Mark + Vinny's Spaghetti & Spritz, Surry Hills (17 April 2018)

G08, 38-52 Waterloo St, Surry Hills NSW 2010
http://markandvinnys.com
https://www.instagram.com/markandvinnys/

Spaghetti & Spritz Bar

Thanks to Pendulum Communications for the invite to a menu tasting. But first it's refreshments of The Pash Me Spritz - Vermouth bianco, passionfruit, prosecco, soda ($18)
and the classic Florence Spritz - Aperol, Prosecco, Fever Tree Soda ($16). Both enjoyed and there's plenty of other Spritz variations on the menu to tempt. Starters consisted of a few of vegan dishes. Cece - Chickpea hummus, farro, schiacciata ($14) was tasty and easy to share and the Caprese - Soy mozzarella, heirloom tomato, basil, lemon vinaigrette ($18) could probably fool a few like myself with its soy-based cheese. The Fiori di Zucca - Zucchini flower, smoked almond curd, romesco ($15, 2 pieces) had an excellent crispy batter and was one of my favourite dishes of the day. Back to something meaty was the Polpette - Adrian’s meat balls, slow cooked tomato sugo ($18, 3 pieces) that was good but comes at a price of $6 a meat ball so probably best not to expect to fill up on this dish alone.

Pushing the flavour boundary for a vegan pasta is the Charcoal Bucatini - Smoked mushroom pancetta, vegan egg yolk, plant based parmesan ($26). I enjoyed the richness and clever vegan egg yolk although it might take me a while to get used to the mild gritty texture of the charcoal in this dish. The Blue Spirulina Tagliatelle - Blue swimmer crab, bottarga, pangrattato ($34) had gutsy crab and bottarga flavour with plenty of garlic added for good measure. The eye-catching greenish blue colour is probably setting itself up to be one of their signature instagrammable dishes. Back to another vegan pasta the Zucchini Linguini (The Impasta) - Chickpea ragu, cherry tomato, slow cooked tomato sugo ($22) is gluten free and retains a pleasant crunch from the zucchini and crispy pop from some deep fried chick peas. Hard to go past the Vegan No-tella Ravioli - Cacao nibs, raspberry, coconut ice-cream ($18) for dessert. A flakier pastry is the only thing that could improve this for me. I didn't realise Nutella wasn't vegan so this housemade No-tella hits the spot as a vegan friendly substitute. Mark Filippelli, Vince Pizzinga and chef Adrian Januloski have certainly created quite a unique menu for Sydney diners and I like how there's a good selection of both vegan and non-vegan dishes which I think will suit a wider audience.

Yummba, Westfield Bondi Junction (21 May 2017)

Food Court, Shop FC03, Level 5, Westfield Bondi Junction
500 Oxford Street, Bondi Junction NSW 2022
http://yummba.com.au
https://www.instagram.com/yummba/

A favourite spot for falafel fix

Yummba has been a long time favourite place for a falafel fix since I tried it many years ago. Today is no exception but I also found out its sadly their last day at Westfield Bondi Junction after 13 years. It seems it's either renovate the shop front at a huge expense or move on time for these guys. Thankfully I hear they also have a Yummba at UNSW which I'll definitely have to check out. Today's lunch was the Yummba Plate ($23 large) to share. Falafel Balls with hummus, babaganoush, salsa, tahini, garden salad, tabouli, red cabbage and pickles. Love the size of these falafel which are cooked to order plus a great crunch and good flavour. Goes well with the dips and salad inside the soft pita bread or simply on their own. One of my top three places in Sydney for a falafel fix. I also love the falafels at Sabbaba in Bondi and Jasmin One in Punchbowl.

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.

Simple & tasty recipe: Mexican 'One Dip Wonder' Vegetarian Salsa (2 Dec 2012)

A dip that's sure to please

I was inspired to make this dish when I tried it at a friend's birthday/housewarming party which was hugely popular. The flavours work really well together, it's very easy to make and quite cheap. I think it works best served in a very shallow dish or use a pizza container which I used making it easy to store in a fridge and transport to another venue. The key to successful is making sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed across the area of the dish so when you dip a corn chip through the mix it will pick up a bit of all the different ingredients. Spreading a thin layer of each ingredients is how this is best achieved. It probably doesn't matter which order you spread the ingredients but I found starting with the thicker ingredients on the bottom seemed to be the best way. Being a vegetarian dish makes it a crowd pleaser for everyone and I'm sure even the meat lovers will appreciate the tasty flavours in this dip.

Recipe (4-6 people)

1st layer: Refried beans (1 can, 435g)

2nd layer: Sour cream (1 pot, 300g)

3rd layer: Salsa dip (1 jar, 300g) – Hot version works well

4th layer: Guacamole (1 pack, 200g) – or make yourself

5th layer: Deseeded and finely chopped tomatoes (4)

6th layer: Sliced Kalamata Olives (1 jar, 200g)

7th layer: Shredded tasty cheese (about 100-200g, couple of handfuls)

8th layer: Thinly sliced spring onions (5 stems)

9th layer: Couple of handfuls of finely chopped coriander

Serve with your favourite corn chips. Round shaped seems to work the best for dipping. The container I used was 27 x 27 x 3 cm which worked perfectly for above quantities.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Tasty, Quick and easy to make, Can be prepared a few hours in advance and stored in the fridge, Cheap to make, People can serve themselves, Vegetarian friendly

CONS: You'll run out if you don't make enough because it'll be very popular. I've met some people that don't like coriander

MUST TRY: Adding chopped up jalapeño for an extra heat kick

VERDICT: It's very quick and easy to make when made with mostly pre-prepared ingredients. The combination of flavours works really well together and the olives are especially good.

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