Banana Bread

Well it was ANZAC day yesterday and I was all set to go out, and then i got up and looked outside and it was miserable, so i decided to stay at home and bake instead. I bought some bananas like a week ago and damn this cold weather it was taking forever for them to go brown. They were freckly, so that was good enough for me!

I had never actually cooked banana bread before and I couldn't believe how easy it was. You just mix everything together pop in a greased loaf tray (bought this new silicone one especially for it and it was so easy to get it out) and bake in the oven for about 1 hour. Makes the apartment smell good too! So i did this as soon as i got up so i could have a hot slice for breakfast. The recipe i had used more bananas than other ones so it was really moist and banana flavoury (is that a word..) and crispy on the outside. Cut of the end piece and whacked on a knifeful of butter, mmmm.... I will now be eating banana bread for the next couple of weeks...

Banana Bread Recipe

4 large bananas mashed

125 grams butter

2 cups plain flour

3/4 cup of brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix together flour, salt and baking powder in one bowl. In the other bowl cream the butter and sugar, then mix in the bananas and eggs. When that is mixed well add it to the flour mixture. Combine all of that together and pour into a greased loaf tray. Oh yeah preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius and then bake for about an hour. Let it sit for as long as you can wait and then eat!

Sumac Restaurant

On Saturday night I went with my friends Megan and Bee to Sumac restaurant in Darling Harbour. I had seen this restaurant a few times before, tucked away in the corner next to the docks hotel, but had never actually been. I saw jenius' post on it and decided to give it a go, plus it's right near where i live, so bonus!



Cocktails

We decided to start off with some cocktails while we decided what we were going to order. Clockwise from the front I had a good old cosmopolitan (which was good, but i make a mean cosmo, so it wasn't up to my standard), Megan had the Lychee Martini which was yummy, lychees are good and Bee had a Strawberry Daiquiri which i wasn't a big fan of. I always find that daiquiris are never sweet enough for me and i want a drink that i can drink and not have it get stuck in the straw. All the cocktails were $14.50, which is quite reasonable for a restaurant.



Mix Dips Plate - Hummus, Babaganouj, Tzatziki & Bread - $12

For starters we had the mix dips plate. Yum I could live on dips and bread, but i would have preferred a bit more bread, but then i probably should have ordered some more, so i shouldn't complain. Next up the mains.



King Prawn Linguine - $29


I decided on the King Prawn linguine. I was going to go for the lamb shank tagine (i love a good shank) but i had some the other day and hadn't had pasta for ages, so chose this instead. It was very tasty and the prawns were big and flavourful which was good to see. It was a bit spicy though, which i didn't expect. Luckily i like all things hot otherwise i would have not been able to eat it. It was a huge serving too.

Wagyu Beef Kebab - $19

Megan ordered the beef kebab which was very nice. I went to try one of the potatoes and with the effects of the darkness and alcohol together i got some roasted garlic instead... Now i don't know if you're ever meant to eat the roasted garlic, cause i never think it tastes good. I got a potato on my next go and they were perfectly crispy and seasoned. The meat was good too, but if you ask me it tasted like your normal beef to me.

Vegetarian (Roast Pumpkin, Pine Nuts, Caramelised Onion, Feta, & Coriander) Pizza - $16

Sounds good doesn't it, well it wasn't that good. You would expect a party going on in your mouth, but no. This was Bee's choice, but of course I had to sample. Not saying it was bad or anything, but that it was just a bit bland.

I so wanted to try dessert, but none of us could fit anything else in. I always can't eat that much when i have had a few wines, and we were going out after that, so i didn't want to be feeling like i was about to explode.

Anyway i would recommend to go there if you are in the area. It was packed though when we went, so make sure you book. The waiter was a bit cute too, which is always good.

Sumac Restaurant and Bar

Shop 284, The Promenade,

Harbourside Shopping Centre

Darling Harbour

Ph: 9281 2700

Breakfast - Saturday, Sundays & Public Holidays - 9am - 11:30am

Lunch & Dinner - 7 days - 11:30am - Late

Josh Pyke

Went and saw Josh Pyke at the metro theatre on Friday night and can I just say that i am totally in love with him. He has the best voice and the best songs and the metro is the best place to see bands i might add. That's a lot of bests there!

Naomi & Me

Duncan & Leanne

Josh!

Metro Theatre
624 George Street

Cupcakes

How good are cupcakes at the moment. I still have to check out cupcakes on pitt, but i came across this website for this cupake place in pittsburgh pennsylvania, check these out...

Meltaway Mint

Toasted Coconut

Rocky Road

Yum, if i am ever in Pennsylvania i am going to this place!

Going to see Josh Pyke at the Metro tomorrow night.....can't wait!

Paddington Markets

I can't believe that after 12 years of living in Sydney i hadn't been to the Paddington Markets, so it was about time that i went! My friend from uni Bec is getting married in a couple of weeks, so what better an excuse to go shopping!

I couldn't believe how many different jewellery shops there were and how they could all be profiting from having a stall here. Anyway we found some lovely rustic things for Bec and Robert (they live in the country) so it was well worth the walk from Pyrmont to Paddington! We also sampled some gorgeous smokey garlic mayo from one of the stalls inside the building who also sold chocolates of which i tried the white chocolate pistachio. Now i am not normally a fan of white chocolate, but this was goood! All this sampling was getting me hungry as i hadn't had lunch yet and it was 3pm, so off we head for food!

We decided on Himalayan, cause i hardly eat Himalayan food so thought i would be different. I ended up choosing their beef combination dish.

Beef Dish with rice, noodles, beans and chick pea dahl - $9

This was exactly what i felt like and it was very nice and filling. Not the best meal i have ever had, but it was certainly tasty. At the end i did encounter some cloves or star anise which wasn't the most pleasant surprise, but it is market food. Megan decided on the Chicken Kebab.

Chicken Kebab with Noodles and Salad - $9

Megan said this was very good, but that it was quite hard to eat the wrap that was underneath. She was meant to get the chick pea dahl on hers, but as it was late in the afternoon i actually got the last of it on mine.....sorry Megan. I did give her some of mine to try though! Both meals had mint yoghurt and homemade chutney on them which were great, I love my condiments! Overall the food was good and a change from the norm. I really wanted to try those ice cream sandwiches that i saw on chocolatesuze's site but i was too full :( Will have to try them next time and get me some of that mayo as well....

Paddington Markets
395 Oxford Street
Paddington

Every Saturday from 10am - 4pm

Here we go....

So here it goes, i have decided to start my own blog. I think I must have been living under a rock or something cause it is only recently that I have discovered these blogs and now i am addicted. It started with looking for a place to go eat with my friends and i stumbled across grab your fork and ended up reading the whole of her posts for 2006. So instead of living through all of everyone's blog sites (which i still will do) I will share some of my experiences with everyone too. Bear with me though, cause i am not really sure what i am doing, so i will be teaching myself as i go.....