Beautiful blooms.

After being given a stunning bouquet I decided to check out the florist. I certainly didn't expect to find these beautiful flower arrangements created in an unassuming little shop in Marrickville.

They truly are gifted florists and their arrangements never fail to make an impression.

You can also pick up the latest Voluspa fragranced candle or stock up on L'Occitane (they also sell jewellery, which I was less keen on).

Or order online: http://www.flowersbyteresa.com/

Flowers by Teresa

402 Illawarra Road Marrickville NSW 2204
Phone: +61 2 9559 3369 Fax: +61 2 9554 6126

Note - this image is taken from their website, my bunch was more floral.

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Our daily bread.

We are spoilt for choice in Sydney when it comes to artisan baked bread. I cannot understand why people persist in buying preservative laden packaged loaves from the supermarket when we have so many readily available alternatives. Here are a few of my favourites:

Bourke Street Bakery
You queue down the street to get to the counter in the tiny Surry Hills flagship store, but it is worth the wait (and getting wet in the rain at times) to buy some of the best sourdough around (and reasonably priced too). We particularly like the idea of daily specials, the personal sourdough loaf (daily bread for singles) and the tomato and basil pizza is a knockout - even cold!
We shared the disappointment when the Broadway store closed. And now we have discovered the Marrickville bakery cafe. In the middle of an industrial park, this is hardly a cafe with atmosphere, yet you can park your car easily on the weekends and the queues are at least inside.
633 Bourke Street Surry Hills
2 Mitchell Street Marrickville

Sonoma
You don't have to go to the store in Glebe, as these are available in many places such as About Life in Rozelle and the Orange Grove Growers Market on a Saturday. The spelt sourdough and the kalamata olive sourdough are among my favourites. There's also the wholemeal polenta loaf and the soy & linseed is pretty special...
215a Glebe Point Rd Glebe
For a full list of stockists: http://www.sonoma.com.au/retail-outlets.htm

Victoire
A longtime favourite of mine is their Levain, though I have been pestering Herman for a wholemeal version for ages. He tells me this week that they now have a "wholemeal rustic", so I must check it out. Their little olive breads are divine and, though the subject of this blog is bread, their pastries shouldn't be ignored.
I am even more of a fan now that I know they give all their daily excess to OzHarvest. Read about it in the September Village Voice: http://digitaledition.balmainvillagevoice.com.au/
285 Darling Street, Balmain

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Salt & pepper squid survey - results are in!

I have undertaken a lengthy quest to discover Sydney's best salt & pepper squid. The journey has taken me to the areas best known for Asian cuisine - Chinatown (of course!), Chatswood, Burwood - but I keep coming back to the amazing texture and flavour at Balmain's Blue Ginger. Maybe it's the addition of the fresh chilli and fried spring onions, certainly the batter is superior to anything I have tried eslewhere. It must be eaten in, no good for take away unfortunately.

Blue Ginger - 241 Darling Street Balmain

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Cosy drinks by an open fire

It's winter and you can smell woodsmoke in the air. When you meet your friends for a drink, you want to be warm and cosy. Nothing makes you feel warmer than the ambience created by an open fire (even a gas replica does a good job!).

Here is a list of places I have discovered that fit the bill. The list is by no means exhaustive - so please send me details of others! If nothing else, it just shows where you might find me on a cold Sunday afternoon...

The Riverview Hotel, Balmain - 29 Birchgrove Road
The Three Weeds, Rozelle - 193 Evans Street
The Royal Oak, Balmain - Corner Curtis Road & College Street (upstairs and also in the bistro)
The Martini Bar, Leichhardt - Upstairs, 99 Norton St

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Amazing Greek lamb

You would never expect to find that a bakery supplies the most amazing cooked lamb. This succulent, flavoursome meat has been slow cooked whole and simply has to be tried to be believed. I am not sure what the right name is in English, as I always have my Greek sister-in-law order it - we have had it for every family party (including Christmas) for the past year! All our non-Greek guests rave.

A whole lamb costs close to $200 and will feed 40-50 people. Or you can order a half lamb for smaller gatherings. It comes piping hot in a polystyrene box and never fails to impress!!

Hellenic Bakery
371 Illawarra Road, Marrickville. Tel: 9559 2701.

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