Sunday @ The Baker's Arms

This afternoon, a friend and I choose to revel in the endless sunshine and venture through some of Brisbane's delightful homewares boutiques. As an aside, is it bad to spend time lusting over/ purchasing copious amounts of furniture and object d'art without my own abode in which to put them? The correct answer: of course not! 

In the midst of our expedition, we happened upon a delightful bakery in Woolloongabba's renowned enclave of vintage stores. The aptly named 'Baker's Arms' offers a bevy of delightful baked treats, all handmade on the premises (the Banoffee Pie is a particular treat!) Add the seemingly endless drinks menu, complete with old-school milkshakes and you have the ideal venue to while away a lazy Saturday afternoon. 

             Freshly baked pastries 

     Empty flour bags adorning the walls

                      Drinks menu

         Delicious vanilla milkshakes

              Gourmet sausage roll 

                     Banoffee pie

The essential details:

The Baker's Arms

29 Logan Road

WOOLLOONGABBA

Ph: 3391 6599

Bon appetite! Xx

Gastronomic Delights at the Crackerjack Carnival

I spent the weekend volunteering at the Crackerjack Carnival, an event which is a true institution on the Southside of Brisbane. While it is far removed from my usual 'scene' I was delighted to find that, hidden amongst the maze of carnival rides and show time games, there was a plethora of delicious food to choose from, which went far beyond usual carnival fare. Warranting special mention were the Greek stall, providing tasty grilled haloumi and moist, marinated baby octopus. Steve's Grilled Bratwurst, offering a wide range of traditional German sangers with a full compliment of sides, such as sauerkraut and German mustard. Other delightful offerings included wood fired pizzas, Mexican tucker and freshly brewed coffee.

There was also a glut of tasty homemade fudge, rocky road and liquorice. But alas, I succumbed to the ultimate rookie error: eating before going on the rides!

Bon appetite! Xx

2013: A Year of Gastronomic Delights

I, like most people, enjoy going out for dinner a couple of times a week (or more, depending on how loathsome I perceive cooking to be). And, like most people, I have my favourite, tried-and-true haunts, like our neighbourhood Chinese restaurant where I am greeted by a familiar face, ushered to my usual table by the window and swiftly order a Number 11 and a Number 24 without so much as glancing at the menu.

However, of late I have (out of little more than laziness), come to over-rely on the 'usual suspects' when it comes to picking a venue for a ladies' lunch or a long-overdue catch-up with an old friend.
I feel this laziness is manifesting as the gastronomic equivalent of the 'Law of Diminishing Returns'; the more often I eat at my usual restaurants, the less pleasurable the experience becomes, irrespective of the quality of the food, ambience and company.

As one who hates to be be stuck in any kind of rut, I have decided to sample the bounty of (at least)one new restaurant per week throughout 2013. I am already relishing the opportunity to get myself out of my culinary comfort zone and began my mission last night with gusto, dining at Continental Café with a close friend.

This was truly a magnificent find! I can't believe it has taken me so long to stumble across this bijou venue, tucked away in a cosy enclave in New Farm. The experience can best be described as a 'warm hug'; sumptuous comfort food, like Nan used to make.

Everything we sampled was divine, the wait staff were knowledgeable, and the ambience made one feel they were a guest in the owners' kitchen. A particular highlight were the fresh Moreton Bay bugs served with tomato and Cognac sauce and saffron linguini.

 The menu @ Continental Café

 

 

Delightful appetiser of warm bruschetta of seasonal tomatoes, sweet basil & sea salt.

 

 

 Front to back: Moreton Bay bugs served with tomato and Cognac sauce and saffron linguini, seasonal steamed vegetables and 90 day grain-fed rump steak with diane sauce and french fries. Note: While I met my dining partner's choice of meal with derision (he seldom orders anything but steak), the dish was truly magnificent, with the sumptuous diane sauce warranting a particuarly special mention.

 

Delicious affogato. Note: I may have been one of the last people to learn this; Affogato means 'drowned' in Italian...the wonderful imagery this evokes makes this classic dessert even more appealing (if that's possible).

So if you're a Brisbanite who has yet to sample the delicacies of Continental Café, I implore you make it a feature on your To-Do list. As for me, I'm already looking forward to whatever gastronomic delights await me next week. Bon appétit, darlings! Xx