Review: Cafe de Lima

Up to a few months ago, when people asked me where to go to try Peruvian food I didn’t know what to answer. I knew there were a couple of Peruvian restaurants in Sydney but I decided not to try them based on their reviews. The La Bodeguita del Medio opened its doors with my compatriot Danny Parreno in charge of the kitchen. While the menu is meant to be Cuban/Latin American, he has introduced some Peruvian dishes and elements in the menu, and I must say the ones I’ve tried have been excellent. Then another compatriot, Alejandro Saravia, opened Morena, with a mainly Peruvian menu. Food is outstanding and I’m recommending the restaurant to anyone who asks, but with the caveat that is pricey, and it’s not your everyday typical cuisine. La Parrillada falls in the budget category, portions are large, food is tasty and service is great.

I don’t know how but my sister found Cafe de Lima a while ago. When I looked at the about page in their website I was pretty sure I had seen the owners selling Peruvian food in the Marrickville Festival before. We scheduled a visit ASAP.

The cafe is located in the heart of Marrickville’s commercial strip. A peak inside made it obvious that most of the customers are Latin Americans, presumably Peruvians.

We ordered two dishes from the regular menu and one special to share. The anticuchos can be made of prime beef or heart (we ordered heart, which is the traditional cut) marinated in Peruvian spices and grilled. The portion consists in 2 skewers with a side of potatoes, huancaína cream, and salad greens. The anticuchos tasted great but were a bit dry. We had decided to make an exception and eat potatoes and dairy to try the sides. Sadly, the huancaína cream was disappointing, too thin and bland for our taste. I loved that they put palmitos in the salad.

Anticuchos ($13.00)

The cebiche was better. It had a good fish/onion/chili ratio but lacked a bit of zing. Later I realised they cure the fish in lemon and lime juice, definitely the lemon lowers the acidity we’re used to.

Cebiche ($18.00)

Finally, we tried the adobo de chancho, marinated pork which is slowly cooked in a casserole with Peruvian spices. It was the best dish, hands down, flavourful and tender. I was very happy my allergy to pork is gone.

Adobo de chancho ($18.00)

We didn’t find the food breathtaking but it wasn’t bad. Prices are good, serving sizes are right, service is efficient and correct. And a bonus: it’s close enough to home. I reckon we’ll be back.

Cafe de Lima
208 Marrickville Road
Marrickville NSW 2204
(02) 9569 3331

http://www.cafedelima.com.au/

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Review: Bourke Street Bakery (Marrickville)

My sister wanted to check some creams out from an European herbalist in Marrickville. She asked me if I’d like to come along with her on Sunday and have breakfast or lunch in the bakery across the road. Do you know the address or name of the bakery? She told me that all she knew was the street name: Mitchell St. A quick search in Google made me say “yes”, it was Bourke Street Bakery’s Marrickville shop.

My first encounter with Bourke Street Bakery’s products was in one of the many food festivals hosted in Sydney last year. I bought a couple of sweet tarts and they were really good, but I never went to any of the shops, perhaps because they are not so close to my house.

I went walking (25 – 30 minutes from home) and arrived 10 minutes before the time we had agreed. Gladys’ bus was late so I ended up checking Facebook on my phone and watching the heaps of people that arrived, parked their cars, bought stuff and left, or stayed there for lunch. It’s pretty busy even when that area is pretty much dead, it’s not in the commercial side of the suburb, and the shop is not on the main road.

There are three or four tables outside of the shop, which are big enough to share. Inside you can choose between the bench and stools facing the outdoor tables or a massive communal table with metallic board. We sat down there, in one of the corners and had a hard time trying to decide what to eat among all the yummy-looking options (pizzas, sandwiches, rolls, pies, etc). We both chose pizzas, a zucchini/olive/tomato one and a tomato/basil pesto one, and shared both. I had an impulse to buy a bottled drink and grabbed an iced chocolate, something really weird for me.

The pizzas were great, with thin dough and perfect tasting toppings. A pizza and a dessert would have been enough for a light lunch but we wanted to taste something else, so we shared a beef brisket with mushrooms and red wine pie. It was excellent, it didn’t feel fatty as most pies do, the pastry was flaky and crunchy, the flavour was awesome and the meat was ultra tender.

Choosing a dessert was another difficult task. I wanted one of everything, but of course my wallet and metabolism said “no”. I got a raspberry and chocolate mousse tart and Gladys a pear and raspberry butter cake. The cake was very nice but the tart was so good that made the cake seem almost ordinary. The crust was perfectly crunchy (it had some kind of chopped nuts) and the filling had the exact amount of sweetness, tartness and moisture.

We both bought loaves of sourdough to bring home, which was really good (as good as Sonoma’s, in my opinion), and left completely satisfied.

Bourke Street Bakery Marrickville
2 Mitchell St
Marrickville NSW 2204
(02) 9569 3225

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