142 Addison Rd Marrickville, Sundays…
Another blissful Sunday morning at the Marrickville organic markets. Coffee first, to aid important decision making. The best coffee I’ve tried at the markets so far is from the building on your right as you enter the market from Addison Rd. Note the installation art on the side wall of the building of milk crates, took me a few visits to notice it and that it spelt out a word…
Next pick up Sicilian olives and hummus for casual pizza dinner with friends, salami and soft French white mould cheese, a small Tuscan kale seedling for never ending batches of minestrone made with veal stock and thick lardons of pancetta.
The lovely Kate, who has moved back home to Orange whom I miss dearly as she’s so entertaining, has a new food blog http://piesandkates.com/
If you get sick of walking around, a cup of chai while sitting on woven mats in the sunshine is pretty nice… you can also get a $10 haircut at the stall next door. I haven’t been brave enough to try.
There are both conventional produce and organic stalls, the conventional ones are labelled as such. The advantage of having both is sometimes the organic range is limited and if you have your heart set on cooking a certain something you’re more likely to find it having both options.
The Common Ground bakery always smells good and they have a super juice with more good things in it than you could could think of. They usually sample it so you can try before you buy. They have lots of options for gluten and wheat free eaters. I bought a rice flour banana bread for my sister which she said was great. The also have spelt, rye, wholemeal, with and without nuts and seeds and all slow fermented sourdough (read maximum flavour development). They deal directly with a wheat grower too so their flour is really fresh. I just liked all the info they passed on, it shows how passionate they are about their product. They also had a rice flour lamington, the first of it’s kind I’ve come across, haven’t tried it yet though.
There’s also a Brasserie Bread stall where they try to lure you with delicious brownies and danish pastries. I’m sold on the sour cherry loaf and the quinoa and soy seed loaf if you like seeds. There is also a German bread stall with darker rye loaves, pretzels and tiny chocolate chip buns. I think the chocolate buns are best served toasted with butter, but they’re also good straight from the bag while browsing.
Char kway teow at Jackie M Malaysian
Shopping just about done (and cash nearly depleted) and I settle on nasi lemak and otak otak, D has a lamb wrap from another stall which is a more appropriate portion size than mine, which is enough for two hungry people, so we take the rest home for lunch.
I bought some coffee beans from the fair trade stall and had a delicious coffee at home made from PNG beans. Flavoursome and strong without being too acidic or bitter.
I’ll try and get a picture of the corn fritters next time, they’re my healthy option for when I’ve had an indulgent Saturday night!
Category: Markets
Thursday: Mindil (Indigenous art, food stalls, light and breezy summer clothing by Gita http://www.gitaz.com/)
http://www.mindil.com.au/
Friday:Palmerston http://www.palmerstonmarkets.org.au/
Saturday: Parap (food stalls, fruit and veg, clothing)
Sunday: Rapid Creek (fresh food and specialty fruit and vegetables) and Mindil
http://www.darwindiary.com.au/markets.php
Parap Markets
The queue for som tam (green papaya salad)
Iced coffee
A little French busking to set the mood…
This is not a comprehensive list, just the start of a list of the best places to get a good coffee in Darwin. The criteria? The coffee should be full of flavour, the milk silky and not burnt. That screeching sound? It sounds bad for a reason. If you can scoop your milk into a meringue shape then it’s over cooked.
My faves? A tie between Ducks Nuts on Mitchell St and Jay’s Coffee cart at various markets and the Nightcliff Jetty. I bought some gorgeous home roasted beans from Jay’s Coffee, some Ethiopian Sidamo and some PNG Purosa, both organic. I’ve been grinding to order at home on my Rocky grinder and my Rancilio Sylvia has been loving it! Thanks 🙂
Jay’s Coffee Bar
Great coffee, freshly roasted fairtrade coffee beans and I’ve heard the iced coffee is the best in Darwin.
Rapid Creek Markets (Sundays)
Nightcliff Jetty (Sat and Sun afternoons)
Ducks Nuts Bar Espresso
Mitchell St. You can sit inside Bar Espresso, or choose the lovely verandah outside, same coffee, more atmosphere. But you have to brave the heat. Come on, don’t be soft!
There’s another list here, but I haven’t tried them all. Will have to ask my trusty coffee scout to suss them out:
http://darwin.citysearch.com.au/restaurants/roundup/1119945819575/1137547155562
As soon as the balmy sea air at Mindil Beach hit my face, I relaxed. Sustained by treats from the stalls at the Mindil Markets, there was too much to choose from; Indonesian, Thai, Malaysian, and Roadkill stalls all competed for my attention. Do try the Ice Kachang dessert if you can find it.
Enthralled by the hard-to-find-in-Sydney Thai vegetables at Rapid Creek Markets, along with a great selection of meat and other ingredients at the Greenie’s real food store that I visited far too many times than a 10 day trip justifies.
Thai Massage, an Iyengar yoga class outdoors that bordered on Bikram’s style, local Indigenous art and music, the Darwin festival, and my new favourite clothing designer, Gita.
I can’t wait to go back to Darwin, if only to recapture that breezy vibe.
Sunset at Mindil Beach Markets
Even in the dry season, Darwin gives you a nice sweaty glow…
The view from The Wharf, a great place for dinner
Fish & Chips, Laksa and Som Tam at the Wharf
John Butler rocked the Darwin Festival
Deliciously cooling pools at Buley Rockhole
Florence Falls, a deep black pool beneath a waterfall filled with amorous fish
I have long been a fan of Martelli’s fruit market at West Epping just on Carlingford Rd at the top of the hill near the primary school. It used to be on the way to work. I have also become a semi-regular shopper at their Cherrybrook Shopping Centre store. The Cherrybrook store has the added convenience of a decent fishmonger, a great butcher and a fabulous deli. Along with a supermarket and liquor store it makes my work a whole lot easier when everything is in the one place, but unlike the average supermarket, the quality of the produce is outstanding, fresh and reasonably priced. I say average as a disclaimer, as I know there are some supermarkets where the range and quality are fantastic, but on the whole this is what I find in the Sydney suburbs. I am still hoping in vain that one day our local IGA will become as fantastic as the one at Haberfield. Moving to Haberfield right now is not a financially viable option. 🙂
Anyway, I was at a baby shower the other week and got to chatting about food, again. Rouse Hill shopping centre came up and Martelli’s was mentioned. Until today I hadn’t been to the Rouse Hill Martelli’s as it is not ‘on the way’ to any of my usual destinations but is actually not too long a drive. I was surprised by how big the shop was. A wide range of fresh produce not always easy to find, all in one location. A smallgoods counter, plenty of cheeses and dairy, olive oils, jams, bread etc. plus a wide range of quality frozen goods too. They even stock a few ‘Essential Ingredient’ items such as duck fat. Good to know, if ever I am in dire need of chips cooked in duck fat. Try it sometime.
Ok now you can tell I have been watching Julia Child. I am recommending our nation eat more duck fat. Oh well. 🙂
On Saturday morning I visited Parramatta markets in Church Street Mall for the first time, after meaning to head down there for ages. It was small but worth going for the wonderful vegetable stall and is infinitely more relaxing than some larger markets where the hustle can get tiresome.
Beautiful zucchini flowers, carrots, snake beans and purple sweet potatoes
Variety of pumpkins, with Pink Fur Apple Potatoes in background. The potatoes got washed, thickly sliced and chucked into the bottom of the roasting tray which had free range chooks, sage, lemon, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper and a bit of rosemary/lemon salt. Absolutely delicious. Please try them. Should be great in potato salad too, like kipflers.
Chilli being bundled into bags
Beautiful unusual varieties of tomatoes. I bought the dark cherry tomatoes, yum.
There were plenty of other great stalls too to check out next time.
I bought some good looking basil from the herb stall which is now replanted in a larger pot and happily lapping up the sunshine on our balcony.
Jamaican BBQ
A vast range of Jams and preserves. If you like the less common varieties you are sure to find something here along with the usual favourites.
The Eveleigh Market Saturday 13th December 8am-1pm
243 Wilson St, Eveleigh
Next market is in February 2009.
This was a wonderful market held yesterday, in an open-sided but undercover hanger on a true Sydney summer day-humid, hot and windy. The restrooms inside the old carraige works just opposite provided a moment of coolness before the hunt began.
Highlights were cherry jam from Bird Cow Fish, goat’s cheese from Jannei Dairy, eggplant, zucchini flowers, apples and less common herbs from organic suppliers. Bread from Iggy’s, Olive oil from Alto and brunch from Eumundi Smokehouse: Bacon and egg roll with homemade BBQ sauce, and a chorizo roll with tomato and basil salsa. I didn’t eat both, three of us shared them, but I could have easily scoffed them myself.
My sister was searching for the perfect Kris Kringle present for $15 and bought the last jar of cherry jam from Bird Cow Fish ($10 but it is a large jar) and then topped up the gift with a jar of Apricot jam from Rowan Farm for $5, so mission completed on budget! The cheeky little bugger even managed to find some bread for her supper after everyone had sold out as the guys at Jannei took pity on her puppy eyes and sold her their second last loaf used for tastings for a token $2. Always the negotiator 🙂
Marinated creamy goat’s fetta at Jannei Dairy. I have been missing their presence at the Good Living Grower’s Markets- bring them back please!
Went home with a small white mould cheese, similar to Camembert, called ‘Miette’. Perfectly ripe for sale, the edge was devoured and it is already developing a creamy oozy layer but is still a little chalky in the middle so I’ll leave it for another day or two.
Fruity, buttery Stöllen from Pastisse
Organic Fuji apples, basil and garlic
Eumundi Smokehouse chorizo. I bought some of the small spicy ‘beer sticks’ as owner David calls them, you really need one to handle the heat and delicious intensity.
Nice review here of Eumundi: http://www.notquitenigella.com/2007/12/27/eumundi-smokehouse-at-dulwich-hill/
Delicious olive oil and marinated olives from Alto, with the Robust premium a favourite. Got talked into getting the large bottle very easily ‘are you sure you don’t want the larger bottle?’ No, I’m not, how silly of me, of course it is better value 😉 I am quite happy to be persuaded.
Another delicious oil is the Pepperberry and Salt Bush olive oil by the Yaama Dhiyaan Cafe, also a lovely place for breakfast located just next to the markets on Wilson St.
Crusty sourdough, a quarter is plenty for us and costs just $3.25 from Iggy’s Bread (49 Belgrave St, Bronte. Corner of Murray St)
Can’t wait for the regular market next year…
http://www.eveleighmarket.com.au/
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Tomatoes…this is one of my favourite shots from the whole trip. This is really a special market.
The leaning towers of chocolate