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Lonsdale Street Roasters

At this time of year a lot of restaurants in Canberra close for the Christmas New Year (CNY) break. Bron and I thought we’d go to The Cupping Room for breakfast but at 8 am the doors were closed and the chairs stacked on the tables. We went around to Lonsdale Street to look around. Eighty-six and Elk and Pea were closed (we’ll go back later in the year). Lonsdale Street Roasters were open so we walked in. LSR has space in front on the street, inside and out the back. We chose out the back because it was shaded  and because the roasting shed was close by. It looks like the shed had its own lot next to LSR itself. Bron reckons the smell was fantastic. I couldn’t smell it myself. The shaded back was also good because the cool shade provided some relief as the day approached it forecast 34 °C (93.2 °F). 

We ordered food, took a number and found a table. I asked for the muesli and Bron asked for quinoa with avocado and tomato. After we sat down I was told there was no muesli so I asked for smoked salmon, cream cheese and bagel. 

The coffee is good at LSR and the food is too.

Lonsdale Street Roasters on Urbanspoon

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Photograph courtesy of Bron
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Photograph courtesy of Bron

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Bron said her meal was very good. I’d not tried quinoa before and had a couple of mouthfuls. It was an interesting taste.

The bagels are made in house at LSR and was very good. The salmon was flaky and light. I’d happily eat it again. 

We’ll be back to Lonsdale Street Roasters. I’d recommend it to anyone in need of good coffee and a good meal.

 

Bicicletta Restaurant Review

It’s Friday night in the first week of 2015 and Bron and I had plans to dine at Bicicletta Restaurant in New Acton.

Bicicletta Restaurant is in the new Peppers Gallery Hotel where the old Diamante Hotel used to be. When we arrived we notice there was a lot of outdoor seating and when we went inside we also noticed how still and warm the air was. Like most everyone else we elected to dine outside and enjoy the warmth and vegetation. It was quite good for people watching outside and we were surrounded by a mix of locals and tourists who may have been in town for Summernats

The menu was a good combination of Italian fare including pasta and pizza. We decided to share the fritto di calamari (fried baby squid with zucchini strips and spicy basil mayonnaise) for a starter and Bron chose the pappardelle al braciato di agnello (house made pasta with braised lamb in balsamic, truffle oil, thyme and grated pecorino cheese) for her main. I went for the guanaciale di maiale (pork belly braised in balsamic and herbs, apple and rhubarb mousse, sweet balsamic reduction gluten free) and we agreed to share the insalata di stagione (crispy pancetta, tomatoes and butter lettuce, poached egg and black olives, parmesan scales and Italian dressing gluten free) as a side. 


Bicicletta on Urbanspoon
 

The calamari was tender and had a lovely spicy kick to it. I’d happily eat more of this. 

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Bron’s lamb was tender and full of flavour. The pasta was soft and absorbed the flavours. 2015-01-02_19.30.51_009_GARY_LUM

Image courtesy of Bron

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Image courtesy of Bron


 

The salad had a lovely mix of pancetta, olives, tomatoes, lettuce and a poached egg.

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My pork belly was good. Not the greatest pork belly but it was certainly tender and the crackling for the most part was crunchy with a few chewing bits around the edge. The night before Bron had cooked pork belly and it was much better. The crackling was perfect and the meat full of flavour. 

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Bron captured me preparing my plate and enjoying the moment. 

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Image courtesy of Bron2015-01-02_19.06.58_004_GARY_LUM

Image courtesy of Bron


For dessert Bron asked for a scoop of hazelnut gelato and I asked for an affogato.

 

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We both enjoyed our meals at Bicicletta. The atmosphere was good and the service mostly good. It was certainly friendly but the time between the starter and main was a little long and when Bron asked for the wine list before we had our main meals delivered it never arrived. To be fair, it was busy and English wasn’t the first language for many of the wait staff.


 

On the way out Bron captured me posing in front of some public art, “The Modern Man”.

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Image courtesy of Bron. I need to grow my belly for a true likeness  I need to eat more belly pork to be a Modern Man.

Have you been to Bicicletta Restaurant? What did you think? 

 

 

  

Words from the Bicicletta website

Bicicletta serves authentic Italian dinner, seven days a week. Drop in any time to taste the award-winning menu, which boasts a variety of classic and modern dishes made using locally sourced, seasonal products and ingredients.

Home-made pizzas, pastas, gelati and great coffee, is what Bicicletta is best known for, but keep an eye out for daily specials made using the best ingredient sourced from the local markets. Bicicletta also boasts a carefully curated wine list that features both Australian and Italian drops.

All this food is served in a stylish but casual setting, which includes a beautiful outdoor courtyard (with blankets in winter) by the friendly and professional Bicicletta team.

Bicicletta is located inside the Peppers Gallery Hotel within the New Acton Precinct, with the brand new opened Nishi complex. For guests staying at the Peppers Gallery Hotel, a 24 hours room service is available as well as catering for events.

Yummy Lummy’s 2014 stats from JetPack

The good people behind JetPack have provided me with the 2014 stats summary for Yummy Lummy. 

If you want to see some stats like my most viewed page please click here.

The big surprises are the popularity of a home cooked meal and a place I wasn’t that positive about.  I’m also surprised that boobs and my love of boobs didn’t rate a mention at all. 

I’d particularly like to thank LorraineBarb and John for being the most prolific commenters on Yummy Lummy in 2014. I love that you take the time to leave me comments and connect with me 

I’d also like to thank Bron for being a major part of Yummy Lummy. We’ve visited a lot of restaurants and if you keep your eyes peeled I will soon have on Yummy Lummy my top 10 Canberra restaurants 

Please feel free to check out the 2014 stats and let me know what you think about the information there.

Can you believe my most viewed page? It continues to surprise me!

Do you have any resolutions for 2015? I do and I’ll share them soon. I hope you have a happy, peaceful and successful 2015. If you’re a blogger I hope you achieve everything you set out to achieve. If you’re a bloke wanting to find simple easy things to fill your belly, I hope I can help you. If you’re a Canberra resident wanting an idea on where and what to eat in Canberra I hope I can help you with some ideas and thoughts. 

One question I have for readers is should I accept product reviews or freebies for writing a post on a restaurant or product in 2015? Would you like to see product reviews?

The last salmon Monday for 2014

This year I’ve had salmon Monday every week. Mostly it’s been for dinner but sometimes for breakfast too. 

I’m not sure what I’ll do on Mondays in 2015. Meatless Monday has been suggested. I know that meatless Monday is a thing, especially amongst the healthy hipsters but that’s not me. Not that I don’t want an healthful life, but meatless Monday isn’t me. I’m tending to think it may be monster meat Monday or mammoth meat Monday or just meaty Monday.

I’m happy to take suggestions. What do you reckon my Monday meal meme should be?

To celebrate the last salmon Monday for 2014 I’ve shot a few photographs 

Salmon SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/5.6, 1/60sec, ISO 1250
Salmon SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/5.6, 1/60sec, ISO 1250
Salmon SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/5.6, 1/60sec, ISO 640
Salmon SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/5.6, 1/60sec, ISO 640
Salmon SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/5.6, 1/60sec, ISO 800
Salmon SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/5.6, 1/60sec, ISO 800
Coles Kale Coleslaw SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/5.6, 1/60sec, ISO 800
Coles Kale Coleslaw SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/5.6, 1/60sec, ISO 800
Coles Kale Coleslaw SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/5.6, 1/60sec, ISO 1250
Coles Kale Coleslaw SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/5.6, 1/60sec, ISO 1250
Salmon SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/5.6, 1/60sec, ISO 2500
Salmon SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/5.6, 1/60sec, ISO 2500
Smashed potatoes and Kale Coleslaw SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/5.6, 1/60sec, ISO 1250
Smashed potatoes and Kale Coleslaw SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/5.6, 1/60sec, ISO 1250
Salmon, smashed potatoes and Kale Coleslaw NIKON D7100 with 40.0 mm f/2.8 at 40mm and f/8, 1/160sec, ISO 400
Salmon, smashed potatoes and Kale Coleslaw NIKON D7100 with 40.0 mm f/2.8 at 40mm and f/8, 1/160sec, ISO 400

It was delicious and a fitting end to 2014’s Mondays.

So what should I eat on Mondays in 2015?

Olivekitchen Cafe

I really enjoyed my Sunday breakfast at Olivekitchen Cafe on Market Street at Breakfast Point in Sydney.

The current menu is pretty good. It’s the usual fare but with some lovely looking extras like baked eggs. I was feeling inclined to a mix and match type breakfast so I asked for a couple of poached eggs with sourdough bread, butter and a side of avocado. I also asked for a side of deep fried potato gems with aioli. I knew in my head that I shouldn’t eat the gems but I couldn’t stop myself. I wasn’t sorry when they came out. Gee they looked good. 

The service was pretty good and it was friendly. We didn’t have to really wait long for coffee or food. The wait staff were smiling and cheerful and helpful. The other good thing about Olivekitchen Cafe is the proximity to clean toilets. A must have if you have irritable bowel syndrome and like to enjoy a coffee or two.


 

This is how the poached eggs and sourdough are served. The eggs had a drizzle of oil and some chives which is a nice touch. 

Poached eggs with sourdough bread, butter and avocado Apple iPhone 6 Plus with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/340sec, ISO 32
Poached eggs with sourdough bread, butter and avocado Apple iPhone 6 Plus with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/340sec, ISO 32

 

I spread the butter and avocado and then laid on the eggs. This was delicious. 

Poached eggs with sourdough bread, butter and avocado Apple iPhone 6 Plus with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/140sec, ISO 32
Poached eggs with sourdough bread, butter and avocado Apple iPhone 6 Plus with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/140sec, ISO 32

 

What more could you want for breakfast? A lovely basket of deep fried potato gems with aioli 

Potato gems and aioli Apple iPhone 6 Plus with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/120sec, ISO 50
Potato gems and aioli Apple iPhone 6 Plus with iPhone 6 Plus back camera 4.15mm f/2.2 at 4mm and f/2.2, 1/120sec, ISO 50
Olivekitchen cafe
Olivekitchen cafe

I’d highly recommend Olivekitchen cafe. A great place for breakfast or lunch.  My only complaint was there was no pepper on the table. The pepper shaker had salt in it.