Tag Archives: mushrooms

Lumiere Cafe and Patisserie, Surry Hills

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During dinner with Grab Your Fork, we couldn’t help but grill our dining partner for some good breakfast tips.

When you’re a food blogger, forward-planning meals is not only convenient, but practically essential!

Lumiere Cafe and Pattiserie

Brioche French toast with caramelised banana, bacon and maple syrup, $18

H suggests a few fantastic sounding places, and after some research once we’re back in our hotel that evening, our mission is simple – brioche French toast with banana and bacon, at Lumiere Cafe in Surry Hills.

Lumiere Cafe and Pattiserie

Sydney cafes seem to put in a lot of effort into interior design. I like it.

Lumiere is located in Surry Hills, the suburb which was quickly becoming my own personal eating mecca.

We arrived early, and found the sunny cafe was fairly empty, with only a few other keen diners fueling up before work.

Lumiere Cafe and Pattiserie

Omelette with smoked ham, mushrooms, chives and provolone cheese, $17

Dining with a fellow food blogger who is also your sister makes eating simple. 

To conserve valuable eating space, we opt to share two breakfast dishes between the three of us, an arrangement which worked like a treat.

Lumiere Cafe and Pattiserie

When it arrives, my omelette with smoked ham, mushrooms, chives and provolone cheese, looks a little sad and unadorned on the plate.

The next thing I notice is just how big it is – taking up more than half of the plate. Thank god I’m sharing this, I think, as there’s no way I could finish the whole thing on my own!

Lumiere Cafe and Pattiserie

But slicing it open reveals that the softly set omelette is well stuffed with a generous filling of ham, mushrooms, oozing cheese and a tumble of oniony chives.

I’m in a savoury breakfast sort of mood, and this omelette offers the perfect combination of breakfast food groups (eggs, salty protein, mushrooms, cheese) all topped off with a slice of crunchy toast. Winner!

The juicy mushrooms have created a bit of a puddle of liquid beneath the omelette, which turns its lightly browned, slightly crispy exterior soggy.

I’m glad we’re sharing our meals, as the omelette is deceptively rich and filling.

Lumiere Cafe and Pattiserie

When TFP’s brioche French toast arrives, it is a sight to behold, topped with a layer of lightly burnished bananas and crowned with crispy bacon.

It sits in a pool of sticky golden maple syrup, and smells amazing. I think this would be a scent worth bottling – eau de toilette or parfum, who cares, I’d definitely buy it! Anyone know anyone at Diptyque? I have an idea for a new home fragrance ;)

Lumiere Cafe and Pattiserie

We let her take the first bites, naturally, but I have to stop myself from tackling J with my fork to have a taste. 

The uber-eggy brioche French toast is pillowy soft, and readily soaks up the sweet syrup. The caramelised banana is tender and sweet, which contrasts really well with the salty tang of the crispy bacon.

Lumiere Cafe and Pattiserie

Interior of the cafe

I top off the meal with my daily caffeine fix, this time a soy flat white, which leaves me primed and ready to go for the eating adventures ahead in Cabramatta!

Lumiere Cafe & Patisserie on Urbanspoon

Read TFP’s post about Lumiere Cafe

Read about our other food adventures in Sydney

Kitchen garden: Portabello mushrooms

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It’s technically not part of our wee garden, but I had to share the fun, slightly alien looking mushrooms that have started to grow from my kit.

On a trip to our local Bunnings recently, I purchased a grow your own Portabello mushroom kit.

I am so pleased something is finally happening! I love mushrooms. Especially Portabello mushrooms.

The photo above illustrates how it looked yesterday, just over a month since I opened this up and dutifully wet and mulched the kit. My instruction reading skills were obviously lacking, as I probably lost about two weeks of ‘grow time’ by packing down the mulch (a big no no, as I later realised upon re-reading the directions on the box).

But now, look! There’s something happening.

Above: another shot from yesterday

And here’s (approximately) the same mushies – today.

I’m waiting with baited breath to see what my first crop looks like. Just think of the possibilities – mushroom soup, mushroom sauce, roasted mushrooms ….