All video lovers rejoice! Truffle Pig is now on YouTube and I am sharing all my food, travel and other random adventures with you. Soon I was have vlogs of recipes and how to videos, you can find them all on my my channel here – Truffle Pig YouTube
Here is a little “foot” massage I got in China earlier this year. Strange, a little intrusive, but incredibly entertaining.
Oink oink,
Truffle Pig.
Who doesn’t love to indulge in a bit of stuffed beaver?
This canadian diner slash hipster bar is the perfect place to eat ridicuously good food that is ridiculously bad for you. The burgers are front and centre on the menu and range from simple to the gourmet and are all put together in a brioche bun. You can get the heart-stopping John Candy with grilled cheese, bacon and a succulent pattie (all made in-house), the sanchez for those mexican lovers looking for a bit of salsa and guac on their burger and for those into pigs (like me) you can get your burger filled with pulled pork coleslaw and BBQ sauce, appropriately named the Happy Pig.
The burgers come free standing so it is imperative you order some sides – don’t worry, there is plenty to choose from. In true canadian style you can order the poutine (heaven in a basket) made from beer battered fries lathered in melted cheddar and gravy, or the chilli fries topped with ground beef and cheese or the hot chicken wings (and I mean HOT!). Good bye diet, hello heart palpatations!
To wash these mammoth meals down you can choose a cocktails menu which includes a stormy jerry made from ginger beer and rum or the bloody mary topped with a hard boiled egg and gerkin, it is a meal in itself. You can enjoy all of the mentioned by sitting in a booth or at the bar admiring all the random paraphernalia adorning the walls.
Each day the beaver treats their customers to something special, half price tacos on Tuesdays and waitresses with side boobs on Saturday, what more could you want?
So if you are suffering a hangover, feeling famished or want to enjoy some canadian hospitality while watching some ice hockey, go stuff your beaver at the beaver on Bondi Road.
The Bitter: The meals are more expensive than a gym membership, go figure
The Sweet: chips, gravy, cheese…. need I say more?
The Damage: A couple cocktails, burgers and sides will put a $70 whole in your pocket
The Stuffed Beaver Dining Parlour – 271 Bondi Road
Bondi, NSW - 02 9130 3002
The best way to kick off the afternoon or evening is with a Vale Ale, which they have on tap. This is easily my favourite beer of all time which hails from the vineyards of South Australia’s McLarenvale district and it has a pinch of passionfruit. Whist sipping on those I suggest you work your way through the menu. The calamari is perfect picking food as are the beer battered chips with roasted garlic aioli.
Once you’re ready to really let your hair down there is an extensive cocktail menu that will leave you sufficiently pleased and pissed. My suggestion would be the Expresso Martini. Just when I thought the cocktail couldn’t get any better, then I tasted Bondi Hardware’s vanilla twist. The bold and bitter cocktail will give you plenty of energy to see you through your main course. The wood fire prosciutto pizza is simple but more than satisfying, infact it is my favourite. Make sure you take a mate or date so you can also order the sliders. Sliders are a revolutionary concept I have embraced with open arms and mouth. You can have two burgers in one sitting without wait staff judging you. Thank you Mr. Slider, I love you.
The interior is as pleasing and comfortable at as the food. The harsh exposed brick covered in tools is softened with pot plants hanging from the walls and roof, worn down candles and polished wood. The front half of the restaurant is open, airy and lit by the large bay windows and sky light. The back-end of the bar is dark, cosy and the perfect place to snort sweet nothings….
The Bitter: Like any Bondi bar you will come across some tools, fitting given the name
The Sweet: Sweet, small, succulent sliders….. and super nice, smiling service
The Damage: For drinks and tapas to share you’re looking at about $60-$70 per pig.
Oink oink,
Truffle Pig.
Bondi Hardware – 39 Hall St - Bondi Beach, NSW 2026
Bean on Dean is a small little sanctuary and an ideal place to enjoy a perfectly brewed coffee and light bites in Brisbane’s western suburb of Toowong – an inner city area starved of decent places to enjoy a morning pick-me-up and a good quality meal. Bean on Dean has undoubtedly brought this dire little strip of shops to life and the pigs of Toowong (including myself) have welcomed Bean on Dean with open, caffeine-deprived arms.
Bean on Dean is the brain child of a mother and daughter team (Ashley and Tracy) who are as passionate about their coffee as they are about their art. The team here are as relaxed as the atmosphere… you’re welcome to stay for a coffee, a snack, a meal or you can just enjoy a sunny saturday with your dog by your side. Unlike many of Brisbane’s busy breakfast haunts, you won’t be shuffled away to make room for the next impatient piggy patron while you’ve barely swallowed the last spoon full of your scrambled eggs. They have done a brilliant job of accommodating all of Toowongs demographics – the ladies who catch up over cappuccino, the young professionals on-the-go and the hungover uni students looking for a filling feed.
Meals here are basic but brilliant and can be found on the “Lite Bites” menu. I have tried a few items, all of which hit the spot! Firstly I had the most popular item, the ‘Kerfuffle” which is sourdough topped with avocado, Danish feta, rocket, olive oil and balsamic on the side to taste, a combination done widely and not always done well, but they nailed it. On my second visit I went for another one of their gourmet toppings on toast – sourdough piled with soft cheese, cured meat and rocket with beetroot relish on the side…. if you serve a slice of pig well, you have a loyal customer in me, hence why I keep coming back.
Despite being the perfect place to relax on a lazy morning, Bean on Dean pride and label themselves as an expresso bar, and they have an impressive bright green coffee machine to match the title. Although I am no expert in this department, I know a good coffee when I taste one, and I know they are great when I order 2, which I did. So if you are the i-don’t-have-time-to-dine-out type like many of their customers, you can grab a toastie or muffin to go to accompany your campos coffee in the mornings. Convenience, quirky and a can’t go wrong option.
The bitter: Not open on Sundays, probably when I need a coffee and breakfast close to home the most!
The sweet: Quick, easy, friendly cheap and deeeeeelicious!
The damage: You can get a perfect coffee, a tasty meal and an art exhibition for under $20
Oink oink,
Truffle Pig.
Cows and pigs are barn yard friends and are even better friends in a big bowl of bolognese! I have finally mastered the perfect bolognese sauce, which tastes even better the next day (they aways do).
What you need:
What you need to do:
*Tip: add a big pile of spinach on top save yourself making a salad, it tastes delightful!
Think your bolognese is better than mine? Send me your recipe so I can test it myself.
Oink oink,
Truffle Pig.