Chasing Mr Morris

Donuts are something that I associate with my childhood – my brother was (actually, still is) a donut fiend and as such it was often the treat we would end up getting from the local shops. It has been many years since I’ve had a good iced donut, so when I visited The Hamlet and saw that Chasing Mr Morris (whose Instagram account I adore) had beautiful iced donuts, I was in. I picked the Earl Grey flavour for myself, and picked up a couple of Salted Caramel for my colleagues. On first bite, I was instantly transported back into childhood – that familiar donut flavour is right up front, with just the right hint of cinnamon and buttery richness. Mmm. I found that the Earl Grey flavour was quite subtle – I had expected stronger bergamot overtones – but that this didn’t stop me devouring every crumb. My colleague found the same with the Salted Caramel – the salty flavour only started to come through towards the end – but from all accounts it was equally delicious. Chasing Mr Morris has a fabulous food truck, full of succulents and granny blankets, and is doing an awesome job bringing donuts back!

Chasing Mr Morris, The Hamlet, 16 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT, no website

N2 Extreme Gelato

I’m in denial that summer is over, so over the next few weeks I’m going to share icecream reviews every Thursday (#icecreamthurs). Mmm, icecream. I’ve been super excited about Good Food Month’s Night Noodle Market coming to Canberra and so a few foodie friends and I went for opening night. N2 have come from Melbourne to be part of the market and they brought two options to share with us on the menu – the Ferrero Reveal and the Brokeback Moment. I chose the former, with Nutella gelato, crushed hazelnuts, a rice bubble choc top and a warm chocolate ganache syringe. The choc top was quite solid and there was plenty of chocolate – with the rice bubbles it actually tasted like coco pops (yum) and I tried to save it to mix through the gelato underneath. The ganache in the syringe had gone a bit cold, so was tough to extract, but it added a rich decadence that wasn’t over the top. The gelato itself was creamy and had a strong Nutella flavour, which didn’t fade, and there was plenty of it in the small cup. Only a few more nights left to go back and have it again!

N2 Extreme Gelato, Enlighten Night Noodle Market until 8 March, http://n2extremegelato.com.au/

 

The Homestead Cafe

My team at work are a bunch of foodies, and when I suggested going out for high tea on a Sunday, quite a lot of them were keen. I booked us in to the Homestead Cafe, and we were given a private room. I was struck by the beautiful crockery – everyone had different teacup and saucer sets, so we spent the first few minutes comparing and admiring the china. First course was a choice of sparkling wine or orange juice – I opted for the juice, and it was freshly squeezed and sweet. The finger sandwiches were next – they were also fresh (no crispy bread) and my favourite was the smoked salmon. The hot savoury course was the highlight, with caramelised onion tarts topped with goat’s cheese and a delightful arancini ball served with homemade tomato relish. Next were the scones – one per person, served with mixed berry jam and clotted cream. The scone was huge, crumbly and matched the thin jam perfectly. We concluded with a selection of small desserts, including a white chocolate and raspberry panna cotta and carrot cake. It was nice to leave a high tea not feeling overly bloated, and having had a relaxed afternoon out of town.

The Homestead Cafe, 214 Gooromon Ponds Rd Hall, ACT  http://www.homesteadcafe.com.au/

Cumulus Inc

Friends had raved about the breakfast at Cumulus Inc when we were last in Melbourne, so on this visit I made it my first stop. Like Akiba in Canberra, Cumulus is friendly to the solo traveller, seating me along the bar overlooking the kitchen where I could watch the chefs bustling away. I started with a glass of berry lemonade, which was beautifully refreshing and had the underlying bitterness of homemade lemonade. The berries added sweetness without being sickly. I chose the heirloom tomato dish to eat, and added the optional Serrano jamon. The dish was perfectly presented, with the straciatella cheese layered under the jamon and the seasoned tomatoes. A perfect mouthful had a bit of each element, including the divine bread which added so much flavour to the whole. The cheese had a distinctive flavour that matched the tomatoes really well and the staff were happy to let me enjoy it slowly while I read my book. To finish I treated myself to a canelle, which was done in the authentic French style – an almost burnt outer shell with a soft and delicate inside. I now see what everyone has been raving about, Cumulus is all class.

Cumulus Inc, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC                 http://www.cumulusinc.com.au

Old Parliament House

There’s not a lot on offer to eat in the Parliamentary Triangle, so when an opportunity to try something different arises, it ‘s pretty exciting. When my friend and I saw that the cafe at Old Parliament House was offering high tea, we booked in quick smart and prepared for an unusually indulgent lunch break. As with most high teas, we started with finger sandwiches – my friend is vegetarian and they happily provided cucumber and egg sandwiches for her, while I enjoyed the smoked salmon (always my favourite). We then progressed to the scones, where there were strangely three scones when we’d booked for two people. The scones were not as risen as some I’ve had but there was a good amount of jam and cream and they weren’t too heavy. The dessert tier at the top of the tray was the highlight, with five different pieces each! We sampled mini raspberry friands (beautifully buttery and tart), custard tarts, a nut brownie, a light, layered caramel slice and a handmade nougat. By then we’d had a bit of sweet overdose, but it was a fantastic selection with unusual choices, proving that it’s always worth trying something new.

Old Parliament House, 18 King George Terrace, Parkes, ACT     http://moadoph.gov.au/visiting/cafe/

Dolce & Salato

After lunch at Bent Spoke, we went into town in search of icecream to make the most of a sunny spring afternoon. Wanting something a bit more special, we opted for Dolce and Salato over Gelatissimo in the Canberra Centre. I’d never had anything from D&S before, and was pleasantly surprised by the range of gelato and sorbet flavours available. I will always pick fruity over chocolatey, so went with the peach sorbet and raspberry sorbet, wanting something refreshing. It was a good choice – the raspberry was nice and tart, but the peach was the standout, somehow managing to convey a really strong peach flavour.  The sorbets had substantial texture – they weren’t too smooth, and were just what we wanted on a warm arvo. A friend chose the most exotic flavour on the menu – prickly pear – and was rewarded with what was probably the nicest flavour. Definitely a place worth being adventurous at. Note – their website claims that a ‘woodfired breakfast menu’ is coming soon. One to keep an eye on.

Dolce & Salato, 108 Bunda Street, Civic, ACT          http://dolceandsalato.com.au/

Lux Bite

Ok, so technically I haven’t been to Lux Bite. But a friend accepted my challenge to bring back a sweet from Melbourne that you can’t get in Canberra – this was the result. A quick google reveals that this cake was actually featured on Masterchef too, so must be tough to make! Called the ‘Lolly Bag Cake’, this little slice is full of layers of childhood flavour. The strongest is without a doubt the green layer (spearmint leaf buttercream), but upon deconstruction the other flavours get their moment – redskin, banana and musk. The highlight for me was the layer of freckles (who doesn’t love chocolate freckles?), which gave some crunch, and the ‘banana Joconde’ (sponge). Whilst all the flavours don’t exactly complement each other if you take a mouthful of them all, they don’t exactly clash either, leaving a slightly confused but largely minty taste in your mouth. I found I enjoyed the individual flavours much more after pulling it apart. Now the pressue is on to bring my friend something good back from Adelaide in return. Thoughts?

Lux Bite, 38 Toorak Rd, South Yarra VIC                                     http://www.luxbite.com.au