Hanging out with Mrs P's and the family

Posted by Hendy

Mrs P's is a small, family-run café just behind Burwood RSL, tucked behind the main Burwood Road corridor where a number of bigger, more established cafés reside. As the name suggests, the café family's surname begins with the letter P.

All-day menu board at Mrs P's, George Street, Burwood 

The son of Mrs P's explained how the café has now been open for almost two years, having opened on the specially selected date of 12/12/12.

Father George is the barista on the coffee line with the son working the floor and front counter. Mrs P's takes care of the bustling kitchen at the back. Given the limited number of staff on the floor, I found service to be a bit slow though the service is quite personal which was lovely to see.

George P (in red) and his son

Mrs P's interiors

The venue is small yet cosy, with a big window opening up to lots of natural light. Son of Mrs P's explained how they wanted a vintage setting and vintage feel, somewhat consistent with majority of the cafés in the inner west area.

There are photos of Mrs P's family and extended family around the café which make for interesting viewing. He also explained how with the limited initial budget, all the tables were self designed, painted and sanded.

Latte

The all-day menu is extensive. You can have breakfast in almost any combination: a choice of eggs, toast, potato cakes, mushrooms and more breakfast sides tailored to your appetite and liking.

Cappucino

We started with a selection of coffees, each which comes a bite-sized shortbread. Using Five Senses beans, the coffee had a nutty, subtle and mellow tone and was quite clean and smooth on the palate.

Flat white

George P is undoubtedly an excellent barista and master of the milk station, with the smooth, silky coffee a function of the quality of the milk preparation.

Blueberry muffin

Lining up at the counter to order, there were a number of homemade cakes including a rather pale blueberry muffin which was nice and soft with plenty of blueberries but sadly, no muffin top.

Gourmet ham toastie

We also ordered the gourmet ham toastie which comprised a generous serve of free-range and preservative-free, thick-sliced ham, melted Swiss cheese and Dijon mustard on toasted brown bread.

Egg & toast with the added homemade potato cake

From the breakfast options we ordered two poached eggs and organic sourdough toast with add-ons of beef sausages and a homemade potato cake. While the eggs looked superb on the plate, they were slightly overcooked with the yolk being quite firm and not as runny I would have expected, though compensated for by the scrumptious homemade potato cake and the flavourful beef sausages.

Vegetarian breakfast

The vegetarian breakfast was the most colourful dish that morning, served with poached eggs, grilled tomato halves, blanched baby spinach, a large grilled mushroom, a fan of avocado and sourdough toast.

Similarly, the poached eggs were slightly overcooked while the tomatoes and mushroom would have benefited from a bit more seasoning.

Mrs P's, George Street, Burwood

Mrs P's is a great fresh addition to the set of conventional Mediterranean style cafés in Burwood. The simplicity and homely feel of the dishes are heart-warming, complemented by the personal touch offered by Mrs P's and the family.

Shenkin Kitchen: Middle East in the Inner West

Posted by Kath

Rainy weekends give me a perfectly acceptable reason to hole up in a café, like Israeli-accented Shenkin Kitchen in Enmore, and enjoy breakfast and a coffee without feeling the need to rush off and make the most of my weekend.

Ladder suspended from roof and sign at Shenkin Kitchen, Enmore Road, Enmore

And who's to say I'm not making the most of it at Shenkin Kitchen, where an Israeli breakfast transports me beyond the usual café offerings and to the Middle East, via a quirky, welcoming little neighbourhood café.

Piccolo latte

The weekend starts with Shenkin's genuine passion for coffee, what with a window display full of Mecca's "Dark Horse" coffee bean packs.

My piccolo latte was strong but not bitter with a lovely, smooth finish; so enjoyable that I was tempted to order a second if it wouldn't have me bouncing off the walls.

Israeli Big Breakfast - Pita bread, smoked salmon, avocado, eggs,
 labna, cucumber, tomato and parsley salad

Shenkin Kitchen is passionate about showing Sydney-siders what Israeli flavours are all about, and what better place to start than the Israeli Big Breakfast.

This was a generous breakfast offering two of soft poached eggs, smoked salmon, half an avocado, labna yoghurt cheese sprinkled with za'atar, and a fresh and zesty salad of diced cucumber, tomato and parsley.

Pita bread

Healthy, fresh and soul-awakening, the big breakfast wouldn't have been complete without fluffy, oven mitt-like pita bread rounds, baked fresh in-house, to cradle and mop up every morsel on the board.

Ziva - puff pastry filled with mozzarella and olives with sides of pickles. spicy coriander, hummus and grated tomato

I couldn't go past the mysteriously named 'Ziva' option; basically a smorgasbord of Israeli delights served on a wooden plank. The flaky, sesame seed-topped puff pastry was crowned with a boiled egg and opened up to oozy mozzarella cheese goodness.

More olives would have been nice for more contrast as the buttery pastry and cheese were a little rich and heavy after a few bites. But the fresh, punchy sides really lifted the dish: the hummus was smooth and nutty with a good garlic hit; the tomato salad was fresh and seasoned spectacularly; the pickles helped cut through the heaviness of the pastry; while the spicy coriander sauce brought a unique touch to breakfast.

For a heart-warming breakfast that may well have you craving hummus for many meals to come, Shenkin Kitchen is a little corner of the Middle East in Sydney's Inner West.

Good times collective #9

Age must be getting to me because I'm finding this winter really, unbearably cold. But it's a good excuse to indulge in those rich, wintry comfort dishes, not that I need a reason. Let the good times roll, and when that's done, bring on spring, please.

Goat curry from Tan Viet Noodle House, Rowe Street, Eastwood

While I go to Tan Viet Noodle House for the crispy skinned chicken, I enjoy dining with people who can order something different, like the goat curry stew.

It's quite a spicy curry with lots of small pieces of mostly tender, skin-on, bone-in goat. The spice cancels out any potential gaminess although there's quite a bit of fat to contend with. Fresh Vietnamese herbs and egg noodles at the bottom of the bowl complete the huge bowl of a main meal.

Mixed olives from The Lobby Bar, Castlereagh Street, Sydney

I've never encountered a more ludicrously generous serving of olives than at The Lobby Bar, hidden in a ground floor Castlereagh Street building lobby, near the new ANZ building that borders city south.

A mix of Sicilian and Ligurian in sizes ranging from large and meaty to tiny and mostly a pip, it was a struggle to finish the dish between three. I suppose we ended up staying for more than our intended single drink, so perhaps there's method in the madness.

Morrocan lamb burger with fries from Kingston & Co, Westfield Eastgardens, Pagewood

I used to be very well acquainted with Westfield Eastgardens but now, there are new shops and entire sections every time I go. The new-ish food concept on the outer Banks Street end of the shopping centre is in line with Westfield's 'new' approach to food courts, and includes Kingston & Co - an interesting café/restaurant chain proposition.

I skipped over the various steaks on offer for the Morrocan lamb burger: a huge construction of a white sesame seed bun with a well flavoured lamb mince pattie, grilled eggplant, lettuce, tomato and a cumin-spiked yoghurt sauce. Fall-apart messy, it made for a spot-hitting dinner with excellent fries on the side.

Khao mok gai from Samosorn Thai Food Hall, Sydney Central Plaza, Sydney

I find it hard to not order the khao mok gai turmeric chicken and rice when I'm at Samosorn. With both chicken thigh and rice cooked in turmeric and five spice, the flavour matches the vivid yellow hue of the tender, juicy chicken, which is pretty amazing with the not-too-hot green chilli and garlic sauce on the side.

Charcuterie board from The Duck Inn Pub, Rose Street, Chippendale

The Duck Inn Pub in Chippendale has to be one of the cosiest pubs around. Just perfect for winter warmers and drinks with mates, it's also ideal for a late night drop in for food.

The generous antipasti board has grilled vegetables and salami covered, as well as house-cured specialties, rillettes and even a Scotch egg. Served with toasted sourdough, it's a generous share board best had with mates and a glass or two of wine.

Chocolate crepes from Passionflower, Anzac Parade, Kingsford

Passionflower (in Haymarket) was one of the venues of my youth. Ice cream and its location were the drawcards, but now the decadence continues in Kingsford, catering to the local university student population.

Their sundaes and waffles are legendary, and so too the rich chocolate on chocolate on chocolate crepes, with chocolate ice cream and molten liquid chocolate on a chocolate crepe with chopped strawberries for freshness.

At least it's never too cold for ice cream.

Gungnam Spoon style Chinese

I was a bit saddened to discover one day that my favourite little northern Chinese eatery in Hurstville had disappeared, and in its place stood the oddly named Gungnam Spoon.

Easily one of the flashiest fitouts on the street, the bustling late lunch crowd seemed to indicate that Hurstville's main road is ready for a more modern food offering, even if it's still Chinese.

Pork and prawn wonton soup from Gungnam Spoon, Forest Road, Hurstville

With a dumpling craving that couldn't be swayed by the popular whole grilled fish offering that seems to be a signature dish of Gungnam Spoon, I had some of the best wonton dumplings I've had for a while.

Filled with a super-tasty coarse, pink mixture of minced pork and the occasional prawn, the egg pastry-wrapped wonton floated in a flavoursome broth topped with strips of omelette and seaweed, both adding flavour and texture.

Pan fried pork dumplings

The crisp-bottomed pan fried dumplings had a similar pork mince filling; perhaps even tastier than the soup dumplings. With exceptionally thin house-made pastry and vinegar dipping sauce, these went some way in easing the pain of losing a former favourite eating place.

Mapo tofu

However, there was pain to be had in the mapo tofu which we ordered with a side of steamed rice. It looked the goods on first appearance; a generous serving of tofu cubes with minced meat in a shiny, chilli-spiked sauce.

The first mouthful alerted us to the abundant presence of whole Sichuan peppercorns, literal handfuls of them. With more burning than numbing, it was painful eating as well as meticulous picking out of the peppercorns to get through the dish. Soy bean milk was also called for.

Leaving the restaurant a bit sweaty and pained, there was enough on the menu to tempt me back another time for Gungnam Spoon style Chinese cuisine.

See you at The Copper Mill

In recent times I'd gotten a little bored with café breakfasts - unfortunately, eggs are eggs to me. And then a little local café comes along and changes all that.

At The Copper Mill on Mitchell Road in an area some call Alexandria and some call Erskineville, bacon and eggs are most certainly not just bacon and eggs. Most surprising is that the café doesn't really have a proper kitchen, but just a stovetop or two and a benchtop grill.

Cappuccino and watermelon, apple and mint juice from The Copper Mill,
Mitchell Road, Alexandria

With minimal outdoor seating and hipster-fied interiors, The Copper Mill is a spacious little venue that clearly values comfort over crowds.

Decorated with the occasional item of copper cookware, the high ceilings of the space and its well-spaced tables lend it well to relaxed brunching and munching on some Latin-inspired brekky bits.

I still like cappuccinos because of the chocolate powder and foam, giving me the slightest of sugar hits with the Golden Cobra beans on a weekend morning.

Meanwhile, the watermelon and apple juice is freshly juiced and served with ice, mint leaves and a striped paper straw.

Coddled egg with kumera mash, parsley and sourdough soldiers with bacon side

And behold, the breakfast game-changer - for me anyway. Sure, the food took a good while to get to us but the coddled egg in the jar with kumera sweet potato mash has given me faith in breakfast again.

All it took was a glass jar, half-filled with sweet, creamy and surely healthy sweet potato mash and topped with an egg that's then basically steamed in the jar to a firm yolk; the way I prefer it.

Garnished with chopped parsley, the egg is served with wedges of buttered sourdough to which I added a side of bacon. A bit of everything in one mouthful was the way to breakfast heaven.

Peruvian bacon and egg roll 

Classic bacon rashers get dumped for pork belly in the Peruvian take on a bacon and egg roll. Encased in a chewy white roll were seasoned pork belly chicharron, a runny sunny-side-up egg and the same kumera mash; then pimped up with Spanish onion salsa criolla and lemon-flavoured mayonnaise.

A large mouthful to handle, this Peruvian-accented breakfast-in-two-hands was a filling twist on a classic Aussie breakfast that will easily become a signature offering at The Copper Mill.

So perhaps I'll see you at The Copper Mill soon, where breakfast takes a while but where eggs ain't eggs.

Moving up: Upstairs at The Bank

Sydney pubs are moving on up and out of the past – from upmarket gastro pubs to hipster-friendly renovations, the pub experience is moving beyond just schooners, TAB screens and stale carpet.

As part of recent renovations at The Bank in Newtown, the huge, multi-faceted venue now comprises the front street-level bar, back beer garden, a mezzanine level and now Upstairs – a Wednesday to Saturday late night venue focused on cocktails and live music.

Pinball machines at Upstairs at The Bank, King Street, Newtown

Climb the stairs from the separate street entrance or the internal pub flight to find a large, dark and nostalgic space with nods to rock and live music history – I could envisage rockers and their groupies hanging out Upstairs in the comfy booths and couches or playing pool or the pinball machines.

Upstairs outdoor seating

There's also a bright, wood-clad balcony with prime seats looking out over King Street and all its oddities - a perfect space for warm autumn afternoons and nights.

The Upstairs space

A sophisticated cocktail list has been put together by Jeremy Shipley, group bars manager for The Bank's owner, pub group Solotel, and also co-owner of Darlinghurst small bar, Hinky Dinks.

It's pretty much a dedicated cocktail bar, miles away from the usual pub cocktail list; perhaps representative of a growing appreciation for cocktails among today’s drinking crowd.

Penicillin-ita

I started with the Penicillin-ita; a tequila play on the Penicillin cocktail, with honey syrup, lemon juice and ginger beer accompanying Herradura Reposado and a mezcal float. The cocktail, served in a pretty cut crystal tumbler, had an underlying sweetness that smoothed over the punchy hits of tequila.

Mid-West Sour

The bourbon based Mid-West Sour is a seriously good twist on the classic whisky sour using pink grapefruit juice on top of lime and falernum; shaken with egg white and bitters and served classically with a maraschino cherry.

Latenight Daiquiri

The classic lime-based daiquiri could have been more sour for me, with Havana Club Anejo shaken with fresh lime juice, agave nectar and peach bitters, served up in a dainty coupe glass.

Two Birds Golden Ale

Despite the excellent cocktails on offer, that's not to say there isn't a great selection of Australian craft and imported beers at the Upstairs bar, with the Two Birds Golden Ale from Geelong being a good choice for a fruity, medium-bodied brew.

Hot beef jerky

There's a very decent Upstairs bar menu for when a few drinks get you in the mood for food. Utilising the same kitchen as the downstairs pub and beer garden offerings, it's a well-rounded menu spanning snacks and share plates, things sandwiched between bread and pizzas – the latter two of which mirror the pub options.

A perfect bedfellow with beer, the beef jerky was surprisingly good with cocktails too. The dry strips of beef, peppered with chilli flakes, tear into stringy pieces that are salty, meaty and deliciously chewy.

Smoked oyster tin, crème fraiche, tabasco, crackers

Not a favoured seafood delicacy of mine, the tin of smoked oysters was served with a tower of soft oat crackers, crème fraiche and lemon in a pretty presentation on a wooden board.

Fried chicken, kewpie mayo, kim chi

Continuing mine and Sydney's infatuation with fried poultry, the fried chicken wings looked like a flour-dusted and fried version I make at home but with better spice seasoning and probably just as un-photogenic.

The wings were beautifully juicy inside and matched spectacularly with kim chi fermented cabbage and of course, Japanese mayonnaise which seems to go well with everything.

BBQ duck sausage rolls, HP sauce

The sausage rolls were a winner with an unexpectedly chunky duck meat filling and HP brown sauce. Encasing the gamey filling was the best part of the four round slices – the insanely flaky and buttery pastry which by the end showered the table messily in golden flakes.

Crumbed mozzarella,'saltimbocca', tomato vinaigrette

The idea of fried cheese had me won although the mozzarella balls didn't really reach that desired oozey or stringy state.

Crumbed mozzarella,'saltimbocca' insides

With a slice of ham crumbed within the cheese ball and a tomato sauce (rather than a vinaigrette) on the side, the concept works but needs just a little tinkering; perhaps a different, more easily-melting cheese or longer in the deep fry.

BBQ pulled pork, red cabbage, chipotle, mayo with shoestring fries

From the 'bun stuffers' part of the menu came the epically-sized pulled pork burger and fries – ideal for a big appetite, sharing or pre-diet week.

With a shiny, sesame seed-topped bun stabbed through with a knife - to cut and to hold it in place - it was about the largest burger I've seen in Sydney; chock full of smoky BBQ pulled pork and shredded red cabbage, finished with a spiced chipotle mayonnaise.

King crab club sandwich, McClures pickle crisps

On the other end of the scale of sandwiches was the king crab club sandwich; a triple-layered, toasted white bread sandwich with more lettuce and tomato in it than crustacean. The crab seemed to be minimal in a paste form, with some crunch and flavour from crisp-fried pancetta bits.

The highlight of this dish was the McClures potato crisps; a US import of dill pickle flavoured crisps. The flavour of these chips is unbelievably spot-on, combining the sandwich accompaniments of potato crisps and a pickle.

Speck, (mushroom), roast onion pizza

The Bank offers pizzas on tomato or white sauce bases, and we opted for the bartender’s recommendation of speck, mushroom and roast onion on a tomato base.

The rectangular pizza arrived with a liberal topping of melted mozzarella cheese and a notable absence of mushroom. Nonetheless, the speck and onion made for a tasty combination on the medium-thick crust; though why the rectangular pizza was cut into hard-to-manage triangular wedges was beyond me.

Juke box

With the drinking and snacking crowd picking up from 7.30pm – and licensed to open until 5.00am – Upstairs at The Bank is well placed to capitalise on the late night crowd that's perhaps moving out of the CBD precinct and moving up from the usual pub night out.

Food, booze and shoes dined at Upstairs at The Bank as a guest, with thanks to Agency G.