Restaurant Atelier
Olibe Balzac’s first excursion was to Restaurant Atelier in Glebe - French/European cuisine, SMH Chef’s Hat recipient 2007, rated well at Eatability. They have a mid-week 3-course deal for $60 - not bad for a place that’s a bit fancy-schmancy.
It’s a cute little white house on Glebe Pt Rd, with dark red interiors and shiny dark wooden floors. But who cares, right? It’s about the food. And possibly the service. And whether the staff are fazed if you tell them there’s a cockroach crawling up their wall…
Fortunately, Atelier had good food and service… to a point.
We let them know ahead of time - as they request you do - that there was a vegetarian in the party. Still, when we mention our 3-normal-and-1-vegetarian booking, there is no recognition of this from the staff. I am brusquely informed that they have this entree (tomato tart with goat cheese), and this main (pasta with cream-and-truffle something or other)… and that’s it.
“I’ll take that then!” I reply.
I figure it’s me making the imposition. As I’ve mentioned before, French cuisine doesn’t lend itself to veggie friendly options and I knew what I was getting myself into by coming here. Besides, so long as this one option is good, who cares?
At the outset, we’re given palate-exciters (whatever they’re called in French) - in this instance, a mighty tasty garlic soup. And, yes, the flavour is exciting - hopefully a sign of things to come.
The tomato tart is pretty damn good too, I must say.
Tomato Tart
Tomatoes are among my favourite things in the world and they were used inventively in this entree - a caramelised piece is layered with one that is only lightly braised, and they’re topped with the soft cheese. The trio of flavours and textures is a really yummy combination. So far, so good.
The pasta arrives in a tight sort of curl, which reminded me of how Bernard in Black Books insists that all fancy food must be presented in a cylindrical arrangement (even soup). It had several different kinds of cream, including a rather frothy-looking kind (mmm, soap suds…?!). One of these creams had truffles in it, not that I could tell - partly because I’d never tasted trufflfes before and, hence, couldn’t identify them (so much for that distinct, $100/kg flavour), and partly because of the seventeen different kinds of cream in the dish.
The pasta itself remind me of - and don’t shoot me for saying this - something closely resembling two-minute noodles. And then there were the endives which are bitter as a Paul McCartney’s divorce. Look, it isn’t bad - it’s edible, albeit bland - and I’m hungry so I eat it all (except for the endives which really do have an ear-waxy aftertaste).
But, on the whole, the one-and-only vego main is a little bit of a kick in the teeth for one who dares to choose food that didn’t once have a face.
In stark contrast, omnivores have a menagerie of creatures to choose from a la carte. It includes quail, rabbit, venison, pheasant, squab - all those animals you imagine 18th century British aristocrats would eat by the fireplace after a day’s hunting. I’m guessing this is why all the people on Eatability like the place so much.
Still, at least I have a choice when it comes to dessert.
I choose the creme brulee…
Creme Brulee
The coolest part about it is, you see that stripe of sauce down one side? It’s a sweet olive sauce! If you’re feeling adventurous, it’s well worth a try. I dig it. The creme brulee itself is okay - doesn’t rock my world, but it’s fine. Toffee’s a bit burnt though.
My friends have the day’s dessert special - caramel souffle with whiskey sauce…
Caramel Souffle
…and one other thing from the menu - the Hazelnut, er, thingamajig…
Hazelnut, er, thingamajig
So, yeah… dessert is rather nice.
Overall: Atelier was fine. Was it worth $60 when I can get amazing food for half the price (or less) and have a choice thrown into the bargain? Obviously not. Still, I’m glad I have some empirical evidence to support my cuisines theory. French = not really worth the bother.
Review review: This piece lacks inspiration, but is rich in laziness - an apt approach to the subject matter.
Fair and (three) square(s)
As a vegetarian, there are some cuisines that I consider limited, if not off-limits, to me. I’ve never been particularly worried about this. It’s a kind of agree-to-disagree scenario - if I’m not worth your time, you’re not worth my money. Fair and square.
So to my mind, it’s pretty simple. When it comes to having a choice, this is roughly how I see cuisines…
Thai = brilliant
Chinese = bad
(there’s the occasional exception here, but almost every time I get cornered into going to a Chinese restaurant, I wind up eating green vegetables in soy sauce, boiled rice, and bland, gelatinous silken tofu, which all tastes like pork fat anyway - blerg. In other words, it’s not food you go out for. As for yum cha - don’t even go there!)
German = wouldn’t bother
Italian = great
Greek = good
(though this can vary wildly from menu to menu)
Turkish = good
Indian = good
(if I’m in the mood and the lassi doesn’t poison my friends)
Tony Roma’s Ribs Joint = nightmarish
(and anatomically incorrect)
French cuisine also falls into my “wouldn’t bother” category. I’ve seen enough cooking shows to know that the people who bring you a turkey covered in duck fat, layered in bacon, covered in goose fat (with a sprig of rosemary, of course) and doused in double cream, are probably not going to be renowned for the kind of food I consider edible.
Still, with a few friends and me forming a foodie mini-club, my cuisine comfort zone will be challenged. As well it should be.
We’ve informally dubbed our group ”Olibe Balzac”. “Olibe” because it would be confusing to spell out when we leave phone bookings (hi-larious). And “Balzac” because it’s the name of a nice restaurant in Randwick - and it’s also it’s rude and funny.
Olibe’s purpose is to discover and experience all the good food in our fair city. After all, as far as food goes, Sydney is like Homer Simpson’s “land of chocolate” - a wonderous place filled with good things of all different kinds (Mmmm - chocolate half price!).
Put another way, our Sydney restaurant “shortlist” gets longer by the week.
For my part, I’m throwing caution to the wind with a French restaurant slated as our first excursion. I’m told our booking voicemail went something like this:
“Hi, I’d like to book a table for Wednesday the 16th July at 7:30pm. That’s next Wednesday, not this Wednesday. At 7:30pm. It’s for 4 people. Actually, 3 people and 1 vegetarian. I mean 3 normal people and 1 vegetarian. I mean 4 people, one of which is a vegetarian. Um. Maybe you should call me. Thanks.”
Maybe we shouldn’t go by “Olibe” after all - we’re good enough at being confusing all by ourselves. 
Pet hate FAQs
Okay, so I started off this blog saying that we, as vegetarians in an omnivorous world, come in peace and spouting words of hippie harmony among all who eat.
However, this is still Veggie Rant and, to that end, here are some of the questions I get asked that make me want to slap people upside their head…
- Can’t you just eat around it?
Would you eat around a muddy old boot? It’s almost the same thing to me! - Do you eat seafood?
Fish (and friends) is not a #$%^ing vegetable!!! - So what do you eat then?
Oh, nothing, obviously…
- Don’t you get bored?
Food rarely bores me - but hearing the same dumb question for the 17,000th time sure does! Since when do animals = variety? How many different animals do you eat most of the time? Beef, chicken, ham/pork, lamb, fish - right? That makes 5 (though I know many omnivores who’ll stick mostly to chicken and beef over and over again). How many vegetables and fruits and grains and other products are there? How many ways can you prepare them? I ain’t missin’ those 5 left back at the farm, y’all. - So, how come you still own leather shoes?
Well, I’m not gonna eat them, am I?! - How could you not like meat?!
See question 1. Each to their own - and you can keep it. - Don’t you have problems with iron deficiency?
Never in all my 12 years as a vego have I been iron deficient. Could be something to do with getting enough vitamin C to can absorb iron efficiently, perhaps. Just saying… Besides, do I ever ask you how often you get food poisoning from eating animals, hm? Of course not. Why? Because it’s downright rude! It’s like asking an elderly person if they get haemorrhoids - you know, just ’cause they’re old. Honestly! - But you don’t look like a vegetarian…
Granted, not exactly a question, but it’s one I’ve heard a few times. And I’m not sure what it means - is it a compliment or an insult… or both?! Compliment: “You don’t look weak, pale and sickly”. Insult: “So why aren’t you thinner?” And, funnily enough, both versions are compliments and insults simultaneously. Don’t get me started - I’ll be here all day!
What are some of your pet-hate FAQs - vego or otherwise?
Valley vendors!
The Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia
The NSW Hunter Valley is known for its wine, but amid the world-class Shirazes and Semillons, lies food, food, and more food…
Nothing makes the stress of city life is just that little bit easier to bear than spending some time chilling out in the crisp, fresh air that had just a puff of chimney smoke about it, sampling cheese and olives (and wine, of course), and growing spherical on gourmet breakfasts, lunches and dinners.
And when it’s all over, you can stock up on a tonne of awesomeness to take back to the big smoke. These are the places I’d definitely return to again for some more tasty goods to show off back home…
Tintilla Estate
Tintilla Estate
Tintilla Estate is a family-run property growing grapes and olives - already two of my favourite things!
As do vineyards, they make wine, but Tintilla dabbles in some of the lesser-grown varieties in the region, such as sangiovese.
Tintilla Estate's vineyard
They preserve and marinate olives on the grounds. I’m not sure if they press olive oil themselves, but they definitely at least supply to pressers. And make tapenade and spreads and other yummy things in jars such as olives marinaded in chilli and lemon. Mmm… They even have a special “mound of olives” as they like to call it, where they grow my beloved kalamatas. *sigh*
Also unique to Tintilla (as far as this region goes, that is) is vinegar making. It’s a big deal to do this on the same property as a vineyard because the flies that hang around vinegar can wreak havoc on vines, but Tintilla has got it down.
There’s also a neat little restaurant there that opens out onto the vineyard which I imagine would be an absolute delight in warmer months.
Binnorie Dairy
Binnorie Dairy
One of my favourite places on this trip was Binnorie Dairy. The cheese from this place is to die for - and I’ve found you can get it in gourmet shops and delis back in Sydney - happiness!
Binnorie is home to award-winning cheeses, including their marinaded feta. It’s so good that if anyone should own the word ‘feta’ (yes, there’s contention over it - like what happened with champagne) it’s Binnorie.
Other gems I tasted were the Labna - a yogurt cheese with zing! - and a delicious blend called ‘Duetto’. Duetto sees the pairing of gorgonzola and mascarpone. You get the extreme flavour of the gorgonzola, but it’s softened by the smooth, creamy mascarpone - genius!
Moorebank Private Vineyard Estate
I didn’t actually get to see inside this place, but I have tried their products. As well as being another winery, they’re also near-obsessive about their spreads, chutneys, sauces, syrups, oils (both edible and fragrant varieties thereof) and dippers.
Moorebank Estate
They have a famous Spicy Grape Sauce, which is, based on what the label says, very versatile. I tried it with cheese and crackers and it was quite sweet. It could work well in a veggie-tofu stir fry (I’ll let you know if I give that a go), though I suspect it might actually be better suited to meats - especially on the BBQ.
But their magical offering, I found, was their Country Garden Chutney Spread. It’s mustardy and tumericy and downright delicious. It’s inspired me to learn more about its main vegetable ingredient - the humble choko.
Pokolbin Chocolate and Jam Co.
The Pokolbin Jam and Chocolate Company
Well, it would take a fairly dire chocolate shop to disappoint me, but happily this one is not dire in any way. In fact, it is marvellous.
And so cute! It’s a little old fashioned shop with colourful walls and stacks of beautiful-looking jars of jam.
Pokolbin's choc penguins
Then there’s the chocolate cabinet - it may look small, but don’t underestimate the variety. The passionfruit one with the purple sugar on the outside, and the penguins with the peach ganache, were wicked. They also have fresh fudge to for you try and buy.
Meanwhile, back at the shelves, I discovered something glorious…
*Choir of angels sings* Dark chocolate-covered cranberries (okay, so I’ve since found them back in Sydney, but still, both were joyous discoveries…)
The Hunter Valley Smelly Cheese Shop
I’ve saved the best for last.
“But something other than chocolate isn’t cited as the best in a Keira Daley blog?!” you protest.
Yes, the shop has an ultra-mega-super selection of cheese to choose from. Yes the shop has the best of all the local cheese, as well as imported stuff. And yes, the shop has a separate little room full of what’s either the stinkiest cheeses (some people say the stinkier the better) or the ones that need to be kept at a separate temperature - or both.
But the very best part about this shop is… the gelato.
Hunter Valley x 2
Often when you go to a food establishment, you just want one simple thing - not three courses, not for your world to be rocked into another solar system, and not for a high-commitment, five star extravaganza. Often, you just want simple things done well.
And sometimes you just get distracted by things that look nice.
Here are two places in the Australian wine region Hunter Valley, NSW, that looked pretty and did simple things well…
Bistro Molines
Margan Wines shows its wares at Bistro Molines, and what better way to kick off your time in Wine Country than with a tasting?
Of course, sipping a barbara at 11am was like battery acid, but the lunch to come would reverse any damage done.
Sitting on the sun-flecked deck among white umbrellas, I noticed the tables of people who are very obviously in the habit of enjoying the finer things in life and thought it was a habit I could quite happily adopt myself.
Stuffed tempura zucchini flowers at Molines
I had tempura zucchini flowers stuffed with goats cheese with a very smooth glass of Margan Cab Sav. It was grand - the crunch of the tempura was complimented by the creamy goats cheese centre.
The olive aioli and fresh cherry tomatoes added tang. It also looked pretty…
I will say, though, that this was one of only two veggie options available (I think the other was a mushroom risotto), and it was actually an entree they made a main size. Plus, it was on the specials menu, so who knows how much choice an unsuspecting vego would have on another occasion. Pity!
Still, fortunately for me, this time I was in luck.
Peppers Guesthouse
Chez Pok Restaurant, Peppers Guest House
I had breakfast at Peppers Guest House’s Chez Pok. It was hard not to be impressed with the fruit platters and other breakfast goodies spread out on the wide, white table in the centre of the room.
Chez Pok
But I opted for something from the menu. I ordered French toast with strawberries and maple syrup. It hit the spot – light, fruity and not too thick or sickly. And the strawberries - ah the strawberries! - were so fresh.
But I forgot to photograph it because Peppers itself was so lovely. The Chez Pok was cosy – like a livingroom converted into a restaurant because your mum’s cooking is so good.
Chez Pok's lovely patio
There was yet another Hunter fireplace to admire, rustic old fashioned decor, simple white starched tablecloths, wooden chairs, and a beautiful patio.
The way light just floated in on a gentle angle through the old fashioned windows was glorious. And the grounds are gorgeous too - no wonder people get married there!
So why are you a vego?
It’s the question I’ve been asked countless times since I made the switch almost 12 years ago. Sometimes it can be a loaded question designed to get you on a militant rant about cages and extolling the virtues of tempeh, but most of the time, people are just curious. And fair enough - if I met an alien, I’d be curious too.
Unfortunately, the answer I’ll almost always give is pretty bland and not even close to the whole(grain) truth. First, I’m quick to put them at ease with this:
“It’s just a matter of preference, not activism or anything…”
Then, once I feel a little bit less like they’re going to hate me, I follow it up with a bit more of an explanation…
“I never really liked meat as a kid, then one day I gave up red meat and never ate it again. The other animals kind of just marched off with it too and I was left alone with the veggies in the garden…”
Okay, so that’s a far cleverer version of what I actually say. Still, it’s only part of the story.
It all began when I was 15 and I found a leaflet from a health food store on the health benefits of vegetarianism. In a clever, informal-albeit-bombastic style, it went so far as to claim that, in an evolutionary/biological sense, humans were simply not equipped to be carnivores.
Carnivores, it said, have sharp, pointy teeth, while herbivores have flat, square-ish teeth. Carnivores have short, fast intestinal tracts (ew), while herbivores have long, involved ones (also, ew). To my knowledge, this is where all of those “undigested meat sitting in your gut” arguments come from. It also said that the naturally-forming toxins in an animal much larger than us, such as a cow, are in too high a concentration for our consumption.
Then there are the other aspects of modern life such as the hormones and antibiotics given to livestock, mercury in the water for seafood, and feeding normally grain-eating animals their own dead relatives in pellet form. And none of this even touches the humanitarian argument, or the idea of how cruelty or trauma might affect the quality of what you eat.
Whether all - or any - of this stuff is absolute, unequivocal fact, I’m not sure. However, to a 15-year-old know-it-all who made ’being contrary’ a way of life, it was a pretty convincing argument. Add to that…
- “I never really liked meat” - I still remember being about 5 years old and sitting at the table eating around the mince in spaghetti bolognese! Now that’s dedication…
- I got quite sick from chicken once, to which a relative replied “you can’t let one experience dictate your whole life”. Oh no? Just watch me!
- And one day, I decided that seafood “wasn’t that great anyway”…
…and voila - I became a vego.
This occurred to the mild amusement of some of my friends, and the sheer horror of others. Then there were the parents of friends who thought it heralded an eating disorder - which is ridiculous considering my lifelong obsession with chocolate and my 100% serious phobia of puking (that’s another story)!
And now, 12 years later, it seems my vegetarianism isn’t a passing fad or me being contrary, and it’s certainly not an eating disorder! But I’m not an activist either.
“It’s just a matter of preference…”
We come in peace
I’m on a quest. A quest to set wrongs right, to set the record straight, to set my people free.
I’m on a mission to tell you that we’re not out to get you, or change you, or even judge you.
I’m here to implore and reassure you that it’ll all be okay once you discover I am…
“…a Vegetarian.”
Because it shouldn’t be a barrier between us, or even an issue. And here’s why:
Not every vegetarian wants to wage war on omnivores.
Not every vegetarian wants to debate the ethics of food, hell-bent on changing eating habits for the sake of innocent animals everywhere, or to send people on a harrowing trip - imaginary or real - down to the abattoir to show them “what really goes on”, or insist that you go out into the wild and shoot-and-gut a boar so you know what it’s like to have “blood on your hands”.
Not every vegetarian is a bombastic eco-warrior, an enlightened yogi, or, while I’m on the subject, an anemic hippie who’d insist that even lions eat tofu.
Some of us just want to get on with our lives, meat-free.
Some of us even want to integrate with the “normal” people - the omnivores. Some of us have far more omnivorous friends than vegetarian ones, and have little interest in converting people (though, in the event of a good friend deciding to make the switch, the lonely vego could be forgiven for feeling at least a little bit excited/vindicated).
The following may be a shocking admission, but here goes: I became a vegetarian because I never really liked meat. This is unfathomable to the more meat-partial members of society, but there you have it.
I also believe I’m healthier this way - it doesn’t work for everyone, but it works for me. And, while I’m certainly no activist, I do feel a little bit warm and fuzzy that I play a reduced role in some of the animal cruelty that goes on. But that’s as far as it goes.
It’s not a protest or a statement or a contribution - just a personal choice. The “saved” animals are a byproduct (or, in this case, NOT).
I’m not bothered whether you eat animals or not - I’m even happy when my friends enjoy what they’re eating, regardless of what it is (though I will admit that I do feel a little bit squeamish when a friend has rabbit on his plate and calls it “bunny”).
One of the missions of this blog is to find ways for us to all go out to dinner with peace, love and the occasional mungbean. Though I will share with you one last admission…
I’m not sure what a mungbean is.