Thursday 13 August 2015

Blaugust 13, 2015: Food Post! Also Quiz Answers

I've been eating well lately. Today I thought I might point you in the direction of a couple of places that I have eaten that might be of interest.

Taste of the Himalayas
I was taken here as a birthday treat by a dear friend. I have quite enjoyed Nepalese cuisine on the few occasions I have tried it, and they certainly did not disappoint. The service was friendly and highly attentive, and the atmosphere welcoming and calming.

I had their 'Dhaal Bhaat Tarkari' vegetarian platter, which consists of everyone's favourite lentil curry, a mixed vegetable curry, and stir fried pickled spinach and tomato all served with rice. I chose to accompany this with a serve of Himalayan Cheese Roti, stuffed with cheese, coriander, and red onion.


The meal was delicious. Not too spicy, quite full of flavour. Very accessible unless you are as picky an eater as I was as a boy.

It also took me by surprise as to how full I felt afterwards. As you know, friends, I am able to pack away a fair bit of food and still come back for more, but this had me feeling very satisfied indeed. I must have them reveal their secrets!

The Hub
This little Gumeracha cafe blew me away. I went in expecting middle of the road burgers and other takeaway fare, and instead had one of the better burgers I have experienced.

Situated on the main drag, I get the impression that they have only been there a little while. With a freshly done up exterior, and an interior combining a few standard wooden tables and chairs with some nice couch seating. The service was excellent and very friendly, and I genuinely believe these folks deserve to succeed.

I chose the 'Aussie Classic', a fairly simple burger by their standards which contained a 100% Australian black angus beef patty with freshly sliced tomato, beetroot, caramelised onion, tasty cheese, and loads of salad greens, for $9.50.

My companion chose the 'Cooktown Classic', containing a chicken schnitzel, triple smoked free range bacon, tasty cheese, Queensland pineapple, freshly sliced tomato, gourmet salad greens and garlic aioli, for $12.50.

For an additional $3, you get a can of soft drink and a serve of beer-battered chips. We chose to do this for just one of the burgers. I didn't want liquid sugar, and I was confident that I'd end up eating half of the chips anyway.

I noted when our food came out that their portions were generous. A good sized lightly toasted burger roll, a nice thick beef patty, loads of salad greens in perfect proportion to the other ingredients. A very good start, and it all looked and smelled great.

My burger was fantastic. Juicy, perfectly cooked beef with just the right shade of pink in the middle. The texture of the patty was amazing, and the flavours of the ingredients blended wonderfully in the mouth.

When we were considering what to get, the owners extolled the virtues of the chicken their butcher had brought in. One of the best they had ever seen. Although some of you know that after having chickens as pets I gave up eating their meat because I'm a giant sook, I have on two other occasions done so: Once at a work barbecue many years ago when I judged it was too much of a hassle not to for social reasons (not the greatest workplace, not the greatest decision), and once fairly recently when there was some pizza that would otherwise have gone to waste. But this time I accepted a bite when it was offered gratefully, and I can honestly say that she was one fine, fine tasting bird. If ever they have a bird of that quality again, I'm getting a chicken burger just that once. Wow.

The burgers we chose were a long way from their most complicated. Ask about their 'Parmigeddon' and 'Meatasaurus' burgers if you want to feel like you have eaten an entire large animal.

They also make burgers from lamb and fish, and they do what sounds like an excellent set of vegetarian burgers into the bargain.


They also sell a fair few of the old takeaway standards, likely with a twist in keeping with the exceptional quality of their burgers.

On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights they do pizzas, up to 18" size, and on weekends and public holidays they fire up their 1950s doughnut machine and make hot cinnamon doughnuts fresh for customers.

Spectacular, and the price is well and truly right. I'm going back.

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QUIZ ANSWERS!

John did very well indeed!

1) What should your motto be according to Richard IV of England, Scotland and Ireland?

I'll let the man himself answer this one. The answer is the first bit.


2) Errol Flynn played the titular character in this 1935 swashbuckling adventure, co-starring Olivia de Havilland.

I was hoping to fool folk here and have people answer with The Adventures of Robin Hood, which also starred Flynn with de Havilland. But no, the correct answer is Captain Blood.


3) What sort of radiation has a wavelength from about 800 nm to 1 mm, and is emitted particularly by heated objects?

Infrared. 

4) What was the name of the only supporting feature to ever attack the main film?

The Crimson Permanent Assurance!

5) Which spice is made from the rhizome of Zingiber officinale?

Ginger!

6) In the film 'Clue', which character was portrayed by Lesley Ann Warren?

Miss Scarlet.

7) What was the name of the first novel to feature John H. Watson?

A Study In Scarlet. Sorry John, always pick the alliterative option!

8) Who was also known as l'Éminence rouge?

Cardinal Richelieu.

9) Who is the host of the demon Etrigan?

Jason Blood.

10) What is the common name of Vulpes vulpes?

The Red Fox.

And there we have it, the theme was types of red. I went a little heavy on the 'blood', but those were the easiest to go with.

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