The Commons, Darlinghurst

Some people may think that blogging and tweeting is a bit of a sad hobby...sitting at home all alone in front of the computer instead of getting out and about with "real" friends. The thing is blogging, especially food blogging is one of the most social activities I've ever been involved in.  Since I started my blog I've literally met hundreds of other bloggers, add that to the new twitter friends I've made I'm struggling to find the time these days to stay at home, put my feet up and blog.

This brunch at The Commons in Darlinghurst has come about as my new twitter friend, Beth, is visiting Sydney for a few days. Beth and her husband, Haydn own Burrawong Gaian - a free range pork and poultry farm on the mid-north coast.  Now you all know how I feel about pasture raised produce and how "anti" factory farming I am.  So as you can imagine I was beside myself at the chance to meet two real life free-range farmers!

I choose The Commons because the ethical butcher Feather and Bone lists them as one of the restaurants they supply to.  For some reason though The Boy goes for a meatless breakfast - Mushroom and Parmesan Cheese Omlette ($12.00) - I dare say it's because he's a mushroom addict.

I immediately decided on The Commons Corned Beef Hash ($18.00).  I'm not sure why though as I had corned-beef hash in San Francisco and it was literally one of the worst things I've ever put in my mouth. I'm please to say that the corned beef hash at The Commons was great and totally moreish. It came with a soft-cooked (free-range) egg and beautiful chuncks of potato.  Despite the generous serve of tatters I managed to relieve The Boy of half of his toast!

Of course it's not brunch with a decent cup of coffee - skinny cappuccinos for both myself and The Boy...and a berry muffin just to finish things off.  Just as we were getting ready to leave the waitstaff were writing up the lunch menu on the blackboard - it looked delicious, so delicious I was tempted to settle in and go for Round 2.

The Commons is a lovely restaurant - set in an old, sandstone farmhouse that dates back to the 1850s is is the oldest house in Darlinghurst. Back in the day the entire area was farmland...hard to imagine really, especially as drive home via Oxford Street where it's heaving with people and traffic.

The Commons is at 32 Burton Street, Darlinghurst. Phone them on 9358 1487.

Hartsyard, Enmore

Hartsyard is the new kid on the block in Enmore and it's brought a bit of life to a part of Enmore Road that's been a bit of a barren wasteland up until now.  The restaurant is owned by husband and wife team, Greg and Naomi.  Naomi has kept a blog leading up to the restaurant opening (and she's still keeping it up to date). It's fascinating reading - especially if you've ever wondered what goes on before a restaurant flings its doors open; or how tired restaurant staff actually really are as they're flinging plates on our tables each night.

Hartsyard has been packed out every night since it opened in June.  With a spate of recent restaurant closures it's made me think about why some restaurants go gang-busters from the moment they open and others slowly whither away and die. Whatever the formula for success is Hartsyard has worked it out.  It has a great fit out - it's a bit industrial and a bit homely, there's great menu of southern USA inspired comfort food, super-friendly staff, great cocktail list...and George the Duck who overseas the goings on from his perch at the front counter.

My dining companion decides to kick things off with a drink.  The Bloody Caesar ($17.50, not sure how much this was as she had it without Vodka and it was given to her as a freebie as she knows Naomi) takes her eye: clamato juice, Worcestershire sauce, HY hot sauce and smoked cherry tomato. I've never liked Tomato Juice drinks but I try a sip or two of this and it's pretty decent...I like the spiciness of the hot sauce.

Despite the restaurant only being open for a short while the Oyster Po'boy ($16.00 for two) has gotten itself quite the reputation.  A homemade English Muffin sandwiches crumbed oysters (they're fantastic - even non-oyster fans will LOVE them...trust me), mayonnaise and coleslaw. I top mine with some of the house-made hot sauce...I'm totally addicted to these Po'boys after only one try. Can't wait to come back and stuff myself with more more more (oh, I did come back and I ate FOUR po'boys all to my self. Best Day EVER)!

The Shaved Mushroom and Raw Artichoke Salad ($17.00) is another winner of the dish. The Parmesan crisps and condensed-milk mayonnaise make this more than just any old salad.

Another little dish that also already has a BIG reputation is the delicious Poutine ($19.00).  Super chunky fried potatoes topped with Oxtail gravy, crispy beef threads, cheddar and beer sauce. It sounds like a heart attack on a plate, but this dish actually felt far less artery-hardening than I thought it would be...there's only a sprinkling of cheese after all.  

The Cold-smoked Fried Chicken ($26.00) on the other hand is certainly not a dish endorsed by Weight Watchers but man is it GOOD!  The chicken has a super-crispy outer shell but the meat is still moist and tender.  I loved the buttermilk biscuit (that's Yankee for savoury scone) with sausage gravy. Sausage gravy = heaven!

I was full before the Fried Chicken arrived at our table, but my dining companion was keen for dessert.  We decided to share the increible looking (and tasting) Peanut Butter + Banana Sundae ($16.00) with pretzel ice cream, banana doughnut and salted fudge.  The bowl may not look that big but it defeated us (and many other couples in the restaurant).

The food at Hartsyard isn't going to win any ticks from Weight Watchers...but it's fun, it's delicious and it's made for sharing...so that means somebody can share the worry about the calories.  I can't wait to come back and eat more, way more, Oyster Po'boys.

Hartsyard is at 33 Enmore Road, Enmore.  Phone them on 8068 1473 or make a booking via their website.

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.

In My Kitchen, August

For the second month in a row I'm actually not in my kitchen (are you sensing a pattern here).

The Boy and I booked ourselves a week long winter-getaway to Bali.  Our private villa (with it's OWN PRIVATE POOL) also came with a maid, the lovely Ketut, who would come each morning and cook us breakfast. What luxury!!!   I did laugh at the stove top compared to my brother's monster stove in last months post...though I did have one very similar in my little studio flat once upon a time.

Each morning Ketut would cook us up a killer breakfast complete with banana pancakes and a mixed juice (the mixed fruit juices are one of my favourite things about traveling in Asia).  We'd top our fried eggs with ABC Sambal Sauce and ABC Kepis Manis which seems to be a staple on every table in Bali.  It's hard to believe that after this enormous feast we'd be off searching for lunch in just a few hours time.

One of my favourite things about visiting other countries is exploring the amazing world of International Supermarkets of Mystery as my friend Miss Chicken calls them! On first taste Seaweed Pringles are a prime example of Yum-Yuk in action, but they are salty and full of artificial flavours...so turn out to be really addictive.  The Tempe Chips on the other hand, not so nice. I really LOVED the "real" Tempe so this was a bit of a let down (I ate the whole pack though just to make sure I definitely didn't like them).

The Boy and I arrived home on the weekend and it's back into my own kitchen I go - boo.  My mint plant has been going gangbusters lately and survived my holiday (without watering) really well.  I've been busy making fresh mint tea using this teeny mortar + pestle the boy gave me.

As for what I'll be cooking this month...hopefully I'll be cooking up another holiday soon!

Grill'd Parramatta

Scoring a couple of "BOGOF" vouchers (that's buy one get one free, people) to Grill'd at the train station one morning The Boy + I drag our blogging neighbour, Ramen and his flatmate Mr D up to Grill'd Parramatta for a lunchtime burger-fest.  I'm cross at Grill'd for a lame marketing campaign they did a while back saying they hate foodies and bloggers (tongue in check of course blah blah), but the lure of a free burger makes me get over that pretty quickly.

Grill'd has been opened on Church Street for a few months now and seems to be doing really well - every time I go past on the bus the restaurant is pretty busy.  It's nice to see something other than another boring Mediterranean joint on this street.  Variety is the spice of life after all, and burgers are the best type of variety.

Grill'd have a huge range of burgers to choose from. Their eggs are free-range and both the lamb and beef are grass-fed. Hopefully they soon come to the party and put free-range chicken and bacon on their menu...it seems like the next logical step.

If Grill'd do one thing really well it's their chips (regular size $4.5).  Man these babies are ADDICTIVE.  The chips are really thick cut, crispy on the outside + fluffy on the inside. The whole bag is dusted with a moreish coating of secret herbs + sea salt. I'm thinking there's Rosemary in there, maybe some Thyme...Oregano? We grab a side of herb mayo just to make sure we're getting out daily dose of herbs.

I go for the MUSTARD + PICKLED! ($11.50) - grilled grass fed lean beef, Dijon mustard, dill pickle, tasty cheese, salad & relish.  It's good, really good. The mustard is delicious and the pickle is pickle perfection.

The Boy, being an almighty greedy-guts (kidding baby, honest), chooses the ALMIGHTY ($13.50) - grilled grass fed lean beef, tasty cheese, crispy trim bacon, free range egg, a couple of slices of beetroot with salad, relish + herbed mayo. He says it reminds him of an old-style milk-bar burger which is high praise indeed.

An admirable initiative at Grill'd is their "Local Matters" - a fun way of giving some much needed funding to local charities/groups. Every burger purchase gets the burger-buyer a bottle top which they then put into a jar...each jar represents a different charity. The charities are switched up each month. If you want to know more about Local Matters, or nominate a charity/local group click --- > here.  I would if my stomach would qualify as a "good cause".

Grill'd is at 310 Church Street, Parramatta.  Phone them on 9891 6003.