Brot & Wurst

1442 Pittwater Road,

North Narrabeen,

NSW, 2101

Ph. (02) 9970 6151

Hours: Tues - Fri 9am - 5pm; Sat 8am - 4pm, Sun 8am - 3pm

One word best describes this place, and that is 'amazing'! This would definitely have to be the best of our latest finds in Sydney. Brot and Wurst is a family run business on the Northern Beaches serving Sydney's best German small goods, breads and pastries.

Run by a German master butcher of 25 years, Dean Stockburger and his family, this place draws in crowds from all across Sydney and you can see why. His small goods are manufactured on site and are comparable to the best in Germany.

When approaching this store you will be lured in by the smell of smoked meats from their smokehouse, which by the way, uses imported German sawdust. Upon entry, your eyes will feast on an array small goods including suelze, liverwurst, hams, salami, speck and hocks, as well as a fine selection of European dry goods and freshly baked breads and pastries.

A selection of their products include:
- Suelze

- Liverwurst

- Leber Kaese

- Pizza Meatloaf

- Gebackener Bierschinken

- Black Forest Ham

- Kassler

- Tounge Wurst

- Gypsy Ham

- Hungarian Salami

- Danish Salami

- Smoked Beef

- Buender Fleisch

- Pate de Campagne

- Speck

- Smoked Pork Hock

- Chsabi

- Blut Wurst

- Fleisch Salad

- Wurst Salad

- Sauerkraut

- Grieben Schmalz

- Nurnberger

- Thuringer

- Weisswurst

- Pork Bratwurst

- Bockwurst

- Smoked Kransky

- Smoked Chorizo

- Cheese Frankfurter

- Cevapcici

- German Rye

- Pretzels

- Sourdough

- Polish Rye

- Croissants

- Cherry Strudel

- Hazelnut Twist

- Mustards

- Garlic Sauce & Salad Dressings

- Belgium Bernaise Sauce

- Hollandaise Sauce

- Rosti

- Honey Cake

- Riga Sprats
- Fried Herrings

- Senf Gherkins

- Curley Kale

- Sluisje Hazelnut Squares

- Dutch Peanut Lace Biscuits

Not sure of what to buy? The friendly staff are more than happy to cut you a sample to try before you buy. They are also very helpful when it comes to food allergies. Prices are reasonable and all products are of a high quality.

The store is quaint and the walls display a collection of awards for their small goods. All of the small goods are gluten, colour, soy and preservative free. I could seriously spend hours here! The family that run this store are so friendly and offer a level of service that these days is becoming difficult to come by.

My only regret? Not living closer to this store! I can see why people travel far and wide across Sydney to visit Brot & Wurst. A visit to this store is a must!

Our purchases on the day included suelze, leberkaese and proscuitto.

Pfefferjaeger. Absolutely superb!

Egg Free Chicken Schnitzel

Ingredients
1 Kg Chicken Breast
1 1/2 Cups of Milk
2 Tbspns Maggi Seasoning
1 Tbspn Paprika
6 Garlic Cloves, crushed
3 Cups of Bread Crumbs for coating
1/2 Cup of Olive Oil for frying

Method
In a large mixing bowl, add the milk, garlic, paprika and Maggi seasoning. Whisk together until the mixture is combined. Set aside.

Lay a chicken breast down on a plastic cutting board. Carefully slice the chicken breasts (parallel to the board) in half starting at the thickest end. Repeat for each breast fillet.

Place the chicken into the marinade mixture, ensuring that all of the chicken has been coated in the marinade and return the bowl to the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

On a large plate, lay out half of the bread crumbs. Remove the chicken from the fridge and crumb each fillet with bread crumbs.

In a large non-stick frypan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Carefully place the crumbed chicken onto the hot pan and cook for 7 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove schnitzels from the pan and place onto absorbent paper for 1 minute.

Serve with your favourite condiments such as lemon, mustards, sweet chilli, Piri Piri and BBQ sauces.

Bairro Portuguese Petersham Food & Wine Fair

Where: Audley & Fisher Streets, Petersham
When: Sunday 13th March, an annual event

This event was a magnificent and spur of the moment find today. The Bairro Portuguese Petersham Food & Wine Fair I'm told, is an annual event celebrating the food and culture of Portugal and former Portuguese colonies.

The streets were lined with food stalls selling barbequed sardines, chorizo rolls, Portuguese tarts, espetada (skewered beef), pork belly, coxinha (chicken croquettes), rissole de camarao (prawn rissoles), pao de queijo (cheese bread), churros, bolinho de bacalhau (cod fish) and paella.

Barbequing sardines in a makeshift 44 gallon drum BBQ

Barbequed sardines

Chorizo Roll

Chorizo & Garlic Prawn Combination Roll

A colourful Brazilian Food Stall

Heavily sought after Seafood Paella

To wash down all of this tasty food we had Portuguese Beer of course!

Mouth-watering smells of Portuguese, Mediterranean and Brazilian foods filled the streets while traditional dancing, music and Capoeira performances created a real carnival buzz atmosphere. What a find! We'll definitely be back next year!

An energetic Capoeira performance by the UTS Capoeira Club

Traditional folk music

Pan Roma

397 Parramatta Road,
Leichhardt, NSW, 2040
Ph. (02) 9560 5874
Hours*: Wed - Fri 12pm - 3pm & 6pm - 10pm; Sat 6pm - 10pm
* Please check with the restaurant as they are usually closed between May & September each year.

It is not hard to become immersed and fall in love with the Italian family atmosphere at Pan Roma. Located just off the main drag of Italian restaurants on Norton Street, this gorgeous family run business serves great home style Italian meals.

The ingredients are fresh and the specials board always features highlights of the season. Some of the specials during our visit included:

Zucchini Flowers ($15.50)

Mussels Marinara ($16.90)

Pasta & Crab Sauce ($15.50)

Pasta & Asparagus ($15.50)

Crespelle ($15.50)

Figs & Prosciutto/Cheese ($15.50)

Parmigiana ($15.50)

Calamari BBQ ($29.50)

Whole Bream ($27.50)

They also have several fabulous dishes on their regular menu including:

Homemade Gnocchi with Gorgonzola

Calves Liver

The meals are reasonably priced and the wine list is competitively cheap. You also do have the option of B.Y.O.

The service is friendly and very accommodating. Pan Roma also caters for groups so it can get a little loud. Our best advice is to call ahead to check if there are any groups expected and to book a reservation, as it can get very busy. Please also be aware that the restaurant is usually only open between October - April as the owner usually spends the rest of the year back in Italy.

Overall, a highly rated Italian Restaurant producing restaurant quality, home style cooking using the freshest ingredients at reasonable prices. Definitely worth a visit!

Scores

Food: 8/10

Ambience: 7/10

Cleanliness: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Value for Money: 7.5/10

Suitability: Group bookings available

Payment: Cash & Major Credit Cards





Duck Pie

Ingredients
400g Cooked Shredded Lean Duck Meat
2 Tbspns Olive Oil
2 Carrots Diced
1 Onion Diced
200g Prosciutto
4 Cloves of Garlic
1/4 Cup of Flour
100mL Red Wine
2 Cups Beef Stock
4 Bay Leaves
2 Tspns Dried Italian Herbs
1 Tspn Dried Thyme
1/4 Tspn Dried Lemon Thyme
140g Tomato Paste
1/2 Cup Frozen Peas
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Puff Pastry

Method
In a medium sized pot on medium heat add the olive oil, carrot, onion, garlic and prosciutto. Stir for 4-5 minutes or until soft. Next, add the shredded cooked duck meat. Add the flour and stir constantly for 30 seconds, coating the mixture well with the flour but ensuring that nothing burns.

Next, add the beef stock and red wine. Bring to a boil and add the tomato paste, bay leaves, Italian herbs, thyme and lemon thyme. Simmer the mixture for 40 minutes on the stove while preheating the oven to 220 degrees Celsius.

Once the duck meat is soft, remove from the heat. Stir in the peas and add salt & pepper to taste.

Prepare ramekins. Fill ramekins 3/4 full with the mixture. Next, cut a square of puff pastry large enough to cover and overhang each ramekin. Press around the rim.

Place ramekins on a baking tray and into the oven for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove and serve with a light garden salad.

Makoto

Cnr Pitt & Liverpool Streets,
Sydney, NSW, 2000
Ph. (02) 9283 6767
Website: http://www.masuya.com.au/en/restaurants/makoto.html
Hours: Lunch 11.30am - 2.30pm Mon - Fri, 12pm - 3pm Sat & Sun
             Dinner 5.30pm - 10pm, 7 Days

Unagi - Marinated Eel

Makoto in the city is one of the few places in Sydney to really experience great sushi. Whilst not cheap, Makoto's fish is very fresh and the recipe for sushi rice is spot on. The restaurant revolves around a sushi train which is continuously replenished with sushi chefs working around the clock to keep the train well loaded up with sushi.

The restaurant is always busy during meal hours so be prepared to wait. The upside to this is that there is a high turnover of sushi so nothing remains on the train for too long.

If sitting at the bar is not your thing, there are some isolated tables to the rear of the restaurant. We usually prefer to eat at the bar so that we have front row seats to the sushi on offer.

There is a great variety of the usual maki (futomaki, Californian rolls, salmon avocado rolls), sushi (salmon, tuna, prawns, omlette, flying fish roe), sashimi, as well as more modern dishes such as torched salmon belly, grilled kingfish, shark fin and uni (sea urchin) for the more adventurous.

Uni (Sea Urchin) - An acquired taste

Torched Salmon Belly Sushi - Devine and a must try! 

Can't see you favourite dish on the train? Just ask the waiter and the sushi chefs will happily make your dish to order. They also make handrolls on the spot. Our favourites are:

The Salmon & Avocado Handroll

The Soft Shell Crab Handroll

The sushi dishes range from around $2.60 - $6.60 each, indicated by the colour of the plate. In addition to the menu, they also have weekly specials such as:

 Spicy Scallops with Glass Noodles

Not really in to sushi? Makoto also offer a range of other dishes such as tempura, tonkatsu, karaage and a variety of udon noodles. 

The service is friendly and attentive. Order any drinks, extra dishes and soups through the waiters. Got a food allergy? Mention it to the waiters and they'll be able to try and cater to your meal requests.

Torching the Scallops. Watch the sushi preparations in action at the bar.

In addition to dining in, Makoto do offer a take away menu and party platters. Party platters are a fantastic way to wow your guests with very little effort on your part. I've ordered several from the city and Chatswood stores and they have never failed to impress. Platters will need to be ordered in advance and ideally collected as soon as they have been prepared.

As a regular at both the city and Chatswood  restaurants, I'd have to say that Makoto in the city is definitely better. Makoto over the years has become less Japanese and more Korean, so the authentic taste and traditional sushi preparation methods have slowly started to disappear in both restaurants. Nevertheless, the sushi is still very good and definietly worth the visit.

Sorrel Soup

Ingredients
2L Cold Water
1 Tbspn Olive Oil
2 Pork Cutlets (Fat Trimmed Off)
1 Large Brown Onion Sliced
1 Carrot Diced Finely
1 Bay Leaf
1 Beef Stock Cube
2 Medium Potatoes Grated
2-3 Bunches of Sorrel Leaves, washed and finely sliced
1/4 Bunch of Continental Parsley, Chopped Finely
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Sour Cream for Serving

Method
In a fry pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onions and cook over a medium to low heat until the onions are caramelised.

Meanwhile, heat water in a medium saucepan over medium to high heat. When the water come to the boil, add the pork cutlets and bring back to the boil. Then add the carrots, grated potato, bay leaf and stock cube. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the caramelised onion to the soup and season with salt & pepper. Simmer the soup for a further 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, add the chopped sorrel leaves into the soup. Bring back to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Check the soup for seasoning, adding additional salt and pepper if needed.

Add chopped parsley and bring back to the boil for 1 minute.

Serve with sour cream. This soup can be enjoyed both hot and cold with crusty bread.

Frenchs Forest Organic Food Market

The Parkway Hotel
5 Frenchs Forest Road
Frenchs Forest
Hours: Every Sunday 8am - 1pm
Website: www.organicfoodmarkets.com.au

The Organic Food Markets in Frenchs Forest offer the perfect weekly opportunity to stock up on the week's fruit and veg. The market comprises of a variety of stalls such as certified organic fruit & veg, natural therapies, eggs, breads, fresh meats and crafts.

There are the occasional gourmet food items such as salt bush, exotic mushrooms and fancy sourdoughs however, the main bulk of the market does centre around organic fruit and vegetables.

A selection of stall names included:
- Atomic Popcorn
- Robins Mangrove Mountain Eggs
- Hand 'n' Hoe
- Guava Gourmet
- Arlingtons
- Spring Hill Beef
- The Mushrooms Depot
- David's Larder
- Pasta Gallery
- The Organic Food Network
- Shepherds Bakehouse
- Honest to Goodness
- Pet Food 2 U
- Hemp Gallery

Not all of the stalls are organic so if you are specifically after certified organic food, look for the stalls marked by a yellow sign stipulating so. Other conventional stalls included:

Freshly picked strawberries.

 Gourmet Sourdoughs, chocolate flavoured! I kid you not!

Mouthwatering fresh sausages.

Solar Powered Toys. Genius!

After looking at all of this delicious food, I couldn't leave without trying a samosa. If Indian isn't your thing for breakfast, there are plenty of pastries, rolls and coffee stalls to choose from.

An interesting market, ideal for those specifically after organic food or the perfect place for a casual Sunday morning stroll.