Opening a bar in Prohibition America sounds like financial suicide, doesn’t it? But for the Peanut on Kansas City’s Main Street, it’s proven to be a masterstroke.

Almost 90 years later, this local institution is still serving sippers and soaks the liquor and wine that would once have been tucked away behind its broad darkwood bar.

Windows, once painted to protect its patrons from police, now look out from a single-room bar packed with Americana gathered probably since the Peanut first opened in 1933.

Amongst the beer posters, KC plates and odes to the Royals is an excerpt from a magazine review.

“At the Peanut, you will feel like a stranger for about, oh, 10 seconds,” its sub reads.

They got that right.

The Peanut on Main – KCMO’s oldest bar and the best wings in town

And perhaps it’s Kansas City’s Midwestern friendliness and hospitality that’s at play, but it’s evident that KCMO has comfort food down to a fine art.

If there’s any doubt of that, you need to check out our tour of Kansas City’s incredible barbecue scene.

At the Peanut, you will feel like a stranger for about, oh, 10 seconds.

But my first steps through the doors of the Peanut are one of those magical travel moments that I’ll always remember. And like many vivid memories, this one’s all about smell… more specifically the smell of food!

That iconic aroma – rich, tangy, spicy and savoury – fill the air already thick with laughter, music and friendly chatter.

Eyes wide, I turn to Christina: “wow! Can you smell buffalo wings?”

Sure enough, within minutes of finding a table, our friends conjure a huge bowl of chicken; orange, sticky and unctuous – as the menu declares – ‘best wings in KC!’

You buy them by the dozen here at the Peanut, but when the bar’s chef, John Navarre, comes out to chat, it’s the BLTs he’s most pleased with.

We dodge into the tiny kitchen at the back of the bar to see how John does it.

“Sure, the wings are good,” he shrugs. “You know what the secret sauce is?”

Grinning, he holds up two things next to the polished steal prep counter: a bottle of Frank’s Red Hot and butter.

“Equal parts, simple as that.”

Equal parts butter and an off-the-shelf sauce you can even buy in Australia. Brilliant. How audacious. But it works.

You also marinade the wings in plenty of black pepper overnight and fry them super-hot, so maybe not that simple.

BLT at The Peanut – bacon, lettuce and tomato never tasted so good

As for the Peanut’s BLTs, they come from a recipe handed down through three generations.

I’m not sure if John Navarre was supposed to give it up, but here it is:

– Toast one side of the bread on the hotplate, then add mayonnaise and pepper.
– Then press lettuce over on itself and top with more mayo.
– Cut thick slices of tomato and then fry at least four long streaky bacon rashers until they’re very crispy, adding them in that order.
– Finally top with crated cheddar and topped with the other slice of bread, then turn the whole thing on the hotplate to toast the bread and melt the cheese.

The result is superlative.

What else is up at the Peanut?

Apart from its impressive menu (the Nachos Supreme – a mountain of chips, queso, chilli, tomatoes, onions, black olives, cheese and of course sour cream – is the ultimate crowd-pleaser), the Peanut is a fascinating melting pot.

John Navarre tells us a bit more about the bar’s history. It got its name not from the most likely place of a classic bar snack, but from architecture.

Walnut Tower, built on Walnut Street way downtown was the country’s first condo. Then came the Peanut Tower… followed by its eponymous blind tiger.

John tells us the Peanut’s a special place – it brings in locals from every walk of life. There’s something about this prohibition speakeasy and its careful blend of zane, history, sports and friendliness that brings folk in.

I think that review got it wrong though: it took us way less than 10 seconds to feel at home here.

We sit back down at our table, leaving John to his covers – he’s the only one in the kitchen and has been for over three years now. The energy in the bar picks up – as does the noise.

The Chiefs are on the TV – and they’re winning.

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The Sydney food scene seems to have been striding steady forward the whole time I’ve lived here. It’s fascinating and exciting to see where things will go next.

In this edition of 5 Foodie Finds, we’re looking at the new, the improved, the reinvented and the sublimely traditional.

From a hipster curry house to a pizzeria bringing it back to the old country, we’re thrilled about the wealth of eateries waiting to be discovered in the beautiful city of Sydney.

5 Foodie Finds – Sydney restaurants with a difference

The Cottage, Balmain

What started life as an instant classic in the Sydney restaurant scene, this pretty venue has always been a popular spot for locals and visitors to Balmain.

We reviewed the Cottage a while ago and loved it. Since then, it’s seen a few changes, but the aesthetic and the cosy yet professional feel of the place has mercifully been maintained.

What has is changed the head chef. Adam McCaughey has found his way here via some incredible food institutions like Neil Perry’s Rockpool and the double-Michelin-starred restaurant Noma, recognised as the world’s best restaurant.

McCaughey has added his own particular flair to a menu that has withstood the test of time.

It’s never been a big menu at the Cottage, but what’s here has always been popular. Revamping classic dishes like the roasted cauliflower and the excellent pizzas (this one is the Fun Guy mushroom and truffle pizza) has added that extra level to the food here.

The crispy pork belly is also quite excellent, served with confit artichokes, and celeriac and vanilla puree.

As for the entrées, warm goat’s cheese and honeyed dukkha, and the seared scallops with deep-fried nori seaweed are our top tips.

The Cottage
342 Darling Street
Balmain
TheCottageBalmain.com.au

Masala Theory, Surry Hills

Masala Theory really pushes back a lot of preconceptions of what Indian food is. Taking the over the Surry Hills venue from Red Lantern, this funky hipster curry house looks more like one of the many small bars scattered through the suburb than anything from the subcontinent.

And food walks an interesting line between hawker style and food sculpture. Certainly the Three Sisters Chat draws the eye. Served cold, this entrée is a black chickpea and garbanzo bean curry covered in sweetened yoghurt, and a date and tamarind chutney. The ‘sisters’ are deep-fried spinach leaves.

More identifiable but no less delicious are the masala dosa, but it’s the butter chicken that surprised me the most. Usually too sweet and mild, it’s not a dish I usually order.

But the butter chicken here at Masala Theory is smoky and unctuous, and has a good level of spice. It’s a far cry from the bright pink sweet thick gravy you usually get and – according to owner Yashpal Erda – much more like what you’d find on the streets of his hometown Ahmedabad in India. I know which version I prefer.

Masala Theory
545 Crown Street
Surry Hills
MasalaTheory.com

Hunter Works Café, Balmain

There’s something about finding a café that’s tucked away down an alley that makes you feel like you’ve found something very special – a little secret that only you and the staff know about.

With Hunter Works in Balmain, that’s exactly right. And just telling you about it makes me wonder if I’m letting you into something that I shouldn’t. First rule of Hunter Works Club…

But it’s too good here not to share.

Apart from barista-ing (definitely a real verb) excellent coffee – they also do a great drip coffee here – the food at Hunter Works is on point. Think hearty bagels, colourful, fresh salads, delicious desserts – not your average café fare.

They sell their own deli style selection of chutneys pickles and preserves too, plus the cake section will have you giggling like a schoolgirl.

Hunter Works Café
7/332 Darling Street (directly behind Wilhelmina’s)
Balmain
TheHunterWorks.co

3 Bottle Man, Circular Quay

When I think of Marriott hotels, the last thing I’ve got in my head is Aussie craft spirits and produce. But that’s what the new bar and café Three Bottle Man in the Sydney Harbour Marriott is all about.

By day, this cool laneway venue serves good coffee and eats to the suits of the city. By night, the bartenders show their skills and the a la carte bar food comes out to play.

The bar’s focus is on the delights of the craft spirits coming out of Australia at the moment, including our favourite people the Aussie Tipple Company. All wine and beer is also Aus-centric, so it’s a great place to come to get a taste of the country.

Three Bottle Man
1 Bulletin Place (connected to the Sydney Harbour Marriott)
Sydney

Dust Bakery and Pizzeria, Forest Lodge

The Tram Sheds in Forest Lodge has created a home for some amazing food options in Sydney’s Inner West. Our favourite is Dust Bakery, which doubles as a pizzeria. The pizzas that come out of the big wood-fired oven are in the Neapolitan style, so bigger crusts and softer bases.

But Dust is all about the bases.

You see, these guys also have their own flourmill on site – one of very few in Sydney. So the pizza dough is not only baked here, it’s made here. From scratch.

How cool is that? They mill the wheat, create the dough then bake it here and serve it.

Dust Bakery, Mill and Pizzeria
1 Dalgal Way
Forest Lodge
DustBakery.com

We hope you’ve enjoyed this round of Foodie Finds. It’s always a pleasure hunting new ones out. If you’ve got any suggestions on new places or products you’d like to see included in future Foodie Finds posts, let us know in the comments below!

Images by Mrs Romance and courtesy of respective venues’ Facebook albums. We dined as guests at Masala Theory and The Cottage, but our opinions remain our own.

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Mrs Romance and I love the food movement that’s happening in Australia and around the world: the move back to local produce, hand-made products and minimal distance between plate and origin.

The result is delicious, vibrant food and flavours, and far fewer baddies like preservatives, sweeteners and flavour enhancers. You’re just getting the taste of what you’re paying for.

5 Foodie Finds from Down Under

1. The Farm Byron Bay and Three Blue Ducks

One of the most fascinating places we’ve visited in Australia, The Farm – only a few minutes out of the busy coastal town of Byron Bay, NSW – has turned land once pegged for urban redevelopment into a sustainable wonderland.

As its name suggests, this is a true farm, just one that treats its animals well. The 50 or so pigs have 650 times more space than industry standards dictate. The chickens have 7sq metres of space each… quite a move up from the 1sqm they usually get.

The Farm also grows 20,000 tonnes of vegetables a year.

Much of this produce they sell to the kitchen of the onsite restaurant Three Blue Ducks. These guys create some of the best food in the country.

Here are our other places we love to eat at in Byron Bay.

2. Sauce Brewing Company

If you’re looking for a brewery that sums up how Sydneysiders feel about craft beer, go to the Sauce (see what I did there?). Even on the day they launched in November ’16, words like “best brews in Sydney right now” came from punters’ mouths.

It’s early doors for Sauce Brewery – so early in fact their HQ brew site in Marrickville is still being built. Until then, they’re borrowing facilities at their mate’s brewery – The Australian – in Rouse Hill.

This is called ‘gypsy brewing’ and happens a lot when brewcos are starting up. For me, I can’t wait to see what else these cheeky fellas start pouring; their IPA and Pale Ale are excellent, and their Saison is tres bon.

3. Aussie Macadamias

Many people don’t realise that macadamia nuts are an Aussie fruit. Farms in southeastern Australia grow more native macadamias than anywhere else in the world.

Of course, just because they come from here doesn’t make Australian macadamias any better than ones grown in – let’s say – Hawaii… but they are! Sorry, Roseanne Barr.

We love working with Aussie macadamias – we’ve actually got a couple of maca trees in the park next to our apartment. Here’s one of the things we use them for – other than just munching on them of course!

4. Local mayonnaise – Birch and Waite

When I first came to Australia, I was horrified by the mayo here. The UK is pretty much addicted to Hellmann’s. So when I couldn’t find this brand here (I came to Australia a while ago), I didn’t think I’d cope.

Enter Birch and Waite. These guys not only try to use as much Australian produce in their sauces and dressings as possible, they actually manufacture out of Sydney’s Inner West and were started by just 3 people only 30 years ago.

Their range has now grown to include some really delicious mayonnaises (my favourite’s the Mexican chipotle whole egg mayonnaise) that you can pick up from the fridge and salad section of most supermarkets. I’ve got a feeling their lime and chilli mayo will be a hit with the family the next time prawns hit the table.

5. Corowa chocolate (and whisky)

There’s something about locally made handcrafted chocolate that always gets me excited. I mean, of course chocolate will get most people going, but this is different.

And tucked away just north of the NSW-VIC border near the Murray River and the wrong side of the Great Dividing Range, the town of Corowa is home to a little chocolate factory.

The sweet delights coming from this converted flour mill are astounding. And as if things couldn’t get any better, these guys are now starting to make their own whisky too!

Seriously? Chocolate and whisky? In the same place? That’s it. I’m moving to Corowa!

So you see, there’s just so much good stuff coming from Australia at the moment, it’s a really exciting time to be living here.

And to the people who say you can’t taste the difference between imported, mass-produced food and the locally grown and made artisan products, I just hope you like the taste of your own words!

Do you have any Aussie finds you love to eat or drink? What does your hometown make that you particularly love? Tell us in the comments!

Images by Mrs Romance and via respective Facebook pages.

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When it comes to food and drink, there’s often a battle between the two for dominance. But in this edition of 5 Foodie Finds, for once we’re letting the booze speak uninterrupted.

We’ve found some amazing things either to get the party started recently and we’re excited to tell you about them.

So here are our latest 5 Foodie (or should that be ‘Drinkie) Finds:

Stone Pine seasonal gin

We’re huge fans of Stone Pine Distillery in Bathurst, NSW. Ian Glen, the head distiller and owner of this beautiful little craft distillery is not what you’d expect of a mad scientist genius. Quietly spoken, unassuming and both eyebrows intact and unsigned, it’s always a pleasant surprise to see what magic has come from his brilliant brain.

His regular gin is beautifully smooth, his black spiced rum Dead Man’s Drop is a work of art and I’m quite partial to the grappa he makes too.

However, it’s the seasonal gin releases he makes every year that we enjoy the most. Last year he made this, the Orange Blossom gin. This year, he’s made a truffle gin from real Aussie truffles he’s foraged himself. This stuff’s so new we don’t even have a picture of it… yet!

Secret Bottle

Joining a wine club can be a great way to explore new wine, and expand your wine knowledge and collection without having to worry about the research. However, you never know if you’re going to enjoy the bottles they send you.

That’s how Secret Bottle is different. Instead of paying to have bottles of unknown wine sent to you, these guys send you samples first. You get a box of three giant glass test tubes, which are a but like very long wine bottle necks minus the body.

Each tube has a sample of that edition’s wine, which you can buy more of if you like it. What’s more, the wines the guys at Secret Bottle curate for you are all from little, undiscovered wineries from across Australia.

There are so many under-represented winemakers who don’t have a big enough yield or turnover to have a cellar door in Aus, yet their products are absolutely astounding.

Tumut River Brewing Co – Squealing Pig & SCBW

Perhaps like you, we’d never heard of the little town of Tumut (that’s “Chew-met”) about 20 minutes from the amusingly named river town of Wagga Wagga (that’s “wogga-wogga” not “wagger wagger”) before. And that’s fair enough.

But thanks to Sydney Craft Beer Week, which has been going since 2011, this rural New South Wales town is now on our radar. A tiny brewery there, run by two Aussie blokes, is turning out some incredible beer.

We were introduced to their Squealing Pig APA recently and, I must say, it was love at first sip. Full of flavour that lasts forever, a beautiful creamy body and a hoppy head, this beer is now top of my list to drink as much of as I can find!

Burrow Bar

If there’s one thing we love, it’s finding a new little hide-away bar to prop up and enjoy a well-made cocktail at. And that’s exactly what we’ve got here with Burrow Bar.

Tucked well away in the heart of Sydney’s financial district and looking more like a loading dock doorway than a speakeasy is Burrow Bar. It’s owned and run by four friends whose focus is on great service, delicious food and well-crafted drinks.

Nailed it! Plus the interior of this tiny hidden city gem is cosy and full of old world charm. Just what you want in a small bar, and in such contrast to the fast-paced, shiny modern world of CBD life going on all around them.

You can get all sorts of drinks here, but the cocktails – especially the classics like my perfect gin martini – are really where these guys sparkle. A must-try here in Sydney city.

Pisco and La Puerta

We’re always keen to learn about new types of alcohol. We knew nothing about pisco until recently. Pisco is a grape-based alcohol that the Spanish brought to Peru in the 17th Century to replace the arujo brandy they missed from home.

Now it’s become the national drink of Peru – and Chile too – and has started appearing in more and more cocktails around the world. The good old Pisco Sour is a favourite of many, but there are lots of other ways to use this versatile and underestimated spirit.

Click here if you want a bit more info on pisco.

One of the key places to try this drink in Sydney is in our new favourite South American restaurant La Puerta in Neutral Bay. La Puerta is run by a husband-and-wife team Oscar and Catherine Espinola, and they’re focus is bringing traditional South American food up to date and bringing it to life in Sydney.

And that includes creating some awesome pisco cocktails of course!

Have you discovered anything delicious to drink recently? Have you heard of or tried any of this edition’s Foodie Finds? Tell us all about it in the comments below!

The post 5 Foodie Finds – gin, wine, beers, bars and pisco appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

Recently we’ve discovered the delicious virtues of raw vegan chocolate, a new way to know when your wine’s at the right temperature, an amazing hand-made hot choc and chai and the promised land of finding top notch Aussie craft spirits.

To tie in this whole extraordinary culinary quest, we’ve also planted a Romance flag in a brand new raw vegan restaurant everyone needs to try.

Here are our latest 5 Foodie Finds

Grounded Pleasures drinking chocolate and vanilla

Grounded Pleasures, a family-run business in country Victoria, produce a super indulgent range of hot chocolate, chai, vanilla and organic panela.

We love their Noir Drinking Chocolate and the vanilla beans in their own test tube packaging is very cute.

We can’t wait to try more of their drinking chocolate – I’ve got my eye on the chilli choc they do and I think Mrs Romance might be ordering some Tahitian vanilla chocolate any minute.

Grounded Pleasures offer free shipping Australia wide on orders over $60… I think we can manage that!

GroundedPleasures.com.au

Pana Chocolate guilt free choc

As you might have noticed from its title, Pana Chocolate makes chocolate! But this stuff is a little different.

Pana Chocolate make choc that’s not only dairy free, gluten free, soy free, refined sugar free and vegan, it’s also incredibly tasty. Which is amazing. To be so free from – well, everything – and still taste as opulent as this is the saintly task of a miracle worker!

I used to be allergic to dairy when I was a kid, so I couldn’t eat chocolate. Reduced to surviving on raw carob, I can only imagine how excited my younger self would’ve been if I’d had this deliciousness at my hungry disposal!

PanaChocolate.com

Nip of Courage the spirit of Australian spirits

Nip of Courage represents some of the best Australian micro-distilleries in the country. The whiskies, gins, rums and other spirits on these guys’ portfolio are just incredible. You can trust me on this – I’ve tried them all!

We’ve been friends with the husband-and-wife-team Kathleen and Jarrod, who run Nip of Courage for years now, but they’ve recently taken their distribution business to the next level.

You can now buy small quantities directly from Nip of Courage via their online store. You don’t have to be a bar, restaurant or bottle shop.

NipOfCourage.com

Taylors Wine taking the guesswork out of wine temperature

There’s always been a lot of discussion in the wine community about what temperatures different wines should be served at.

Some of it makes sense – wine that’s too warm will just taste of alcohol, wine that’s too cold will just taste of fridge. However, some if it is just snobbery.

Taylors have produced a set of labels for one of their wine ranges that reacts to temperature. A bit like those excellent if a little unflattering Hypercolor T-shirts of the early ‘90s. The labels tell you exactly when your wine’s at the right temp.

Here’s a bit more information on what temperature your wine should be when you drink it.

The Plant Gallery raw vegan and tasty

I never thought raw vegan food would ever taste all that great. I imagined lots of seeds and crunchy, uncooked vegetables and not much else. Wrong again.

The guys running the newest restaurant to open at Bondi Beach – David and Juan Carlos – are set to challenge all these preconceptions.

The food coming out of this very relaxing, non-lecture raw vegan restaurant is nothing like I was expecting. How the food looks and tastes makes you really wonder if it really is raw or vegan. It is of course.

Here’s our full review of The Plant Gallery.

Have you discovered any foodie finds recently? When was the last time you had a meal that made you go ‘wow’? Tell us about it in the comments!

Images by Mrs Romance and courtesy of respective brands.

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Some people are into Star Trek. Some people lust after stamps. Me, I’m a bit of a booze geek alco-nerd.

I get probably a little too excited at the prospect of discovering a new brew down the pub, trying an experimental spirit or sipping on an out-there style of wine.

Recently we’ve been privy to quite a few of the masterstrokes from both craft and mainstream distillers and brewers as they showcase their skills and try new and exciting things.

These artisans of their industry have been busy creating one-off products or working on new, rare blends – here are our top 5:

Royal Albert Hotel’s Dopey One American Brown Ale

The Royal Albert has been working with a local Sydney brewery – Modus Operandi in Mona Vale – to produce its own beer.

Those crazy cats at the Royal Albert aren’t content to just bring out a run-of-the-mill ale. The Dopey One is a remarkable brew that’s so full of flavour and so dark, it didn’t seem like a brown ale at all.

More packed with hidden chocolate than a porker’s bag at fat camp and mouth-watering coconut notes in there too, the Dopey One is just delicious. Then, just when you think you’ve tasted all the flavours, a little raspberry finish comes through.

Not sure how much of this stuff is left, but ask at the bar and they might still have some there!

If this isn’t your cup of tea but you think it might be for someone else in the house, ask for a can of the stuff.

The Royal Albert now does takeaway tinnies of any beer on tap – they make the tins for you while you wait and it costs the same as 2 schooners.

Hendrick’s scorpion tail gin

I love it when big brands test themselves a bit and produce new, interesting concept products.

Hendrick’s– a cornerstone in top quality gin for a long time now – prides itself on pushing the boat out into uncharted waters.

This time they’ve quite literally gone to extremes.

They sent their head distiller, Leslie Gracey and their international brand ambassador and man of action, David Piper deep into the Venezuelan jungles in search of a new botanical.

Armed with a tiny 10 litre copper still, David and Leslie finally found what they were looking for: the exotic Scorpion Tail.

They made just 8.6 litres of distillate – or pure infused alcohol – which they smuggled back into Scotland to blend into their Hendrick’s recipe. Merely 360 litres of this stuff has and will ever exist, so, sadly, you won’t find it in any shops.

What you can take away from this is the knowledge that Hendrick’s doesn’t like to sit on its laurels and is always interested in experimenting with its brand. That’s got to be worth something, hasn’t it?

Ginger Hammer from Belgrove Distillery

I reckon Peter Bignell – owner and mad scientist of this Tasmanian micro-distillery – is some kind of magician.

Here are some facts about Pete:

– He’s the only maker of rye whiskey in Australia
– He grows all his own corn for the rye
– He made the copper still he uses from scratch
– He uses biodiesel that he makes from old cooking oil to heat the still and fuel his vehicles
– The water’s all from rainwater he collects on his property
– Most of the mash from the whiskey is fed to the livestock he has on the farm…

It’s an unbelievable, impressive company.

This Ginger Hammer came about because Peter had a lot of leftover ginger from a cocktail party he had. He decided to distill it and here’s the result.

It tastes a bit like whiskey, but you know it’s not. There’s a quite a strong ginger flavour as you’d imagine, but it’s such a fresh, lively taste.

Keep an eye out for the Ginger Hammer in select bars (the Royal Albert currently stocks it actually) and bottle shops. You can also buy it direct from Belgrove’s website.

I love how environmentally conscious and sustainable Belgrove is. I think this would make an awesome gift for someone who loves their liquor and who cares about the planet too.

Whisky Grant Ghosted whisky

It’s a sad truth that there used to be so many distilleries all over Scotland. Many of them have since closed for any number of reasons.

The scotch that’s left over, however, is often bought by existing distilleries like William Grant & Sons.

The whisky from 2 such dead or ‘ghosted’ distilleries – Inverleven and Ladyburn – has been blended to create the incredibly rare Ghosted Reserve. This concept whisky is the first and only time these two distilleries will be brought back to life in this blend.

It’s a very special thing and the combination of the oakiness from one whisky and the fruity sweetness from the other creates a unique drink indeed.

William Grant has also created the ‘Cruinnich’ – a Scots Gaelic word meaning ‘an assembly or gathering’ – is their second Rare Cask blended whisky.

This whisky has been aged in sherry barrels, which has given it a beautiful, delicate sweetness. As it’s been made with 21-year-old rare cask reserve whisky, the Cruinich is also very smooth indeed.

Both the Ghosted Reserve and the Cruinich are available for the generous gift buyer to purchase but be quick. There are only 300 bottles of the Ghosted Reserve in Australia (6100 worldwide) at $650 each, they’ll disappear.

The Cruinnich too is limited, with only 4900 bottles available at $180 each.

Stone Pine’s Dead Man’s Drop black spiced rum

Stone Pine Distillery has many strings to its bow. Rum, gin, liqueurs, vodka… but this is the first time they’ve made a spiced black rum.

In fact, it’s the first time any Australian distillery has made a black spiced rum, so I’m glad it’s Stone Pine that’s done it.

This stuff, black as Davey Jones’ locker, is a real nod to the pirate legacy of spiced rum. Mind you Dead Man’s Drop doesn’t get its name from nautical roots.

Stone Pine is based in Bathurst, NSW – 200km west of any beach. Instead, owner Ian Glen went with an Australian bushranger theme. Dead Man’s Drop refers to the first public hanging in Bathurst of 10 men of the Ribbon Gang in 1830.

It’s also being released on the bicentenary of the Bathurst becoming a city, which is nice, isn’t it?

For more information on Dead Man’s Drop – a lovely drink indeed – and our own cocktail recipe for this black rum, check out our feature on Dead Man’s Drop here.

What do you look for in an interesting drink or a good gift to a loved one who likes a tipple? Tell us in the comments!

The post 5 rare and exotic Foodie Finds appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

It’s been a while since our last 5 Foodie Finds, but we think it’s been worth the wait. We’ve got a voucher for one of Australia’s most cutting edge design stores and two magnums of wine to give you. Not bad, ay?

Magnum Wines

Magnum Wines have developed a new type of cask wine – or wine in a box – that’s actually drinkable. I know, it’s hard to imagine, isn’t it? But it’s true.

They’ve sourced some top Aussie and NZ vino and have put them into their stay-fresh packaging. It’s perfect for that time when you just want to chill out with a glass of wine but you don’t want to worry about the rest of the bottle going off.

Magnum wine stays fresh for weeks. And each box holds 2 bottles’ worth!

So when you feel like that glass to take the edge off a bad day or that perfect glass to go with dinner, there it’ll be waiting for you.

So it’s competition time!

The prize: a $50 voucher for Top3 By Design and 2 magnums of Magnum Wine – – sorry, we can only post to people within Australia.

The challenge: tell us in 25 words or less what your Magnum at Home moment looks like then sign up to our newsletter here.

You’ve got until Friday week when we’ll announce the winner via the newsletter on 6th March.

Email your answer to jimbutcher [at] romance-media [dot] com with ‘Magnum Competition’ in the Subject line.

Good luck!

Leftfield Coffee

We love coffee. I seem to be drinking more and more of the stuff recently. Especially since finding this new local, Sydney-based roaster. Leftfield source and roast all their own beans and should be available in shops very soon.

We’ve tried their Old Fox blend – their latest – and it’s great. Sweet caramel with a beautiful nuttiness and extremely smooth.

Leftfield also have single origin beans. Their Burundi beans from Africa are citrusy and full of life. The Salvador beans are mellower but also well worth a go.

Keep your eyes out for this stuff. We’ve tried it in our stovetop and French press percolators and it comes out beautifully. It also works well in cocktails… watch this space for more of that too!

Raw Lab Kitchen

Given a choice between a regular meat burger and a raw vegan one, it’s usually a no-brainer for me. But this new Bondi-based outfit might just change that.

Focused on vibrant, fresh, filling food that’s also good for you, they’re doing some pretty unconventional things with raw veggies. I tried their burger and was blown away.

Mrs R had Raw Lab Kitchen’s pizza and was equally impressed.

Raw Lab Kitchen will be setting up shop in Bondi in the coming weeks serving lunch and dinner to punters interested in intense flavour, bright colours and a completely different way of thinking about and eating healthy food.

New Tim Tam flavours

That’s right, Adriano Zumbo’s at it again. And this time he’s nailed it.

The new Tim Tams Zumbo’s created are nothing short of amazing. The dark choc raspberry is a stroke of biccie genius.

And then there’s Mrs Romance’s new true love: the coconut cream Tim Tam. Imagine a Bounty in Tim Tam form and you’re half way there.

And to make three for the win, the most excellent salted caramel Tim Tam is now available in full size packets (I could eat my own bodyweight in salted caramel Tim Tams).

March into Merivale 2015

Every year for the last 6 years, Merivale have set out an amazing food and drink festival in the heart of Sydney. And for its 7th birthday, March into Merivale is looking like the best yet.

Tickets are already on sale for all the events and for individual festivals.

Check out March into Merivale’s website for all the details. The whole thing goes from 23rd February to 29th March this year.

Have you discovered any amazing new food or drink recently? Tell us in the comments! And don’t forget to enter our wine giveaway competition!

Magnum Wines images by DL Photography. Merivale images supplied, other images by Mrs Romance.

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Our last 5 Foodie Finds were random and wide-reaching – from happy eggs and bush tucker to room service and Viet pho… and this time it’s just as random!

From food high in the sky to down and dirty in Sydney’s night noodle markets, we’ve got a lot to tell you in our foodie finds this month:

Spencer Cocoa chocolate

On our recent trip to Mudgee, we were lucky enough to discover the delights of this tiny chocolate makers.

Main man, Luke visits the cocoa growers in Vanuatu twice a year for the harvest and has an amazing relationship with the locals. They grow the beans and partially process them, then Spencer ships everything back to Mudgee where the choc is made.

Dark, rich, beautifully flavoured and tempered to a satisfying snap as you bite it, this is the best choc we’ve tasted. And the packaging is great too. Lots of soft foil wrapping and the embossed cocoa leaves on the surface of the bar provide you with a very luxe experience.

SpencerCocoa.com.au

New Qantas Economy dinners

I always dread the moment the flight crew start dishing out dinner at 35,000ft.

What will I be attempting to digest this time? What dressed up bin juice will I be dribbling down myself as I hunker over my measly tray, the headrest of my reclining neighbour pressing into my forehead?

Well, perhaps that’s all about to change. We were invited to a special preview of the new Qantas Economy dinners recently, and I must say, I’d probably pick a Qantas night flight next time just for the grub.

New packaging means fresher food, better flavours and more realistic textures. And gone are the prison canteen trays; everything comes in a deli style box.

The range: farfalle basil pesto pasta with prosciutto and roasted hazelnuts, butter chicken curry with rice and a naan bread, quinoa, beetroot, goat’s cheese and felafel salad, and chickpea, pumpkin and couscous salad.

Not bad, ay?

Australian Good Food Month in 4 cities

Good Food Month is the country’s biggest food festival. The four eastern capital cities have all kinds of things going on from celebrity chefs to growers’ markets, all courtesy of Citi.

Some of these events you need to pay for, but there’s a lot on that’s free to go to.

Sydney‘s and Canberra’s Good Food Month starts from October 1st.

Melbourne needs a bit more time to warm up, so it gets going from November 1st.

Brisbane’s first ever Good Food Month starts in July 2015.

Go to www.goodfoodmonth.com for more details.

Night Noodle Markets

The crown jewel in Sydney’s Good Food Month has to be the Night Noodle Markets. Every year these markets open up in Hyde Park right in the middle of the city.

Since 1998, Noodle Markets has grown to be a place where over 200,000 hungry people congregate for the three weeks in October it runs.

Head over to Hyde Park between 10th to 26th October to chow down on noodly goodness and dumpling joy from stalls representing some of the top Asian restaurants in Sydney – places like Mamak, Longrain and Din Tai Fung are among the record 50+ stalls at this year’s markets.

Doors open from 5pm weeknights and 4pm Sat and Sun. It’s free to enter the markets but it’s a licensed area, so no BYO, I’m afraid.

Rushcutters

When we set out to meet up with our lovely new friend Alexx from AlexxStuart.com and her family, we had no idea about the place we were heading.

Rushcutters Café is more than just a place to go and grab breakfast or lunch – though they do serve some delicious meals there. There’s also a small market place at one end. It has the most amazing range of organic locally produced veggies, meats and cheeses.

There’s also a dinner menu here that’s well worth considering. We’ve only ever had brunch here, but Alexx assures us it’s good. She also delivers cooking healthy classes to kids, so keep your eyes open here.

Their recipes and other great events running at Rushcutters are all on their website too.

Rushcutters.com.au – what’s happening.

What’s your favourite choc? Do you have any in-flight food nightmare stories? Will you be visiting any of Eastern Australia’s Good Food Month events? Where’s your favourite café spot? Tell us in the comments!

Images by Mrs Romance and courtesy of respective websites.

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Our last 5 Foodie Finds featured all things sweet. And while it did get our pulses racing, that could well have been simply a sugar rush!

This time round we’re all about more savoury comestibles. Things that make me want to face-smash my plate and just trough out.

From gluten-free bread and guilt-free eggs to the best room service and bush tucker dishes we’ve ever had, here are our 5 Foodie Finds.

Rock Chic Eggs

The chickens at Archerfield Farm live a real rockstar life. Not only is their coop called the Hen Penthouse, they get full range of the 80-acre property. Even better, the founder is none other than INXS manager Chris Murphy!

The Murphy family have worked hard over the years to farm organically and ethically, and this is their latest effort. The idea of being able to buy eggs with a guarantee of being from farm to home within 48 hours is very welcome.

These eggs are available from specialist stores in Sydney – find the closest one to you here.

The Protein Bread Co.

What you get with most gluten-free bread:

Gross taste, crumbly and impossibly to eat, doesn’t toast, horrible texture, unabsorbent, insipid, leaves you feeling a bit hungry.

What you get with Protein Bread:

None of that stuff. In fact, I feel fuller from this bread than when I eat regular bread. That’s because there’s so much protein in it – 16.4g per serve in fact.

It’s also got some good ol’ super foods in there like chia seeds in it and it’s incredibly low in carbohydrates with only 2.4g per serve.

The only downside is that it’s a bit pricey. I was a bit surprised how much Mrs R paid for her loaf, but it does freeze extremely well so you can make it last.

Thank you to Nikki from Styling You for putting us onto this excellent product.

QT Gold Coast room service

We’ve been to a conference in the QT Gold Coast Hotel in Queensland these past few days. Although the catering at the conference was ok – as is their bar Stingray, there’s nothing quite like escaping the crowds, picking up the phone in your room and bunkering down till the food comes to you.

Mrs Romance ordered the fish tacos and I couldn’t resist the temptations of the slow roast pork burger, which is essentially a pork belly burger, and tasty fries. We also felt duty-bound to order a bowl of special fries, which were covered in jalapeño and liquid cheese.

I’d like to add that, in a moment of gluttony, a few days later I ordered another burger – this time the buttermilk chicken burger – and I was once again astonished at how tasty it was.

Bush tucker at Kingfisher Bay Resort

We’ve been on a few bush tucker tours in Australia. They’ve always promised to show us food that the Australian aborigines have lived on for millennia and that, if we knew where to look, we’d be able to survive in the Outback.

This lesson in Kingfisher Bay Resort’s Seabelle Restaurant on Fraser Island, Queensland does much more than teach you about what people can live on. It’s a gastronomic exploration.

We tried all sorts of things from crocodile and emu to pepperberry and finger limes. Each of them had its own distinct flavour and all of them are utilised in the restaurant’s menu, which is excellent and worth a trip to Fraser Island for on its own.

Viet pho at PHD Marrickville

A few years ago, Mrs Romance and I tried Vietnamese pho (pronounced a bit like ‘fur’) for the first time. Thinking we’d be extravagant, we ordered the slightly more expensive ‘special’ option. There was nothing special about it… unless the word ‘special’ in Vietnamese means ‘offal and miscellaneous carcass.

So we ignored pho for a long time. Which was silly. It’s a delicious dish… just don’t go for the special!

A week ago, we went to dinner with friends of our Paul and Ewelina from ReFoil. They took us to PHD in Marrickville, where they said the best pho is outside Cabramatta.

I was feeling hungry [greedy] and went for the large [swimming pool] size beef pho. It was a lot of food but I tell you what, I finished that big beautiful bastard! It was excellent. Others in our group had the free range chicken pho. The chicken looked a bit troublesome as the chook was on the bone, but it was good nonetheless.

Have you ever eaten a truly free-range egg that had just been laid? What do you order at Vietnamese restaurants? What do you usually order from the room service menu? Tell us all about your foodie finds in the comments!

Images courtesy of Protein Bread, Archerfield Farm, and by Mr & Mrs Romance.

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You might be surprised to know that I don’t have a particularly sweet tooth. That doesn’t mean I don’t like sweets or chocolate. I’ll still eat a whole block of Lindt if it’s put in front of me.

But in a restaurant, I’m the one going for the cheese plate rather than the cheese cake… or another main if I think no one’s watching!

Mrs Romance, on the other hand, is a sugar fiend. She loves the dessert menu and often goes there straight away before choosing her entrée… but after ordering her drink, of course!

With this in mind, you’ll see that Mrs R had much more influence over the choice of this issue of 5 Five Foodie Finds. Nonetheless, they’re all great, and we’re excited about adding these to our food and drink repertoire:

1. Wonka’s Golden Ticket

At a recent launch party, Mrs Romance learned that the real life Wonka chocolate factory is matching its illustrious fictional counterpart with a scrumdiddlyumptious offer. Hidden in 5 specially marked choc bars will be golden tickets.

These golden tickets will allow 5 lucky winners the chance to visit the Wonka factory and discover the delights within! How bloody cool’s that?!

If you win, you’ll also be given the chance to create your own chocolate bar with any topping you can think of. The winning bar will then become part of the Wonka range and sold commercially!

I wonder if they’re giving away a lifetime’s supply of chocolate too?

Full Ts & Cs are here on the Wonka Facebook page.

2. De’Longhi and the art of coffee

Image courtesy of SCAA.

We recently went to meet with De’Longhi to look at their newest home coffee machines. We’ve got a Nespresso machine, which we LOVE, but these new ones are incredible.

While we were talking to De’Longhi about their Lattissima Pro machines, we met with a coffee expert, who talked about blending your own coffee beans and understanding the flavours and intricacies of coffee. This coffee taster’s flavour sheet shows how complex coffee can be.

Most importantly, as the wheel on the right shows, the comparison between what we sense with our mouths to our noses is remarkable. Our sense of smell is so much more sensitive than our taste senses. Very interesting.

3. Devon Café – now open for dinner

Tucked away in Surry Hills and home of the ultimate toastie, the dinner menu of the the uber-popular Devon Café is an eclectic mix. Daytime regulars will notice a surprising difference with what’s up for grabs on their new evening menu.

Mrs R got to sample the menu on opening, and her picks are the sashimi, the lobsters rolls and the beef short ribs. She wasn’t as keen on the wobbly savoury custard – though its popularity among the rest of the group was unquestionable.

4. Max Brenner’s new chocolate menu

Mrs Romance was in her element when she got to go and experience the new menus Max Brenner Chocolate Bars have brought out. Along with the classic staples that have and hopefully always will be available to eat and drink, the new things here are awesome.

Stand-outs for Mrs Romance were the Salted Caramel Tart and the Chocolate Mess is fun to share, but for her, the Praline Meringue Puff Extravaganza was the ultimate in choc heaven.

5. New Tim Tam flavour by Adriano Zumbo

Back in February, we told you about how the exultant Chef Zumbo had partnered with Arnott’s to come up with 3 new Tim Tam flavours. They were exquisite, but not satisfied with just the 3, Zumbo has come up with another flavour: the Red Velvet Cake Tim Tam.

Bright red inside with a rich, buttery cakey flavour, these new Tim Tams are almost as good as our favourite from the first 3 – the Salted Caramel Tim Tams.

If you’re not sure how best to eat these wonders the biscuit world, here’s how to perform the perfect Tim Tam Slam!

Do you have any great foodie tips you’ve found recently that you want to share? Let us know in the comments!

Images by Mrs Romance.

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