Cornersmith, Marrickville

How good do those eggs look? Can you believe that you will get amazingly poached eggs in places like Marrickville? If it was 5 years ago I would be very surprised actually. Back then, Marrickville was renowned for their cheap Vietnamese feed for anyone who did not want to travel all the way to Cabramatta, Canley Heights or Bankstown. These days, there are plenty of cafes serving perfectly poached eggs like these bad boys. With all the cafes and casual dining joints sprouting up around this suburb, you might think that it's becoming as hipster as Surry Hills. Almost.

One of the cafes that has been putting Marrickville into the Sydney cafe scene was Cornersmith. When I first heard about it, I thought it was another hipster cafe joint serving yummy brunch food. What stood out was its focus on sustainable and ethical produced ingredients, including their house-made pickles. When you are waiting to be seated, just write your name and the number of people on the chalkboard then wait for your name to be called out when the table is ready. Most days I've been there were quite busy, however it's quiet on weekdays if you end up having a day off.

Mocha (S - $4.00, L - $4.50) 

Very pleased with the coffee here. Got the right balance in terms of sweetness from the cocoa and bitterness from the coffee beans. Plus it delivered a smooth texture and it has certainly got me energised for the day since I was very tired that morning. And the coffee art is very pleasing to the eye to the point that I did not want to ruin it. If you are a fan of Mecca coffee then you will be very happy to hear that Cornersmith sources their coffee beans from them.

Chai Tea ($4.50)

Did not try the chai but it had a fragrant aroma when I was able to smell it from across the table. CC was quite pleased with this version.

Soft Poached Free Range Eggs with Sourdough Toast and Green Tomato Relish ($9.00) plus Kale and Apple Salad, and Pasture fed Ham ($5.00 per side)

So glad with my dish choice this time. I was seriously amazed at how these eggs were poached perfectly especially with the egg white casing itself around the soft-cooked egg yolk. Just makes you feel reluctant to cut into it but then you gotta have the runny egg porn goodness, which was thankfully worth it. I was pleased with the sides as well. The kale apple salad and the green tomato relish delivered a combination of sweet and sour touches to the whole plate. Plus the pasture-fed ham tasted so good with the egg and toast. Wouldn't mind coming back for a second serving. My only minor issue with this dish was that the sourdough toast was too hard for us to cut so we eventually ended up picking it up by the hand. Apart from that, I was happy with this dish and would certainly order this again at a later visit. 

Runny egg porn

Ploughman's Plate (Single - $18.00, Shared - $30.00)

The Ploughman's plate was an organic feast consisting of pasture fed ham, Maffern cheddar cheese, pickled beetroot, Pepe Saya butter, pickles, radishes, grapes and toast. During my last few visits here, the ingredients in this platter has changed depending on what's available in stock on the day. I tried a bit of the cheese which had an aged vintage taste as well as the pickles, beetroot and the grapes. Both CC and I thought that each element on the platter was a tasty, refreshing, healthier and surprisingly not too heavy feed. It's a good way to explore the various homegrown food produce available at this cafe.

This is a great place to go when you want a healthier meal with freshly made ingredients that is ethically sourced from local food producers. There are also plenty of vegetarian dishes and salads, which is great for your non-meat eating friend. The serving sizes were reasonably substantial though not overwhelming and the prices were actually quite cheap for most of the menu items. You can even buy one of their pickles, honey jars or other food produce in store to take home. The menu at Cornersmith changes regularly depending on what produce is available in stock at the time. This ensures that everything served here is freshly sourced. Because of the constant menu changes, it will certainly keep me coming back to see which fresh produce is available in store next time.

EDIT: At the time of this post, it has just been announced that Cornersmith was awarded Best Cafe at the SMH Good Food Cafe Guide Awards 2014. Congratulations to the Cornersmith team for this achievement! :D

Cornersmith

314 Illawara Road, Marrickville NSW 2204

(02) 8065 0844

https://www.facebook.com/Cornersmith

Mon-Fri: 6:30am - 3:30pm

Sat-Sun: 7:30am - 3:30pm

Casa Ristorante Italiano, King Street Wharf

When you contemplate on dining at King Street Wharf, the first thing that comes into mind is overpriced and average food that is better suited to tourists than locals. Usually I hang around King Street Wharf whenever one of my friends is having a birthday at places like Cargo Bar or Bungalow 8 but rarely for lunch or dinner. At times when I have tried food in the King Street Wharf or Cockle Bay Wharf areas, it did not stand out to me as much compared to many other restaurants elsewhere. Recently I received an invite to check out the reopened Casa Ristorante Italiano (previously known as Casa di Nico) and its revamped menu.

Casa Ristorante Italiano was owned by The Platinum Restaurant Group who oversees numerous other waterfront restaurants including Cockle Bay Wharf's The Black Bird Cafe and Manly's Whitewater Grill to name a few. The renovations for this restaurant was designed by the team at DS17 (who also looked after the fit outs for Alpha and China Republic), which now includes a woodfired pizza oven and a grocery display near the kitchen.

Affettati Misti ($23.90)

Olive e Capperi - young olives and capers marinated with chilli, garlic and sage ($6.00)

As always, it's lovely catching up and meeting fellow food bloggers as we dig into the anti-pasto platter of cured meats, pickled vegetables, cheese and olives. Was so good that I nearly got greedy especially with the cured meats and the olives - but resisted temptation knowing the feast coming up.

Before we were seated at the private dining room to begin the Italian feast, we were treated to a pizza spinning demonstration by Sicilian-born pizza chef, Salvatore D'Avola. And by pizza spinning demonstration, I also meant juggling, acrobats and even breakdancing. With pizza! OMG. Salvatore himself said that he had been spinning pizzas for more than 20 years and self-taught himself to perform all those acrobatic moves.

Spicy Lychee Martini 

Strawberry Daiquiri

Even though it was only around 1:00pm, I could not help but order a couple of sneaky cocktails to start off my day. The massive chilli for the spicy lychee martini definitely packs a punch although it was surprisingly sweet at the same time. Also grabbed a strawberry daiquiri, an old fave of mine from my younger drinking days. Definitely one of the better versions I've tried thanks to the sweet flavour that will be perfect on a warmer day - and it looks so pretty too!

Arancini ($16.90)

We started off with fried arancini balls with pumpkin and smoked mozzarella which was incredibly tasty and addictive. While it had a nice crumbled coating, the texture of rice was creamy but not too hard nor was it too soft. It also had a sweet and lightly spicy finish when dipped with the chilli mayo on the side. 

Capesante Scottate ($19.90)

Personally, I really enjoyed the seared scallops with parsnip puree and garlic which was topped with caper berries and homemade crumbed potato chips. Seriously, I had no idea that the crunchy topping was potato chips (thought it was breadcrumbs or pangrattato) but it worked perfectly with the juicy scallops.  

Fiori di Zucca ($16.90) 

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the zucchini stuffed with goat's milk fetta black olives, semi-dried tomatoes and chilli jam. It was more saucy and less cheesy than I expected thanks to the tomatoes and olives.

Calamari Fritti ($19.90)

I enjoy eating calamari wherever I go whether it's at an Asian restaurant or a European one. The calamari served with chilli, basil, parsley and aioli at Casa's was very popular at the table that it was nearly gone by the time I got my hands on it. It was full of flavour especially with the seasoning and the crispy batter was so good that it just makes you want to try more and more.

Aragosta and Granchio Ravioli - Lobster and Crab Ravioli ($29.90)

After the shared plates of entree dishes, we all picked a main dish of our own choice from the menu. So much to choose from though my main dish choice was surprisingly good. Regular readers or those who know me personally will most likely know two things. First, I do not like creamy dishes including pastas. Second, I LOVE crabs and lobster. So when I encountered a dish that has crab and lobster but is also cream-based, I gave in . While the shellfish butter sauce was thick and rich than what I'm used to, the pasta was well cooked and bitey. Plus the crab and lobster filling was packed into the pasta in generous amounts which puts a smile on my face. 

Romagnola Pizza - aged parma prosciutto, semi-dried tomatoes, fior di latte mozzarella, napolitana sauce, pear, parmesan and fresh rocket ($27.90)

The only other main dish that I tried was a couple of slices from the Romagnola pizza that Irene from Irene's Getting Fat ordered. After seeing the pizza demonstration, we were curious to see how it tasted after that workout. While it was too big for us to finish (especially since everyone else was getting full), the pizza was satisfying for me with the thin crust and the generous but fresh toppings. Wouldn't mind eating more of this if I wasn't having a food coma by this point. 

Maialina Pizza - aged parma proscuitto, fresh tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, basil, napolitana sauce, mascarpone ($25.90)

Spaghetti Marinara - fresh mixed seafood in squid ink sauce, shaved baby fennel and parsley ($30.90)

Tenderloin Medallion - slow-roasted at 65 degrees and served at medium rare with truffle mash, caramelised onions, pancetta and jus gras ($39.90)

Crispy Pork Belly with truffle mash, seared scallops and cabbage finished with apple mousse and cider reduction ($32.90) - this dish got everyone staring and drooling!

Classic Tiramisu ($12.00)

I was unsure if I could handle dessert but I was glad when I saw what was offered. There were three dessert dishes which all looked indulgent no matter which one ends up on my side of the table. I ended up with the tiramisu which was creamy, rich and not too bitter. I especially loved scooping up the chocolate soil decorated with edible flowers. One of the better tiramisu dishes that I've tried so far. 

Warm Chocolate Tart with strawberries, pistachio and salted caramel ice cream ($12.00)

This dish also looked very appealing to try since I love my chocolate. This was well complemented with the salted caramel ice cream and the strawberries to balance out the rich, sweet and bitter flavours from the chocolate.  

Sticky Date Pudding with vanilla bean ice cream, nougat and caramel sauce ($12.00) 

The dish that got the most attention from everyone was definitely the sticky date pudding. The texture was so soft and fluffy that it crumbles as you sample the dish. What made it even better was seeing the caramel sauce pouring on top of the pudding like a waterfall. Regardless of which dessert we got, they were all amazingly delicious finishes to the entire dining experience. 

Overall, I found that Casa Ristorante Italiano has been one of the better waterfront dining joints that I've tried especially with the quality, presentation and taste of the dishes. Even though I probably would not be back as often since the prices are still at the more expensive end (though standard for tourist, waterfront restaurants), I would love to return back again to try more of the dishes from the menu especially the desserts, pizzas and that pork belly. Would recommend this for special occasions such as birthdays, farewells, date nights or even just a taking your friend or family member from out of Sydney while making the most of the scenic views. 

Disclaimer: The Random Foodie dined as a guest of Casa Ristorante Italiano, courtesy of Wasamedia. Opinions remain personal.

Casa Ristorante Italiano
Building 42-48, The Promenade, King Street Wharf
Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9279 4115
http://lovecasa.com.au/
Mon-Fri: 11:30am - late
Sat-Sun: 8:00am - late

Last day in Melbourne *sighs*

Sadly we were only in Melbourne for the weekend so we were on a tight schedule. Yeah I know I'm really bummed out too. As I'm writing this, I do regret about the places I did not get to try (Manchester Press, Chin Chin, Hammer and Tong, Cumulus Inc etc etc) but I cherish about the places that I have explored. We had a late night on Saturday so we were really exhausted trying to get up early. Plus the girls wanted to spend the day shopping.

Brother Thomas

Our hotel was located in Flagstaff so there wasn't many dining options in the area. We were originally planning to walk to Manchester Press but since we were on a tight schedule and we made a booking at Nieuw Amsterdam at 12:30pm, we decided to eat at Brother Thomas which was only a few blocks away from our hotel. Due to its location, it was much quieter compared to the other Melbourne cafes but peaceful if you want to sit down and chill without having to worry about the 50 other hungry people queuing outside.

Mocha 

Chai Latte

We had our usual coffee to kick start our day especially with little sleep from the night before. My mocha was not bad but thought that the cocoa seemed a tad dense and grainier compared to what I usually get. CC had her chai latte, which she found to be very disappointing because it was way too much milk and not enough tea and spices that you would normally expect with this kind of drink.

Bacon and Poached Eggs on Toast

While I was happy with my juicy bacon, I was sadly disappointed with the poached eggs. Although it looked perfectly poached on the outside, the egg yolk was overcooked. No oozy action this time unfortunately. At least the bacon was succulent so I was able to enjoy the rest of the meal despite this.

The Big Breakfast (Eggs, Bacon, Pickles, Tomatoes) 

On the other hand, both CC and S (who both ordered the same plate), found that their poached eggs had a good amount of ooziness. Combined with the zesty tomato, drool-worthy bacon and sour pickles, the plate was very filling for them so it was a struggle to finish.

While Brother Thomas impressed us with the hip decor and reasonable prices, the food and the coffee didn't blew us away especially with the many other cafes around. However, it is a decent option if you are working or staying in the Flagstaff area and you are under a tight schedule since there weren't many cafes in this part of the city. 

Brother Thomas
350 William Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
(03) 9328 7535
https://www.facebook.com/BrotherThomasCoffee



Nieuw Amsterdam

After a few hours shopping and a few touristy errands, we headed to Nieuw Amsterdam for our lunch booking on the hip and trendy Hardware Street. Originally we were planning to go on Saturday night but the restaurant was booked out. Since we did not have much time left and both CC and S really wanted to dine there, we settled on this place for our last Melbourne foodie stop (until next time of course).

I should have done my research before making a booking but I was quite bummed when I realised that the lunch menu is much more different to the dinner menu. It mostly consists of meat trays, deli sandwiches, salads and a limited choice of mains. The atmosphere remained quite busy and noisy even though the venue was not too packed.

Southern Style Pork Banh Mi - pate, crackle, apple sauce, cucumber salad ($16.00)

I was intrigued by the above dish because of its fusion of classic Vietnamese street food with a Southern touch. Was pleased by how it tasted especially the crunchy pork crackle and the sweet apple sauce combined with the usual condiments that you would normally expect in a banh mi. Although it was no Mr Crackles, it was satisfying enough for me. Very generous servings though since I struggled to finish the second half of the sandwich and didn't ate much of the chips that came along with the salad as complimentary sides. From the chips that I did try, I thought that they had a good amount of crunch.

Baked Eggplant Sandwich - tomato fondue, fresh mozzarella, basil, olive oil ($13.00)

CC managed to eat halfway through her sandwich but barely touch the rest of the plate (to be fair, the dishes we had earlier at Broher Thomas caught up with our stomachs). I did not try this dish but CC thought it was an alright dish.

BBQ Shrimp Salad - edamame, avocado, radish, cucumber, sesame, miso ($19.50)

Similar to the Southern Style Banh Mi, the salad also had an Asian touch with the use of miso, edamame and sesame. Looks quite healthy plus the prawns tasted plump and fresh. Very generous serving.

Berry Split - berry jelly, white chocolate mousse, cream cheese sorbet ($14.00)

We were absolutely stuffed but the desserts looked amazing so we stuck around for that. We were certainly not disappointed by this dessert. I didn't manage to try much but CC and S gave it double thumbs up. It was fruity, creamy and not too cheesy. This was definitely the winning dish for us in this visit.

I was a bummed that I did not end up trying Nieuw Amsterdam's signature Nieuw Chocolate Bar so will definitely consider about making a return visit in one of my future Melbourne trips especially for the dinner menu. It opens very late every night so this is a great option to dine when flying into Melbourne straight after work. If only I could travel to Melbourne on a regular basis with so many more cafes and restaurants to explore. A weekend (even if it's a long weekend) really isn't enough!

Nieuw Amsterdam
106-112 Hardware Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
(03) 9602 2111
http://www.nieuwamsterdam.com.au/
Sun-Thurs: 12:00pm - 3:00am
Fri-Sat: 12:00pm - 5:00am