Menulog, a night in, and a Giveaway!

Being the huge pregnant lady I now am, everything is getting hard. Like everything.

When getting off the couch these days, my body makes noises. I grunt and moan like some sort of wild beast. It is hardly attractive I can assure you.

I am now 33 weeks pregnant and with 7 weeks to go, some days getting myself into the kitchen is just too hard. Home delivery and take away food is becoming more and more prominent on our dinner table

Enter Menulog.com.au a nifty website that allows you to search and book and search nearby restaurants with a click of a button. The website is home to 3500 restaurants with full menu’s, 11,000 specials and over 100,000 restaurant reviews.

I was contacted by the wonderful people at Menulog to give the service a try and boy am I glad I did. You enter your postcode and up pops all the restaurants nearby that deliver to your suburb. Each has their menu’s listed, with most offering discounts for 1^st purchases through Menulog, offers and deals often not found if you contacted the restaurant direct.

Ordering through Menulog is fool proof, and makes it almost too easy if there was such a thing. Log in, select restaurant, order off online menu, pay and almost immediately you receive a sms confirmation of your order and an approximate delivery time.

When I was going through the list of restaurants, we discovered new restaurants I’d never even heard of within a 5km radius and I’ve been living at our current address for 4 years! The hardest part of ordering through Menulog is seriously choosing which restaurant you want food from!

We decided to try somewhere new, and given I am back to eating tomatoes, a good pizza was being craved. I ‘discovered’ Valentine Woodfire Pizza & Café  in nearby Narraweena and boy am I glad we decided to brave a new restaurant instead of going back to our usual.

I am THE WORLDS FUSSIEST PIZZA EATER. EVER. Or so my husband likes to exaggerate and claim. Pizza HAS to be woodfire. It has to be super thin. The type that flops if you tried to hold it. The traditional Napoli type. The base must have that woodfire taste, and be slightly charred underneath but not burnt, overcooked or dry. The toppings must be fresh and generous. I am fussy on pizza base sauce, and garlic quantity. You can see my hesitation in trying somewhere new.

Well, let me tell you. I have found my new local. Not only did the pizza tick all the boxes but it was delivered piping hot within 30 minutes, with a smile and I just can’t wait to eat from Valentines again.

We ordered 2 pizza’s and an entrée of the Calamari Fritti, served with Lime Aoli, and it was steaming hot, perfectly soft and so Moorish.

Our pizza’s of choice were the Capricciosa and Misto Mare. Both mouth-watering.

super thin, and slightly charred woodfire base, just the way I like it!

If you do live around Sydney’s Northern Beaches, I urge you to try Valentine Woodfire Pizza and Café. What a true local gem!

161 Alfred st, Narraweena NSW 2099.

COMPETITION TIME!

Thanks to the generosity of MenuLog.com.au I have $10 vouchers to give away to 2 lucky winners. All you have to do is ‘like’ GourmetWog and Menulog’s facebook pages then come back here and be sure to comment ‘I don’t feel like cooking tonight’ below. 2 winners will be chosen at random to receive $10 off their next MenuLog order.

T&C’s:Competition is open to all residents of Australia only, the winner will be notified via email and given 48 hours to respond. If no response in this time, a new winner will be drawn.

The winner must ‘like’ both GourmetWog and Menulog’s facebook pages and comment ‘I don’t feel like cooking tonight’ by 5pm Friday 11th July 2014.

Total prize pool is valued at $10 each and is to be used with a local Menulog restaurant of the winner’s choosing (where valid) and cannot be redeemed for cash.

The winner’s details may be forwarded to Menulog for prize distribution.

A voucher code will be emailed to the winner as supplied by Menulog and will be valid for 1 month after winner selection.

The voucher code will be valid for delivery only and balance payments via credit card.

The voucher is valid for one use only.

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Sunday at the Frenchs Forest Organic Markets

Since moving to the beaches and discovering the Frenchs Forest Organic Markets, Sunday just isn’t Sunday without a trip, rain hail or shine.

Even if I have no intention to buy, it’s just so nice taking a wonder amongst the community, and it’s somewhere I can let my little Miss 2 run amok, chase after dogs and taste test the many delicious samples on offer. That said, I’ve never returned home empty handed, my basket is full laden with fresh artisan breads, eggs, honey and of course the fabulous fruit and vegetables on offer.

The Parkway Hotel comes alive every Sunday from 8am to 1pm with fresh food produce, organic;  some certified and some conventional (I hear getting certification is both costly and time consuming) but never the less fresh and chemical free. Most stall holders recognise the regulars, calling them by name and always up for a chat.

Aside from the obvious fruit and veg, there are a couple of butchers selling grass fed beef, organic free range chickens and wonderful sausage and rissole flavours, marinated olives, arts and crafts, hemp clothing, handmade soaps, a nursery section to buy your seedlings along with medicinal herbs and many other eco friendly items on offer.

As with most markets, there’s also a great variety of hot and cold food on offer for those brunch time tummy tingles. From Japanese Omelettes, to fabulous Indian Rotis, the larakin boys at Pizza Party’s woodfire pizza’s and to the always present and reliable Gozleme stand, it’s also a great place to grab a cuppa and catch up with friends on the grass while enjoying a casual meal.

Here is a small sample of the many delights on offer

The Mushroom Depot:

John from The Mushroom Depot grows mushrooms through abandoned railway tunnels in Glenbrook, in the Blue Mountains. The tunnels are 700 metres long and he grows Namenko, King Brown Oyster, Portobello, Enoki, Shemiji to name a few. He can be found at both Flemington Markets as well as Frenchs Forest every Sunday.

Graeme Sanders a garlic grower has been selling his prized garlic, as well as Pariva Produce raw organic honey, jams and preserves. His garlic is grown on his property in Napoleon Reef, 20 north east of Bathurst. He makes the weekly trip to Frenchs Forest, a 5 hour return trip every week.

Bread, lots and lots of delicious sourdough breads! Gluten Free varities available too!

A little French flair, It’s Bastille Day and Frenchs Forest after all!

Organic Coconut Oil seems to be all the rage and the flavour of the moment!

Lots of beans and winter warmers with Pod Cuisine

The always present and delicious range of Pukara Estate olive oil and vinegar range from Muswellbrook

I regularly buy my Baby Green extra virgin olive oil from the markets and it never dissapoints. I can’t get enough of this tart goodness

The craze that is Kombucha, a fermetend green tea, said to have super cleansing powers. Here it is offered in a ginger tea brew, low GI and detoxing qualities assured.

5 Frenchs Forest Rd E, Frenchs Forest. Every Sunday, 8am – 1pm

Art & Craft, Artisans, Baby & Kids/Children, General, Vintage/Retro, Farmers, Produce, Organic, Fashion, Handmade, *Wheel Chair Friendly, Food

Sydneysiders day trip to Mt Tomah Botanical Gardens

I adore Autumn in Sydney, probably because green and orange are two of my favourite colours and there certainly is an abundance of both around nature. From the Autumn foliage changing colour and crisping up to the glorious sunsets bathing our beautiful city.

A beautiful reminder of both these colours occur only an hour and half drive west of Sydney. Mt Tomah Botanical Garden is situated at the gateway of the Blue Mountains on the Bells Line of Road. We decided to make the most of our midweek public holiday on ANZAC day by taking a day trip to the beautiful region passing Bilpin to go apple picking and onto the gardens to admire the landscape, be one with nature and get a kick out of stepping on as many dried up crunchy leaves as possible.

With the cooler weather ahead of us, I highly recommend my Sydneysiders head West. Go now! It is such a beautiful place this time of the year. Go now, before the leaves drop and trees go bare.

 

Mount Tomah Botanical Gardens

Bells Line of Road, via Bilpin, NSW 2758. Entry and parking is free. Phone (02) 4567 3000