Just to mix things up, I thought I would do a Glee style ‘mash up’ of my Easter eats.   The Brooding Architect I spent the Easter / ANZAC Day Extra Long Weekend in sunny Queensland - splitting our time between family and friends in Brisbane and on the Sunshine Coast.

Ponycat Cafe, New Farm

The first night we stayed in New Farm with Glamorous Sister No. 1 and Glamorous Sister No. 2. In true uni student style, the house was lacking in breakfast provisions, so we walked up the road for sustenance at The Ponycat Cafe.

First, the important stuff:

• Where: Shop 2, 693 Brunswick Street, New Farm
• How Much? Cheap & Cheerful
• Out of 10? 7.5/10

In preparation for a big day of morning tea, meeting new babies (me, not The Brooding Architect) and general gossip, we started the day with some very large flat whites. The coffees were wonderfully creamy and strong, completely dispelling the  myth that you cannot get a good coffee in Brisbane! As an added bonus, the  coffees were served by fabulously friendly staff – no Melbourne Hipster attitude in sight.

Coffee at the Ponycat

I ordered some Sweet Potato and Corn Pancakes, served on a bed of spinach, with honey baked ham and eggplant relish ($15). The ham was thick cut, sweet and juicy – absolutely delicious. The sweet potato pancakes were light and fluffy, with bursts of fresh sweetcorn throughout adding some lovely texture to the dish.

Sweet Potato & Corn Pancakes with Honey Baked Ham

The Brooding Architect can never say no to smoked salmon, so ordered the Smoked Salmon, with scrambled eggs, which comes served with hot buttered toast  and a cherry tomato salsa ($16). The scrambled eggs were perfectly cooked – light and soft with no signs of rubberiness (the mark of overcooked eggs). The tangy fresh cherry tomato salsa, contrasted beautifully with the creaminess of the eggs and richness of the smoked salmon.

Smoked Salmon with Scrambled Eggs

In addition to the friendly staff, I also love the fact that Ponycat has fabulous magazine cut out, collage topped tables (circa early 1990s school books, adorned with cut outs from Dolly and TV Hits).

The Table Tops at Ponycat - A throwback to school books of the mid-90s

Ponycat has now become a (very) regular coffee stop on our trips to Brisbane.

Ortiga, New Farm

The next evening we had dinner with two dear friends – The Duke and Duchess of Brisbane (named in honor of the recent Royal nuptials) – at Ortiga, Gourmet Traveller’s  Restaurant of the Year in 2010.

Once again, the important stuff first:

• Where: 444  Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley
• How Much? Definitely a working lunch or dinner – expect to pay between $100 and $150 a head for food and drinks (we were in the lesser end as we were completely stuffed from eating all day and ordered less than the quantities recommended by the waitstaff and ordered one of the cheaper bottles of wine on the list)
• Out of 10? 6.5/10

I really, really, really, really wanted to like Ortiga lots and lots. It should have ticked all of the boxes: sexy Spanish food, a sexy Donovan Hill fitout and raves in all of the glossy food magazines. Unfortunately, despite all of the food foreplay, it just did not live up to expectations.

The night started wonderfully, with some fantastically refreshing sangria for the ladies and Spanish beers for the gents, while holed up in the dark and atmospheric ‘drinks saloon’ on the street level of the restaurant. Had we just popped in for some post works drinks and jamone, I think the night would have been absolutely perfect and I would not have been able to fault the experience.

The drinks saloon at Ortiga

After a delightful pre-dinner drink, we were ushered downstairs to the basement for the main event. The dining room was buzzing – it was completely booked out (like us, lots of people must have decided to start their long weekend early), with a completely open ‘fishbowl’ type kitchen and wine racks lining the walls.  Things were looking very promising.

The chefs busy at work in the 'fish bowl' style kitchen

The food at Ortiga is designed for sharing – ordering between 3 and 4 tapas size serves per person, so that you get to taste lots and lots of dishes. The wait staff have a wealth of knowledge about each dish and more than happy to guide you through the very extensive food and wine menu.

My main criticism of the food is that it was just trying too hard, resulting in overly complicated and fussy dishes.  I know it is meant to be a fine dining experience and that I am supposed to appreciate the technique and presentation on the plate as much as the food itself - but I just found the whole thing a but pretentious. For example, when I order a pigs head, I want to see something which resembles the animal it came from; not a crumbed, sausage shaped piece of meat which could have come from anything! Having said this, there were some real highlight dishes though.

I adored the selection of jamones (cured meats) ($38). I loved the fact that the waitstaff went to the effort of explaining the order the meat should be eaten in – from lightest to darkest – in order to slowly build up from the most subtle and delicate flavoured meat, to the richest, well aged meat.  The jamones had a beautiful ‘melt in your mouth’ texture, and were decadently rich and full flavored.

The Cured Meat Plate

The braised octopus with potato and pimenton (Spanish paprika) ($21) was lovely, simple dish. The braised octopus was sweet and tender, contrasting wonderfully with the smoky pimento. I wish there were more simple and traditional Spanish dishes like this one on Ortiga’s menu.

Braised Octopus with Potato and Pimenton

I also loved the beef cheeks braised in sherry with seasonal baby root vegetables ($26) .  The beef cheeks literally fell apart and the sweet sticky sherry enhanced the beautiful sweetness of the baby root vegetables.  As an added bonus, this dish was served with a side of the most amazing, artery clogging, at least 50% butter, silky smooth mashed potatoes. Absolutely perfect when combined with the sweet sherry braise.

Beef Cheeks Braised in Sherry with Seasonal Baby Root Vegetables

I would not hesitate to go back to Ortiga for some civilized early evening drinks and a few tapas plates to get the night started; however for the price I would be reluctant to go back for a full dinner – especially since the consistently brilliant Anise Bistro is just across the road.

The Spirit House, Yandina

On Easter Saturday, we indulged ourselves with the banquet at the Spirt House Resturant.  This visit was the first time The Brooding Architect and I had been back to the Spirit House since our wedding in October 2008. I was so happy to see that everything at the Spirit House was as fantastic as I remembered it being. The price of the banquet even remained the same – $75 per head for a ridiculous amount of food.  I won’t bore you with a run down of every dish on the banquet menu – but here are the highlights:

A gloriously romantic and atmospheric setting. Tropical Thailand in sub tropical Queensland:

The Spirit House, Yandina

Wonderfully fresh food and flavorsome food – including this whole local snapper (of which we ate absolutely everything – including the eyeballs!):

Whole Local Goldband Snapper

Throw in a bottle (or two) of great German Riesling and a vigorous discussion on the merits of Bananagrams and you cannot have a much better evening.

In closing, a wonderful Easter break filled with good food and even more wonderful company!

To take a break from the chaos that is the pre-Christmas rush David Jones, we had lunch at Captains of Industry, a gorgeous cafe located on Level 1 of 2 Somerset Place – a little laneway just off Little Bourke Street.

Entrance from Somerset Place

Despite only being a few blocks from my office – and eating at +39 Pizza which is just across the road frequently – I never even knew Captains of Industry was there. I have to give The Brooding Architect credit for spotting this place.  As soon as we walked in and I spotted the empty Hendricks Gin bottles lining the walls, I knew that he had picked a winner.

Captains of Industry fittingly describe themselves as a ‘Gentlemans Outfitter and Cafe’. In addition to serving great coffee and top shelf cafe fare, you or the man (men?) in your life can also source:

The fit-out reflects the multipurpose nature and use of the space. There are old Singer Sewing Machines and leather over lockers incorporated onto some of the tables. You can also peak into the working barber shop and leather work rooms.

To make it through the second half of the ‘power shop’ we ordered 2 coffees ($3.50) each – a flat white pre-lunch and an espresso post-lunch. Try and sit on the window street overlooking Elizabeth Street – the perfect spot to peacefully enjoy your coffee while you watch the world (or frenzied Christmas shoppers streaming out of the GPO Building on Elizabeth Street) pass by.

Enjoying a flat white at the window seat

We ordered the B.L.AT ($9) and the Knuckle Sandwich ($10) to share.

The B.L.AT is a bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato sandwich on fresh, crusty bread roll, served with lots of HP sauce and a zesty herb mayonnaise. The B.L.AT is the perfect gentlemens sandwich – it is substantial, has crispy bacon, plus some obligatory greens (in the form of the peppery rocket).

B.L.A.T - Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado & Tomato Sandwich

The Knuckle Sandwich combines all of my absolute favourite things – smoked ham hock, sweet pickles, cauliflower, tangy, sharp cheddar cheese and mustard - and puts them between two thick slices of sourdough bread.

Knuckle Sandwich - Smoked ham hock, sweet pickles, cauliflower, tangy, sharp cheddar cheese and mustard.

Without even tasting the Knuckle Sandwich I knew that it would be incredible. It was. There is just something magical about the combination of sweet smoky pork, pickles and cheese. Here it is again – up close for your viewing pleasure.

Knuckle Sandwich Up Close

For my “lunch dessert” (not to be confused with “breakfast dessert” which I have spoken about previously), I ordered a Mars Bar Crackle - a mouthful of chewy, choclatey, rice bubbly goodness. At a mere $1, too cheap not to buy at least one – also definitely far too good and too small to share. The perfect sweet treat with a strong espresso.

Mars Bar Crackle

After a much needed caffeine and food break, we managed to get through the rest of the Christmas shopping and thankfully only have one present left to buy. The Brooding Architect still has to pick something up for his office Secret Santa though. I suggested this T-Shirt or the usual Architect friendly Pantone Mug (in Process Black C of course), however suspect they may not be taken up. Gift suggestions under $20 most welcome.

The Mysterious Girls are an amazing group of fit, young, professional women – by day they are accountants and lawyers, but by night they ride around the bay, they run half marathons, train in hardcore men’s boxing gyms and rule out living in certain suburbs because they don’t have decent gyms. Their sporting and fitness prowess is impressive to say the least. I feel like a bit of a sloth in comparison, given that the most heavy lifting I do these days is pouring a glass of wine, or carrying my bags of shopping out of DJs and my cardio consists of dashing for shelter when it starts to rain to avoid getting my beloved suede wedges wet.

Anyway, back to the food story at hand…

I suggested meeting up at Le Petit Gateau (“LPG“), so that I could finally try the much raved about Brownie and Passionfruit Chocolate Gateau. Here it is in all of its layered glory -

Brownie and Passionfruit Chocolate Gateau

The gateau is a delicate chocolate mousse style cake.  It consists of a rich brownie base, layer of crispy praline and a layer of smooth passionfruit custard. The gateau is then covered in a layer of smooth chocolate ganache and topped with a sliver of tangy passionfruit jelly. I know it sounds disgustingly rich, but trust me, it somehow all works.

Amazingly, I could not lead any of The Mysterious Girls astray  and convince them to order a slice of the gateau – which made me feel incredibly greedy as I wolfed down my gateau, as they all sat elegantly sipping their skinny lattes and cappuccinos. Unfortunately, will power is one thing which I am sadly lacking.  I have to say though, even without a piece of cake – the coffees are very good on their own – particularly when measured by the Law Firm End of the City standards (AKA the non-Paris end of Collins Street) which tend to be pretty poor. This is the flat white I ordered (on full fat milk). Strong, creamy and delicious.

Strong Flat White

Fortunately, The Brooding Archiect has just started a new job in town. With his sweet tooth I am sure  I will be able to convince him to share a piece of cake (or two) next time I head to LPG.

I used my free Saturday to try out Kitchen Kultcha, a new-ish cafe on Glenylon Road, Brunswick – just a few minutes walk from Sydney Road.

Kitchen Kultcha - 43 Glenylon Road, Brunswick

Before housing Kitchen Kultcha this brick building has had many different lives. Most recently is was a fish and chip shop and before that it was a ye olde butcher (you can even still see the old and faded ‘Broken & Boneless Meat’ butcher sign out the front).

As always I started with a strong flat white ($3.50). The Brooding Architect and I agreed that the coffee was exceptionally good – strong, creamy, no trace of foam. The Brooding Architect has worked from home for the past year – frequenting each and every coffee shop in Brunswick -  so for coffee to get his seal of approval speaks volumes to me.

Strong Flat White from Kitchen Kultcha

For some reason though, they did not give the Brooding Architect a heart on his flat white?

The Brooding Architect's Coffee - Sans the heart art

While I drank my coffee I took a good look at the eclectic fit out. There were Chandeliers, Mediterranean style table tops, op shop paintings on the walls and a Buddhist statue at the entrance. Despite sounding chaotic the space works. The whole place has a very relaxed vibe – the staff are friendly, there are kids from the local kindy down the road running around and there are hipsters with hangovers. Somehow all of these elements just seem to harmoniously blend together. There is also free wifi, so all of you with your iPads (you know who I am talking about) can sit there reading your e-Newspapers (or playing Fruit Ninja) to your hearts content.

I generally think ordering muesli when you are out at a cafe is a classic ‘rookie’s mistake’; as it is one of those things that it so easy to make at home, plus who feels like being healthy on the weekend?  However, the muesli options at Kitchen Kultcha are très fancy – plus my first choice of the Beef Cheek Pastie was already sold out. (As a Beef Cheek Lover I will have to come back for this pastie very soon though).

I ordered the Granola ($8). This is clearly homemade, chock full of premium dried fruits and nuts – sliced almonds, roasted hazelnuts, pepitas, currants, cranberries, dried apricots and a sprinkling of orange rind. Not a sultana or the other dreaded filler fruit, dried paw paw, in sight. Lots of crunch and lovely cinnamon undertones. The Granola must be topped with full fat milk – this is completely non-negotiable.

Granola topped with fresh fruit

The Granola is meant to be topped with poached seasonal fruit. Unfortunately due to our lazy start to the day, the kitchen had already run out of poached fruit, so the Granola was topped with fresh strawberries and grapes instead. The fresh fruit was lovely and sweet, however I think some poached fruit – such as rhubarb, apple or pear – with a little acidity would have been the perfect match.

Inspired by my healthy choice, the Brooding Architect jumped on the virtuous bandwagon and ordered the Bircher Muesli ($8). It was infused with rosewater and creamy natural youghurt (no low fat substitutes here). Just before serving fresh grated pear, rather than the usual grated green apple, is then added to the mix. It was healthy, delicious and deceptively filling.

Bircher Muesli at Kitchen Kultch

Now I just can’t wait for my next lazy Saturday, so I can try out that Beef Cheek Pastie…

Since we were out at Moonee Ponds, I was keen to check out Nabiha, a cafe I have read lots of good things about (including consistently high coffee ratings on the Bean Hunter Website).

Nabiha is located on Hall Street, just off Moonee Ponds main shopping strip, Puckle Street – next door to Bill Shorten MP’s office.  I jokingly asked The Brooding Architect if he thought we would be seated next to Bill. After much eye rolling from The Brooding Architect in response  to my question, imagine my surprise (smugness?) when Bill rocked up and was seated two tables away from us!  The Brooding Architect – probably in good taste – refused to let me ‘pap’ Bill for this post.

Nabiha from Hall Street - Bill Shorten MP's office is on the left

Given that much of Moonee Ponds feels you are stepping back in time to the mid-1990s, Nabiha has a refreshingly modern and funky fit-out. Extra points for the fantastic Rona Green screens which run along the front of the cafe, custom stools and the bonsai tree on each table.

Exterior of Nabiha - Note the bonsai on each table

Rona Green Screen Art

Custom Stool

We ordered 4 excellent flat whites ($3.50 each) - all strong, creamy and smooth. In the middle of guzzling our second coffees, the waitress let us in on the secret that all Nabiha coffees are double shots. Needless to say, we were buzzing for the rest of the afternoon.

Nabiha Double Shot Flat White

Food wise, we ordered 2 breakfast meals – 1 savoury and 1 sweet to ‘share’.

I ordered the Grilled Eggs with potato, mushroom, roasted tomato, cannellini beans, chorizo and feta ($12.90).  Despite a long list of ingredient this dish was actually very simple and fresh. The eggs were well cooked, with lovely oozing centres – which you could dip your toast in like soldiers. The chorizo was spicy and smoky, but was used in moderation so it did not overpower the other flavours. Lots of chunks of potato covered in delicious cheese too. Highly recommended.

Grilled Eggs - $12.90

The Brooding Architect ordered fruit toast, topped with fresh ricotta, flaked almonds and cinnamon ($8.50). The combination of honey, almonds and cinnamon was delicious and sweet (but not too ‘sickly’ sweet, if you know what I mean).  The use of fresh ricotta means that the dish has a smooth, creamy texture - nothing at all like the grainy store bought tubs of ricotta you get from Coles or Woolworths. A few of the stalls in the Deli Hall at the Queen Victoria Markets sell fresh ricotta for about $6 a kilo. Pick up a small wedge to try - say about $2 worth - and I promise you that you will never go back to the supermarket varieties.

Fruit Toast with Ricotta, Honey & Almonds - $8.50

Nabiha also had a full cabinet display of gorgeous looking glazed danishes and other sweet treats, which  I resisted as we were heading back to the House of Trouser for a BBQ and Part 2 of the AFL Grand Final.  I will definitely try something next weekend though, when we head out to the Apple Reseller again to finally pick up the replacement keyboard.

Deciding who to vote for had never really been issue for me before. I am not ashamed to admit that I have always been an ALP voter – heck, in 2007 I was the proud owner of a Kevin 07 T-Shirt. Fast forward to 2010 and the problem I faced was that every point of difference between the ALP and the Coalition had all but vanished. It seems I had a lot of thinking to do.

To kick start my Saturday morning brain, I ordered two strong flat whites ($3.50 each) and the Brahart baked beans with chilli labna and toasted pide ($9.50).

The coffee at Rays is consistently good. Strong, thick and creamy.

The baked beans also did not disappoint. There was a mixture of red kidney beans, navy beans and cannelloni beans swimming in a tomato sauce with a little chilli kick. The toasted pide was perfect to mop up the remnants of the tomato sauce and the  tangy chilli labna took simple baked beans to the next level.

I also picked at The Brooding Architect’s poached eggs with prosciutto, tomato chutney and pecorino, served with sourdough ($14) . These poached eggs were cooked perfectly – with an oozing, almost orange yolk. I am a sucker for a good tomato chutney too – done well I think it can make anything taste a bit fancy. The tomato chutney at Rays is just the way I like it – smoky, sweet and tangy all rolled into one, with lots of chunky bits like mustard seeds and diced onion for texture. The saltiness of the shaved pecorino then brings all the flavors of this dish together.

To cut a long, rambling story short, after my brain had been sufficiently fuelled , Election Day 2010 was the first time I voted Green (albeit in the Senate only, not the House of Reps). The reasoning for this was that no matter which of the major parties got into power that there would be a party in the Senate moderating their decision making.

Two weeks later and it seems that we still don’t have a majority government. If you had told me on Election Day that Bob Katter Junior would be running our country, I might have needed more than a strong coffee  before casting my vote.

Needless to say, I was over the moon on moving day when I saw the variety of food available at my new door step. Everything from baklava to caramelised pork belly to churros.

My Saturday ritual now consists of an early(ish) morning coffee at one of my local cafes, followed by hauling my grandma trolley up to the Mediterranean Wholesalers to stock up on ridiculously cheap olive oil, canned tomatoes, fresh pasta and Italian wines.

Last Saturday, I eased into the weekend at my Argentinean favorite, La Paloma. La Paloma is located on Albert Street just off Sydney Road, Brunswick , it is not the sort of place you would give a second glance to unless you were a local.

La Paloma viewed from Sydney Road, Brunswick

My favourite thing about La Paloma (apart from the bright red back room and record player) is the lack of options. This might sound strange, but give me a cafe that does all three things on its breakfast menu exceptionally well over a 2 page laminated menu any day. The breakfast choices at LaPaloma are what I call the ‘Ranchers Breakfast’ (baked eggs) for $10, sweet rice porridge with pear for $6 or a tortilla with salad and bread for $6. With these ridiculously low prices, a strong flat white and churro lathered with crème de luche are non-negotiable extras.

On this particular Saturday, nothing but the Ranchers Breakfast was going to cut through my red wine induced hangover.

The Brooding Architect chows down on the Ranchers Breakfast

The Ranchers Breakfast consists of two or three eggs baked eggs in a rich tomato sauce, grilled mini beef sausages, with a fresh salsa salad, labna (yoghurt cheese) and fresh bread on the side. The egg yolks are consistently soft and goo-ey and the sharpness of the labna cuts beautifully through the rich tomato sauce. End Result = Ranchers Breakfast 1 / Red Wine Hangover  0.

Swing by on a Saturday soon. I will be the one in the red room with the grandma trolley, sitting with the Brooding Architect in black.