Serious scramble at Citrus

On a sunny Saturday in September, I took myself out to brunch in Newtown, a 'hood within 15 minutes of Glebe.  Having the time to actually venture out of my area, I decided to trek over to King St. and have a seat at whichever cafe managed to grab my attention with their menu. It's a nice little walk from Glebe to Newtown, and I'd take the opportunity to walk around the pond in Victoria Park any day.

By the time I arrived in Newtown, I had worked up a nice appetite, so I was  set on finding a cafe to sate my hunger immediately. I was pretty specific in what I wanted; scrambled eggs and smoked salmon and was thrilled to find just the thing at Citrus for just $12.99.  I managed to score a table outside, but the resto looked quite pleasant as well.  My server brought out an icy-cold btl. of H20 and I immediately placed my order for a Long Black and my scrambled eggs.

These were absolutely delicious.  I have to give restos in Oz a big shout-out; they really know how to cook their eggs.  Of course, the breakfast culture in Sydney is much more prevalent than it is in Canada; you won't often find a resto that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, but I'm happy to have such a great selection here.  

The portion of the dish was huge, and I was full without even having touched the English muffin.  The eggs were so fluffy and creamy, while the smoked salmon was tender and fresh.  And since no meal is complete w/out a bit of fruit or veg, I was thrilled by the addition of a grilled tomato on each half.

Scrambled eggs, Smoked Samon &
Grilled Tomato on an English Muffin ($12,99)

And as if my delightful brunch wasn't enough on such a lovely day, I came home to find my housemates sunning themselves in the backyard with some cold, crisp James Squire beers.  I've tried their 50 Lashes, Four Wives and the Chancer, as well as an tasty brand called Little Creatures.  Uh-oh...I came to Oz to try wine, but I just might end up a bit of a beer hound....

Food flying high at the Flying Fajita Sisters

On one of the 'hotter' days in September, I arrived home to my housemate's news that: "We're going to The Flying Fajita Sisters for dinner.  You have 20 minutes to get ready."  Having trekked around the 'hood in the heat all day, I felt less than stellar, but with the thought of an icy cold, salty Margarita in my future, I pulled myself together...quickly.  

We met three of our pals for dinner at 7:30 and were seated at a little table in the garden.  The bonus about restos on GPR is the fact that many of them have an outdoor dining area hidden away in the back.  Most of us ordered a Margarita to start - mine being the classic; lime flavoured with a nice, salty rim.  I ordered it frozen as it goes down slightly less quickly that way. 

The Classic Frozen Margaritas ($13)

And..."when in Mexico"...we also ordered some shots of tequila.  Giving our sever a relative budget and saying "No way(!) to Jose", we asked that she excite our palate with something a little more exotic that the typical shots you'd get at a bar.  What she brought out was heavenly and we ended up with another round later in the night.  The tequila itself was sweet and luscious. With a honeyed texture and beautiful orange blossom notes, the shots were topped with a slice of orange dusted in a layer of cinnamon which brought out the liquid's sweet and slightly spicy notes.

Tequila ($8/shot)

My housemate ordered one of the daily specials: fish tacos.  Though the tacos featured grilled sea bass, the resto had run out and offered red snapper as an alternative. Served with a wedge of lime, citrus served to elevate the fish's flavour and add a nice zing to the dish.  Tender, flaky fish; chunky salsa; creamy guacamole; rich crema, and robust corn salsa were all on offer to be packaged up within the warm, soft flour tortillas.  

Fish Tacos ($18ish)

w/ guacamole, crema, green salad and corn salsa

I wasn't ravenous when we arrived so I ordered something small.  I'm always a sucker for specials because I know that they'll only be available for a limited time.  I decided on one of the other options listed that evening; taquitos filled with potato and chorizo sausage, topped with salsa verde, queso freso and served with a marinated tomato salad.  It was a great little meal: the crispy shell was wrapped around soft potato and spicy sausage; the salsa verde and crumbed cheese added a richness to the dish while the marinated tomato salad provided a touch of sweetness - and a great textural contrast as well.

Taquitos ($12)

 w/ potato, chorizo, salsa verde and queso fresco 

I will definitely be a repeat customer here.  The quality of the food was fantastic, the margaritas were 'just right' and the presentation was really nice for Mexican food - which can admittedly be a little sloppy.  Great service topped off the night.  Once we were all sorted, we headed down the street to The Little Guy - also on GPR, one of Sydney's 'small bars', and a laid-back spot that's perfect for a weeknight drink or a Sunday session.

A relaxing brunch at Cafe Otto

On the heels of a fairly traumatic night in our apartment, my housemate and I went out for a much needed nosh of breakfast at Cafe Otto on Glebe Point Road.  The circumstances are not important, but the fact was; we were stressed, sleep deprived and not at all in the mood to even consider making some eats, so we trekked out to this local neighborhood hot spot.

Unfortunately, my roomie has a slew of allergies - not even including her allergy to sulphates making it impossible for us to share a btl. of wine - but she's also allergic to eggs, so we have to look for restos that contain enough non-eggy items for her...and enough eggy items for me!

Cappuccino ($3.50)
And after the night we'd had - it was the best coffee I'd ever tasted..

We started with an order of onion rings; Kylie's genius idea.  These little babies were an tasty - and a great value for the plate at $6...They look a little sparse in this photo, but the order was a good size. The batter was super-thin and light, and they were served with an atomizer  on the side so that you could lightly spritz and evenly distribute the vinegar.  Again; genius!

Salt & Vinegar Onion Rings ($6.)

Kylie had (one of my favourite Aussie sammies) a BLAT; bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato. Look at this sammy!  Crusty bread, smooth avocado spread and thick, salty bacon made for a filling, multi-textured lunch. You know what they say: what's simple is best, and when the best quality ingredients are used, it results in a pretty great meal.

Bacon & Avocado Baguette ($7)

w/ tomato, lettuce & mayo

My omelette doesn't really look like much, but it was quality.  Chock-full of succulent salmon and creamy avocado, it had the most beautiful sauce of zingy cream cheese with lemon which melted all over the filling.  The side of was less than thrilling, but when the egg is so good, you don't really notice the token toast.

Smoked Salmon & Avocado Omelette ($16)

What a night; what a breakfast.  The meal certainly perked us up.  The trauma is long over at this point, but the meal has stayed with me and I've been having good ones at Cafe Otto ever since!

Veggie Burgers: Chickens Plus vs. Fish on Fire

In the last couple weeks, I've gone to Chickens Plus and Fish on Fire on Glebe Point Road - and at both, I've had veggie burgers!  I've just been in that kind of mood lately, although last week I did try a beef burger from CP ($5.50) and it was pretty tasty.

Anyhow, I do enjoy veggie burgers here in Oz.  I have to say that they're a bit different from ones that I'm used to in Canada but they're still quite good. As opposed to a bunch of beans, lentils and oats - like the ones I'm used to - these ones are filled with green peas, carrots and corn.  Pretty nutritious, actually. In the end, I prefer CP's offerings over that of FOF, and will probably stick with them from now on.  Another thing that I like about the burger culture here is the presence of beetroot and pineapple; two things that are rarely common in Canada.

The VB from CP is super substantial.  The patty is filling (and contains the ingredients listed above), but there are also several slices of beetroot and tomato, adding to its appeal.  The bun is a nice quality as well with the bread both soft and structured enough to carry the weight of the patty and toppings.  The burger comes with one sauce; I had "plenty" of mayo.

Chickens Plus Veggie Burger

w/ lettuce, tomato, beetroot, red onion 

& a sauce of your choice ($5.90)

  

I wasn't too keen on the VB at FOF.  Though, the patty had the same fillings as that of CP, it didn't have that well-packed consistency and was a bit sloppy.  It also only came with only a sauce and 'salad' as toppings, which was essentially lettuce and some red cabbage.  Finally, the bun really put me off; it was almost crusty on the outside, but had that gooey, uncooked taste within.  I can say though, that the $2 extra for the order of fries was well worth it, as they were super tasty.  

Fish on Fire Veggie Burger ( $4.50)

 Add fries for $2

I'm not saying that FOF isn't worth going to, but if you are on Glebe Point Road and looking for a Veggie Burger, I'd recommend Chickens Plus as the winner.  Both restos have many other choices, and I have enjoyed their fries as well.  FOF does have outdoor seating, however, which is much more appealing that CP's counter-style.  But if neither has the seating that you're looking for, the park across the road is a nice alternative to both!