Blackwood Pantry, Cronulla

So, who actually still remembers how to blog… because I’m pretty sure I’ve forgotten. But I guess blogging is like a diet, you can never start too many times.-__-”

I have had Blackwood Pantry on the to-eat list for a while now. Ever since the Instafoodie event about 7 months ago. So I muscled down, and dragged some friends with me for the long drive down to Cronulla. Leaving the house at 8am in the morning was a brilliant idea, as by the time we got down there the area was already buzzing. We managed to score the last free table, so luckily didn’t have to wait to fill our already grumbling bellies.

Coffees from The Grounds to start, $3.50

Fremantle Grilled Octopus, $24

Slow cooked octopus, spiced carrot hummus, chickpea, toasted pumpkin seed, Dutch carrots, paprika oil and Fennel salad. The octopus was a little too salty for me, but otherwise it was so tender and juicy. The carrot hummus went well with the tentacle. Definitely recommend this dish.

Tigers Milk Salmon ceviche, $23

I was torn when I saw this dish being placed in front of me. 1) It looks amazing. 2) It looks tiny. This dish really does taste as amazing as it looks. The salmon had a certain creaminess to it. If you’re made of money, and also trying to avoid a carby dish, this is it. It was worth the try, but I think next time I’d order something a bit more substantial, especially after driving more than an hour!

Morning Glory, $20

With scrambled eggs, chorizo, tandoori roasted sweet potato, kale, pickled red onion, whipped goat cheese and avocado, this dish did well to help fill out my stomach after the salmon ceviche. The sweet potato was a real treat! Nothing I’ve tried before, and I might have to give it a whirl at home.

Blackwood Pantry might just be worth the drive down! The vibe and decor are awesome, and the staff are all smiles and its a really nice place to start the day!

Blackwood Pantry
5/33 Surf Lane, Cronulla

The Wooden Whisk, St Leonards

I forgotten how I found out about this place, but I’m always on the look out for brunch destinations North of the CBD. I made the effort to come to The Wooden Whisk on a rainy Saturday morning, with the promise of good food, and 2 hours of free parking at the Pole Ln carpark nearby. Luckily the rain cleared up for us on our walk to the cafe.

Coffee; a must.

 
Kale Crave: Kale, cucumber, apple, mint, $6.20

Mr. Auie has been ordering these kale juices pretty much every time he spots them on the menu. Not sure if on a health bender or just trying to look like it. But it is reported to being one of the better mixes that he has tasted as of late; refreshing way to start the morning.
I’m pretty sure the kitchen staff were partly psychic as we got both our orders of coffee and juice within, dare I say, one minute of ordering them. The way to a brunch eater’s heart is coffee on demand!

Wooden Whisk Breakfast, $16.90

Two free range eggs, bacon, sausage, sautéed mushrooms, tomato, black pudding, Spanish style beans, toasted sourdough. Perfectly sized big breakfast with a good variety. These days a lot of places just seem to try to cram a plate full of anything they can think of and call it a big breakfast, and it usually leaves you aching for something else. This one however, had a lovely mix of goodies and left you comfortably full.

Sautéed Field Mushrooms, $15.90

Served with garlic, truffle butter, marinated feta, smoked pork, poached egg and toast. Stupid me, for some reason blanked out and didn’t registered that smoked pork would be similar to bacon. My mistake was Mr. Auie’s gain, as he is bacon fanatic.  But aside from the slight brain fart, the rest of the dish was delightful. I wish I could say I could tell there was truffle in the butter, but I guess my palate just isn’t that refined enough to tell. The egg was poached to perfection, and there was enough that Mr. Auie could have a large portion and the plate was still not clear by the time we were both full.

 

We would definitely make this a regular haunt. Quick service, attentive staff and good food. Can’t wait for a next visit. I hear good things about the sweets.

 

The Wooden Whisk
Shop 8, 38-46 Albany St,
St. Leonards, NSW 2065

The Grumpy Barista, Petersham

The sacrifices I make for good food! This place isn’t open on Sundays so I skipped my Saturday exercise routine to make it (feeling super guilty). But it was definitely worth it!

Cronuts on display

Cuppaccino

Avocado smash with Fetta ($9.50)

Chicken, rocket, pumplin, aoli sandwich ($8.00)

Cronut – Cookies & Cream with Nutella syringe ($5.00)

 Cronut – Rose petal ($10.00)

The Food Zoo experience: A lot of the sandwiches are pre-made but still taste quite fresh. Absolutely LOVED the cronuts though. Fueling my total obsession with nutella I just cold not resist the cookies and cream cronut with nutella syringe. The cronuts are custard filled which make it taste less rich and oily which means… You can eat more!

 The Grumpy Barista

110 Audley Street
Petersham

Brewtown Newtown, Newtown

I’ve had the cronut from Brewtown Newtown before, but the line at the front scared me off, so I ended up running away with take-away cronut. But I was determined this time to wait it out to have brunch. Luckily the line was not as long and the wait was about 15 minutes.

Breakfast juice: Kale, apple, celery and ginger, $6

The juice was refreshing and a good way to start the day. Nothing like a cleansing drink before clogging up your arteries with the grease laden cronut.

Skim Flat White, $3.50

Some seriously smooth milk going on here. I could drink several cups of this, and would have if the brunching buddy didn’t remind me I was on a strict diet.

Grilled black sausage home-made hash browns, Canadian bacon, house relish, boiled eggs, $16.

Mmmmm, sweet Canadian baconnnnnnn…. The black sausage had a nice firm, chunky texture, just the way you want sausage to be. The eggs were, weirdly, served cold. The hash browns were the real star on this plate with just the right amount of crunch, which gives way to the soft warm potato gems inside.

 

Salmon kedgeree, wood smoked salmon, Israeli couscous, poached egg, coriander, and lime, $16.50 + Avocado smash, $4.50.

The salmon was lightly smoked with just the right amount of saltiness. My first date with Israeli couscous and it was a dream. Perfectly light and fluffy. The were a little stingey with the lime, or maybe I’m just too used to lacing my food with lemons and limes, as I didn’t really taste any. When everything was eaten by itself it seemed a bit out of place to me. Lucky I like playing with my food and decided to mash up the egg and give everything a good stir-through with the avocado smash, and lo-and-behold, perfection.

 

Chocolate cronut, $5.50

I only allowed myself a small slice of this cronut but it was heavenly. As good as this tasted, I have to say I much prefer the glazed version. Grease seemed more readily dripping from that one.

Brunch always seems so short…especially since I’m limited to one a week. :( When I feel like my arteries are ready for real punishment I want to come back and definitely try the Elvis burger.
Brewtown Newtown
6-8 O’Connell St
Newtown, 2042