Saturday cycle social

Where Annandale to Rozelle

Why My first blog-inspired cycle date was set with K and her brand-new, wasp yellow Cell bike. We thought we’d explore the new Essential Ingredient in Rozelle, eat something in the adjoining café then finish with a nice cold cider in a pub. It seemed silly to set off for this one-stop foodie shop without being in search of one essential ingredient from its shelves, so first I had to find something to cook for dinner. Two cookbooks later, it was found – a recipe for beef stew in Clarissa’s Comfort Food, into which the “fat lady” throws onions, bacon, cider, anchovies and – well I never – pickled walnuts. Hurrah!

The store [731-735 Darling Street, Rozelle NSW 2039] is lovely and light, and filled with the kind of beautiful and useful cookware, books and edibles coveted by amateur and professional cooks as well as style-hungry people, so it’s well-suited to hours of browsing. We peeked in at the on-site cooking school, where TV chef Tom Kime seemed to be showing some foodies how to cut up raw chickens.

The best bit for me is the food section, where temptation lies at every turn and you’re bound to see things you never knew existed. Whether you want to part with the money is another matter, but there’s something comforting about knowing where they are should you ever desperately need, say, ready-rolled sour cream shortcrust pastry ...

or eight-colour trofie pasta ...

... oh yeah, and pickled walnuts.

The cafe looks great, too, with a small blackboard menu and good-looking sandwiches on display, but as K is gluten and lactose intolerant and there didn’t seem to be anything she could eat except a cupcake, I left the pissaladière special behind the counter and we settled for mugs of good flat white which came with dark chocolate coated coffee beans.

For our cider’n’ice, we picked the Three Weeds on Evans St, and as gastropubs go it didn’t disappoint even if the options for K were again fairly limited – she couldn’t join me in enjoying the goats cheese stuffed zucchini flower on special, though she did use some of the rocket pesto oil for dipping her share of the crispy smashed chats with rosemary salt. The bowl of marinated olives was o-lovely, with great big green ones and tiny little black ones and lots in between.

How From Albion St in Annandale, take Whites Creek Lane all the way to Rozelle Bay, then continue along the shared footpath over the bridge and up Victoria Rd to Darling St.

Damage Large coffees $4 each; Zucchini flower $3; smashed chats $9, mixed olives $7.

Distance About 4km (one way)

Tip

• No trip to Rozelle is complete without a visit to Herbie’s Spices, another shop where it’s extremely hard not to spend money – we bagged exciting Mexican and Indonesian spice mixes, plus a pack of filé powder so I’ll be prepared for any unforeseen gumbo-making urges. K also had an interesting chat about gluten-free labelling with “Herbie” himself.

Brekkie by bike

Where Marrickville

Why On the morning after two social engagements 70km apart
– a beautiful afternoon wedding at the Norman Lindsay gallery in Faulconbridge followed by an indulgent inner west dinner party
– I didn’t exactly feel like another mammoth bike-food mission.
But five minutes uphill is still something, so I set off solo for
a greedy, feel-good tour of my local organic and farmers market (Addison Road Community Centre, 142 Addison Road, Marrickville – open Sundays 8:30am-3pm).


What began as a humble, ramshackle collection of stalls has become a thriving inner westie destination. At 11.30am the car park was already full and the main thoroughfare was packed with people. I found a place to park the bike and made my way back past the secondhand stalls to peruse the produce on offer.

First up, a Bilpin grower selling unwaxed new-season Fuji and Jonagold apples. He said the Jonagold were his favourite and a quick tasting confirmed how good they were – crisp, tangy-sweet and refreshing. With my bike bag two kilos heavier, I spied a stall selling exotic mushrooms, including some hard-to-find varieties that are cultivated in former railway tunnels. My mixed bag included nameko, wood ear and chestnut mushrooms, so I’m all set for some Sunday night pasta.



Onto the real agenda: breakfast. A tidy stall caught my eye promising “steam-baked muffins” fresh from a pair of on-site steam ovens. Sceptical, I surveyed the interesting flavours on display – for the sweet of tooth, chocolate muffin with chocolate ganache, pumpkin cheesecake with pink lady marmalade; or cinnamon with applescotch jam; for savoury types, spinach & ricotta with basil pesto, smoked salmon with dill cream cheese, bacon & zucchini with tomato relish or the very tempting four cheese with onion & rhubarb jam. The apple wedge had woken up my tastebuds so a cinnamon-sugar hit was the logical next step.


Brown paper bag in hand, I wandered further, grabbing a tray of flawless-looking figs to go with the half-eaten wedge of gorgonzola in my fridge, and a giant bunch of rhubarb to roast for dessert. Something else had caught my eye on the way in – a Malaysian stall selling “breakfast roti” – homemade roti canai filled with kaya (coconut & pandan jam).


The area is temporarily home to an award-winning art installation by my cousin Ed Horne – a 3m-long tank sculpted from old filing cabinets and other office junk – so I chose a comfy bench behind it as my picnic spot.

Sadly, in the baking autumn sun my breakfast roti didn’t live up to expectations – it was a little too greasy and chewy, the kaya too eggy for my taste, like the filling in a yum cha custard tart – so halfway through I abandoned it and dived into the paper bag. Surprise! With a crisp crust and soft, bouncy crumb, gooey jam centre and cinnamon-dusted top, it was muffin heaven.


The smiling stallholder said they’ve been going for only eight months, but it looks like she’s onto a winner. You’ll find the stall at Orange Grove and Fox Studios farmers markets, too.

How From Marrickville station, turn right onto Illawarra Rd then left onto Petersham Rd. Continue across Marrickville Rd past the library, following the road onto Centennial St. Cross Sydenham Rd and take the path alongside the tennis courts and Henson Park.


At the top, go straight then turn right onto Charles Street. Turn left at Illawarra Rd and ride one block up to Addison Rd, then hop off and walk along the footpath to the markets.

Damage 2kg Jonathon apples, $7; mushrooms $5 for 100g; breakfast roti $4; Ragamuffin muffins $2.50 each or 6 for $12; rhubarb $4 bunch.

Distance About 2km (one way)

Tips
• Walking your bike through the market on a busy day like I did is a recipe for disaster – don’t do it. If you can’t park near the entrance, turn right and find something near the car park instead.
• Don’t forget to browse for bargains at the Bower Re-use & Repair Centre. http://www.bower.org.au/
• Bread lovers beware – the shelves at the Brasserie Bread stall were bare when I arrived there, but one smart shopper had a loaf of the gorgeous caramelised garlic bread put aside for her before it sold out.

Pot-luck pedalling

Where Marrickville to Homebush

Why Keen to offset the excesses of the Easter long weekend (evidence: a grease-thumbed copy of Thomas Keller’s ad hoc at home and a well-nibbled gold Lindt bunny that’s missing its mate) but both feeling as rusty as my weather-battered bike chain, we set off towards the Cooks River without a set food destination in mind – being a public holiday, there was no guarantee anything would be open, and being out of practice we weren't sure how far we'd make it.

After a quick detour up Canterbury Road to Charlie's Pizzeria & Bakery (closed), we made it to the holy grail: Rams (Shop 17C, 16-20 Henley Road, Homebush West).


Gusto learned the whereabouts of this Sri Lankan takeaway at a masterclass taught by Carol Selva Rajah. Ravenous after an hour or so’s pedalling, we were rewarded with yummy spicy smells and the sight of deep-fried deliciousness.


From the short menu we grabbed a pack of dosai (pancakes) with sambhar (lentil gravy) and sambol (fresh coconut chutney), plus the last few samosa-like mutton patties, then took them to the park across the road for an impromptu bench picnic.




How Take the bike path from Marrickville Station towards the Cooks River and follow the cycleway west in the direction of Strathfield South and Homebush Bay. From Freshwater Park, follow the bike-friendly roads and go past the golf course on Mitchell Road; cross Arthur Street and turn onto Henley Street, then climb up the hill to the shops.


Damage $22 including dosai (seven pack), idly (lentil cakes, 10 pack), sambhar, sambol, chutney, three mutton patties, bhuja mix and chilli cashews. The excess food (for tomorrow's dinner) travelled well but the last mutton patty we thought we'd save for later didn't make it all the way home.

Distance About 18km (one way)

Tips
• The Cooks River route is super easy, but watch out for off-leash pooches, kids (on and off wheels) and hardcore cyclists.
• A park picnic is a great idea, but scooping up sambol and sambhar with dosas alone is pretty messy – better bring a spoon (and some wet wipes).


• Remember, that Mitchell Road hill is a breeze to ride down, but climbing back up on low gear with a full belly is no picnic.