Sonido! Fitzroy (Melbourne)

For me there are two types of great dining experiences. The first is where you go somewhere expecting great things and it achieves or exceeds your expectations. The second is when you go somewhere with no expectation, often for the sake of just having something to eat, but are completely blown away by the experience. Sonido, located in Melbourne’s funky but grungy suburb of Fitzroy, was one such place.

Mrs FBC and I were recently on a gastronomical holiday in Melbourne sampling some of the great food the city had to offer (look out for future blogs). Having arrived on Friday and eaten our way through to Sunday we decided it was time to give our stomachs a rest and instead do some visual eating at Melbourne’s Queen Vic Markets. On our last trip to Melbourne a friend of ours introduced us to Fitzroy and Mrs FBC and I immediately felt at home. So naturally this is where we stayed this time round. Come Sunday morning, and finding ourselves a little over indulged, we decided to walk to Queen Vic markets in an attempt to re-build our appetites. Of course, being a Sunday, we were in serious need of a good source of coffee and, having noted a few good venues on Gertrude St, we chose this as our route.

One thing you need to note about Melbourne is that Sundays can be little slow, and as it turned out most of the cafes we saw on Gertrude St were closed. Desperate for coffee, and of course a small amount of food, we happened upon a little unimposing café called Sonido. Sonido has the sort of grungy haphazard décor that only arts students or Europeans can pull off. Or in this case South Americans (and still possibly arts students).

Sonido's unimposing entrance.

After waiting for table service for several minutes we decided that ordering at the counter was probably the way to go and helped ourselves to some menus. It was here that the pleasant surprises began. Rather than the typical collection of toast, scrambled eggs and, for the more adventurous cafes, eggs Benedict, we were intrigued to find a menu consisting mainly of Arepas and Empanadas. Now I know what you are saying, “I know what an empanada is, but what are arepas?” To quote directly from the menu,

“Considered the most typical food of northern South America, AREPAS are a daily ritual that has been practised for centuries. Maiz (corn) is one of the most beautiful gifts of the Americas (North, Central and South) to the world. The indigenous inhabitants of South America mastered the art of transforming maiz into simple, loyal and very healthy round goodies called Arepas!”

Having read this we both agreed that we wanted to try the daily ritual of South America. I ordered the Arepa de Choclo (no, it’s not chocolate) while Mrs FBC ordered the Arepa de Queso.

Arepa de Queso ($7.50)

The Arepa de Queso, or cheese arepa, had a recommendation to eat it with a “buttered knife in one hand and a salt shaker in the other”. This dish consisted of two cheese arepas served with fresh salsa, guacamole and a chunk of butter. Delicious and light, they were a great start to the morning (at least that’s what I thought from the small bite Mrs FBC allowed me to have) and were well accompanied by the salt and butter.

Arepa de Choclo ($7.50)

The arepa de choclo on the other hand was a heavier arepa made from gringo corn with a generous slice of Fresco cheese. And as it turns out this is exactly how I like my arepas.

Mrs FBC and I both thoroughly enjoyed our arepas and to top it off the coffee was great. Our only regret was that we didn’t get to try any more of the menu. However, hopefully next time we return to Melbourne this little café will still be running strong and we can try the rest of the menu.

 

Sonido!

69 Gertrude St, Fitzroy

http://www.sonido.com.au/

Cafe Enzo, Polkolbin (Hunter Valley)

Mr FBC told me the other day that he thinks my iphone is my second brain!  

We went away recently for a nice weekend of wine tasting in the Hunter Valley and were keen to start our Saturday with a good coffee - just to kickstart our brains so we could really savour the complexities of the wine we were about to taste. Nah, not really, we just needed coffee. I wanted to do a bit of researching before heading off in search of coffee in unchartered territory. I was worried that we would get a really bad cup that I would need  to pour down the nearest stormwater drain in digust. Yes - I've done that before and will do it again, if warranted. So, in my hour of need, I turned to my trusty 'second brain' - my beloved iphone. 

Mr FBC and I are regulars at Campos Coffee. We're pretty luckily as it's practically our local coffee shop so our coffee standards are understandably high. I recently downloaded an iphone application from the Campos Coffee website which finds the nearest cafe selling Campos Coffee - it's very nifty indeed.  I didn't think my chances of finding Campos Coffee in the Hunter were particularly high. However, with a quick flick and scroll on the second brain, I had found a cafe that had MY coffee and it was only 1km away. 

Our destination.... CAFE ENZO. I was so excited. Not only did this place have MY coffee, it was actually on my list of places to try in the Hunter. Yay!

I'm happy to say the coffee was great, with the Mr FBC's cappuccino coming in the trademark 'Campos' glossy brown coffee cup.

We weren't up for a terribly big breakfast, so we got a couple of light dishes. Mr FBC ordered some cinnamon toast. It wasn't too exciting but you can't do that much with toast and cinnamon. It was a bit pricey at $8.50... but perhaps we were paying 'Hunter Valley' toast prices.

I was looking for something 'relatively' healthy so ordered the toasted muesli with yoghurt and fruit salad. I was pleasantly suprised with this breakfast meal with its relatively simple yet effective presentation. The dish was served in three bowls placed on a rustic wooden chopping board. I really loved the Brookfarm  toasted muesli  which had a nice crunch from bits of puffed rice. The yoghurt was rich and creamy. I'm guessing it was definitely not 'low fat'. Ahh well, I suppose we got some redemption with the fruit salad which was a lovely mix of strawberries, rockmelon and honey dew.

Brookfarm Toasted Muesli, Yoghurt and Fruit Salad ($15.00)

We sat at a table outside which was a perfect choice for this Saturday morning.  I think Cafe Enzo would be a great place to have a lazy long lunch. Unfortunately, Mr FBC and I had organised a jam packed day full of wine tastings so we had to dash. However, we will definitely try and return to this place sometime soon.

Cafe Enzo

At Peppers Creek Winery

Cnr of Broke and Ekerts Road

Polkolbin NSW 2320

ph (02) 49987233

http://www.pepperscreek.com.au/

Settlers Arms Inn, St Albans (and a folk festival?!)

I really love a leisurely weekend drive, where you drive just far and long enough that you feel like you've left the hustle and bustle of Sydney. It's often a bit traumatic getting out of Sydney. You need to drive through all the traffic jams..... past the endless 'burbs'...past the McMansions of the outer 'burbs'... until you hit what this inner-city slicker would term - 'the Country'.

St Albans has been a place that I've wanting to visit for a while because, firstly,  it's far away. Well, it required a car ferry at Wisemans Ferry to get across the Hawkesbury River. And, secondly, I was attracted to the town's pub - the Settlers Arms Inn.

Established in 1836 and built from sandstone, the Settlers Arms looked so quaint and pretty on the website. So, one fine weekend (actually over the the Anzac day weekend!), Mr FBC and I took the plunge and drove to St Albans - a little village located in the heart of Macdonald Valley. The village is about  105km north west of Sydney and it takes about 90 minutes using the super fast M2 motorway. 

Mr FBC and I were expecting a sleepy little village with a quaint little pub. Instead, we found a very busy little village, with a bustling little pub and a reasonably sized FOLK FESTIVAL. It was, in fact, the annual St Albans Folk Festival.

Mr FBC and I don't profess to have a knowledge of 'folk music' but we were happy to soak up the folky atmosphere.

Perhaps the first thing that caught our attention was the sound of jingling bells and oddly dressed people dancing in front the pub waving sticks and ribbons.  Ladies were dressed in black sack like dresses and the guys wore what could only be described as lederhosen and straw hats adorned with flowers. Hmmmm.. After doing a bit of internet searching after getting home, Mr FBC and I worked out that we'd been watching 'Morris Dancing' and I think (?) these dancers were from the Australian Morris Ring 

Morris Dancing

We had a quick look the actual festival area, but realised that it was a $30 entry to get into the 'folk festival'. We quickly decided we were happy to just walk around the village and soak up the 'free' folky vibe.

I think you would need to really like folk music to pay the $30 entry fee

After wondering around the periphery of the folk festival and watching the unique Morris Dancing, it was now time to find out what the Settlers Arms had to offer.

Stepping into the Settlers Arms is like stepping back in time. I'm guessing the pub hasn't changed that much over time, but that is probably the appeal. It reminded me of the old pubs that you find dotted across the English countryside in the UK.

Inside the Settlers Arms

Quaint fireplace and some lethal saws

Lunch Menu

Lunch at the Settlers Arms is served between 12pm - 3pm and there is a reasonable variety. I love how the menu is written on the chalkboard at the front of the pub.

There are lots of wooden benches outside the pub where you can sit and enjoy your lunch or you can eat inside. However, it was nice and sunny on this day so we chose to eat on a bench outside.

I've got a bit of a soft spot for ordering a Ploughmans Lunch when I'm in a Country Pub. It just feels so right. So - that's what I do. The Ploughmans Lunch is plentiful and there is a large smattering of things provided including lots of cold meats, huge chunks of brie and cheddar cheese, pickles, olives, lovely tomato chutneys and a pickled relish. This is accompanied by a nice warm bread roll. It hit the spot.

 

Ploughmans Lunch ($19)

Mr FBC on the other hand can't go past a nice big meat pie... especially if it's a homemade  'Guinness Meat Pie'. Actually, Mr FBC has a bit of a soft spot for any type of meal which is made with Guinness. I'm guessing it's because he's half Irish? The Settlers Arm meat pie comes with a generous serving of potato mash, juicy green peas and has splashings of rich gravy. It's such a simple combination but it really works. When I was younger I use to love peeling the crust of the meat pie and then squeeze lots of tomato sauce into the meat gravy. Unfortunately, Mr FBC guarded his pie too well and wouldn't let me or the tomato sauce near it :( 

Homemade Guiness Meat Pie ($14)

I really enjoyed the Settlers Inn and love how it probably hasn't changed that much over time. It's definitely somewhere that Mr FBC and I would go back to again - especially if we were looking to escape the city and get a dose of fresh air and great homestyle country cooking.

To get a feel for St Albans, try and imagine this photo without all the cars?

Settlers Arms Inn

1 Wharf Street

St Albans NSW

Australia

Phone: 02 4568 2111

http://www.settlersarms.com.au/

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The Big Rig Diner, Darlinghurst

One of my 'great' aims in life was to eat a hot dog in the USA. Yes, it really was. And, I'm glad to say that I managed to fulfil my simple little dream when I was backpacking around the US with my good friend Fi back in my uni days.

All my life I've always been drooling at the thought of American junk food. It all started with watching all the American TV sitcoms jam packed with lots of references to junk food such as Roseanne, Happy Days and Seinfeld to name a few. They seem to always be in a diner munching on things like burgers, fries, soda pop, donuts and pecan pie.

One night Mr FBC and I were looking for a late night snack along Oxford Street, which is mostly limited to kebabs and pizza.  However, I remembered reading on a couple of trusty foodblogs about a very authentic Americana style eatery called 'The Big Rig Diner'. So, with a quick search on my trusty iphone, off we went in search for greasy American Diner food.

Cool Booths and Juke Box

The Big Rig Diner feels very authentic. You feel like you're stepping into a dark and divey 'all American' late night diner and expect to see the placed filled with American truckies. It's great! There are wooden booths and lots of American paraphenalia hanging on the wall. There's even a jukebox in the corner playing lots of great  music. When Marvin Gaye's "I heard it through the grapevine'' starts playing, you just feel like you should get up and start boogying around the booths. Mr FBC and I dance on the 'inside', but it's fun watching the cook and the waitress have a little boogey.

The menu is full of typical 'American diner' food. There are burgers, macaroni and cheese, fajitas, and hot dogs.  Mr FBC and I have hankerings for Hot Dogs and Fries - so that's what we order.

Baja Hot Dog ($13.50)

The hot dogs are huge - so huge that there's difficulty eating them with your hands. Mr FBC ordered the Baja Hot Dog, which was overflowing and oozing with tex-mex inspired fillings (including a spicy sausage, homemade chilli, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, cheese and chopped haberneros). I was a bit more conservative and ordered the less well endowed, but super tasty, Big Rig Hot Dog which came with a pork and fennel sausage, caramelised onion and topped with melted brie and tomato chili jam. I found the tomato chilli jam a bit too spicy... but I think that's just me and my wussy tastebuds.

Big Rig Hot Dog ($9.50)

People who know me well will be aware of my deep addiction to french fries and hot chips. Fries would be more appropriate at this place, but alas, they only have hot thick and chunky chips. This is not a problem for this addict who prefers thick cut chips over fries anyway. The chips are well cooked, with a great crunchy outside and fluffy potato on the inside. Make sure to smother them with ketchup.

Hot Chips ($4)

As we were only after a late night snack, my Mr FBC and I are pretty full and need to pass on dessert. However, I do note for future reference that there's a great variety of desserts available including the all American Pecan Pie, complete with chantilly cream. Will definitely have that next time.

The Big Rig Diner

231 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst NSW
Phone (02) 9332 3197

Opening Hours: Tue to Thu 6pm - 3am; Fri to Sat 6pm - 6am

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Peking Duck at Da Dong Restaurant, Beijing (China)

This is a blog from our trip to China in February...

After finishing a family holiday on tropical Hainan Island in China, Mr FBC and I (along with my brother, sister and brother-in-law) quickly acclimatised to the freezing Beijing temperatures. It was minus 10 degrees (ahhh!).

One thing that we all wanted to do was try Peking Duck! Just in case you weren't aware, Peking was the old term used by colonialists for Beijing, supposedly it was what the old farts thought Beijing sounded like (not!). Anyway, I suppose Peking duck has sort of stuck and Beijing duck just doesn't have the same ring.

As we only had 3 nights in Beijing, I thought I would do some online research on recommended Peking duck restauarants. There was one criteria: I wanted GOOD Peking Duck. 

I came across a place called Da Dong which had great reviews. Bookings are recommended. Fortunately, my brother was able to get a mandarin chinese speaking friend to make a reservation for us.

My sister booked our accommodation and I picked the restuarant. I'm not sure if it was coincidence or just fate, however, when we got to Beijing and looked up the address of Da Dong, we found out it was located ACROSS the road from where we were staying!

When we arrive, we are quickly shown to our table. Da Dong is very swanky and uber chic. Da Dong is named after Chef Dong. His face is even on the business card!

The waitress does not speak English and unfortunately none of us speak Mandarin (except for the Mandarin Phrase book I have in my hand).  Mum: why didn't you make us go to Chinese Saturday school when we were little - I know we all begged to not go, but why did you listen to us - what would we know?! Thank god the menu is also written in English and has pictures. It's going to be a 'pick, point and eat' night.

First dish of the night is venison with pineapple. I suppose we chose it as a bit of a homage to 'sweet and sour pork'. The venison was very tender.

Sauteed Venison with Pineapple

Next dish was the diced chicken and peanut with spicy sauce. Again... I suppose we were paying our respects to 'chicken and cashew' nut. This dish was laced with lots of chilli and was very spicy.. but delicious.

Chicken, peanut and spicy sauce

The next dish, stirfriend scallops with xo sauce, really made an impression with its presentation. It was amazing to see the hoops of  deep fried noodles delicately balanced on the plate and juicy plump scallops covered in the salty xo sauce happily frolicking around the plate.

Stirfriend Scallops with XO sauce

My younger brother really enjoys tofu so we decided to try the braised beancurd broccoli. This is definitely the best looking beancurd that I've enjoyed, with each spoon containing a mouthful of tofu topped with a salty fish paste.

Braised Bean Curd with Broccoli

Finally, it's time for Peking Duck. Or should I say, a man with a large duck comes along and starts cutting up the poultry with lots of super quick and swift moves. We each get a side dish filled with condiments including soy sauce, slivers of shallots, ginger, cucumber, radish, sugar and black beans. We also get platters of pancakes and little sesame bread rolls.

A plate of condiments

Duck action! Chop chop!

Beautiful duck with crispy skin

We've all eaten duck pancakes but we're not sure what to do with all the condiments and bread. Fortunately, the waitress senses our distress and, due to our lack of mandarin skills, utilisies the 'watch and learn' approach to explain how we should eat our duck.For the crispy duck skin, she shows us dip the skin in the dish of sugar. We mimic - yum! The sugar crystals really offset the fat crispy skin. The skin is thin and brown and super crisp. It's not chewy at all.

Next the waitress shows us how we should wrap our pancake. Spread the pancake, then take a bit of cucumber, then a bit of plum sauce, then a bit of shallot. Wrap the pancake in half and then in quarters, so that it forms a bit of a cone. Voila! Peking Duck pancake. Sorry - don't have photos of the pancake :(  However, I do have a photo of what I'd call the 'duck bread roll'. There really isn't too much too it. Just wack some duck into the cute sesame encrused roll with some sauce and shallots. It was beautiful and so difference

Duck Bread Roll

We're pretty stuffed by now, but to make ourselves feel better, we order some Chinese Spinach.

Sauteed Chinese Spinach

Finally, to end our meal we receive a platter of fruit which comes on some dry ice so it looks a bit 'space age'.

Complimentary Fruit Platter

We really enjoyed our meal here and it was great to have Chinese food which is so well presented. If you're ever in the neighbourhood, you should definitely try Da Dong Duck.

Da Dong Jinbao Jie branch 11-10 pm. 5/F Jinbao Place, 88 Jinbao Jie, Dongcheng district. 8522-1234

Over the top?... moi?

Ages ago...... like in March... I received an 'Over The Top' food award from the the lovely Foodwink. Have a look at her food blog. It's definitely FOOD ...PORN at its best.  I'm sure the award should be taken away from me as it's been awhile since I was awarded and I've been extremely tardy on the blog front lately.

Anyhoo...in winning the award, I  have to answer 35 questions with one word (sorry... I'm always too wordy so some answers are two words!) I always find these lists quite interesting and I think you can tell a lot about a person, even if each answer is very short. I wonder what you think of me (aka Mrs FBC). To make life interesting... I've made Mr FBC answer the questions too. I wonder what you think of Mr FBC too??

Mrs FBC's answers
1.Where is your cell phone? Charging


2.Your hair? Straight


3.Your mother? Chatty

4.Your father? Quiet


5.Your favourite food? Lobster


6.Your dream last night? None!


7.Your favourite drink? Passiona


8.Your dream/goal? Happiness


9.What room are you in? Dining Room


10.Your hobby? Food


11.Your fear? Failure


12.Where do you want to be in six years? Contentment


13.Where were you last night? Bundanoon


14.Something that you aren’t? Skinny
15.Muffins? Yum!
16.Wish list item? Audi TT Roadster


17.Where did you grow up? Sydney


18.Last thing you did? Dinner
19.What are you wearing? Trackies


20.Your TV? Masterchef!!!!


21.Your pets? Handbags!


22.Friends? Buying couches!


23.Your life? Searching


24.Your mood? Edgy


25.Missing someone? No


26.Vehicle? VW Polo


27.Something you’re not wearing? scarf


28.Your favourite store? Pentimento
 
29.Your favourite colour? Red


30.When was the last time you laughed? Today


31.Last time you cried? TV


32.Your best friend? Mr FBC


33.One place that I go to over and over? Work!


34.One person who emails me regularly? TwoThousand


35.Favourite place to eat? Yum Cha


Mr FBC's Answers 
1.Where is your cell phone? Pocket

2.Your hair? Short

3.Your mother? Mary

4.Your father? Graham

5.Your favourite food? Pasta

6.Your dream last night? Work

7.Your favourite drink? Coke

8.Your dream/goal? Writer

9.What room are you in? Living Room

10.Your hobby? Foodporn

11.Your fear? Disappointment

12.Where do you want to be in six years? Overseas

13.Where were you last night? Bundanoon

14.Something that you aren’t? Organised

15.Muffins? Banana 

16.Wish list item? IPAD

17.Where did you grow up? Sydney

18.Last thing you did? Ate

19.What are you wearing? Trackies 

20.Your TV? Masterchef

21.Your pets? None

22.Friends? Old!

23.Your life?  Philosophical

24.Your mood? Upbeat

25.Missing someone? No

26.Vehicle? VW

27.Something you’re not wearing? socks

28.Your favourite store? Pentimento (Newtown)

29.Your favourite colour? Red

30.When was the last time you laughed? Yesterday

31.Last time you cried? 1992

32.Your best friend? Mrs FBC

33.One place that I go to over and over? Campos 

34.One person who emails me regularly? Mrs FBC

35.Favourite place to eat?Home

Promise to share some more Food Porn soon!

see you,
Mrs FBC
xo

Say no to Ham and Pineapple Pizza! - Rosso Pomodoro Pizzeria, Balmain

Hello again. It’s been a while between posts. Oops :( Don't worry... Mr FBC and I aren't on diets (as much as we should be) and we've been busily eating and taking lots of photos. This post is dedicated to our dear friend Mr Don who reminded us last weekend that we hadn't blogged in awhile. Thanks for the inspiration Mr Don :) 

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The Rules

I'm not a fan of Ham and Pineapple pizza - it just tastes wrong to me. I just don't like it when pineapple turns up in my savoury foods... like pineapple in sweet n sour pork (wrong!!!) or pineapple chunks in fried rice (wrong!!!). When I was a kid, my family use to order pizza from Pizza Hut (this was in the 80's when pizza meant 'Pizza Hut' or alternatively frozen 'McCain' pizzas). I always remember being horrified when my mum returned with a Ham and Pineapple pizza.  

I'm glad to say I'm not the only one with this opinion on this evil topping combination. After following a tip for a good authentic Italian pizza joint from a friend, Mr FBC and I find ourselves at Rosso Pomodoro in 'White Bay' precinct of Balmain. Hidden amongst the very bland cream coloured medium density housing backdrop of White Bay, the restuarant is located at the ground floor of a block of flats. The first thing I spot when I walk into the restaurant is a sign on the wall which indicates "The Rules" of the place. Rule number 2 is "No Ham and Pineapple". Here, here!

Rosso Pomodoro  is buzzing with people and the place is filled with happy familys (many Italian families too - always a good sign of authenticity) enjoying their pizzas.

Mr FBC and I start with an Antipasti Plate which is very generous pile of tidbits and a bit of a Jenga puzzle to unravel. There are cured meats layered on the bottom, blobs of mozzarella cheese, artichokes, olives. The dish is topped with long,warm and fresh for the oven breadsticks which criss cross the plate. 

Antipasto Della Casa $23.50

The Antipasto was a huge serving and Mr FBC and I pretty full by the time we finished. However, we're here for the legendary pizza and so, like troopers, we give our stomachs a bit of a rest before continuing on our pizza devouring journey. 

There are two types of pizzas available: Pizze Rose (tomato base) or Pizze Bianche (no tomato base). Back in my 'Pizza Hut' days I'm sure I thought a pizza was not a pizza without tomoto paste. However, these days I think tomato bases often make a pizza quite heavy.
Today, we decide to order one of the special pizze biache of the day: Pizza Ai Fiori di Zucca (buffallo mozzarella, ham, zucchini flower stuffed with ricotta and parmesan)
Our pizza arrives and is placed on a steel stand, elevating all its delicious glory to eye level (as well as making more room on the table).  The zucchini flowers were wonderfully soft and overflowed with the melted ricotta. The mix of subtle buffalo mozzarella and parmesan worked well with the thin shavings of ham. The pizza base is thin with a scorched base and is a good companion to the perfect balance of toppings.

Pizza Ai Fiori di Zucca ($23)

Mr FBC and I order salad in hope that it will be our 'healthy' component to the meal.  The Insalate Verde (Rocket and Parmasen salad) is simple but good.  The rocket is plentiful and has a light drizzling of balsalmic and extra virgin olive oil, topped with shavings of parmesan.

Insalate Verda ($9.50)

Rosso Pomodoro is very much the 'local' pizza joint to many of the diners and it's pretty obvious that many people that come here are regulars. It's great to see the staff welcome diners like old friends. It makes Mr FBC and I  a bit envious. The only downside is that the place is loud and it's very hard to hear your conversation but I suppose you're here for the food. Mr FBC and I certainly didn't really have time to chat... we were too busy stuffing our faces with pizza. And good pizza too!

Rosso Pomodoro

Tuesday to Sunday (6pm -10pm)

Shop 90-91, 24 Buchanan St, Balmain (White Bay)

(02) 9555 5924

http://www.rossopomodoro.com.au/