Red Brick Espresso

Not being a coffee drinker, Red Brick wasn’t too high on my foodie list, but a friend invited me there for a catch up and so off I went. The brunch menu is actually quite good, with a few breakfasty options and a few lunchy options. I chose a classic fried egg and bacon roll ($10.90), mostly because it was served with kewpie mayonnaise! We sat inside, admiring the texta-art scene drawn on the wall, showing the local shops. I also drooled a bit over the danishes and pastries at the counter, but decided to be good. This time. The roll came out fairly quickly, and I was very happy to see egg yolk oozing down the side (yay!). The toasted brioche bun was quite substantial, and I was pleased by the amount of bacon included in the serve. The bacon was a bit fatty, but there was enough crispy bits mixed in to not be a problem. Rocket is my favourite ‘leafy green thing’, particularly when paired with creamy kewpie, which brings out the sharp bitey flavour of the rocket. Overall this was a nice breakfast, although nothing particularly outstanding. I’d come back to try the lunchy options.

Red Brick Espresso, Shop 4/35 Curtin Place, Curtin ACT, http://redbrickespresso.com.au/

Gelatiamo

Gelatiamo is a lovely little cafe, offering a great range of gelato with about half of the flavours being sorbets (yay!). There’s plenty of seating inside, so we decided to dine in, and were served our choices in cute sundae glasses with long spoons. Listed as one of the top 10 gelaterias in Sydney, this was my first visit, so I picked a flavour that can be hard to find – mandarin sorbet ($4.90 for a single scoop). I was surprised by how huge the serving was (dine in is highly recommended) – I would have easily thought of this as a double serve, but Dad’s double was piled up even higher! I had a quick taste of his hazelnut and pistachio choices – both were creamy and nutty, with perfectly smooth textures that didn’t have ‘bits’ in them. I then got stuck into my sorbet. Don’t order this flavour if you like sweet sorbets – the citrus flavour in this sorbet is really intense, but also quite bitter. I found this really refreshing, and the flavor screamed MANDARIN! I could imagine this being a great palate cleanser after a heavy meal – fresh, sharp and delicious.

Gelatiamo, 362 Pacific Highway, Lindfield, NSW, http://www.gelatiamo.com.au/

79 & Fine

79 & Fine has recently opened in Hobart Place, bringing a flavour of the Hamptons to Canberra. The space is warm and inviting, and I was drawn to the pastry display like a bee to nectar. Mmm. Pastries. Instead, I did the grown up thing and had a bacon and egg roll ($10), plus an orange and apple juice ($7). The staff were really friendly and welcoming, bringing over the concise menu (two breakfast options) on a board for us to choose. When my friends’ orders of smashed avo ($16) came out, I had a bit of order envy (so beautifully presented), but my roll was huge when it arrived. Served on a toasted brioche bun, the roll has “double bacon” and plenty of egg scramble, plus lashings of BBQ sauce and aioli. The ingredients are simple but they work well together in a hearty, comforting way – there’s just enough sauce without it oozing out and the bacon was cooked with the right balance of crisp and tender. I really enjoyed my juice too, with plenty of froth and a crisp, clean orange and apple flavour. I can’t wait until they add the lobster roll to the lunch menu – I’ll be back soon!

79 & Fine, 1 Hobart Place, Canberra ACT, http://www.79andfine.com.au/

Pressed Juices

On an unexpectedly warm autumn day, I found myself craving juice. I always enjoy stopping in at Pressed Juices, with their pretty display fridge and fun, fresh flavours. I hadn’t tried any of their new autumn menu, so the lady kindly allowed me to sample a couple of flavours. The Pink Lemonade had a really zesty flavour, with a strong buzz of lemon and ginger overlaying the strawberry flavour, which I really enjoyed. But I was sucked in my the ingredients list for the Antiox 2 ($9.50) – hello orange, raspberry, pomegranate and tumeric! Orange and raspberry and two of my favourite flavours, and, really, who can go past pomegranate? I took this juice home and devoured it pretty quickly – the serve was two full glasses. The citrus zest of the orange is smoothed out nicely by the tartness of the raspberry and pomegranate, making a surprisingly even flavour profile. The tumeric was hard to split out, but I think it definitely contributed to the well-rounded flavour of the juice. I love the freshness of the juices here – there’s nothing artificial, so you need to drink them within a couple of days of purchase (if you can wait that long!). Once again, Pressed has impressed.

Pressed Juices, 14-16 Franklin Street, Manuka ACT, http://www.pressedjuices.com.au/

Adriano Zumbo Patisserie

All good things must come to an end – here’s the last post in what has been a fun #sweetweek. Sadly, Zumbo has closed his Rozelle store, but luckily the tiny outlet at Balmain remains open. We stopped by and tried one of the newer additions to the dessert selection – the Hazelnut Forest, with a hazelnut dacquoise, hazelnut crunch, cherry jam, milk curd, hazelnut mousse and hazelnut spray. Phew. That’s a lot of hazelnut. Firstly, I loved the presentation of this one – something about the sprigs on top reminded me of coral. The fresh hazelnuts and dollops of cherry on top were delightful, as the entree into the perfectly soft hazelnut mousse that surrounds the cake within. For me, this dessert was just like a lighter version of a black forest cake, without the chocolate but with the delicious cherry flavour inside. There’s a lot of mousse surrounding the smaller dacquoise, crunch and jam inside, which was definitely the best bit. I enjoyed the textural contrast here, from the soft mousse to the thick jam to the crunchy base. Mmm. I was surprised at how the lovely tartness of the cherry matched the nutty hazelnut, but also how light the whole dessert was. Highly recommended.

Adriano Zumbo Patisserie, 296 Darling Street, Balmain, NSW, https://adrianozumbo.com/

The Flute

#sweetweek continues with this grand adventure! When my best friend decided she was going to surprise her husband with goldfish for his birthday, she and I set out at lunchtime to pick up the fish, so they could be waiting for him when he got home from work. Yes, she’s a mastermind (that’s why she’s my best friend). Anyway, this plot took us very close to the elusive Flute (only open on weekdays), so we couldn’t resist the chance to pop in. I picked a cake I haven’t seen there before – Apple Strudel cake. Um, yes. The ‘apple’ was a dome of vanilla mousse/cream, glazed in apple-flavoured sweetness, sitting atop a cake that had all of the beautiful apple strudel flavours I feel in love with in Austria. The top was decorated with a spiced crumble, which was lovely and rich, with pieces of (poached?) apple layered inside. I was actually surprised by the subtlety of the whole cake, which probably could have had slightly bolder flavours for my taste, but everything was perfectly executed, as usual (and, incidently, like my friend’s birthday gift plan. I told you, mastermind).

The Flute, 8 Barrier Street, Fyshwick ACT, http://www.theflutebakery.com.au/

Scroll

#icecreamthurs AND #sweetweek – oh yeah! Oh Scroll. You lovely thing. From the fun menu, we tried the ‘Nutter Butter’ ($9 or $8 with Facebook check-in), with peanut butter, Nutella, Tim Tams, served with wafers and crushed peanuts. I love watching the Scroll ninjas spreading the liquid icecream ingredients on the chilled teppan, then delicately scraping them into long rolls, that are then stood up in the cup. You have to be careful when walking with your toppings, which are precariously balanced on top of the huge serve of icecream – we shared two between three people and to be honest, it was still a lot to eat! With fresh ingredients, Scroll’s icecream is one of the creamiest I’ve tried, and with such a lovely peanut butter flavour this icecream is really up there with the best. I like the textural contrasts brought by the nuts, the wafer, the Tim Tam segments and – oh my – the adorably cute Minion biscuit! The whole combination is incredibly moreish and the flavours stay strong throughout. The Nutella isn’t overdone, so it complements, rather than overpowers, the other flavours. Oh yes, I’ll be ordering this one, again and again and again…

Scroll, 35 York Street, Adelaide SA, http://www.scrollicecream.com.au/