Foodies’ Diary: Carnal Vices

Now that we’re in the depths of winter, one can surely be forgiven for indulging a few carnal vices?

Get Lei’d
If you haven’t planned a winter escape somewhere warm and hot like I have (I’m coming back soon, Aitutaki) you might want to do the next best thing by heading down to The Victoria Room on Thursday 4th August. Their Gilligan’s Island Tropical Luau is the perfect place to maroon yourself, so don your best grass skirt, and hopefully you’ll get lei’d. Knocking back a few of Lee Potter Cavanagh’s Zombies served up in cute ceramic tiki mugs will probably increase your chances. But even if the wahine ain’t biting, you’re still likely to get a little of Maryann’s Coconut Cream Pie.
www.thevictoriaroom.com

I Lick Chocolate
For those that like their pleasure chocolate brown, the Hunter Valley Gardens is encouraging you to make a naughty weekend of it on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th August. They’re holding their fourth annual Chocolate Festival. Just imagine – you, your hunk of burning love, a spa villa and 7-courses of a chocolate inspired degustation ($150/head) as foreplay! Mister ‘macaron tower’ himself, Adriano Zumbo will be up there strutting his stuff, plus there’s a chocolate pavilion where you can pick up some of the best boutique melting stuff for some ‘back at the villa’ type fun.
www.hvg.com.au

Lettuce Eat-In
This week I’ve been a bit of a homebody, which is almost unheard of in this job! After getting a little bored with the usual dinner sides, I started cracking into some of the ripper winter lettuces popping up about town from the guys at Perfection Fresh. I’m all about the Treviso™ radicchio this week… and I’ve convinced my husband that you eat it cooked! It’s nicely adult in flavour with a bitterness that cuts against all those fatty slabs of pork belly we like to put away in colder weather. Roast it, grill it, or stir it through a decadent risotto.  It goes particularly well with butter and cheese – a warm, winter romance meal if ever I heard one…
www.perfection.com.au

Viva La France!
Nobody speaks the language of love quite like the French, and of course this week it’s their biggest national holiday! So stir up some passion with a meal at your French local. My personal French favourite has changed in recent times, with a stellar meal at Leichhardt’s Bistro Ortolan still haunting my tastebuds!  If you need more incentive to get out of the house this Bastille Day (July 14th), Kronenbourg 1664 the “First French Beer” will make your first beer complimentary at French restaurants all over town! Celebrate at Double Bay’s Ad Lib Bistro, or with Apres at Potts Point or dabble in sex and death at Rozelle favourite, La Grande Bouffe. Come to think of it, the light citrusy flavour would go down a treat with some garlic escargot! I like my snails at Number One Wine Bar, who are sadly not offering free beer, but definitely a corker of a spot for date-night anyway!
www.bistroortolan.com.au
www.adlibbistro.com
www.apres.net.au
www.lagrandebouffe.com.au
www.numberonewinebar.com

Stimulate Yourself
If I still haven’t been able to get a rise out of you thus far with my poor attempts at carnal humour, you might at least consider stimulating yourself with some coffee on Friday 5th August. Your steaming cup of Joe will help the homeless if you buy it from participating CafeSmart venues like the Little Green Bean in Randwick or from the handsome Shoja Sasa at Single Origin in Surry Hills.
www.streetsmartaustralia.org

I don’t think I could write about coffee without saying I’m not adverse to a little barista-porn myself. These days the boys at Rosso Espresso in Surry Hills serve up my tattooed and left-of-centre cup of Morgan’s Handcrafted. Of course it’s just about the coffee…