Apparently I don’t pay for food anymore. No, I’m not stealing it, nor going hungry, but just thankfully taking advantage of the amazing generosity of others. Have you noticed a spike in kindness during this time? I know us Aussies were off to a rocky start with the great Toilet Paper Incident of 2020. However, the tide has turned and I find people to be giving without getting and smiling without reason. It’s refreshing. Maybe there will be some good to come of all this… actually I know there will be.

Due to the excitement of free food there was far less cooking this week. Although I did go to Mexico, USA, Italy. Chile and Great Britain, and I worked on eating through my leftovers from the last three weeks. So I reminisced about Greece, Morocco and East Africa and scored some free trips to Australia and Japan.

Mexico

I love Mexican food… don’t we all? I am yet to find a person who is not a fan. If I did manage to find such a person I think that I would question their sanity. God bless the Mexicans for bringing us tacos, nachos, quesadillas, enchiladas and burritos, the list goes on. It’s easy to make yourself and delicious to order in. It’s cheesy and comforting, yet can be fresh and healthy. It’s affordable. It’s satisfying. They win. I don’t know if I have the authority to make that call, but it just happened. Mexico we love your food!

For housemate night we decided to order in from Montezuma’s, a well loved kitschy classic. My housemate had never been before, a true crime I know, but that was rectified this week. Montezuma’s is a mere 300 metre walk from our place, the closest foodary, which makes the crime even more offensive. Yet, despite the short walk we ordered take away… what has isolation made us? I ordered the Montezuma’s delight (vegetarian) which in my humble opinion is the best thing on the menu. It’s cheesy and bean-y yet stacked high with veggies and so so delicious. My dinner company ordered chicken enchilada and my housemate followed my advice and went for the Montezuma’s delight (beef).

Cuisine: Mexican

Dish/es: Montezuma’s Delight (Vegetarian with Rice, Frejoles and Cheese)

Company: Housemate and friend

 

USA

‘MERICA! Always bigger and always better… well it depends who you talk to. I’ve seen my fair share of the states and they do have a lot to offer. Every state is different with differing accents, claims to fame and items on the menu. One thing, however stays the same… it’s all big! The Americans also love their peanut butter (can’t argue that) and mixing sweet with savoury; for example chicken and waffles. They gave us the burger, heck they gave us Mc Donald’s (Maccas) and a vast range of fast fatty food chains. This week the whole family went to the US and got a burger and fries in all it’s greasy glory.

We ordered from Apres Surf, an old school surf bar well loved by locals. We didn’t even realise it would be our last chance, as they close their doors to reopen in a new location after COVID-19 is done and dusted. It’s a shame because they can do a mean burger for a ridiculous price. Just $12.50 for a burger and fries without skimping on any of the extras. A double beef and bacon burger on a brioche bun complete with cheese, lettuce, tomato and of course: pickle, then accompanied by well seasoned fries. What more could you want for your Friday night in?

Cuisine: American

Dish/es: Beef and bacon burger with fries

Company: Family

 

Great Britain

*read in posh British accent*

God save the Queen and give her a Sunday Roast. Even the mention of Great Britain makes me sit up straight, fix my posture and enunciate. They certainly do know their manners and how to cook a jolly good roast. So on Sunday I channeled my ancestors (before we became convicts) and cooked the family a roast to be proud of. Roast pork, pumpkin, duck fat potatoes (yes, duck fat), gravy and… Yorkshire pudding. The whole deal. Unfortunately, despite my best efforts (ie. asking specifically for a good roast pork meat), I was unable to do crackling as I didn’t realise until it was too late that there was no skin. This was quite disappointing because I had spent most of the morning researching how to make the perfect crackling. Oh well, soldier on. My Yorkshires also had a mind of their own as they almost exploded out of the tray, but they still tasted tops. The redeemer, ironically, was the gravy that I made from scratch at the last minute with the pork juices, onion, roasted apples and cornflour. I could have drunk the stuff. So I learnt some lessons on Sunday roasting and enjoyed the night with family watching lego masters… as you do.

Cuisine: British

Dish/es: Sunday Roast- roast pork, pumpkin, duck fat potatoes (with reserved fat from my France trip), green beans, apple gravy and Yorkshire pudding

Company: Family

 

Italy

For my weekly Italian trip I went with something dolce (sweet). Heven-yah is the closest thing you will get to Italian gelato in Australia. It’s my absolute favourite! It’s that simple. So I wont bang on too much about it. Just make sure you go. They are doing take home tubs during isolation and change their flavours constantly. We got Sicilian Ricotta and it’s probably the best yet.

Cuisine: Italian

Dish/es: Sicilian Ricotta

Company: Housemate

 

Chile

The sweet tooth lives on with a sneaky trip to Chile. I’ve been eagerly watching Labart to see their changing menu each week. When I saw that they were doing a Thousand Layer Cake (Mil Hojas) I thought it was a good opportunity to eat something that sounds far too difficult to make. It surprised me how much I enjoyed this treat which is lucky because it’s not the prettiest dessert in the cabinet (especially in broken take away form).

Free Flights

The bonus free flights that deserve a shout out were from Rosella’s and Oi Izakaya. I said it last week, and I’ll say it again, the guys at Rosella’s are bloody legends. They offer free meals every Monday afternoon. This week it was a delicious fish dish. Snapper with tomato, olives, potato and other such delectable things. Then we have the guys over at Oi Izakaya who were just giving away seafood and veggie curries out of the goodness of their heart.