The Stinking Bishops, Enmore

Apologies for my lack of action in blogging lately. In the last few weeks, I have been settling back to full time work, getting active at high intensity training, attending bdays and various special events, and watching endless repeats of 'If You Are The One'. Mostly the latter. Got a few good reviews lined up especially for those who love Japanese food. But more on that later. This review is all about the cheese!!!

It may be hard to believe now but I actually despised cheese when I was a kid. In fact I still wasn't too fond of cheese until a few years ago when I visited Hunter Valley for the first time. That's where I tried some of the cheeses that I wouldn't have touched including washed rind and blue cheeses. Going to The Stinking Bishops in Enmore when it opened last year was when I really fell in love with the formaggio. Sounds cheesy (pardon the pun) but it's true. Even though the name of the venue itself may not sound as enticing since it's named after a washed rind cheese renowned for its pungent smell.

By now CC and I have probably visited The Stinking Bishops at least 10 times over the last year. We are both diehard fans of this cheese and wine bar since our first visit. Everything we've tried here has been incredible. The dishes mentioned in this post is just a sample of what we have tried during our many visits. Mainly because most of our visits were at night where the lighting wasn't as awesome. There's not much seating at the venue and it fills up quickly at night so there's often a waiting list for dinner.

Three Cheese Board - Clockwise from Top: Bert 3 Latte, Quickes Oak Smoked Cheddar, Epoisses ($29.00) 

Three Cheese Board - Clockwise from Top: Isle of Mull Cheddar, Cashel Blue, Bruny Island Oen 

The Stinking Bishops has a wide selection of different cheeses to choose from whether it's a hard/semi-hard, washed rind, white mould/surface ripened or a blue mould cheese. Despite the numerous visits, it is still very hard to narrow it down to a four cheese board (let alone three or two) especially with that many options. You can get a two cheese board for $20, three cheeses for $29 or four cheeses for $36. This was served with a basket of sourdough bread and crackers, muscatel grapes (had fresh and dried ones on separate occasions), quince paste and a slice of fig and walnut log. 

While I would suggest to try most of them, my recommendations so far have been the smooth and creamy Bert 3 Latte (with cow's, goat's and sheep's milk); the runny washed-rind Epoisses, the soft Bruny Island Oen wrapped in vine leaves, the hard, crumbled and smoked Quickes Old Smoked Cheddar, the semi-soft, milder Irish Cashel Blue. Others faves not pictured would be the bitey French Comte and the smooth and nutty Holy Goat Brigid's Wall. 

'Mr Crispy' Sandwich - Smoked Wagyu Beef, Le Gruyere, house made pickles and horseradish mayo ($12.00) 

Besides the platters, another fave of mine at The Stinking Bishops has been the 'Mr Crispy' toasties. I actually only started liking toasties recently thanks to this dish. The cheese was slightly stringy (the best part!!!), the beef was tender and smoked while the rest of the contents balanced the fillings to make this one of the best sandwiches I've ever had. Sadly it's only available for lunch but give it a go if you work around the area or pass by for lunch during the weekends.

Mac n' Cheese n' Onion ($21.00)

Personally I thought the cheese taste and smell in the Mac n Cheese was slightly too strong for my liking especially after digging into all the of the other cheeses. It was certainly a carb feast just going through the bowl. It's great dish to have as a comfort meal during the colder winter seasons. 

Pinot Grigio ($12.00/glass)

Pinot Noir ($11.00/glass)

Of course there was a bit of wine action when cheese is involved. Can't think of anything else more suited to each other than this. 

Other dishes I would recommend would  be the cured meat platters. If only I could do a combination of meat and cheese platter. Hopefully one day. The only qualms were that you had to get there early to get a table if you are there for dinner. It can also be quite noisy at times. Plus the prices aren't cheap which was to be expected for a boutique cheese bar.  If you love your cheese, The Stinking Bishops is a must visit. The staff are super friendly and they REALLY know their cheese! If you aren't a huge cheese fan, this may actually convert you. It certainly has for me. Looking forward to making 1000 more visits for 2015 and beyond hehe. 

The Stinking Bishops
Shop 5, 63-71 Enmore Road, Enmore NSW
(02) 9007 7754
http://www.thestinkingbishops.com/

Shenkin Kitchen, Enmore

With the original cafe located in Erskineville and an Espresso bar in the middle of the busy side of King Street, Shenkin has been a notable part of the Inner West cafe scene with Shenkin Kitchen opening in Enmore early last year. It boasts a similar menu to Cafe Shenkin which should be good for those who spend more time in Newtown/Enmore area than in the quieter Erskineville area. Unlike your usual brunch fare like bacon and eggs, pancakes and whatnot, Shenkin Kitchen offers an all day brunch fare mostly consisting of dishes inspired by the Middle Eastern (Israeli) and Meditteranean cuisines. And it's open for dinner from Wednesday to Saturday too!

The cafe has that usual buzzing atmosphere with an industrial looking fitout with wooden brown being the main colour across the venue. Since it was a rainy Sunday afternoon, the venue was quite cramped and it was hard to get a table especially for 4 people. Initially we had to sit outside close to the pouring rain but thankfully a table was available not long after we sat down. 

I had my usual mocha coffee made with Mecca coffee beans. This version had a rich and lovely scented aroma with a bitter taste. Nice to have on a cool day.

Milk Chocolate Mocha ($4.00)

After looking at many photos of the dish on various reviews of this cafe, it was no surprise that I had to go with the shakshuka with added chorizo. The shakshuka It was presented to us in a hot pan (so hot that you cannot touch the pan under any circumstances!) and two loaves of pita bread. Initially I thought the eggs were baked but they were actually poached in a heavy base of rich tomato, capsicum and garlic sauce. This dish had a very intense and zesty flavour filled with various spices like cumin and tumeric. This will bring lots of excitement to the tastebuds - if you can handle it. There was plenty of juicy and firm chorizo sausages to enjoy which is perfect for me. The pita bread was a bit harder and more crusty in terms of texture but still perfect to dip into the egg yolk and the heavy sauce. Very generous serving for one person alone but I managed to finish it. 

Shakshuka with Chorizo ($19.00)

CC and S both decided on the shakshuka with eggplant and haloumi mainly because of their love for haloumi and eggplant. They both thought that the flavours were way too strong to handle so they both struggled with finishing up their plates. While there was a bit of eggplant, there was barely any haloumi which was disappointing for them. I guess in terms of the flavours for this dish, it is something that you will get used to depending on what your taste buds can handle.

Shakshuka with Grilled Eggplant and Haloumi ($19.00)

MT decided to be different and went with the Portuguese omelette filled with chorizo, Spanish onion, tomato and herbs. While I didn't have a bite, he said that he was very satisfied with this rustic dish and wouldn't mind ordering it again next time. 

Portuguese Omelette ($17.00)

Personally I really enjoyed my food and coffee experience but if strong, robust flavours aren't your thing then there are many other dishes to enjoy on the menu beside the shakshuka. While we were eating our meals, CC was constantly staring at the grilled chicken wrap nearby so we will most likely be returning to try that out. Since the weather is getting cooler, it looks like I will be making more visits to Shenkin Kitchen or even the sister branches nearby for their warm comfort food in the upcoming months.

Shenkin Kitchen
129 Enmore Road, Enmore NSW 2042
(02) 9550 5511
http://cafeshenkin.com.au/
Sun-Tue: 7:00am - 5:00pm
Wed-Sat: 7:00am - 10:00pm