Where to eat on Bruny Island: Gourmet Chick in Tasmania

Bruny Island is an island off the island of Tasmania off the big island of Australia.  It feels really remote and unspoilt even though it is only a 30 minute drive and a short ferry ride from Hobart.  Meat-and-Three-Veg and I made a day trip there and spent our time eating and drinking our way around the island along with a bit of a beach and bush walk (mainly to make some more stomach room).  Driving around we visited the Bruny Island Smoke House, Bruny Island Cheese, Hotel Bruny  and the Bruny Island Berry farm.  It sounds like a lot but we still missed out on the oyster farm Get Shucked, the fudge makers and a few other cafes.  Let's just say you could spend a few days quite happily on Bruny Island.

Beautiful Bruny Island

How to make cherry tomato and caramelised onion tart

I've got a bit of a Valentines Day tradition happening with Mr Meat-and-Three-Veg.  We avoid the over priced restaurants with all the couples sitting staring into each other eyes and instead pack a picnic and head out side.  There's less pressure and it feels much less commercialised.  This year we ended up in the Botanic Gardens and when I got home from work I quickly made this cherry tomato and caramelised onion tart to take along. It really is that quick.  It's a savoury tart but still has a lovely sweetness from the slow cooked onion and blistered tomatoes.  Best eaten with champagne outdoors.

Picnic in botanic gardens

Jazz afternoon tea at the Famous Spiegeltent

It's always lovely to see the Famous Spiegeltent set up outside the Arts Centre in Melbourne.  The beautiful old tent was built in the 1930's and the timber and mirror interior just oozes character.  I've been along in previous years for cabaret and circus acts at night time so was intrigued to visit the Spiegeltent during the day for jazz afternoon tea.

The Famous Spiegeltent from the outside 

Scarf Community Dinners

It's hard not to leave a Scarf dinner without a warm fuzzy feeling inside.  Scarf is a social enterprise that borrows restaurants to give front of house hospitality training and mentoring to young people who face barriers to fair training and work opportunities.  When I heard that the excellent Union Dining in Richmond was hosting Scarf I decided to round up a group of friends (thanks Soph, Fraze, Em and Nath) and go along.

How to make pesto

I don't have a green thumb at all but at the moment the basil in my little herb garden is thriving.  When life gives you basil, what can you do but make pesto?  I like to make it by hand the old school way with a mortar and pestle. It means a bit more chopping and crushing than just whizzing everything up in a food processor but there's something therapeutic about mixing it together yourself.  It also gives the pesto a nice chunky rustic appearance that is miles away from the stuff you buy at the supermarket.  I use my pesto smeared on biscuits as a snack, as a pasta sauce and to dress salad.  It gives almost anything a really fresh summery taste.

Hotel Urban and Hub Cafe

Sometimes there is nothing better than a staycation in your own city.  You get to get away from it all without driving for hours or having to brave the airport.  So I was pretty happy to invited to check out Hotel Urban in St Kilda for a night's stay.

Hub Cafe at Hotel Urban

Acland St Cantina

Could Melbourne be over its love affair with Mexican food? About this time last year it seemed that opening a Mexican restaurant was a licence to print money.  We couldn't get enough of tacos, burritos and of course tequila.  The popularity of the so called "Mexican wave" of Mexican restaurants was such that none of them took bookings and if you had to queue to get in.  But when I headed into Melbourne's newest Mexican joint, Acland St Cantina, I was pretty surprised by how quiet it was.

Nachos at Acland St Cantina

Wye River General Store: Gourmet Chick on the Surf Coast

School holidays are over so it means it's the perfect time to head to the beach.  The roads will be a lot quieter, prices cheaper and even the weather is generally better at this time of year.  If you decide to take my advice and drive along the Great Ocean Road and keep on going past Lorne you come to the tiny little town of Wye River.

The Great Ocean Road from Lorne to Wye River

Pawn and Co

Everything has a price.  The owners of newly opened bar Pawn and Co have taken that theory to the extreme by putting everything in the bar up for sale.  Pawn and Co overlooks Chapel street and straddles the divide between the hipster-fied Windsor end and the flashy South Yarra end.  I was invited to the launch party last week and while the bar was filled with the beautiful people that dwell in this area it also had a little bit of a grungy feel to it reminiscent of the old Chapel Street pawn shops in Windsor thanks to the piles of old suitcases, lamps and even a morgue table which all come complete with price tag so you can buy them.

Fish and flaxseed ball at Pawn and Co

Top Paddock

I wouldn't usually turn up at a cafe on the first weekend it has opened.  They're likely to be swamped, will run out of things and you'll probably get lousy service from brand new waiting staff.  But I made an exception for Top Paddock given it is just down the road from my house.  Plus given Top Paddock is the latest venue from Nathan Toleman, Ben Clarke and Diamond Rozakeas, the team behind Three Bags Full (since sold) and Two Birds One Stone I knew the staff would be expecting a scrum and would be prepared.

How to make hot smoked trout salad

On my trip to Tassie I picked up some hot smoked ocean rainbow trout at the Bruny Island Smoke House.  I popped it in my carry on luggage with an icepack and it made it back to Melbourne still chilled along with as much cheese and jam as I could fit.  Hot smoked trout is a little drier than traditional smoked trout and has such a rich smoky flavour that a simple salad is the perfect way to make the most of it.  Soft boiled eggs go well along with some greens and a lemony dressing.  After all, bringing home food souvenirs has to be the best way to keep the holiday feeling going a little bit longer.