Simon Food Favourites: Organic

Showing posts with label Organic. Show all posts

14 September 2016

Chia Bar Organic Vegetarian Cafe, Maroubra (10 Sept 2016)

331 Maroubra Rd, Maroubra NSW 2035
https://www.facebook.com/ChiaBarMaroubra/
https://www.instagram.com/chiabarmaroubra/

Vegetarian cafe in Maroubra

It's good to see these guys are still doing well as being an organic vegetarian cafe is still quite a niche market I think. Housemade raw cakes are on display, friendly service and a cosy wholistic decor. The Mrs enjoyed her Piccolo with soy milk ($4) using The Little Marionette Coffee. Miss 1 year old managed to handle her Babyccino ($1) that comes in a paper cup and has a lid. The sprinkles is a nice touch on top but visually you can't see them when there's a lid on. A marshmallow on the side would up the love factor. My Chai Latte ($4) was nice although I still crave more flavour. Acai Bowl with granola, seasonal fruit and coconut sprinkle ($15) was nicely presented but there was so much more acai underneath compared to the topping of granola that you're left with a mass of acai to eat on its own. I think a more shallow bowl so the ratio of acai and granola is more even would be preferable. The Coconut 'French' Toast with sourdough soaked in coconut milk, organic, vanilla cashew cream, seasonal fruit, pure maple syrup and coconut sprinkle ($17) is very yummy and a new Simon Favourite. Plenty of maple syrup to pour over and the slices of French toast and soft and spongy. Love the coconut flavour and texture throughout.

06 August 2014

Naked Foods: Bulk Organic Health Foods, Bondi Junction (30 April 2014)

Shop 7, 310 Oxford Street, Bondi Junction NSW 2022

http://nakedfoods.com.au

Bulking up on healthiness

“Naked Foods only stock the best that nature has to offer. Our range of Health Foods are 100% Organic Certified and sourced from across the globe.”

I stumbled across this store while walking around Bondi Junction and it was great to discover. You can buy as much or as little as you like and everything is certified organic. I was tempted by an extensive selection of nuts, dried fruits, grains, muesli, flour and seeds oils. The chocolate coated section was hard to pass up and they also have a nut butter schedule for cashews, peanuts, almonds and macadamias if you like your nutty spreads as pure as possible.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Bulk shopping, Extensive selection, Certified Organic, Healthy, Friendly and helpful service at the time

CONS: So tempting it's hard not to buy something

MUST TRY: Everything — especially the chocolate coated stuff

VERDICT: A great way to shop for your health foods and cuts down on unnecessary packaging. I think every suburb should have a store like this.

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05 August 2012

Bake Bar: Organic Artisan Bakery, Randwick (4 Aug 2012)

67 Frenchmans Road, Randwick NSW 2031

A fresh breath of baked goods

Bake Bar looks like a great little spot to pick up some freshly baked breads and sweet treats. The bakery is in partnership with Gusto Espresso Bar next door which both share the same space and seating. The Coconut & Pistachio Cookie ($3.50) was like a macaroon but shaped in a roundish ball. Not sure if you can really call it a cookie but it was a tasty and light treat I'd happily have again. The Spelt Carrot Cupcake ($4.80) was moist as hoped and had just the right amount of icing for me. There's a fair amount of flavour from the ingredients in walnuts I believe I spotted inside. It's a little expensive for a cupcake but it seems to be quality over quantity. From first impressions it looks like a nice bakery that will be a great asset to the local area. The brownie ($5) I spotted in the display is on my wish list for hopefully next time.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Friendly staff, Freshly baked goods, Nice and clean seating area, I'm assuming there's some organic products due to the name of the bakery, Spotted some flourless options

CONS: A little bit more expensive than your average bakery

MUST TRY: Revisiting to try other cakes and the coffee

VERDICT: A tempting selection of cakes on display that I hope to further investigate

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Coconut & Pistachio Cookie ($3.50), Spelt Carrot Cupcake ($4.80)

WORTH TRYING :-)

Packed with ingredients and decent flavour

Bake Bar counter display and open kitchen

Gusto Espresso Bar (left), Bake Bar (right)

Revisited 23 Aug 2012

Berry Custard Tart ($4.50) — good flavour and light short pastry

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Spelt Scone ($3) — moist enough to enjoy, nice pop of poppyseed on top, would go nicely cut in half with whipped cream

WORTH TRYING :-)

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15 August 2011

Ozganics Taste Test: Jams, salad dressings and simmer sauces

http://www.ozganics.com.au

Certified organic products

Thanks to Neil Sallaway (Sales Manager) and Anni Brownjohn (Director) from Ozganics for providing me a few product samples to taste from the Organic Expo & Green Show 2011. I first came across their stand at the Good Food & Wine Show 2011. I received some jams (pictured above), salad dressings and simmer sauces to try and will work my way through them and provide tasting notes below for each once finalised.

Ozganics jams - 13 Aug 2011

Orange marmalade, Strawberry spread, Fig spread

Orange marmalade

Tasting notes: Nice citrus taste and visible peel. Texture and consistency likable although noticed the fruit content is only 17.5% in total and wondered if it could be higher. Some extra peel for more texture would be welcomed. Probably my favourite out of the three jams sampled.

Strawberry spread

Tasting notes: Distinctive strawberry taste although consistency of jam is not as runny as others and seems more firm which I'm not a huge fan of. It could have more visible strawberry fruit texture for my liking and it tastes rather high in sugar and less fruity than other strawberry jams I've had. Has 33% fruit which is reasonable but there are jams with much higher fruit content, although not necessarily organic.

Fig spread

Tasting notes: Distinctive fig taste and good consistency in texture that's easy to spread. Only has 25% fruit so perhaps could be higher compared to other jams on the market.

Ozganics salad dressings