Friday, July 25, 2008

Zumbo love and tagine for breakfast

can't remember what it was called...

Every time I try to sit down with the laptop to write up a post I somehow get distracted by some other pursuit and next thing you know, there hasn't been a new post in weeks. It reminds me of a Simpsons episode [2F13] where Bart makes a collect call to Australia and gets distracted by Millhouse's offer to go downtown to smell a bakery that's caught on fire.

Milhouse: [at the window] Hey, Bart! The bakery caught fire and all of
downtown smells like cookies! Wanna go smell?
Bart: Yes...yes, I do. [leaves phone off hook]

It seems like the prevailing trend for the blog in the past few months, is a post primed with an apology from the blogger. And what do you know, here I am again saying sorry for not posting in weeks. Let me sweeten you up and buy back your affection with some pictures of food.

winter collection 2008

About the same time we were at the Good Living Markets in Pyrmont, we also stopped by every Sydney pastry-lovers mecca in Balmain. Yes, we found ourselves once again at Adriano Zumbo; his winter collection of pastries had just come out and our noses were pressed up against the window in an attempt to have a peak at what he had to offer this season. The shop was fuller than usual, and it looked like many of those in Balmain and I'm guessing around Sydney had caught wind that Mr. Zumbo had a new collection out. So just like the fashionistas do during fashion week, the pastry-hungry came out to view what sugar-fads he had conjured up.

some of Adriano's winter collection 2008

Call me a Zumbo sycophant, boot-licker, or suck-up, but I have to say that he is one of the premiere patissiers in Sydney doing fascinating and unique things with desserts. And I'm not sure if this is an exclusive news-flash, but the word on the street is that he is opening up a cafe somewhere in Balmain so people can actually sit down and savour the pastries with a coffee or tea. If you have been to the shop, you will know that all it literally is, is a glass counter and a little aisle, so there isn't much room for savouring until you get home.

And, not to give Zumbo fans any false hope, this little rumour was confirmed by one of the insiders behind the counter. So I am very excited, although at the same time gutted I won't be here for the opening. I wasn't going to camp out for the iphone's release but if I was going to be in the country, you might have seen me with a sleeping bag and newspaper somewhere in Balmain in sheer anticipation for its opening. My only hope is that it will still be around when I come back, and I don't see any reason for it not to be.

Water, Coffee, Tea

There's another reason why I love Balmain and it's these 2 words- breakfast tagine. Kazbah on Darling is another Balmain favourite of mine, especially for breakfast. I've never seen a place so coveted for breakfast other than Bill's; the trick is to either book your table or come early, breakfast on weekends goes till 3pm, but I've never seen the place empty or devoid of queues on a Saturday morning.

The breakfast tagine consists of lamb mince, sucuk, feta, spinach, capsicum, caramelised onion, tomato, eggs and a side of Turkish and pita bread for dipping and mopping up the juices. They make the tagines to order and depending on how many people are having it, it's only $17.50 per person, which is quite good considering the eggs benedict is already $16.50. So for $1 extra you can get a whole lot more.

Breakfast tagine
Breakfast tagine for 3 people, more than enough, with an average of 2.3 eggs per person.

There's no better way to spend a day than to eat your way through Darling St, there's much to be to had in terms of food and the small boutique shops are great for finding odd and quirky gifts. When confronted with the mesmerising array of goodies at Adriano Zumbo, I recommend choosing one of each flavour of macarons (they change daily) or a chocolate fondant, a rich flourless chocolate cake that is so good you wouldn't want to share.

And for Kazbah, there's no going past the breakfast tagine, although the foul medammas is also superb.

Kazbah Menu

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

That breakfast tagine looks gorgeous! I'm definitely going to try cooking that or something similar for Sunday brunch one day...when the weather cools down!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Haha, I love the Simpsons reference :0D

What a gorgeous tagine!

Anonymous said...

this looks fantastic - have you tried making it and, aren't you moving to london, you might want to get the recipe! great post as usual!

Christine said...

Those macaron flavors are wonderful!

emily said...

All that looks delicious. When I get a chance to visit Australia again, I am definitely going there.

sunshinegirl said...

Hi, your photos are amazing! Last time when I went to Balmain, I stopped by at Adriano Zumbo, but didn't buy anything as I already bought a lot at Victoire. I will definitely try next time I go there. The breakfast tagine looks yummy, too!

Anonymous said...

oh man i love eggs that tagine looks awesome! what was ur fav az macaron flavour?

Anonymous said...

OMG, love those macarons!

Gloria Baker said...

The macaronseally look beautiful!!! xGloria

the sweetest thing said...

Hi!
I love your blog and your great recipes and photos.
This place must be amazing, I´m beginning to discover the arabic cuisine...in the south est of Spain, there are a lot of influences from them, specially in the pastry. Now I want to Know more about the rest of the dishes.
...and what about the macarons?...look delicious!!!! Thank you for sharing your experiences.

Anonymous said...

I grew up in Balmain but now live in London, but love hearing about new places there. Though I must say if you love macaroons wait until you get to London where you can buy the best on earth from Laduree. Or you can save it for a weekend in Paris and enjoy the tea rooms as well.

Unknown said...

your photographs are always so beautiful.

lululu said...

I've just watched a show about how to cook with tagine. I'm sure your breakfast tagine tasted absolutely great!!!

Pea and Pear said...

We just visited the famous mr zumbo yesterday and had the rice pudding and banana caramel macarons!!! The passionfruit is so sensational though it is still my fav!!!

Eggs and Bananas said...

I love your photos. Even though I live in Melbourne (and the food here is fantastic) you make me want to head to Sydney just for the food. Which I am hoping to do ;).

BTW have a great time in London.

Jenn said...

I REALLY want to try that earl grey tea and chocolate flavoured macaroon - I've always thought tea is the perfect flavour to complement chocolate!

Devadeva Mirel said...

i like your cookies.

Anonymous said...

I love the macarons ! The flavours are mouth-watering !!!

Mona said...

Hi :) acrossed your blog accidently ... I love eating and try new cafe/food. After reading your posting, I am really really interested to go to Balmain and try Kazbah on Darling! Bills has been my favourite for a while ... I should try other places ... Cheers :)

Cynthia said...

that breakfast tagine sure does look substantial! you're right, they charge waay too much for eggs benedict. maybe i should convince my team to go there after training instead..... lol

btw the macarons look incredibly lovely! are they as good as they look?

My Sweet & Saucy said...

What an amazing place to eat at! Boy would I love the chance to go there!

Anonymous said...

My God...your blog is killing me. In a good way! I have never seen such a delicious and visually appealing blog! Everything is beautiful. From your words, to the images, to the food photos. I am hooked! I will be linking you from my blog asap.

also, do you know if its possible to purchase these treats from Adriano Zumbo over the internet? I live in the US, but I would loooove to try these. Thanks, and I'll be back!! :)

Anonymous said...

You have mentioned all the places we love in Balmain. My daughters aren't in to the tagine for breakfast but they love the Turkish Pancake they serve,as for Mr Zumbo, that is always a stop after breakfast. We just love to wonder and look at the food shops.

Helene said...

Oooh! All those macarons make me happy happy! Tagine is always good, anytime of the day!

Chef Jeena said...

So gorgeous looking and I love the macaroons.

Mari said...

That's an awe inspiring breakfast! God, I love me some eggs for breakfast, especially over spicy veg with meat of some sort! YUM!

Btw, I've tagged you for the 10 Favorite Food Pictures meme, so please feel free to play along, if you so desire!

Mona said...

I will say that you made up for lost time in this post..:0 those little round like sandwiched bakery goods look so yummy. Do you know what that glass pitcher is called, I have never seen one like that...thanks for sharing and take care.

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