Simmone Logue Double Bay

I’m usually for trying different dishes when I go to restaurants and cafes. As they often say, variety is the spice of life! However, there are some places where I return to the same favourite meal every time. For me, one of those places is the local café Simmone Logue at Double Bay. They do one of my favourite breakfast dishes ever - the Grilled Field Mushrooms . I substitute avocado for the feta that comes standard with it and it turns into the most wondrous of flavour combinations. The odd time that I have ordered something else, I have sat there wishing I had ordered my beloved grilled mushrooms.

Although I order the same items off the menu each time, it is lovely to see the different interpretations taken by whoever is cooking. I like going to places where your dish will be one of a kind rather than one of many that looks like it is precision-tested off a production line. Sometimes my plate will have slices of avocado on the side and others it will be spread on the toast. Sometimes all the ingredients will be piled into one big sculpture and others they will all be neatly arranged separately so that I can eat them in the order and combination of my fancy. It is always a surprise. The other big draw of Simmon Logue is that they have the best sourdough bread in Sydney that I have tasted - bar none. The loaf has a firm crust, but not overly so, and inside is the softest ,fluffiest most wonderfully scented bread. It is perfect for toast, sandwiches or to eat alone as I often do when I pass my kitchen counter. Simmon Logue is located in Cross Street, Double Bay. There is indoor and outdoor seating and I recommend you arrive early as there is not a lot of it available. Once you finish your coffee and reading the paper, go browse the nearby shops which have an interesting and unique selection of books, gifts and homewares.

 

Tetsuya's

My sister and I had the delight of spending a rainy afternoon at Tetsuya’s last Saturday.   We chose to have the degustation menu, which consisted of ten different courses.  Little did we know what an unexpected treat we were in for. 

The heritage-listed restaurant premises are stylish but very low key.  The north side of the dining room is made up of glass windows that overlook a peaceful Japanese style garden including a little waterfall.  The atmosphere is very tranquil.

We were served throughout the meal by different waiters that explained each of the dishes before serving it.  They were knowledgeable, polite and most importantly, unobtrusive. 

This is a listing of the courses -

Chestnut Soup

Steamed Tofu Custard with Shiitake Mushroom

Terrine of Summer Vegetables

Smoked Ox-Heart Tomato with Aged Chardonnay Vinaigrette

Warm Autumn Vegetables with Konnyaku

Beetroot Risotto with Blood Orange Marmalade

Salt-Roasted Sweet Potato with Macadamia Cream and Spinach

Pickled King Oyster Mushroom with Polenta

Pear Sorbet (palate cleanser)

Apple Granita with Basil Jelly

Soy Chocolate Ice Cream with Compressed Strawberries

Petit Fours

Apart from the warm autumn vegetables and the petit fours, I have tasted nothing like the other dishes.  While the ingredients were familiar, they were combined in unique ways or in new textures that gave them a whole new life.  Take the humble tomato.  The Smoked Ox-Heart Tomato dish had layers and layers of compressed smoked tomato – it was so tender and flavourful that it hands-down my favourite.   The basil jelly also worked surprisingly well with the apple. 

 

If there is any gripe, and it is a small one, it is that I would have liked one of the desserts to be different from the ice-cream/sorbet type.  That, or I would have exchanged on of the savoury dishes for an additional dessert. 

But overall, I hope to visit again and see what other delicious and interesting ways this restuarant can prepare plant-based foods.

Risotto

I had plenty of basil which means pesto! Instead of having it on the usual pasta I tried a recipe that teams it with a lemony and cheesy risotto.