Oh hai chefs, we see you!

An up-close and personal view of chefs Elvis Abrahanowicz and Ben Milgate at work at the pass is just one of the many things I loved about our visit to Porteño.

Sometime in June, TFP, J and I got to work on our list, the places in Sydney we knew we had to visit.

One of the places that made the list was Porteño, where the meat is flame-grilled, the drinks are well mixed, and your servers decked out in their finest fifties’ finery.

Our blogger friends Craig and Caroline were more than happy to help us round out our numbers, bringing our number to five – the magical minimum number required for a booking at this usually packed out restaurant. Two seatings are available – 6.00 to 8.30pm, and 9.00pm to close.

My spidey sense told me that booking the first seating was the best option, for a number of reasons:

• The food bloggers would need as much natural light as possible for better shots
• We’d be walking around a lot, and therefore, would be hungry earlier than usual
• And the most important question: what if they ran out of what we wanted before the second seating?

House baked bread, olive oil and pork pate, $2 per head

We each started with a house baked bread roll, which comes with a side of pork pate and fruity olive oil.

The unctuous pork pate is creamy and better than any butter I could hope for. It’s worth a try, even if you’re not usually a pate fan – it’s light, yet rich and very very moreish.

One of my favourite summer drinks, Pimm’s, is on the menu, and arrives topped up with lemonade and served over lots of ice. It’s one of those drinks I wish was available in more places – it’s fantastic with practically anything!

Calamares Asado, BBQ Calamari with Chickpea Sofrito,
Preserved Lemon & Watercress, $24

J and Craig are both keen to try the Calamares Asado, and I’m very happy to dig into the dish when it arrives.

The tendrils of squid are beautifully tender, with not a hint of rubber in sight.

There’s a zingy aroma from the preserved lemon, and we’re all pleasantly surprised by the chickpeas, which have been tossed in a blend of fragrant spices.

I love the crisp, fresh watercress, which is a favourite of mine, but usually absent from my own cooking and when I eat out.

As we eat we’re treated to a fireside view of the asado, the pit filled with ironbark embers which roasts the restaurant’s famous pork and lamb to tender perfection.

Chimichurri, Argentina’s famous herb-laden sauce, and Criolla, an onion and capsicum salsa, arrive in preparation for our meaty bounty.

Cordero a la Cruz, 8-hour wood fired milk-fed Mirrool Creek Lamb, $42

First to join us is the lamb, which is so tender it hardly warrants a knife and fork. There’s shards of crispy skin which we all enjoy. It’s crunchy and salty – crumbling away on my tongue.

Confession: I don’t usually like lamb. And I certainly never order it in a restaurant. But my dining partners insisted and I was glad they did – this was amazing! If all lamb was as tender and fragrant as this, I’d rewrite my no lamb policy.

Chanchito a la Cruz, 8-hour woodfired pig, $44

Oh em gee. Here it is. Here’s what I came for. The wood fired pork. The promise of crunchy tiles of crackling skin and the tender meat rippled with creamy white fat, was torturing me for a full six months after I made the reservation.

I confess, I was a little sad to have to share. Luckily for me, after the last crunch of the crackle, we could set to work nibbling on the roasted ribs, which had been thoughtfully presented with the rest of the meat

Tira de Asado, O’Connor grass fed Angus beef short ribs, $30

Short ribs are a favourite cut of mine – something I order whenever I can, especially at Korean barbecue joints. I love the short ribs for their rich beefy flavour, something which can be lacking in other favoured cuts like fillet and sirloin. 

Porteño’s short ribs certainly delivered on flavour – it was definitely enhanced by the smoke of the wood-burning grill. But unfortunately we all found this a little tough, making it difficult to enjoy the fantastic flavour of the beef.

Repollitos de Brusela Frito, crispy fried Brussels sprouts with lentils and mint, $14

If you’re a vegetarian, or heaven forbid, a vegan, then I’m sorry, but I don’t think Porteño is the restaurant for you.

Unless of course, you order these incredible Brussels sprouts – one of the most delicious incarnations of this vegetable I’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying.

This much hated Brassica is transformed at Porteño – deep fried until the leaves are crisp (amping their flavour up to 150%) and tossed with plump lentils and mint.

This dish knocks all other Brussels sprouts out of the park.

Polenta a la Tabla, polenta with Provolone cheese, $14

The Polenta a la Tabla is creamy and smooth. It almost seems light, but don’t let it fool you! The creaminess from the Provolone cheese makes this a decadent side dish, and its spiked with a generous drizzle of Chimichurri, which I hear is the usual accompaniment for this cheese in parts of South America.

Our dishes are quickly cleared and we begin to contemplate dessert while still ogling the roasted meats on offer…

Postre Chaja, South American style Pavlova, $14

My favourite from the desserts we tried was the Postre Chaja, a meringue topped dessert featuring layers of soft sponge cake, creamy custard, sweet mango, and a surprising salted peanut caramel.

It’s like no other Pavlova I’ve ever tried, but easily one of the best desserts I had in Sydney. Magnificent!

Piña Colada spider, pineapple soda and coconut-rum ice cream, $14

Neither J nor Craig could go past the Piña Colada spider, which reminded me very much of its namesake cocktail.

The frothy icecream layer was a blast from the past reminding me how much I used to love making lemonade and even orange (Fanta) spiders as a kid!

Leche Quemada, burnt milk custard with orange jam and chocolate ice cream, $14

Caroline went for the Leche Quemada, which featured a deeply caramelised custard over a tart orange jam (reminded me of marmalade). The creamy chocolate ice cream and the crunchy sugared popcorn added to the Jaffa effect of this dessert, satisfying the need for creamy chocolate and a sugary crunch.

As I rolled out of Porteño, I was a little sad to leave, knowing it would be some time before we could visit again. It was lovely to share such a memorable meal with our new friends.

Any future trips to Sydney will definitely mean a return to Porteño – but to secure a table, I’ll most definitely need a posse. Any takers?

For the full menu and reservations, visit Porteño’s website

Read about our other food adventures in Sydney

• Sydney day 1: BBQ King, Haymarket
• Sydney day 1: Via del Corso, Westfield Sydney
• Sydney day 1: Spiedo Bar and Restaurant, Westfield Sydney
• Sydney day 2: Bills, Surry Hills
• Sydney day 2: Becasse Bakery, Westfield Sydney
• Sydney day 2: Cafe Ish, Surry Hills
• Sydney day 2: Emperor’s Puffs, Chinatown
• Sydney day 2: Chat Thai, Haymarket
• Sydney day 3: Bourke Street Bakery, Surry Hills
• Sydney day 3: Cafe Cre Asion, Sydney CBD
• Sydney day 3: Jackie M Malaysian Cuisine, Concord
• Sydney day 4: The Rocks Cafe, The Rocks
• Sydney day 4: Din Tai Fung, World Square
• Sydney day 4: The Star, Pyrmont
• Sydney day 4: Sydney Madang, Sydney CBD
• Sydney day 5: Izakaya Fujiyama, Surry Hills
• Sydney day 5: Barby’s Bakery, Paddy’s Markets, Haymarket
• Sydney day 5: Sassy’s Red, Westfield Sydney
• Sydney day 6: Lumiere Cafe and Patisserie, Surry Hills
• Sydney day 6: Things I Love Thursday – Cabramatta Edition!

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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!

Read TFP’s post about Lumiere Cafe

Read about our other food adventures in Sydney

• Sydney day 1: BBQ King, Haymarket
• Sydney day 1: Via del Corso, Westfield Sydney
• Sydney day 1: Spiedo Bar and Restaurant, Westfield Sydney
• Sydney day 2: Bills, Surry Hills
• Sydney day 2: Becasse Bakery, Westfield Sydney
• Sydney day 2: Cafe Ish, Surry Hills
• Sydney day 2: Emperor’s Puffs, Chinatown
• Sydney day 2: Chat Thai, Haymarket
• Sydney day 3: Bourke Street Bakery, Surry Hills
• Sydney day 3: Cafe Cre Asion, Sydney CBD
• Sydney day 3: Jackie M Malaysian Cuisine, Concord
• Sydney day 4: The Rocks Cafe, The Rocks
• Sydney day 4: Din Tai Fung, World Square
• Sydney day 4: The Star, Pyrmont
• Sydney day 4: Sydney Madang, Sydney CBD
• Sydney day 5: Izakaya Fujiyama, Surry Hills
• Sydney day 5: Barby’s Bakery, Paddy’s Markets, Haymarket
• Sydney day 5: Sassy’s Red, Westfield Sydney
• Sydney day 6: Things I Love Thursday – Cabramatta Edition!

This week’s Photo Friday post features some sweet treats I whipped up yesterday for an Australia Day dinner we had with friends.

Say hello to my lamington cupcakes, inspired by the iconic coconut-dusted, chocolate coated sponge cakes which seem to be favourites of everyone I know – including me!

I recently discovered Glory’s amazing blog, Glorious Treats, and was totally inspired to get my bake on this week. For the cupcakes, I used her perfect vanilla cupcake recipe. It’s a fantastic recipe which results in tender-crumbed, vanilla-scented cakes that are just perfect for topping with a creamy icing.

But I didn’t stop with just coconut and chocolate icing. Oh no. When it comes to lamingtons, one of the most delicious additions you can find is a raspberry or strawberry jam centre.

It’s not a common addition, but I always get a kick out of it when I find a flash of red jam sandwiched between the layers of soft sponge cake.

I cut out the cores of my cupcakes once they were cool using a small paring knife, and added a generous dollop of Bonne Maman strawberry jam (one of my favourites).

This week, we, like the rest of Perth, have been battling a record-breaking heatwave. My major food groups this week have been:

• ice
• water
• juice
• ice cream

I finally felt like eating real food tonight after the afternoon heat finally broke (at 8.00pm).

Capitalising on the fact that our appetites were finally making an appearance, I threw together a warm salad, featuring Tassal smoked salmon, paprika roasted potatoes, quickly blanched green beans tossed in a balsamic and garlic vinaigrette, and topped it all off with a softly poached egg. A wedge of one of our home grown limes added a touch of much needed acid.

Perfect simple food for weather that just isn’t cooperating!

Roasted pork belly

My recipe was originally published on The Food Pornographer

For this recipe, I purchased two pieces of corn fed pork belly from Wing Hong Butcher in Northbridge that weighed about 4 kg (raw weight) in total.

Marinade

• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 star anise
• 8 cloves
• half an onion
• 4 sticks cinnamon
• 1/2 cup gula melaka or brown sugar
• 3/4 cup light soy sauce
• 1/4 cup vinegar (I used some pear cider vinegar)
• A splash of mushroom soy
• 2 tb sugar

At least one day before you plan to eat the pork

Part one: marinade

1. Blitz the onion and garlic in a food processor until pureed. Stir in sauces and sugars.
2. Place the mixture in a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the pork. Add the whole spices.
3. Pierce the pork all over the flesh side with a small knife to allow the flavours to penetrate. Place pork flesh side down into marinade. Try to avoid getting the marinade on the skin side.
4. Allow to marinade for at least six to eight hours.

Part two: slow cooking

1. Preheat your oven to 160 degrees celsius.
2. Remove the baking dish from the fridge, and cover well with foil.
3. Do not uncover during cooking. Check after 45 minutes to ensure there’s plenty of liquid in the dish – add a little water if it’s looking dry.
4. Bake for a total 90 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.
5. Place paper towel on top of the skin, weigh it down (I used two 2.5kg weights from J’s weights set over a baking tray!) and leave the pork in the fridge overnight.

The day of cooking and feasting

Part three: roasting

1. Remove the weights and paper towel, rub a little vegetable oil and salt into the skin.
2. Allow the pork to come to closer to room temperature as you preheat the oven preheat to 250 degrees celsius.
3. Place the pork on a rack in a baking tray, and cook it in the oven for approximately 40 minutes until the skin begins to crisp up. It should start to bubble. If you feel you need more time to achieve better skin, go ahead. Different ovens may need more or less time.
4. Once you feel satisfied with crispness of the skin, turn the oven down to 160 degrees celsius and cook the pork for an additional 45 minutes.
5. Rest the pork for an hour before serving. Slice it up using a sharp knife or cleaver and serve. Thank me later.

I started chopping the pork using one of Mum’s knives before realising I would need something heftier… My brother stepped in a gave the cleaver a tone before I got back to work.

Thanks to J for the photos – my hands were full

Gong hei fat choy!

As a kid, the wafting smell of roasted peanuts and the whirring of the food processor meant one thing. Peanut biscuits. 

My grandma would pull up a chair, hand me a chopstick, and I’d watch with awe as she mixed together sandy-looking ground peanuts, plain flour, sugar, oil and salt into a pliable dough. It was always even better than play dough.

Together, we’d roll small balls of the soft dough between our palms, placing them on baking trays lined with greasproof paper.

Then, wielding my chopstick, I would gleefully prod belly buttons into each plump biscuit, leaving a perfect circle in the centre of each sweet morsel.

Most families get together for a ‘reunion dinner’ on the eve of the lunar new year. 

Being big fans of homophones, many of the foods eaten and shared friends and family are symbolic – presented and eaten to ensure prosperity and good fortune in the year ahead.

From left: The perfect sandy texture.
You’ll know the mix is perfect when it looks like this.

Peanut biscuits
Recipe via Billy, A Table For Two!

Makes about 30 – 40 biscuits

Ingredients

• 300g peanuts, fried/roasted and ground until fine
• 200g castor sugar
• 250g plain flour
• about 200ml of canola oil (or other neutral flavoured oil) 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg beaten, for glazing

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C and lay out 2 baking sheets with baking paper.
2. Roast the peanuts by frying them in a frying pan (dry, no oil). Grind the roasted peanuts till fine in a food processor. They’ll need to be quite sandy in texture – it’ll look  clumpy in the bowl of the mixer, but don’t worry. 
3. Place ground peanuts in a large mixing bowl with the flour, salt and sugar. Mix together until well combined and lump free.
4. Drizzle half of the oil into the bowl and combine the mixture with a clean hand, kneading gently.
5. Keep adding a little more oil at a time. You’ll need to keep kneading to ensure the sugar melts and that the mix is soft and pliable, but firm enough that it doesn’t stick to your hands. 
6. The mix is ready when you can roll the dough into smooth balls that don’t crack. If your mix is still too dry, add a little more oil and mix again.
7. Take a heaped teaspoonfuls of the mix and roll into small balls. Place on baking sheets. of the mixture into your palm, and roll them into small balls. Place them on the baking sheets.
8. Take a chopstick, poke a ‘belly button’ into each biscuit, and glaze with beaten egg.
9. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Use a chopstick to create a ‘belly button’ indent in each biscuit.

These golden biscuits are probably supposed to resemble gold ingots, or oranges. Or so I assume, as I’ve read that the word for oranges also sounds like the word fortune in Chinese. And I think adding the chopstick action kind of makes these look like mini-navel oranges…sort of.

My grandma always used to make dozens and dozens of these every year for Chinese New Year, ready for visiting friends and family, neighbours and greedy grandchildren (that’s me).

They’re delicious with a cup of tea, and good at any time of year.

It’s my favourite spot for Chinese barbecue – the roast pork is crispy and the duck glazed to a beautiful bronze.

The char siu features the perfect charred-to-tender ratio, adding a caramelised depth of flavour that makes me weak at the knees.

This time, we also tried the stuffed tofu with seasonal greens, which was a delicious surprise! Fat chunks of firm tofu were stuffed with fish paste, fried until golden, then doused in a savoury sauce.

The whole lot was surrounded by plump garlands of bok choy, tender yet crisp, and the perfect accompaniment to the otherwise rich, meaty dishes.

Best enjoyed with hot steamed rice – the perfect medium to soak up the flavours of the roasted meats. 

As we left the restaurant, I gazed at the window of roasted delights and thought, let’s never part. 

Eating Bill’s fluffy ricotta hotcakes with salty-sweet honeycomb butter on a sunny Sydney morning was one of my favourite food experiences of 2011.

Recreating the moment was a personal mission, and upon my return to P-town, I set to work. 

I’m very pleased to report my attempt was a success – and one I hope to repeat, many times over. 

Bill’s ricotta hotcakes with honeycomb butter

Ingredients

Hot Cakes

• 1 1/3 cups Ricotta
• 3/4 cup Milk
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1 cup Plain Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking powder
• 1 Pinch of Salt
• 50 g Butter
• maple syrup, to serve
• 1 banana, sliced

Honeycomb Butter

• 250 g butter softened (Bill’s recipe calls for unsalted. I bucked with tradition and went for salted, because I love the sweet-salty combo!)
• 100 g sugar honeycomb crushed with a rolling pin (I blitzed mine in a food processor)
• 2 tablespoons Honey

During our ten days in Sydney, I was eager to check out the many many eating options at Westfield Sydney. Truth be told, we’re a little starved for variety when it comes to shopping centre eats in Perth… Stepping into our Westfield locations reveals the standards – fast food, doughnuts and the ever ubiquitous kebab.

Westfield Sydney offered a much more exciting array of food outlets, including this beautifully retro step into Malaysia – Sassy’s Red.

Sassy’s Red joins restaurateur Simon Goh’s other well-known Sydney locations, Chinta Ria…Temple of Love and Chinta Ria…Mood for Love.

Sassy’s is a beautifully fitted out blast from the past, one which is so familiar to me and yet so foreign. Foreign, for one pretty good reason - because I’m at least twenty years too young.

Despite suffering from a significant age gap, I still have a pretty clear mental picture of this version of Malaysia.

My mind is shaped by the photographs from my parents’ youth. Dad with the goofy Buddy Holly glasses and brylcreemed hair. Mum at her wedding – with her long black hair in a bun so high it could have rivaled Amy Winehouse’s and fantastic black-lined eyes.

The decor at Sassy’s also remind me of the comics by Malaysian cartoonist Lat which I read from cover to cover as a kid. I spot retro fonts and design used on the menu boards throughout. There’s vintage looking signs saved from kopi tiams and glamour shots of pretty Chinese ladies, dolled up and dressed up in their best cheong sams.

And then of course, there’s most significant thing of all.

The food.

There’s something so comforting about Roti Canai or Roti Pratha. It’s been one of my favourite foods since I was a kid.

Eating the crispy, flaky, buttery layers, reminded me immediately of helping my Mum make this special treat.

We would huddle over our kitchen table, ghee in our hands, meticulously stretching the slippery, greasy dough into paper-thin layers, before folding them into rough circles and frying them on a griddle until golden brown.

I would usually share the first one straight off the stove with Mum – the cook’s treat, of course – with a sprinkling of white sugar.

The most important part; as demonstrated by this version from Sassy’s Red, is the final touch – quickly crumpling the fried roti in your bare hands before serving – which unfurls the soft layers inside.

The golden roti are perfect enjoyed with a bowl of curry gravy or served with a bowl of spicy dhal.

Taking a bite of roti with the curry from Sassy’s reveals a sauce that’s rich with coconut milk and flavoured with tumeric, lemongrass and chili.

It immediately makes me think of the rhythm of the mortar and pestle going thump thump thump, a sound which transports me into the kitchen of my childhood, and being my Grandma’s kitchen ‘shadow’ while she made the rempah (spice paste) in preparation for the chicken curry we would be eating for dinner.

The curry at Sassy’s will never be my Grandma’s, but its a pretty good start. It’s typically Malaysian – richly flavoured, yet quite liquid in texture – just perfect for dunking pieces of hot Roti.

And to end my trip down foodie-memory lane? An icy cup of cold sugarcane juice. Perfect. I could be on a street in KL.

Read about our other food adventures in Sydney

• Sydney day 1: BBQ King, Haymarket
• Sydney day 1: Via del Corso, Westfield Sydney
• Sydney day 1: Spiedo Bar and Restaurant, Westfield Sydney
• Sydney day 2: Bills, Surry Hills
• Sydney day 2: Becasse Bakery, Westfield Sydney
• Sydney day 2: Cafe Ish, Surry Hills
• Sydney day 2: Emperor’s Puffs, Chinatown
• Sydney day 2: Chat Thai, Haymarket
• Sydney day 3: Bourke Street Bakery, Surry Hills
• Sydney day 3: Cafe Cre Asion, Sydney CBD
• Sydney day 3: Jackie M Malaysian Cuisine, Concord
• Sydney day 4: The Rocks Cafe, The Rocks
• Sydney day 4: Din Tai Fung, World Square
• Sydney day 4: The Star, Pyrmont
• Sydney day 4: Sydney Madang, Sydney CBD
• Sydney day 5: Izakaya Fujiyama, Surry Hills
• Sydney day 5: Barby’s Bakery, Paddy’s Markets, Haymarket
• Sydney day 6: Things I Love Thursday – Cabramatta Edition!

During the pre-Christmas rush, J and I decided to stop in at Daily Planet, the newly opened cafe adjacent to the other planets – Planet Video (okay, do we keep calling it video, even though they no longer rent videos?) and Planet Books.

We, like the rest of Mount Lawley, had been watching the space for months, waiting to see what would happen as the renovations progressed. 

Huevos Rancheros, $22.50

The wait was finally over a couple of months ago, and we were keen to check it out. It was busy that Saturday, and we were lucky to snag one of the last tables.

J was pleased to see Huevos Rancheros on the menu, being a fan of all things Mexican. This wasn’t a classic interpretation, but it was tasty all the same.

Two fried eggs crowned a huddle of plump butter beans, which were cooked in a spicy tomato-based sauce. Spicy chunks of chorizo added a punch throughout.

Though he really enjoyed the spicy beans, J was disappointed to find the egg yolks overcooked. It looked to me like the whole lot was probably finished off under the grill, to heat the beans, but ultimately this led to sad overcooked eggs.

The chorizo was lovely and spicy, and a welcome addition to the beans. But they could have done with a little more colour, for that caramelised perfection that suits this sausage so well.

Eggs Benedict, $16.50

I opted for the brekkie classic, Eggs Benedict, which turned out to be a much more successful dish.

Listed on the menu as poached eggs, ham, hollandaise sauce over a potato cake, I was intrigued. As a lifelong member of the potato fan club, this departure from the usual could only be a good thing – or so I thought.

Except that there was no potato cake! (In my head, I’m imagining Con the Fruiterer saying ‘what, no potato?’)

Perfect poached eggs. Fantastic!

But potato cake or not, this was a great version of this breakfast classic. Lovely fresh ham, which was clearly sliced off the bone, two perfectly poached eggs and some delectably creamy freshly made hollandaise.

The whole lot was served over some crunchy toasted sourdough, which was a fantastic vessel for the ham and eggs.

Dia de muertos meets Evil Kenievel!

Since our visit a couple of weeks ago, I’ve read some less than complimentary comments about Daily Planet on Urbanspoon.

I acknowledge there’s probably some kinks to be ironed out, and definitely room for improvement, as is the case with any new business.

On our visit, we found the floor staff really friendly, and they were very responsive and quick to notice dirty plates and empty water glasses.

The staff member behind the register was also quick to rectify a problem with our bill, when we noticed an extra $30 worth of hot chocolates had made it on to our tab.

So while I think there’s room to improve, because overcooked eggs are absolutely a cardinal sin in my book, I’m not willing to write off Daily Planet just yet.

Have you eaten at the Daily Planet?
What did you think? Tell me in the comments!