Some experts will have you believe that the secret to a healthy relationship is being adventurous in bed, having a drawer full of sexy lingerie and taking advice from sealed sections in magazines. Other experts will cite making time for each other and pencilling in "date nights" as they key. I have also recently seen a young lass proffer advice that making home-cooked meals for your partner, such as lasagne will get that rock on your finger ladies. Did she mean to set the feminist movement back to cave dwelling times by assuming that is the only goal in a female's life?! Whilst I do believe cooking for your partner makes for romance, I doubt lasagne will be the glue that holds you together... Unless your partner is Garfield.
I scoff at these notions for delivering romance. I offer an alternative which comes in the form of some healthy competition. Junior and I have been having regular "Pizza Offs" for sometime now. It's a game we play where we try to outsmart, outwit and outplay the other through our pizza making skills. Nothing keeps the fire of romance burning like some competitive "Battle of the Sexes" banter over pizza making and then sitting down to enjoy the spoils together!
When we have time (a la up at the farm with an authentic woodfire pizza oven), we make our own dough but sometimes on a weeknight, you don't have the time so we use ready made bases. And before you brand me a heathen, may I remind you we do this for the same reason we all resort to take away sometimes... I really despise thick crusts so the Bazaar pizza bases do a pretty good job.
We each get a pizza base, tomato sugo and the delicious Paesanella Fior Di Latte (Mozzarella)- then the rest of the toppings are up to the individual. On a side note, do yourselves a favour and visit the Paesanella cheese store in Haberfield. Not only will you find an amazing array of cheeses but the this family-owned business has great service and will offer tastings to help you make your choice.
Back to the Battle of the Pizzas. In the red corner- triple smoked ham, spanish onion, pumpkin, chilli flakes and topped with fresh rocket once out of the oven. (Mine was slightly charred after I left it in a smidgen too long- whoops!)
In the blue corner- leftover homemade meatballs with cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and spanish onion.
Verdict: Junior won by a nose with the Meatballs. I concede that using my own meatballs to beat me in the pizza battle was a genius strategy. Well played Junior, well played. Until next time...
Paesanella
88 Ramsay Street
Haberfield NSW 2045
(02) 9799 8483
Life is definitely too short to be worrying about rolled oats and bran for breakfast and whilst I appreciate the Heart Foundation might have something to say about the effects of overindulgence, I think you should spoil yourself a little but often ;-)
Junior often goes for an early morning surf on a Saturday and heads home via Strawberry Cream Continental Patisserie in Darlinghurst to bring me one of my fave breakfast treats- a freshly baked croissant with ham, cheese and bechamel sauce.
As much as I delight in being treated to breakfast in bed, I don't recommend you attempt it with all the flaky pastry flying about. Not on the Egyptian cotton for crying out loud!
The fresh croissant is buttery and moist on the inside with layers of deliciously flaky pastry on the outside. The classic combination of the ham and cheese is perfectly matched with the thick, cheesy and velvety bechamel. Toasted under the grill it gives a fantastic texture contrast of the smooth and creamy bechamel with the crusty cheese and pastry. Heaven...
If you choose to dine in, be warned that the coffee is not that great and neither is the service. Whilst the authentic Gallic touch of only hiring native French girls may delight some of the males amongst us with Amélie fantasies, for the rest of us back here on Earth, it can be a little frustrating when their broken English gets in the way of a croissant reaching my mouth in a timely fashion. And my automatic reaction is almost always "No monsieur, I did not know that Petit Miam is 'IGH in calcium" and I almost always keep it to myself.
As a Savour Tooth it's not really my thing but if you are into Continental pastries and sweets, their selection will more than make up for the lack of coffee making skills. There is a solid selection in this tiny shop ranging from Tart Au Citron to Crème Brûlée and macarons.
Verdict: Oui to lovely take away delights. Non to a dine in experience to remember.
Strawberry Cream Continental Patisserie
336 Victoria Street
Darlinghurst NSW 2011
(02) 9356 3122
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