Leura Garage, Leura

Over the October long weekend The Boy and I went for a drive up to the Blue Mountains. My sole motivation was that I had been wanting to try Leura Garage for ages.  Given enough time I will eventually tick every cafe of my wishlist...maybe.

As the name suggests the cafe is located in a former mechanic garage and there are little nods to this all through the decor...a tyre here, a wheel rim there, a few car doors on the wall, some old exhausts on a shelf, a car hoist acting as a wine rack. You get the picture.

 

When we finally got ourselves a table I had massive amounts of trouble trying to decide on what to order. Not because I wanted to eat everything - which I did - but because of the HEFTY prices against each item. $15.00 for a SMALL rocket salad - that's just criminal in my mind, especially when the bowls I saw heading for the tables were pretty petite and I know a WHOLE big bag of rocket costs less than $4.00 in the supermarket. I don't know if the prices were exceptionally high for the public holiday, but still...! If we weren't so hungry I would've gone somewhere else...but I was getting hangry and needed food ASAP.

In the end The Boy and I decided to get two small - albeit pricey things - and go for a light lunch and fill up on dinner when we got home later that night. To start with we choose a Charcuterie Board for THIRTY TWO DOLLARS! My wallet nearly got up and ran out of the restaurant at this point let me tell you. Now, the board was good - everything was very tasty and well presented but I was disappointed that we only got TWO CRACKERS and three small slices of bread with it.  I did ask for more crackers and they came to the table with hassle and no extra cost. I thought the meats provided were really nice - prosciutto, hot salami, a potted terrine and some smoked ham and I liked the addition of a rockmelon ball to accompany the prosciutto.

We decided to get a bowl of rosemary salted fries ($9.00) to pad out the charcuterie board. The fries were really good - very flavoursome and I like the addition of rosemary to the mix.

All in all we had a nice lunch. The food was very nice and the atmosphere of the cafe was buzzy + fun. The fit out of the place is quite quirky and the staff were very friendly. Bearing all that in mind the prices were just beyond what I personally think is reasonable for a casual lunchtime eat, or justifiable so we'll be on the hunt for somewhere new to eat in Leura for our next visit.

Leura Garage is at 84 Railway Parade, Leura - NSW. Phone them on (02) 4784 3391.



And now I'll leave you with some photos of the cicadas that had literally taken over the Blue Mountains on the day we visited. They were EVERYWHERE - either crawling up trees, flying about, having "sexy times" with each other or leaving their dead shells all over the place! The noise was deafening.  It was actually quite magical until one flew onto me and I put my neck out trying to escape it's little claws.

Chirp chirp.

Red Door Cafe, Leura

I have a bit of an obsession with Leura and I'm not ashamed to admit it. To me it is the quintessential little mountain town - cute, rustic and cram packed with tasty cafes and interesting gift and clothes shops. Whenever we "go west" we always make a pit stop here for lunch and a spot of window shopping.

On this trip we decide to check out Red Door Cafe and our love affair with this little town is only deepened after a wholesome and tasty lunch.

Despite it being well after 1pm The Boy has his eye set on one of the all day breakfast offerings. He has a soft spot for creamy scrambled eggs on toast ($8.00) so I think this swayed his decision - the fact they are free range is all the more welcome.  The soft spot continues and a side of bacon and sauteed mushrooms are added to the plate ($3.50 each). He seems pretty chuffed with his breakfast/lunch/brunch/whatever.

Although I've heard great things about the Caramelised Onion Tart here, my eyes were drawn to to the Chicken and Leek Pie served with Tomato Chutney and Salad ($15.00). For an extra $3.50 I add a serve of mashed potato, as it is winter and seems the weather for such indulgent comfort food.

The pie was really delicious, the pastry flaky and buttery, and the creamy chicken and leek filling was just the ticket for a cold winters day. I was a bit confused by the Tomato Chutney however - I think it would work better with a red-meat pie in a gravy, rather than the delicate and creamy flavours of the chicken pie. The Boy happily ate the chutney with his bacon and said it worked well. 

All in all our lunch at Red Door Cafe was splendid. I loved the rustic mountain vibe the cafe had, and the food was really tasty. The Boy and I agree we'll be back on our next Leura visit...which will hopefully be very soon.

Red Door Cafe is at 134 Leura Mall, Leura. Phone them on (02) 4784 1328.

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.