Lovely lunch in Leura, Blue Mountains

Is there anything more perfect than escaping Sydney for a day in the Blue Mountains? Well, yes I admit it will be even more perfect when the road works up there are all finished and we can finally drive more than 40kms an hour on the Great Western Highway. But that's not the point really - the point is cute villages and fresh mountain air.

The Boy and I are having a bit of a love affair with Leura, a quaint little village in the Blue Mountains. Whenever we drive west we try to stop for lunch, or at least visit the amazing lolly store to stock up on goodies.

On this particular Friday we both have the day off work (woot) so I twist The Boy's rubber arm with the offer of taking him to lunch in Leura. As long as he drives. Deal.

For a Friday Leura is surprisingly busy, with busloads of tourists wandering the streets, as well as other day trippers like us. We decide on The Wayzgoose Cafe for our lunch, a rustic looking cafe on the main street that has a few spare tables inside.

We both have a quick skim of the menu and decide that the Homemade Pies are too irresistible not to order.  The Boy chooses the Homemade Irish Beef, Guinness and Potato Pie with salad ($16.90) and I opt for the Homemade Chicken and Mushroom Pie with salad ($16.90). For a few dollars more we also add a side of chippies as I just cannot have a pie without chips. It's un-Australian!

The pies arrive at our table pipping hot and topped with the puffiest puff pastry lids.  I've heard that good puff pastry should be flaky, really really flaky and as I bite into my pie lid crumbs and pastry flakes go everywhere. This is good puff pastry - buttery, flaky and I know it's going straight to my hips.

My pie innards are so delicious I make a good job of nearly licking the bowl clean.  The shredded chicken is cooked with a mix of spices including turmeric and wholegrain mustard, and a little dollop of sour cream.  If I could cook this is something I'd try to replicate at home.

The Boy is equally as chuffed with his pie innards. The shredded beef is rich, and a generous splash of Guinness adds to the richness. The potatoes are so soft they fall apart in the mouth. I find the flavour of the Guinness much too strong (I do hate Guinness after all), but The Boy is chuffed with his pie.

The Boy also orders a Caramel Milkshake - with skim milk so I can also partake (real milk and my tummy are not friends).  At the first sip The Boy declares that "real milkshakes" are made with "real milk".  I think the milkshake tastes fine, but The Boy misses the creaminess of real milk, and would've like an extra dollop (or three) of ice-cream.

On the menu for the cafe they make the claim of being "the home of the famous flowerpot scone". What's a flower pot scone you may ask...why it is a scone cooked in a terracotta flowerpot, of course!  It looks enticing, but we are too full to fit it in, plus we have other food adventures planned for the afternoon so need to save stomach room.

After lunch we go for a waddle around Leura. After making The Boy wait whilst I try on dresses and spend my hard earned cash in a few clothing shops we make our way up the hill to one of Leura's true gems - Josophan's Fine Chocolates.

 

This shop is a MUST for anyone with even the slightest predilection for Chocolate. The smell when you first enter Josophan's will have your mouth watering - pure heaven. Like most of the stores in Leura, Josophan's has that appealing rustic feel about it.

Easter Eggs

Whilst I am busy snapping photos The Boy does a few quick laps of the store, grabbing himself quite a haul of goodies.  We leave with two Fried Easter Eggs (seriously, how cute are these), a bag of White Belgian Chocolate with Cranberry and Coconut, and a bag of White Belgian Chocolate with Honeycomb. Oh, and a  mixed bag of milk, dark and white chocolate - so we can compare flavours. All in the name of research of course.

Josophan's also has a few samples on offer - so we don't have to bust into our haul straight away to get a chocolate fix. They also offer chocolate making classes, as well as chocolate appreciation classes (like we need those).

After a bit more wandering and clothes shopping (seriously, Leura has some great clothes shops) we bump into a lovely lady who is fundraising for Japan. How can we say no to Cookie Monsters for Japan?

Just one more clothes shop and we're ready to head back to Sydney, but not without a visit to our all time favourite store in Leura - The Candy Store.

If you're feeling nostalgic for the lollies you used to have as a kid, or something you've tried overseas and loved, chances are The Candy Store will have it.  I literally squealed with delight the last time we were here as I found individual Bertie Beatles for sale PLUS my all time childhood favourite, Choo Choo Bars.

I mostly let the The Boy choose the lollies when we visit this place. There is just so much to choose from that I either want everything, or find it too overwhelming to choose. On this visit we left with a bag of Lemon Sherbets, a bag of Hot Tamales, a bag of Sherbet Bombs (we love our sherbet) and The Boy buys a bottle of Jolt Cola. 

All in all we had a great day in Leura and I cannot wait to visit again. By the rate we're going through the lollies and chocolate I'd say that trip won't be too far away.

The Wayzgoose Cafe is at 174 The Mall, Leura.
Josophan's Fine Chocolates  is at 132 The Mall, Leura.  They also have a cafe at 187 The Mall, Leura.
The Candy Shop is at Shop 6, Leura Strand Arcade, 178 The Mall, Leura. It is down a little arcade so you'll have to hunt for it a bit.