One my better half’s friends, Marian, introduced us to milk kefir, a few years ago, and then another friend gave us some water kefir grains to try.
I love the idea of kefir, strange little granules that make a drink that’s full of healthy bacteria. I’ve read for years about the ways that we lose healthy bacteria from our systems (such as stress, antibiotics and bad diet) and concomitantly, how good it is to have healthy bacteria. I knew that probiotics could be found in yoghurts, that weird Japanese drink Yakult and pills. But having a personal probiotic seemed a good thing.
We were happy to discover that water kefir is pretty easy to make. You do need to get your hands on some grains (there are Facebook groups, and if you asked around, someone in your social circle might have some). Once you have your own grains, if they’re happy and healthy, they’ll grow and you can give some away!
All it takes to make is water kefir grains, water, sugar and a few other ingredients. There are lots of recipes on the web, but here’s an easy method below. The result is a delicious, fizzy drink that tastes sweet but the sugar has been eaten up by the kefir, so it’s supposed to be low in sugars (and calories). Some people go to town and make flavoured versions (after you’ve strained out the grains) by adding fruit like blueberries or strawberries or watermelon. I suspect most of the kefir enthusiasts online would find it sacrilege that I’ve found that it makes a very good gin cocktail…
Currently, I’ve decided to try to brew two batches of kefir, and because it takes about two days, to alternate them so that I always have about a litre of kefir (rather than making two litres at a time, and then having to wait in between batches for the new kefir to brew). We’ll see if it works.
So, here’s a recipe for two litres, which you can multiply or divide!
- About one cup of water kefir grains
- About two litres of filtered water
- Half a cup of raw sugar (organic would be good)
- A teaspoon (no more) of molasses
- A pinch of bicarb soda (don’t put in baking soda like I did once or twice)
- A slice or two of lemon
- A slice or two of ginger
- A dried fig, or a prune
- A handful of raisins
You could also add a pinch of eggshells (grind the shell of one egg up with a mortar and pestle and you’ll have enough for ages).
Put them into a mason jar with a tight lid. You can stir it if you want but you don’t have to. After about two days (some people do it for less, some a bit more), the fruit will float to the surface, and the kefir will taste not too sweet. The longer you leave it, the less sweet it becomes. Use a strainer and make a new batch with the grains. The fruit you could always put into smoothies. It’s at this stage that people sometimes add more fruit and different flavours and brew it up for another day or two (but we’ve not tried this yet). 
Hints
- Once, our water kefir got really syrupy and thick. Agh. I think it was too much minerals, which could have been too much molasses, or the mistaken baking powder. I tried to revive them with hints from the web, but in the end, I had to get new grains.
- You can take a break of about three weeks by just doing the same recipe above with only grains, water and sugar, and putting it in the fridge.
- Check every once in a while to see if they’re growing, and if you have too many grains, put them aside (for a friend; or other people compost them or put them in smoothies). Apparently, too many grains can ruin your kefir too.
Sometimes you just have to have a scone, you know? Or at least that’s why we’re heading to the Sconery after a visit to the White Rabbit gallery (usually amazing but I was uninspired by this particular show). But Josh was in the mood for a savoury scone, like a cheese scone, and all they had were regular scones and fruit scones, which you could order with cream and jam.
I wasn’t feeling it either, so opted for a bagel sandwich (stuffed bagel) and so did he. We had coffees too. It looks like they do some interesting British baked goods here along with the scones. I found my bagel (proscuitto, fried egg, apple chutney, brie) also uninspiring, though it sure sounded good! Zomato reviews seem to advise coming here for brunch instead.
Reuben Hills is an institution. I often recommend it to friends. This morning, we had an early breakfast, at 7am, on ANZAC day and I’ve never seen the cafe so empty (though it wasn’t really empty). As I’ve said before, and I’ll say again, the coffee is amazing. It’s strong but not bitter, and has a certain lightness at the same time, in a pleasant way.
I had a broken omelette roll with bacon jam and fried shrimp ($16.50). I liked it more and more with each bite. The ‘jam’ is a creamy, oozing, tasty sauce, a generous portion, and I think the shrimp is the kind of Asian dried shrimp fried so well you can eat the shells. I couldn’t quite figure it out but it was tasty, savoury and interesting. Serving it up with shrimp crackers was witty, I thought.
Reuben Hills is an institution and an incredibly busy one. It has spectacularly good coffee, and is a fun place to hang out. The food, Latin American influenced, is interesting, and I think was ahead of a trend that is now well established.
Who’s a meat-lover? From the team behind the ridiculously delicious ramen restaurant Yasaka Ramen is Musuo Yakiniku, a Japanese BBQ restaurant. It’s one of those rather modern places where you have an electronic menu on the wall that you order from, and if you decide to do the all-you-can-eat buffet ($85), it’s quite a different experience of eating. You can plot the various things you want to eat and try.
But of course, the wagyu beef is the best. We tried it a few different ways, and while I was expecting it to be good, it was even better than that: so tender and fatty and rich and beautiful. And of course grilled on the spot, by you, to your liking.
This beautiful meat doesn’t come cheap. The best quality wagyu is not included in the buffet menu but generous George, the manager, snuck us a plate, I believe, of special wagyu loin (a plate of the special wagyu cuts will set you back between $33 and $83). And while this was the standout (photo at the top), the meat that we ordered through the buffet menu was also delicious. Actually, I really liked the duck.
I’m not sure everyone is used to grilling food themselves at a restaurant, but you’d think with Australia’s BBQ culture, that this might be perfect. It’s a step up from snags from Woolies. This particular buffet has a few rules: don’t order too much (and waste food) or you’ll be charged for it. You can eat all you want and you’ve got two hours to do it.
But you can also get pretty much anything else you’d like too (though you really do need to order per person, for example, one order of mushrooms was really just one or two pieces of mushrooms enough for a bite for one person). The grilled vegetables were also delicious.
The sashimi surprised me how good it was.
And George left me with a challenge, or a treat, depending on how you see it. I do like steak tartare and enjoyed it when I’ve had it in France, though I admit I like my portions small; it just feels a bit too much, too rich and too raw after a short time.
So, a Japanese version was interesting (on the menu it’s called Wagyu Yukke): I found it a little too salty, and I liked about half or two-thirds of it and then found it a little too much (my better half refused to touch it). Here I’m cheating and trying to cook some of it on top of a cabbage leaf (sacrilege!) which didn’t really work that well.
My pal works near Taylor Square so we’re slowly working outwards from there for our occasional lunch dates. I’ve always found Cafe Organism charming in terms of its outlook, a tall narrow terrace house, and somewhat steep stairs. I’m also charmed that it’s Japanese-run, as I’ve always had a fondness for all things Japan.
My friend had the tofu and lotus root salad (with tofu, lotus root, beetroot, mesclun, medley tomato, pine nut and black sesame dressing) ($16). But they ran out of lotus root so provided it with small bits of sweet potato. He said it would have been better with lotus root, and though it looked pretty enough, didn’t really impress.
Still, I liked the vibe, and will be back, although that’s what I said last time I was here, and it took me 2.5 years…
The cluster of restaurants behind Angel Place is lively and interesting and I can’t say I’ve had a bad meal at one them; in fact, they’ve all been fabulous, and I’d add Indu to that list now. Amusingly, my dining mate, Peter, had visited Indu, or the space it is located in, when it was the files and records room for an insurance company! Some of the features of the space are still the same, though you wouldn’t be able to tell: it’s an inviting cavern with rather nice lighting. We were seated where my back was weirdly too close to the heat lamp of the front kitchen, but the waiter let us shift the table out another foot or so, which helped.
We opted for the Indu Feast ($65) rather than the Signature Feast ($80), which saved us having to choose from a menu where everything looked tasty. I loved the milk buns to start with, with cumin and onion butter, and a coconut sambal. It was unusual. And delicious. The watermelon salad was fresh and crunchy, the sprinkling of spice on top was like a continuing thread from the first dish.
For someone who loooooves pork belly, I have never had pork belly in a curry before. This was a Goan curry, with a piece of the crackling, and holy mama, I loved it.
A mid-week lunch with a friend in Paddington, and we’ve stopped by Thirty Coffee, a long, narrow space: industrial chic. We grab a table at the back, which has a lovely breeze coming through though feels a bit of a funny set-up, surrounded by the fridges and the washing-up sink. But still, I like the vibe.
The menu looks very standard: avo & toast, sandwiches of various sorts, a mix of breakfast and lunch dishes. So, I think the trick is in the execution here. I opt for a roll with roast chicken and bacon ($13) and Helen orders the super bowl, which we agree sounds rather virtuous in terms of its healthy ingredients ($18).
I thought my roll was perfect; the bacon was really crispy and a good match for the pieces of shredded roast chicken, tender and a bit fatty (like I like it).
Ah, so let’s see: there was Cafe Ananas, which I had a pleasant meal or two at, a French cafe at the corner of Circular Quay, a good place to go before a show at the Opera House (in this case, we went to Seu Jorge, the charismatic Brazilian singer). And then there was Cafe Nice, by the folks from Fratelli Fresh (meaning you knew it was going to be good). It was there I had my first pissaladière! And now, a big change: Bar Patrón by Rockpool combining Neil Perry and tequila.
Still, this space has always amused me. It’s clear that the floor was a convention or meeting space as part of a hotel, and so the shape of it, if you check out the light fixtures and walls, looks not very chic, particularly as the train rumbles by outside the window. But the designers have always done a great job of hiding what came before, and Bar Patron feels both contemporary and cosy, and the lighting is rather attractive too.
For food, we had a perfect taco each (note the delicate slices of raw fish on top) and some carnitas with tortillas, fill up the soft tortillas with a mixture of rice and pork and pickles.
And we split a roast corn salad too. All of the dishes were tasty, not heavy, and an interesting combination of textures and flavours, and importantly, they made me want to come back and try the rest of the menu, which looks just as interesting: contemporary Mexican food, luckily landed in Sydney Harbour.