Berkelouw Books

I was pretty sad to hear that Berkelouw had closed their Newtown store, it was a lovely place full of books and food. But never fear, they haven’t gone for good. Yes, it has a different vibe, but the outpost at Westfield Hornsby still has books and food, although no kitchen, sadly. Shelves line the long corridor overlooking the fountain, with books you can sit in armchairs and read while sipping a coffee, or, as I did, chowing down on a piece of cake. The cake selection was pretty good, with several full-sized cakes for slices and a range of cookies and smaller treats. I went for the apple flan, which had a beautiful almond cake underneath the layers of apple doused in that scrumptious sweet glaze that makes cakes shiny and delicious. The serve was enough to keep me going, and it was lovely to sit in the corridor on an armchair (complete with rug underneath!) and flick through the second hand volumes. Walking through the book store afterwards was fun too, so many lovely editions and new things to add to my ‘to read’ list.

Berkelouw Books:

Shop B30-33, Level 3 (on the link bridge), Westfield Shopping Centre, Pacific Highway, Hornsby, Sydney, NSW

http://berkelouw.com.au/stores/hornsby

Tree Eighty Three

Here goes another breakfast post! Tree Eighty Three isn’t in your standard breakfast location, secreted away in Bailey’s Arcade, but when it’s -3 degrees at 7am you don’t mind hiding indoors. I went with friends for a pre-work breakfast, and was impressed with the large space the cafe has across the arcade. There was only one guy behind the counter, and despite there being three orders our food came out together and still hot – that’s some impressive multi-tasking! I had poached eggs on toast with caramelised beetroot and onion, tomato and parsley.  The beetroot was what drew me in, I’m a sucker for beetroot. Overall the meal was tasty, although the onion was a bit strong for a pre-work feed. The beetroot didn’t disappoint and the fresh cherry tomatos popped with flavour. They avoided my bugbear of too-thick, overly-toasted, too-hard-to-cut bread, which got lots of points. To be honest though, I did have order envy looking at my friend’s big breakfast, complete with asparagus and hash brown. Might have to go back for that one.

Tree Eighty Three: 143 London Circuit, Canberra ACT          http://tree83.com.au/

Ryo’s Noodles

I would eat Japanese food for dinner every night if I could. Especially in winter, when you want nothing more than a big, hot, steaming bowl of noodle soup. So that’s exactly what I sought out in Sydney. I’d read that the lines at Ryo’s Noodles can be out the door, so I went early on a weeknight, and didn’t have to wait. It’s a no frills place, with a handwritten copy of the menu on the wall in Japanese on white sheets of paper, as is common in Japanese izakaya (traditional pubs).  I went for the popular tonkotsu ramen and a bottle of ramune (Japanese lemonade). The ramen came out quickly and was hot and hearty. The pork was fatty and melted in your mouth, the broth was full of flavour and the noodles had just the right amount of bite. It was a bit salty, which I didn’t notice until afterwards, but it definitely satisfied my craving for ramen!

Ryo’s Noodles: 125 Falcon St, Crows Nest NSW

Elk and Pea

I love that Elk and Pea has picked teal as their colour. The ‘pea’ is all about peacock, the animal and the colour, and it really works. I met friends I haven’t seen since Christmas (oops) at Elk and Pea for brunch – winter in Canberra isn’t a good time to sit outdoors, but Elk and Pea has a lovely covered outdoor area that is well heated to the point where coats aren’t necessary (yay!). I felt like a more traditional breakfast, so went for the avocado/mushroom/eggs option, which was much bigger than I expected! The eggs were perfectly poached, the mushrooms had so much flavour, and the basil and goats cheese worked really well with the whole meal. I couldn’t quite finish all of my bread, which was nicely toasted but a bit hard to cut, but it was nice to eat a big breakfast slowly while catching up with friends. Yes, it is a busy place where you may not be encouraged to linger on a weekend, but the food and atmosphere are worth a trip. Don’t forget to grab a pretty teal business card!

Elk and Pea: 21 Lonsdale St, Braddon ACT                http://www.elkandpea.com.au/

The Grounds of Alexandria

I’m going to cheat and post twice about this place. As a self-confessed plant lady, The Grounds of Alexandria was a special kind of happy place. Exposed brick, fairy lights, a veggie patch, magnolias and fiddle leaf figs, the frame of a glasshouse, a pig named Kevin Bacon and food?! Mind. Blown. If it was possible to get even more excited about visiting here, it happened when I discovered the bakery section. Wow. I wanted pretty much everything. Having just eaten lunch, that wasn’t possible. But, one cake was. Only one. I chose strategically. Having never tried a pistachio cake before, or seen one offered anywhere else, I took a deep breath and ordered. Oh my. What a choice! The pistachio was crunchy and delicious, but the real secret delight of this cake was the oozy strawberry syrup in the middle, which turned what could have been a dry cake into a mouthful of bliss. Definitely a good choice. Now, to find a way to go back and eat everything else!

The Grounds of Alexandria: Building 7A/2 Huntley Street, Alexandria NSW http://groundsroasters.com/

The Cupping Room

Eating breakfast out is one of life’s real pleasures. I’m not a big breakfast person at home, but when someone else is doing both the work and the dishes, bring it on! Canberra has a lot of breakfast options. I mean, a lot. But many of them have the same thing on their menus – eggs benedict, something with ‘smashed avocado’, museli/porridge, and maybe a big breakfast. The Cupping Room bucks that trend. The menu has more Spanish on it than you can poke a stick at. A wintery pre-work breakfast choice for me was the Hogo Botoga, which is ‘Central American meatballs, cheddar cheese, a fried open-range egg & sourdough toast‘ according to the menu. The result was a hot, comforting bowl of meatballs, red sauce and cheese. Yes, I was in a food coma for much of the morning at work, but that’s not going to stop me from ordering it again. And again. And again…

The Cupping Room: 1/13 University Ave, Canberra ACT  http://www.thecuppingroom.com.au/

The Botanist

Confession: I am a crazy plant lady. So when I heard about a botanical themed restaurant I was, let’s say, pretty darn excited. This was in fact my second visit to The Botanist in Kirribilli, which is a corner restaurant of happiness. Everything here just works – from the yellow-green feature wall to the Don Julio tequila bottles converted into water jugs to the creative cocktail collection. I came for the theme and stayed for the food. On this occassion, Dad and I shared our favourite, the sliders (2 beef, 2 chicken, with the chicken being the best-til-last), and tried something new, the pulled pork pizza. The favourites didn’t let us down, and the new choice has now become a favourite.  The sliders are generously sized compared to many places, and the beef is thick and flavoursome.  The southern-style chicken in the other slider is dreamily good, and I when I couldn’t finish my slice of pizza with perfectly pulled pork and soft creamy eggplant, I did a happy dance inside when a takeaway container was ok. These guys have the trifecta – good food, tasteful decor and excellent service. Oh, and plants. Win.

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