Smoothie Stand Aoya

I don’t generally tend to think of vegetables when I think of smoothies, but when I saw this cute little wooden stall on one of Kagurazaka’s quaint backstreets, I couldn’t help but give it a try. The menu is organised by colour, and is also available in English. I picked the ‘orange colour smoothie’, which included red paprika, carrot, tomato, apple, mango, orange, goji and water. This whole stack of fresh ingredients was packed into a blender and carefully coaxed into a smoothie, that was, to my surprise, poured into a plastic pouch rather than a cup. The colour was certainly orange and on first sip I was delighted by the warmth of the paprika (the flavour was just like capsicum) and then the tones of carrot and tomato. The texture reminded me a bit of the fresh, slightly bitey Pressed Juices, but with a lot less sweetness. The portion was generous and the lady was really friendly and chatted to me as she made my smoothie. A lovely introduction to vegetable smoothies!

Smoothie Stand Aoya, 3-1-4 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, no website

Mr Papa

Mr Papa has been around for a few years now, appearing at events like The Forage regularly, but this was my first visit to their semi-permanent home at the Hamlet in Braddon. I was also Dad’s first visit to the Hamlet, so we ordered an empanada and a chanchito (pork roll) to share and give us room to try other things. The friendly ladies at Mr Papa happily chatted to Dad in Spanish while they prepared our food, and gave us a sample of the sauces they offer to try – the green one (I can’t remember the name) was to die for and we got a small tub of it for our empanada. The empanada was beautiful and fresh, with pastry that wasn’t too thick and lots of filling. The tangy lime sauce made the dish though – I’d highly recommend getting as much of it as you can because it was so, so good. The chanchito was slightly less exciting – there was a lot of bread, and whilst the pork was tender, I found that the raw onion dominated the flavour. The sweet potato slices were a great textural contrast though. I’d definitely get the empanadas again!

Mr Papa, the Hamlet, 16 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT                                           http://www.mrpapa.com.au/

Sweet Bones

I was quite excited to have breakfast at Sweet Bones and see what a plate without the staples of bacon and eggs was like. We went on a weekday morning and both ordered the big breakfast – this was my second visit after trying their cupcakes and I wasn’t sure what to expect from their savoury vegan fare. I needn’t have worried. My breakfast arrived with a deceptively simple mix of hummus, tomato, avocado, lightly toasted sourdough with a side of tofu scramble.  On first bite, it was clear that this was one of the best breakfast’s I’ve had in Canberra. The hummus was beautifully flavoured with a spice I couldn’t quite pick, but it elevated a standard dip into something incredible. The sourdough had great flavour and nothing beats fresh avocado. I completely loved the tofu scramble, full of mushrooms, onions, carrot, capsicum, and topped with crispy spiced pepita and sunflower seeds, which provided great textural contrast and had me wishing there was more. Not only was every mouthful delicious, it was also really filling and I couldn’t quite polish it all off, as much as I wanted to. Seriously good, healthy food.

Sweet Bones Bakery Cafe, 8/18 Lonsdale Street Braddon, ACT       http://sweetbonescompany.com/

Tipo 00

I spent a Christmas with family friends in northern Italy many years ago now, and it was a truly memorable culinary experience. Whenever I go out for Italian now, memories of those meals set the bar. Tipo 00 is the closest to those unique flavours that I’ve been able to find in Australia thus far. We went for dinner and got a table without a booking – our waitress persuaded us to try the local G&T, with Four Pillars gin made in the Yarra Valley – the tonic wasn’t carbonated (which I usually prefer), but the overall flavour was light and refreshing. We started with the polenta chips, which were so filling! Only get them if you’re really hungry – we couldn’t finish the five fingers of perfectly fried polenta. I ordered the pappardelle with braised rabbit, hazelnut and marjoram. The pasta was silky and handcrafted, the rabbit was tender, the hazelnuts added spetacular texture and flavour, and the sauce sent me straight back to Trento. I was in two minds on cheese (which we weren’t offered) – I wanted some parmesan to add bite, but it could have overpowered the subtle flavours. Authentic Italian – you won’t leave hungry.

Tipo 00, 361 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC                      http://www.tipo00.com.au

Paletas

I’ve recently returned from a holiday in Japan, so, in exciting news, for the next month or so #icecreamthurs will be all from Japan! I had a lovely catch up with a friend of mine who’s studying in Tokyo and we went to a smoothie bar he wanted to try. It turned out to be a gorgeous cafe with fun red, green and natural timber decor – I was hooked even before I saw the icecream display cabinet. To dine in, you had to order a drink not just an icecream (served on a stick), so we both picked one smoothie and one icecream. I started with the Japanese citrus smoothie, which was absolutely delicious! Yes there was lots of ice, but the freshness of the flavours was really surprising, and there was definitely a streak of some kind of berry in there. I’m guessing the citrus in the drink included orange, grapefruit and maybe yuzu, a Japanese citrus. Our icecreams arrived served on frozen plates to keep them from melting in the spring warmth. I chose the earl grey and orange flavour, which was beautifully creamy and had a subdued bergamot flavour that meant it wasn’t overly sweet. The texture had flecks of orange and tea inside – I would love to come back to try more of their nearly 20 icecream flavours!

Paletas Cafe, Tokyo Midtown, 9-7-3 Asakasa, Minato-ku, Tokyo                        http://www.paletas.jp

Rakaposhi

Sometimes taking the ‘wrong path’ leads to unexpected discoveries. On our day-trip to Kamakura, I turned left instead of right at the train station, thinking I would find the bustling shopping street full of restaurants for lunch. Instead, we found a local shopping street and a real gem. Rakaposhi is one of the most beautiful cafes I’ve ever been to. It’s half-florist, half-cafe, and their menu is full of fascinating culinary delights. All lunch options come as a set, so include soup, salad and a tiny dessert. The salad had Japan’s amazing goma (sesame) dressing and despite the heat of the day we devoured the chicken soup. We picked the ‘taco rice’ – I thought it would be octopus rice (tako being octopus), but it turned out to be an Okinawan dish that fuses Japanese and South American food styles – literally a deconstructed taco on a mountain of rice. I loved it – the crisp of the cornchips paired with the fresh lettuce, tomato and grated cheese was so refreshing, and the rice made it quite filling. We were spoiled with a frozen cube of chocolate mousse-esque icecream dusted in cocoa powder to finish. The staff were welcoming and friendly – when in Kamakura, please take the ‘wrong path’ to this little oasis of perfection.

Rakaposhi, 2-12 Onarimachi, Kamakura, Kanagawa Japan, no website

The Botanist

I will find pretty much any excuse to go to The Botanist, and staying in Kirribilli for a week gave me the perfect one to go back. We went for dinner and I started with the Strawberry Mule, which was a perfect blend of gin, ginger beer, frangelico, strawberry and lime. It was served in a tall glass and was incredibly smooth and beautifully sweet. To eat, we started with a serve of marinated olives, which were a mix of black kalamatas and green sicilians, both of which had really intense flavours. Next up was the beetroot cured salmon, which was served with avocado puree, radish and croutons – the presentation was perfection and each element worked so well together, bringing out the best in the salmon. The crispy duck with pear chutney and sesame caramel was not crispy as advertised, but the duck was moist and the pear went so well with it that we didn’t mind. Finally we had one each of the steak and chicken tacos – the steak was smokey and went beautifully with the corn and spicy sauce. The chicken was equally delicious and well-matched with the avocado and tomato. The Botanist never fails to impress.

The Botanist: 17 Willoughby St, Kirribilli NSW              http://thebotanist.com.au/