I'm not one to stick to a routine. I have to make the most of the moment and to me that means discovering new things. The truth is I also get bored going to the same places, doing the same thing. I like variety.
This afternoon P fell asleep in the car after a very warm night last night (and little sleep), a big morning at swimming lessons and entertaining friends by catching the chooks over lunch. This was the only excuse we needed for a challenge - to find a coffee spot in Manly where we could park the car out the front (windows down and doors open) and it was then that I'd remembered a cafe I hadn't yet tried but have wanted to.
Belgrave Cartel is run by brothers Nick and Joe. We met Joe as we arrived and got chatting. His Italian grandfather came to Australia in the 1930's and was taken as a POW to work on the railways when WWII was declared. Some thirteen years later, with their firstborn, Joe's grandmother was brought out to Australia to join her husband.
They ran a fruit and veggie shop on the corso in Manly (where the Angus & Robertson once was) and lived upstairs. Joe remembers veggie gardens out the back as a child, and more when his uncle moved to town. He remembers chooks' necks being ringed in his grandmother's backyard.
I suspect that the things that drive the boys to produce fresh, quality food is their background of knowing how tomatoes should really smell and how fresh ingredients can be. Not only does the menu pay homage to the boys' Italian roots but also to their family including a breaky of eggs with 'Nonna's pesto.' We ate a coconut muffin with our smooth piccolos (on our first visit) but I scoured the (affordable) menu - shared plates and all day breakfast - convinced we'd visit again for more food.
Thursday nights the Cartel serves a 3 course set menu for $30. Their Facebook page boasts one example of a Thursday night special.
Entree: Antipasti - selection of cured meats & grissini or duo of bruschetta - marinated peppers & zucchini.
Mains: Beef Lasagne or Chicken Calabrese or Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli in a Napolitana Sauce.
Dessert: Tiramisu.
The shop has had a refit in the last few months (their grandmother died 2 weeks short of its opening) and the two grills that used to run flat-out on the weekends have been replaced by a good-sized kitchen. A courtyard out the back is a great spot away from the traffic on Belgrave st and, I can imagine, an atmospheric place to dine with candles at night.
The kitchen is open Tues- Sun nights now too - something they couldn't do before the refit - and they have wines and beers to accompany meals.
I'm not one to stick to a routine but I have been known to change my mind.
I may have sneaked in for breaky after the gym the other morning sans
children - a piccolo & baked eggs in bacon, avocado and pesto.
"A cartel is a formal agreement among competing firms. It's a formal organisation where there is a small number of sellers and usually involve homogeneous products." Wikipedia, n.d.
This afternoon P fell asleep in the car after a very warm night last night (and little sleep), a big morning at swimming lessons and entertaining friends by catching the chooks over lunch. This was the only excuse we needed for a challenge - to find a coffee spot in Manly where we could park the car out the front (windows down and doors open) and it was then that I'd remembered a cafe I hadn't yet tried but have wanted to.
Belgrave Cartel is run by brothers Nick and Joe. We met Joe as we arrived and got chatting. His Italian grandfather came to Australia in the 1930's and was taken as a POW to work on the railways when WWII was declared. Some thirteen years later, with their firstborn, Joe's grandmother was brought out to Australia to join her husband.
They ran a fruit and veggie shop on the corso in Manly (where the Angus & Robertson once was) and lived upstairs. Joe remembers veggie gardens out the back as a child, and more when his uncle moved to town. He remembers chooks' necks being ringed in his grandmother's backyard.
I suspect that the things that drive the boys to produce fresh, quality food is their background of knowing how tomatoes should really smell and how fresh ingredients can be. Not only does the menu pay homage to the boys' Italian roots but also to their family including a breaky of eggs with 'Nonna's pesto.' We ate a coconut muffin with our smooth piccolos (on our first visit) but I scoured the (affordable) menu - shared plates and all day breakfast - convinced we'd visit again for more food.
Thursday nights the Cartel serves a 3 course set menu for $30. Their Facebook page boasts one example of a Thursday night special.
Entree: Antipasti - selection of cured meats & grissini or duo of bruschetta - marinated peppers & zucchini.
Mains: Beef Lasagne or Chicken Calabrese or Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli in a Napolitana Sauce.
Dessert: Tiramisu.
The shop has had a refit in the last few months (their grandmother died 2 weeks short of its opening) and the two grills that used to run flat-out on the weekends have been replaced by a good-sized kitchen. A courtyard out the back is a great spot away from the traffic on Belgrave st and, I can imagine, an atmospheric place to dine with candles at night.
The kitchen is open Tues- Sun nights now too - something they couldn't do before the refit - and they have wines and beers to accompany meals.
I'm not one to stick to a routine but I have been known to change my mind.
"A cartel is a formal agreement among competing firms. It's a formal organisation where there is a small number of sellers and usually involve homogeneous products." Wikipedia, n.d.
