Palomino, Northcote

Before heading to the Preston Market to stock up on some goodies last weekend, we headed to Palomino in Northcote for breakfast. What a gorgeous little cafe! It reminded me of being invited into someones home, especially when we ate in the little backroom on mismatched stools. The menu is a little of the same- homely, eclectic, Mexican inspired and very different. It was so difficult to decide what to eat. I love unique breakfasts, and this certainly catered to my drive to find new and exciting ways to experience breakfast foods.

I loved my baked eggs with spinach and fetta with sourdough. The creamy baked eggs with the salty feta and buttery spinach was so enjoyable, and it had just the right amount of bread.

 

 

 

Craig's pancetta wrapped egg with spicy baked beans was very Mexican inspired, tasty and gorgeously presented.

 

 

Coffee was also fabulous. A successful find in the cafe district of Northcote, definitely one I would return to and try more of their interesting and unique menu! Breakfast doesn't have to be boring people, and Palomino knows this!





Mamak, CBD

Last weekend, Craig and I headed out to the CBD to see what all the fuss is about at the new Malaysian hotspot, Mamak. Known for its popularity in Sydney, Mamak has quickly become talk of the town. Luckily, we got there early enough that we only lined up for ten minutes and I quite enjoyed the wait watching the open kitchen through the front window as they made roti canai, one of my favourite foods!

We were seated quickly but it took them ages to come and get our order... like half an hour or so. It seems that the staff haven't yet worked out how to cope with the popularity. We chose a few popular dishes off the small menu, but unfortunately, Mamak didn't really impress.

Reknowned for its roti, Mamak ticks the box on that one. The roti was soft, buttery and beautiful. I loved the simple roti canai with spicy curry sauce and would recommend staying with the simple version as the red onion one had a little too much going on for me.

The mains unfortunately were pretty uninspiring. The Nasi Goreng was a little bland, all spice and nothing else. The were about four tiny prawns in the serving, and not much else other than chilli and rice.

 

 

The satay sticks were also fairly unimpressive. Quite small for the price, and the dipping sauce was texturally good but didn't have the richness I love in satay sauces. However, this happened quite a bit during our travels to Malaysia as the satay there is more chilli than peanut based.

 

The fried chicken (not my friend at the best times of times) was not my cup of tea. Covered with a dry, crunchy, spicy coating... it was just, chicken... spicy and fried. Now I am not an expert in the fried chicken area, but Craig is quite fond of it and he commented that the chicken at Gami Chicken and Beer is much more enjoyable.

Overall, not all that impressed. I would return for the roti but not for much else. Mamak is good value, thats for sure, and judging by the Malaysian cohort eating there it is obviously fairly authentic. But for me, it just didn't rock my world. Cheap... yes. Spicy, yes. Tasty... not really? I think I may have missed the hype? I have eaten better Malaysian food at more local places, and I would head there before heading back to Mamak.

 

Huxtaburger, Collingwood

On Sunday, Craig and I headed into the Europe Expo to book our Europe holiday for next year. How exciting! By combining a 22 day Top Deck as well as some of our own travel, we should see 15 countries in 40 days. As exciting as it is though, handing over that kind of cash (especially when some of it you, uh, don't have yet...) is a very daunting and terrifying thing! So after three hours at the expo, and handing over some serious money, and committing to a hugely exciting holiday, we really needed some comfort food. Craig was about to chew his arm off and refused to wait until we got home so I suggested to him that we stop in Huxtaburger in Smith St (sister restaurant of Huxtable across the road, which is high on my wish-list) and finally try what some tout as the best burgers in town.

And... they were! As much as I love Burger Lounge, and the huge variety they have availabke, there was something about Huxtaburger that was so much more simple. They do simple burgers, and they do them bloody well. Out of the four burgers on offer, we both chose the very basic Huxtaburger, with beef, mustard, mayo, tomato sauce, tomato, cheese, lettuce and pickles on a gorgeous soft brioche bun. The soft, sweet bun really makes it, and holds it all together, and the condiments compliment each other perfectly. We also shared some of the chipotle fries, which were just spicy crinkle cut chips. Not mind-blowing, but then again, I was very much focused on the burger! I can see why there are lines out the door to have one of these burgers... the perfect way to celebrate our excitement for Europe... and comfort ourselves after spending our life savings ;)

New houses, European adventures and food!

Things are finally up and running at our new house, and I have finally found time to sit down and blog. Because of the move, I have to say I haven't eaten out as much as I usually do. However, this is going to become the norm since Craig and I have just booked our Euro-trip 2013! We are now officially in hibernation as we save, save, save but won't it be worth it when we visit 15 countries in 40 days next year and revel in a European summer whilst Australia is having a cold winter! So that is very exciting and I am jumping out of my skin... but, first things first... our new house!

We are loving our gorgeous little new home. For a rental, we really lucked out. Compared to our last place, which was a 70's style brick unit complete with the spew green carpets and pink walls, this feels like a holiday home! A little grey weatherboard with light-filled rooms, a big backyard for Ollie to play in and polished floorboards. Because we have been too busy to eat out, I have been doing lots of cooking in our gorgeous little kitchen...

Heres a rundown of what I have been eating lately!

Our first meal in our new place. We managed to put together one flat pack coffee table and sat on folding chairs whilst Craig enjoyed a burger and onion rings from Burger Lounge and I stayed healthy and feasted on some sushi and seaweed salad.

My gorgeous new kitchen! There wasn't a lot of bench space so we bought a floating bench top on wheels from IKEA. It was only $89 and I love it! Have screwed some little hooks into it so I hang stuff off it also :)

Our first breakfast in our new house :)

Moroccan chicken salad (recipe coming!)

Flathead tails with steamed veggies and sweet potato chips

Parmesan chicken schnitzel with a cauliflower and mint couscous (recipe coming!)

Stuffed sweet potato with guacamole (recipe coming!)

Bun Bo- Vietnamese noodle salad with stir-fried pork (recipe coming!)

Family BBQ on a gorgeous sunny afternoon

Dinner party with our new table and chairs :) Roast Pumpkin parpadelle (recipe here)

And my little mate Ollie, waiting at the door for Mummy :)

I promise to get back into the blog-o-sphere this week, so stay tuned for a few reviews and recipes!

Moving house and internet issues...

Hello hello!

Just letting you all know that I have not dropped off the face off the earth, but have been moving house and my internet is yet to be reconnected. Make sure you keep checking in as I am hoping to do lots and lots of cooking in my fabulous new kitchen.

Until then, I am still able to upload via mobile on Instagram, so for yummy photos add Suburban Culinary Adventures on there!
Until then,
L x

Gluten-free Lemon Yogurt Cake

Since I have been on my 'clean' eating journey this year I have discovered so many different ways of baking. And lets face it, I have never been all that good at baking anyway, so being able to cook sugar free and gluten free baked goods and not stuff them up is quite an achievement for me! Who knew that you could bake cakes and cookies without sugar, butter or flour!? Well you can, and the result is very enjoyable.

I have tried a few different versions of gluten free lemon cake this year, and this is by far the most moist and yummy! It is a super easy recipe that can be very quickly whipped up with the addition of a few new 'clean' items to your pantry. I guarantee it is worth investing in some of these pantry essentials as you WILL make this cake more than once!

Lemon Yogurt Cake

 

 

1 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup dessicated coconut
1 cup almond meal
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup of Natvia (natural sweetener)
large pinch of salt
4 eggs
1/4 honey
1 cup Greek yogurt
1/8 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest
1/4 cup of soy milk

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix until thoroughly mixed.

In another bowl, beat the eggs and add the rest of the wet ingredients, including the lemon zest, and mix to combine.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until a thick batter. Note that compared to baking with normal flour, the texture is quite different and thick.

Pour into a greased round cake tin and bake for 30 mins or prick with a skewer and make sure skewer comes out dry. The middle of my cake felt a bit wobbly but firmed up on cooling.

Dust with some icing sugar or vanilla dust to serve if you like, or keep it completely sugar free!