April 25, 2009: Hot chocolate

'Tis the season for hot chocolate! Actually, I've not been an avid hot chocolate drinker for years. Cadbury's powdered drinking chocolate in frothed milk was an immense treat as a youngster and I've occasionally enjoyed Koko Black's more sophisticated version since moving to Melbourne, but generally I prefer my chocolate served in its solid state.

That is, until Tracy and Lee rewarded our cat-sitting with a canister of Monsieur Truffe's hot chocolate mix. These are dark chocolate buds of 70% cocoa solids, to be melted in just-boiled milk and sweetened if you must. Noticing that they're vegan, I packed them and a litre of oat milk for dessert to follow a weeknight dinner at Lisa's house. I stretched my resources among more people than the instructions recommended but I don't think anyone felt cheated - this is one rich, cocoa-packed brew. I've since enjoyed using the same method with other scraps of dark chocolate (if chocolate can ever be called 'scraps'), and have persisted with oat milk in preference to dairy or soy.

The recipe below makes just one of my slightly smaller portions. I think I'll start trialling a pinch or two of ground spice (ginger, cardamom, cinnamon or chilli!) to keep things interesting.

Hot chocolate
40g dark chocolate - in buds, grated, or pulverised in a food processor
200mL milk (not necessarily dairy)
sugar, to taste (my taste usually being none!)
a pinch or two of ground spice (optional)

Bring the milk just to the boil in a small saucepan, then reduce the heat to low-medium. Add the chocolate, sugar and spice, stirring until the chocolate is completely melted. (Scrape the bottom of the saucepan as you stir, that's where it likes to lurk!) Pour the hot chocolate into a mug and sip, slowly and appreciatively.

April 24, 2009: Mojo's Weird Pizza

Update 15/06/2023: Mojo's Weird Pizza is now closed.

We've had some very fine pizzas in Melbourne, but have yet to really settle on a pizza delivery option for those nights when it's too cold to venture out and we're too lazy to cook ourselves. Umago has been our regular option but it has only intermittently satisfied. So when I found out that we were in the delivery area of the Clifton Hill branch of Mojo's Weird Pizza I was keen to give it a try.

For all their talk of weirdness (and to be fair, a banana and bacon pizza is pretty strange), the vego options aren't particularly wacky, with options like tomato, artichoke and rocket, roast vegie and bruschetta sounding delicious without too much craziness.

Cindy tried to dial up the weirdness as much as she could, ordering the two most interesting sounding veg options. First up, the cheeseathon known as Kaas Kop - caramelised onion, blue vein cheese, regular cheese, parmesan cheese and cream cheese. We only got a small one of these, which was a good choice - the blue vein and caramelised onion were a fantastic combination but the whole thing is just incredibly rich. You can feel your arteries clogging.


Our second choice was The Gringo (salsa base, corn chips, cheese, spanish onion, fresh tomato, jalapenos, cream cheese. topped with sour cream and guacamole), which is shooting for the same territory as Umago's Mexican pizza. I really liked the idea of this pizza - particularly the loads of jalapenos and slatherings of sauces, but the chip layer was a bit much for me. I could handle a smattering of corn chips on top of a pizza, but this came with a layer of chips 2-3 deep right across it. Apparently the chip level is pretty variable, so I haven't given up hope on this one entirely.


Cindy couldn't resist ordering a garlic bread ($5), which wasn't anything particularly special (beyond the fact that it was garlic bread of course).


And, in a nod of the head towards healthfulness, we also ordered Mojo's own garden salad, which came with its own little tube of Heinz dressing and a dense layer of fetta and olives across the top. It was okay, but a long way from being healthy I suspect.

I had high hopes for Mojo's, but this was all just a little disappointing. I think I'll try them again but my expectations have been suitably modified.

Address: 384 Queens Parade, Clifton Hill (there's also a Port Melbourne branch)
Ph: 9489 6588
Licensed.
Price: weird pizzas from $11 (small) to $22 (family), classic pizzas $10-$20
Website: http://www.mojosweirdpizza.com.au

April 23, 2009: Cafe Najla

Update 31/12/2014: Cafe Najla is closed. 

Cindy and I had a date with nostalgia at the Northcote Social Club on Thursday evening, and we were both in the mood to eat somewhere new beforehand. Luckily, Cindy's voracious blog-reading means she's got a massive list of interesting places tucked away, and she quickly turned up this recommendation from FoodieFi. We turned up at about 8:30 concerned that we'd miss out on a table, but there was plenty of space for us and we settled in to check out our options.

The waitress recommended the vegetarian Mezza selection, including delights like Bazrjan (tangy pomegranate bulgher salad with fresh tomato, Aleppo peoppers and walnuts) and Salatit Shwander (beetroot and onion in pomegranate dressing), and we were both sorely tempted. But once I'd spotted the vegetarian set menu ($22.50) there was no turning back. I was unadventurous with my drinks choice but Cindy splashed out on a sour cherry cordial with mineral water ($4.50), which tasted as good as it sounds.

First up in the set menu was a dip selection, including a wonderfully smoky baba ganoush, a garlicy hummus and a sweet beetroot based dip. The dips came with some health vegie dippers but also with a big pile of bread, and Cindy was already concerned that we'd over-ordered by the time we'd worked our way through these.


Next up were our two entree sized dishes. The Fatet be Zed (Damascan style chickpea ragout, served with rich yoghurt, tahini dressing, pistachio nuts and crisp pita) was another in the long line of yoghurty chickpea things that we've had around town (and at home) - it was a delicious version of it, only let down slightly by the sogginess of the 'crisp' pita.


It was closely followed by the Ful M'dammes (a warm broad bean and tomato salad, served with lemon, garlic and tahini dressing). The dressing was super-tangy and well-suited to the tender beans - even the tomato worked in this dish. The major problem we had was our lack of something to soak up all the deliciousness - we probably should have saved some of our dipping bread.


Our salad, Salatit Fattoush (Syrian salad with Cos lettuce, grapes and strawberries, servied with sumac and pomegranate dressing and crispy pita) was the meal's highlight - the sweetness of the fruit and the lemony bite of the sumac were an outstanding combination, and this time the crispy pita was nice and crispy. It's not something I'd ever have ordered off the menu, but it really shone.

We were both really struggling to find room by this point, so there was no disappointment that the set dessert option was a small plate of sticky Turkish delight, served with mint tea.

I've been turned off Turkish delight by Cadbury, but whenever I've had a serve of the proper stuff, I've really enjoyed it. It helped to have the minty tea to take the edge of the sweetness a bit.

Nalja turn on a pretty good vegetarian feast, and have a wide selection of smaller offerings on their regular menu. With friendly staff, a cosy space and a High St location, I was surprised that there weren't more people filling themselves with Middle-Eastern delights. Their loss I suppose.

Address: 102 High St, Northcote
Ph: 9482 1168
Licensed

Price: Set menu - $22.50, Mezze - $4.20 each, Entrees - $10.80-$13.80, Mains - $18.50-$28.50

April 23, 2009: Tiffins III

Update 27/1/2019: Tiffins delivery is no longer available.

My workplace's Tiffin lunches have a new organiser and a new day - we're now enjoying Tiffin Thursdays. This one features Dhabba Dal and a Veg Coco Malai. It's not been my favourite of the bunch but as always it's good value at $7 - I was even able to put aside some of the rice and curry and team it with a leftover roti for a second lunch.

__________

You can read my other accounts of Tiffins here and here.

April 22, 2009: Soft tofu tacos

While sharing an East Brunswick Club meal with them at the end of last year, Caroline and T let us in on one of their favourite ways to prepare tofu - baked in cubes, seasoned with nutritional yeast flakes and chicken-style stock powder. Thinking it'd make a neat taco filling, I couldn't resist adding a little oregano to the 'fu. Michael sauteed a cheerful mix of sliced zucchini, capsicum and mushrooms, then poured over a purée of pickled chipotles (adobo free) and balsamic vinegar. We rounded out the meal with fresh lettuce and hot, soft tortillas.

At first bite, this didn't blow me away... then it really crept up on me as I munched on. It doesn't compare to Trippy Taco's spicy grilled tofu, nor will it tempt omnivores away from their chicken fajitas, but it certainly has a charm all its own. Low effort, fresh-tasting and adaptable, I can definitely see this entering our weeknight meal rotation.