In the short time I was there, the French Quarter of New Orleans became one of my favourite places in the world. Located in the South-East of Louisiana along the Mississippi River, the French Quarter has a wonderfully rich cultural diversity that is steeped in history.
New Orleans was founded by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville of the French Mississippi Company in 1718 and named for Phillipe d'Orleans, Duke of Orleans. This French colony was then given to Spain as part of the Treaty of Paris in 1763, then was taken back by France in 1801. Napoleon sold New Orleans to the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, which led to an influx of American, French, Creole, Irish, German, Haitian and African immigration, both voluntary and involuntary. This melting pot of cultures has made the architecture, cuisine and even the language and diction of New Orleans unique.
New Orleans is a city defined by the hardships they endure. In 2005 Hurricane Katrina tore a devestating path through the city when the federal flood protection system failed. 80% of the city was left flooded, and many citizens took shelter in the Louisiana Superdome and the New Orleans Morial Convention Centre, but these shelters had little food and less water, and over 1500 people died - some are still unaccounted for. Despite this and other natural disasters, both long past and recent, New Orleans is still a city bustling with life and energy - a city that prides itself on it's ability to bounce back and recover again and again.
When Stephen and I visited, we were lucky enough to be staying right on Royal Street, in the heart of the French Quarter. I knew for certain I wanted to check out the famous French Markets, but Stephen wanted breakfast first, so we stopped by Cafe Du Monde nearby.
Cafe Du Monde is an institution by its own right. It opened in 1862 on Decatur Street, and for over a century has been supplying New Orleans with beignets and cafe au lait.
The dining room is scattered with photos of the cafe in all its previous incarnations, and the staff all wear little paper hats and bowties straight out of the 50's. The menu is very limited; in the way of food, only beignets are sold, and there are only a few different kinds of coffee. We ordered, and our server joined a line of other servers in a canteen-like fashion to pick up our coffee.
Cafe Au Lait - US$2.42
Cafe Du Monde is famous for cafe au lait, which is served in a way unique to New Orleans: the coffee is spiked with chicory and the milk is scalded. Its bitter flavour is iconic to this cafe, and is a great foil for the sweetness of the beignets.
Iced Cafe Au Lait US$3.87
The iced version is like a cafe au lait slushy, and comes in a more generous size. I, personally, prefer the original - everytime I took a sip of the iced coffee I kept expecting something sweet.
Beignets - US$2.42
The beignets were deep-fried square pillows of choux pastry, with a deliciously crispy outer, yet fluffy on the inside. Mountains of icing sugar topped them - apparently it's customary for first timers to blow the icing sugar off the top and make a wish, but we refrained.
So much icing sugar!
We moved on further down Decatur Street to the French Markets. Established in 1791, it's 6 blocks full of enclosed and outdoor shopping (which of course I took full advantage of), but there's about a block of food stalls that we were really interested in, and we found it to be a great introduction to the cuisine of New Orleans.
Muffuletta is the signature sandwich of New Orleans. It's made with a large, round loaf of bread similar to a foccacia in texture, and almost always consists of olive spread, provolone, ham, pepperoni, coppa and salami.
Hot Chocolate - $3.00
We tried a spiced hot chocolate, which was warm with notes of cinnamon and chilli and perfect for the icy weather we were having.
Egg Nog - $3.00
I had never tried egg nog before, and was quite keen. Beneath the cinnamon, nutmeg and custard flavours I was surprised to taste a trace of rum - I had forgotten that it was legal (and even normal practise - my ID wasn't even asked for) to drink in public.
6" Pulled Pork Po' Boy - US$8.00
A Po' Boy is a type of sandwich made with New Orleans French bread. We were sampling lot of dishes, so we ordered a 6" or a "shorty" between us. The pulled pork was soft and tender, cooked in a sweet and mildly spicy sauce until it fell apart. It was served with sharp green tomatoes and salty pickles.
Dirty Banana - US$8.00
In another display of public drinking, we went to The Organic Banana stand and ordered a cocktail. This icy concoction of fresh banana, amaretto, coffee liqueur and chocolate syrup was sweet and fresh, a great way to end a marathon of eating.
New Orleans was extraordinary. The atmosphere was fun and carefree, the shopping excellent and the food even better. There were many more places we visited, but I found the French Markets and Cafe Du Monde to be quintessential experiences of the French Quarter.
French Market District
On Decatur Street
Between St Peters Street & Barracks Street
http://www.frenchmarket.org
I know what you're thinking: Taronga Zoo? What did you do, put a monkey on a spit?
No, my darlings, we left the animals intact (this time...), but humans gotta graze too, ya know? So I thought I'd check out what the folks at Taronga have to offer for those of the human persuasion.
I first came here for my 7th birthday, and I'll be honest, all I remember are the giraffes, ice cream, and this peacock that kept following me around for said ice cream. I then came back when I was 17 as a get together with some friends from work, and that time all the animals were having babies or getting their enclosures fixed, so I didn't see much. This visit, which was for my sister's 4th birthday, was a good opportunity to re-acquaint myself with Taronga.
The view from the Sky Safari
My Giraffe Friend
The Big-Ass Reticulated Python that freaked my sister out
After a couple of hours of sight-seeing, we had worked up a reasonable appetite, so we headed towards the Taronga Food Market to see what was available.
There are a few different stalls; Charco Pollo, which sold almost exclusively chicken (and had run out of chicken when we got there :s); A place simply called Bakery, which is pretty self-explanatory; Hot Wok, which sold mainly stir fried noodles, but was closed; and Taronga's, which seemed to only sell burgers and wraps. With these lackluster choices, we went with Taronga's, simply because we felt like hot food, and a croissant wasn't gonna to cut it.
When we got to the front of the line, the guy who served my dad and I was a bit incompetent - he wasn't sure about a lot of the items on the menu (and really, there were only about 6 items), and he forgot one of the burgers and two of the drinks in our order. Still, we eventually got what we paid for, and we sat down to eat.
Chicken Nuggets and Chips - $10.20
Of course my sister had chicken nuggets - what self-respecting 4 year old wouldn't milk their birthday for all it's worth? There were six crispy nuggets, and although they were a bit oily, they were definitely tasty. The chips were chunky, but quite crunchy as well - the only downside being that they were a tad cold.
Chicken Wrap Combo - $14.20
In a bid to consume some vegetables, I had the chicken wrap combo with water. The wrap was quite nice, thin and a little bit salty, like a tortilla almost. The salad was fresh and the chicken crumbed and tender. Again, the chips were chunky and crunchy, and completely ruined my good intentions. Mmmmm.
Beef Burger Combo - $14.20
The beef burger had a juicy pattie of meat, fresh salads and beetroot. There was also mayo, which didn't really go with the burger in my opinion, and the bun was crusty and thick. Served with chips and a drink.
What we felt like after eating
Dining at Taronga Zoo seems limited to cafe's and fast food. Luckily, the fast food seems decent enough, but it's such a shame there isn't something more upscale - imagine fine dining, eating fresh seafood or roasted venison and spatchcock whilst overlooking the zoo and the cityscape!
Entry to Taronga Zoo:
$37.40 Adult
$31.50 Concession
$18.70 Child
Taronga Zoo
Bradley's Head Rd,
Mosman, NSW
2088
Phone: (02) 9969 2777
http://www.taronga.org.au/
I'm SO SO lucky to have such a great relationship with my almost-in-laws Rosie and George. I often hear horror stories about mothers-in-law constantly criticising, and fathers-in-law being crude and awkward and inappropriate, and am so relieved that Stephen's parents are nothing like that when it comes to me. I was especially nervous when Stephen first introduced me to them, thinking that they would probably find me too odd or loud or young (I had just turned 17), but they took all that into their stride and accepted me straight away, and now we have an awesome rapport.
[Mind you, it took a whole lot longer for my parents to accept Stephen, and I'm pretty sure Stephen was way more nervous when my dad rocked up the driveway first time they met, blasting this song at full volume - my dad is evil!]
Stephen's parents took me to Berrima a couple of weeks ago because I've been wanting to go for ages, and Stephen would never get off his arse and take me (I don't drive, k?). It's halfway between Sydney and the black hole that is Canberra, and about an hour and a half from where I live. When we coast into this sleepy little town, we find parking just off the Old Hume Highway, strap on the boots that are made for walking, and start exploring this village.
The Little Hand Stirred Jam Shop was our first stop, and when I entered, a very uncouth "Holy S**t!" escaped me, much to the delight of the shop owners.
This place is AMAZING. The decor sort of reminds me of an apothacry, except instead of eye of newt and tongue of dog, there are jars of delicious jams, honeys and chutneys lining the walls.
There were other stores to explore, and we were still trying to get through all the jam that we bought at Bilpin, so I only bought some Tasmanian Prickly Box honey (insert inappropriate joke here), a honey and ginger spread, truffle infused evo oil, and a couple of varieties of Fernleigh Australian Gourmet Coffee that Stephen and I have been searching for since trying it a couple of years ago. Score!
Our next stop was to Mrs. Oldbuck's Pantry, a store that boasts over 100 types of tea and 200 types of preserves (and I'm starting to feel like all people do here is eat jam and scones and drink tea and coffee...).
As I eyed the various teapots with rabid covetousness, Rosie bought a few samples of their chai tea mixes for Stephen, including Dheli, Punjabi and Marsala. Instead of buying more tea, I visited the other section of the shop that sells preserves, honey, and other products that come in jars:
I hadn't planned on buying anything for the afore-mentioned reason, but something extraordinary caught my eye: Watermelon Jam. Seriously! Of course I had to own a jar.
With all the walking we had done so far we were ravenous, so we stopped at The Gumnut Patisserie for some of their famous pies.
The inside of the cafe was a bit dark and gloomy, but then again the weather wasn't too crash hot. We found a table right up the front, but it hadn't been cleared from the previous diners (and wasn't cleared until our orders came later). We looked over the menu board and chose a pie and coffee each, then waited for them to be brought to us.
Agreed!
Steak and Kidney Pie
George had the steak and kidney pie. Although the pie looked a tad burned on the top, the crust was flaky and messy, and there was just the right amount of peppery gravy. The beef was succulent and tender, and the flavour was made bolder and richer with the addition of kidney.
Roast Vegetable Pie
Rosie gave the Roast Vegetable Pie a go, and whilst it looks a bit dry and wilted on the top, the inside was chock-full of tasty roasted pumpkin and potato. The pastry wasn't quite as good as George's, but then it didn't have a lovely pastry top.
Chicken and Leek Pie
My Chicken and Leek pie was a winner, the flaky, crunchy pastry concealing tender, juicy chicken pieces and a creamy sauce flavoured with leek and onion.
Cappuccino
Flat White
The coffees came out after our pies, accompanied by little Easter-themed meringues. The coffee was made quite strong, and gave us the boost we needed to continue our adventure.
[There were no prices listed in the patisserie, and no receipts, but the entire order was $27.50]
Our last stop was what I had been waiting for the entire day, simply because of the name of the establishment - Lolly Swagman.
George making friends
Here was a veritable treasure trove of any lolly, sweet, or candy you could imagine. They had jars full of musk sticks, lolly pop trees, stacks of home made fudge, and even some sweets from America.
My first instinct was to grab a basket and start filling it, but then my adult side won out with the argument "could you at least wait until you get health cover to start destroying your teeth?". I bought a demure Zombie Chew (who remembers those?!) because I haven't had one since high school, then walked out of the shop, looking back with a longing sigh.
Berrima contains not only these wonderful foodie destinations, but also a fair few stores selling clothes and beautiful antiques. There's a little something for everyone, and the drive is definitely worth it.
The Little Hand Stirred Jam Shop
1/9 Old Hume Highway
Berrima, NSW
2577
Phone: (02) 4877 1404
Fax: (02) 4877 1086
Email: [email protected]
Mrs. Oldbuck's Pantry
Shop 4 Oldbucks Corner,
Old Hume Highway,
Berrima, NSW
2577
Phone: 1800 440 144, (02) 4877 1489
Fax: (02) 4877 2630
www.mrsoldbucks.com.au
Gumnut Patisserie
Post Office Corner
Berrima, NSW
2577
Phone: (02) 4877 2177
Lolly Swagman
Old Hume Highway
Berrima, NSW
2577
Phone: (02) 4877 1137
Gosh, it sounds so magical, doesn't it? Like right out of a children's book.
Stephen and I like to walk the tracks at Katoomba, and last time we went we decided to stop on the way at one of the little fruit stores we saw lining Bells Line of Road. There we discovered the land of Bilpin, a small town 90 km West of the Sydney CBD that is famous across Australia for the apples they grow there. Last week we went back for their apple juice, a fresh, crisp, wonder of a juice in itself, and for a slice of gorgeous home-made apple pie with vanilla ice cream.
After a little over an hour of driving, our first stop was The Bilpin Fruit Bowl, one of the largest stores in Bilpin and, coincidentally, also home to the World's Largest Fruit Bowl. We got out of the car, stretched out our limbs and took a gander at the huge bowl of fibreglass fruit, then walked into the store.
Once inside, we were attracted to the shelves of hand-made preserves with labels that had been written in texta. Knowing that we'd been buying an awful lot of jams lately, we settled for a peach and ginger jam ($6.50). There were also shelves of apple-cider vinegar, apple jelly and honey.
We then headed over to the fresh fruit section, which was a bit homely compared to, say, a supermarket's fresh food section, but rightly so - fruit shouldn't look like it's made of wax. The fruit here was dull and unpolished, but when we bit into an apple, the "crunch" sound practically echoed it was so fresh (imagine just biting an apple at the top of the Three Sisters, instead of making the traditional "cooee!" call, lol).
There was a work station in the middle of the shop where two ladies were making the apple pies, and a cabinet with the finished product displayed. Though tempting, we had already tried these particular pies, and were looking forward to trying the ones across the road, so we gave them a miss.
After paying for our purchases (which included six 3 litre bottles of apple juice at $6 a bottle), we crossed the road and paid a visit to The Pines Orchard:
All along the back wall were stacks of preserves and honey, and even some sauces and 'The Grape Alternative' wine jellies to accompany meat. We picked up some blood orange marmelade, apple jelly, and some cabernet and merlot wine jelly.
We noticed that there was a cafe section to this store, and we were feeling quite hungry, so we ordered a small lunch before sampling some delicious apple pie. We placed our order, and were given one of those buzzing pager devices. Meanwhile, we paid for our other purchases at the front register and ordered our coffee and pie.
Small Cappucino - $3.50
We started our meal with a cappucino made with Vittoria ground coffee. It was a rich, robust brew without being too bitter, and it shook out some of the cobwebs.
Hamburger with Eggs, Bacon and Cheese - $7.50
Stephen described his burger as one of the best he's ever had. The beef patty was thick and juicy, and the egg was just as chunky. The bacon added some salt and the salad gave the burger some freshness to cut through all the cheese. To this day I still have no idea how Stephen ate that monstrously high burger.
Steak Sandwich with Salad - $7.50
I wanted a slightly smaller option, so I selected the steak sandwich with salad. It was very basic, but in a good way - the white bread was lightly toasted, the salad fresh, crisp and cool, and the steak itself was well done, but also tender and moist. It was something that I could have made at home, but was comforting and moreish.
Apple Pie and Ice Cream - $4.00
We recieved a quarter of an apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for our dessert. The pie had big, uneven chunks of apple which provided a nice balance of sweet and tart, and the crust had a sort of crispy shell that gave way to a more solid pastry. The vanilla ice cream is a classic accompaniment, and I really feel that no other garnish was needed.
Bilpin remains an enchanting place to visit, and it's probably one of the only places I'll ever buy apple juice from. I look forward to visiting next apple season for some fruit picking!
The Bilpin Fruit Bowl
2093 Bells Line of Road
Bilpin, NSW
2758
Phone: 02 4567 1152
Fax: 02 4567 0115
http://www.bilpinfruitbowl.com.au
The Pines Orchard*
Funnily enough, we could NOT find any details for this place on the internet. It's like it doesn't exist! However, it's directly across the road from The Bilpin Fruit Bowl - you can't miss it.
It's not every day that you get offered a job at a farm, but that's what happened to Roxy when we went to Leppington Vally Farm this morning. But let me go back to the beginning...
I've never stopped at one of these side-of-the-road places before, it just never seemed to cross my mind. Obviously Roxy is more adventurous than me, because she's been here before, and invited me for a little visit on Sunday last. It's not much of a drive, about 20 minutes from where I live and is 55km from the Sydney CBD. When we get there, there are a few large signs temptingly offering fresh figs, chocolate coated figs, and fig and nut cannoli:
The property is modest for a farm, but is jam-packed with fig trees and prickly pears. Roxana observes that the layout of the farm reminds her very much of rural Europe, specifically Romania; the house is right next to the farm, and there's a big communal table outside that she tells me is quintessentially European. This farm was founded 30 years ago by Vittorio and Julia Marando who came to Australia from Calabria, Italy.
We walk down the driveway to a shed beside the main house, where sits a large table with the products for sale. The friendly owner stood by in case we needed assistance, and we made our selections.
Roxy had measured out exactly a kilo and a half of figs without using the scales, and the owner was impressed. He then asked her to work out the price, which she did instantaneously, which prompted him to (jokingly) offer her a job! It's nice to know that if her current career path flounders (unlikely) she has a backup :)
These are the products I brought home:
Caramelised Fig & Balsamic Dressing - $12.00
Vincotto - $10.00
Chocolate Dipped Oven Roasted Figs - $2.50
1 kg Figs - $12.00
This award-winning Fig and Balsamic dressing is now in permanent residence in my pantry, within easy reach, because it's sweet yet tangy, and has a smooth, sexy finish. The vincotto is a grape syrup, and I was expecting something very sweet, but it had a strong bitter aftertaste and is also reminiscent of a young wine.
These figs were oh-so fresh, and whilst firm, very easy to tear into. The flavour was very delicately sweet in a way only figs can be.
I saved these babies for last - I definitely feel that the milk chocolate went better with the dried fig than the white chocolate , but they were both very messy to eat as the chocolate shattered everywhere, so it's best to eat them in one bite.
This trip has opened me up to stopping at roadside signs if I find them interesting - nothing to be afraid of! However, I will practise the 'safety first' philosophy - no stepping into strange people's houses alone...
That's how horror movies are made ;)
Leppington Valley Farm
129 George Rd
Leppington
Sydney, NSW
2171
Phone: 9606 5399
The Surry Hills Festival 2011
One thing I love about street festivals is that they can showcase the very best of a suburb all in one location. Roxy and I took advantage of that yesterday when we visited Surry Hills for the Surry Hills Festival 2011.
The Festival is held annually as a fundraiser for the Surry Hills Neighborhood Centre, and this year was held at two parks, Shannon Reserve on Crown St and Ward Park on Devonshire St. Just a short walk away from Central Station, we decided this was a good time to explore a suburb we have always wanted to see. We gave a gold coin donation for entry to the venues, then set about having a look at what the Festival had to offer.
There were a fair amount of food stalls, selling French crepes, German sausages, Himalayan cuisine and more. People would pay for their food, find a particularly comfortable patch of grass, and sit down to watch the various musical acts being performed on the stages. The whole thing had the air of one giant picnic, and the atmosphere was very relaxed and friendly.
There were also many other stalls, mostly selling hand-made or designer clothing, jewellery and accessories.
The New Zealand Snack Food stall caught my eye, and we rushed over to see if they had anything that I was familiar with. My mum used to tell me stories about how she'd steal change from her mother's purse so that she could buy lollies and chocolate as a child, and so I bought a few items to surprise her with:
Cadbury Pinky - $2.10
Moro - $2.10
Whittakers K Bar - 50c
When I mentioned that my mum was Maori, he asked me if she ever talked about Kina (sea urchin). He then gave me a flier with their address in Banksia, informing me that they stock Kina, Paua (abalone), beef from New Zealand, and that they lay Hangis as well (traditional method of cooking).
Outside the library on Crown St, we encountered the Hot Potato! Band playing the Mission Impossible theme song on brass and percussion. It was lively and fun, and they interrupted their songs occasionally to play 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' to a small child, or a round of 'Happy Birthday' to a little girl who they let play the snare drum. The band definitely gave the festival a more lively feel!
Yullis Bar
We stopped for lunch at a vegetarian restaurant on Crown St called Yullis, a first for me. Normally vegetarian restaurants are of the Indian persuasion or are very upmarket, but the menu seemed to be Modern Australian, in that it had elements of Asian, European, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines, and also seemed very unpretentious.
Cacti in Eskis on the roof!
Narrow courtyard - look at that sky!
We walked through the dark interior of the restaurant to a courtyard at the back. The tables were made out of recycled materials, and fake grass covered the floor and part of the walls. We were given our menus (including a rather extensive beer and wine list), and then unfortunately we were abandoned as the multitude of other people were served. Roxy started waving as if she were a flight attendant showing us the exits, and finally we had our orders taken. Our waiter did apologise most charmingly, and so it was very easy to forgive, especially once the food came out.
Water out of long neck bottles :)
Salt and Pepper Tofu - $15.50
The salt and pepper tofu was brought out first, accompanied by a green papaya salad. The tofu was firm yet gorgeously fluffy on the inside, but was deep fried, so the outside was wonderful and crisp. The seasoning was very light though - just a tad more pepper and it would have been perfect for me. The green papaya salad seemed like it came straight out of Thailand - a chilled, refreshing mix of shredded green papaya and carrot, cherry tomatoes, green beans, garlic, crushed peanut and a lime dressing, it really contrasted well with the warm, fried tofu.
Pear and Orange Salad - $13.50
The salad was a delicious combination of fruits such as orange, pear, tomato and avocado, and vegetables like lettuce, onion and cucumber, all dressed in a sweet cranberry sauce.
Panfried Pumpkin Polenta - $16.50
This was my favourite dish - a thick wedge of pumpkin polenta, panfried and served with a green mango salsa. The polenta was thick, warm and comforting, whilst the salsa was cool and fresh. The salsa was meant to have green mango in it, but I could have sworn there were apple pieces instead. Along with onion, lime, lemongrass and chili, it worked really well with the polenta.
Maloneys Grocer
It really seems like stores and restaurants in Surry Hills don't like using apostrophes in their names, i.e. bills, Yullis and Maloneys Grocer. We stopped by when I saw an intriguing display of fresh-cut fruit for sale that we simply just don't get in Liverpool, so we decided to check it out.
Roxy immediately went to the muesli section of the store and asked for these two items, which include chocolate, for Easter (email me if you'd like to donate some muesli for the poor woman ;) ).
The bread display was quite impressive, with loaves and buns from Sonoma bakery and Dovedale Bread. I also got very excited over the artisan vinegars they had for sale, including one from the Tetsuya's brand!
There was a huge range of cheeses, from goats cheese to brie, some marinated and some paired with fruit. Also a large range of ice cream, including Ben and Jerry's and Maggie Beer brands.
There was also a gourmet deli section, serving everything from sandwiches to rustic-looking pies and sausage rolls, and even cannelloni!
Finally, the fresh fruit and vegetables are bought three times a week from Sydney Markets. Look at how neatly the vegetables are laid out! Magic. I wish we had grocery stores like this is Liverpool.
The haul...
I ended up buying two bagels ($1.70 each), which were delicious and WAY better than what I could have bought at Woolies'. Also, I found strawberry and raspberry jam, panko breadcrumbs, Mulberry Tree muesli, and orange blossom water, all things that I have problems finding in my area.
Surry Hills is a pretty wonderful place, and it's nice to go somewhere with a completely different atmosphere for a bit of a change. The people are much more relaxed, they're friendlier and they walk slower than they do here - also, I would say most of them are young and hip. I know I'll be a frequent visitor in the future.
Surry Hills Neighborhood Centre
http://www.shnc.org/festival/
Yullis Bar
417 Crown St
Surry Hills, NSW
2010
Phone: (02) 9319 6609
http://yullis.com.au/
Maloneys Grocery
Shop 4, 490 Crown St
Surry Hills, NSW
2010
Phone: (02) 9331 3811
http://www.maloneysgrocer.com.au/
