With Bite – haligonia.ca

Birthday and dinner at the Himalayan Char Grill

Haligonia Editors — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 19:00:30 +0000

Happy birthday to me and to With Bite! It's unbelievable to consider that I started With Bite 6 years ago! What a journey it's been. Since blogging about my adventures in food in Halifax, I've had some incredible life -and food- experiences, and I'd like to thank everyone who has followed these adventures with me since then.

This past wknd marked my 30the birthday. Holy cannoli! I feel so old, but yet so young at the same time. Thankfully, I have some incredible friends here in Oz and my birthday (week) was so incredible that I'll remember if for years to come.

My best pal Maria - whom I met at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax - lives in Brisbane, and made my (life) weekend, by travelling to Sydney to spend my birthday with me. Maria is one of those friendships that are lifelong - we don't talk all that often, but she's always there when you need her and, no matte how much time has passed, we pick up where we left off.

Anyway, Maria arrived in Sydney on Friday, picked me up from work, and we got to the first night's celebrations with a bottle of S. C. Pannell's Pronto; a b;end of Sauvingnon Blanc, Riesling and Pinot Grigio in the backyard. I had ordered a great bunch of wines from work for my bday festivities and this was among the best. It's funny since M sent me a msg. upon arrival that she was looking forward to a good glass of wine, and I had already put 6 btls. of white in the fridge to chill for the wknd. Priorities, ppl!

The really amazing part to the wknd though, was that my friend Christine had told me the Wednesday prior that she was throwing a BBQ for me in my own backyard and that I didn't have to do a thing. I didn;t really believe her, but I should have. At about 7 pm on Friday, she - and my friends- arrived with sausages, pasta salad, baguette and a brownie bday cake for me! Oh, and sparklers. :)

Me, blowing out the candles on my M&M-dusted brownie 'cake'

It was an awesome night. One that ended up in me having a bit too much to drink, being lazy in the am and M and I leaving a bit too late to make my much-anticipated birthday hot air balloon ride. Yup, they left without us. In an effort to drown my (liver) sorrows at having missed the ride, we got MacDonald's breakfast. Don't judge. Upon leaving Macckers with our bfast, I just so happened to lok up at the sky and see our balloon headed to the heavens. Oh, the irony! In my semi-depressed state, we ended up having our Macckers in a park over-looking the departure site.

See that speck in the sky?
That's the balloon I shoulda been on had I had my act together!

And so, we drowned our sorrows at Coogie Beach...

Later, we met my pals at the Himalayan Char Grill for dinner. But, not before opening some pre-dinner drinks in the backyard - a btl of bubbly as an aperitif prior to dinner. Gotta love opening bubbles..

When we got to the resto, I opened btls of Jacquinot Champagne NV for my bday festivities. This is an awesome btl; much less commercial than Moet or Veuve and way better on the palate.

I was happy to influence the whole group on their selections. My housemate had ordered takeaway in the past and I raved about the beef cheeks and the scallops which I had tried of theirs. At least 80% of the table ended up ordering the beef cheeks on account of my rave review, and a little less than that went with the scallops.

M and I shared two dishes: the beef cheeks, obviously, and the samosa. The samosa was incredible; crispy and luscious, served with a tomato salsa and a creamy yogurt-based tamarind sauce. I'd go back just for the sauce....

Samosa Chat ($12.90)

Veggie Samosa w/ spiced yogurt, tamarind sauce and tomato-onion salsa

But seriously, the beef cheeks were incredible. So, so, so succulent and tender, they were well worth the price and the hype. The sauce was rich and heartwarming, and served with some roti and raita, this dish would have been an indulgent plate for one.

Masala Beef Cheek ($22.90)

Diced Beef w/ peppers in Himalayan spices

Once dinner was over, we headed up tp The Little Guy on GPR for some cocktails - an awesome spot for wknd drinks, or a Sunday arvo session. This is M and I with a couple of my fave - a good, really good, G&T.

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Awesome afternoon at Opera Bar

Haligonia Editors — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 19:00:13 +0000

On the heels of an incredible Bday dinner, M & and I planned to spend the arvo at The Morrison for happy hour wine and oysters. Being from the east coast of Canada, we both have a weakness for bivalves...We had already purchased our tix to Les Miserables, and were looking for a way to pass the time in advance of the film. We caught a bus up to Circular Quay with the intention of meandering down to The Morrison. However, when M suggested that we spend some leisurely time on the waterfront - and have a drink at Opera Bar, I was all too happy to oblige! I ended up that we quit trying to "rush a good thing", and so The Morrison was forgotten, and we quickly ordered another tasty bevy and snacks at Opera Bar.

Our drinks were further enhanced by a plate of Yam crisps and prawn popcorn.

The Yam crisps were OK. Certainly not life-changing. They provided a good bit of crunch to go along with our wines, but they were pretty greasy. I wouldn't likely order them again.

Yam Crisps ($8)

The prawn popcorn, on the other hand, were delicious - I'm hungry just thinking about them now. The plum, juicy prawns were coated in a light, crispy batter and served with a luscious, mayo-based spicy jalapeno dipping sauce. YUM.

Prawn Popcorn ($13)

w/ spicy jalapeño sauce

Opera Bar, I've determined, is one of those spots that cater to both tourists and locals alike; tourists because it's the Sydney opera-based bar, but locals, because it's simply a damn-good spot to spend a sunny wknd afternoon.

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Urban Bites – a bit underwhelming

Haligonia Editors — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 15:00:22 +0000

A few weeks ago, I went to meet my friend Margaret for brunch in Newtown. On this particular day, we were meeting for brunch at a cafe called Urban Bites in Newtown. This is one of the many spots I've noted on a warm, sunny day, and had been jealous of the people actually eating there. Today, it was my turn. The forecast was particularly sneaky; when I got dressed, it read 23, so jeans were appropriate. However, by the time I reached the midpoint, the temp. had shot up to 31 degrees and I was dying; having to call M to tell her I'd be delayed since I could barely function putting one foot in front of the other, let alone doing it quickly.

I'm pretty used to the Sydney temps these days, but when you're not dressed for it (as in, wearing as little clothing as possible), it's a bit of an ordeal for a Newfie girl. When I got to the resto, after downing about a litre of water, I noticed a canine a few feet away. Normally, I'm not a fan of animals in restos (it's gross; am I wrong here?) but M and I agreed that this pathetic-looking pooch pretty much summed up how all of Sydney was feeling that day.

Margaret ended up ordering the Big Breakfast - I think - which consisted of bacon (back bacon) 2 eggs and (sourdough) toast for something ridiculous like $8. This is a bargain, folks. I also love how Aussies tend to add a grilled tomato to breakfast - that's my kinda garnish.

Big Breakfast?

I was feeling eggs and smoked salmon of some kind, so I went for the scramble with spinach. It was delicious. I felt like shoving the whole thing between those two slabs of Turkish toast and making an awesome sambo, but I erred on the side of conservative, and simply had my pile of eggs with a touch of toast.

Smoked Salmon & Spinach Scramble w/ Turkish Toast

Australians are serious about their coffee. I once ordered an iced coffee and received a glass of frosty coffee topped with about two scoops of vanilla ice cream. I wanted cold coffee, not a calorie fix! Anyway, on this occasion, I ended up with a frappucino-y type-thing, which sated my fix for both caffeine and frosty.

That being said, I recall by b-fast bill being about $26 for the eggs/java, so l likely won't head back to this spot again. And in Sydney, why would you - when there are so many options for bfast right around the corner.

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Turkish food at Harvest

Haligonia Editors — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 15:00:11 +0000

One of my favourite things to do at festivals is, wait for it...eat! Yes, it's a shocker, but I truly appreciate fair food and Aussie's do it pretty darn well. I've seen/smelled/eaten some great dishes at the various neighbourhood festivals here. It's always hot, so freshly squeezed lemonade is a favourite (had one today actually at Mardi Gras), as is ice cream, obviously. I also love the fried/baked potato on a stick - it sounds trashier than it actually is.

Anyhow, my favourite item of fair food thus far is Gozleme, a bite that was so good, it took a spot on my Top Ten Bites of 2012 list. I've since realised that Gozleme is available every Saturday in my hood at the Glebe Markets, but I like to maintain its special-ness by only eating it on the appropriate occasion. I mean, would rum & eggnog really be as good in the summer?!?

Gozleme is, essentially, a cross between a flatbread and a crepe, filled and sprinkled with lemon. The options are usually feta w/ either beef; spinach, spinach & mushroom, or all three. I say this again, and I can't stress it enough: I am NOT a vegetarian. But - I do enjoy meatless meals...so I went for the spinach & mushroom option.

It was so tasty. I imagine that it was one of those occasions where the company and the setting enhanced the food experience, but to my memory, it was certainly one of the best bites of 2012. My friends and I were attending Harvest Festival, which was bittersweet for me, since one of my favorite bands - Beirut - pulled out on the morning of!! Who does that? I was heartbroken. BUT, Harvest did rekindle my love of Cake and Ben Folds Five (their new album is amazing) and introduced me to The Dandy Warhols and Santigold - whom I had loved before, but never knew the name of the artist.

Anyhow, we parked ourselves in the shade of a gumtree with our cans of (overpriced) Sunshack apple cider, and had our snacks while waiting for Cake to grace the stage. The gozleme bread had that awesome chewy consistency, which was both nutty, yet slightly sweet. And obvs - how can you go wrong with spinach, feta & shrooms?

Yes, it was a cultural discovery in both bands and Turkish cuisine, one that I'll happily repeat any (festival) day!

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Countless options for bfast at the Clipper Cafe

Haligonia Editors — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 19:00:12 +0000

Last week, I met my friend Margaret for brunch in Glebe. Margaret is a pal that I 'borrowed' from my sister - they met in Manhattan. Actually, Margaret is the wife that my sister 'borrowed' from her boyfriend's best friend. Keep up people! Anyhow, luckily for me, M now lives in Sydney as opposed to Manhattan, so I get to meet her sporadically to catch up; talk about life, food, fun and how much we both miss my sister.

Since we met up in her 'hood (Newtown) the last time, we decided to reunite in Glebe on this sunny Tuesday am. We decided to go to the Clipper Cafe because: a) my gal pal Christine works there, and b) I wanted to introduce Mags to the amazingness that is La Banette.

When I arrived, M was already waiting patiently with her latte in hand, so we set about ordering some bfast. Having already poured over many of Sydney's food blogs at images, I decided on the baked eggs Napoli while M decided on a panini sambo.

Baked Eggs Napoli w/ Chorizo & Mushroom

w/ Toasted Sourdogh ($10ish)

Sadly my gal Christine wasn't at work, however, one of her colleagues assisted me with my dilemma: Instead of having to choose between Chorizo and mushroom (pancetta was the other option), she suggested that I have 1/2 and 1/2! And she didn't charge me extra either. But seriously; this was such a fantastic dish - and such a creative one too. The poached eggs (which were a little runny for my taste) were nestled deep within the tomato sauce, topped with a pile of the piquant sausage and tender 'shrooms. There were even bits of halloomi cheese scattered about. In all honesty, I haven't eaten this much in one sitting in a long time, but it was just so good - and not something I was going to get packed up as a takeaway. And, who doesn't love to mop up the tomato sauce left at the finish?

Toasted Sandwich
w/fresh tomatos, pesto & Bocconcinni ($8)

I didn't try M's sambo (I had enough to deal with), but she did rave about the quality. Looked delish, as did the Prosciutto, mushroom and Brie option.

And once we were finished, I took M over to La Banette where we ooo'd and aww'd over the precious baked goods. Naught was had however - were were both ready to roll down GPR at this point after our uber satisfying and well-priced bfast at Clipper. Return visits are soon to happen too, as ther were so many tantalizing options on that menu board. I should note too, that many of the items were vegetarian friendly. :)

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