24th Sep, 2014
Early this year I was to embark on my first…
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Land Down Under- First Stop: Sydney
24th Sep, 2014, by Drina Cabral
Early this year I was to embark on my first trip to the ‘Land down under’. What did I know about it apart from the song “Land down under”, the book ‘Walkabout”, Jonty Rhodes- the cricketer and the Sydney Opera House?- nothing!
Having being engaged to an Aussie for over a year, I have mostly been exposed to the lingo ofcourse… that Mushrooms are called ‘mushies’, that sausages are called ‘snags, that BBQ’s are called ‘barbies’.. it feels like the Aussies have re-written the English dictionary.. a more cut-short, straight to the point version if I may say so. I have also heard him rave about the wines, and the southern wine region… but that’s about it. With regards to the food and drink culture- he has made it a point to let me experience it fully without a trailer or a preview.
But it is not like me to travel without any research or planning, so I dug around quite briefly and popped a quick email to my friend Sarah, author of one of the outstanding blogs of the region- The Hedonista. As a Melbourne girl, and having worked as a sommelier earlier on, she forwarded me a detailed list of what to try and what not to. As she is a food blogger, our thoughts were in sync- she knew what I would like and she knew that I was about to have my mind blown when she directed me to Attica in Melbourne and insisted I try and book a table a month before we got there; but more on that later.
Throughout my 13 hour flight, I heard very little of what to expect, so obviously, my anticipation peaked. I started rummaging through available reading material tucked in the back pocket of the plane seats; my anxiety was hitting the roof reading about the Mardi Gras in Sydney, the Food and Wine festival in Melbourne and the Fringe festival in Adelaide. We were just fortunate that we hit those dates in each of the states like clockwork in a chronological manner.
First stop- Sydney:
First thing in sight out of the airplane windows was the beautiful Sydney Harbor. Blue waters slipping in between lush green valleys as the clouds made room for a little sun after that morning rain. Well hello you gorgeous city! Right off the plane and we landed right in time for breakfast.
The streets were still damp from earlier that morning and our friend who picked us up from the airport thought it was a great idea to have a peek at the famous Bondi beach and stretch our legs across to the Saturday Market while the sun lasted. After a quick walk down the beach, we hopped, skipped and ran to the market in the hope of finding shelter from the rain that started to gradually pick up pace. Oooh, and there it was.. something made my nose twitch. It’s only been a couple hours in a new country and it was already showing off. It smelt heavenly, perhaps lamb, perhaps a stew; we walked past a handsome young guy selling us some freshly prepared bio yoghurt, and we walked past another handsome young guy sizzling some perfectly brown tender lamb chops on a ‘barbie’.. but that wasn’t it either; my nose tingled and twitched with that rich, aromatic and scent packed with flavor. We continued on, the rain thickening and ushering us under a temporary roof set up for a little stall. In it were about 3-4 busy bees bouncing around from edge to edge of the 3 square meter space, one ladling in a broth, one spooning in some shredded lamb and some pho, another topping it with coriander and bean sprouts…. I had found it! My nose had chosen our first meal, a hearty Vietnamese soup; not much of a breakfast but that broth made you salivate with every bite… hints of ginger, the smell of coriander, the crunchy sprouts, the tender shreds of lamb and that zing from the freshly squeezed lime- its not something you can say no to. And here we were, 4 hours after we landed, huddled under a cute little stall at the Saturday market, sheltering from the rain and sipping on some warm, hearty Vietnamese pho.
Another one of my most memorable food memories has to be the Grounds of Alexandria; A restaurant that housed an immaculate food fair on its premises with a picnic like attitude. Wafts of barbequing meat and fresh pastries filled the air; kids giggled and played around the mini farm by the entrance and people swarmed around any empty seating/standing space available. It seemed like the right prescription for post Mardi Gras indulgence.
There were a dozen stalls that lined the perimeter of the place. On the right were 3 grilling stations, one that served up some juicy sausages with pickled red onions and a lathering of mustard to your liking; another served up some grilled chicken generously being basted with lemon and herb in front of our eyes, and lastly beside it some marinated pork loin being pulled out of the fire and shredded to juicy threads right before cushioning it between a soft bun with some pickles and slaw.
As we licked our salivating lips dry we walked into the restaurant out of curiosity and right before us lay a kings’ spread of desserts- varieties of pastries, pies, cakes, Pavlova, Lamingtons, Anzac biscuits and the list went on.
The menu scribbled in chalk above the counter boasted of various breakfast options from bagels to waffles, to pancakes to eggs and sandwiches, all accompanied with an even longer list of smoothies and freshly brewed coffees. The queue of over 60 people slithered slowly up to the counter to place their orders.
We knew that waiting was only going to kill us so we hopped on outside and ordered our shredded pork sandwiches and sausages with some freshly brewed coffee. There was distinct happiness in our faces as we slowly chewed through the heavenly glory in our hands; it was moist, packed with flavor and got off the grill barely 5 minutes before it landed between our fingers. Unfortunately I didn't get to photograph any of the food we ordered!... it was that good. Once we dusted off our plates lapping up every last drop of sauce that escaped our sandwiches we walked around the other end of the huge property. There were heaps of vendors in small stalls selling jams, pastries, breads, dried fruits, a variety of flavored nuts, fresh herbs and vegetables; we couldn’t resist taking a souvenir for our drive home and packed some pastries and some flavored nuts.
Sydney is the kind of city that snuggles up to you during the rains, everything gets that much more cozier. The Botanical gardens, the Opera house, Circular Quay, the many small streets of the city that ran around like an ant colony. A lot of people say, Sydney sparkles more when it is not raining, but I beg to differ. Perhaps its the lack of rain in my middle-eastern upbringing that latches on to all the charms of a city in the wet weather; I believe the earthy smell of the trees and soil is what carries the true scent of the city. Sydney has a real charm to it, it’s like a baby sister that makes you giggle and ooh and aah with every motion, and before you know it, you’re in love.
Eaternally Yours,
Drina C.
Having being engaged to an Aussie for over a year, I have mostly been exposed to the lingo ofcourse… that Mushrooms are called ‘mushies’, that sausages are called ‘snags, that BBQ’s are called ‘barbies’.. it feels like the Aussies have re-written the English dictionary.. a more cut-short, straight to the point version if I may say so. I have also heard him rave about the wines, and the southern wine region… but that’s about it. With regards to the food and drink culture- he has made it a point to let me experience it fully without a trailer or a preview.
But it is not like me to travel without any research or planning, so I dug around quite briefly and popped a quick email to my friend Sarah, author of one of the outstanding blogs of the region- The Hedonista. As a Melbourne girl, and having worked as a sommelier earlier on, she forwarded me a detailed list of what to try and what not to. As she is a food blogger, our thoughts were in sync- she knew what I would like and she knew that I was about to have my mind blown when she directed me to Attica in Melbourne and insisted I try and book a table a month before we got there; but more on that later.
Throughout my 13 hour flight, I heard very little of what to expect, so obviously, my anticipation peaked. I started rummaging through available reading material tucked in the back pocket of the plane seats; my anxiety was hitting the roof reading about the Mardi Gras in Sydney, the Food and Wine festival in Melbourne and the Fringe festival in Adelaide. We were just fortunate that we hit those dates in each of the states like clockwork in a chronological manner.
First stop- Sydney:
First thing in sight out of the airplane windows was the beautiful Sydney Harbor. Blue waters slipping in between lush green valleys as the clouds made room for a little sun after that morning rain. Well hello you gorgeous city! Right off the plane and we landed right in time for breakfast.
The streets were still damp from earlier that morning and our friend who picked us up from the airport thought it was a great idea to have a peek at the famous Bondi beach and stretch our legs across to the Saturday Market while the sun lasted. After a quick walk down the beach, we hopped, skipped and ran to the market in the hope of finding shelter from the rain that started to gradually pick up pace. Oooh, and there it was.. something made my nose twitch. It’s only been a couple hours in a new country and it was already showing off. It smelt heavenly, perhaps lamb, perhaps a stew; we walked past a handsome young guy selling us some freshly prepared bio yoghurt, and we walked past another handsome young guy sizzling some perfectly brown tender lamb chops on a ‘barbie’.. but that wasn’t it either; my nose tingled and twitched with that rich, aromatic and scent packed with flavor. We continued on, the rain thickening and ushering us under a temporary roof set up for a little stall. In it were about 3-4 busy bees bouncing around from edge to edge of the 3 square meter space, one ladling in a broth, one spooning in some shredded lamb and some pho, another topping it with coriander and bean sprouts…. I had found it! My nose had chosen our first meal, a hearty Vietnamese soup; not much of a breakfast but that broth made you salivate with every bite… hints of ginger, the smell of coriander, the crunchy sprouts, the tender shreds of lamb and that zing from the freshly squeezed lime- its not something you can say no to. And here we were, 4 hours after we landed, huddled under a cute little stall at the Saturday market, sheltering from the rain and sipping on some warm, hearty Vietnamese pho.
Another one of my most memorable food memories has to be the Grounds of Alexandria; A restaurant that housed an immaculate food fair on its premises with a picnic like attitude. Wafts of barbequing meat and fresh pastries filled the air; kids giggled and played around the mini farm by the entrance and people swarmed around any empty seating/standing space available. It seemed like the right prescription for post Mardi Gras indulgence.
There were a dozen stalls that lined the perimeter of the place. On the right were 3 grilling stations, one that served up some juicy sausages with pickled red onions and a lathering of mustard to your liking; another served up some grilled chicken generously being basted with lemon and herb in front of our eyes, and lastly beside it some marinated pork loin being pulled out of the fire and shredded to juicy threads right before cushioning it between a soft bun with some pickles and slaw.
As we licked our salivating lips dry we walked into the restaurant out of curiosity and right before us lay a kings’ spread of desserts- varieties of pastries, pies, cakes, Pavlova, Lamingtons, Anzac biscuits and the list went on.
The menu scribbled in chalk above the counter boasted of various breakfast options from bagels to waffles, to pancakes to eggs and sandwiches, all accompanied with an even longer list of smoothies and freshly brewed coffees. The queue of over 60 people slithered slowly up to the counter to place their orders.
We knew that waiting was only going to kill us so we hopped on outside and ordered our shredded pork sandwiches and sausages with some freshly brewed coffee. There was distinct happiness in our faces as we slowly chewed through the heavenly glory in our hands; it was moist, packed with flavor and got off the grill barely 5 minutes before it landed between our fingers. Unfortunately I didn't get to photograph any of the food we ordered!... it was that good. Once we dusted off our plates lapping up every last drop of sauce that escaped our sandwiches we walked around the other end of the huge property. There were heaps of vendors in small stalls selling jams, pastries, breads, dried fruits, a variety of flavored nuts, fresh herbs and vegetables; we couldn’t resist taking a souvenir for our drive home and packed some pastries and some flavored nuts.
Sydney is the kind of city that snuggles up to you during the rains, everything gets that much more cozier. The Botanical gardens, the Opera house, Circular Quay, the many small streets of the city that ran around like an ant colony. A lot of people say, Sydney sparkles more when it is not raining, but I beg to differ. Perhaps its the lack of rain in my middle-eastern upbringing that latches on to all the charms of a city in the wet weather; I believe the earthy smell of the trees and soil is what carries the true scent of the city. Sydney has a real charm to it, it’s like a baby sister that makes you giggle and ooh and aah with every motion, and before you know it, you’re in love.
Eaternally Yours,
Drina C.
