A perfect day in the making at Bills & Three Blue Ducks, Sydney

Pictures have a way. They are more than just memories. For me they were an inspiration today afternoon.  Just as I was seeing them while the rains kept me company, I felt the sudden urge to write. I remembered the last day in Sydney’s CBD before moving to the Cabramatta suburb at my cousin’s place. The lovely Wednesday morning was spent retracing my steps on numerous occasions to find a hidden gem called Bills in the Darlinghurst neighborhood. Yes, I’m not very good with maps or directions. It has been like this since the beginning and I kind of enjoy wandering meaninglessly. Like this time around, I got lost in the alleys of Darlinghurst with beautiful houses lined up on both sides of the street. Along my way I must have sent out countless signals to the universe - 'let me own one of the petite pastel homes in the Darlinghurst neighborhood'. As I walked in complete awe of the picturesque homes lane after lane, I almost missed Bills.

At the corner of Liverpool Street stood Bills, the Mecca for many Sydneysiders who begin their day with beautiful breakfast mornings. As soon as you enter, the distinctive yet simple decor and the central communal table evoke a timeless charm.

At Bills it had to be one of the much talked about duo, either the scrambled eggs or the ricotta hotcakes. I went with the Ricotta hotcakes with honeycomb butter & banana. Especially after having tasted them at Perrotta’s at the Gallery in Cairns and falling in love with them instantaneously. And writing about it gives me a chance to cherish the delight once again. 

Ricotta Hotcakes..New Love

I can feel the feather like soft pillow like ricotta hotcakes melt away in my mouth, caressing my taste buds. The honeycomb butter caught my fascination, just like the chocolate gold coins in my childhood with its sweet and creamy character. Yes, someday I plan to make honeycomb butter. The maple syrup jug that accompanied it was so pure; light amber colour with a delicate clean light flavor. Felt as though I could drink a jug full without the sweetness tugging at my throat. The last time I tasted pure maple was at the Upper Crust Show a while ago, when the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association enlightened me and trained my palate to the authentic maple taste.

Ricotta Hotcakes

 Such was the morning, food perfection with a rather simplistic style. Now as I write this I dream about the Pavlova with berries and wonder what made me contemplate over such a simple decision.  

View from the cliff lookout 

On that happy note, I boarded the bus to Bondi for a cliff walk after taking directions from the staff at Bills. The Bondi  to Coogee walk is a picturesque coastal route that will take you through stunning beaches, bays, infinity pools, limestone cliffs and spectacular views that you will miss on many Mumbai afternoons in future. The good part this route takes you past the café strips of Bronte and Coogee.

As I worked up my appetite walking the entire morning, one café that charmed me the most was the Three Blue Ducks in Bronte. The restaurant has a very laid back feel and I noticed that most people had a good repartee with the staff making them regulars from the nearby Bronte community. The staff here are fun, friendly and you can almost feel the vibe with which they so passionately dish out food from their open kitchen. 

Crispy skin Mulloway with leek & garlic puree

With the walk along the ocean and the taste of it in my mouth I knew it had to be seafood. So I ordered the Crispy Skin Mulloway with leek garlic puree and pine nuts. The fish was so fresh, it melted like malai in my mouth. The fish skin done crisp to perfection. The leek garlic mash had subtle flavors to accompany the fish, ensuring the fish is still the hero. I loved the multiple textures of the fish, the puree and the nuts. The menu has a focus on simple local produce, mostly right from their back garden. You could eat here each day and never get enough of it. 

Photo By Three Blue Ducks

Lemon Meringue Tart

So I decided to treat myself to dessert with their Lemon meringue tart. These little bombs were sheer pleasure of tart, sweet and lemony goodness. Ooohh now I can safely say I have tasted the best lemon meringue tart in the world. During the course of my meal I chatted up with Sam (hope I have got the name right) and he greeted me with 'Namaste. Kaise ho?'. I then discovered he had back packed in India in the 90's for about 3 months and had been to more places than me in my own country.

As I looked them up on the internet later, I found out they had made it big on the world stage and numerous best breakfast lists in Sydney. 

Melbourne's top cafes to tantalise your tastebuds

Finally! Finally! Finally! It was decided; I was going to make it to Australia. Memories started to flash way back from 2010. The Sunday Adelaide central market with the fresh produce. The beautiful fill your day with brightness kind of flowers. The lovely long walks by the river. The cycle ride through narrow pathways to discover beautiful houses. And, yes the culinary joyride. The list definitely doesn't end here. All those culinary experiences have lead to one affirmation. If there was one country that could take the award for world’s greatest restaurant, Australia would bag it, time and again. 

Here are some of my top picks in Melbourne over my short six day visit.

 Short Black Café

My friend suggested perfect morning happen at Short Black. But it was a wet grey cold morning in Melbourne where all I felt was curling up and have warm soup. With a little nudging from my friend D, we finally venture out into the brutality of cold Melbourne mornings. Once inside the café we were in a warm pleasant cocoon. 

Salmon Stack

Lovely on the palate: The Salmon Stack

Latte

A bite of the Salmon stack and you take a walk in fairyland. Gooey yolk, fresh in the pink of health salmon, clean smooth flavors. Just the welcome one needs. 

Church & Main

We left in the morning and headed to Healesville Sanctuary, a short drive from Camberwell. The thing about Melbourne is that you can experience every kind of weather on your short drive. As soon as we entered the sanctuary we were so mesmerized by the birds and the special bird show that we almost forgot about lunch. With not many options available inside the sanctuary we headed out towards the main street. That’s when we spotted the place ‘Church & Main’. It was just a gut choice. Something felt right. Plus we wanted to go back and see the Wombat, Tasmanian Daredevils, the Dingo and much more . Time was running out.

Mango Chicken Crepe on a bed of Rice

Mango chicken crepe over a bed of rice sounded an interesting option to bet on. Simple fresh seasonal produce accompanied with minimal cooking to bring alive all the goodness it has to offer. The subtle mango flavor was just right. 

At Church & Main you are guaranteed a great seasonal menu.

 L’Espresso

Well it was Sunday morning and I was keen to make a good start to the day. Especially after a very disappointing dinner the previous night, where the pancake was topped with half a tub of vanilla ice cream. 

Luscious Eggs Benedict 

So it had to be my favourite combination of eggs benedict & dolce far niente (the sweetness of doing nothing). After all, there is something magical about sitting in a relaxed café feel with luscious eggs benedict and watching the world go by.

 Pancake Kitchen

Melbourne did it again. It became grey and cold all of a sudden in the Gold City, Ballarat.. Suddenly while walking, I spotted a fire place. A real one. It was inviting me with warm open arms. A little peek into the place, we spotted an empty table right besides it. The aroma of pancakes being made in their open kitchen was so inviting that we just settled in without another thought.

Photo by The Pancake Kitchen

TaaDaa! My eureka moment - Raspberry and Rhubarb pancakes. I owe it to Masterchef Aus for adding Ruhbarb to my vocabulary and the fascination to discover Rubarb with all my sensorial. And Pancake Kitchen was making it happen. Well it stood pretty close to the masterchef tasting I had imagined. The R&R pancake was a beautiful amalgamation of sweet and acidic taste with moist melt in mouth perfect pancakes.

The cold definitely brings with it a big appetite and I did try some of the Best breast of chicken Schnitzel pancake from a friend which was good but would have preferred the chicken to be moist.

Victorian at Sovereign Hill

By day, Sovereign Hill is where the gold fields history comes to life. As you step in you feel like you have taken a step back in time to experience the hustle bustle of the main street with horse carriages plying the roads studded by old artifact shops on both sides to where ladies and men parade in their new found wealth. The biggest excitement was for school children at the Red hill digging where one could shovel and pan for real gold. The best part, it is for you to keep once found. I did try my luck at gold digging. Quite an effort though.

Hot soothing Pumpkin Soup

After the extensive and exhausting gold digging manual work, I was hungry. And decided to go with the classic soup and bread combination that most gold mine worker families would sustain on in those times. The pumpkin soup was well seasoned, smooth, creamy, tasty and served hot just the way I like it.

Melbourne did pleasantly surprise me on this culinary journey!