Posts Tagged ‘maple syrup’
- In: Australia | Brisbane | Eating | Queensland
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On our last day in Brisbane we bartered a ride to the airport for breakfast at The Little Larder. A popular café in the riverside neighbourhood of New Farm, it was quiet mid morning on a weekday. There was temporary reprieve from the heat and humidity of a subtropical spring.
A creative chalkboard in colourful calligraphy enticed passers-by.
Inside were birch tables, bold red walls and metal racks of newspapers and magazines. We were seated outside on a bench in the shade.
Stools were engraved with ‘Larder’.
A cute porcelain pot of sea salt flakes.
‘The lot’, a traditional British fry-up, will sustain you through the day! A large plate was piled with poached eggs, bacon, sausage, hash brown, caramelised onion, roasted tomato and toast.
The eggs Benedict was layered with grilled ham, ladled with a glossy Hollandaise sauce and topped with a crostini.
A healthy choice was poached eggs drizzled with dill mayonnaise on a square of crispy polenta served with roasted tomato, avocado slices, spinach and a wedge of lemon.
I have fond memories The Little Larder’s French toast with grilled banana and maple syrup so I ordered it again. Dusted with icing sugar, I saturated the eggy bread in the Canadian specialty. I savoured the sweet bananas, appreciating that it was still a treat after a cyclone damaged crops earlier this year.
We left content after a hearty breakfast, cups of coffee and glasses of cold pressed juices.
- In: Eating | Seattle | South Lake Union | USA | Washington
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Autumn is here. I love the transition between seasons, how the previous lingers and the next emerges. Crisp mornings and deciduous trees shedding their golden leaves, interspersed with surprise bursts of sunshine.
A couple of locals have mentioned Row House Café and we meandered over to South Lake Union for weekend brunch. Located on Republican between Fairview and Minor, it is away from the Westlake and Terry hub.
A homely house converted into a café, Row House is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week.
The front room is warm and welcoming with chalkboard menus, cake stands and bottle lined shelves.
There are two dining rooms decorated with eclectic recycled furniture.
Salvaged mirrors hung on walls and it was fun to peek in them for interesting reflections.
Row House served illy coffee and I cozied up to a smooth mocha.
It was quiet on a late Saturday morning and service was efficient. The relatively small café had about a dozen items on the weekend brunch menu.
Mr S ordered the eggs Benedict with prosciutto. We exchanged a knowing glance when we noticed the uniform shape of the poached eggs. Deceptive in appearance, the eggs were perfectly poached and not rubbery. The Hollandaise sauce was a little bland and watery but the oozing yolk and cured meat were flavoursome.
I was tempted by the description of the hundred layer French toast. An interpretation of French toast made with a flattened croissant, it was buttery and soft.
The Row House website describes the café as a ‘conversation house’ and it is indeed a welcoming place to sip coffee and chat.
- In: Downtown | Eating | Seattle | USA | Washington
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Ms S drives a distinctive car and I spotted her in it while crossing a busy intersection a few weeks ago. There was about ten seconds before the lights changed and we said a quick hello. She recently moved into our neighbourhood and we scheduled a weekend brunch at Boat Street Café.
Located at an awkward spot, a prominent sign is painted at street level on a flowering garden bed. In a building alcove and hidden from view, the restaurant is an urban retreat.
There are two connected dining rooms and the adjacent Boat Street Kitchen offer private party cooking classes and event catering. On one wall is a blackboard with a chalk drawing of a dog, an adorable Labrador.
The interior is light, airy and whimsically decorated with pastel garland, paper parasols and oriental lanterns.
It was a lovely morning and we opted to dine al fresco. An eclectic collection of tables and chairs are in the courtyard, some with red polka dot tablecloths. We sat at a rustic whitewashed wooden picnic table.
The brunch menu is split into a column for breakfast and another for lunch. There was a selection of eggs Benedict and scrambled eggs. Mr S picked scrambled eggs with smoked trout and side salad. Fluffy and just set, the scrambled eggs embraced flaky chunks of smoked trout.
I knew what I was going to order as soon as we agreed on where to eat. I will always have an appetite for cornmeal custard cake served with sausage and maple syrup. A bold statement, the menu declares it ‘better than pancakes’. I agree!
Oven baked until golden and crusted, the wedge was thick and creamy on the inside. The plump sausage balanced the sweet stickiness of the maple syrup, and the fresh bananas freshened up the meal.
Our cups were refilled with tea and coffee as we chatted, the simple pleasure of sharing food and conversation.
