Tasty Bites » General

The canary in a coal mine

admin — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 22:59:22 +0000

I really think Messrs Rudd and Swan should be ringing Baguette to check on the health of the economy. They don’t need to wait for the quarterly (after the event) figures, because any restaurateur can tell them ahead of those figures how we are travelling. We are like the canary in a coal mine in that regard. The minute people lose confidence, their job or read too many gloomy newspapers they stop eating out in restaurants.

So at the end of March 2008 we knew that something unpleasant was happening in the economy. The good news now is that as early as May this year the trend reversed — with no particular marketing to explain the improvement in our figures. A crude measure maybe, but having had Baguette for 33 years we have seen several recessions, one depression, many downturns and upturns. Just give me a ring if you need to know what is happening next!

The best espresso machine to buy

admin — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 02:19:41 +0000

The Weekend Australian recently had some experts review the 5 best selling, entry level machines under $500 and gave their biggest ticks to 2 of them:

1. Sunbeam Artista EM5900 @ $499

The winner by a whisker. The Artista pre-infuses (allowing the “cake” to moisten and expand before extraction) and purges post-espression. “The thing that impressed us most is that it wouldn’t allow us to extract coffee if the machine was too hot — and that self-purging function,” says Mark Dundon (bean importer, roaster and international coffee judge). It made good shots consistently and produced good steam quickly, using a simple wand that assumed you didn’t need the help of an auto-frother … and, unlike the others in this test, the Arista allows manual adjustment of both water and steam temperature, should the pre-set levels be found wanting.

2. Breville 800ED @ $450

The all-metal shell suggests quality and for the price this machine performs extremely well. Like the Arista, the 800ES pre-infuses and purges — both valuable aids to the uninitiated. However we found it slightly less consistent over the course of four shots; we didn’t like the auto-frother (which is easily removed) and there is no manual override for water/steam temperature. “Still, I’d call this the quiet achiever,” says Dundon. “I’d be happy to have this in my home.”

Charming Cottage near Montville

Marilyn — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 21:17:08 +0000

This is our much loved family holiday home at Mapleton, half an hour drive (up in the mountains) from the beaches of the Sunshine Coast. Work this year is keeping us in Brisbane, so we decided to offer the house to friends and customers looking for something special. It is a beautiful, serene place so don’t come expecting the ‘high life’! We find plenty to do, which if I think about it, is mainly eating and drinking with family and friends. We are however a short drive from Australia Zoo, The Ginger Factory, a Fromagerie, several wineries, some nice drives, horse riding and interesting walks.

Set in over an acre of lovely gardens, with sweeping views to the coast, the house and separate loft accommodation is suitable for one to four couples.

Go to www.french-cottage.com.au for more pics, prices and maps.

It All Comes From the Top

Marilyn — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 08:01:57 +0000

Lousy service has become the norm so I must tell you about a business that does good service the old fashioned way … Merlo Coffee in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley (also at Bowen Hills). If you are in the market for a home espresso machine, this is the place to go. Forget that they may charge a few dollars more than the big discount stores. What they give you is knowledgable service that goes way beyond your expectations. And this attitude comes from Dean Merlo. He teaches his staff to go the extra mile so when you bring back your espresso machine for service, they can often fix it on the spot (no charge!) — instead of simply sending it off to the service people, who usually take weeks to get it back to you. They’ll train you on how to make a good espresso, and shout you a free coffee whilst you’re there. And Merlo’s freshly coffee is the best.

Coffee Facts: Fresh is best so buy little and often and buy beans to grind as you go. Buy beans in foil bags with a one way valve ystem. This allows CO2 to escape without letting oxygen in, increasing the shelf life of the coffee. It will remain relatively fresh for up to 3 wks or a mth max. Store in airtight in a dry dark place — not the refrigerator.

Another Look at Queensland Wines

Marilyn — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 06:56:42 +0000

We recently spent a couple of days at Stanthorpe, 3 hours drive SW of Brisbane — to taste some wines, meet the winemakers and enjoy a roaring fire when the temperature plunged to 1 degree.

You have quite a choice of accommodation and we stayed at the charming Diamondvale B&B Cottages (www.diamondvalecottages.com.au). Kerrin and Tony Cridland give genuine country hospitality and a cooked breakfast that was hard to go past. The property is on a creek, very private but close to Stanthorpe, and an easy drive to all the vineyards.

This is a great place to go to with some friends, each having their own cabin and then you all get together at night in the fire hut (see left), where you can cook a BBQ, enjoy the fire and wax lyrical about the wines you have bought.

There are now outstanding wines to be found in the cool climate Granite Belt (the Queensland wine region based around Stanthorpe). This is not a difinitive list, but our favourite vineyards are:

Boireann which received 5 red stars in James Halliday’s just published ‘Australian Wine Companion’. Hallidays says “Peter Stark is a winemaker of exceptional talent producing cameo amounts of red wines which are quite beautifully made and of a quality equal to Australia’s best”. This is a tiny vineyard and only sells via cellar door or mail order.

Symphony Hill Wines has state-of-the-art technology and the quality of their 06 reds is excellent — a number of their wines receive a 90-94 rating from Halliday. This is the highest vineyard in Australia and well worth a visit.

Robert Channon Wines get several scores of 90 from Halliday and are particularly famous for their Verdelho which Halliday saying “by far the best Verdelho I have tasted”. They have an excellent cafe for lunch overlooking a vast dam and have concerts in the winery once a month (see info@robertchannonwines.com for the program). The one Brass and Wine on Sun 12 Oct is free.

Kominos Wines and Bungawarra also get a 4 (black) star rating from Halliday.

Places to eat are Vineyard Cottages & Cafe, Patty’s on McGregor (lovely eccentric people), and if you are into more old fashioned food than you can step over, Anna’s.

Vintage Paris on the Menu

Marilyn — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 23:48:19 +0000

This “find” is described by Elizabeth Meryment in The Australian: Hotel du Nord at 102 quai de Jammapes in Paris’s rapidly gentrifying 10th arrondissement is where the beautiful people hang out. This is Paris’s it spot on the Canal St. Martin. Sleek bodies are collected on the terrace, smoking and sipping wine. Built is 1885 as a rough-and-ready watefront inn, the property has endured fluctuating fortunes. After narrowly avoiding demolition in the 1960s, it has been rediscovered in recent years and given a sensitive renovation … avoiding the minimalism rampant in many Paris venues it has soft light, filled bookshelves, antique coffee machine and plush sofas chanelling a nightclub of the 1930s.

Charming waiters, almost as gorgeous as the clientele, keep the meal flowing. The prices ar eminently reasonable, with entrees from 7 euros and mains 16-29 euros. The menu is decidedly exciting, unlike most steak-frites and poulet-ftrites Parisian brasseries. There’s one hiccup: some of the food disappoints. But such disappointments hardly matter. As we step back into the night feeling decidedly more chic than when we entered, the twisting green iron-railed footbridge across the Canal St-Martin invites a late-night jaunt. This, we agree, is Paris. www.hoteldunord.org

Memoir of Women in Paris

Marilyn — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 06:44:05 +0000

A great read to get you in the mood to see a more personal side of Paris — ‘True Pleasures, A Memoir of Women in Paris’ by Australian author Lucinda Holdforth. She tells the stories of Collette, Marie Antoinette, Nancy Mitford, Pompadour, Coco Chanel and others, all strong women who made their mark. She introduces you to some of their favourite places in Paris:

* Palais Royal: arcades of shops and Le Grand Vefour Restaurant with its pretty, intimate salon — one of the oldest and best in Paris.

* Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore: teashop Laduree at No. 16, Ambassadors’ residences, Gucci, Hermes, Dior.

* La Mosquee: 1920s Morish-style complex with mosque, library, bathhouse and Salon de The, in the 5th Arrondissement.

* Faubourg Saint Germain: finely embroidered bed linen or hand-stitched silk nightgowns.

* Place Vendome: Cartier, Bulgari, Armarni are some of the smart shops in the impressive square. 1st Arrondissement.

* 7th Arrondissement: one of the prettiest areas of Paris with its hidden gardens, fountains, antique shops, art galleries, rare book sellers and intersting buildings. Rue du Bac narrows and becomes a cosy village with a little cluster of food shops.

* Avenue Montaigne: Chanel, Ungaro, Valentino, elegant stores, haute couure.

Immersing yourself in French life

Marilyn — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 05:12:26 +0000

What better way, than to buy a house in France? It is easy if you know how, as we found out from Lidia and Stuart Darlow. We spent 3 days with them looking at renovated 17th century village houses with vaulted ceilings, an extraordinary renovated sheep fold (barn) and some country homes. They were so generous with their hospitality and have all the knowledge of 10 years selling properties in the Languedoc Roussillon region – next door to Provence. A handy spot within easy reach of Italy, Spain and skiing in the Alps. They sell properties 1/2 hr inland from the coast, away from the tourist madness.

If you get together with some friends, the cost is not prohibitive although don’t expect anything with character to be cheap. What they have that we don’t is history, character and the fact that owning a property you will immerse yourself in the French way of living. You can borrow 100% of the price at 5% fixed interest. You will have to pay 10% of the asking price in taxes, legal fees etc. For more details: www.pierresausoleil.com.

How to Buy a House in the South of France

Marilyn — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 03:55:05 +0000

Stuart and Lidia Darlow live in the beautiful city of Nimes in the south of France. They visit Brisbane every year, bringing details of houses for sale in the Languedoc Roussillon region — houses by the sea, 17th century village houses, farmhouses, maison de maitre (master’s house). They have some very happy buyers in Brisbane and next visit will also go to Sydney and Melbourne.

It is very easy to buy property in France and they can arrange 100% finance at 5% fixed interest for 25 years. You can expect 8-10% capital gains per year and 3/4 of the mortage could come from rentals. You will however have to find 8% of the purchase price for legals etc.

To give you an idea of prices, Stuart says that a habitable house will cost $A400-500,000, a village house with some character will be $700,000 to $1million. For instance in the lovely 14th century town of Uzes (where filmstars Depardieu and Catherine Deneuve have holiday homes) an 18th century stone village house with 6 bedrooms costs $1.2million — or an 1840s maison de maitre by the sea, renovated with 3 bedrooms, courtyard and pool will cost you $600,000.

Francis and I will be visiting Stuart and Lidia in September and we will report back on what we find.

e: stuart.pas.ledignan@wanadoo.fr

w: www.pierresausoleil.com

Most Repugnant Food Item

Marilyn — Sun, 06 May 2007 22:44:36 +0000

Why is it that fast food companies are hell bent on bastardising a classic food item? And why do we buy this rubbish? We all love a good hamburger and I am old enough to remember the home made ones we used to buy at the corner shop. But that was not good enough for McDonalds who spent enormous time and money reducing the hamburger to a tasteless, grey piece of cardboard (with pickles) between a sweet, spongy bun. Then came tinned pineapple on pizzas. Now Pizza Hut have surpassed themselves — Elizabeth Meryment in The Weekend Australian reports:

‘Most repugnant food item spotted this year: Pizza Hut’s new meat-pie pizza, in which a greasy pie is somehow baked into the body of a cheese-laden pizza. Surely up there with deep-fried Mars bars.’