Like I said in my last post, I'm obviously not in charge of cooking all the meals while we're here having our family holiday so I won't often be posting original recipes these next few weeks. However, we have already experienced a few great restaurants and dishes worth telling you about and Christmas is just around the corner, so no doubt I WILL be cooking and baking! ;) You know me, I can't help myself! So have a little bit of grace for me, if you will, while I'm out of my own kitchen. I'll let you in as best I can on how fabulous Sydney really is when it comes to people, food and culture... you won't be missing my recipes, I can promise you that.
Well, I'm not sure if any of you have ever done the trip from the East Coast over to Sydney, Australia but let me tell you... as many times you do it, it NEVER gets easier. I was a hot mess getting off that third plane at 7:30 am. I hadn't slept more than 2 hours on the 14 hour flight, my mascara somehow managed to snowflake all over my entire face, causing IMMEDIATE break out, I'm sure I had eaten four times too many "almond flavor cookies" and "breakfast pastries" that they constantly serve you because I couldn't tell if I was hungry or not... my ankles and knees looked like kid party blow up bouncy castles... you get the picture. We were greeted SO kindly but James' parents, sister and our 5 month old nephew that we were meeting for the first time (good thing he won't remember what I looked like the first time he met me)! Their genius plan for getting us over our jet lag and keeping us awake was to take us to the best breakfast ('brekky' as the aussies say) spot in town straight from the airport... that really was a genius plan. You all know me, breakfast is ALWAYS a good option for me and never fails to bring me back to life. This place was perfect. Exactly what you want in a great breakfast joint. It had big, wide open beautiful glass windows. check. It was small. check. It had it's own espresso bar and fresh made pastries. check. check. The menu had breakfast basics and fancies. check. Spinach, roasted tomatoes and feta were prominent players on the menu. CHECK. You're getting the picture, right? We even got a private little table set up for us on the back porch because we wanted to be in the sunlight (again, it helps to get over jet lag)... "no problem" they said. This is the kind of breakfast spot you dream of. Great atmosphere, great menu and a really gracious staff. So now that I've sold you on it, let me show you our coffee and meals. (if you haven't eaten yet today, go make some toast then continue reading... otherwise you'll turn your kitchen into breakfast heaven, whether it's 10am or 1am)
To start, we all got different coffees:
Charles ordered a "Mugaccino" (a common thing to order over here in Australia. a cappuccino in a mug instead of just a small cup).
(by the way, my dad in-law's personality is totally expressed in this photo... isn't he great?) :)
James ordered a double espresso. Surprise surprise.
(mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!)
And I ordered a long black, which is basically the Australian version of a stronger americano. It was bliss. (not photographed)
Now for the FOOD!
Charles ordered the Vivacious Veg! Whole wheat toast topped with scrambled eggs, sauteed spinach, grilled whole asparagus, roasted baby tomatoes and FRESH amazing feta cheese. (sigh) Seriously? How good does that look?!
(also c'mon, isn't the name so fabulous? Vivacious Veg!)
Judy ordered a little side plate of scones that weren't her favorite... they sure were pretty though! I didn't taste them but she said they were dry. We told the waiter and he told us someone else had just said the same thing... then he proceeded to apologize and ask if he could serve her some fresh muffins instead! Well played, friend.
Jodie and James ordered the world's greatest eggs benedict I've ever come across in all of my breakfast loving life. I normally can't eat more than one bite of James' eggs benedict because the hollandaise sauce is so RICH and overpowering. But this hollandaise sauce was different. It was the perfect combination of bite-y, tangy and smooth. It wasn't too thick, it wasn't too rich and it didn't leave that awful film on your teeth like it normally does, you know what I mean? They've totally mastered it and I was WILDLY impressed!
(i could actually lap it up off the plate)
And I ordered the folded omelette.... "simpleton" you say? Au contraire! It was the perfect omelette. The egg was cooked perfectly and all the ingredients kept their OWN flavor, and still complemented one another instead of all tasting like the oil they were cooked in masked with cheese. It was stuffed with sauteed spinach, unbelievable mushrooms (i don't even really like mushrooms), bacon, tomatoes and parmesan cheese and served with the perfect dark crumbly toast. I'd order the same thing all over again.
(really though, see how perfectly that egg is cooked? It's not too fake-y, rubbery fluffy and it's not too floppy... it's just browned and perfect.... deserved two photos.) ;)
SO, if you're in Sydney any time soon, I highly recommend you make it your "go-to" for your morning coffee, breakfast or jet lag cure. If you're NOT in Sydney any time soon... who cares! This should be your new standard for the next breakfast establishment you decide to give your business to. I'd say this place gets a 4 out of 5. The Big Brekky, I'll see you again in a few days when my folks arrive... maybe you can work your magic again! ;)
(shameless family photos... LOOK at my nephew! AH! Hello Elijah!) :)
Friends, THANK YOU thank you thank you for being so patient with me while I'm overseas. As silly as it sounds, it's actually not the easiest thing in the world to get wi-fi everywhere over here so my best bet is to go experience Sydney and blog when we get back here to the house. I've stored up a few things now since I've been here three days so be ready to see more on a regular basis again! :)
Lots of love to you all and I'll update you soon!
xo
Best brekkie ever!
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