Category Archives: food

Tin Cat Café

June 10, 2016 Virginie the Frenchie 2 Comments

“As every cat owners knows, nobody owns a cat” – Ellen Perry Berkeley

You don’t choose your cat but he definitely chooses you. And the Tin Cat Café is no exception! Last year, I was living in North Adelaide and my favorite café was the lovely E for Ethel. It was maybe 2 minutes away from my home and I often went to this place to blog, enjoy a nice latte or have a little chat with my friends. When I moved to Kent Town, I was a bit sad because I knew I was going to miss this charming café and it would not be the same. On my moving day, I went to E for Ethel to say goodbye and enjoyed a last green smoothie and when the owner learnt I was moving away, she said that she knew just the right place where I would feel welcomed, happy and comfortable to keep my old habits. She knew the perfect place and it was just near my new house and that is when I heard for the first time about the Tin Cat Café ❤

But I was so busy with my life at that moment that I did not get the chance to visit this place. Few months passed and Elaine (an Australian friend) was in my neighborhood and wanted to have coffee with me and sadly the place she had in mind was closed so I recalled about the Tin Cat Café and we decided to give it a try and I have never been disappointed since. I guess it was meant to be this way! Actually, after this episode, I went there MANY times with my friend Ann (she is Australian too) whenever she needed to practise her French and also Nassim (Iran) and Jessica (Mexico) had breakfast with me there one day and it was really nice 🙂

One of the numerous friendly dinning areas

This place is so cute and it has a really special vibe. It has a home feeling, probably due to the fact that it is located in an authentic terrace house (in the very typical Australian style). I also like the vintage decoration of the place and the staff is so lovely! The café supports local artists so there are always paintings to be seen and interesting stuffs to discover and to talk about. It is absolutely charming and it has this “gilmore girls” feeling that I like so much!

It is pretty big, with several rooms and it has also a nice garden in the back which is absolutely lovely during summer time. One Sunday, my friend Ann invited me to a book launch at the Tin Cat Café that took place in the garden and it was so lovely, many people, good food, lovely colours… again I felt very welcome and it was like visiting some dear relatives!

Today Chai Panacotta and peanut butter mousse cake!

As for the food, you won’t be disappointed, there are always nice treats! The Chaï Latte is lovely and so is the coffee and I recommend you to indulge yourself with their sweets. They have a nice selection of desserts and the presentation is always lovely with a big smile!

Sadly, good things have an end and I guess that for the Tin Cat Café it is time to explore new fields. The café will be gone soon since the Terrace house has been sold and it is a real pity. I am sure a lot of people will be missing this spot. So if you are curious to know more about this cute little café, please hurry (only a few weeks left from now on) and visit this little gem, you won’t regret it ❤

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Tin Cat Café

107 Rundle Street

Kent Town

Tel. +61 8 8362 4748

Web : http://www.tincat.com.au

australia, food, lifestyle

I’m a blender girl in a smoothie world

March 14, 2016 Virginie the Frenchie 2 Comments

Lately I became addicted to those trendy and colourful beverages called : SMOOTHIES! Not only they are delicious but they are supposed to be healthy as well : perfect combo then, I’m all in! This is the perfect excuse for me to indulge myself with some nice and fresh fruits ❤

It all started with the purchase of a magic kitchen device : Mr Blender! Mr Blender has many qualities :

He is POWERFUL : he can blend anything !
He is CHARMING : nothing can resist him
He is JOYFUL : with his little yellow hat on
He is EASY GOING : dishwasher safe, space saver

And this is the part where I started to buy and blend many fresh fruits but also frozen ones to make refreshing smoothie bowls. I also started to be more and more interested in green juices and I purchased Kale, spinach, cucumber etc… I tried many combinations, but I have a sweet tooth so I must confess that I am more a fruity girl than a veggie one!

I think it is a good way to start the day with a smile on your face. Besides I like to have a bit of fun with my smoothie bowls topping them with superaliments and cool stuffs such as : chia seeds, sunflower seeds, linseeds, grated coconut, goji, almond milk etc… I am having also fun decorating them with layers so it looks like a landscape. I think it is worth it spending a couple of minutes on the decoration because you eat also with your eyes, don’t you?

Anyway, I am quite happy about all my creations. I like the texture and I like the colour, my favourite being anything involving blueberries, strawberries and vanilla soy or coconut milk! I have also a sweet spot for banana, milk and safran (or matcha) shake. It is easy to find on internet many recipes ideas but generally I prefer to follow my intuitions and what I have actually in my fridge and kitchen cupboard. You can’t go wrong with smoothies so let your imagination lead!

So next time, you are looking for ideas to brighten your breakfast, have a colourful smoothie bowl : it will cheer you up for the rest of the day 🙂

australia, food

Chez John

August 18, 2015 Virginie the Frenchie 1 Comment

“Breakfast is my speciality. I admit it is the easiest meal to cook, but I make everything with a twist!” – Hugh Jackman

Chez John : the best American Breakfast in town

Breakfast is my favourite meal during the weekend and luckily Adelaide offers a wide range of nice places where to enjoy the most important meal of the day ❤

I tried many places since I arrived in Adelaide but the restaurants that have, in my opinion, the best breakie in town are: East Terrace Continental, The Royal Oak, The Findi and the Original Pancake kitchen!

But as my grandmother would say, nothing beats an homemade meal and breakfast is no exception! I must say, when it comes to breakfast, my friend John (from California) masters the art and I am a huge fan of his American breakfast! You would think that as a French person, I stick to cocoa, baguette, butter, jam, croissant and pain au chocolat but I must admit that since I moved abroad I changed my breakfasts’ habits. Now I really appreciate a nourishing and salty breakie to kick the day!

John’s American breakfast is the BEST and even the restaurants can’t beat the quality of his cuisine. Generally he makes: scrambled eggs, homemade baked beans with a twist, rosemary potatoes, portobello mushrooms, grilled/garlic tomatoes, crunchy bacons and toasts! Breakfast is served with a lovely English breakfast tea with some milk and sugar. It is absolutely divine and I really adore it! It smells so good and I like the colours and the texture, it is absolutely fantastic. Pictures don’t do justice to it so you will have to take my word for it!

You can always look on the internet and try to find “chez John” to taste his amazing American breakfast but I am afraid it is a very exclusive address and if you want to get invited, you will have to become friends first and move to California 😉

australia, food

Add some “Bliss” to your cup of tea

June 12, 2015 Virginie the Frenchie 7 Comments

“Sometimes, you just need a break. In a beautiful place. Alone. To figure everything out!”

There is a charming organic cafe right in the middle of China town. It’s called Bliss Organic Cafe and it is colourful, cosy and very friendly! The menu is really appetizing and there is a large choice of vegan dishes. The staff is absolutely lovely and they are always happy to chat and put people at ease. It is impossible to feel stress when you enter this little paradise: so peaceful, so many good vibes! But most of all, there is an amazing secret garden at the back of the place where you can relax and enjoy a drink! Can it get even better than that?!

Bliss Organic Cafe and its lively secret garden

My favourite beverage is the warm apple juice: so sweet and so comforting! I just love the flavour and the smell of it! As you know I have a sweet tooth and I can’t help indulging myself with their homemade pastries! I highly recommend the chocolate and goji energy ball or the dark chocolate rocky road bar! Both are absolutely divine. As for the perfect spot to enjoy these little treats, I would definitely point the sofa at the back of the secret garden under the majestic trees.

This is what I like about Adelaide and about Australia: no matter the season you can really enjoy being outdoor! Actually maybe it is even better sitting outside when it is Autumn or Winter time. Let’s be honest it never really gets “very” cold here (comparing to Europe… and my vague memories of -20 in Canada haha). Furthermore, Aussies cafe are very well equipped providing special outdoors heating and/or beautiful warm blankets. So when the sun disappears below the horizon and it is getting chilly, “no worries”, you can still enjoy the moment and sit outside under the stars feeling bliss in your heart ❤

Bliss Organic Cafe

7 Compton Street

Adelaide, South Australia

(08) 8231 0205

https://www.facebook.com/blissorganic?fref=ts

australia, food

That sushi is a diva!

June 9, 2015 Virginie the Frenchie Leave a comment

If you happen to be a foodie of great diversity like me, you should definitely join our English cooking class at the North Adelaide Community Centre!

There is always something nice to taste, a new flavour to discover or a new technique to master while learning English!

Marjorie (from Colombia) mastering the sushi art

Today was a very special day because there was the famous South Australian Life magazine covering our international cuisine event! Actually they wanted our dishes to appear in their food and wine section…. wow… can you believe it, our dishes are making the news!!!

So we did our best to represent our countries with food we really love! I think we did a great job and we enjoyed plates from different part of the globe:

– Yosuke (from Japan) made delicious sushis for us! The tuna and the salmon came from Adelaide Central Market and it was very fresh and tasty! I think all the eyes were turned on this piece of art and we were all more than welcome to give it a try. It was not that easy and rolling a sushi is a real technique! Actually Marjorie (from Colombia) and Balbina (from Spain) were really good at it!

– Jessica (from Mexico) cooked amazing chicken tacos with a fabulous fresh guacamole: OMG it was divine! I love the colours of Mexican cuisine, it is so lively! It is like the party is already starting in your plate before it has even reached your mouth.

– Marjorie (from Colombia) prepared some vegetable roots with cheese and tomatoes/onions sauce. Somehow the sauce reminded me of the taste of one of our traditional dish from South of France called: ratatouille. What a lovely surprise I must say!

– Pegguy (from Taiwan) made a beautiful Taiwanese beef noodle soup, such a comforting dish! The beef was literally melting in my mouth and the flavour was absolutely lovely!

– and I (Virginie from France) cooked a “tarte au thon”. Basically it is a kind of quiche made with mustard, tuna, tomatoes, cheese and cream! It can be a starter or a main dish with a salad… depends on how hungry you are! I got the recipe from my grandmother and it is always a hit when I make this dish. My family and friends absolutely love it, and so do I ❤

English mixed with cooking class: a tasty concept!

As always, this class was good fund and a great success! It was a wonderful opportunity to taste some lovely dishes and bond with each other 🙂

food, france, School

Soupe à l’oignon au bleu d’Auvergne – Onion soup with blue cheese

May 24, 2015 Virginie the Frenchie 4 Comments

“A classic and comforting recipe from the French countryside that will please your palate during winter, especially after an outdoor walk in the biting cold.”

Ingredients:

For 4 people:

• 400 g onions

• 2 liters of chicken stock

• 70 g unsalted butter

• 150 g of Bleu d’Auvergne (blue cheese)

• 4 slices of country bread

• Salt

• Coarse salt

• Ground black pepper

Method:

• Peel and chop the onions.

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan add the onions and gently brown over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula.

• Then add the chicken stock, seasoned with a pinch of coarse salt.

• Stir and bring to a boil and allow to simmer about 1 hour over low heat. Stir from time to time during cooking.

• Meanwhile mash the Bleu d’Auvergne (blue cheese) in a bowl with a fork until you obtain a creamy texture.

• Lightly toast the slices of country bread and while still warm, spread the cheese on the top of them.

• Once the soup is cooked, remove half of the volume of onions with a skimmer or a slotted spoon. Let the mixture cool down and put it in the blender to obtain an onion puree.

• Then put the onion puree back into the saucepan, mix, adjust seasoning to taste adding salt and pepper and mix well again.

Presentation:

Serve this traditional dish in preheated soup plates. Place the toasted bread spread with bleu d’Auvergne on the side ready to be immersed in the soup.

Top tip:

A little trick to avoid ” crying ” while mincing onions: use a sharp knife! Actually a bad knife crushes the pulp of onion instead of slicing it – it spreads a fine mist of onion juice in the air followed by a river of tears!

If you can’t find Bleu d’Auvergne, you can use a local blue cheese as well, in that case choose a creamy and flavourful one.

Bon appétit 🙂

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Kellie, who is the North Adelaide Community Centre coordinator, asked me to take part to a good cause by writing a recipe from France. The idea was to create a “City Community – favourite soup recipes” book in order to raise money for the Welcome Centre of South Australia – http://www.welcometoaustralia.org.au/ – so they can replace a trailer which was recently stolen from them! The goal was to obtain a collection of recipes that reflect a little bit about our family and heritage. I really liked the initiative and I was happy I could help! I chose to translate this recipe into English because I originally come from Auvergne and I liked the idea that “Bleu d’Auvergne” (a typical blue cheese from this region) was part of this comforting dish. My favourites French cheese are: Bleu d’Auvergne, Fourme d’Ambert (another blue cheese), Cantal, Saint-Nectaire, Salers and Gaperon – all made in Auvergne haha! Luckily some of them can be found at the Adelaide Central Market which is good when I am missing French cheese.

australia, food

On the rocky road again

May 21, 2015 Virginie the Frenchie Leave a comment

Easter time is all about chocolate and you would think that now you can wait until christmas for your next chockie shot… but can you really get enough of those little treats?! I really doubt it!

Luckily for me, I live in Adelaide: Haigh’s chocolates paradise! Forget about Willy Wonka’s factory because here it’s not just a story, it is the real thing! They have just celebrated their 100 years anniversary and it is too bad they did not organise a chocolate lottery for this special occasion 😦 Anyway, I am in love with their chocolates but the one that drives me literally crazy is: Milk Rocky Road! I could eat it all day and then probably cry a river because my jeans don’t fit anymore. What can I say, it is my secret weakness, I must say they are absolutely delicious! Imagine cubes of light vanilla marshmallow mixed with cherries, sultanas and almonds, tossed in chocolate. The first time I tried them was in September 2014, only a couple of days after my arrival to Australia and I still remember the flavour on my palate ❤ what a delightful surprise when you think that I am not a big fan of marshmallows! I am not sure you can find “Rocky Road” in France, well I have never heard about them before. On the contrary, it seems to be easy to find those little treats in Australia, Great Britain or America (with slightly different variations).

So if like me you are a chocolate lover and you want to know what Rocky Roads taste like, then here is an easy recipe from the famous Chef Jamie Oliver himself! In this recipe, he uses dark chocolate (healthier option) but I prefer the non diet friendly version with milk chocolate 😉

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fruit-recipes/rocky-road-kill/#owepoyEMDyxbMiaw.97

My tip: should this not be easy for you to find golden syrup in your country, I think it is ok to use substitutes such as Agave syrup, Maple syrup or molasse. Careful with the dosage since you don’t want the result to be too sweet. Please feel free to let me feedbacks in the comments section as I am curious to know how it went, if you liked it and if you have any tips to share.

australia, food

A slice of France

May 13, 2015 Virginie the Frenchie 4 Comments

Don’t you love the smell of a French baguette, still warm from the bakery shop? As I am walking back home, I can’t resist biting in it and feel it crunching under my teeth. I like this particular sound and the taste of it, promise of a delicious breakfast with butter, jam, pains au chocolat and croissants!

Sometimes I miss home and I need to reconnect with familiar flavours. It is not easy to find bread or croissants that have the same texture and taste as in France. You would think it is because of the unique technique or maybe a special oven…etc but actually the explanation is way more simple: it is the flour! It is too expensive to import French flour that is why bakeries use local flour to bake their baguettes. Don’t get me wrong, I have tried many kind of breads at the Adelaide Central Market and I liked them a lot: I mean they are good but different! And when you are experiencing home sickness, you want to bite into a piece of bread that would remind you of the nice mornings at your family home, beautiful pastries at the corner of your street, the intoxicating smell of the warm and fresh bread from the oven… you see?!

As for the perfect croissant, it is not easy to find it either! I tried a few places but so far, the one I enjoyed the most was at Cannelle French pastries! When I bit into it, it took me back for a couple of minutes to Paris ❤ The flavour was definitely here and I had croissant crumbs all over me which is how it is supposed to be 😉 The baker is a sympathetic French man who felt in love with Adelaide and has been living here for many years! So if you are a croissant lover, try to get to Cannelle bakery early in the morning as these little treats don’t last very long!

Cannelle French pastries

123b Magill Road

Stepney SA 5069

http://www.cannelle.com.au

australia, food, lifestyle, School

Speak, cook, love

May 12, 2015 Virginie the Frenchie 4 Comments

Tuesdays rhyme for me with English class and cooking! Actually there is an original free English conversation class at the North Adelaide Community Centre hosted by the talented and hilarious Malcolm. The theme of this class is: World cuisine. People from all continents attend to this joyful English class, there are no homeworks, no grades but only one rule: each participant is invited to share about his culture and his country through cooking. In my opinion it is a very interesting concept and a good way to practise English while learning about other customs and fooding. Malcolm puts everybody at ease, he is a very encouraging teacher and he has a lot of humour so everybody, even beginners, has an opportunity to speak! There are very interesting stories to hear about and it is like traveling the world! So many foreign countries are represented: China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Spain, Iran, France, Italy, Croatia, Chili, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela… it is wonderful to be surrounded by all these different accents and good vibes. I have met really amazing friends thanks to this class and it has made a huge difference in my experience here for sure!

Once a month or so, thanks to Malcolm and our amazing coordinator Kellie our English class takes place in the community centre kitchen. We cook all together traditional dishes from our respective countries but also sometimes Australian meal (like Anzac biscuits) and learn about the story behind. Malcolm says that it is a good exercice for us to put our English into context with real life practice: reading recipes in English, understanding the vocabulary, solving problems together, connecting with each other, joining forces… The results is always incredible, so many different ingredients, colours and flavours: the world in a plate! We have a lot of fun as you can see by yourself in the following short video. If you start watching at 1:14, you will see our teacher Malcolm being interviewed about this wonderful class and if you pay attention you will see me as well with my friends at the North Adelaide Community Centre kitchen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip0LqXRDRpg

But the fun does not stop here, because after the cooking we can taste all these lovely dishes and share with the community centre guests. Again it is another opportunity to meet locals, mingle, express our opinions and please our palate with worldwide food. I am glad we have also the opportunity to taste Australian traditional dishes: pavlova, lamington, anzac biscuits… because we don’t have those in our countries and the point is to learn more about Australian culture because this is where our ❤ is at the moment. So come and join us at the North Adelaide Community Centre, you will love cooking and speaking English for sure!

North Adelaide Community Centre

176 Tynte Street

North Adelaide SA 5006

Tel :(08) 8203 7990

australia, food

Spread the love

May 8, 2015 Virginie the Frenchie 4 Comments

When it comes to spread, Americans have peanut butter, Europeans have Nutella and Australians have Vegemite!

Vegemite has a special and unique flavour. It is like the sword in the stone: only true Aussie hearts can enjoy it 😉 So I took my chance and bought a pot of this Australian sacred delight. This is how bad I ❤ Australia!

Vegemite is a kind of brown paste, very thick and dark in colour like waste oil. To me it smells like a loaf bread which stayed all the morning on a table outside a beach house. As for the taste, it was nothing like I would have imagined, it is VERY salty… maybe as salty as the sea but with a kind of meat juice flavour.

It is really a hit in Australia: people enjoy it on their toasts, in their sandwiches, crumpets… I must confess I wanted to like it too so I really tried hard: spread on a toast (Ew), with tomatoes (Ew), with cucumbers (Ew), with walnuts (Ew). Nothing worked and it was so salty that I spent the whole night drinking water like if I had walked hours in the desert. I am sorry but honestly I did not like it at all 😦 it has a weird taste and the texture is not easy to work, I had difficulties to spread it!

Maybe there is something I am not doing right or maybe the legend is true: you have to be born and raised in Oz world to fully appreciate Vegemite, if not you are condemned to keep an horrible taste in the mouth and looking with envy at Aussie people savouring the mythical black paste as it was the best treat in the world!

What about you, are you a vegemite addict? Do you have any tips to enjoy it? Any techniques? I am curious to hear about it 😉