FRIDAY 24th JANUARY 2025

Thanks to those who read last week’s blog. My decision to blog weekly is working so far – two weeks in 😉

Unfortunately, putting a link on Facebook to let people know there’s a new blog post is not that successful. I assume that because FB doesn’t want me directing people away to another website, it doesn’t show up in many people’s feeds. I have now (with Dad’s help) set up a method for anyone interested to subscribe directly. Scroll all the way to the bottom of this post to enter your details.

In last week’s blog post, I let you know about what Sally and I discussed in my fortnightly ABC radio segment. This week, since there isn’t a segment, I’ll talk more generally about what we have been up to and of course about what we have been eating!

I also mentioned in that post that we were in Canberra for my birthday for a couple of nights. The second night we stayed in a hotel and ate out at Ottoman Cuisine. This Barton restaurant has been around for many years, but has been closed since COVID, reopening just a few months ago. Dave and I had been there quite a few times when he was based in Canberra, but I’ve also been there with others, including taking students there back when I was teaching.

The food and service were just as good as I remembered. Delicious Turkish cuisine served share style. Reasonably upmarket, but not pretentious. It’s also in the most beautiful old-world style building with a refreshed decor and ongoing garden works that I think make you feel both comfortable and special at the same time. Our waiter (Seb) was exceptional… he made good suggestions without being forceful and was happy and friendly. We had to go back to an old favourite of freshly made pita bread and dips (never left the menu), then chose Sis Kebab (lamb skewers, marinated & char-grilled, served with tzatziki, olive oil braised English spinach & baby carrots) and a duck special that included a confit leg, braised lentils and roasted baby carrots. Both were delicious and we polished them off with a simple tomato salad. We passed on dessert and were back in the hotel in time to witness a lovely sunset over Canberra. What a fab night!

We were back in Wagga by lunchtime on Friday – keen to get organised in view of Victoria’s arrival on Saturday morning. We did manage to sneak in breakfast at Cafe Sosta before leaving Canberra, and while the scenery and location were fabulous, the breakfast was only average.

As I have mentioned, Victoria is getting married in November. My gorgeous friend Brooke is going to do her hair and makeup (and mine and the bridesmaids’ too!) so Victoria came to Wagga for a catch up with Brooke and some planning for the big day. We even managed to retrieve some diamante things (I’m sure there is a correct name) from my headpiece. Even though it’s 34 years old it is still in pretty good condition.

Victoria’s plane was due at 10am, just enough time to have breakfast out with Will and Emma before heading to the airport. Wagga is a Cafe town. There are more cafes than you can poke a stick at, and many come and go. Some are fantastic, and some not so good. It still amazes me that people who ‘have eaten a lot at cafes’ think that it is enough experience to run one!

The Perennial in Kooringal is a relatively recent addition to Wagga’s Cafe scene. It is situated on the busy Lake Albert Road, just a few minutes’ walk from Will’s house. I was worried closeness to a busy road would be a detraction, but actually it is quite nice sitting out the front and the constant stream of people and animals walking by added to the atmosphere. It also meant that the gorgeous Dougie could join us, our much-loved Golden Retriever grandpuppy.

I choose this cafe’s version of Avocado on toast, which included two perfectly poached local eggs (I can’t stand it when they are overcooked!), marinated feta and a sprinkling of dukkha on sourdough toast. It was exceptionally good and served promptly alongside an excellent iced latte. Dave had fruit toast and both Will and Emma enjoyed their eggs and bacon. All were ordered via a QR code on the table that we had thankfully pre-booked. The place was packed. Do you like QR ordering? I definitely do but know there are other schools of thought!

When my gorgeous friend Claire said she was available for a catch up on Tuesday, I considered where we might go. I couldn’t help myself and booked at the Perennial again! The plan was to have just coffee before I headed to the hairdresser, but given I had been thinking about the great breakfast I had on Saturday, we decided to order food also 😉

This time I went for the ‘benny’ which again had two perfectly poached eggs served on a crisp potato rosti with pulled grunt ham and an apple and chive hollandaise. Yes, it was rich – and yes it was extremely delicious.

So, tell me readers, do you find a cafe or restaurant that you like a lot and keep going back to? Or do you prefer to mix things up and try new places? Do you order the same thing each time, or try different things or menu specials? I was worried that I had set my expectations too high after a great breakfast on Saturday – but actually the Tuesday visit proved to be as good, if not better! It might have got a third visit in the week, but we are heading to the coast tomorrow to celebrate the special birthday of our good friend Shaun. It’s going to be so much fun, and I can’t wait.

More on the coast trip next week, plus I will tell you a bit more about the subject of next week’s ABC radio segment. I’ll be talking all things Food Rescue and my involvement in OzHarvest. Listen in after the 9:30am news on Thursday if you are interested.

Signing off for now,

Sara x