18/3/11

Cafe Sel et Poivre, Darlinghurst

Call it baby brain, but I didn't even realise the link between today's lunch venue and my pen name* until Pea Pa pointed it out about two minutes ago so the blog logic here was purely accidental. We planned a pitstop at the bistro en route to visit a relative in hospital, and by the time we'd walked the pram to Sydenham station, carried it down and then up the stairs at Kings Cross and wheeled it most of the way along Victoria St, we were in the mood for a Friday Frenchy feast.

We snagged the front outside table and were helped to park the pram alongside so it was safely out of the way. The first thing on the blackboard to catch my hungry eye was a chorizo hotdog with mustard, caramelised onion and cheese, but at the bottom lurked moules marinière with frites, a dish I find it almost impossible to go past on a menu. I persuaded Pea Pa to share it with me, and after much deliberation over a second dish to share he chose the duck and pork rillettes with cornichons. This would be the end to a very ducky week for us - after snapping up a whole 2.5kg Muscovy duck from Feather & Bone, we'd enjoyed roast duck breast on Sunday and noodle soup on Monday with homemade duck stock and bought Chinese barbecued duck. I must have been in the mood for pork though, because when I found out the mussels weren't available after all I didn't hesitate to order that hotdog.

While we waited for the food I decided to feed Baby Pea so I'd be free to eat later. This was a little more confronting than yesterday - then I was inside and surrounded by other nursing mothers, now I was right on Victoria St with my back to the other diners but in full view of passers-by. It's hard enough to get the feeding right in the comfort of home, so attempting it while wrestling with a large muslin wrap for modesty's sake was a real challenge and one that was met with a lot of sympathy from the staff.


At least today's food was much easier to eat with babe in arm. Topped with a thick layer of duck fat and a fresh tomato garnish, the rillettes came with a little dish of cornichons and only three pieces of baguette but as advised we'd asked for a basket of extra bread. It was warm and just right for tearing into pieces and smothering with the lovely meaty goodness.


Baguette number two was spread with punchy Dijon, filled with thick, juicy chorizo slices and topped with melted cheese. Not classic French food but absolutely delicious nonetheless.

Always up for carbs on carbs, we also enjoyed a bowl of frites - crispy, salty and extra sinful when stuffed into the hotdog – though I'm not sure the French would approve.


Stuffed as we were, we still had time if not room for something sweet, so said yes to coffee and chocolat chaud. A little indulgence (and a lot of quack fat) doesn't hurt ... much. Ah, je ne regrette rien!

Cafè Sel & Poivre
263 Victoria St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010
p. 02 9361 6530
e. info@seletpoivre.com.au  
w. http://seletpoivre.com.au
 

Cafe Sel Et Poivre on Urbanspoon

*not any reference to 80s lady rappers but my food nickname given to me by my workmates as my initials are S and P.

17/3/11

Sideways Deli Cafe, Dulwich Hill

I conceived the idea for this offspring of food and "mommy" blogging (fomo?) a few weeks ago, and the first post-baby meeting of my RPA Parent Education group was the excuse I needed to get started. But where to meet? I'd already suggested locals Bourke St Bakery and Miss Petty Cash when my husband – let's call him Pea Pa – pointed out this SMH review. Pram-friendly? Perfect. After a leisurely stroll from Marrickville to the busy corner cafe, I loitered outside, unsure how they would accommodate four people plus prams. Not a problem. A smiley waiter guided me in to a large table in one corner. Cheery service - tick. Behind me lay two boxes full of toys and a stack of kids books, clearly part of the attraction for local parents.


With Baby Pea still asleep in his pod, I quenched my walk-thirst with water and ordered a flat white, which came with a Tiny Teddy on the side. Good coffee - double tick.


Foodwise, being 2pm on a Thursday afternoon I had a lot of options. The lunch menu offers plenty of choices including Greek favourites from mezze to moussaka. I was also tempted to go straight to dessert, despite having gorged on homemade apple strudel and ice-cream a couple of hours earlier. But my lactation-led sugar cravings were beaten by blog logic as I'd spied something on the all-day breakfast menu - Green Eggs. What could be better on St Patrick's Day? My Irish friend would probably go for the Potato Stack, but that wouldn't justify the title of my blog, so the pesto and feta scramble was my pick. It arrived with piles of bacon, thick toast and roast tomatoes.


My fellow mums chose a special of pumpkin and goats cheese tart, and the famous steak sandwich times two. 


I soon learned my first fomo-blogging lesson - food should be easy to eat one-handed and still appetising at room temperature. Baby Pea's pressing need to be fed and held meant my knife was redundant as I made do with forkfuls of cooled egg. I soon abandoned all manners to tackle the toast and tear off pieces of fatty bacon with my fingers. The salty combination of pesto, cheese and bacon was good, especially with the tangy tomato, but I couldn't finish the generous plateful.

The tart got the thumbs up, but the steak sandwiches divided opinion. The mum whose bub slept through lunch enjoyed hers, but the other thought the aïoli was too garlic-heavy - and to be fair, hers had gone cold by the time her baby let her eat. Luckily the staff were lovely and let us linger as long as we needed to. 

I'll definitely be back with my tea-loving mum-in-law to try as many cakes as I can.

Sideways Deli Cafe
37 Constitution Rd, Dulwich Hill NSW 2203
t. (02) 9560 1425

Sideways Deli Cafe on Urbanspoon