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French Christmas Shopping in Sydney

16/12/2014

Food & Gourmandises

LadurEE New Shop - 111 Queen Street - Woolhara

Macarons Galore - The new Ladurée shop at 111 Queen Street - Woolhara

Instead of our traditional Saturday morning markets crawl, we chose to organise a virtual shopping crawl of all things French in our beautiful city of Sydney. And in Our French Impressions fashion, let's start with some nourriture...and the newly opened Ladurée boutique in Woolhara.

Side façade of the New Ladurée shop in Woolhara

Warm welcome from Pauline - a French native from Paris - at the entrance of Ladurée new shop

The beautiful interior designed by my friends Louise Bell and Shane Cogan from Interni, who also did Hermès a few years back

Piéce de résistance for a family reunion, maybe....or a wedding

You can also visit the shop and tea house at Westfield Sydney

Pierre Labancz - Rozelle

Ladurée chocolats & confiserie

Some of the best croissants in Sydney are in Rozelle at Labancz - 719 Darling Street

Bread, viennoiseries and cakes, the full gamut of French sweetness chez C'est Bon

Sweet and savoury - rich quiches and best lemon tart in the World chez C'est Bon

Choco Cannelle - 2 Callaghan StreeT - Ryde

C'Est Bon - Rozelle

Pierre Labancz in full swing!

Tout est très bon chez Michel and Elisabeth C'est Bon in Rozelle

Nice name for a French pastry shop

Pastries only at Choco Cannelle in Ryde

Excellent croissants from Choco Cannelle

La Bastide - Le roi du Saucisson

La Bastide run by Jean-Marc - Le Roi du Saucisson - You can also buy online http://www.labastide.com.au

New range of patés at La Bastide - here at the Orange Grove market in Rozelle

Baguette from Labancz, saucisson from La Bastide and a glass of red wine for an impromptu lunch

La Planchette Berbigier - Best French Cheese

The talented Mister Christian Estèbe - La Planchette Berbigier - Marrickville Organic Market on Sundays

The next generation is ready to take over - here at Double Bay Organic Market on Thursdays

Fromages Fermiers are the specialty of La Planchette who imports directly from France

La Planchette Berbigier is at the Kings Cross Organic Market on Saturdays

You can also buy online here: http://berbigier.com.au

WINE

VINTAGE CELLARS ULTIMO

Although Jon Osbeiston has now definitively departed what was once called Ultimo Wine Centre, this is still the place to shop for French Wines. There is a great promotion at the moment where one can buy an interesting selection of vintage bottles and get 3 bottles for the price of 2. Best value would be the Chateau Lerville Barton, St Julien 2010 for a cool 186.66 each down from320!

Cotes du Rhollars Ultimo

Bordeaux St Jukien - my favourite wines ever - at Vintage Cellars Ultimo

More Bordeaux wines at Vintage Cellars Ultimo

The Oak Barrel - Sydney

The Oak Barrel in Elisabeth Street - Sydney

The Oak Barrel in Elisabeth Street, Sydney has a quaint selection of French wines from smaller and generally organic/biodynamic wines from the various wine regions, including some great bargains.
They are also famous for their immense collection of microbrewery beers from all over the Planet and an excellent choice of single malt whiskies. Sounds like the Auld Alliance to me...

Languedoc wines at The Oak Barrel

Bourgognes at The Oak Barrel

FIVE WAYS CELLARs - Paddington

Five Way Cellars Shopfront

Although I don't shop there very often, Five Way Cellars is one of the top destinations in Sydney for French Wine lovers. It is a smallish shop, so don't expect the breath of selection one can find in Ultimo. However, the quality of the advice is second to none and is probably more "boutique" than Vintage Cellars Ultimo, but more classic that the Oak Barrel, if I wanted to stereotype...but I won't!

Five Way Cellars put on very good wine tasting events

Five Way Cellars - A sample of the collection on offer

BOOVABILITY

Boovability - Import collection, mostly from Chapoutier and biodynamic small French wineries

Tom Munro, a winemaker with experience in France and Australia is the agent for Chapoutier in Australia. This in itself would be enough for me to buy from him...You can only buy from his market stalls - I met him in North Sydney, which happens on the 3rd Saturday of the month - and online. His selection of French wines, although limites, is amazing and he also markets small wineries production that he helps vinify. Watch this guy, he definitely has the skills and the connections to become big!

Boovability - an interesting range of white wines from France and Australia

Gifts and Fashion
The Majors

Hermès Sydney

Chanel Sydney

Dior Sydney

Louis Vuitto Sydney

One might be intimidated entering one of these shops and wondering if one can afford anything from these prestigious brands. Let me reassure you, I am certainly not a golden boy, but I always find something suitably priced and gorgeous for the ladies in my life - my wife and daughter, silly you - and whether it is a beautiful Carré or bracelet from Hermès, or some earrings, perfume or other accessories (shoes, anyone...) I have shop in theses beautiful boutiques and experienced and appreciate the amazing level of service as well as the magnificent fitouts - some of them I have been involved with.
So don't be shy, even if you have only a few hundred dollars to spend, you will find this little treasure you are after and will be rewarded, Messieurs, by the look on your significant other's face!

Les Bonnes Adresses at the QVB

Les Bonnes Adresses at the QVB - Sydney

Les Bonnes Adresses at the QVB - the most beautiful shopping centre in the world, according to Karl Lagerfeld - import a range of homewares, perfumes, scarfs, candles and other very well curated objects from some of the most second tier brands in France, like Fragonard. You will find a great choice of gifts mostly under 500$ there, and you will be served by the gracious owner, an expert at soft selling!

Fragonard - some of the best perfumes in the world - all the way from Grasse, its perfume capital

Amazing scented candles all the way from Versailles - royal!

Beautiful window dressing at Les Bonnes Adresses - QVB Sydney

MLC Shopping Centre

Christmas Lighting Display at the MLC shopping Centre

Unfortunately, this location has attracted all the wrong attention in the news recently with the deadly incident at the Lindt Cafe, a short stroll from the MLC Centre. This is indeed tragic and this is not the place to relate the story that made the headlines around the World a few days ago.
In the framework of our story though, this is a great shopping destination fro French products, with Cartier, Longchamp and Cosette having their permanent to temporary homes there.

Cartier at the MLC Centre

Longchamp at the MLC - handbags and leather accessories

High Fashion pop-up store Cosette

This article gives you a glimpse into the world of French Impressions in Sydney. This is by no means exhaustive, and it would require a book to do so, and include Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth at least to be complete. And we might just do that later, perhaps a good project for 2015...qui sait? Let me know if this is something you would be interested in and I might put a crowd funding campaign to start it...

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It has been a busy week for this Foodie!

7/12/2014

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The Nutty Baker @ 1 Bligh Street - Sydney

Nina Siljanovic - The Nuttty Baker

Drop the "n" in banker for "nuts" and you get " The Nutty Baker"! In a twist of fate, Nina went into baking for a living almost by accident, and now, she is so successful that she had to move out of her kitchen and rent time and space at The Imperial Hotel in Paddington, where she also runs baking classes in her spare time, between making cakes, catering for functions or selling her beautiful and delicious contraptions in aptly timed pop up stores around the city's financial district.
Nina and I have known each other for a while and met without knowing each other at a recent Martin Place event and more regularly at the Overweigh Markets where she helps the lovely people at Bird Cow Fish, and this in turn triggered her friendship with Jared Ingersoll. We finally met properly!
Her Amarettis - her initial product - and her boozy chocolate and orange cake, her own personal take on the inevitable Christmas pudding, are absolutely delicious and didn't last long in our house...

The Nutty Baker - The famous Christmas Boozy Chocolate and Orange Cake - the family size here!

The Nutty Baker - The famous Amaretti, a big help to go through monthly reports under the watchful eye of my Maman

The Nutty Baker - The small version of the Chocolate and Orange Christmas Cake

A not so reasonable end to a light Saturday lunch "en famille"

Milano Torino First (French...) Impressions

Milano Torino - Rosebery - A spartan but welcoming look

I have known Dario Milano for almost five years, and he is the only photographer I took lessons from, apart from my maternal grandfather with whom I learned the arcanes of photography many decades ago... Dario comes from Torino and relocated to Sydney about ten years ago with both a hospitality and photographer background, the later helping him crack the difficult genre which is food photography!
Just a little over a week ago, Dario opened Milano Torino Restaurant in Rosebery, an up an coming suburb of Sydney south of the CBD, famous for two other good places, the canteen-like Kitchen by Mike, which I frequent regularly for lunch and Da Mario, a more formal Italian eatery.
Together with Chef Riccardo Giambastiani, ex Balla and Otto, born in Lucca, Tuscany, they have created a Northern Italian menu which is quite interesting.

Milano Torino - my favourite feature of the house

Chef Riccardo Giambastani had just finished making fresh pasta

Milano Torino - Fresh pasta made during my visit

I tried the veal with tuna and capers sauce, a great take on the classic vitello tonnato, with the tuna cooked in a reduction of vegetables, herbs, white wine and then emulsified with EVOO to look like a mayonnaise, but with no egg in it, hence much lighter. Lightly grilled capers are peppered over the plate, adding crunchiness and bitterness to what could well have been very bland. The veal is cooked very slowly at 67 degrees and then very thinly sliced.

Milano Torino - Veal with tuna and capers sauce

Milano Torino - one of the salads prepared for another guest

Being there for lunch, the entrée sized veal dish was sufficient, but to sample one more thing, I decided to try one of the desserts, the chocolate, coffee and amaretti pudding and a nice coffee on the side...

Milano Torino - Chocolate, Coffee and Amaretti pudding - the macaron is like the cherry on the cake!

The macaron was quickly devoured, and the cake didn't last much longer...

Milan Torino - Great coffee and little biscuits!

My take on this new restaurant is that it is more geared towards the dinner crowds than the lunch trade. The pricing is too steep for a lunch alone person, and I understand that Dario is going to introduce lunch specials dishes to make it more attractive and affordable. Good on you!
Although I have not been yet for dinner, I think Milano Torino can compete with Da Mario near by or Via Alta in Willoughby. It is BYO only for the time being, until Dario gets his (liquor...) license. He, Riccardo and their team certainly don't need any further training in the food department and the service is casual but attentive and charming. It was great to reconnect with Dario and meet his team. Well done!

Mojo by Luke Manga - Pop Up Market in Danks Street - waterloo

Mojo is a relatively new venue where Luke Mangan tests his new recipes for his restaurants and ventures and also where people can have private parties enjoying Luke's beautiful cuisine as well as being a wine and tapas bar in popular Danks Street, a location made trendy by Jared Ingersoll and his now defunct Danks Street Depot.
Luke runs a string of restaurants around the world under his famous Salt banner as well as his top restaurant glass at the Hilton Sydney, just opposite the QVB. He also consults for P&O Cruises and Virgin Australia and is about to look after food and beverages at two new resorts in the Maldives!
As they say, if you want something done, talk to a busy person...
I like Luke's simple, innovative and perfectly executed cuisine, skills honed first in Melbourne under Herman Schneider, then in London with Michel Roux, a training not for the faint hearted...

Luke Mangan - Kingfish with Ginger, Eschallots, Feta & Wild Rocket - Photo supplied

Today, though, I am visiting for Luke's food, but because of a pop up Christmas market happening on the premises and populated by a raft of well known, and not so well known, food providers and else...
Toffee apples, French style wines from Rylstone, Pastabilities, Brooklyn bagels and the incontournable Vic's Meat and Butler & Bentley and some of their suppliers. A few photos will give you the gist of it.

Fresher than fresh - Poppin Pods herbs and chillies - poping up at Mojo

A nice feel as you enter the Mojo space

Joseph Dunn loves his - toffee - apples - lovedemapplez - such a good Oz name

Domaine de Beaurepaire - Janet and Amanda enthralled me so much with their lovely wines and story that I forgot to take a picture and had to pinch this one from their FB page! We will have a proper review soon!

Janet & Richard De Beaurepaire in their vineyard in Rylstone

Butler & Bentley - The boys and their wares

Butler & Bentley - Healthy and not so healthy - organic juices and fruits dipped in chocolate...

More sweets from ButterCrème Lane - Quel joli nom...

Australia on a Plate - One of the largest imported and local cheeses providores

Vic's Meat Market open at the Sydney Fish Market since September

Mojo by Luke Mangan - Head Chef Wayne Lee on the right

Mojo by Luke Mangan - All set and ready for Saturday Night Fever

SMH Growers Market - Pyrmont - December 6th 2014 - Last of the year with Karen Martini

Amazing weather for this month market considering last night...

Stormy Weather....

A few new stalls at this last market of the year, and a notoriously famous Chef as a host, Karen Martini were the highlights of my visit. Karen Martini made her name as the Chef for Better Homes & Gardens, a TV program that have been running for ages and that I don't think I need to introduce...Not my usual sort of TV watching, as I try to avoid commercial television and do most of my watching on demand.
Having said that, the show is watched by millions of people, so Karen Martini has a great following.
She is the perfect choice for TV, as her bubbly personality, her ease with words and her down to earth approach and humour make her instantly likeable. I think I caught a few glimpses of her personality in the photos below. She obviously a great cook as well and did two simple dishes over her breakfast and mid morning appearances. I was early enough to be able to photograph her first dish, bacon and eggs with a twist, meaning a vegetarian version with mushroom, haloumi & tahini! And then a great salad, whose dressing was probably the most important element in the success of the recipe. I love her for saying that "you should NOT eat too much KALE" !!! Let's have a "kale free week" please...

Karen Martini at The SMH Growers Market in Pyrmont - preparing kale...

New book - Karen Martini - Home

Karen Martini's egg, mushroom, haloumi and tahini - breakfast anyone?

Seasoning the dressing for the salad, under the watch of Joanne Savill

A very determined lady squeezing lemons into the dressing

Add yoghurt and we are on our way to have a celeriac, apple and kale slaw with smoked almonds and dehydrated anchovies

The dressing is ready - on to shredding vegetables...

Best tools to toss the salad - your own hands

Done and...dusted with dried anchovies

Finishing touches...

Vue du ciel...I am in heaven

And more book signing...

The big scoop of the day was the subdued announcement that Joanne Savill will no longer be the organiser and presenter of this monthly market. She said that she was passing the baton on, but we were not privy of who will be the next host, neither was it clear if Joanna will still be in charge of Good Food Month. Joanne has done A LOT for good food awareness in this country and I suppose it was not an easy decision to let go of such a responsibility. I was certainly surprised, maybe even a little shocked, as Joanne and I had strike a friendship over these last couple of years. The stallholders knew in advance and did show their gratitude in the most delicate and civilised way...

Joanne Savill accepting a beautiful bouquet as a big thank you from the stallholders on her announcement of passing the baton on

And now some new people, and some not so new...next market in February!

Brooklyn Bagel Boys

New stallholders - hazelnut oil, so delicate...all the way from Mudgee!

Steph's Gourmet Foods, le roi du saucisson!

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French Christmas Shopping in Sydney

Food & Gourmandises

LadurEE New Shop - 111 Queen Street - Woolhara

Pierre Labancz - Rozelle

Choco Cannelle - 2 Callaghan StreeT - Ryde

C'Est Bon - Rozelle

La Bastide - Le roi du Saucisson

La Planchette Berbigier - Best French Cheese

WINE

VINTAGE CELLARS ULTIMO

The Oak Barrel - Sydney

FIVE WAYS CELLARs - Paddington

BOOVABILITY

Gifts and Fashion
The Majors

Les Bonnes Adresses at the QVB

MLC Shopping Centre

It has been a busy week for this Foodie!

The Nutty Baker @ 1 Bligh Street - Sydney

Milano Torino First (French...) Impressions

Mojo by Luke Manga - Pop Up Market in Danks Street - waterloo

SMH Growers Market - Pyrmont - December 6th 2014 - Last of the year with Karen Martini

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Subscribe to our Newsletter

French Christmas Shopping in Sydney

Food & Gourmandises

LadurEE New Shop - 111 Queen Street - Woolhara

Pierre Labancz - Rozelle

Choco Cannelle - 2 Callaghan StreeT - Ryde

C'Est Bon - Rozelle

La Bastide - Le roi du Saucisson

La Planchette Berbigier - Best French Cheese

WINE

VINTAGE CELLARS ULTIMO

The Oak Barrel - Sydney

FIVE WAYS CELLARs - Paddington

BOOVABILITY

Gifts and FashionThe Majors

Les Bonnes Adresses at the QVB

MLC Shopping Centre

It has been a busy week for this Foodie!

The Nutty Baker @ 1 Bligh Street - Sydney

Milano Torino First (French...) Impressions

Mojo by Luke Manga - Pop Up Market in Danks Street - waterloo

SMH Growers Market - Pyrmont - December 6th 2014 - Last of the year with Karen Martini

Author

Archives

Categories

Gifts and Fashion
The Majors