Rising Sun Workshop, Newtown

Prison bento? I bet they don't get these at Litchfield Penitentiary. Instead you'll find it part of the breakfast line-up at Rising Sun Workshop, finally opening up on bigger - and permanent - premises on what was once a Mitre 10 shop. Its original pop-up, only a few blocks away, first introduced Sydneysiders to the symbiosis between ramen and a motorcycle workshop. The new digs boast a much bigger space, an expanded menu and a proper kitchen for head chef Nick Smith.


Upstairs dining area

Ground floor seating lets you sneak a look at everything going on in the motorcycle workshop area while basking in the buzz around the coffee machine and in the kitchen. Upstairs a high-ceilinged dining area yields plenty of communal table seating. Tables are large enough so you don't need to sit at the next person's elbow, but create a pleasing sense of energy whether you're dining in a group or on your own.


Prison bento $15
Rolled egg, pickles, miso soup, sesame stalks, silken tofu, yoghurt and rice

The cafe sticks with three menus: breakfast daily from 8am-11am, lunch daily from 11am-4pm and dinners from Thursday to Saturday from 6pm-10pm.

At lunchtime you'll find the same ramen ramen from the original pop-up, a poetic trio of The Dark, The Light and The Monk. Smith has also thrown in a couple of banh mi (grilled kurobuta belly or black pepper tofu). There's always a vegetarian version of each dish.


Rolled egg and steamed rice with umeboshi pickled plum

Breakfast offers a quirky mishmash of Asian influences. The prison bento is a cheeky reference to its presentation on metal food trays, commonly found in prisons but also used in Indian cuisine to present multi-dish thalis. The compartmentalised recesses are perfect for keeping individual curries separated from your rice and pappadums.


Housemade pickles

Smith assembles a multi-textured vegetarian journey, not too far removed from a traditional Japanese breakfast. That means a collection of silken tofu, cooked vegetables, crunchy pickles, a rolled omelette called tamago, a splodge of yoghurt and steamed rice. Even the miso soup comes in a metal cup. Protein seekers can add grilled fish for an extra five dollars.


Breakfast ramen $15
Buttered toast broth, bacon, egg and tomato

Breakfast ramen is one of the those things that you wonder why noone has ever thought of before. Smith infuses the ramen broth with actual pieces of buttered toast, then ladles it into bowls of ramen with bacon, egg and grilled tomato. It doesn't get more East meets West than this.


Ramen noodles

Crinkly noodles are cooked to a toothsome chew, the bacon is crispy, the fried egg has a gooey yolk, there's a sweet acidity from the tomato, and yes, you really can taste buttered toast in the broth. I relished this much more than I thought I would. It works terrifically well.

Next time I'm definitely headed for the Hokkaido milk buns. The version with mushroom, egg and cheese is said to be mindblowingly good.


Flat white with Single Origin Roasters beans

I love that you can have ramen and a really great coffee here. Chief barista, Daniel Cesarano, worked at both Single Origin Roasters and Melbourne's Seven Seeds, and pumps out coffee that is sweet and robust.


Dark chocolate and ginger cookies

Dimity Genaus makes all the treats you'll find in the sweets cabinet. It's a glass cabinet filled with temptation.


Breton Bun $5.50


The Breton Bun is like a kouign amann pastry laden with cinnamon sugar. The flaky caramelised scroll unravels to reveal crisp layers of pastry. Add the crunch of cinnamon sugar and you've got one helluva addictive indulgence.


Sticky date banana loaf $8
with creme fraiche and granola dust

And the sticky date banana loaf is like some crazy tasty hybrid of sticky date pudding and banana cake. A generous dollop of creme fraiche helps allay any overriding sense of sweetness, but the favourite part of this ensemble is that granola dust. It's like crack. I have no idea what's in it, but I need more.



Grab Your Fork on 
The Unbearable Lightness of Being Hungry podcast

Rising Sun Workshop was actually the location of my interview recording for The Unbearable Lightness of Being Hungry podcast. Lee Tran Lam has been food blogging since 2007 and broadcasting her podcast since 2012. As a regular listener of her podcast, it was an unexpected honour - and rather surreal experience - to be on as a guest and answer the rota of questions I almost know off by heart!

To listen to the podcast, check out Lee Tran's post.


Grab Your Fork's 
food photography tips for Good Food

I was also interviewed by Good Food on my tips for great food photography. I even like that the haters have already left their mark in the comments section! Check out the article (and witty and insightful comments) here.






Rising Sun Workshop
1C Whateley Street, Newtown, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9550 3891

Opening hours:
Breakfast daily 8am-11am
Lunch daily 11am-4pm
Dinner Thursday to Saturday 6pm-10pm


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i-Creamy Artisan Gelato, Sydney

Scoops of gelato? Ptooey. Who wants a boring old hemisphere jammed onto a cone when you can have a lovingly shaped gelato flower instead? Sydneysiders can't get enough of these rose-inspired artworks, judging by the crowds each night at i-Creamy. The gelato itself is serious business too. i-Creamy founder Ben Chitmitrechareon learnt the trade from Gelato Messina legend, Nick Palumbo, at Carpigiani Gelato University. i-Creamy scooped (pun intended) a dozen of gold and silver awards at the 2014 and 2105 Sydney Royal Cheese & Dairy Show.


Gelato counter and display cabinet

The original i-Creamy opened in Bondi Junction in late 2012 but their move to the city - and the new flower gelato offering - has opened up a much wider legion of fans.

The display cabinet holds 24 different flavours, rotated from a total menu of 96 flavour options. You can order by the scoop or pay an extra 30 cents to have them shaped into a rose. The majority of customers choose novelty presentation over the standard scoop.

Gelato prices: 
1 scoop $4.60
2 scoop $6.60
3 scoop $8.60
9 scoop gelato platter $22.90

2 flavour flower gelato $6.90
3 flavour flower gelato $8.90


Beer artisan gelato

There's a definite Asian bent to a lot of flavours - hello Thai milk tea, palm sugar, black sesame and durian - but there are plenty of standards you'd find in an Italian gelato cabinet, including hazelnut, tiramisu and pistachio. They're not afraid to raid the supermarket confectionary aisle either, with riffs that include Kit Kat, Tim Tam, Bounty and Milo. Quirkier flavours include popcorn, white chocolate miso and beer.

The sorbets are all dairy- and gluten-free, in flavours that run from lemon lime and bitters to blood orange to mojito.


Shaping green tea gelato flower petals

Creating a rose out of gelato is mesmerising to watch. A small scoop is wedged into the cone to create a foundation then flattened curls of gelato are carefully pressed and curled over it to create petals. The curls get increasingly larger as the rose extends outwards.


Durian crunchy flower gelato

It takes several minutes to complete each one, and then voila! A gelato rose.


Watching and waiting

This does mean a significant wait during peak hours. If you're in a hurry, the plain scoop gelatos seem to get prioritised.


Blue bubblegum and pinky milky flower gelato

A lot of customers also seem to consider not just flavour matching, but also colour combinations when ordering. And it's no surprise that every kid wanted blue bubblegum. Maybe a few big kids too.


Young coconut and durian crunchy flower gelato

I can vouch that the young coconut gelato is incredibly good, tasting less like coconut cream and more like that young coconut flesh you get in coconut juice drinks. I'm glad that staff were wise enough to put the durian crunchy gelato at its core. By the time you start to hit the durian section, your tastebuds are overwhelmed with its pungency. The durian gelato uses real durian flesh imported from south east Asia. It's unrepentant in its intensity. We love it, although the crunchy bits - smashed up smithereens of durian chips - are a little weird to get used to.

Eating gelato in winter has never been so enticing. And getting a rose has never been so sweet.






i-Creamy Artisan Gelato
Skyview Plaza, Shop 13
537-551 George Street, Sydney

Open daily 11am-10pm


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Turkish Ice Cream - Hakiki, Newtown

Casa do Benfica Portuguese Restaurant at Marrickville & District Hardcourt Tennis Club, Marrickville

Here's one reason to go to a sports club. The food. Sign in, ignore the courts and park yourself at a table for a generous feed and drinks at club prices. You can even rock up in your sweatpants and sneakers. Win.

At Strathfield Sports Club, my favourite way to burn earn the calories is Korean fried chicken. At Marrickville Tennis Club, your digestive system will get a workout courtesy of Portugal. We're talking bacalhau salted cod, grilled seafood and hunks of beef speared on skewers that could double as a sword.


Football memorabilia in the dining room

Pull up in the car park and follow the path towards the sound of thwacking tennis balls. Behind the chairs of huffing and puffing tennis players between games you'll find the club dining hall. The walls are littered with jerseys, photos and memorabilia from Sport Lisboa Benfica, the football/soccer club based in Lisbon after which this house (or casa) is named.


Complimentary bread and olives

We're immediately greeted with a basket of complimentary bread and a bowl of olives. The double-sided laminated menu is more expansive that it first appears. You'll find eleven entrees (from $4 for garlic bread and up to $20 for grilled king prawns) and 26 mains, 12 of which are meat and 14 of which are seafood. These start at $19 for a steak with egg, rice, chips and salad and top out at $60 for the mixed grilled seafood platter that serves two.


Camarão com alho $17
Garlic prawns 

It doesn't take long for our entrees to arrive. Be warned. Portions are massive. Our terracotta dish of sizzling garlic prawns holds about 8 prawns for $17. The prawns are plump and sweet but it's the caramelised garlic oil that's the real winner. Our waiter is quick to replenish our bread basket as we soak up the last sticky remnants of oil.


Ameijoas $18
Vongole clams in lemon and mustard sauce

The vongole clams are listed as an entree but it's more of a main in portioning size. Some of the clams do have a little grit and sand, but otherwise they're cooked masterfully, tender and succulent in their dousing of tangy lemony sauce.


Bife à Portuguesa $23
Steak, round chips and egg

If protein and carbs are your thing, then Portuguese steak and chips is for you. A massive steak comes with added protein in the form of a fried egg. And forget about the paper-thin discs of finely shaved radish spotted in fancy restaurants these days. The original protein camouflage is the chip, sliced thinly and fried until golden, draped over the steak in a blanket of modesty.


Bacalhau no tachinho $25
Fried codfish, tomato sauce and round chips

The promise of round chips is the clincher for our next dish. There are five different ways you can order the bacalhau or salted cod, one of Portugal's most revered dishes. We choose fried over grilled or boiled. The bacalhau no tachinho comes smothered in a saucy mix of onion and tomato, adding a terrific tang to the cod that flakes apart with ease.

The chips are great too, like the original hand-cut potato crisp. That surface area to thickness ratio is ideal for maximum crunch.


Chocos grelhados $22
Grilled cuttlefish, boiled potatoes and salad

Grilled cuttlefish is probably my favourite dish of the day, another gargantuan serve for only $22. The cuttlefish is fresh and tender, imparted with a smoky kiss from the grill. A handful of boiled potatoes and a simple garden salad make ideal accompaniments. You could almost picture yourself eating this dish in a little seaside town on the coast of Portugal.


Pudim de caramelo $6
Creme caramel flan

The display fridge on the counter provides a preview of the day's desserts on offer. We go with the classic creme caramel, a wobbly baked custard drowned in bittersweet caramel sauce.


Molotof $6
Meringue with egg and almond lemon custard

And we can't resist the Portuguese favourite, molotof. You could call this a distant cousin of the Aussie pavlova, a pillowy soft ring of meringue that's like the soft innards you find inside the pavlova shell. The meringue is sandwiched with a lemony custard.


Dance floor and the dining room

We exerted ourselves simply by trying to eat what we ordered, but if you're feeling particularly energetic, the weekend band manages to get several folk onto the dance floor.

Good food. Great prices. Huge portions. Game, set, match.






Casa do Benfica Portuguese Restaurant
Marrickville & District Hardcourt Tennis Club
1 Centennial Street, Marrickville, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9569 1966

Opening hours
Monday to Saturday 11am-3pm and 6pm-9pm
Sunday 11am-3pm


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Marrickville - The Yeeros Shop

Canterbury Foodies and Farmers Market, Canterbury

Inner westies have a new farmers market to wake up every Sunday with the Canterbury Foodies and Farmers Markets. This is the third market venue for the Organic Foodies Markets, adding to its current markets at Ramsgate and Peakhurst. I went along in its second week of trade (the markets started on June 26 this year) and was amazed by the number and variety of stalls.


Daffodils

The market set-up alongside Canterbury Racecourse works well. There's a huge car park for customers and the sprawling grounds mean there's plenty of space to walk and wander between stalls without feeling hemmed in.


Trampoline bungee

There were slides, trampoline bungee and Shetland pony rides for the kids but we were more fascinated by the fresh produce, baked goods and food on offer. I was impressed by the variety of food stalls, that extended far beyond the usual bacon and egg rolls and gozleme.

I'm also loving that they're open relatively late, trading from 9am until 2pm - allowing you a good sleep-in and a market run!


Almond croissants by Brickfields


Sourdough by Brickfields


Persian love cake, orange blossom semolina cake and black sesame and coconut biscuits by Brickfields


Apples by Yuri's Sustainable Produce in Orange


Organic kestrel potatoes


Fresh beetroot


Organic onions and lemons


Gourds


Radishes


Chocolate tarts from The Bakehouse Co


Rhubarb and pistachio tarts from The Bakehouse Co


Orange blossom loaf from The Bakehouse Co


Pretzels by Neus German Bread


Organic Jerusalem artichokes and celeriac


Sariwa Fresh Foods organic fruit and vegetables


Live band enertainment


Damaskos Greek souvlaki


Alexander's Bakery Burek

Gozleme


Chevapi


Chilean street food from Pochito


El Chato South American chorizo roll with onions and egg from Pochito $9


South American chorizo and coriander salsa from Pochito $6


Honeycomb cronuts from Queens Pastri House


SaCrepe Bleu crepe stall


Bubblegum fairy floss made from organic sugar with popping candy confetti by Fluffy Crunch


Fairy floss with salted caramel


Caramel custard donuts 





The Canterbury Foodies and Farmers Market
Canterbury Racecourse
Corner King Street and Cheviot Street
Every Sunday 9am-2pm


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First and third Sunday: Brewery Yard, Central Park