Double Roasters, Marrickivlle

When Big Sister suggested brunch at Double Roasters in Marrickville I totally dismissed her. I mean what do Big Sisters know about stuff like cool cafes and eating (never mind the fact that she actually lives in Marrickville and around the corner from Double Roasters).  Instead I dragged her to Petty Cash Cafe. At our next brunch catch up I having serious decision-making issues...chopping and changing my mind about cafes so much that I decided we should just go to Double Roasters and be done with it.

WOW! What a GREAT cafe. Turns out Big Sister does know a thing or two about great places to eat.  The cafe is buzzing - even on a wet, cold and windy Friday morning. Double Roaster is located in an old warehouse on Victoria Road - it's main purpose was as a coffee roasters and they've now branched out into a cafe. The space has a distinctly industrial feel and the cafe is fitted out with loads of interesting retro pieces - old style cash register, vintage scales, old drawers used to hide the cutlery. LOVE it!  So much to look at.

We both start with a Skinny Cappuccino ($3.00 for a regular) that comes in an enormous cup.  I'm not going to pretend I know much about coffee just because I'm eating brunch at a coffee roasters...it was good, strong with a generous sprinkle of chocolate (very important)!  We later switch to a pot of Fresh Mint Tea ($4.00). I love this - it's something I've actually made at home after investing in a small mint bush for my balcony garden.

The staff at Double Roasters are SUPER friendly and happily answer questions about the menu (their meat isn't free-range yet, but they hope to get this side of things sorted by the end of the year...good job).

I choose the Sauted Field Mushrooms on Sourdough topped with Percorino cheese ($8.00) and it's good, really simple flavours, but the meaty mushrooms are a winner.  Big Sister decided to have Poached Pembroke Farm Organic Free-range Eggs with Toast ($8.50).  To this she added a side of smoked salmon ($4.00 as a side) avocado and roasted tomatoes ($3.00 each).

Because we're lingering and catching up (and because I'm still a tad peckish) we decide to split a Caramel Slice (I can't remember how much this was, about $3 or $4) to have with our Peppermint Teas. Our slice was wonderful...really crumbling biscuit base, gooey caramel and the best chocolate layer.

Double Roasters is at 199 Victoria Road, Marrickville.

Marrickville Market, Marrickville

I detest shopping at supermarkets. DETEST!  I've been know to make outlandish promises to The Boy if he'll do the supermarket shopping without me...oh you know, "I'll give you a TRILLION bucks if you go to Coles without me".  Surprisingly he thinks my promises are bogus and more often than not we trudge off to the supermarket together.

Shopping at Farmers Markets has been a revelation for me. It's enjoyable, relaxing, exciting, fun and inspiring. It makes me want to be a better person - to buy sustainable, local and ethical produce.  I'm not satisfied until my enviro-bags are near full to bursting. I look forward to exploring the various markets around Sydney, ear-bashing the stall holders about how great I think their produce is (and vice versa). You couldn't pay me enough me to miss an outing to a farmers market.

My recent dog/house-sitting stint in the inner-west meant I was a 5 minute drive to the Sunday markets at Marrickville. Even though I wasn't doing much cooking during my inner-west holiday (why cook when King Street is only up the road) I couldn't resit visiting the Marrickville Organic Markets and stocking up on a few goodies...and a coffee to kickstart the morning.

There is LOADS of fresh produce available - I picked up a good sized bag of mandarins for $5. There are quite a few stalls selling great sourdough bread (which would go well with my tinned soup during my "bachelor-ette month").

Truffle season has just begun when I visited and the "truffle dealer" was attracting quite a bit of attention.  Sniffs of the truffles were free, but anything more than that would cost you.

The mushrooms looked very tempting (same people selling here as at Castle Hill Markets) but in the end I walked away with some Smoked Salmon Pappardelle and an Olive and Mushroom Pasta Sauce which set me back $10 and will last for two dinners - again, excellent bachelor-ette food.

I was pleased to see a good offering of pasture-raised eggs as well as a butcher or two with pasture raised meat...though my favourite market Free Range Butcher didn't seem to have a stall.

The Marrickville Markets feel a lot more relaxed and alternative to say, the spiffy Eveleigh Market which comes across as a lot more polish and chic with its fabulous under-cover area.  Ever second person has a dog along for the shopping trip (something that most other markets don't allow). These markets feel "more organic"...more earthy. If I didn't know better I'd swear I was shopping in Armidale or Lismore and not just 5ks from the Sydney CBD.

The Marrickville Organic Market is on every Sunday between 9am and 2pm at The Addison Road Centre - 142 Addison Road, Marrickville.

Cornersmith, Marrickville

There are SO many things that appeal to me about Cornersmith that I barely know where to begin. But the thing that made me fall head-over-heels in love with this little Marrickville cafe was a sign over the kitchen that said "Cornersmith does not support factory farming"! AMEN! I was so moved by these few words, the kindness and respect behind them that I was honestly almost crying (no, I didn't have PMS)!

In my perfect world all the meat that we eat would come from animals that have been pasture raised and lived their most natural life...as nature intended. Free to roam, forage, give birth to babies and raise them outdoors. Free to roll in the dirt and feel the sun on their bodies. Animals wouldn't be confined to cruel cages that are barely big enough to hold their bodies or in over-stocked barns where they can hardly move just so we can have a cheap piece of chicken or pork. They wouldn't be bred to grow so fast that the weight of their bodies literally crushes their bones and renders them unable to walk to their source of food or water. They would be loved and respected and not treated as a commodity. When I'm president of the world things are going to be very different!

Along with this wonderful stance on ethical meat I love the locavore concept Cornersmith has embraced. The board above the kitchen lists all the places this weeks produce has come from: ham from Feather and Bone, Country Valley Milk, Citrus from Sarah in Marrickville, Rosemary from Lynne, Bay Leaves from George and Ralph and so on.  Cornersmith will happily accept produce from backyard gardeners...they'll take your surplus off your hands and trade you from some lovely homegrown honey or homemade conserves.  To add to the quaintness the cafe closes on Monday's for pickling! I've died and gone to lovely retro, cafe heaven.

It wasn't all gushing and crying...we did eat a beautiful lunch and had some lovely drinks. The Boy indulged in a luscious Hot Chocolate ($3.00) made with lovely Country Valley Milk from Picton.  I decided on the Pear, Rhubarb and Vanilla Yoghurt Milkshake ($6.00) which was a departure from the type of milkshakes we're used to.  Instead of being syrupy and sweet my milkshake was slightly tart from the yoghurt. It felt...healthy (not something I've associated with many milkshakes in my past).

I thought The Boy's lunch was incredible value. Free range eggs with pasture raised ham, sourdough toast and Beetroot and Ginger Relish for $9!!!  I think this just goes to show that a great brunch made from ethically sourced produce can be cheerfully cheap and deliciously yummy.

My favourite type of meal is one with a plate piled high with bits of this-and-that. I'm a greedy-guts at heart and I want to try everything that's on offer.  I was never going to be able to bypass the Ploughmans Plate ($18 for a plate for one person) which was overflowing with tasty morsels: Sumac Lamb (New Horizon Dorper happy happy Lambs), Caraway Labne, Pears, Sourdough, Rocket and Slaw topped with Beetroot.  Oh and what's that? A sneaky Pickled Brussel Sprout...that actually tasted really good...not like a Brussel Sprout at all (which is a good thing)!

And it's not long before I'm back at Cornersmith for another brunch - this time with Miss Chicken and Mr Shawn.  I was so taken with the Ploughmans Plate on my previous visit that it was impossible to order anything else.  It's constantly changing due to what's in season so the plate will be different each time.  The Ploughmans Plate must be one of my favourite things to eat - a huge plate crammed with lots of tasty morsels:  pasture-raised ham, cheddar cheese, radish + yacon salad topped with feta and pomegranate...and of course sourdough and a great Quince + Pickle chutney (housemade and SO awesome I bought a jar to enjoy at home).

Mr Shawn confessed his GREAT love of Porridge, but funnily it's something that he only eats when out at a cafe - it's a special treat, and when prepared in such a lovely way I can totally see his point. This morning the porridge is prune + cinnamon served with toasted fruits, baked seeds + honey ($10.00). I'm not a porridge eater, but I think this bowl could convert me (next time)!  Miss Chicken decides on the Poached (free range) egg roll ($12) with pasture-raised ham, cheddar, garlic aoili, quince + pumpkin chutney and greens. It's a version of my ploughmans plate...in a roll.

Cornersmith is a popular little cafe so expect a bit of a wait. I was seated in under 20 minutes (on both visits) which seems to be pretty standard in Sydney these days. Just don't tear up when you're talking to the staff like I did cos you'll embarrass your dining companions...Miss Piggy "the crazy-crying-blogging-pig-loving-cat-lady"!

Cornersmith is at 314 Illawarra Road, Marrickville.  

Petty Cash Cafe, Marrickville

Massive props to Big Brother for letting his sisters wheel him out for brunch within moments of him stepping off a long-haul, overnight, international flight. I think he was so delirious from lack of sleep that he really couldn't say no - even though I'm sure he'd rather have been heading to bed. I knew that we could not go anywhere that required waiting...Big Brother was needing to sit down ASAP.

Marrickville seems to be a suburb on the move in terms of great little cafes with Ground Roasters, Cornersmith  and Vesbar all hitting the 'hood recently.  Petty Cash Cafe has been in the neighbourhood for quite awhile however and somewhere I'd been wanting to try for ages. Luckily it wasn't too busy and we got a seat within about 5 minutes.

The cafe is adorable - I love it! It's quirky (vintage spoon collection anyone) with a retro/rockabilly vibe going on.  I love the mismatched furniture and tableware - both make this little corner of Marrickivlle feel comfortable, homely and cozy.  The place is quite small - only two prams allowed inside at a time...but they do provide blankets so you can take your food across the road to Enmore Park (if we ever have a sunny weekend that is) and picnic.

The Boy and I share a HUGE pot of Chai Tea ($5.00).  It's a pretty good Chai though I forgot to ask for Soy milk which was a bit of a failure on my part.

The menu at Petty Cash is HUGE...with everything tempting the taste buds.  That said, The Boy went straight for his favourite of breakfast choices - The Big Breakfast ($16.90) and this really was BIG!  Free-range eggs, toast, bacon, chipolatas, house-made beans, mushrooms and rosti. Phew - that was a mouthful! Big Sister chose the Petty Cash Breakie ($14.90), a more petite version of the Big Breakfast. 

Left: The Boy's Big Breafkast. Right: Big Sister's Petty Cash Breakfast.

I have to say that everything on the menu looked good to me (homemade brioche ice-cream and chocolate ganche sandwich - OMG, talk about temptation)! Big Brother had his heart set on Pea and Ham Soup but they had just sold out, so he had the Lamb Burger instead.  Paralysed with indecision I um-ed and ah-ed for an eternity, but ended up with a great choice - Rosti with sour cream, smoked salmon and salad ($15.90, and probably healthier than the ice-cream sambo).  I was thrilled that my salad had a generous scattering of flash-fried capers, something I LOVE to death, but you don't really see around that often.

Left: Big Brother's Lamb Sambo. Right: My smoked salmon and rosti salad.

Writing this post has made me really excited to go back to Petty Cash Cafe and try some more of their yummy menu on this days we do our meat shopping at Urban Food Market.  Knowing that you can grab a picnic blanket and sit in the park means you don't need to queue for ages waiting for that most coveted of prizes...a table at an inner-city cafe.

Petty Cash Cafe is at 68 Victoria Road, Marrickville.

Pastizzi Cafe Newtown and Urban Food Market Marrickville

On Christmas Eve Eve Eve I was heading over to Marrickville to collect our free range Christmas Ham from ethical meat wholesaler, Urban Food Market.

I think Urban Food Market are a GREAT business, offering us an option beyond the factory farmed meat that we seemed trapped into buying at so many supermarkets and other meat retailers. Did you know that in Australia the majority of our meat is raised in cages (poultry or pork) or in concrete floored feed lots (grain-fed sheep and cattle) - because it's "cheap" despite being inhumane.  And let's not even get into the whole caged egg business - just thinking about it makes me want to cry.   Free-range meat and eggs may cost more, but at least we know we are eating meat that has lead a happy free-range life as nature intended, and has not been cooped up in tiny cages or in sheds with horrible concrete floors.  We paid $70 for a boned half-leg of Ham and to me it was worth every penny and tasted better than anything we've ever eaten from a supermarket. Just a little "food for thought" and something I hope we can all start thinking about a little more when deciding what to eat.

Rant over...

Anyway, as I was kind of in Neicy-Poo's neighbourhood, we decided we'd catch up for a quick lunch.

I'd ear-marked Petty Cash Cafe near Enmore Park to try, but alas they were already closed for the holidays. We then headed for our second choice, Belljar, in Newtown. Alas they had literally just served their last coffee for the day and were shutting up shop for the holidays. Man, can't a gal get a break here.

In the end we decided to head up to King Street and seek sustenance at Pastizzi, a little cafe serving Maltese food. Pastizzi has been a mainstay Newtown restaurant for longer than I care to remember and I was hoping like crazy that they would be open as I was getting more than a little...starving.

Lady luck was shining on us as not only were they open but they had row upon row of delicious looking Pastizzi for us to devour.  But first we start with a refreshing drink.

Pastizzi, a popular Maltese dish, are a little diamond shaped pastry (either filo or puff pastry) filled with either a savoury filling, like Ricotta, or something sweet like cherry. And boy, are they gooooood!!!

We decide to stick with the savoury and I limit myself to just three seeing as they are not exactly a health food with all that flaky pastry.  After drooling at the counter for about 5 minutes I ended up choosing Spinach and Ricotta, Pea, and Salmon Dill and Ricotta.  My favourite would have to be the subtle flavour of the Spinach and Ricotta - a classic combination in my books.

I was really hoping Niecy-Poo would suggest a few sweet Pastizzi to finish the meal, but we end up with a salad. A pretty nice Caprese Salad though, so I'm not too unhappy.  The salad is a fresh and simple mix of fresh basil, tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella - so simple that even I could make this one at home.

I have a confession to make though. After lunch I went to collect the ham and the wholesaler just happens to be right across the road from Bourke Street Bakery. I think it would be remiss of me to be so close and not indulge in a little something sweet...for the road.

Pastizzi Cafe can be found down the south end of King Street (the "nice end" as I like to think of it) at 523 King Street, Newtown.



Urban Food Market is at Unit 1, 68 Victoria Road, Marrickville.  They are a wholesaler, but are open to the public on Saturdays between 9am - 1pm - at which time they also have various product tastings on offer.  If Saturday's don't work for you then call them up and arrange another time to collect your product, like I did.  And they are across the road from Bourke Street Bakery - what more incentive do you need to visit?

Bourke Street Bakery, Surry Hills and Marrickville

I quite surprised myself when I recently joined the queue of hungry Sydney-siders all waiting for their Bourke Street Bakery fix without even batting an eyelid.  This time last year, I would've taken one look at the line-up of people and just kept on walking thinking how ridiculous it is to wait in line to be fed.

But as I'm starting to understand that some things are just worth waiting for...

On this particular day I decided to head into Surry Hills and check out the suburb by foot. Usually we're hooning (within the legal speed limit of course) up Crown Street on our way to somewhere else and I can only glimpse the foodie gems on offer in this beautiful and  bustling Inner-Sydney suburb.

My first stop was, without question, always going to be Bourke Street Bakery. I'd heard so much about their sausage rolls that it just seemed negligent not to stop by and fuel myself up for an afternoon of walking and window shopping.

The line moves fairly quickly, and before I know it I'm in the little bakery quickly making my sausage roll decision. The Pork and Fennel Sausage Roll ($4.50) sounded just too tasty to go past.  The pork mince is luscious, but not too fatty, and the fennel adds just the slightest aniseed flavour to the mix. I'm in love. The pastry is thick and flaky, as I take my first bite little pieces of pastry rain down into my lap.  It's not pretty, but it sure is tasty! 

As there is limited seating inside the bakery, and a only a few seats outside that were already full, I decided to head over to the park across the road and have myself a little picnic.

The thing with food is that it's such a great way to make new friends.  As soon as I unwrapped my sausage roll and placed it down to take some snaps this fine fellow joined me. He'd sniffed out my sausage roll from the other side of the park!  He stared dolefully at me with his big brown eyes as I took every bite of my delectable sausage roll. I was saving the last bite for him and just as I was about to hand it over his owner shouted to me "that dog is nil by mouth"...sorry doggy, looks like you're on a diet!

Speaking of diets, mine starts tomorrow thus it seems remiss not to try a little sweet "something something" whilst I'm here- for research purposes of course.  The lady serving me tells me her favourite sweetie at the bakery is without a doubt the Passionfruit Meringue Tart ($5.00).  Sold!

I've never been one to be (overly) tempted by desserts, but I've been thinking about this Passionfruit Merguine Tart a lot!  I'd possibly make the trip in from Parramatta just for one of these babies. The short-crust pastry was perfect, and the meringue soft,  pillowy and sweet. It was like biting into a cloud of sweet heaven. The passionfruit curd was sweet, but had a slightly tart after-taste, which cut through the sweet meringue perfectly. This was pure bliss to eat.

And lastly a drink to wash it down with.  The only cold drinks on offer appeared to be a range of Bourke Street Bakery labelled juices.  I choose a Homemade Lemonade (which I 'think' was $3.00). Sugary, but sour all at the same time, and totally refreshing.

Another occasion sees me in Marrickville visiting Niecy-Poo, who is a devotee of Bourke Street Bakery's range of delicious sourdough breads. This branch of the bakery is much larger, with more seating than the Surry Hills store.  Situated down a quiet street in the industrial area of Marrickville you'd drive straight past if you didn't know it was here...and that would be a shame.

On this particular day we're just making a pitstop at Marrickville so Neicy-Poo can buy a loaf of sourdough for tomorrow's breakfast. As we arrive at around 3pm the guy behind the counter tells us we can buy one, get one free. He then changes his mind and says "ah, just make it buy one, get two free". Score!

Luckily for me this means that I get to take a loaf of bread home with me.  The Olive Oil Loaf ($4.50) tempts me, and Niecy Poo chooses a Large Sourdough as well as a Fruit Loaf. 

I know exactly what we're going to be eating our Olive Oil Loaf with...I picked up two cans of Campbell's New England Clam Chowder when we were in Hawaii in January as I'm a bit addicted to it.  If we hadn't done so much clothes shopping in Hawaii I could've fit more cans of soup in my bag...I need to prioritise better next trip.

The bread was lush, dense and heavy, the perfect accompaniment to the creamy soup.  There was a distinct taste of olive oil, but it wasn't overpowering or too oily.  It gave the bread a nice, slightly moist, texture.

Bourke Street Bakery at Surry Hills is at 633 Bourke Street (cnr of Devonshire Street). 



The Marrickville store is at 2 Mitchell Street, Marrickville.