Salted caramel

Elk and Pea and Mr Frugii ice cream laboratory

It’s a Friday night and Bron and I are on Lonsdale Street in Braddon. Lonsdale Street is Canberra’s hot strip of modern and hip restaurants and eateries. If you’re looking for a good dining experience and you know nothing else about Canberra, Lonsdale Street is the place to go.

It’s a busy week in Canberra with parliament sitting and the universities conducting orientation activities. We had a booking at the Elk and Pea at 6.30 pm. On our arrival the outside tables are all occupied while there is plenty of space inside. Mind you 6.30 is a bit early for most people. Inside is a bit warm and stuffy but the best part about being inside is the art that is screwed to the ceiling beams. 

The Elk & Pea on Urbanspoon

Bron and I have been to the Elk and Pea before for breakfast but as far as we can remember not for dinner. 

The menu is about sharing with some elements being a single serving. Bron suggests that I choose so I ask for quinoa fritters and pork ribs. Both are for sharing between two people.

The quinoa fritters are delicious. The outside of each fritter is crispy and the sauce had a lovely tang.

Quinoa fritters. Crispy corn, quinoa, zucchini, and sun dried tomatoes with mint mojo
Quinoa fritters. Crispy corn, quinoa, zucchini, and sun dried tomatoes with mint mojo

The fritters came out pretty quickly and we were told it would take about 30 minutes for the ribs to be ready.


When the ribs arrived we were ready for them. We had a nice little mountain of ribs to share.

Costillas adobadas. Pork baby back ribs, with cauliflower puree, charred corn, tortillas and braised greens
Costillas adobadas. Pork baby back ribs, with cauliflower puree, charred corn, tortillas and braised greens

The ribs came with a board of charred corn and tortillas.

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It took a while to get through all the ribs and even though large red chilies are not super hot these ones still had enough of a kick to them.

Pork baby back rib bones
Pork baby back rib bones
Like me Bron enjoyed the ribs
Like me Bron enjoyed the ribs | Photograph courtesy of Bron.

The meat was succulent and just came away from the bones. Bron and I both enjoyed them and we’d recommend them to anyone who likes slowly cooked tasty meat. 


So after Elk and Pea we ventured up the road to Mr Frugii’s ice cream laboratory. 

This place has only recently opened and it’s been all over social media in Canberra, some of my favourite Canberra food bloggers seem to go there repeatedly.

 

Frugii Dessert Laboratory on Urbanspoon

On entry there are two main areas, the cakes and the ice cream. On Friday night they had three choux pastry cakes. Bron chose a rose water pastry with a red love heart on it and I chose a chocolate custard pastry with injectable raspberry sauce.

Rose water choux pastry with a red love heart
Rose water choux pastry with a red love heart | Photograph courtesy of Bron.
Chocolate custard and raspberry sauce in choux pastry
Chocolate custard and raspberry sauce in choux pastry
Chocolate custard and raspberry sauce in choux pastry
Chocolate custard and raspberry sauce in choux pastry and salted caramel ice cream

The choux pastry was delicious. The pastry itself was perfect in its consistency and the custard was buttery smooth. The raspberry sauce really complemented the chocolate nicely. The salted caramel ice cream was OMG good. Bron and I both had it and we both enjoyed how strong the caramel flavour was. That said I reckon Bron’s salted caramel is the best I’ve ever tasted.

The set up in Mr Frugii’s makes for rapid turnover of customers. It seems to be an efficient process with customers coming to ask about the cakes and ice cream every few minutes. I hope the staff behind the counters get some free cake and ice cream at the end of their shifts.

 

We’d both highly recommend Elk and Pea for dinner and then Mr Frugii for dessert. If you live here in Canberra or if you’re just visiting both places are must do.

If you’ve been to Elk and Pea and/or Mr Frugii let me know what you think in the comments below.  

Wagyu cheeseburger at Ricardo’s Cafe

Today we tried the Wagyu cheeseburger at Ricardo’s Cafe in Macquarie. 

 

Wagyu cheese burger at Ricardo's Cafe SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/8, 1/40sec, ISO 1250
Wagyu cheese burger at Ricardo’s Cafe SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/8, 1/40sec, ISO 1250

Ricardo’s Cafe is a favourite of ours and a search of Yummy Lummy and the Old Yummy Lummy will find numerous excursions there. 

Today Bron and I tried something new and a couple of favourites. 

Caramel thick shake SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/8, 1/40sec, ISO 320
Caramel thick shake SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/8, 1/40sec, ISO 320
Pulled pork burger at Ricardo's Cafe SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/8, 1/40sec, ISO 2000
Pulled pork burger at Ricardo’s Cafe SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/8, 1/40sec, ISO 2000
Salted caramel mousse at Ricardo's Cafe SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/8, 1/40sec, ISO 2000
Salted caramel mousse at Ricardo’s Cafe SONY ILCE-7S with E 35mm F1.8 OSS at 35mm and f/8, 1/40sec, ISO 2000

The Wagyu cheeseburger was really very good. The bun is quite light with a sweetness to it. That said, as much as the Wagyu cheeseburger is a winner, the pulled pork burger is a bigger winner. That thing is awesome. After the burgers we had dessert. I chose a salted caramel mousse which is really rich but really good 🙂 


 

Of course to enjoy this number of calories we needed to do some exercise. We did a walk around the top of Mount Black just below Telstra Tower. 

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After the walk we went to the viewing platform on Telstra Tower and had a look around Canberra. Here is a collection of photographs from the tower.

Me outside Telstra Tower | Courtesy Bron
Me outside Telstra Tower | Courtesy Bron
Me inside Telstra Tower | Courtesy Bron
Me inside Telstra Tower | Courtesy Bron
Telstra Tower on Black Mountain Apple iPhone 5 with iPhone 5 back camera 4.12mm f/2.4 at 4mm and f/2.4, 1/3012sec, ISO 50
Telstra Tower on Black Mountain Apple iPhone 5 with iPhone 5 back camera 4.12mm f/2.4 at 4mm and f/2.4, 1/3012sec, ISO 50

 

 

 
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Ricardo's Cafe on Urbanspoon
 

 

Ricardo’s Cafe for lunch

We went to Ricardo’s Cafe for lunch hoping for a Reuben sandwich

Bron, Max and I recently went to Ricardo’s cafe for lunch and noticed they had a Reuben sandwich on their specials menu. We went back today hoping for two things, viz., a Reuben and a pulled pork sandwich. Unfortunately the Reuben was off today’s specials menu. We ordered croque madame and the pulled pork burger and Max ate the hot potato chips that came with the burger. 

Caramel thick shake in a mason jar at Ricardo's Cafe for Saturday lunch.
Caramel thick shake in a mason jar at Ricardo’s Cafe for Saturday lunch.

I am happy to say Ricardo’s cafe makes the best caramel thick shakes anywhere.


 

Pulled pork sandwich and potato chips for Saturday lunch at Ricardo's cafe.
Pulled pork sandwich and potato chips for Saturday lunch at Ricardo’s cafe.

Pulled pork sandwich and potato chips Pulled pork sandwich and potato chips

The pulled pork had a Vietnamese sauce/dressing which had a really nice spicy kick to it. We’d happily eat this again (and possibly again and again).


Croque Madame for Saturday lunch at Ricardo's Cafe.
Croque Madame for Saturday lunch at Ricardo’s Cafe.

The melted Gruyére cheese, smoked ham, dijon mustard sour cream just added amazing flavours to this late breakfast dish. The salad was also very yummy. 


Apple cheesecake for Saturday lunch at Ricardo's Cafe.
Apple cheesecake for Saturday lunch at Ricardo’s Cafe.
Inside you can see the apple caviar :-)
Inside you can see the apple caviar 🙂

I couldn’t finish this. I shared some with Max. So rich and so good.


Golden gaytime for Saturday lunch at Ricardo's Cafe.
Golden gaytime for Saturday lunch at Ricardo’s Cafe.

Bron enjoyed the golden gaytime cake.


Salted caramel mousse

Max loved his salted caramel mousse.


 

Bron and I marvel at how good Ricardo’s Cafe is as a local casual dining establishment. Hidden away in a suburban shopping centre. It’s popularity is growing but I hope it doesn’t change.

If you want to know where it is, just search for Jamison Plaza in Macquarie. If you’re afraid to leave the south side (you know who you are) that’s fine, more for us north siders 🙂 


 

After lunch I walked home. Correction, I waddled home. There was nothing low carbohydrate or low calorie about our lunch. As I walked I noticed along the lane between Belconnen Way and Catchpole Street about seven shopping trolleys from Woolworths, Coles and I assume Aldi. It made me think of Tara and her quest to control abandoned shopping trolleys in Belconnen


No walk would be complete without saying hello to Mr Owl and his alter ego, viz., #pubicart


Rather than not share some images I thought I’d also mention that last night we had dinner at the Canberra Southern Cross Club Jamison

Canberra Southern Cross Club Jamison

TGIF dinner at the Canberra Southern Cross Club Jamison. Smoked sirloin steak and chips.
TGIF dinner at the Canberra Southern Cross Club Jamison. Smoked sirloin steak and chips.

I had the smoky sirloin steak

TGIF dinner at the Canberra Southern Cross Club Jamison. Crumbed calamari.
TGIF dinner at the Canberra Southern Cross Club Jamison. Crumbed calamari.

Max had the crumbed calamari

Saturday breakfast. A tower of bacon and egg on spam.
Saturday breakfast. A tower of bacon and egg on spam.

 
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Nutella Sandwich at Ricardo’s Cafe Jamison Plaza

This Nutella Sandwich was awesome

I met Bron and Max at Ricardo’s Cafe today for some morning tea. I incorporated a walk around Belconnen at the same time.

Nutella sandwich from Ricardo's Cafe
Nutella sandwich from Ricardo’s Cafe

The Nutella sandwich has salted caramel ganache in between to macaron shells. In the middle is a Nutella mousse. It was delicious. I also had a flat white which was a really nice coffee today. 


 

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I captured some images while walking.

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Restaurant Review Temporada in Canberra

It’s a Thursday night in Canberra; Bron and I have a reservation at Temporada on Moore Street in Civic. Earlier in the week, Bron suggested we go there for dinner. Over the last few months I’d read some reviews from fellow Canberra bloggers who mostly seemed to enjoy their dining experience (I’ve provided a list of reviews at the bottom of this post). I made an on-line booking through dimmi which was quick and easy. A day or so later I received an e-mail requesting confirmation of our reservation. When we arrived, the reservation was in the system and we were shown to a table. Now if only I can get dimmi to accept a voice print so people know how to pronounce my last name. It’s Lum as in Yum (and not Lum as in loom, although I have been told when pronounced loom it’s like a Scottish word for chimney).

As we enter we notice a couple of people with Canon DSLR cameras and manfrotto tripods undertaking a photo shoot. My attention immediately goes to their equipment and what they’re doing. Bron suggests I go and invite them to join us which I know means stop looking around and focus attention where it should be.

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The menu we’re shown is slightly different to the on-line menu, I immediately notice there is pork belly available, and not only is pork belly available but it is accompanied with Brussels sprouts and bacon. I love Brussels sprouts and bacon!

 

2014-06-16 Temporada Menu

The starters consist of several varieties of oysters plus some really nice sounding entrée dishes. I go for the soft shelled crab roll and Bron selects the venison scotch egg.

The main course dishes have a good selection of seafood including sea perch and crab, flounder and a seafood plate for two. I choose the pork belly (of course) and Bron selects the roasted flounder.

After our meal order is taken I look around and notice the central bar with surrounding tables. The ceiling is split level with a fairly high portion. The lighting is mainly tungsten and while reasonably lit everything had a yellow hue. Bron was impressed with the decorations. The floors are fairly hard and just after 7 pm you can tell noise will be a factor as the place fills up. Closer to 8 pm the restaurant is nearly full and we can hear the conversations of diners on tables closeby and also those who are raising their voices on larger tables hoping to be heard above the din. The tables are also very close together and as Bron says, “It’s too close if you have to turn sideways to get past the table next to yours.”

That said because I’m partially deaf I just accept I won’t understand a lot of what is spoken and the noise drives my tinnitus to moderate levels of discomfort. This is true of course for any venue where there is low level noise.

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When our entrées arrive I’m surprised by the look of soft shelled crab slider, it looks slightly rude with legs spread apart and the chilli dressing appropriately flowing.

Soft shelled crab roll, sprout salad and chilli dressing
Soft shelled crab roll, sprout salad and chilli dressing

Bron’s venison scotch egg looks very nice. She said it was cooked perfectly with a soft yolk and the right size for an entrée. I’ve never eaten a scotch egg. I must do it next time.

 

Venison scotch egg, sauce gribiche
Venison scotch egg, sauce gribiche

After the entrée course we’re treated to locally baked sourdough bread and butter flavoured with charcoal salt. It’s quite delicious.

The one complaint I’d have about our service on the evening is the delivery of our main course dishes. Mine came out first with a fennel, hazelnut and orange salad and then we waited about seven minutes for Bron’s flounder to arrive at the table. The aroma of the pork belly and bacon was too much for me and I started eating before Bron’s dish arrived.

The pork belly was delicious and after an excessively salty experience at Onred recently I bit into the pork crackling hoping for a pleasant experience. I wasn’t disappointed. The crackling was really good. Possibly up there with my Mum’s. The Brussels sprouts and bacon were fantastic as was the fennel salad which went really nicely with the pork.

 

Bangalow pork belly, Brussels sprouts and bacon
Bangalow pork belly, Brussels sprouts and bacon

Bron’s main was the roasted flounder which it was huge and big enough for both of us. It would have been nice if the waiter had explained to us that the main meals were for sharing (Bron heard him say this to our near neighbours). While not normally liking capers, Bron said when combined with the burnt butter it was a perfect accompaniment with a perfectly balanced dish.

Bron was kind enough to share with me some of her flounder. It was really nicely cooked and the burnt butter just gave it a beautiful taste. I’d happily eat that if we return, although picking bones, which is inevitable with flounder isn’t fun at a nice restaurant. I always feel a little self conscious.

 

Roasted flounder, broccolini, almonds, capers, beurre noisette
Roasted flounder, broccolini, almonds, capers, beurre noisette

After our main meals were taken away we were asked about dessert. Hell yeah, we wanted dessert. Who wouldn’t when you read salted caramel parfait!!!

So I chose the salted caramel parfait and Bron chose the baked apple and sweet potato terrine.

The parfait came with chocolate ganache plus orange and peanut. It was all nice, but really, I could have inhaled a lot more of the caramel parfait.

 

Salted caramel parfait. peanuts, chocolate ganache, orange
Salted caramel parfait. peanuts, chocolate ganache, orange

Bron loved her dessert and was intrigued with the structure of her deconstructed dish. The tube held the sweet potato while the rectangular prism of orange that you’d assume was the sweet potato was the baked apple in thin slivers.

 

Baked apple and sweet potato terrine, rum and raisin ice cream, almond crumb
Baked apple and sweet potato terrine, rum and raisin ice cream, almond crumb

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Final words from Bron. The wine selection was interesting, and very international although a  little disappointing that there weren’t more local wines. It was a brilliant dining experience. Great ambiance, fantastic decor. Great food. Expert service.

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For me, all in all it was a great meal and a great evening. I rate it highly and would definitely recommend Canberra residents and visitors try out Temporada in Civic.

 

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I’m now going to try something new. I’ve noticed a few other local bloggers use a rating system for their dining experiences. For example, the CBRfoodie, aka Elias uses Canberra Raiders beanies. Being a pathologist I’m going to start rating my dining experiences with colonies of my favourite bacterium, viz., Chromobacterium violaceum, it has the prettiest colours of any bacterium on agar.

Here’s a joke. Q. What is the collective noun for a group of microbiologists? A. A colony!

 

I give Temporada four out of five colonies.

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Reviews from other Canberra bloggers

FoodPornJournal http://foodpornjournal.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/opening-night-temporada.html

Le bon vivant http://le-bonvivant.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/temporada-canberra.html

Tales of a Confectionist http://talesofaconfectionist.wordpress.com/2014/03/12/temporada/

HerCanberra http://www.hercanberra.com.au/index.php/2014/02/22/temporada-first-taste/

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Temporada on Urbanspoon

 
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