Mudgee – Outside the Square, Eltons Brasserie, Cobb and Co. Court’s Wineglass Restaurant and Sajo’s

It’s so refreshing to find an ordinary, non-vegetarian restaurant that has used a bit of imagination to create a dish for vegetarians (risotto and pasta seem to be the easy way out for so many places). One such establishment is Eltons Brasserie in Mudgee where I had the pleasure of dining last night.

Having eaten a fairly substantial late lunch not long before, I only had room for one dish, so didn’t have a chance to sample the veg. entree option “Hand made Spaghettini with Blue Cheese, Walnuts, Herbs and Cream” but I was delighted with the “Woodfired Eggplant Stuffed with Cous Cous, Walnuts, Sultanas, Roast Pear and a Spiced Yoghurt Dressing” main. Upon passing on my compliments the wait-person I was informed that people come from Sydney to eat the dish, the staff have tried taking it off the menu to replace it with something else but riots have almost resulted so they have had to put it back (I suggested that maybe if they’re bored and want to come up with something else they could add it as well as, not instead of!)

Perhaps it was the method of cooking the eggplant, maybe it was the combination of the filling ingredients, but whatever it was, it sure worked for me.

Bar Lourinha, Little Collins St

Bar Lourinha was one of the best finds of the times W and I had in Melbourne. We discovered this little gem some time late in 2006 I think it was, delighted to find somewhere whose kitchen was open beyond the normal restaurant hours, and with food choices that we found to be exquisite. We went back every time we went to Melbourne and I have been an additional couple of times since he hasn’t been around, and will continue to I hope.

Our favourite perch was on the lounge near the front window, which often had some space on it, especially later at night (the kitchen closes at 11). The attention that eaters and drinkers receive at Bar Lourinha is outstanding, with an always knowledgeable and friendly wait person coming over soon after one’s arrival to explain in detail what was available. The first one we encountered disappeared for a while but when we saw her again a couple of years later  she still remembered us – perhaps because we (politely and unobtrusively and with our fingers) licked the plates? There is a wide variety of wines and other alcoholic drinks to choose from and as with many Tapas-type establishments, some great vegetarian options.

Cafe Albion, Braidwood

This must be Braidwood’s grooviest cafe/restaurant, and the only one guaranteed to be open daily from 8am. The coffee is top quality and the food is also consistently good, and often imaginative, and there is usually at least one vegetarian option as well as willingness on the part of the staff to leave a meat ingredient out of the pasta, for example.

Birdman Eating, Fitzroy

I discovered Birdman Eating, a quirky and welcoming cafe, one day when I was doing the rounds of the Gertrude St and Collingwood galleries, and it has been a favourite destination of mine ever since. W also loved it, especially the baked eggs, and we ate there together on a couple of occasions. Well, several, if you count the times I talked to him from my mobile while I was eating my meal.

Finally…. Bar Zini, Harris St, Pyrmont

It has been so long since I posted. There was “technical hitch” initially, just now sorted thanks to support at WordPress. But as well as that, W died at the beginning of  the year and I haven’t felt like doing any blogs since.

Happy New Year!

May it be a year of adequate rainfall, good health, appreciation of organically and locally grown food, and a reversal of the decision to lift the NSW and Victorian moratoria on genetically manipulated canola. Please – no GM food, until it has been proven beyond doubt to be safe for human health and the environment.

And on a global level, here’s to a genuine attempt to make poverty history and ensure a fairer distribution of the planet’s wealth of food, of which all people deserve a fair share.

Chill Out Cafe, Union St, Pyrmont

Yesterday, on our way home from W’s morning Qi Gong session up on the cliff overlooking Pyrmont Point, we saw a new cafe in Union St which was actually open for breakfast during this end-of-year holiday period. After inquiring about the availability of muesli (not on the menu), we decided to forego the mango and other fruit awaiting us at home and enjoy a last city breakfast before heading back to the bush for a quiet New Year’s Eve. The place was packed, with one table left on the cafe side of the pavement, away from the other tables and any potential passive smoking problems.

Welcome to food and coffee – reviews of our favourite and not-so-favourite eating and drinking places

Welcome to foodandcoffee.wordpress.com. This blog is brought to you by two people who love great food and coffee, and will contain reviews of the restaurants and cafes we have visited, mainly in Sydney and Melbourne. We will tell you our impressions of the quality of the food, service and atmosphere, whether or not organic food and coffee are available, if there are smoke-free outdoor areas, what sort of food is on the menu and how well it caters for vegetarians and vegans, whether there is value for money, and whatever else we think might interest lovers of good food and coffee.

Come back soon to share some of our recent experiences in our favourite and newly discovered eating and drinking places in and around Sydney and Melbourne, and in other Australian places too.

C and W