I’m not normally one for hot chocolate, having made myself ill on thick Spanish hot chocolate and churros. Too many people had however mentioned Monsieur Truffe when I asked tips on places to explore in Fitzroy, my new stomping ground. Well it was amazing. Perfect sized tiny mugs of rich dark chocolate, not too sweet and not too rich- just right. And the Mocha which is my favourite of all was made with an 85% bitter chocolate and coffee and was pure heaven in a cup.
When I was a little girl, there was nothing better for breakfast than my grandmothers Matzah brei, served in a little frypan topped with her own apricot jam. It was so delicious that I knew I just had to be loved beyond measure! Well, this weekend was Easter break and we drove 2 hours out of Melbourne to Thornton to my aunty and uncles farm. Rose spoilt us rotten with 3 delicious meals each day. My favorite was her very own take on Matzah brei made thicker and more cake like, topped with caramelised apples and bananas and loads of honey.
Honestly, I’m no expert, but I do know fresh ingredients and food prepared with love. Little Saigon, on Victoria street in Richmond, is just another wee Vietnamese cafe amongst many. The interior’s plain, and it’s full of locals who do their best to keep this well kept secet under wraps- no pun intended…
I do my best to fast all day, knowing that I’ve been invited to join the eating frenzy that is Passover dinner. We were invited to the home of close family friends. Basia, who is well known for her amazing cooking, didn’t disappoint. I was starving and knew I was in for at least 5 courses. There’s starters, see above, which include gefilte fish made with Austalian Murray perch, sweet and delicious, egg salad, various dips and smoked salmon. Oh and don’t forget the boiled egg drizzled with the salty tears of our people.
Karen Martini is the visionary and much awarded chef behind Mr Wolf, a rustic Italian wood oven pizza restaurant on Inkerman St in St Kilda Melbourne. So many people had told me to go here that I didn’t just because. Well, that was just plain stupid, because the food here is so incredible. Pricey yes it is, but sometimes, just sometimes, it’s really worth it.
That moment when you cut into a light fluffy poached egg, and the creamy yolk spills over layers of toast, smoked ham and avocado, has to be one of my favourites. But how oh how to guarantee that perfect creamy oozy egg? I was delighted to see that Felicity Cloake on the Guardian food blog, had taken it upon herself to really explore all techniques which you can see here.
I decided to try her most recommended technique, the ‘Vortex’ method and was delighted. It not only works perfectly but produces a super professional and pretty tear drop result. My only modification is that I used a small wok for the water as it gives the perfect depth of water and creates a deeper vortex for the egg to poach in. For Sacha and I there was a 3 minute wait between eggs, which was hardly a wait at all, and the first egg was still warm and perfect.
Today I wandered all the way to Belgravia with Sacha. Okay its not the worlds longest walk from Notting Hill, but I was hungry and tired and could not wait to get into this foody experience created by Courvoisier, and Bompas and Parr, famous jelly afficionados and foody conceptualists. We got to this derelict old house on Belgravia Square, full of excitement. The experience promised to be a tour through the ages of eating and drinking…
You are looking at a Gorgeous Gugel which is a Gugelhopf – warm intense chocolate pudding with a melting middle served with white chocolate granita and a blackcurrant mint cassis compote. So divine so perfect. You’ll have to head to Brighton, to Terre a Terre to try it.
