Tag Archives: Avocado

Breakfast at Elk and Pea

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In a remarkable coincidence I went to Elk and Pea with a friend for breakfast. Without thinking about it we had the same breakfast as T1 and BF on 15 January. Without wanting to offend T1, I did recall she had been to Elk and Pea but in my mind it was for dinner rather than breakfast. Sorry T1 I’d forgotten :-)

In terms of the experience we arrived at 0930 and were shown to a table in the back near the toilets. The tables were all pretty close to one another and I could hear what other diners were saying. This is a worry because I’m deaf in one ear and it was on my deaf side. It was all pretty cosy. The table we had was very wobbly. We were grateful that a waiter came over and shoved napkins under the base. After a few napkins the amount of movement was reduced but not completely. Along with the quality of napkins I get judgy about restaurants if they cannot manage decent tables and chairs. This was not a good start. It was also dark and my immediate thought was poor lighting for iPhone photography. Fortunately, as I alluded to in my end of 2012 post I’ve recently acquired an iPhone 5 and the camera is a much better tool for food photography.

We ordered coffees and then food. My breakfast buddy asked for the Paprika eggs and I asked for the smashed avocado and mushrooms. The place was busy and fairly full so we accepted it would be a longish wait. The coffees seemed to be delayed especially when later orders (from the table next to ours) came out sooner than ours. Once the coffees arrived, the food arrived in quick order :-)

The paprika eggs looked really good and tasted great too. My avocado and mushrooms was delightful. The bread was nicely toasted and the mushrooms perfectly sautéed. There was a good amount of avocado and my poached egg was perfectly cooked with a nice runny yolk. Unfortunately the poached paprika eggs were on the solid side. Marks off I’m afraid. Poached eggs really need to have soft runny yolks.

I had to use the toilet and didn’t see one specially for men. There were two women’s toilets and I used the unisex/disabled toilet. It was well appointed and also had a shower. This is a good thing for those customers who rely on a wheelchair. There were no paper towels and the air drier was pretty pathetic. I know they’re expensive but the Dyson air blade should be the standard for any restaurant toilet.

#breakfast Avocado and mushrooms #yummy

The food at Elk and Pea is really good. There is no question about that. I’m looking forward to going there for dinner this Saturday night with friends. I’ll happily go back for breakfast again. The coffee was good and I want to try the other items on the menu.

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The Elk & Pea on Urbanspoon

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I spent all afternoon at work today and came home to my ironing and decided on an easy dinner.

#dinner Chicken thigh with salad. I seasoned with Madras curry powder. #yummy

Chicken thigh seasoned with Madras curry powder and a simple salad.

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A twist on the English muffin and chicken

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Last week I made a chicken burger and used an English muffin for the roll. I had a couple of muffins in the freezer and a chicken thigh. I’ve never used a muffin to make crumbs so I gave it a go. With the muffin I added a chunk of Coon tasty cheese. I also mashed a potato and made a crumbed potato cake.

 

The verdict? It was good.

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Food glorious food; since Wednesday; this has included dining out and home cooked happiness

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On Wednesday I spent the day in Sydney for a meeting. I flew back to Canberra on Virgin Australia. I was able to enjoy an afternoon snack of cheese and ice cream plus some quince paste.

A snack on a Virgin Australia flight. Cheese, quince paste and an ice cream sandwich.

On Thursday morning inspired by the Ranting Chef and a post on 09 August I made baked beans on toast. I added a little Holbrooks Worcestershire sauce and some chili flakes plus Tabasco sauce for spice. I would have added an egg but it was already going to be enough.

Baked beans on toast with coffee

On Thursday evening we went to celebrate the birthday of a friend. We went to Sanur’s Balinese Restaurant in Belconnen. We’ve been there a few times before and I’ve blogged about the experience. Bron and I shared an entrée (Sanur’s Deluxe Platter for Two $18.9 A platter of mixed spring roll, chicken or beef satay, sweet corn patties and battered prawns) and I asked for fried chicken (“Chicken” Char Grilled or Fried ½ Chicken $18.9 Sanur Style Chicken marinated in house special ingredients and served with sambal bajak). I was a little disappointed it was dry and not that flavoursome. Bron had the Crispy Ayam ($18.9 Battered marinated chicken thigh tossed with garlic and aromatic salt) which was delicious. The chicken was moist, tender and tasty. For dessert we both enjoyed the Coconut Delusion ($8.90 Coconut pancake filled with unti (shredded coconut) with pandan anglaise, ice cream & toasted almonds).

Entrée platter

Entrée platter

Fried chicken

Bron’s chicken

Coconut dessert

The evening was punctuated with hilarious stories of menstrual period iPhone apps and videos of a bloke called Merv who is good at sucking. The flow of the conversation had periods of tension and hilarity. There was lots of talk about the ladies cycling together. I didn’t know they all had bicycles. :-)

This is Merv

On Friday morning Bron and I enjoyed our regular Mavi Breakfast wrap.

Mavi breakfast wrap

For lunch on Friday I felt like some hot chips from Urban Bean in my work building. These chips are delicious. A small container costs $4 which sounds expensive (and it is) but the container is quite large. It also comes with some aioli.

Great hot chips

On Friday night Bron made a light dinner. We had a baked egg in a creamy Italian style risotto. It was delicious. This is a split photograph edited before and after the egg was cracked.

Baked egg and risotto

For breakfast on Saturday we had poached eggs and ham. I wanted a little cranberry sauce too.

Poached egg with ham and cranberry

After doing some washing  and house work we went out to Ricardo’s café in Jamison for afternoon tea. Bron had a golden mousse and I ate a swan.

Golden mousse

Swan

For dinner on Saturday we celebrated another friend’s birthday and went to Chairman and Yip after drinks at Benchmark wine bar. I was a little disappointed by the Benchmark wine bar. The drinks were really expensive and I got the feeling they were trying to get us out yet the restaurant was only about a third full. There was a huge hens party going on and we had wait staff asking us if we wanted more drinks every five minutes. My greatest disappointment as someone who cannot drink alcohol though is the absence of pineapple juice. That’s what I wanted. In the end I settled for a lemon lime and bitters. To be fair it was our waiter’s first shift. A friend asked for a Chardonnay and he received Chandon sparkling wine. Our waiter was very apologetic and smiled a lot.

At Chairman and Yip it was very different. The wait staff were efficient yet unobtrusive and allowed us to enjoy our meal. This was one of the nicest meals I’ve eaten in Canberra. For en entrée I asked for duck pancakes and ended up sharing with Bron who had pan fried Kurobuta Rich River (Victoria) pork cake with red wine vinaigrette. Both entrées come for $16.50. Both were delicious although the pork cakes were more filling.

Duck pancakes

char-grilled fillet of beef with shallot and spring onion sauce

For a main course I asked for a char-grilled fillet of beef with shallot and spring onion sauce. Bron asked for beef and scallop ground pepper hot pot, M asked for chairman’s red curry chicken and L asked for pumpkin and cucumber with caramelised chili and kaffir lime.

pumpkin and cucumber with caramelised chili and kaffir lime

My first plate, in the end we shared everything amongst each other.

For dessert I asked for a panna cotta with a passionfruit sauce. Bron asked for Pyramid of chocolate mousse over white chocolate mousse that sounded like chocolate fellatio which created uproar at our table. :-)

Panna cotta with passionfruit sauce

This morning we had breakfast at Ellacure in Bruce. We’ve been meaning to do this for a long time. It didn’t disappoint. I asked for poached eggs on toast with a side of hollandaise and avocado while Bron asked for Eggs Benedict with bacon (this is Bron’s instagram image). Breakfast at Ellacure is very worthwhile. The service is very good and the food is delicious. The service verged on trying to get us out, but really, it was 0900 in the morning and they would be very busy after 0930. They were very efficient. I would rank this a great place in Canberra for breakfast or brunch.

Look I got pineapple juice :-)

The best thing was I got pineapple juice :-)

Poached eggs, hollandaise and avocado. This is one of the best photographs I’ve taken.

Don’t forget coffee :-)

Tonight I was inspired by another blogger I follow, viz., Live2EatEat2Live aka The Mouse. He recently posted a picture that I have fond memories of as a boy. This is my version.

Rice with egg, lup chong and soy plus some spring onions

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Reed avocado. My verdict.

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In yesterday’s post I wrote about buying a Reed avocado for the first time. After a day of ripening with a banana I tried my first Reed avocado. When I picked it up it was still firm to hard. As I sliced through to the seed it didn’t feel green and felt like a just ripe avocado should. On cracking it open though the flesh is very light and creamy. There was also a milky substance which oozed between the skin and flesh. I had been warned of this by Instagram and Twitter friends.

The avocado accompanied a piece of skinless chicken thigh which had been in a moderate oven for forty minutes, a cob of sweet corn which had been oven cooked with the chicken too. The chicken sat on a bed of mashed potato which I had prepared through a ricer and had a little light cream and olive oil spread added.

Chicken with Reed avocado | I like my potato ‘mashed’ with a ricer, that said, I like it having a slightly rustic and rough look.

Chicken with Reed avocado | The avocado looks like it isn’t ripe, yet it is soft and creamy. I was so happy it wasn’t stringy which is what I really feared.

 

 

The flesh was soft and creamy, it didn’t have a strong flavour of avocado so this may suit some people who don’t like a strong flavour. It wasn’t stringy which was a big plus for me. The flesh itself tasted nice with the corn and potato.

I have another Reed avocado which I will use tomorrow night. We’ll see how that goes. At the moment, the Hass avocado remains the variety of choice for me.

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Footy food and the Decider #origin #QUEENSLANDER Queensland defeats NSW 21:20

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Tonight it was the decider. Last year Queensland won its sixth State of Origin series. This year Queensland won the first game and NSW won the second game. I’ve previously written that I really hope for a good close game and truth be told, as much as I wanted Queensland to win, NSW winning would mean that Rugby League is the winner. We need to have two strong origin sides not a lopsided competition. We need to have a game that kids can remain excited about, after all, rugby league is the greatest winter sport of all. Much more enjoyable than soccer and Aussie rules and for a spectator superior than Rugby Union. I write these things not wanting to upset readers. I just find so much satisfaction in watching a good game of rugby league.

In the end the result was right and the game was one of the most exciting nail biting games of rugby league we’ve seen. Queensland defeated NSW 21 to 20 in a very tight match.

For dinner tonight I was partially inspired by recent MasterChefAU episodes featuring dude food. I knew I needed some vegetation so there is some avocado. Otherwise it was all chicken. Chicken wings coated in oil, honey and spike.

Eight chicken wings in my fry pan. Ready for roasting. (Nikon D90)

So I put the wings into a fry pan and then put them into a hot oven (200 °C) for 30 minutes.

Nicely cooked chicken wings. (Nikon D90)

I could have just eaten the chicken but my conscious got the better of me so I added some avocado as an after thought. It’s also green :-)

Spiked chicken and avocado. (Nikon D90)

During the game it was great watching my Twitter timeline. It was fantastic seeing Lisa Curry tweeting for Queensland. I recall watching her swim when she was a school girl and I was swimming at school. She is a fantastic Queenslander.

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Shout out and thanks to @phonakins

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A couple of weeks ago I blogged about a big day and this year’s first state of origin game. In that blog I also mentioned I’d won a prize in a competition run but a well known Australian tweep and blogger, viz., @phonakins or Fiona the littlelioness.

Today my prize arrived. Thanks Fiona :-) Thanks Red Rock Deli.

Importantly Fiona has decided to do something crazy for her 30 years on year. She’s giving up caffeine for a month. She’s doing this for charity. Please visit http://www.everydayhero.com.au/phonakins30 to learn more.

Red Rock Deli hamper from above (iPhone)

 

Inside the Red Rock Deli hamper (iPhone)

These are the Red Rock Deli corn chips that were inside (iPhone)

This is a gratuitous photograph of my dinner tonight. Avocado with drumsticks and peas and corn.

I like symmetry when plating up (iPhone) my avocado and drumsticks :-)

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I really work with the best people

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I love the people I work with. For readers who follow me on instagram you’ll know that I often post images of treats given to me by my work mates. I have been blessed with macarons, cakes, biscuits, fruit and vegetables from work mates.

Today I received fresh eggs from free range chooks from a work mate’s parents’ backyard. There is not much better than fresh eggs from chooks that are lovingly cared for and fed stuff from your own kitchen as well as the insects and grubs in the garden.

I already had a piece of Scotch fillet in the refrigerator so I thought steak and eggs.

Steak done rare with fried eggs and avocado

The steak was simply dressed on the board with salt and pepper and then cooked for a couple of minutes on both sides. You can see I like it rare. I cooked the eggs in the butter and fat from the steak fry pan. The eggs tasted divine.

I’m so grateful for the generosity of my work mates as well as their brilliance and doing their job.

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Seeking redemption after last night’s transgression

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Last night I made a dinner which I thought was fit for Man v Food. It was based in tinned meat, potato and cheese. I received mixed reactions today from friends. Mostly negative reactions but at least one positive. The positive reaction was from a friend whose husband loves Man v Food and who is keen on a visit to the USA to do a Man v Food eating tour. Most reactions were dismay that I would eat meat from a tin. What I didn’t say was how much I really like tinned corned beef as much for the fat content as well as connective tissue content like big arteries and veins.

My biggest regret about last night was the amount of garlic I used and the fact that all day I could taste and smell garlic. I thought for dinner tonight I would do something unexpected but in keeping with my style.

Surprise surprise, tonight’s meal contains no meat, not even bacon pieces. I prepared sweet potato fritters and salad for dinner.

Sweet potato fritter

Grate sweet potato and cheddar cheese. Crumb a slice of bread. Bind with an egg. I added seasoning to taste. I made a few fritters and baked in an oven for 45 minutes. I added no oil.

Yes, I know they are uneven :-)

My salad

Tonight I had some avocado, peaches, sweet corn, and cherry tomatoes tossed in a little lime juice and balsamic vinegar.

Plated up. Sweet potato cake and salad.

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My own Man v Food challenge or something I really like from New Zealand

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Monday nights mean Man v Food on 7mate. I’ve only just discovered this show and some of my twitter friends watch and tweet along the way.

Tonight I went into overboard indulgence on ghastly food (well according to those close to me). The dish was centred on a 326 g can of New Zealand corned beef. This is premium quality meat and I am so happy to have found it at CostCo.

One of my favourite things from New Zealand

I used a 200 × 160 mm Pyrex dish and laid out two pieces of bread on the base to absorb all the oily flavour. I sauteed a finely chopped medium onion and three cloves of garlic in a non-stick wok. Once they softened I added a little white wine and the 326 g of corned beef. After the beef softened I added Clive of India curry powder, mixed dried herbs and some Worcestershire sauce. To this I added some coconut cream for flavour.

The topping consisted of two grated potatoes which I ‘dried’ with a salad spinner. I kept the potato water to thicken the beef. To the potato I added 100 g of Parmesan cheese plus a few crushed garlic cloves and an egg to bind it. I laid the beef on the bread and spread it out. I then added the potato and cheese topping. I grated a little more cheese on top and then popped into a moderate oven for 45 minutes.

When it came out it was nicely browned and cooked through.

Corned beef heaven

The bread did the job and soaked up all the oily goodness and a lot of flavour.

Plated up with avocado.

So this is what my plate looked like. What you didn’t see is that I polished off the entire dish in true Man v Food style. It was awesome. I fear every pore will emit garlic tomorrow. I will stay pretty much to myself except for a big meeting in the afternoon. Oops. :-)

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Out of work early and a simple dinner

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I was so happy to leave work at 1730 AEDT tonight. It meant I got to my kitchen a bit after 1800 AEDT. I have so much work e-mail to get through as well as personal e-mail so I thought a bit of skinless chicken thigh and some vegetables.

I had a good day when I think about it. It was busy and there were lots of things to do. On the good side I got to see Bron and I spent time with team mates talking about food and cooking and eating. I also had a very positive meeting with one of my bosses in the morning.

Chicken, sweet potato, avocado, asparagus and broccoli

The sweet potato was tossed in a little flour with the chicken. The chicken and sweet potato was cooked in the oven at 150 °C for 45 minutes. The avocado was just ripe. The broccoli and asparagus were simply zapped in the microwave.

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