Brunch at Three Bags Full

Three Bags Full
Corner of Nicholson and Mollison Streets,
Abbotsford, 3067 (map)

Whilst I certainly enjoy food, it's fair to say that I don't intend this blog to be packed full of reviews of places I eat. Similarly, I see a hell of a lot of live music, but struggle to articulate the good and bad when someone asks me how it was - maybe I'm not critical enough, and maybe I don't have the poetic way with words that others do. I'm not very good at being concise either.

So with that disclaimer out of the way, I'll tell you about today's brunch at the newly-opened (this very morning apparently - thank you Twitter) Three Bags Full. It's from the people that brought you Liar Liar in Hawthorn, and APTE in Alphington, and can be found in a converted Warehouse just off Victoria Street in Abbotsford. Somewhat conveniently, this is less that ten minutes walk from my house.

The fit-out is fantastic; free-hanging light bulbs (some with cup and saucer shades), reclaimed industrial furniture, including seating made from old road signs, amongst other things. There's a bit of a yellow thing going on, which gave me an opportunity for gratuitous use of the 'Colour Accent' photo on my Canon IXUS - always a plus.

As usual, a Clover machine on site, and Five Senses providing in the beans was the sign that that a great coffee was on the way. I stuck with Long Macchiatos today, which were strong and smooth, and looked over the menu which had plenty of options for those who have an aversion to eggs in their simplest form. Despite the long list to choose from, I couldn't go past the Cauliflower Fritters with Halloumi, given my long-standing love for fritters in general, and my ever-growing obsession with a cheese that doesn't melt when you heat it up.

And ohhhhh they were good. Two fritters, lightly flavoured with some Middle Eastern spices, came layered with halloumi and accompanied by a minty, yogurt dressing and what was basically a warm tomato chutney. It was all I could do not to lick the plate afterwards. And that's why I decided to write it up on here.

I haven't been to Liar Liar since it changed hands, but with Three Bags Full, and Proud Mary in Collingwood, I've gained two new haunts even closer to my house - not a bad outcome at all. I'm going to walk past at the weekend and see how packed it is - I bet there'll be queues round the block....

Brunch/Lunch #2: Corn Fritters w/ Bacon and Avocado

As previously mentioned, given my lack of enthusiasm for eggs in their purest form, Corn Fritters are my benchmark brunch. The thing I will naturally gravitate towards when deciding whether a venue warrants making it into the breakfast 'rotation policy'. The best I've found are from Replete in Kew, and that's due in no small part to the accompaniments - avocado and crispy Istra bacon (ohhh yeah), as well as a home-made tomato chutney and sour cream. I've had other versions with slow-roasted tomatoes, ratatouille, and I may have even seen some with smoked salmon.

My own interpretation (one of my absolute favourite recipes) is based on that in Bill Granger's Sydney Food, with the addition of some creamed corn in place of a little of the milk, which I think means you can taste the sweetcorn better right through the fritter. [You can of course puree some of the fresh corn and milk together before adding to the mix for much the same effect]. Personally, I like my fritters to be crispy, but not too egg-y.

Strangely, I was slightly disappointed in the dish itself when I actually ate it at bills in Sydney, but again, that could have just been the accompaniments. Definitely the worst example I've ever had (at a place in Manly, clearly something about Sydney and this dish) fell into this trap, and looked more like an omelette than anything else...

INGREDIENTS

(makes 12 medium-sized fritters, served 4 people)

1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk

200ml creamed corn
Kernels from 1 large corn-on-the=cob

1/2 cup diced red pepper (capsicum)
1/2 cup sliced spring onions (white and green parts)
1/4 cup chopped coriander and parsley
4 tbsp vegetable oil

Salt and Black Pepper

To accompany

Crispy Bacon

1 diced ripe avocado

Sour Cream

Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce

METHOD

• Sift flour, baking powder, salt and paprika into a large bowl, stir in sugar and make a well in the centre.
• In a separate bowl, combine eggs and milk.
• Gradually add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk until you have a smooth, lump-free batter. The batter will be quite stiff.

• Place corn, capsicum, spring onions and herbs in a mixing bowl and add just enough batter to lightly bind them (about 3/4 cup).
• Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a non-stick fying pan on medium heat, then drop in 2 tablespoons of batter or oil per fritter and cook 3 or 4 fritters at a time.
• Cook for 2 minutes, or until the underside of each fritter is golden.
• Turn over and cook fritters on the other side.
• Transfer to a plate and keep warm while cooking the remaining batter.

ASSEMBLY

• Drizzle sweet chilli sauce onto plate.
• Layer fritters with half rashers of bacon, and top with diced avocado, a teaspoon of sour cream, and another half rasher of bacon.
• Scatter with chopped fresh parsley.

Notes from Bill: The fritter batter can be kept for up to 3 days, but do not mix the batter with the vegetables more than an hour before you're ready to cook, or the fritters will be soggy.

Brunch: Baked Chickpeas with Maple Syrup and Bacon

Being English, Heinz Baked Beans (with an 's', not a 'z' thanks) on Toast (hereafter BoT) holds many memories. Sometimes I'd spice them up with another iconic British foodstuff, Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce, sometimes it was Tabasco. Occasionally I'd grate some Cheddar Cheese onto the toast as well. Of course, beans are also an obligatory part of the Full English Breakfast, otherwise known as Heart Attack On A Plate.

I'm a nightmare at breakfast because of my dislike of eggs in their natural from, but this also means I'm guaranteed to gravitate towards the slightly less 'standard' options. Aside from my benchmark brunch (Corn Fritters with Bacon, the best being at Replete in Kew), I've seen numerous variations of BoT over here, one of the best being at my local, New York Tomato. Yesterday I decided to put my own twist on matters, using Chick Peas.....

BAKED CHICKPEAS WITH MAPLE AND BACON

(Serves 2)

INGREDIENTS

400g can of Chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

4 rashers streaky bacon

2 tsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

400g can Diced Tomatoes (or equivalent of Passata)

100ml Vegetable Stock

1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

1 tbs pure maple syrup

2 tsp Dijon mustard

Salt & freshly ground pepper

1 or 2 baby bocconcini

1tsp Green Pesto

METHOD

1. In a saucepan, heat oil and cook bacon, onion and garlic for 3 minutes until soft.
2. Add chickpeas, tomatoes, stock, Worcestershire sauce, maple syrup and mustard.
3. Simmer for a 30 minutes until thick and chickpeas are tender. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

4. Transfer to small earthenware dishes, scatter with sliced bocconcini and grill until melted.

5. Drizzle with pesto (thinned out with olive oil if needed)

Serve with chargrilled sourdough bread.

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Today has been a day of cooking and baking, with the result being a whole load of recipes that I'll write up over the rest of the coming week. We're having a fundraising morning tea at work tomorrow in aid of The National Breast Cancer Foundations Pink Ribbon Day, with all food having to have a pink theme...so I've been messing around with Pink Peppercorns. More of that another time....