Le Monde, Surry Hills

Last friday I had brunch with Cleony from i eat sweet. We didn't know where to eat but a Sydney Morning Herald article on the best coffee in town, had Le Monde on it. Since we needed to go to the CBD afterwards, we made our way there. She picked me up and we drove to Surry Hills, little did I know that the cafe is actually so close to my flat that it would have been faster if we were walking there. Oh well, now I know where to go for a quick coffee run.

You're not crazy, the letters are the other way around... I took this picture from the reflection in the mirror

2 skim mochas

I really liked the cafe and on Friday morning, not many people were there so we got a table right away. We made it easy for the waitress as we ordered 2 skim mocha and 2 mushrooms sauteed in garlic and lemon with toast and ricotta.

Close up of the mushrooms and garlic lemon sauce

Side view

The mushrooms were perfectly cooked through but it wasn't soggy and it was still firm. Oh and the portion I love the garlic lemon sauce but after a while it tasted a bit too sour. The ricotta was smooth and subtle. I felt healthy... hahaha I don't want to think about the butter there... The coffee was nice too. Its cafes like this that makes me really enjoying Sydney.

Le Monde

83 Foveaux st

Surry Hills, NSW 2010

9211 3568

Shenkin, Erskineville

Shakshuka by Cafe Shenkin

This past Sunday, I was completely wiped out. Saturday was exhausting: woke up at 5:45am to send my dad to the airport, got back at 7am ish, went to pilates at 8, groceries at 9, then got picked up to go to the Easter Show at 10:20am ish. If you remember, it rained the whole day. Yet, we ended up staying till 6:30pm. So when I woke up on Sunday at 8:30am despite sleeping at 10pm the night before - a total of 10.5 hours. I was still exhausted and hungry.

Mocha and Soy cap

A quick message to a friend scored me a breakfast buddy and a ride to Shenkin cafe in Erskineville - her idea, as I didn't even know where Erskineville was.

I liked the way the cafe was very open, it gave a very welcoming sense. I was also promised great poached eggs - so that held its appeal too. We ended up getting a table at the front. Towards the end, I realized that my chair was actually a pew. That was real cool.

Hot pot of goodness

Though at first I was tempted to order egg Benedict with smoked salmon, I ended up ordering shakshuka with eggplant and haloumi. Apparently shakshuka is a traditional Israeli breakfast dish where egg is poached in rich tomato, paprika and onion sauce base. It came with a couple of warm pita bread too. It was so good, perfect for such a lethargic cloudy morning that screamed for comfort food. It reminded me of my mom's goulash, but different. The eggplant was soft and melted in my mouth. The portion was so big, I ended up taking it home and having the leftover for dinner. And I have been thinking about it since....

Eggs Benedict

My ride who already decided what she wanted the moment she texted me, had the egg Benedicts with bacon. I tried it, it was really good. I love hollandaise sauce' texture and consistency. Next time, I will be having a hard time what to get for sure: shakshuka or egg Benedicts.

Cafe Shenkin

53 Erskineville Rd

Erskinville, NSW 2043

+61 2 9550 5511

Brunch at Toast, Surry Hills

It's been a long time, I know. So let me tell you about my latest brunch discovery. I walked passed Toast a when I was having dinner around the area. Finally, I made it a couple of weeks back with my friends from high school. I love how very close by it is from where I live and technically I could have breakfast here everyday if I want to. I also love how the whole street is lined with many different cafes beckoning my name. Sorry guys, there's a list but fear not I shall make it there sometime ;)

One of the tea pots and my soy cappuccino

My friends ordered tea which came in this cute pot which came in different shapes and forms. We have another one that looked like a box, but yeah, I forgot to take a picture (and that includes their meals as well... ugh...). I also love how the tea just never ended. They really wanna make sure that their patrons are hydrated, I suppose.

Sweet corn and kaffir fritters

I ordered their specialty which is sweet corn and kaffir fritters with poached egg, grilled halloumi, salsa, avocado and chilli jam, which is glutten free. I was torn between ordering this and the risotto, but I did want some eggs so this dish won. It reminds me of Bill's sweet corn fritters, but this one is different. I love the grilled halloumi on it. The poached egg was runny and gave creaminess to the fritters. The chili jam contrasted with the buttery-ness of the avocado. I definitely made the right choice.

....bidding my time to come back to try their other stuff and just hang out....

Toast Cafe

45 Reservoir St

Surry Hills, NSW 2010

Sydney

+61 2 9280 2615

Click here for website and opening hours

"Let's do brunch" at Cafe Ish

Karaage Soft Shell Crab Omelette

A few days ago I came across a tweet by @atablefortwo via RTs about Cafe Ish and Shoot The Chef competition that is part of the Sydney International Food Festival (SIFF) [click here for official website]. When I opened the link and saw the photo of Cafe Ish's take on eggs benedict with soft shell crab... I got really curious. Then by chance when I was checking out the SIFF website, I found the "Let's Do Brunch" promo (weekend only) at Cafe Ish: A$25 for karaage soft shell crab omelette (their specialty), breakfast triffle - yoghurt with native berry compote and muesli, and a cup of wattle macca-cino (another specialty of theirs). Not a bad deal I'd say. Talking to a friend, it turned out that she was planning a trip for this promo on Sunday and so I tagged along.

I set up my alarm for 8am as my friend as sent me an email reminding me of the time and that daylight saving started Sunday 3rd October. Morning came way too quickly as I had a real long day on Oct 2nd doing a charity fundraising for Youth Off The Streets - check out Race For The Youth on facebook if you're interested. Anyway, we got there early and it was raining. I really couldn't wait for the coffee, alas we were waiting for some people.

As we waited, I took out my camera and my friend told me to be careful and ask permission first before taking any picture as the owners are reputedly quite particular about people taking pictures in their cafe. Hmmm... okay.... Anyway, the next time the waitress was there we asked her if it's ok to take picture and she said yes. So that's done, but still I couldn't shake the weird feeling off. Another friend told me at the table that there has been some arguments between the owners and some Sydney bloggers regarding what the bloggers write on their reviews. Another weirdness..., but then the coffee arrived then the food started to arrive and we were busy taking pictures and stuffing our face.

Wattle Macca-cino with tiny cookie

I loved the wattle macca-cino, I drank it just as is with no sugar added. It tasted just right, balanced - just enough sweetness that compliments the solid coffee taste. I loved the cute cookie too. The waitress informed us that the cafe does all you can eat ribs every Wednesday for A$35 and I have a feeling that I will go back. Oh and maybe another visit to try the crab benedict.

The breakfast triffle - yoghurt, muesli and native berries compote

The native berry that was really sour if you eat it as is... interesting experience though

The breakfast triffle was interesting as well, it came with all these weird shaped dried berries that puzzled me at first. That is till my friend told me that the menu said "native berries". I tried eating one of the interesting looking native berries as is and it was really sours. So word of the wise, if you don't like sourness mix it well.

Salt: pink salt, green tea salt and chilli salt

Tasmanian pepper berries - didn't add any as the sauce delivered interesting flavour as is

Close up of the crab omelette - yum

After that, came the most anticipated dish - crab omelette. I couldn't wait to eat it and see if the raves were true. The chilli sauce on top was interesting. When the waitress told us at first that the omelette comes with a special sauce I was thinking Japanese-ish sauce. However, the chilli sauce tasted like Malaysian sambal belacan - chilli with ebi (dried small shrimps) base and then fried to take off the heat. I like the avocado, soft shell crab and shallots combination inside the omelette. It was like eating sushi but have the rice and seaweed replaced with omelette. The sweet and spiciness of the sambal belacan-like sauce went well with the sushi-like omelette. Halfway through the dish, however I started to feel that it was getting too salty. Overall though, I thought it was really creative to use soft shell crab on a breakfast dish.

Cafe Ish

82 Campbell St

Surry Hills, NSW

+61 2 9281 1688

Opening times varies so please contact the cafe directly

Breakfast at Book Kitchen

Book Kitchen really does have books... and you can browse them while you eat. Just don't stain the pages ;)

It's that time of the semester where school is done, but students are restless and stressed out with the impending exams that are yet to be taken. I am one of those students. Headaches and hunger pangs come much more frequently these days and I get a little depressed at times thinking about my exams and how much they weight. Really still not used to the Australian nazi-esque grading system. I miss the American grading system, at least I know what I would be getting and understand how it works.

Mocha, to ward off the cold and the early morning sleepiness

So I decided that I would get some flowers from the Sydney Markets at Flemington to brighten my flat and get some lavender for my bedroom as lavender scent is believed to have calming effect. So I drove to Flemington at 6.30am with my cousin and we went a little bezerk at the cheap flowers there were. She got tulips (2 bunches for $10), I got lavenders (5 bunches for $10), jonquils (2 bunches for $3) and tiny roses (a bunch for $5). Then we head for breakfast. At first we wanted to get pork fennel sausage at Bourke Street Bakery, but the sausage rolls weren't done baking just yet. So we crossed the street to Book Kitchen.

Roast pumpkin omelet on sourdough

I ended up getting the roast pumpkin omelet on sourdough while my cousin ordered bacon and egg roll. Of course I had to order the banana bread with passion fruit butter. The roast pumpkin omelet was a very comforting, or maybe I was just too hungry. But I really did like the roast pumpkin, its a different twist with a soft and sweet taste than the usual ham or other breakfast meat.

Bacon and egg roll with tomato chutney

The bacon and egg roll came out and we were surprised at how big it was. It looked really yummy though. The tomato chutney gave it a gourmet taste. The banana bread... moist, succulent and toasted just nicely. Dollops of passion fruit butter contrast the sweetness of banana bread with fresh tanginess of the passion fruit. I was so full, halfway to my banana bread toast, but I had to finish it... it was too good to be left uneaten.

Banana bread with passion fruit butter

The Book Kitchen

255 Devonshire Street

Surry Hills, NSW 2010

+61 2 9310 1003

Open Mon-Sun 8am-3pm, Plus Wed-Sat 6-9.30pm

Brunch at Bar Zini

Panini Prosciutto Sandwich

Choosing Bar Zini for brunch this Saturday, just shows how powerful a blog could be. A friend's blog, Love My Foods & Sugar, has just been updated a post of a recent visit to Bar Zini. I was also opening up Time Out Sydney for inspiration and saw yet another recommendation for Bar Zini. It was a Saturday, the weather was gorgeous after a week full of rain and I just didn't feel like going to Surry Hills and fight for parking space and wait for a table. A quick read of Time Out Sydney showed me that there were a few cafes near Bar Zini in Pyrmont which would be handy in case we didn't get a table.

H2O

J and I arrived just a little over 11 am and the menu said breakfast available till 11 am. So we ordered a panini sandwich from the lunch menu. Apparently though, we could have still ordered the breakfast menu. The table next to us were having this baked egg that looked and smelled delicious! The sandwich consisted of tomato slices, prosciutto cotto, greens, and mozarella. So very simple, yet oh so very good. I was warned that Bar Zini would have a limited choices, but what they lack in choices they more than made up in taste and quality.

Espresso Machiatto

The espresso machiatto were short and lethal. It certainly woke me up. I was also impressed with their drink menu and I love the neighborhood bar feel to it. Once my liquid of happiness buddy is back in town, I will try my very best to drag her here. What's better than a good fun night full of liquid happiness and the possibility of a tasty panini sandwich?

Bar Zini

78 Harris St

Pyrmont, NSW 2009

+61 2 9660 5718

Brunch at Boomerang

Boomerang at Robertson Quay

It's the weekend! Yippee.... Seriously, I live for the weekend: sleeping in, rolling of the bed at 10 or 11, getting ready for brunch and waking up together with friends over brunch. What better way to spend your Saturday morning?

Last week I met this girl, H, who just recently got transferred out of New York, so having experienced moving countries myself I know how nice it is to have a kind stranger to lend you a hand and show you the ropes of this new strange place. Not that I'm saying I'm a kind stranger... that is for her to decide hehe...

Menu is filled with Aussie words and places

Where we were seating, outdoor but protected from the sun and heat

I decided to take her to Boomerang for brunch, I never went before but I passed by before and it seemed quite nice. It took me a while to decide what to order as I wasn't hungry, I have no idea why as I am normally always hungry! I was almost disappointed when I read that the breakfast menu is only served till 11.30am and was sooooooo glad and relieved when H pointed that that it is served all day on Saturday and Sunday! Saved! So I opted against the traditional aussie burger with beet root and went with Coolangatta, with eggs, sausages, bacon, toast and... drumroll please..... HASH BROWN!

Coolangatta: hmmm... a plateful of delish!

The hash brown was the first one I tried when the meal came. It was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, tasted great with ketchup but it would have been better for my health and conscience if it was a little less oily. The bacon was yum, lots of meat and not that much fat what value for my money. The sausages were tasty, but I found these chunks of fat as I was chewing that detracted from their tastiness. The toast slices were crispy and soft, oh, and the waitress gave me strawberry jam upon request so that I can slapped the jam on top of the buttered toast. Simply delicious.

The "After" shot....

H ordered 3 eggs omelette with capsicum, mushroom and cheddar cheese that came with slices of toast. She has this funny observation that people here serves a lot of mushrooms. I have not noticed that before but I suppose now that I think about it, it is true. Chinese cuisine serves lots of mushroom as well as Japanese... I didn't try her omelette, but seeing her devouring her eggs made me confident that it was good, or maybe she was hungry.

3 Eggs omelette with capsicum, mushroom and cheddar cheese

with toast and butter

It was a sunny day in Singapore and fortunately it wasn't that humid that day, so H and I were able to sit outside, under the awning of course and enjoy the day. I do have to mention however, that we did sit under the AC and next to a fan. It was just nice to be able to wake up slowly on a Saturday, munching delicious food while enjoying the sun (without getting scorched or melted!) in good company. H and I will come back to try other stuff, such as the aussie burger (I really want beetroot in my burger) and the chocolate filled french toast. Sinful.

Boomerang Bistro & Bar
#01-15, 60 Robertson Quay
The Quayside, Robertson Quay
+65 6738 1077

Big Breakfast @Cedele

Big Breakfast @SGD 17.40:

Rustic White Toast, Bacon Rashers (which I switch to an extra sausage!!), Sausages, Scramble Eggs, Mushrooms & Tomatoes

Lately I have been reminiscing about the food from a small town in Pennsylvania where I spent a good few years of my life as a student. I miss the food from the local tavern wannabe, the wing night at the small local pubs on the 5 block stretch of so called main street. Little choices as they were, I do miss it from time to time especially the American style breakfast from Perkins, a family restaurant chain that serves breakfast food all day, 24/7/365! Scrambled eggs, or omelet with sausages, bacon and hash browns; pancakes and waffles. *sigh* Notmany is available here in Singapore and certainly not as cheap. Luckily, A suggested Cedele, a local cafe that serves breakfast daily with a healthy twist (definitely no hash browns) and slightly costing more.

Pasta, it was the first dish to come out...

Making our way to Cedele Wheelock Place, I knew exactly what I wanted. After a quick consideration I decided to get the Big Breakfast set which include eggs, sausages and bacon rashers which I switched to sausage, mushrooms, salad and toasts. No hash browns, sadly. It also came with a side of coffee or tea for SGD17.40. Yeah, a bit steep, but I was desparate. I was so happy when it finally came. Armed with ketchup, I devoured the eggs, mushroom and sausage. The toast came with butter and strawberry jam, my favorite combo. The bread was soft, lightly toasted, warm and tasted slightly milky and doughy. I love the bread with butter and jam. The mushrooms were firm and earthy. If only it came with hash browns, it would have been perfect.

Carrot cake, yum...

P had the carrot cake, which was delicious as it wasn't too sweet and the walnut gave it a savory, crunchy twist. The pasta that A was having, was so-so. Cedele is where I would go for sandwich, soup, breakfast food, cakes and coffee or tea but not pasta. For pasta I would rather go to an Italian joint or Japanese Italian. Carbonara with kimchi...yumm....The queue at Whelock was definitely better and the waitres staff responded better for your requests though they did gave us the bill twice without us asking and when we finally did ask, they didn't bring it. The food was good but for the price that they were demanding, service should be better....

Wheelock Place
501 Orchard Road #03-14
Wheelock Place
+65 6732 8520
Click here for website