Cornersmith, our diamond in the rough

You can spot it from a mile away - must be where the cool crowd milling on the corner, sipping on lattes are.  People don't usually wait around for breakfast, so it must be good.  Amongst the cultural melting pot that is Marrickville, the newbie Cornersmith has emerged much to the delight and relief of trendy city skirt locals.


So, we jot down our name on the butchers paper and join the line as we get the sense that it will all be worth it.  A reflection of their organic ethos, the staff are friendly and unpretentious, and it's not long before we are seated and soaking up the buzzy atmosphere; perfect for our Saturday morning catch up.

Decisions, decisions!  With a mostly homemade menu focusing around local and in season produce, it's a hard choice.  We finally decide on Poached Eggs on rye toast with spicy eggplant relish ($9) with sides of Baked beets and lentils as well as Avocado and z'ataar; a dish showcasing the best of what's fresh now and you can definitely taste it.  We also couldn't go past trying the Zucchini, pear and almond loaf with honey (made in their rooftop hive!) and locally made creamy ricotta ($7) and we're so glad we did.  It was a healthy and delicious treat all in one gorgeous loaf & we desperately want this recipe!!

Diners note: adorably, Mondays are closed for pickling and they sure are talented at it.   The Spicy eggplant relish was so enjoyable that we both pick up a jar to take home ($9).  Trying more of these signature concoctions is just one excuse to come back.

The beauty of Cornersmith is the ethical and well rounded honest-to-goodness food at such affordable prices.  We say, Sydney needs more of this winning formula.

Jasi et Emmsy.Xx



Cornersmith

314 Illawarra Road
Marrickville
www.facebook.com/Cornersmith

Cafe Mint, Surry Hills

I love finding new spots that just pleasantly leave you walking out full, happy, and regretful that such a nice experience has come to an end. Cafe Mint can be summed up as exactly that sort of cafe. It is small, friendly, vibrant with a delicious modern middle eastern fare to match.

Coffee is done by allpress and it is strong (just how i like it) if a little on the creamy side, i think due to their choice of milk. It is definitely not a "Weak" drop and I found myself considering a second cup to take away with me. We ended up at Mint by accident - a trip to Mecca at Pyrmont was waylaid (closed. on. sundays.) and four ate five was, as usual, way too busy. and this was pre-10am!

According to Cafe Mint's website, it has been recently renovated and it does dinners from Tuesdays to Saturdays. Definitely going into my little black book of places to try!! :)

On a Sunday we were limited to the breakfast menu only (hardly a "limitation") but lunch specials do start from 10.30. Smaller, cheaper meze options are also available and sound deeelicious.

The kuneffa is a clear winner for the table. Sweet ricotta baked in kataifi pastry with poached fruit and yoghurt. I could eat this all day, every day, and it is what a giant baklava would be like when served in dessert form.

Kuneffa, $14.50

breakfast hummus, $13.90

Next up is the breakfast hummus, the type of breakfast that dreams are made of. Spiced lamb mince served on hummus with za'atar spiced turkish toast. This is addictive and completely moreish, a perfect breakfast. I am such an avid egg fan and I didn't even miss it on this dish.


Cafe Mint serve several sweet breakfasts and the daily muffins out front looked perfectly baked and fresh out of the oven. We stupidly thought we would have room for it - luckily we ordered on the side of caution :). The bircher muesli comes with a variety of fresh fruit (and the fruit is super fresh) and yoghurt. It is a little on the sweet side and will fill you up quickly. The breakfast cous cous is served warm and isn't too sweet, perfect for breakfast! It is beautifully spiced with (i think) - rose water, blossom, cardamom and cinnamon and is served with poached dried fruits (turkish figs, peaches, apricots), yoghurt and pistachio. The dish is a hit with the girls, who are generally better inclined to enjoy such a dish, with the boys at the table feigning the need to "adjust" to the flavour.

Bircher muesli, $15.50

breakfast cous cous, $14.90

The merguez sausages are served with chackchouka, an Israeli spiced sauce with a base of red capsicum. It comes on a bed of cous cous and is a large, man eating portion. I think we counted about 8 merguez sausages in there!!
And last but not least, the turkish breakfast (possibly the healthiest plate of the table!). Boiled egg with roast tomato, spinach, olives, haloumi and za'atar toast.

merguez sausages, $15.50

turkish breakfast, $15.90

 The meal draws to a close after plenty of laughter around the table and friendly banter from staff. We will definitely be back to eat up the rest of the menu - lunch, dinner and meze!

Thank you, Cafe Mint, for such a pleasant start to Sunday.

xx emmsy

Cafe Mint
579 Crown St
Surry Hills
http://www.cafemint.com.au/home/

The Commons, Darlinghurst (an uncommon adventure)

Dear internet followers

First off I must apologise for leaving it so long between posts. Especially with my favourite foodie, Jas, travelling the US of A, I really need to be much more diligent because there is no shortage of food in my life!


Believe you me that that is nothing common about The Commons. It is located on the uber trendy Burton St and, following several write ups in SMH's Good Living, it is officially an uber trend. The Commons was my place around town that always served delicious, hearty fare and always had a nice seat for me, either on the sun-drenched courtyard or inside the shadowed sandstone cottage. But no more - upon my arrival on Saturday, I was devastated to see that it was almost entirely booked out. On the plus side - at least they take bookings :)


The Commons do a well-rounded, but short menu and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner on certain days (refer to website!). They also do a pretty mean list of daily specials that call out your name.

The pan fried silver dory on mash with caper lemon butter is soft, juicy and rich. The fish is cooked perfectly and just falls away with the fork and the delicious lemon caper butter is well seasoned and smooth. It does get a little rich by the time you find yourself with an empty plate, but isn't that what eating out is all about?

The blue cheese  beef burger comes on fresh sourdough. The blue cheese is very mild and the predominant flavour are the caramelised onions and aioli. It is definitely tasty, and worth picking up and getting your hands dirty, but it really doesn't come close to my recent burger experiences. That said, it is completely unfair of me to evaluate this to the Deus Veal and the LOTUS MY LOVER burgers of late. The hand cut chips are sadly a let down - soggy!

Uncharacteristically, I am full after most of my burger, so i have to walk away before trying the rhubarb crumble - something I already know I would love!!

The Commons also has a private dining room upstairs, and a "Secret garden" that can be booked for approx 12-16 people. Downstairs they  have what I like to call the whisky & beer den - it is underground, a little damp, and filled with pool tables and old armchairs. In the summer time (and perhaps all year round!) you can hire bicycles from the Humble Vintage Cyclists through The Commons, with the option of a "guide to Sydney" and a gourmet picnic hamper. It is one little gem you should check out!

xx emmsy


The Commons Local Eating House
32 Burton St
Darlinghurst

Clover Cafe Annandale : my new & greatest love.

I stumbled across this amazing little place in heaven when my other annandalian place-in-heaven was too full for my poor tummy to wait. There is only one way to describe this gem - it is the place you want to tell everyone about. I knew as soon as I went through the menu that it would be a great place, and it really was.

Arriving at 10 am and the cafe is busy. Not annoyingly Surry Hills busy where queues are out the door, but busy enough that all tables are filled. We are luckily enough to grab a table for 6 outside with no waiting time and sit ourselves down with wide eyes and high hopes. 

So, after sitting there and texting anyone and everyone that would want to know, I booked in a group brunch the following Sunday to be able to eat myself through the amazing menu.  So, without further ado, I present to you - Clover.

The juices are all fresh and the tea comes in cast iron pots. Clover serves Alchemy coffee and their own blend of chai tea is so fragrant it has me wanting one - and i'm definitely not a chai fan!

Clover specialise in lots of "pot" breakfasts - they do a mean hot pot brekky (one with meat and one without) and slow cooked lunch specials. The lamb tagine and the ragu were definite favourites of the day, and i can't wait to go back and try the third slow cooked special, "grandad's fish pie".

 

Clover fresh juices: passionfruit, lime + soda & watermelon + orange

Earl grey tea served in cast ironware

Clover french toast with sweetened labne, maple syrup, pistachios

The french toast is served on thick cut sonoma bread, perfectly fried and seasoned with mascarpone sweetened labne which helps stabilise the sweetness of the maple syrup.

Eggs in clover: poached organic eggs with basil+macadamia pesto, mushrooms, parmagiano reggiano

Super slow cooked special: Lamb shank and fig tagine - served with chermoula steamed cous cous, greek yogurt and a side of beetroot, feta and mint sala

There is something about being served an entire lamb shank that brings out a different side in many people - a side of avid hunger, desire and happiness. It is incredibly primeval but for this dish, I would do anything. The chermoula cous cous has so much greatness that I find myself sitting there wishing I had the recipe so I could cook it every day for lunch. The lamb falls off the bone and is perfectly complimented with the beetroot, feta and mint side salad. There wasn't a cous cous in sight once finished.

Brekky hot pot: baked chorizo, potatoes, beans in a tomato based sauce

Super slow cooked lunch special: unkle tom's pasta ragu of veal shi

n

A close up of the amazing veal ragu

The slow cooked ragu is so warming, with thick ribbons of pappardelle and bread to mop up the delicious sauce. I usually avoid ordering tomato based pastas because there is so much room for error but this was a winner, the kind of meal you would love to curl up on the couch with as it gives you a great, big, carbohydrate loaded hug. 

Complimentary brownies - how can you go wrong?

Just as we are about to pay our bill and roll out the door, our waiter tells us not to go too quickly as we have a complimentary dessert coming our way. This completely unexpected act of generosity has us even more impressed with Clover, and we noticed that the cute cocoa dusting matches his spoon and fork wrist tattoo.

If you are what you eat, today I am definitely filled with treats of epic proportions. Great food makes me love more and I love everyone today :)

There is a terrific little vintage store around the corner from clover (Eva's on Johnston St) and i found myself walking out of there with a silk chloe blouse. Get onto it!

xx emmsy

Clover cafe
78 Booth St
Annandale

A nice addition to suburban Rockdale

This morning I visited Swallow Coffee Traders, a quaint and cool little cafe nestled under Rockdale train station, although you'd easily be tricked into thinking you were in Newtown or Surry Hills. It can be hard to find appealing eating spots in the suburbs but when I do, it gives me a whole new appreciation for accessible, good food.

Sans my favourite foodie partner in eating Em today, I took along my five year old nephew, Jesse, who kept the friendly staff entertained with his special requests for toasted muesli "but take the nuts out please" and "no yoghurt, just milk!" Of course, our waitress was kind enough to oblidge but who could resist Jesse's charm anyway? It came served with berries, kiwi fruit, sliced apple and perfectly poached pear. Although he was hesitant about the pear at first, it turned out to be his favourite part of the dish (and mine too!).

I enjoyed my simple and fresh sourdough toast with avocado and tomato with a Single Origin soy latte, although my neighbour's fruit bread and jam looked super tempting.

Having enjoyed our chilled brunch in the trendy surrounds of this bite size gem, my favourite part was the bill - a grand total of $14, awesome! If you are ever around the South, be sure to head in to Swallow for a satisfying coffee and brekky experience, for a fraction of the city price you are used to paying. Now that's an easy pill to Swallow.

Jas.xx

Swallow Coffee Traders
1 Tramway Arcade
Rockdale NSW 2216
Open Weekdays 6am-4pm; Sat 7am-2pm

Courtesy smh.com.au