I did “simmer on the bay”….it was damn hot!

It happened like this…..sightseeing at noon on a 32 degree day, thought I would do the circular quay to darling harbor walk. Hmm… starting to get a little rumbly in the tumbly but all these fancy circular quay restaurants don’t open till dinner…Hmmm what’s that?

A liiittle closer..

Yum!!

There were tons of people stopping by for their lunch break. There was only outdoor seating and you have to order from the window. I was a bit hesitant because of the 32 degrees thing, but I decided to try it out anyway. I ordered a quesadilla. What I got was very far from any quesadilla I was used to but sooooo tasty. Gruyere cheese with red capsicum (red pepper), caramelized onions, with a little arugula and balsamic vinaigrette. Sounds simple but it was memorable. Turns out I stumbled upon Simmer on the Bay (http://www.simmeronthebay.com.au/cafe.html). It was a quesadilla good enough that I forgot about the blazing heat and enjoyed my book and cappuccino for an hour in their outdoor seating. A place to go back to.

Some more breakfasty goodness

Brunch at “Not Bread Alone” in Crows Nest should not be missed. This little cafe makes some mean eggs benedict and reallllly good coffee. The french toast is also great; the preparation is a bit unconventional with a layer of egg on the face of the toast, very tasty.

We also had really yummy fruit juices…great hangover cure

Good Old Aussie Breakfast

Mmmm. Crumpets. If you’ve never had one, gotta have one. It sort of tastes like a mix between a pancake and a waffle. After toasting it’s crunchy on the outside and stays moist and buttery on the inside. They’re great with butter and honey or butter and marmalade or if you wanna get really aussie about it, butter and vegemite (my tastebuds haven’t adjusted to that yet).

With butter and honey

With butter and vegemite

Aussie toasters have a toast function and a crumpet function. Higher heat’s needed to get the crumpet all crunchy . Good stuff…

Please excuse the dirty toaster. Why do toasters get so dirty on the outside??? I don’t get it. Toasters and soy sauce bottles???

I’m Officially Off the Wagon

I quit drinking coffee a while back (of course I was still having the occasional espresso and turkish coffee here and there, but other than for those I had quit). Now this was not a problem back home in New York because frankly it has become so unbelievably difficult to find a good cup of coffee that it didn’t hurt much kicking the nasty cups of what tasted and looked like muddy water. There’s something wrong when people keep telling me that their favourite coffee is Starbucks! What’s the deal? Ok, enough complaining about new york; I love you new york but really something has to be done about the coffee situation. Maybe I haven’t been to the right places. If anybody has any suggestions, please share!

What I’ve found in Sydney is a place and people that really take their coffee seriously. In the twenty or so cups of coffee I have had so far only one or two have been mediocre, not bad, just mediocre…that’s pretty good. Every detail is special down to the presentation. Every cup of coffee looks amazing that I keep filling up my memory cards with photos of cappuccinos. I must confess that I worked as a waitress at an Italian restaurant and I sucked at making cappuccinos; my bosses never said anything to me. There is definitely someone in every coffee shop and restaurant here that’s quality controlling the coffee; either that or every server I’ve had has taken the Barista Basics Coffee Academy (http://www.baristabasics.com.au) course “Coffee Art and Presentation Techniques,” but I doubt it.

So there are a few things to know before ordering coffee in Australia. You’ve got the basics and then you’ve got some unusual stuff on the menu like:

Flat white = Espresso with steamed milk, for those who are tired of all the foam occupying precious coffee space in your lattes and cappuccinos
Short black = Espresso (not sure why it’s not just called an espresso)
Long black = Hot water added to an espresso

This is my understanding of these titles so far. I will correct any mistakes later on. In the mean time I should get some sleep. I shouldn’t have had that last cup today.

By the way..the photos of coffee and scones with berry jam and whipped cream were taken at “Solitude” great spot in the Blue Mountains.

It Should Be Gaytime All the Time

Dude, I love Golden Gaytime. I was introduced to this Australian treasure while starving at the Aquarium (which is amazing by the way). Half way through the sightseeing we passed a snack stand and I was amused by the ice cream bar’s name and wrapper. My brother said he loved them and he bought one for himself. I thought it was going to be a run of the mill ice cream bar, but I had one bite and was hooked. I don’t know what it is but it’s amazing. It’s just vanilla and toffee ice cream dipped in chocolate and covered with what tastes like graham cracker cookie crumble. Seems pretty simple but it was an awesome surprise for my foreign taste buds. I have already gone through several stages in my love affair with Golden Gaytime. At first I was ecstatic to discover that such yumminess existed, then I fell into deep despair when I remembered I wouldn’t have it anymore when I leave Australia, so I’ve decided to try and have a Golden Gaytime everyday until I go back home.