Feastability

Newtown Performing Arts School, King Street, Newtown

Towards the end of September, Annually

Food markets are always exciting. It's a chance to sample the tastes and experience the delightful smells that infuse with each other and send you under the dizzying spell of a food frenzy. Better in public than in the privacy of your own home, where, if you may collapse, people may not discover your body for weeks.
I don't really have much to say about Feastability. In my opinion it could be better, in terms of quality of produce offered, however, in it's defence, it is more a showcasing of local restaurants and food businesses than anything else. It also must be noted that I am one spoilt foodie (can I be called that? according to the wikipedia article I think I am categorised more within the realm of a gourmet!?), for sure. Feastability is an opportunity to experience the world that is King Street in the courtyards of the local Performing Arts School.
So there were different roasts and blends of coffee, samples from T2, and crushed juices, in particular the delicious apple and mango (was it?) that I had. In terms of food there was paella, copious amounts of Thai (and, although, it is Newtown I did manage to sample a delicious marriage of chillies, roasted shredded coconut 'meat', ginger, dry shrimp, and a whole lot else, wrapped in a tiny leaf of lettuce, which was ultra delicious), the lovely artisan's bread that is Common Ground (the fruit loaf I bought was sensational - it was more panettone styles though! surprising!!), and, most importantly, ice-cream from Ice and Slice, a highly recommended place for the frozen stuff if you're ever in need of it at the Missenden Road end of King Street.
Plus, there was a lovely 'dear' of a drag queen commentating the day's entertainment and happenings. There were two stages, which really set the tone to international. I think that in the time I was there, I saw Tongan dancers, a choir of 50+ year-olds shouting their way through gospel-type songs, a Mexican shindig, and a country band from...the country. Representin' the peoplez. Yo.

For me, there aren't many better ways to spend a day than strolling around markets selling delicious things to squee over with a few friends, with nothing much to do other than make stupid comments and consume deliciousness. You might not agree, but hey, that's why I write a food blog and you don't.
Feastability was fun. There was the same stalls that I've become accustomed to, some gozleme over here, some Thai over this way. I had some coffee from an Artecaffe-toting café that I don't recall the name of. Which is a shame, because although the coffee is average to good, the barista was not, which makes all the difference most days.
There was delicious bread baked by a Neo-Christian commune, Rubyos offered us a mini-grazing plate, and of course there was plenty of Thai to be found. The entertainment was as varied, with a terrible choir, some cool Islander dancing and other assorted fun randomness.
A lot of the novelty was lost on us, having traversed up and down King Street more times than we can remember, and having loved Newtown for as long as we've been exposed to it. It's a fantastic little area, and Feastability reflected that. That said, it would have been nice if some of the stalls had gone to some effort, or at least had Campos and Serendipity turn up.
And extra delicious is always welcome!

Katipo

101 Bondi Road, Bondi
Monday-Friday, 6.30pm-5pm; Saturday-Sunday, 8am-5pm**

I totally dig this place. With a spade.
Katipo is just the type of place that you can chill out at for hours (we did), appreciate the bohemian-style atmosphere (we did this, also), and nibble on some food as you please (yep, did that one too!). And, as a side note, this café's name is that of the species of New Zealandish spider (it's apparently run by a couple of Kiwi's) that is 'non-aggressive' and lives under logs. How cute! No seriously...most of the staff wear t-shirts that have darling little spiders hanging over their shoulders. I want one!
The coffee. It is Artecaffe. A pleasant and smooth blend, definitely one of the better ones around Sydney. The milk they did here was pretty good too. If I sound a little hesitant, it's only because I have awesome coffee a great deal closer to me. Thank you inner city!!
The food. From what I can tell, it's somewhat Spanish-inspired, the modern classics have a different twist to them; that which doesn't pertain to the typical, albeit enjoyable, bourgeois 'twist' that most cafés are employing at the present. We, with our great love for all plates mezze and antipasto, decided to get the the mezze described, by the personality of a blackboard, as: "Grilled haloumi, olives, capers, dolmades, dips, spreads, breads & a general plethora of Greekness". How the hell could we not?!? The dips and spreads that came was a really nice and garlicky tzatziki, a strange but oddly addictive nutty one that we couldn't quite work out the ingredients within (mayhaps it was a mixture of humousness and peanuts and something...else?), and a deliciously good eggplant (or a variation on the theme of baba ghanoush). Oh. Man. So gorram good with toasted Turkish bread. Not being one for capers or olives I reminded myself that we need to bring someone to throw these goodies at, occasionally. The halloumi was subtle in its flavourings, and bought an essential goodness to the platter, as did the tasty Greek salad. One can not ever go wrong with that. The dolmades, however, were a treat to be truly savoured. Now, being the lover of all things Mediterranean, I have had quite a few in my lifetime made by various professionals, usually in the form of grandmothers. But these were godly. The vine leaves were perfectly firm and held the smooth texture of the rice, infused with smatterings of finely-chopped cooked red pepper and various spices, to a veritable bursting point. Honestly, it was probably one of the finer ones I have yet to enjoy.
And so it's eclectic and filled with collectibles from by-gone eras, it's laid-back, and it uses ingredients of which I greatly approve. It's a café that I have developed quite a crush on (I really like it but true love has yet to develop - perhaps when we see each other a bit more that will happen). Maybe I should move to Bondi...
**Rumours abound that this place is actually open for dinner now, but this has, as yet, not been confirmed with mine own eyes. Ah, excuses to go back...

It's refreshing to come across a café that gets it. Although I can't expect all café owners to be café whores like I am, surely they could visit a couple of exemplars to get an idea of what works and what doesn't? As soon as you walk in the door, you get a smattering of all the things that make for a great café.

Personality! Deliciosity! Passion!
Although I could be accused of bias, having grown up in NZ, this café oozes personality. With photos, knick knacks and odd pieces of furniture arranged into separate zones of hanging-out, it somehow manages to be immediately groovy and comfortable, something that a lot of cafés seem to aim for and miss horribly. We sat for a long, long time, enjoying a lazy weekend day in a café that seemed to be genuinely wanting to facilitate its customers. Students turned up with study materials ready, others just for a bite to eat and a chat with the staff. There's a wonderful atmosphere to the place, a welcome retreat from the rather stark and bare surroundings.
The coffee here is good. very good. However, it's not a espresso speciality café, such as the likes of Campos, Mecca and Single Origin, and shouldn't be judged as such. They make very good, smooth coffee with passion and dedication, and obviously pride themselves on making a good cup. The food here is likewise impressive, showing a willingness to deliver some delicious treats that venture a little bit further than that eggs and bacon fare that quickly become dull. They do about 3 different plates of pick-at-it, share-y goodness, which is always a huge huge point of approval, and the Mezze plate that arrived did not disappointment. Everything was in portions of good size, the dips were tasty as all hell!
You get a sense that they care about the details, nothing they served seemed to be content to reproduce the stock standard café fare, but rather strived for more. This passion is important, because it directly relates to the amount of delicious in your mouth, for less moolah. It also seems to equate to great service, which is what we received. I was relieved that we weren't shooed out for staying too long, but in retrospect it feels like the sort of café that would rather turn away customers than hurry someone enjoying the time at the café.
I really like this place. I also live nowhere near it. The coffee, nor the food, make it worth the hour or so it would take me to get there. But I would kill to have a local café this good. I think I'll go back soon, just to show my appreciation for its existence.