Grow It, Make It, Bake It Market Emerald.

March 9, 2015June 29, 2017 ~ eatmystreet

Grow It, Make It, Bake It Market Emerald

So the Emerald Craft and Produce Market which has always been a favourite of mine,has a new little sister. The pragmatically named Grow It, Make It, Bake It Market Emerald.

I am one of the younger children in a very big family so I know what it is like to be left at home while every one else in the family is attending the ball. So I thought I had better show my support and get along to this new little market in beautiful Emerald. The Grow it, Make it, Bake it Market was launched in mid 2014, and is held on the first Sunday of the month at Emerald Mechanics Institute from 9am- 2pm. I visited on the first day of Autumn and was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying some sweet busking and a sausage in bread whilst wandering around one of the sweetest Art Deco buildings in the area.

The market seems to be supported by the local Lions Club, although I don’t really know what that means….. Hilltop Meats and Fancy Friands were two of my favourite stalls although there was quite a range of craft wares on display also. Craft is not exactly my thing though, often making me break out in a sweat, so I am more naturally drawn to the food stops.

Sophie and Ryan’s Preserves and Pastries were there, looking awesome and delicious although minus the pastry. https://www.facebook.com/sophieandryans

So was Darnum Park Estate.

Overall, the market was better than I expected it to be given that it is quite small and quite craft focused. It was a pleasant day made sweeter by the good community vibe and the busking.

Emerald Lake Park is literally just around the corner and is a great place to visit for so many reasons.

If you need to

“Get down to the edge of the earth, to breathe in what is there to be seen. To be reminded of something from nothing”

then Emerald Lake Park is the place to do it.

So although the Emerald Craft and Produce Market is still my favourite, little sister “Grow it, Make it, Bake it” is also worth the visit. I am sure there is room in our hearts for both of them. As is with the Kardashian sisters, so is in life. Grow it, Make it, Bake it might not “break the internet” but is still awesome to take a look at.

First Sunday of every month at the Emerald Mechanics Hall. 10am to 3pm.

Enjoy! Dani xx

Cafe de Beaumarchais

January 20, 2015October 22, 2015 ~ eatmystreet

Cafe de Beaumarchais

The first time I visited the enchantingly named Cafe de Beaumarchais, a thick winter mist was swirling through the streets and fog had shrouded half of the little village of Sassafras.

It is hard to imagine that anyone paying a visit to Sassafras in the Dandenong Ranges outside of Melbourne, would not instantly love it. It is drenched in charm and dripping with nostalgia and the line that snakes outside the popular Miss Marples Tea Rooms is proof perfect regarding its popularity as a tourist destination. Just quietly I know a lot of non tourists that also love the area, myself included.

If you do not feel like lining up to be cosily ensconced in the floral and lace dining room at Miss Marples then you might like to dine somewhere different. Cafe de Beaumarchais should certainly keep you happy.

It is a narrow fronted French Cafe named after a well known French teacher extraordinaire. Musician, diplomat, spy and playwright are but a few of the bows in his quiver. The cafe is decorated accordingly and is gorgeous & gilt lined in equal measure. Pop over here for some pictures if you would like.

http://www.cafedebeaumarchais.com.au

The menu has a great range of cakes and tarts and in true French fashion also does a line in simple but perfect baguettes. ($9.90 – $11.90)

They serve Jasper organic fair-trade coffee ($3.80) , an interesting selection of teas ($4/ $8) and even a tiny selection of wine. My advice is that you try one of their Parisian hot chocolates with a tiny croissant to on the side. I was helpfully told that the croissant is for dipping in the thick, sweet chocolate and it was immediately apparent that this is a perfect idea!

Next time you are in the area stop by for a visit. I really enjoyed my window seat although there will be no fog swirling at this time of year. Call ahead for a table if there will be more than one of you as this is a small, popular cafe. If you learn any more of the intriguing Pierre de Beaumarchais then let me know. If only we could all live such exciting lives!

For now, I will stick with the joy of indulging in chocolate, pastry & cake. I’ll save diplomacy and spying for another time…..

Happy Eating.

Dani xx

Details

Cafe de Beaumarchais

Cnr Mount Dandenong Tourist Road & Woodlands Avenue, Sassafras
Phone:(03) 9755 1100

The Independent Gembrook.

January 15, 2015September 5, 2015 ~ eatmystreet

The Independent Gembrook

Where: 79 Main St

Gembrook.

Phone. 5968 1110

Sometime last year, I think it was September, Gembrook in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges, found itself with a fabulous new restaurant. New bestie for the already popular Puffing Billy train station is my guess. Although there are quite a few other things to love in this picturesque little town if you stop to have a look.

By some miracle The Independent very quickly found itself with a review in The Age newspaper and a pretty impressive 14.5/20. (My assumption is someone knows someone. Most restaurants have a much longer wait before The Age swings by for a peek).

I stopped by very early on to check it out and have a pre dinner drink. I scored myself a sweet little seat in the front window and a charming view of parkland, train station and main street. The restaurant itself is also very gorgeous with its own bespoke pottery range and a personalised Bromley hanging on the wall (jealous much? I certainly am). It also has quite a lot of that lovely blonde wood, some vintage-esque signage and a beer garden with a playground.

The Independent serves Argentinian food made by co owner Mauro Callegari. I had a front row seat watching Mauro at work last night and he certainly seems to know what he is going. The food is (of course) share plates with a mix of small, medium and salads. My fantasy meal has traditionally been one where I get to sample a little of everything, but even I am starting to tire of the share plate phenomenon. Sometimes it would be nice if the idea of balance was left up the chefs in the kitchen, rather than the hungry diner.

Now to the food. On my first visit we were just having drinks but it was accompanied by a Cheese plate.

Last night I ordered the Chicken, Lamb, Burnt Market Vegetables and Pork Croquettes.

The Chicken was delicious but what is not to like about deep friend and crumbed chicken (except of course the health consequences). The accompanying Aubergine puree and vegetables were great though and the whole dish was tasty and well balanced.

The Braised lamb was quite nice.

The Burnt Market Vegetables ($17) were not great, especially for the price. Ours did not have any pomegranate which I have read in previous reviews was going to be on them. Nor did it have any Kale. Everything tasted a little same-ish on the plate and I think could have benefited from a little Coco Chanel advice, and taken one thing off before heading out the door (or maybe add one thing on?). Maybe it was not a great day at the Veggie Market because nothing in this dish really tasted amazing. It was still pleasant though, but for that price I would have loved a little bit more.

How could I forget the Pork Croquettes. They were tasty and served with little wedges of lemon.

Service was quite good although the staff did not exactly look like they were enjoying themselves, which will normally allow good service to lift to great.

The room was buzzing though with the restaurant nearly full on a Wednesday night.

The Independent is definitely worth a visit. You will enjoy the drive and the destination. The food is interesting and tasty and prices are good. This restaurant is a little sophisticated minx hiding in the forest. With interesting food, gorgeous interiors and exteriors, you’ll be glad you stopped by.

For more information and some fantastic photos.

http://www.theindependentgembrook.com.au

The General Food Store, Emerald.

September 8, 2014July 23, 2015 ~ eatmystreet ~ 2 Comments

Baby went Back (with thanks to Sir Mix A Lot).

We return to our favourites, don’t we? Those cafes that you know will be reliably good, hospitable, efficient and enjoyable. Well The General Food Store in Emerald is all of those things. Lately it has been my go-to cafe for catching a little sun and sipping some hot coffee or grabbing a bite to eat. The other day I even made new friends here, caught up with old friends and ran into some recently acquired friends. It was awesome :-).

Well today I ordered from their newish menu so I thought I would share my pics with you.

Pickle my cauliflower it’s a delicious baguette. Yummm.

Pulled Pork anyone? Or eager detectives will note the morsel of lemon tart. It was that good.

You want to see the menu? Well glad I can oblige……

If you would like some more details pop over and visit me here… http://eatmystreet.wordpress.com/2014/05/08/the-general-food-store/

Happy Eating!

Dani xx

Emerald Craft and Produce Market

May 18, 2014July 23, 2015 ~ eatmystreet ~ 2 Comments

For those of you who missed it (shame on you) the Emerald Craft and Produce Market was on again today.
It has scones, fruit and veg, pizza, baclava, knitted things and art. There are a lot of locals wondering around with their dogs and/or children. But the reason I try and go every single month is the bread.
Ohhh, the bread and pastry by Artisan Crust. I think it is the best in Melbourne. Even my children love it. Recently when I was watching a documentary on food in France (thank you SBS) and they were showing how to make real sourdough I was able to tell my son that no indeed, I could not take him to the underground lair somewhere in the French countryside but I would take him to the market in Emerald because they make bread like that too!
Today I bought my usual fruit loaf and to this I added baguette, pastry and bagel. Heavenly seeded bagel.

The market runs at the Emerald Community house on the third Sunday of each month from 9am to 3pm. 356 Belgrave- Gembrook Rd Emerald.

Do come visit. Buy a scone if you want, or a plant. But definitely do not leave without something from Artisan Crust.

https://www.facebook.com/theartisancrust

The General Food Store

May 8, 2014July 3, 2017 ~ eatmystreet ~ 1 Comment

The General Food Store

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377 Belgrave Gembrook Rd

Emerald.

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If you are heading out for a brunch or coffee with a friend, I can highly recommend you take yourselves to Emerald. I know, it is a little bit further than some people might like to travel from Berwick, but the journey is worth it. The road sweeps you around the Cardinia foothills and past the Cardinia Resevoir which makes for quite beautiful viewing. If you take the Beaconsfield Emerald Rd you will get to drive past Elephant Rock. I am still not 100% sure that this is a good thing. Yes, it is a large rock formation on the side of the road in the shape of an elephant, but it is regularly “painted” with varying results. Generally “Happy Birthday Timmo” is the kind of thing you will find painted on it. Although for the recent PAVE festival they did have it painted quite nicely and in theme.

There are also goats on a hill, the quirky Upper Beaconsfield village with Sally’s Big Ass Burgers flaunting her humble self right at you, a golf course and a lot of beautiful gardens and Autumn trees. The goats are somewhat reminiscent of angry birds, standing as they are inclined to do on their three tiered timber platform. Someone loves those goats and they seem to have a dream goat life (assuming no one catapults anything at them to knock them off their stand).

My family and I always enjoy this drive. Once you arrive at your destination there is a steam train and a beautiful playground. If you have children this makes for a fantastic day out. Get to it!

So if you have bothered to make your way to Emerald then please visit The General Food Store once you are there. Open since 2011 this small cafe is getting fantastic reviews and was recently awarded three stars in the Age Good Food Guide Cheap Eats Guide. This is the cafe you go to if you want to eat fantastic food with your coffee. Be it a buttery pastry, cake, sour dough toast with local honey or a speciality baguette everything you eat here is excellent. The first time I ate here was thanks to one of those understated local tip offs. “There is a great coffee place near my house, I go there every morning for a cup before I start my day.” This did not give much away but seeing as we knew almost no one in our local area, we take the tips when they come in. When we arrived at The General Food Store we were very glad we listened because it was all nearly perfect.

The fit out of the cafe fits into the modern, comfy, understated groove. Once again, this is a very Melbourne kind of design. My favourite part of the fit out is the big community notice board they have on their wall. It lists some local “happenings” and any events they are running that month. It hints at how entrenched this cafe is in the local community of Emerald. The cafe itself is pretty small, well very small. If you have children or a pram you are probably not going to feel relaxed eating inside here. Although quite a few people try anyway. I guess the lure of the perfect cafe is too strong…..

The coffee is by Coffee Supreme in Abbottsford. They use Jonesy’s milk. It is consistently very (new wave) good. They also seem to try and source some of their other produce from local suppliers where possible.

I have had lunch here and brunch here and coffee and morning tea and afternoon tea. All of it very, very good. You can find out a little bit more about it here.

http://thegeneralfoodstore.com.au

So go on, visit Emerald and go on, eat at The General Food Store. It really is worth making the gorgeous drive.

Just make sure you stop to say hello to the goats on their hill on the way there. And maybe the elephant rock (and maybe not).