After helping my mother move Dad’s excessive DVD collection to the new house, we met my sister and went for a relaxing, child-free(!), coffee at the newish cafe at Speers Point Park, Sal’s by the Lake.
Mum and Jen each got the coffee and cake for $7.
They look like Sara Lee cakes to me!
Tall foam! (I went back this weekend for takeaway coffee, but they’re run out of soy milk. At midday. *sadface*)
I was mid juice cleanse so I sipped my lemongrass and ginger tea, before scouting out the new playground. It looks awesome!
Tagged as:
cafe,
cake,
coffee,
herbal tea,
Lake Macquarie,
park,
Speers Point
There are two sites for Raw Cafe in Newcastle. One at the very est end of Hunter street, near the Backpackers’ accommodation, and the other inside the gym I’ve been frequenting while staying up here.
I stopped at the Hunter Street cafe for lunch this week, excited by their promise of a healthy chicken burger (grilled chicken breast fillet, cos lettuce, avocado, tomato and garlic aioli, with gluten free toast rather than a gluten full bun for me), with a side of chats instead of chips!
And a very drinkable so latte.
Well done, boys! :)
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burger,
cafe,
coffee,
gluten free,
lunch,
newcastle,
soy
I’ve got a thing for beetroot in my juices at the moment, so picking this concoction was a great choice.
And this fruit plate, which defeated me!
Tagged as:
breakfast,
cafe,
fruit,
juice,
Newtown
Yay! I have my netbook back! So now, before I get completely snowed under by the moving away from Canberra thing, I’m going to share some of the awesome cake and coffee yums that we had at Cream a couple of weeks ago for the bloggers’ meet :D
COFFEE:
HOT CHOCOLATE:
(complete with choc buttons melting in the bottom of the cup)
CAKEAGE:
My gluten and dairy free citrus cake.
The popular Mars Bar cheesecake
CHOCOLATE CROISSANT:
Before
and
After
Tagged as:
cafe,
cake,
canberra,
coffee,
Cream
I arrived an hour early for breakfast on Sunday. Apparently the Android Facebook App is not to be relied on for important things like time of events. Mine said 8:30am, Rish’s said 2:30am. At least he could easily tell his was wrong!
A made up breakfast of gluten free toast, bacon, tomato and avocado. What? You can’t see the avo? That’s because they forgot it.
Here it is! An interesting mixed up avocado puree with a hint of chili, I believe.
So filling! :)
Tagged as:
breakfast,
cafe,
Darby Street,
grind,
newcastle
Scope Mount Stromlo recently opened in the grounds of the Mount Stromlo Observatory. While my parents were visiting over the weekend, I took them up there for breakfast.
(Bring your woolies if you’re going to sit out on the balcony! Or ride up, like most of the lycra-clad partons on Saturday morning did)
From the website:
The café is set in an architecturally designed, award-winning building with comfortable and eclectic styling. The eating area is framed by floor to ceiling glass and a large balcony, which provides 180-degree views of the Murrumbidgee Corridor of the Brindabella Ranges. Just outside are the mammoth remains of the telescopic domes of the Observatory that make a spectacular backdrop for breathtaking sunsets almost every day of the year.
Can you spot a roo?
Soy latte, $3.80
I start with my usual soy latte – and awesomely don’t have to pay extra for soy (or decaf if that’s you’re thing!)
My parents both ordered the “Big Ben” a HUGE Eggs Benedict with bacon and sourdough from Flute Bakery. There’s a layer of bacon between the sourdough slices!
Needless to say, Mum didn’t need lunch til quite late!
I got them to put together an eggless breakky ;) Bacon, roast tomato and gluten free bread. Yum :) Should have asked if they had avocado though, it would have topped it off.
I think a nice addition to their breakfast menu would have been some sort of fruit salad, I’m sure of of the cycling crew might agree :) But they were happy to alter the combinations that morning for me.
Colours!
(I’m looking forward to them sorting out their liquor licence so I can drag my workmates up there for Friday drinks! They’re planning to open late on a Friday and get some telescopes out too! They want everyone up the hill by 8pm, but if things are kicking on, then I don’t see you getting kicked out)
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breakfast,
cafe,
coffee,
gluten free,
Scope
Last time I was up in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie council were doing something on the Toronto foreshore to the old toilet/change block at the lake baths. Seems it’s a new little cafe – selling coffees, light lunches like wraps, and hamburgers and fish and chips (of course!)
[click to continue…]
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cafe,
Jetty,
Toronto
Even when I’m only in Newcastle for a short stay, I tend to have a few meals on Darby Street :)
Fruit salad with almond cous cous for breakfast from 3 Monkeys
It’s been awhile since I’m been to 3 Monkeys, mostly because I’ve had quite bad service there in the past. But I was impressed with this different breakfast. I don’t think I’ve had cous cous for breakfast before! and the grapes were awesome :) Good to have for breakky after dancing til three on my blistered feet after the wedding!
[click to continue…]
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3 monkeys,
cafe,
Darby Street,
depot,
newcastle,
the kitchen
Struggled this morning, got out of bed, showered, and decided on purple tights
Thought they would help me with the sprngy feeling.
Made it to Uni, am now the only person at Degree cafe, have eaten my raisin toast, and am now working my way through the coffee. They don’t charge extra for soy here. Awesome.
I think I had enough dairy for the week, has youghurt a few days, cheese last night. And I think that’s all I can have now until my insides reset themselves for the new week. *beep* Another week, I hope where I will be pleased with my gym efforts, reading, and stickingability to trying to eat healthy (I just need to avoid Summer Rolls… too much sugar and the chocolate is so not my friend)
Tagged as:
cafe,
clothes,
coffee
Friday night last week, a few friends and I headed into Honeysuckle (Newcastle) for the “Livesites” thing the council were putting on. This basically involved fire, music, belly dancers and us finding a place to eat!
This was a chance for me to gloat about not freezing because I’ve got cold Canberra blood now, and to wear a new pair of heels I picked up in the sales. A little bit teetery, but they look good!
Jess had booked us in to ‘Twist’ cafe, which, like Depot, had clipboards for their yummy menu
Started with breads.
I ordered a salad with roast pumpkin, halloumi and yumminess. I think I was in that sort of mood over the weekend!
Skimmed their desserts and cocktails, and decided to move on to Silo for our drinks and coffees. I managed to combine the two, and finished my night with an Espresso Martini. mmm. It reminded be of drinking the cold coffees in Greece last winter. And wishing I was in the summer over there instead of the Australian winter!
Tagged as:
cafe,
Honeysuckle,
newcastle,
Silo,
Twist
While I was in Newcastle, I went to The Depot, a new cafe on Darby St, twice for lunch. Mostly because I hadn’t been there yet, and the first time because I was by myself on Saturday and it looked like I could tuck away at a table with a magazine and eat without being disturbed… while listening to their music that strongly fell into my tastes (Goldfrapp was playing when I got there).
I had an awesome roast vegetable salad (with the usual diet coke) with pumpkin, beetroot, chick peas, pistachios and some rocket, topped with halloumi and pesto. Oh yums! :) The waiter observed that I was in a purple mood, with purple tights, purple handbag and a new purple clip. I ate in peace and read some local music magazine. Noice :p
The next day I went with Rish and his family. Aside from them not being able to do chai to save themselves (lack of brewing in milk – came out as a tea bag, separate pot of water, server of milk – only to be sent back to be brewed in the milk – so either ask for it how you like it, or hope they will learn over time) all was reported to be yummy. My latte (above) was very cute, and very drinkable :) And the toastie was yummy and warm with a nice chili/tomato jam. I was happy anyway.
Not the ‘same’ atmosphere as the Goldberg’s and the Grind on the street (with their wooden tables and chairs and French/Italian posterage), but I liked the walls and the clean industrial feel (clipboard menus are the thing I hear, I had one at dinner on Friday night, too). May or may not have been resting my head on the cork/chip board on the walls :p
Tagged as:
cafe,
coffee,
Darby Street,
food,
newcastle
Just back from meeting up with Karen aka Kazza the Blank One for some dessert in Civic. I had originally suggested we head to Cream (good food, coffee, service and hot waitstaff all around), however, when I showed up, there was a large private function, with lots of girls in stiletto heels and mini-dresses, and aside from me not being dressed for the occaision in my Keds and Colorado clothes, I don’t think I’d want to go in! Then there’s a hush as someone steps to the microphone. Yes, indeed, Richard Wilkins has graced little old Canberra with his presence. From what I overhear, it’s a Canberra Centre fashion do, hence the glamours walking in…
So when Karen gets there we head to Cafe Essen instead – and actually get descent (read = fast, with coffee and cake arriving at similar times) service for a change. I am so full right now! (and happy that I have met another person, IRL, even though meeting people can be a completely terrifying experience. I need more nice experiences in order to make it less scary and soo will blossom into the beautiful social butterfly that really only seems to come out after a few glasses of champagne :p)
I so don’t see myself getting up tomorrow for gym – I have work to do before heading to the school tomorrow morning (as I left a little earlier today due to being completely brain-dead by about four! but I wasn’t the only one, we were dropping like flies…), so I might just get up my regular 7am, get to work 8ish so I can have a full day of work and then gym in the afternoon. At least it’s not too busy once it gets to the hot and sweaty afternoon! And you never know, it might actually be cooler tomorrow! (or perhaps not?)
Tagged as:
cafe,
canberra,
confidence,
food,
gym,
work
