merry christmas: Hà Nôi

Seasons greetings!

I have many tales of Vietnam to share with you. Tonight we finished off a big day with fried noodles & 25c beer on tap!

We are heading home to Sydney in two days after an incredible fortnight. From there I'll work on my posts about food, photos, travelling with two children and the idiosyncrasies of Vietnam.

In the meantime Ill leave you with this skinny Santa! Merry Xmas!

yoo hoo Wagyu: butcher's cafe

In the interest of research I visited the Butcher's Cafe at Fairlight. Ordinarily on my way to Manly I think "I must stop there sometime" and today I did.

Andrew has been running the butchery for about six years popular for it's pasture fed, free-range, hormone and chemical free meat. Next door was once a deli that was selling more coffee than anything else (cheese) until Andrew came up with the idea to ditch the deli products and cash in on the caffeine!

The Butchers Cafe is now well-known for it's Wagyu beef burger ($12) and features in the Good Food Guide. A $12 burger has got to be good (right?) and, in the interest of research (and since after a coffee and quite a chat with Andrew I realised it was coming up to lunch time) I decided to try it for myself.

Aside from the very tasty, lean and tender burger and served on a panini-style roll with caramelised onion, lettuce leaves, bacon and provolone it's much like your ordinary burger. I would have liked less bread but that's the issue I always have with burgers.

There's a steady stream of traffic at the Butcher's Cafe - mostly for its coffee - and always groups of people out the front.

gypsy espresso

Gypsy Espresso has been opened on the site of Toby's Estate in Potts Point. Owner Mario has been roasting beans for years under the Toby's name but he now roasts his own blends onsite which makes this cafe an aromatic place to visit.

Mario and his crew pride themselves on roasting the finest quality beans and, in turn, producing exceptional coffee.

stacks on: revolver cafe

We met a dear friend for lunch in Annandale this week. She suggested a cafe close to her work - Revolver - at 291 Annandale street.

After 5 minutes the staff found the four of us a table. The most difficult thing about this place is choosing what you'll order! B and P are at the age when we need to order an extra dish (such a shame :)). We can no longer afford for them to eat what they want from our plates (because we don't end up with much). The kids were starving and ratty this day but we managed to hold it together until the meals arrived which were a:

Revolver veggie stack with  sweet potato, roast capsicum, zucchini, spiced eggplant, grilled haloumi & a mixed seed & rocket salad $15.50 (which was promptly un-stacked by little hands)

and,

Free range confit of duck on roast beetroot purée with green lentil, hazelnut & radicchio salad w a red wine vinaigrette $17.50

I like a good duck dish but it's not something I usually order. I am so pleased I did. The skin was crispy, light and caramelised and the meat was tender and melted in my mouth. The accompaniments were perfect and the prices of the meals very reasonable.

When my friend was renovating this year she feasted on the nine hour roasted lamb bruschetta with house made hummus fire roasted capsicum relish & almonds ($15.50). The young energy of the lamb gave her the energy to 'keep up the enthusiasm' that is synonymous with renovating!

Revolver is open 8-4 which is a shame because I'd make the trip for dinner with J. We'll just have to make an excuse for a lunch date sometime!

winning ticket: vietnam

My grandmother WON us a trip to Vietnam and we left very early Sunday morning. I'm not sure how much posting I'll be doing while we're travelling. My aim is to be in the moment as much as possible, tasting food, meeting people, documenting the trip with my new Nikon V1 and being together as a family.

I'll schedule a few posts so you'll have some reading over summer (winter in the northern hemisphere) but if I don't check-in I'd like to wish you all a safe and enjoyable holiday season.

Miss May Blossom

in search of soup: flat white

I went in search of chicken and lentil soup I had eaten twice a few years ago... but they no longer serve it. Damian (ex Moran's) and Justine Monley opened Flat White years ago and gave it up earlier this year to invest more time in their new venture, Madam Char Chars, a chicken shop with a Middle Eastern touch. I'm looking forward to trying it.

Chris still mans the coffee machine, fortunately!

Last time we visited Flat White was about 3.5 years ago when B was about 6 months old. We drove around until we found a car park, waited for a table and sat down to order. Our food arrived and at that instant I remembered I'd left veggies steaming on the hotplate at home for B's dinner!! J jumped up and drove home to rescue our apartment. The pot couldn't be salvaged but that was a minor sacrifice.

Flat White hasn't lost it's great coffee, great dishes and cakes but it has lost a staple from its menu - the chicken and lentil soup.

My moist blueberry, polenta and poppy seed cake hit the spot for a late morning tea.

I am not giving up on the soup. It may not feature on their menu anymore but I'll be cooking it in my own kitchen soon enough!

strawberry & mango pavlova

This was my first attempt at a pavlova and it was a success! I just can't believe that I used to buy those silly packets of meringue nests from the supermarket!

Friends helped us devour the pile of crunchy meringue filled with sticky goodness topped with perfectly ripened strawberries*, mango and freshly whipped cream and finely sliced Vietnamese mint.

Our guest, who isn't a fan of dessert, had seconds so that's an indication of how good it was!

Next time I'll make sure I have fresh passionfruit to drizzle over the top too.

Pavlova

(from Donna Hay's modern classics book 2)

4 eggs whites
1 cup caster sugar, sifted
3 teaspoons corn flour
1 teaspoon white vinegar

Preheat the oven to 150°c (300°f). Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, beating well until the mixture is glossy. Soft the corn flour over the egg white mixture and fold through the vinegar.**

Pile the meringue mixture into an 18cm (7 in) round on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Place in the oven, reduce the temperature to 120°c (250°f) and cook for 1 hour.

Turn the oven off and allow the meringue to cool in the oven. To serve, top with whipped cream and fresh fruit and serve immediately. Serves 6-8.


* I must smell strawberries before I buy them. They must look and smell ripe. Take them out of the fridge the night before to give them time to reach room temp. They will ripen further this way too.

** I've read that using a metal spoon to fold through the egg whites means thy don't lose their air.

celebrate: a birth day

Happy 4th Birthday little man!

Thank you for choosing us to be your family!

We love you.

chicken kapitan: neil perry

CHICKEN KAPITAN

90ml vegetable oil
300g spice paste (see below)
400ml coconut cream

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2 small stalks lemongrass hearts, finely sliced into thin rounds
1.5kg skinless chicken thigh fillets, each
cut into 6 pieces
400ml coconut milk
1/4 cup light palm sugar
40ml lime juice
sea salt

Spice paste
3/4 tbsp Belachan (Malaysian shrimp paste)
2 medium dried red chillies, deseeded and soaked in warm water
4 medium fresh long red chillies, deseeded
6 red shallots, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
Serves 6-8

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

For the spice paste, place the shrimp paste in a small pan and roast in the oven for about 10 minutes until fragrant. Allow to cool. Place all other spice paste ingredients, along with the shrimp paste, into a blender and blend to a fine paste.

To make the curry, heat oil in a wok, add the spice paste and fry until fragrant, stirring frequently for about 12 minutes, taking care not to burn it. Add half the coconut cream and the lemongrass, and stir-fry until the cream separates.

Add the chicken thigh fillets and fry for about 6 minutes until well coated with the spice paste. Add the coconut milk and palm sugar, bring to the boil, then simmer gently for about 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Add the lime juice and remaining coconut cream, and season to taste.

Neil Perry serves this dish with fragrant rice. You can find is recipe on the link below.

I served my Kapitan Chicken with steamed rice and fresh beans - fried with freshly minced garlic and ginger.

Despite it looking like it was served at the local 'club' this curry was delicious. The next day it was even better! I'll be making it again.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/food-by-neil-perry-20121126-2a25o.html#ixzz2EXdrn55n

celebrate: a marriage

Happy Wedding Anniversary Darling.... 5 years.

"On with the dance!

Let joy be unconfined."

Lord Byron

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Apologies if you've been missing these links. I've been working to get the layout I want on my blog and there may be a few more tweaks over the coming month.

food = good

This is yet another post about food.

Tonight I had the time and space to consider what it is that draws me in about preparing food and eating. More than ever in my life I am relying on food to make me happy and not in the greedy, binge-eating kind of way you might be thinking of. I like the way that I am enthused to try new recipes, new food and new ideas. I like the way I take my time to plan my meals and source fresh ingredients. I like thinking about food. I like writing about food. I like talking about food. 

A good day for me is when, at the end of the day, I dish up a meal that we eat together as a family and it tastes good.

Lately I have met a number of people who have that twinkle in their eye when I mention food. Do you know the one? It might be as simple as discussing what one of us is making for dinner. I like to hear about dishes I haven't tried or methods I haven't heard of. 

This has got me wondering about the role of food. Granted - food is a critical part of life - but beyond meeting the basic need to eat - food can be exciting. It's an avenue in which to explore and create with colours, textures, tastes (of course); through familiarity and the unknown. 

There's that old cliché that food connects people. Beyond a banquet and shared dishes is conversation, the sharing of stories, the connecting of people through the very basic act of eating. 

For the last two weekends we've had friends over for meals. The warmer months are the ideal time for this at our place. The children can play in the yard while the adults catch up over a champagne or a beer. While we've sat there with our drinks, eating fine food we discuss parenting, and work, and families and friends and politics and life. There are snippets of conversations in the kitchen as a salad is assembled, at the barbecue as the meat is cooked, next to the paddling pool while the kids throw themselves in. As we sit in front of a table of food it's obvious that the meal is so much more than the eating, so much more than the act of eating together and much more than the need to nourish the body. We've all pitched in to make this meal and the children sit on a picnic rug eating together too.

Is it just me or does food taste better when eaten with friends and family?

I've recently realised that talking about food with people has opened up a part of me. It has allowed me to connect with people over something other than parenting too. As a stay-at-home mum it can be difficult to find purpose even when you are doing a very important job.

Each day both of our children help prepare our food and they love it. Our almost-2 year old daughter is perfecting the art of egg cracking and today she cracked two without dropping shell into the pancake mixture. Our almost-4 year old drew faces on all the mangoes yesterday. Scary monster faces. I like the way he connects with his food.

A few times a week we make certain we sit together as a family, have an early dinner, and eat together - no phones, no screens, conversation and just being together.

Food has given me a new purpose. The result may be feeding my family over an enjoyable meal but the process of delivering that dish is so much more.

If you, like me, like food and feel lucky that, this Christmas you'll be able to share a meal with your nearest and dearest perhaps you'd consider donating a plate ($25 main, $50 the lot) to the Wayside Chapel who feeds about 600 people on Christmas Day - people who don't necessarily have anywhere else to be on the day. You can donate in the name of a friend too.

a refit: belgrave cartel

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.

wrap up of the week

J got out on the water in his kayak and snagged his fishing rod on a rock which dragged it in. A snorkel & he managed to retrieve it!

read Good Weekend & Spectrum

Mexican for lunch; grocery shopping and family dinner - snapper with lemon and herbs served with a Greek salad.

The snapper was cooked on the BBQ while we jumped into the neighbour's pool for a quick cool-off. It reached about 34ºc here today and our neighbours are incredibly generous.

Run along Manly beach

Coffee at Belgrave Cartel

Rainy day activities: Manly Art Gallery & Musuem, Manly Environment Centre

A really delightful morning at Dandy Lions, Royal Botanical Gardens

Lunch with Daddy at his work

Last minute shopping for cake ingredients for B's birthday cake

Play at the park

Organising visas for our trip to Vietnam next week!

A workout at the gym

A family Christmas at J's work

Christmas work party dinner: for adults

Coffee in the city with a uni friend

My Mum arrived for four days!

 

the kids' swimming lessons

A small family gathering to celebrate B's 4th birthday

a rose and a hydrangea

From the garden this week.

This reminds me of The Little Prince and his rose.

mending pile: replace a zipper

I remember my Mum's 'mending pile' as a child. It was a cane basket overflowing with clothes needing anything from a button to a patch to a new hem. Urgent jobs were done quickly but that mending pile was a vortex. You'd sooner outgrow the garment than have it fixed. I understand why. It just wasn't a priority because there were too many other things to be done!

The zipper on this skirt broke last summer and I hadn't got around to mending it until a few weeks ago.

I unstitched around the old zipper, paying articulated attention to the seams so I could be certain that I inserted the new zipper exactly as the old had been.

Repairing a piece of clothing is a treat, adding a new outfit to your wardrobe.

chocolate cake

Hmmmm.....

maternity leave & returning to work

I had my son, B, four years ago.

I am not exaggerating when I write that the first question many people asked me in those first months was, "when are you going back to work?" I couldn't even work out how I was going to have a shower in the mornings, tackle the washing and juggle breastfeeds with sleeps, let alone thinking about returning to my role of teaching - one that you can't do half-heartedly.

It wasn't until B was about 6 months old that people stopped asking me about returning to work. I know that I have been lucky to have the choice whether or not to have to return to work. Teaching is a female-oriented industry that makes provisions for its staff.

It was my choice to stay at home. Teachers in the NSW public school system are entitled to two years of maternity leave and to return to work part-time until their youngest child begins school after which they're expected to work full-time. Once childcare costs were paid it wasn't financially worth me returning to work after B was born. I also wanted to be at home with him.

Many of my friends who have returned to work say they couldn't be at home full-time and it keeps them sane.

For most people, returning to work is a decision they make at some point. I have a few friends with willing family (mostly grandparents) who babysit a day or two a week while they work. I think this is a great balance. The children have an extended network of carers, the grandparents play a significant role in their upbringing, have a bond with their grandchildren and parents can return to work (relatively guilt-free), giving them the opportunity for self and professional development.

I know of a number of stay-at-home dads too. I can imagine that these dads have a bond with their kids that will last their life-time. As many, if not all, of childrens' teachers will be women I think a male influence on kids is pretty important. Steve Biddulph writes about this in his books.

According to the Australian Institute of Family Studies (aifs.gov.au, n.d.) "taking leave around childbirth can have a negative effect on a woman's future wage growth." The AIFS states that more than eighty percent of Australian mothers return to work after childbirth on a part-time basis.

The government funded Paid Parental Leave Scheme has certainly helped people with the intention to stay at home for the first months after a baby is born do so more comfortably than in the past.

Our daughter, P, was born two years after B, which entitled me to another two years of leave. So I tacked on another two years of leave to my original leave. I strongly considered returning to work last year but it wasn't the right time for our family. My husband was away months at a time with work and I felt I needed to be with my children as they were already finding it difficult with their dad away. Needless to say I was as well!

A couple of months ago I contacted my principal and notified her of my intention to work next year. It is the right time for me and my family. It must be because I feel enthusiastic about the prospect of being in a dynamic work environment. The fact that I might just have to leave early to beat the traffic and have an uninterrupted caffeine hit on the way may also be part of the enticement!

While reading up on the issue of returning to work I found this personal account, this one and this account too.

Are you a stay-at-home parent? If you did stay at home how did you decide when to return to work? Was your decision based primarily on finances and your future in the workplace? What other factors did you consider?

Good Food

The gossip columns are working overtime this morning. The whispers have been confirmed. No, I am not referring to the news that Kate Middleton & Prince William are expecting their first baby!

Tuesday is my second favourite newspaper day (yes, I'm a nerd) because of the Herald's pull-out Good Food (formerly Good Living). Thank you new newspaper guy for not missing the house this week. 

Can you imagine my excitement when I opened the wrap to see the Herald has launched a new website, Good Food?!

With food reviews, recipes, a drinks menu and food gossip all in the one place I suspect this will make cuisine.com.au redundant!

I'm off.... to check it out!

wrap up of the week

Dinosaurs at the zoo with dear friends; early dinner at the beach (feast of salmon fishcakes, beetroot and toasted almond salad, grilled haloumi, baked sweet potato, cauliflower fried in whole cumin seeds and blanched beans) followed by two hours in and out of the water and playing on the sand.

a morning in the city; homemade friands with Aunty L.

An early morning run; coffee with J on his way to work, swim in neighbour's pool

An orientation visit to B's preschool; the discovery of a new cafe and some brief Mummy/B time; swim in neighbour's pool and my first attempt at a Victorian Sponge cake. I definitely need to work on this!

Coffee with a friend and her 3 yo. The kids asked for iced chocolates, B's addition to the order "with lumpy bits." Swim in neighbour's pool (again! It's been hot here!), a workout at the gym and some me time, Lincraft on the hunt for dinosaur fabric & a shoe warehouse for new runners!

"We just wanted to make the couch colours, Mum" (the excuse for unfolding my folded washing!)

meal plan

Saturday: dinner: whole bream stuffed with lemon and herbs, wrapped in aluminum foil & cooked on the BBQ, served with a Greek salad.

Sunday: lunch with friends - chicken, salads: beetroot, pumpkin and feta with lots of mint and roasted nuts, basil & parsley, pavlova with fresh strawberries, mango and cream. Leftovers for dinner.

Monday: Luke Nguyen's tamarind beef salad (thanks to Citrus and Candy's Blog for posting the recipe)

Tuesday: Neil Perry's chicken kapitan with fragrant rice

Wednesday: eggs on toast

Thursday: pumpkin risotto with beans (I am counting on Sydney's high 30ºc temp's to come down so we can eat this)

Friday: another slack dinner. I have tins of lentils and boxes of felafel mix in the pantry, cheese for cheese on toast, plenty of veggies so I'll just whip something up... or get take away!

* I also plan to try the festive chocolate raisin cake again and experiment with a few spices.

pillow case dress

Thanks to hand-me-downs and op-shops our daughter doesn't really need more clothes. Who does?!

BUT over the weekend I had the urge to sew, so, sew I did! I have made a pillow case dress in the past but it turned out too small (I don't like following patterns... but I need to before I become more proficient).  

It's a simple, 'airy' dress with lots of room for growth and perfect for summer.

There are so many patterns online for the pillow case dress but I used this one. The key is to have beautiful matching fabric. These fat quarters came from My Patch Fabrics.