Author: Alex

Brighton Jetty Cafe

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Brighton Jetty

date of visit: Thursday 12 April 2012

We’re still enjoying some really lovely autumn weather so what better to do than head down to the seaside and grab a coffee and cake? Apparently, it’s grab a coffee and some breakfast.

A friend visiting from England was in urgent need of a sun (does anyone remember the less than stellar Easter?) and, as it made its appearance, we headed down to Brighton. I’d originally planned on coffee and cake (because cake is suitable at any time of day) but after a wander up and down Jetty Road and spotting scrambled eggs and smoked salmon on Brighton Jetty Cafe’s breakfast menu I was happy to change my mind.

Of course, it transpired that we’d turned up at 11:50am and breakfast technically finished at 11:45am. But the waitress headed off to check with the kitchen and I’m pleased to report that commonsense prevailed and breakfast could, indeed, be served.

Between us (that includes the baby) we had poached eggs on toast, scrambled eggs and smoked salmon and fruit toast. The fruit toast (which was two big thick slices for $4) was a huge serving and deliciously slathered in butter. And, miraculously, not all devoured by the baby so my friend and I got to sample it. The smoked salmon and scrambled eggs was great: loads of salmon, thick wedges of buttered toast, and a pile of hot eggs, scrambled and with a lightly fried finish. Personally, I like my scrambled eggs on the really runny side, but I am realistic enough to know I’m never going to be served eggs like that in a café. The eggs at Brighton Jetty Café were a good substitute. At the same price ($14.50) as those at etc I’d opt for those at the Brighton Jetty Café.

My coffee was also fine and service was friendly and personable, with the baby’s high chair meticulously wiped down prior to use. It sounds silly, but these days so many venues are inflexible about rules (like the time breakfast starts and finishes) that I really rate those places that exercise some sane and autonomous decision making.

Of course, Brighton Jetty Café offers lunch and dinner and has amazing beach side views. If you sit on the footpath you are a little close to the roundabout but as winter approaches I daresay we’ll all be glad to grab a bit of sunshine …

Brighton Jetty Cafe on Urbanspoon

Angs Coffee and Special Teas

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date of visit: Saturday 7 April 2012

We live quite near to Marion and, while it’s fair to say I loathe the place, it’s incredibly handy if there’s any serious shopping that needs to be done.

One thing we rarely do at Marion is stop to have a coffee because food wise Marion’s offerings just aren’t that appealing. There’s the food court and then there’s quite a few places that sit out in the middle of the mall itself. You might assume that these are great for people watching (and they are) but they just don’t have a very pleasant atmosphere.

There is, however, one place that we do stop off at if we’re feeling like single serving coffee and cake. And that is Angs, which is downstairs near Woolworths (and near the excellent Cheese Monger – if you haven’t sussed them out before, you really should!). While Angs does have some seating out in the mall it also has a proper shop presence so you can sit inside, away from the shoppers and enjoy your snack in (relative) peace. Of course, you do get to listen to the coffee machine but any experienced café goer can cope with that!

The coffees are good and, as a bonus, you can buy beans or ground (to order) coffee while you’re at it. The selection is modest but we’ve always enjoyed the coffee we’ve picked up. The biscuits are fresh and appropriately crisp or crumbly and, last time we ducked in, the lemon cheesecake received a tick of approval from Andy. They also sell savoury food but when faced with cake or biscuit, why would you choose that?!

If you do need to escape while you’re at Marion, Angs represents your best bet.

Angs Coffee & Special Teas on Urbanspoon

Chocolate Brownies

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It’s been a while since I’ve had an opportunity to try out another brownie recipe, but a family lunch at Easter provided the perfect excuse to tick a recipe off the list. This one comes from Chocablog, which, not surprisingly, is a blog all about chocolate. Although based in the UK, Chocablog has contributors around the world – and the Australian correspondent is based in Adelaide!

This recipe was excellent. The brownie comes out all fudgy and dense (and chocolatey, of course), but the crust is a proper crust – crisp when you bite into it but deliciously chewy. I rate this as a contender for best brownie recipe yet. Note that I say contender only, as I am yet to try it out on the Brownie Approval Panel.

Preheat oven to 160°C (I used it on the fan setting) and line your baking dish (something roughly 18cm square – I found my trusty roasting pan did the trick) with baking paper.

Begin by melting together 140g unsalted butter and 200g good quality dark chocolate. As always, I did this in the microwave, but on the stove in a double boiler will work too (it will just take you longer).

The chocolate and butter goes into the KitchenAid (flat beater attached) and beat in 200g of light brown sugar. Beat this in really well – the mixture should be smooth and glossy, not at all grainy. Add 2tsp of vanilla extract and a generous pinch of salt and then beat in three eggs, one at a time. Finish with 85g of plain flour (not self raising, plain). Beat really well – the mixture eventually will turn into a sort of cross between a butter cream and a chocolate mousse. It’s quite light in colour but don’t let that worry you – the finished product will be appropriately chocolatey.

Resist the temptation to gobble it all down. Although it tastes really good, it’ll probably make you feel a bit ill if you eat it all!

Finish by folding in 75g of roughly chopped walnuts (or other nut of choice … and I’m even tempted to try caramel chocolate), then spoon it into your baking dish and bake for 40 minutes. A toothpick should come out a bit moist and crumbly, but not covered in batter.

When cool, slice and enjoy. Ensure you nab one of the pieces with edges on it because they’re definitely the best bit!

You can find a collection of our chocolate brownie recipes here.