Melbourne

Chez Dré, South Melbourne

~ culinaldi ~ 2 Comments

This past Saturday morning I woke up with a plan and purpose. During the week, I had spied in The Age newspaper that there were a number of cafés who were participating in a promotion by giving away free copies of The Age 2014 Good Café Guide when customers paid with EFTPOS on Saturday. Looking through the advertisement, I spied Chez Dré in the listing of cafes and devised a strategy for Saturday morning breakfast. I admit that Chez Dré has been on my “must do” list for the longest time and I love freebies, especially one which I can use to find good food and great coffee.

Walking towards South Melbourne was a surreal experience as the heavy rain from the night before had made the wet roads and paths take on a bright new sheen, and everything seemed to sparkle and glisten in the morning sunshine. It was so beautiful to see but at the same time, I was also wishing that I had brought my sunglasses with me.

Chez Dré, South Melbourne
Chez Dré, South Melbourne
Chez Dré, South Melbourne
Chez Dré, South Melbourne

Turning down a small alley off Coventry Street, I was surprised to see that there wasn’t a long queue of people waiting outside trying to get a table. It wasn’t until I stepped inside the cavernous warehouse building did I realise where everyone was hiding. Making my way through the noisy hum to the courtyard to wait for a table, there was a bit of a jostle trying to get noticed and register my name with maître d’ for a seat. Thankfully I didn’t have to wait too long and was escorted to a seat outside.

The French inspired breakfast menu includes the traditional Croque Monsieur, a White Bean Cassoulet and the pastries and baguettes you would expect to find in a pâtisserie or boulangerie. My heart was set on the Brioche French Toast as soon as I found it on the menu.

Chez Dré, South Melbourne
Chez Dré, South Melbourne
Chez Dré, South Melbourne
Chez Dré, South Melbourne

Seated outside in the courtyard area, I was engulfed in a sea of black puffer jackets and sportswear, with everyone looking très chic (fashionably glamorous) in trademark Melbourne black attire. I usually live and breathe black clothing, but I felt a little conspicuous in my long camel coloured coat and red hair glowing beneath the outdoor heaters. Even my super-sized latte looked stylish when it arrived sporting its own matte black mug.

Chez Dré, South Melbourne
The Age Good Cafe Guide 2014 – Chez Dré, South Melbourne
Chez Dré, South Melbourne

I had a quick look around the tables around me and dish du jour seemed to be eggs and toast yet all eyes were on me when my breakfast arrived. The girls sitting near me stopped chatting to each other almost instantly and then one of them said to me “That looks amazing! Good choice!” Naturellement.

Brioche French Toast, seasonal poached fruit, vanilla mascarpone and caramelised pecans - Chez Dré, South Melbourne
Brioche French Toast, seasonal poached fruit, vanilla mascarpone and caramelised pecans – Chez Dré, South Melbourne

My breakfast indeed looked spectacular. The brioche French toast had a thick, hard outer crust which was a little difficult to cut through at first so I started with the delicious cardamom-infused blood plum compote. The vanilla mascarpone was divine, generous in size but not too sweet. The poached pears, spears of rhubarb, together with the crunchy pecans and sweet brioche provided a myriad of textures and flavours that were so enjoyable, but extremely filling.

After five or minutes, my waitress sidles over and asks “How’s that French Toast treating you?” It was such a novel and friendly way of asking if you are enjoying your meal. I said it was fantastic and she promptly followed up with whether a wanted another cup of coffee. It’s hard to believe but over the last couple of weeks, when I really wanted another coffee, nobody bothered asking or came near my table. Unfortunately this time when I get the opportunity to order another coffee, my super-sized latte and the substantial French Toast put paid that idea. I didn’t eat another morsel for the rest of the day but I did get my free book to take home to enjoy and plan for my next breakfast adventure.

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New Fresh Style Tapas Menu – Spice Bazaar, Seddon

~ culinaldi ~ Leave a comment

I absolutely love cooking and happily refer to myself as a “one-handed cook”; the knife in my right hand and a glass of wine in the other. Lately I have been reminiscing about my Year 7 Home Economics class. In terms of cooking and learning new culinary skills, I was fearless. I remember making my own choux pastry, Chelsea buns from scratch, brioche and all kinds of dough concoctions, then coming home and wreaking havoc in Mum’s kitchen, trying hard to recreate all the things I had learned.

About four and half years ago, I signed up for a Tapas cooking class at Spice Bazaar, as a way to prepare myself for an upcoming trip to Spain. Since that first day, I’ve had a lot of fun cooking different cuisines and learning new techniques under Jill and Patrick’s expert tutelage, with the added bonus of making new friends as we all prepare the ingredients and recreate the recipes together. My friend Adrian posted some beautiful pictures on Facebook from the new Fresh Style Tapas class that he went along to on his birthday, and after I had recovered from the severe case of food envy, I enrolled as soon as I could.

The new menu that Jill has devised for the Fresh Style Tapas class includes Gazpacho shots, a lighter style Tortilla made with zucchini, Jerez style Garlic Prawns, crispy grilled chicken marinated with harissa, lime and garlic, Spanish meatballs served with a traditional almond sauce, Moorish lamb skewers, accompanied by sautéed garlic mushrooms and roasted pumpkin cubes with a honey dressing, followed by a delicious White Chocolate Mousse topped with passionfruit jelly to finish.

Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Spice Bazaar, Seddon

There were a total of eight participants in the Fresh Style Tapas class, so after we made our introductions, donned on our aprons, it was literally time to sharpen the knives and start preparing our dishes. Due to the length of time needed to ensure that our dessert would be ready in time, we got to work on melting the chocolate and preparing the ingredients for our mousse. Although I profess a deep love for chocolate mousse, I’ve never actually made one myself and Jill’s recipe is very easy and simple to make. After whipping together a yoghurt, cream and chocolate mixture and spooning it into small glass containers, we made a jelly using gelatine powder and passionfruit juice which once cooled, covered the mousse. Once that step was completed, the mousse went into the fridge to set.

White chocolate mousse with passionfruit jelly – Spice Bazaar, Seddon
White chocolate mousse with passionfruit jelly – Spice Bazaar, Seddon
White chocolate mousse with passionfruit jelly – Spice Bazaar, Seddon
White chocolate mousse with passionfruit jelly – Spice Bazaar, Seddon
White chocolate mousse with passionfruit jelly – Spice Bazaar, Seddon

Cooking in two teams of four, whilst I finished off the dessert, the other team members got to work on preparing for the other dishes to be eaten during our entrée course. Instead of a potato based tortilla, Jill has come up with a light and healthier alternative using zucchini, similar to a frittata. Together we chopped our way through the list of ingredients and as one person cooked on the stove, there was an opportunity to start preparing the harissa, lime and garlic marinade required for the chicken dish to be eaten during the main course.

Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Gazpacho – Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Moorish lamb skewers – Spice Bazaar, Seddon

More chopping, grating, zesting, measuring and spice throwing to create the marinade and allow the flavours to infuse through the chicken, then we repeated a similar process for the Moorish lamb skewers using a blend of Chermoula, Sweet Paprika and Smoked Paprika mixed together with oil, garlic, chilli, herbs and lemon juice to marinate the lamb. One of the things I love about cooking in the Spice Bazaar kitchen as opposed to cooking at home, is that all the ingredients, cooking implements and utensils are right in front of me, and then I get to put all the dirty dishes and knives into the sink where they get magically washed and put away by Cheryl, the kitchen assistant. It makes cooking a breeze and not at all like Year 7 Home Eco when you had to clean up after yourself while the teacher was yelling at you to hurry up!

Moorish lamb skewers – Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Gazpacho – Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Zucchini tortilla – Spice Bazaar, Seddon

With the tortilla warming in the oven, its time to create a classic Spanish gazpacho soup to be served as a shooter. After blanching the tomatoes, and preparing the other ingredients, we tested our trigger skills on the blender and prepared the soup with a little of oil drizzled in to create a silky, smooth texture. Once the mixture is strained over a bowl, the soup is served in small glasses and garnished with some finely chopped cucumber. Whilst the finishing touches are applied to both the tortilla and gazpacho, its almost time to plate up for entrée, as one of our teammates is slaving over the hot grill and cooking the Moorish lamb skewers to order.

Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Moorish lamb skewers – Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Spice Bazaar, Seddon

Cooking is thirsty work and another thing I love about Spice Bazaar is the opportunity to take a breather and enjoy what you have just created over a nice glass of wine, expertly matched to the dishes on the menu. The gazpacho was lovely with a creamy texture with the cucumber giving a light, fresh finish on the palate. I enjoyed the lighter style tortilla which looked stunning when served in the colourful tapas crockery. The chermoula in the lamb skewers provided a touch of heat to our dishes but was lovely and rich to taste. With the plate of skewers in front of you, it’s hard to resist at one but you need to be mindful of the next wave of dishes to be made and enjoyed for the main course.

After half an hour or so of grazing, chatting and drinking, it’s time to get up, wash the hands again and start preparing the rest of the menu. While someone strong starts carving up the pumpkin into bite size cubes, there is the opportunity to start preparing the balsamic and honey dressing or start chopping the ingredients for the sautéed garlic mushrooms and start finely dicing more gloves of garlic for the Jerez style prawn dish.

Jerez style Garlic Prawns – Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Spice Bazaar, Seddon

One of the highlights of the menu, is the exotic sounding Spanish meatballs served with a traditional almond sauce. The meatballs are made with pork mince, chopped garlic, onion and parsley, seasoned and mixed with egg. While the meatballs were being formed, I rolled them in flour and started on creating the almond sauce, which involved gently frying almonds and bread in a frypan, adding wine and stock, before processing the mixture in the blender or food processor. A word of warning – make sure you do this in a glass vessel as the mixture is very hot and the quantity expands. Once puréed into a creamy, smooth and frothy mixture, the almond sauce is poured over the cooked meatballs and placed in the oven to finish.

Spanish meatballs with traditional almond sauce – Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Spanish meatballs with traditional almond sauce – Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Spanish meatballs with traditional almond sauce – Spice Bazaar, Seddon

Feeling a little bit like a short order cook, I got to work on grilling the marinated chicken fillets over high heat on the stove, while my other cooking companions cooked the prawns and started assembling the pumpkin and mushroom dishes. Many hands make light work and it all seems very easy when you have three or four extra pairs of hands helping prepare the ingredients for when they are required. Whenever I enjoy a cooking class or lesson, I find the best thing to do is practice the recipes at home within a week or two so that you don’t forget the sequence of ingredients and techniques that have been learnt, and that you actually have a go at the steps that someone else might have completed for you during the day.

Grilled chicken with harissa, lime and garlic – Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Grilled chicken with harissa, lime and garlic – Spice Bazaar, Seddon

Three and a half hours seem to disappear very quickly when you are having fun! With the chicken looking crispy and cooked to perfection, and all the main course dishes and garnishes prepared and resembling the same quality as Masterchef, its time to kick back, throw off the aprons and enjoy the rest of meal with another glass of wine.

Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Spice Bazaar, Seddon
Spice Bazaar, Seddon

Finished with lemon juice and chopped parsley, the flavours and texture of the pork meatballs cooked with the almond were astounding and its very easy to prepare when you know how. The prawns were fresh and lightly cooked with a Spanish sherry vinegar, cayenne pepper and garlic. The pumpkin dish was beautiful and the roasted flavours with dried rosemary and a thick, rich honey glaze is delicious on its own or can be enjoyed with the meat dishes. I’m not a fan of mushrooms at any hour of the day so I didn’t go near that dish!

My favourite dish of the day was the harissa, lime and garlic marinated chicken which again is easy to create. The chicken thigh meat was light and juicy and the harissa and lime flavours really work well together, especially when grilled on the barbecue. And just when I thought that I couldn’t possibly eat another thing, the pièce de résistance was served. Once your spoon cuts through the passionfruit jelly and you savour the slighty sweet white and fluffy chocolate mousse, it really is game over.

Another fantastic four hours spent learning new recipes, making new friends and over indulging in fabulous tasting food that I had helped to prepare, and so it was time to say good-bye to everyone, roll home and plan the next dinner party.

http://www.spicebazaar.com.au/

Spice Bazaar on Urbanspoon

Einstein’s Relative, South Yarra

~ culinaldi ~ Leave a comment

The first breakfast I had when I moved into the South Yarra area was in a café located in the Yarra Lane precinct, adjacent to the train station called Outpost Café. Let’s just say that after that dining experience, I avoided the place altogether and didn’t look in that general direction when I walked to the train station every morning.

Recently, I noticed that there had been a lot of activity in that area during the morning and weekend periods, with people dining inside the café, and spilling over onto the chairs and tables set up in the laneway. Curiosity got the better of me and I thought that I should go and see for myself what all the fuss was about.

The majority of the space is occupied with the open kitchen, with bench space for dining along the perimeter of the café. The exterior walls are made from floor-to-ceiling glass which makes the relatively small space feel open and filled with natural light. Interspersed throughout the café along the benchtops are a series of recent bestselling cookbooks. I devoured the mouth-watering dishes in Ottolenghi’s “Plenty” whilst simultaneously enjoying my breakfast. Small, glass beakers filled with God-knows-what on the tables, together with colourful caricatures of Albert Einstein and friends displayed along the front counter, pay homage to the great scientist and café’s namesake.

Einstein’s Relative, South Yarra
Einstein’s Relative, South Yarra
Einstein’s Relative, South Yarra
Einstein’s Relative, South Yarra
Einstein’s Relative, South Yarra

The coffee has a sharp, distinctive flavour that is a little too bitter for my palate but nonetheless beautifully presented in one of the café’s trademark stylish emerald-green coffee cups.

The menu is not extensive but has a combination of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean influences, in conjunction with exotic sounding offerings incorporating organic superfoods such as the Acai Wake Up Bowl and Quinoa Porridge. I have a deep love of haloumi so I was instantly drawn to the Haloumi Bruschetta with seeded sourdough toast, diced haloumi, avocado, radish, tomato medley and a tangy yoghurt dressing.

Haloumi Bruschetta: Seeded sourdough toast with diced haloumi, avocado, radish, tomato medley and a tangy yoghurt dressing - Einstein's Relative, South Yarra
Haloumi Bruschetta: Seeded sourdough toast with diced haloumi, avocado, radish, tomato medley and a tangy yoghurt dressing – Einstein’s Relative, South Yarra

The first thing that struck me about my breakfast was the amazing array of colours. From the vibrant red and yellow displayed in the cherry tomatoes, to the golden brown grilled haloumi, complete with touches of green in the mashed avocado and hints of purple from the micro herb garnish. It was a feast for the eyes as well as for the stomach.

The haloumi cheese, with a crispy outer layer and soft centre was delicious, even more so when covered with the silky smooth yet spicy yoghurt sauce. The medley of thinly sliced radish, tomatoes and herbs were fresh and tasty and a perfect foil for the spice in the dish. With a little more added spice thrown in for good measure, the mashed avocado was also plentiful and helped to ensure that all the combined textures and flavours worked in harmony with each other. The sourdough bread was also great but with all the moisture from the avocado and dressing, it didn’t resemble toast for too long.

It seems a little strange but poignant that my last breakfast as a resident of South Yarra should be in the exact same location as the first one, but at least I can say with absolute certainty that this breakfast experience was thoroughly enjoyable!

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