Unknown Chapter - Christchurch Central - Christchurch, New Zealand.

New Zealand was never really on my bucket list as I believed it shared so much resemblance to Australia. My initial thoughts were why go to a country that was so alike when I could go overseas to another country for an entire different cultural experience. I was proved entirely wrong in this case and my speculation went out the window. That's what I love about travelling, it opens your eyes and mind.

Driving from Christchurch to Queenstown just showed how beautiful the country was and how everything looked like it came from a photo in a book. 

Touching down in Christchurch after a short 3 hour flight from Sydney, we made our way to our rental car provider. Travelling in the south islands of New Zealand  is best done via driving as public transport is not widely available and taking a tour every day is probably not viable. 

A short drive to the city centre and we were in Christchurch Central. After the major earthquake they had back in 2011, the city was left badly damaged and till today they are still rebuilding the city. I hear it’s very different to how it used to be back before the earthquake. This is the remains of the famous church. 

The town is relatively quiet on a weekend with not much people in sight. However, there are people around, just not as much as there are on weekdays. There is definitely no shortage of cafes and restaurants to choose from in this city though. 

Our first lunch in Christchurch was probably my favourite meal of the entire trip. The café was right behind the hotel, having only opened less than a few months ago. We didn’t want to go too far given it was already too late into the afternoon and was approaching dinner time.

Unknown Chapter is a coffee roaster who brews their coffee on site.  The space is airy and filled with plenty of natural light from the floor to ceilings glass windows.

Lunch service was closed so we decided to have a light meal from their display cabinets. 

The freshly baked goodies and desserts on display looked delicious but I held myself back and stuck with a savory option to save stomach space for dinner. 

The 'spicy sausage roll' was served on a plate with a small side salad and their own home made tomato relish. A huge sausage roll that was much bigger than the frozen ones I’m accustomed to. The layers of pastry were flaky and buttery. The meat was moist and well seasoned with a light spicy kick.  Just so delicious especially eaten with their tomato relish which was also one of the best I’ve tried out of this trip.

The ‘American sandwich’ containing corned beef, cheese and pickles encased in a toasted bread was pretty awesome too in terms of flavour and tastiness. 

As their coffee beans are freshly roasted on premises it does make a difference.  The 'cappuccino' is strong but smooth and packs a punch. It is much more bitter than the coffee we get back in Sydney and a cup will definitely wake you up.

A spacious and relaxing cafe in the CBD that’s not too crowded with a decent menu on offer for breakfast and lunch. If only we had so much time we could just sit there and watch the world go by. 

Where?

254 Saint Asaph St

Christchurch Central 8011

New Zealand

Phone no: 027 201 5996

Opening Hours

Daily

6:30am – 5:00pm

Website

www.unknownchaptercoffee.co.nz

Devon Cafe - Surry Hills - Sydney, Australia

Devon Cafe is a casual eatery located in Surry Hills, only a short stroll from Central Station. It's a place that has had numerous rave reviews and a favourite among many. They are expanding their business and have recently relocated to Barangaroo after closing their popular cafe Devon on Danks in Waterloo.

We visited Devon Cafe on a winter weekend morning and it was packed. We anticipated a long wait time given the number of people standing outside but we managed to get a table in less than 15 minutes, only be squished together on a table meant for two when we were a party of three. Though, we didn't really mind.

From the outside, the cafe looks small but upon entering you'll be surprised as it goes all the way to the backyard.

There is plenty of natural light in the sun-drenched courtyard so I took more photos than I needed to.

Their menu changes seasonally and deviates from the usual dishes we see on typical brunch menus offering a fine dining twist to the traditional breakfast and lunch options. They pride themselves on using quality ingredients that are locally sourced or house made.

It was truffle season so that meant there were special offerings of dishes with truffles. Oh what a luxury!

The 'Ultimate Toastie ($33.00)' is an expensive dish but when you include truffles in anything, the price seems to skyrocket. This is for your mushroom lovers out there cause there was a whole load of mushrooms.

It's a heavy dish and not for the faint hearted. You got melted cheese on top of a heap of mushrooms and two slices of crusty sourdough bread. Then there's the double serving of eggs on top with a generous shaving of truffles. A dish made for sharing as it could be too much for one.

'Breakfast with Sakuma's ($26.00)' is a top rated dish here and has made its rounds through Instagram and I now know why. Just look at the beauty of it.

The 63 degree egg is poached perfectly leaving a translucent texture. The miso grilled salmon is well seasoned and cooked to perfection. The meat is moist and falls off easily. While I'm not a salmon fan, I found the fish to be fresh and not fishy as some have previously commented.

'Crab Gone Chili ($25.00)' is my dish of choice. Angel hair pasta with blue spanner crab, garlic oil and a zesty herb crumb is deliciously tasty and wonderfully balanced. The specks of chilli gave it a nice flavour hit.

The words fries and truffle caught our attention. The Super Fries ($18.00)' were served with gruyere cheese, garlic, tasty cheese and truffle. Unfortunately this was disappointing. The chips were moderately warm and soggy. With the addition of two cheeses, it was saltier than expected.

Coffee here is brewed well. A strong cuppa is a great start to the day.

The matcha latte is smooth and rejuvenating.

A nice cafe offering something different from traditional breakfast and lunch menus. While I do find that it is over hyped, the food combinations worked well together.

Where?
76 Devonshire St
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Australia

Phone  no: 02 9211 8777

Opening Hours
Monday - Friday 7:00am - 4:00pm
Saturday - Sunday 8:00am - 3:30pm
Public Holidays 8:00am - 3:30pm

Website
www.devoncafe.com.au

Bills - Surry Hills - Sydney, Australia

Owned by celebrity chef Bill Granger, Bills has been on the top of my to go to places for a long time.  I've heard rave reviews about the fluffy ricotta pancakes. With my friend from Brisbane in town for the weekend it was a good chance to try out the cafe as she had a craving for pancakes. This is coming from someone who can eat chocolate and anything sweet all day long.

She never fails to bring the rain with her when she comes to Sydney. Every time she visits it rains heavily regardless of whether it is Summer or Winter. We always make a joke about it and this time was no exception.

It was a cold, wet and windy morning. We started at Central Station and walked up the steep hills of Surry Hills with our umbrellas held up high to combat the rain coming from all directions. Finally we reached our destination on Crown Street.

It was buzzing with patrons and thankfully we managed to grab a table straightaway, albeit the last non-sharing table. Its modern, warm and very relaxed inside.

We started off with the essential coffees to kick start the day.  Brewed with beans from Single Origin Roasters, the 'Latte ($4.10)' and 'Cappuccino($4.10)' were robust and smooth without the bitterness.

There are a number of items to choose from their breakfast menu, from the basic toasts and spreads to the more elaborate dishes such as the crisp fried rice. We chose to share two of their classic items.

The highly anticipated 'Ricotta Hotcakes ($22.00)' arrived looking amazingly thick and fluffy with a blob of honeycomb butter and a side of maple syrup. Generous slices of banana are hidden beneath the three hotcakes. Where out thou more butter? The butter to pancake ratio was lacking. There just wasn't enough for us butter lovers.

The inside of the hotcakes had hidden chunks of ricotta giving it a light and airy texture. Delicious and tasty hotcakes that weren't dense and had the right sweetness level.

The 'Corn Fritters ($23.00)' is another one of their signature dishes. An abundance of sweet and juicy corn kernels combined together in a light batter, is served with roast tomatoes, spinach and crispy bacon. We also added 'Avocado Salsa ($4.00)' which I would definitely recommend as the fritters could be dry on its own.

The service is attentive and prompt. Prices are on the expensive side for these simple dishes but they don't compromise on the quality of their ingredients. Breakfast is served till midday.

Where?
359 Crown St
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Australia

Phone no: 02 9360 4762

Opening Hours
Monday - Friday: 7am - 10pm
Saturday - Sunday: 7am - 10pm

Website
www.bills.com.au

Circa Espresso - Parramatta - Sydney, Australia

It's been a few months since I last posted as life has kept me occupied or should I say I've been rather lazy. Sorry dear readers! Continuing on with the backlog of posts I've yet to go through, next up is Circa Espresso, now one of my favourite brunch places. I've been there twice and on both occasions the food has been consistently good.

Circa Espresso is situated between two buildings in what used to be a laneway, then a garage and then transformed into a fully operational cafe in the greater western suburb of Parramatta. It's located on the quieter side of the train station and away from the hustle and bustle.

Having attempted to go here a few times, I just didn't have any luck as it was either closed or another restaurant took precedence over it. It just wasn't meant to be as one would say. Then the day finally came but it was raining and from the photos we saw online it looked small inside, so once again we were about to cancel and change location. Luckily, my friend was persistent in going to have a look and thankfully we did. Seating is unavailable outside when it rains but once it clears it becomes available.

On our first visit we got a table inside within 15 minutes of waiting, which was much shorter than what we were expecting. The miserable weather  didn't stop customers from getting their coffee and breakfast as it was buzzing with patrons. However, on our second visit, the wait was close to an hour for a table inside. Be prepared to patiently wait on weekends as it's extremely popular.

From the outside it looks very small and narrow, but once you enter it's much bigger than it actually looks with more tables towards the back. Even though there is limited space, they've made use of it very well.

The rustic walls are lined with bricks and brightly painted murals, bringing back memories of the cafe culture in Melbourne.

The cheerful and bubbly waitress brings us to our tables right at the back, alongside shelves of books and encyclopedias, reminiscing to the days when we were younger. While the internal decor is quirky and fun, the lack of light makes photo taking slightly difficult but that's what creates the ambiance.

The menu is presented on pieces of paper on a clipboard, and from initial observation it looks impressive. There is a decent selection of home-style dishes from the basic breakfast items to the much more elaborate and unique, all of which are well-priced and affordable.

The 'Cappuccino (regular size)' is made using a blend of Little Marionette beans. The coffee is potent, robust and full bodied, and is ultra smooth on the palate.

On another visit, I opt for the large size cappuccino and wow it's huge for an additional 50 cents! Well worth the money as it's nearly twice the size of the regular and you'll surely get your full caffeine fix from that single cup.

The 'Baked Eggs' is made with sujuk, Danish feta, diced tomatoes and free range eggs with a hint of chilli, served in a pan. The side of crusty bread makes a good accompaniment for the perfectly cooked runny eggs. The hint of sourness from the juicy tomatoes and the saltiness from the creamy fetta balanced out well . Overall, I really liked the bold tomato based flavours and wish there was more of the bread for scooping up the sauce.

The 'Avocado Smash' looked sensational with shades of greens, reds and yellow from the assortment of vegetables. Suitable for those who prefer a lighter or less heavy breakfast as there isn't any meat. It's made with smashed creamy avocado, feta and lime juice, with a side of boiled eggs. It was fresh, tasty and popping with not only colour but also flavour.

'Baked Squid' appears to be a seasonal item as it wasn't on the menu the second time I was there. It's a shame cause it was very delicious. It resembled the baked eggs with a tomato base sauce but with the addition of chick peas and squid. A hearty and comforting dish that's perfect for this weather.

While seating is limited and the wait may be long, the quality ingredients and delicious food makes up for it. The service staff were welcoming and friendly making it even better. This cafe is definitely worth a visit. Hopefully I can try out one of their delectable desserts on display at the front soon.

Where?
21 Wentworth St
Parramatta NSW 2150
Australia

Phone no: 02 8896 6071

Opening Hour
Tuesday - Friday: 7:00am to 4:00pm
Saturday - Sunday: 8:00am to 3:00pm

Website
www.circaespresso.com.au