fast Fridays

Sometimes you just want to eat and run to the next bar for drinks.  It was Friday, this was the case.

Grill'd Mount Lawley on Urbanspoon

The Flower Shop

My wonderful friend Skye has finally stuck a pretty little label on the jar of talent she has been holding on to for so long.  She will bring beautiful blossoms into your life, creating special bunches for weddings and special occasions.  The Flower Shop will soon be running workshops full of flowers and fun.  I am a little bit excited to be flower-bombing with Skye and a bunch of pretty girls next weekend.  

Yee hawww!

If you are craving a dash of Canadian charm with your bottomless jar of iced tea, then head to Inglewood’s latest eatery for a comfort food fix.  This little piece of the US is the brainchild of Perth’s favourite Scotsman, Iain Lawless, and Liam Atkinson who spent a few years in the Rocky Mountains polishing up his Western ways in the kitchen.  Miss Kitty’s Saloon is full of all those things that make you smile and want to bootscoot.  Doughnuts, ribs for breakfast, poutine and fried chicken on waffles, what more could you ask for.

Miss Kitty's Saloon
882 Beaufort Street
Inglewood WA 

Miss Kitty's Saloon on Urbanspoon

rustic Italian eats

Mangiare e felicita; eating is happiness.  This is a belief that most certainly resonates with me and that La Svolta lives by.  Tucked away on Cecil Place in Prahran this authentic Italian trattoria is warm and friendly serving up traditional fare from all corners of 'The Boot'.  

This pizzeria is favoured by our friends at Totem Onelove and was the perfect haven for a Stereosonic team dinner.  The wonderful thing about dining in such astute company is knowing that no one is shy to eat and the ordering of many dishes to share is encouraged.   The table was laden with crispy calamari, tasting plates brimming with cuts of cured meats and cheese, pizzas, pastas, more pastas, risotto and sides drowned with generous offerings of wine.  This is teaming building at its best. 

With each bite of happiness you know in your heart that the recipe was created by a Nonna somewhere.  You can imagine a child clutching at legs, every inch of the kitchen bench top floured, each piece of pasta lovingly shaped whilst a big pot of passata bubbles away on the stove.  If only all Italian dining experiences, outside of the home, were this humble, delicious and true.  

La Svolta
3-5 Cecil Place
Prahran VIC 
Ph: 03 9510 3001

La Svolta Pizzeria e Trattoria on Urbanspoon

Woods of Windsor

I felt as though I stepped back into 1920s Melbourne chancing upon an illegal whiskey bar.  Amidst the hustle and bustle of Chapel Street, The Woods of Windsor is sophisticated and charming and definitely worth a look.  Beautifully furnished with decadent dark wood and dotted with nods to yesteryear with stunning attention to detail.   Taxidermy animals peer at you from the shelves of the well stocked bar as you peruse the cocktail menu.  The Woods is a culmination of good food and wine with an astounding whiskey collection. 

Vodka, lemon, smoked hay syrup, bitters, bunnahabhain float
The Lewis Medlock

The leading character to the 1972 American thriller 'Deliverance' whose Southern American adventure took a sour twist.

Zucchini Flowers goats cheese, beetroot, pine nuts

Forest Mushroom Tart
 spiced yoghurt, chestnut puree, watercress

Hay Smoked Kingfish dashi dressing, picked celery, native finger limes

Pig Trotter Fritters onion marmalade, soft quail egg  

Martin Millers, lemon, apricot, edlerflower, tonic
Wellington's Quaff

A twist on the classic gin and tonic.  The delicate citrus floral notes celebrate the late great British Statesman's victory at Vittoria in 1813.

Peanut Butter Bar raspberry sorbet, salted peanut caramel

Triple Chocolate Slice banana ice cream, shaved white chocolate

The Woods of Windsor 
108 Chapel Street
Windsor, Melbourne VIC 

A touch of South America

Singapore has been struck down with Latin American fever. Joining the ranks of fellow South American eateries, Lucha Locha and La Barra, Sur swung its doors open in November 2012.  Sur embraces the open kitchen/bar concept making the brightly lit space both warm and inviting.  Shelves line the walls brimming with South American ingredients and the bright mosaic tables welcome you to take a seat.  Peruvian-Venezuelan owner, Alejandro Luna, focuses on Nuevo Latino cuisine, his creations are traditional South American recipes reminiscent of his childhood.     

At Sur you will find fiercely fresh and flavoursome cuisine making it the perfect spot for a light lunch or intimate dinner with friends.

Panchito - Fresh Orange, Mint, Ginger Beer
Papelón con Limón - Lime Juice with Raw Cane Sugar Pulp
Arepas - queso, shredded beef stew, pulled pork 
Ceviche de Salmón - Salmon, Orange Leche de Tigra, Poached Taro Root, Red Onions, Jalapeños, Cilantro
Alfajores -  soft, delicate traditional cookies

Sur
13 North Canal Road
Singapore 
Tel: 6222 2897

Disney on crack

I am not really sure how I feel about this film.  A montage of party, pink balaclavas, bikinis and dirty mountains of money.   I felt all the right things; from disgust to repulsion and  astonishment, to amused and then anxious and then there was this teeny tiny pang of admiration.  They pretty much did whatever the fuck they wanted, all actions ultimately went without any consequence.  A film about living in the moment, however you want to.   If you want to go home ... then go ... your story will end and you are forgotten.  Hop on a bus and shed some tears, or you can stay ... Spring Breaaaaaak.  

delights for April

Once a month it feels like my birthday.  I cannot wait to start enjoying all the gorgeous offerings from the April edition of Urban Locavore.

Parlour Diner

Amidst the clutter of eats jammed along Chapel Street there is a humble American-style diner that my friends at Totem Onelove regularly frequent.  The Parlour Diner gives all the right nods to the US without going overboard.  

We shared Pale Ale Onion Rings and Parlour Curly Fries which were hastily dunked into the mustard with chipotle sauce.  A nice little pitstop in our Stereosonic summit.  It is too hard to sit in the boardroom with a rumbling stomach.  So instead we sat at the pretty blues tables in Windsor chatting about the Splendour lineup, whilst playing on our phones waiting to tuck into our burgers. ` 

I must say I was a little devastated that they were out of the dressed lobster and shrimp ‘Po Boy’ with slaw and chimichurri salsa.  But all was forgiven when I sunk my teeth into my Asian Pork Slider with Asian Slaw smothered in chipotle sauce.  Yum! I love this place.

Parlour Diner
64 Chapel Street
Windsor  VIC  3183

Parlour Diner on Urbanspoon

light lunch

Oh Mrs S you always get it right!  I had forgotten how tranquil the cafe is after 2pm.  It is nice to beat the rush, sit down spreading out over the big table without anyone eyeing off your spot the moment you put down your fork and brush the crumbs from your mouth.  

The Manwich was a perfect love affair of pulled pork, beetroot pickle and salad embraced by a firm, fresh  ciabatta roll.   I love that the Autumn menu has an offering of tasty and decadent salads which all seem healthy enough to warrant #cleaneating.  The nutty wild rice and charred pumpkin salad was riddled with cranberries, pecans and pepitas adding texture and crunch.  The salad of French green lentils laden with gorgonzola, pear and broad beans had a beautiful balance of flavouts set off by the bitter salad leaves.   

A perfectly light lunch with a perfect pair of friends.

Mrs. S on Urbanspoon

Perth has a secret cake club!

Each month a group of likeminded souls plan and plot for a secret meeting of an ancient art.  The morning of the grand unveiling is spent preparing and perfecting with only one thing in mind.  CAKE. 

This secret meeting of those who love to bake was started by my wonderful food loving friends Jacqui (Pantry in Suburbia) and Carolanne (Carolanne's Kitchen).  In early 2012 the girls became the Perth arm of the Cladestine Cake Club.  Not wanting to stick to the rigid rules of the CCC and with Carolanne moving to South Africa,  Jacqui said the change in the air had her craving something new.  So Secret Cake Club was created and born out of a desire to bake freely!      

Spring always brings those feelings of yesteryear and the theme for last September was retro cakes from your childhood.  I was a little too frantic to pull out my mum's dogeared Women's Weekly cookbooks so I did what any smart person would do.  I attended, I listened, I ate. 

The next Secret Cake Club meeting is this Sunday, 5 May 2013.   The theme is to bring "you on a plate".  This means we will rock up armed with a dish, sweet or savoury, that reflects our very soul.   This is going to be interesting!

Reuben sandwich

There seem to be many conflicting stories on the history of the Reuben Sandwich and where and when it was first invented.  I just know that whoever Reuben is, I like him ...  and his sandwich.  Whilst there a few variations out there I made a superb combination of:

1 loaf of dark rye bread, buttered on the outside
1 cup of thousand island sauce (equal parts tomato sauce and good quality mayo)
1 jar of sauerkraut 
300g pastrami or silverside 
10 slices of swiss cheese

All layered within two pieces of rye, toasted and served with a pickle.

You really have to get your hands sauerkraut by Foley's Frothing Fermentations.  I was lucky enough to stumble upon this local producer via Urban Locavore. 

community cookbook

Recipes & Ramblings is a collection of gorgeous recipes from local community members, chefs and venues.  For only $20 you can have a little bit of Beaufort Street in your kitchen every evening.

barbecued ginger ale pork ribs

I have a confession.  I have a girl crush.  On a girl called Katie.   

Since Katie (well her cookbook) came into my life, my thirst for cooking is now hard to quench.  Each weekend I have been drawing inspiration from her gorgeous cookbook What Katie Ate.  On this particular weekend it was her Barbecued ginger ale pork ribs  that got me.  I threw together a green slaw with shredded apples and sticky fig balsamic and a little side of pan fried haloumi with fresh limes.