spots all over it and I could only salvage a tiny handful of the entire lettuce.

After 1.5 weeks most of the items had started to deteriorate so I wouldn’t necessarily use this for a 2 week shop like some people might want to. The items that remained in good condition for a 2 week period were the sweet potatoes, chinese cabbage, cucumber, apples, parsley, grapes, lemon and onion.

I am in two minds about ordering again. Quite frankly if they are going to use Fastway Couriers I think I’d hold off until the body corporate fixes the intercom (and knowing body corporates, it might be never) . Also the good thing about picking things yourself is that you notice the little things and you take care and time and pick the best produce yourself-I could tell from the start that the red capsicum that it wasn’t quite right. I had a potato that was burnt on one end that could easily have been seen had I packed it myself. They have a refund policy if you find that your F&V isn’t up to scratch, you photograph it and send them the pic but you may get sick of taking pictures of bad fruit and vegetables.

Potato with burnt part

In any case, I contacted them to let them know my feedback and they gave me a $7 credit for the substandard fruit and vegetable. When I asked if the credit could be in the form of a refund they agreed to that but said that it would be 3-4 weeks before it appeared. Patty also told me that they were no longer using Fastway Couriers for the North Shore as they had received a lot of complaints about them in this area so instead, her husband would take over the deliveries but would only be able to do Thursdays. So there is hope!

There is an offer, if you mention someone that has referred you, you will get $10 off your first order and the referee also receives $10 off their next order so feel free to mention “Lorraine Elliott”!

Coles

To buy this from Coles it would have cost me:

• Apple: 3 x green = 380g $1.51
• Apple: 3 x Royal Gala = 346g $1.72
• Baby spinach: 86g bag $1.72
• Bananas: 2 green 2 yellow =642g $0.82c
• Bean Sprouts: 250g bag $1.89
• Broccoli: 1 head 384g $0.91
• Capsicum: 1 red 246g $1.47
• Carrots: 5x=470g $1.16
• Cauliflower: 1/2 head 502g $2.48
• Chinese Cabbage: 1/2 head 1.108kg $2.96
• Continental parsley: 1 large bunch $1.98
• Coriander: 1 bunch $1.98
• Cucumber: 2x=258g $0.76c
• Eggplant: 1x small=250g $2.48
• Grapes: 1 bunch 398g (black Muscats were on sale at my Coles) $1.58
• Lemon: 1 large 186g $0.64c
• Lettuce hydro: x1 $1.68
• Mandarins: 6x=510g $1.50
• Mixed leaf salad: 100g bag $1.98
• Onion: 1x red=164g $0.81c
• Oranges: 3x=924g $4.60
• Parsley: 1 large bunch (Continental) $1.98
• Parsnip: 1 large 284g $2.55
• Potatoes: 7 large Desirees =1.784kg $5.35
• Rocket: 92g bag $1.83
• Rockmelon: 1 x 1.176kg $3.48
• Shallots: 1 bunch 5 shoots $1.88
• Sweet Potato: 2x =680g $1.34
• Tomatoes: 4 vine ripened =546g $4.90
• Zucchini: 2x= 300g $1.19

Total: $61.13

And as friendly as the Coles F&V guy is, the produce does look a bit sad at times but the proof is in the lasting and it certainly doesn’t last very long. This is my local Coles at Warringah Mall, obviously there will be slight differences in price according to area.

Woolworths

To buy the same box from Woolworths it would have cost me:

• Apple: 3 x green = 380g $1.89
• Apple: 3 x Royal Gala = 346g $1.71
• Baby spinach: 86g bag $2.22
• Bananas: 2 green 2 yellow =642g $0.86
• Bean Sprouts: 250g bag $1.78
• Broccoli: 1 head 384g $1.52
• Capsicum: 1 red 246g $1.47c
• Carrots: 5x=470g $0.79
• Cauliflower: 1/2 head 502g $1.85
• Chinese Cabbage: 1/2 head 1.108kg $2.98
• Continental parsley: 1 large bunch $1.98
• Coriander: 1 bunch $1.98
• Cucumber: 2x=258g $1.28
• Eggplant: 1x small=250g $1.99
• Grapes: 1 bunch 398g $2.20
• Lemon: 1 large 186g $0.92c
• Lettuce hydro: x1 $1.24
• Mandarins: 6x=510g $2.02
• Mixed leaf salad: 100g bag $2.84
• Onion: 1x red=164g $0.81c
• Oranges: 3x=924g $3.66
• Parsley: 1 large bunch (Continental) $1.98
• Parsnip: 1 large 284g $2.55
• Potatoes: 7 large Desirees =1.784kg $4.63
• Rocket: 92g bag $2.66
• Rockmelon: 1 x 1.176kg $4.97
• Shallots: 1 bunch 5 shoots $1.98
• Sweet Potato: 2x =680g $2.02
• Tomatoes: 4 vine ripened =546g $4.90
• Zucchini: 2x= 300g $1.43

Total: $65.11

Woolworths is definitely the more expensive of the two supermarkets although they do push the “Fresh Food” line a bit. They also have white corn and I have to say their produce looks a bit better than Coles, however I rarely buy from Woolworths so I don’t know what the lasting power is like. We priced this at Woolworths Neutral Bay (note: not such a hot pick up joint any more!)

Paddy’s Markets

Paddy’s Markets

To buy it from Paddy’s markets, it would have cost me:

• Apple: 3 x green = 380g $0.38c
• Apple: 3 x Royal Gala = 346g $0.35c
• Baby spinach: 86g bag $0.86c
• Bananas: 2 green 2 yellow =642g $0.77c
• Bean Sprouts: 250g bag $1.20
• Broccoli: 1 head 384g $0.76
• Capsicum: 1 red 246g $0.49c
• Carrots: 5x=470g $0.47c
• Cauliflower: 1/2 head 502g $1
• Chinese Cabbage: 1/2 head 1.108kg $1.50
• Continental parsley: 1 large bunch $1.50
• Coriander: 1 bunch $1.50
• Cucumber: 2x=258g $0.26c
• Eggplant: 1x small=250g $0.75c
• Grapes: 1 bunch 398g $1.39
• Lemon: 1 large 186g $0.30c
• Lettuce hydro: x1 $1.00
• Mandarins: 6x=510g $0.91c
• Mixed leaf salad: 100g bag $1.00
• Onion: 1x red=164g $0.32c
• Oranges: 3x=924g $1.37
• Parsley: 1 large bunch (Continental) $1.00
• Parsnip: 1 large 284g $1.42
• Potatoes: 7 large Desirees =1.784kg $1.42
• Rocket: 92g bag $0.92c
• Rockmelon: 1 x 1.176kg $1.50
• Shallots: 1 bunch 5 shoots $1.20
• Sweet Potato: 2x =680g $0.68c
• Tomatoes: 4 vine ripened =546g $0.87c
• Zucchini: 2x= 300g $0.30c

Total: $27.39

However with a lot of Paddy’s fruit and vegetables, a lot of it is slightly bruised and in some cases on it’s last legs. I never buy things like tomatoes there. Things such as eggs and noodles and fresh herbs aren’t bad but generally you’re getting end of line produce and diving into the crowd is an experience in itself. It is however terribly cheap so you balance the crowds and potential for short shelf life F&V with price. Paddy’s Markets is also only open Thursday-Sunday and we went to do our price check on Sunday afternoon, when the prices were at the lowest.

Paddy’s Markets

Flemington Direct: http://flemingtondirect.com.au/

Paddy’s Markets: open Thursday-Sundays. Hay Street, Haymarket Sydney: http://www.paddysmarkets.com.au/

There are some advantages to having a mid-week birthday. Usually I feel lucky if my birthday falls on a Saturday, thus making it easier to plan my birthday. However this only happens once every 7 years. One advantage to having a mid-week birthday is spreading out your birthday dinners to cover two weekends, thus prolonging your “Mememe It’s MY birthday” moment.

I’m not one of those people who hates celebrating my birthday like my mother in law, or one that doesn’t care about my birthday like my husband, an attitude borne out of being given rocks from the back garden for his 10th birthday present from well meaning alternative parents. It’s an unashamed “ME” fest and I am trying to coax the inner kid out of my husband and make him love celebrating his birthday too by giving him a full birthday weekend of activities and surprises and loads of gifts. I think I’m getting him to like Christmas too, he was also traumatised by a Christmas gift box of toilet cleaning supplies from his mum received about 8 years ago so he was similarly unenthusiastic about Christmas. My aim is to have him as enthused about birthdays and Christmas as I am.

So with my friends Teena, Philippe, Gina and Hot Dog, we decide on Balzac. Housed in a lovely sandstone building that has previously housed a Pizza Hut for over 10 years and changed hands many times over, it’s finally settled on Balzac. The 2 hatted restaurant featured in the SBS show Heat in the Kitchen was one that we’ve always been meaning to go to but for some reason never have. The couple Matthew Kemp (ex Banc chef) and Lela Radojkovic were living in their parent’s garage while the restaurant was starting up, giving us a glimpse into the hard life of a restaurateur and we shared their relief when they got their first hat and now they have their second.

The main thing when dining with this particular group of friends is the service. Hot Dog is one of those patrons that loves to make friends with the waiter or waitress but on his terms. He loves to cajole and tease them and try and get them to give him something for free or refer to an item as “Item 24 dollars”, and this is especially true when we visit expensive restaurants . Some waiting staff have been unsure how to deal with him slinking away uncomfortably with a scared expression on their face but some just laugh along with him and tease him right back which he loves. So it’s fortunate tonight that our waitress Yasmin is extremely lovely and seems to be a deft hand at dealing with Hot Dog. She has him eating out of the palm of her hand.

There are 6 mains to choose from and between the 6 of us we manage to sample 4 of them. Hot Dog is the only one to order an entree and I have a quick peek at the dessert menu which looks promising.

Our Amuse Bouche is the first to arrive and it’s a fennel veloute with harissa foam atop served with a salmon croquette. The tiny cup of soup is lovely and creamy and foamy but the harissa, usually a spicy and hot ingredient is very mild with virtually no chili taste to it at all. The salmon croquette is freshly fried and packed with salmon and an instant hit with the table and certainly does it’s job of exciting our tastebuds.

Big man+ small cup - Philippe takes a dainty sip

The accompanying bread is soft and warm, almost like a damper with a slight panini crust to it. It’s delicious and even a confirmed low carber like me takes a roll with the perfect temperature butter.

Smoked Salmon en Papillotes with Vichyssoise Mousse and House Smoked Oyster Vinaigrette $24

Hot Dog’s entree arrives, Smoked Salmon en Papillotes with Vichyssoise Mousse and House Smoked Oyster Vinaigrette. The mousse and potatoes are lighter touches and I expected to taste a more sharp flavour via capers or the usual smoked salmon accompaniments. Nevertheless Hot Dog is a satisfied customer and any grumbles he may have about the size are quickly quietened after his first bite.

Beef Short Rib with Smoked Ox Tongue, White Onion Puree and Mustard Dressing $36

Our mains appear at the same time, starting with Philippe and Gina’s Beef Short Rib with Smoked Ox Tongue, White Onion Puree and Mustard Dressing and it looks impressive. I try some of Gina’s rib and it’s deliciously soft, and prying it from the bone is easy. I wish I had ordered this instantly and the softly textured beef is fragrant and unctuous. The Ox Tongue is very thinly sliced and despite preconceptions of it being chewy, is delicately delicious to eat.

Confit Pork Belly with Shaved Cuttlefish, Chorizo, Chickpeas and Capsicums $35

I try Hot Dog’s Confit Pork Belly with Shaved Cuttlefish, Chorizo, Chickpeas and Capsicums and whilst he isn’t that impressed, Gina and I adore the taste and find it full flavoured and beautifully textured with the slightly crisp on the edge fatty pork belly perfect against the soft capsicums and other flavours. Another dish I wish I had ordered.

Ballontine of Chicken Leg with Pancetta, Potato Fondant, Baby Leeks and Parsley Jus Gras $34

I try some of my husband’s Ballontine of Chicken Leg with Pancetta, Potato Fondant, Baby Leeks and Parsley Jus Gras. It was nice but not as wowing as the other two mains. Granted he only gave me a bit of the actual Ballontine of chicken leg so I didn’t get to try it with the accompaniments which may have been cause for the less favourable comparison.

Barramundi with Duck Confit Rillette, Lentils and Thyme Butter $38

My Barramundi with Duck Confit Rillette, Lentils and Thyme Butter is covered with a foamy thyme butter sauce which is mildly fragrant. The barramundi is beautifully cooked, being slightly undercooked in the centre but not raw so that it is beautifully moist. The piece of fish needs a little more seasoning. The Duck Confit rilette is delicious perfection, soft and stringy in that glorious Duck Confit way and the pebbly lentils provide a textural contrast to the softness of the fish and duck.

Mixed Leaf Salad with Walnut Dressing $7

I try our sides, the Mixed Leaf Salad with Walnut Dressing is full of herbs and mixed leaves but a little light on the dressing.

Roast Sebago Potatoes with Beef Dripping, Thyme and Garlic $8

The Roast Sebago Potatoes with Beef Dripping, Thyme and Garlic sound the most promising and look glisteningly so but the potatoes themselves are awfully starchy and dry inside, they’re like eating roast potatoes that have been sitting under a buffet heat lamp for hours: dry and unappetising.

We take a short break before we’re lured by the dessert menu. Teena and I choose the Chocolate Bombe Alaska with Hazelnuts and Hazelnut Liquer, Gina chooses the Pumpkin pie with pumpkin seed ice cream and Philippe chooses the Rhubarb and Apple Crumble with ginger ice cream and custard, $2 of which will go to the HeartKids NSW for the month of May.

Pre-dessert: pannacotta with sweetened stewed plums and a praline top

Before our desserts arrive, we are given our pre-dessert which Hot Dog mishears for a Free Dessert which makes him rather happy but he was hoping more for ice cream with chocolate sauce. It’s a pannacotta with sweetened stewed plums and a praline top. It’s gorgeously soft with the crunchy praline on top providing the necessary crunch and ending.

Chocolate Bombe Alaska with Hazelnuts and Hazelnut Liquer $17

It’s not long before our desserts arrive and I dig into my Chocolate Bombe Alaska, the outside is nicely singed and spiky like Lisa Simpson’s hair. The inside ice cream is rich with bittersweet chocolate ice cream and it’s surrounded by hazelnut liqeur foam and crushed, roasted hazelnuts.

Our waitress is not happy that my Bombe has arrived sans a birthday candle so she has a word to the kitchen and she brings me out a lit candle with 3 petit fours: a cranberry fudge square, a chocolate fennel fudge square and a Chai truffle. It’s a lovely little touch to make me feel special. The Chai Truffle is very interesting, certainly very heady in scent. The fennel fudge isn’t very strong in fennel and tastes mainly like a rich dark chocolate fudge whereas the cranberry fudge square is lightly flavoured with cranberry resembling a slight cranberry flavoured jersey caramel.

Pumpkin pie with pumpkin seed ice cream $15

I try Gina’s Pumpkin pie with pumpkin seed ice cream. Being Canadian she is very well versed in Pumpkin pie and makes a mean pumpkin pie, draining her pumpkin mix for days to ensure that it’s the right consistency. She finds it too spiced for her liking and indeed it is very heady with nutmeg and cinnamon. The pumpkin seed ice cream is delicious, resembling a pistachio ice cream studded with lots of nubbly nuts.

I don’t get to try Philippe’s dessert, he is a little averse to sharing having grown up in a family of boys where mealtimes are a fend for yourself event but I am assured that it was indeed delicious. I adore the little copper pot serving style and mini jug of custard.

As we’re leaving our waitress wishes us a nice night and a Happy Birthday to me again. Hot Dog proclaims the service to be the best he’s ever received and we can see why it won the Silver Service food award from the SMH. High praise indeed for the service fussy Hot Dog!

Restaurant Balzac

141 Belmore Road Randwick NSW 2031
Tel: + 61 2 9399 9660
Fax: + 61 2 9399 6929
Email: restaurantbalzac@tpg.com.au
Web: www.restaurantbalzac.com.au

Open Tuesday through Saturday
Dinner from 6 pm onwards
Fridays for Lunch 12- 3
Last Sunday of Each Month for the Seasonal Degustation Dinner - 6.30pm onwards

Somehow I missed the bulletin that told me that finding a parking spot on a Saturday night in Crows Nest almost rivals finding one in Darlinghurst. Its a warm Saturday night and the last thing I feel like doing is cooking so we’ve decided on somewhere local-ish to try. Little do we realise that Crows Nest is in full swing, with every restaurant and cafe full of patrons. Sentosa is a Singaporean/Malaysian restaurant with a well loved Singaporean Chef in “Willy” (complete with mustachioed picture of him in the menu). We’re not particularly hungry tonight, more peckish so its two mains for us. Service is friendly, and we don’t have to wait long before they take our order. Alas, we tried to order the Laksa but they have just run out.

Our Beef Rendang ($17.90) arrives first, a fairly decent sized serving, aromatic of coconut. The beef is soft although not as fall apart soft as I’ve had and its gravy is rich in coconut, specifically dessicated coconut. If anything it needs lemongrass and ginger and the requisite spices. Here, while its very tasty and heady with coconut, it lacks the other dimension that the other spices and flavours give it. Heat wise, it is fairly hot but the coconut tempers this somewhat.

Our Sambal chicken ($19.80) arrives, colourful with chili and snowpeas. This is delicious, we both adore the sambal, a flavoursome mix of salty dried prawns, chili and a range of spices and flavours. The chicken breast is tender and small bite sized and the snowpeas give just the right amount of crunch. Indeed I could probably just order the Snowpea sambal happily for myself.

I am looking forward to dessert as I had heard that they do a good Gula Melaka (sago pearls in palm sugar and pandan syrup) but apparently desserts aside from plain ice cream are no longer served here which is a disappointment as I had saved some stomach room for this. We are given the complimentary orange slices and hot hand towels. Oh how I love these hand towels and wish every place gave you one. We are refreshed and well fed, ready for the long walk to the car.

Sentosa

48 Willoughby Road, Crows Nest
Tel: +61 (02) 9438 5526
Lunch until 3pm, dinner 6 - 10pm. Closed Sundays.

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/

Let me start off by saying that I’m not really the person for loud, rowdy restaurants where people are bellowing across the floor at each other, no matter how good naturedly it may be. Witness my discomfort at the Italian Bowl. So when I’m told that Bertoni’s in Balmain is a home style Italian cafe I’m a little nervous at the idea of a repeat Italian Bowl episode. I’m comforted by Bertoni’s being voted Sydney’s Favourite Cafe in the SMH Good Food Guide and NSW’s Best Cafe in Delicious. I also notice that they have a branch at Mosman which I’ve failed to notice completely.

It’s Balmain Rozelle’s Food Week and some establishments are having more luck than other fulfiling their programs. Indeed, I went to Victoire on Friday to be told that everything had sold out except for the pissaladiere and when I went to the church on Sunday for their afternoon tea, there was not a single soul there so we figured they must have called it off. A tad inconvenient for those of us that have traveled for the experience *grumble grumble*.

We walked past Bertoni’s on Friday and it was packed to the rafters with a line and people on milk crates outside and a long communal table balancing a crowd with elbows touching. And on this Sunday there was a huge crowd too. But after a little boutique browsing we walk back past there and the whole communal table has cleared. Ahhh luck! We grab a seat as fast as we can and I go to the counter to order. There is a special deal on for Food Week with a special panini filled with Italian sausage, cheese, caponota and topped with spicy sausage along with a coffee for $10. I order that with Bert or is it Tony? In any case, he’s a very genial and friendly guy who just oozes genuine Italian charm. Not over the top but just sincerely lovely. I ask what else is good and he goes through the pasta selection with me which features beef tortellini with ragu, ravioli with pumpkin and cheese and baby spinach leaves, meatballs and penne. Unfortunately they’re out of the Osso Buco, one of my favourite items and an absolute steal at $10 with a side.

I ask about the sweets and he tells me that they’re bought in as they tried to make them themselves but found that they just weren’t as good as the ones that they bought in from the Italian company who had been making Italian sweets for 50 years and I like his honesty. However all of the sauces and pastas are made in the kitchen in the back by their mother and they also sell their bottled sauces like the Sugo del Giardino made for generations, as well as EVO Olio Di Campagna, Balsamic Del Modeno, pasta, crostini and coffee.

Our coffee arrives and it’s fantastic, strong but well rounded in flavour. My husband particularly likes the coffee. Our special Panini arrives next in a paper boat looking like a hot dog with everything but of course tasting much better. It’s a soft white long panini roll filled with melted cheese at the bottom and 2 Italian sausages fragrant with fennel, garlic and chili. On top of this is the most gorgeously soft caponata, devoid of that vinegary taste that some have, just the softest most delicious eggplant and capsicum and on top of that are small but copious twigs of salami. I sink my teeth in and am instantly rewarded with sunshine and bliss.

We’re waiting for about 10 minutes for our pasta and by now, the girl next to us who entered after we did has hers. I enquire with our friendly waitress (it seems everyone here is uniformly lovely) and we are issued with a replacement at a larger size with bread.

The spaghetti and meatballs arrives in a black plastic takeaway container (we were warned that there were no plates here) and features 6 beef meatballs on top of a tangle of lightly tomato coated spaghetti. I like the meatballs, they’re soft and flavoursome but the spaghetti isn’t as al dente as I’d like and I do like a lot of sauce. My husband doesn’t seem bothered, he finishes it all.

When we leave, there’s still a huge queue waiting for coffee, pasta and our table so we make haste and leave where our spots are instantly snatched up. It’s that popular you see.

Bertoni Casalinga

281 Darling St Balmain 2041
Tel: +61 (02) 9818 5845
Open 7 days
Mon-Fri 6.30am-6.30pm
Sat 6.30am-6.30pm
Sun 7.30am-6.30pm
Cash Only
http://www.bertoni.com.au/