Comfort food.

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Qeleven

Omelette: sweet potato, goats cheese, chipotle, coriander, sourdough.

Well, I guess these rainy cold days we have seen this week cry out for warm comfort food. You tend to get a few more people ducking their heads in the door “do you have soup?” Occasionally you see cafes advertising soup of the day, omelette of the day………. Everyday the blackboard changes, potato and leek, pumpkin, pumpkin with cheese, spicy pumpkin, vegetable, blah blah blah. In my opinion it’s more about the difference than the quality.

For this reason we shy away from the “of the day” concept, choosing proven or current new and exciting flavours, if we don’t think its amazing it doesn’t go on the menu.

This omelette fits the criteria, simple flavours that just work.

Mothers Day weekend at Q11

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Qeleven

A quick post about happennings on Mother’s day weekend at Q11

First of all happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers who may read this post or receive this via email. We pondered considerably over what menu additions we should offer you guys on this very special occasion. In the background we have been working on an Asian style rice pudding with black glutinous rice and mango, coconut drizzle, along the same vein as the ever popular sago, one of my favourites at the moment. However I am not a mother, (don’t even go there), and it is not my special occasion, but in my opinion sweet and decadent is the way to go, cause as we all know you mums deserve it. How bout’:

Buttermilk Pancakes, lemon curd, vanilla poached rhubarb, creme fraiche.

Click here for our previous ramblings about this dish.

We were excited to see the Omelette with Gremolata…. sell better than it did when it was a menu item a few years back. So nice, the aroma fills the cafe, those traditional Italian flavours that work a treat. Another week on the menu additions, I say.

A Classic omelette returns.

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Qeleven

Anyone remember this fella? Well if you do your customer status ranking is right up there with the best of them. Like all the others, I mean . We have pulled this one out of the archives and to the best of our knowledge it has been approximately 4 years since it’s been on the menu.

Omelette, roasted capsicum, potato, Yarra Valley feta, gremolata, sourdough.

Well, you might say this is like a vegetarian Osso Bucco with egg and without the meat. Actually it’s nothing like that, however what they do have in common is the superdoop Gremolata.

As I am sure you are aware, Gremolata is an Italian condiment traditionally served with osso bucco. Our version is simple: smotherings of olive oil with chopped Italian parsley and garlic finished with lemon zest. The zestiness of these ingredients work so well with the richness of the Yarra Valley feta and egg. A dish that stands the test of time, as good on the menu now as it was then.

And the new Bircher is……..

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Qeleven

Well folks, it’s time for the Bircher to change. Mangos are now out of season, doh.

It’s not my fault and nothing to do with us, blame the planet or something. I am bit nervous that I will be drawn and quartered for removing this dish. A real dance floor killer, the old mango coconut combo, anyway a new season, a new bircher.

Bircher muesli, coconut water, poached rhubarb, strawberries, grated apple, Timboon yoghurt.

As I hope you agree, the coconut water takes it to a whole new level. This will be a texturous sensation: lightly poached wafer thin rhubarb, (al dente you might say), along with crunchy grated apple, a drizzle of strawberry puree and the smooth Timboon yoghurt.

Omelette, saute mushroom, awesome slider…….

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Qeleven

Hey all, just a quick post today to thank everyone for coming down on Anzac day. What a turn out for the dawn service on a glorious day and great to see everyone getting out and about afterwards enjoying themselves.

Below are this week’s menu additions. Let the pics do the talking. There will also be a few other treats on the menu which you can check out when we see you on the weekend.

mushroom saute, toasted brioche, pickled serrano chilli, spanish onion, dill

omelette, Istra chorizo, Yarra Valley feta, roasted tomato, sourdough

SLIDER: CURED SALMON, WASABI MAYO, CAPSICUM, AVOCADO

Anyone for sugar cured salmon?

Posted on April 12, 2013 by Qeleven

Awesome response from the brekkie tacos last weekend. Sold out by the early afternoon both days and several people returned during the week for another dose. Very exciting. Looks as though we should repeat the Mexican fusion flavour bombs for another week or two.

We are fulfilling one of our youngest food requests this week. Vera is approx. 3 to 4 years old, quite the connoisseur. Hopefully Karen and Peter can forgive me on the finer detail here however what would a young girl, at this age, request at their local cafe for brekkie? No no, it’s not fairy bread, pink cup cakes, no, baby cinos or any of that kid’s stuff it’s Sichuan sugar cured salmon. How cool’s that! A chip off the old block really, I remember my parents taking me out for a dozen oysters kilpatrick at a very young age, a future chef.

As requested the Salmon will be available as an extra to add to anything you so desire. Along with Istra chorizo as well. There are a few other treats which you will have to pop down on the weekend and check out.

This weeks dance floor killer is: (drum roll)

toasted brioche, scrambled eggs, sugar cured salmon, herbed salad.

A classic combination that tastes so good. Light, a little bit rich, possibly decadent. That Dench brioche just melts in your mouth.

Brekkie Chorizo and crispy fried egg tacos……..

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Qeleven

brekkie taco
menu additions
LPF: herbal tisane

Brekkie Chorizo and crispy fried egg tacos, potato, chipotle slaw and tamarind salsa
( 3 per serve)

What do Mexicans eat for breakfast? Anyone know? Anyone care? Not me, unless I was in Mexico, then I would care . But I do know if they were not eating these brekkie tacos they would be mad.

Awesome flavours, super ingredients, texturous textures, now I’m making stuff up. Anyway pop down on the weekend and grab yourself a Mexican fusion flavour bomb.

Taco: Istra Chorizo, potato, chipotle slaw and tamarind salsa 6

We will also be selling the taco without egg as a single unit, go down so well with a SOL lager for lunch.

And of course we will continue with the Corned beef bubble and squeak this week, the sales are suggesting you folks are really enjoying it, even on Easter Sunday, Heathens . The scrambled and truffled corn quesadilla… sort of just hangs around on the menu additions sheet these days, it won’t go away, thankfully. Must keep that on. Soon I will need another menu “Here is our menu and here is our menu additions and here is our daily menu and……….”

As well as our usual drinks we have on our menu additions like the iced tea and the white chocolate (which I have been told I can never take off), we have a herbal tisane: liquorice, peppermint and fennel. Nice tea to finish your meal.

Here is what Chamellia have to say about it:

“Liquorice, Peppermint and Fennel Herbal Tisane is a classic blend of aromatic Egyptian peppermint and spicy fennel with an elegant liquorice root finish. Serving well as a digestive, this tisane can be enjoyed after dinner, with chocolate, or simply if you like liquorice”

Cheers

The quinoa and potato rôsti.

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Qeleven

Hey all, let’s go again for another week with the brekkie taco and Brioche and salmon. A considerable amount of customers were torn between which dish to order and will now be able to order the dish they did not have. Actually it would be a lot easier for us if you just visited us twice a day, Saturday and Sunday .

Occasionally we are asked about our quinoa and potato rôsti, how to cook it? What potatoes?………. So here is the scoop.

I remember putting the rôsti on the menu and first wondering whether we would have to throw them out at the end of the day. Will they all sell? As you will see, rôsti preparation is not something you prepare when the order comes in. “Won’t be long sir, your rôsti will be only two hours”. Well how wrong could I be, loved by most, there is always some stage of rôsti preparation going on in the kitchen, hard to keep up with.

We even have the rôsti family that come in and clear us out of rôstis on a regular basis. One customer orders two of them as a side with the sago pudding. Another customer has a rôsti on the side of their Mexican brekkie, yes it does contain a pumpkin rôsti as well. You guys know who you are.

The secret of our rôsti is lots of practice and some really good spuds. The potatoes vary seasonally but are usually Dutch creams or Nicolas, due to their waxiness. We opt for the cooked potato method as opposed to pan frying raw.

A neat little trick we use for cooking and peeling potatoes – as your whole spuds are just cooked, drop them into iced water and watch the skin fall off. Saves time, stops the cooking process quickly and keeps the flavour and integrity of the potato.

We then grate the potato, season and shape. We coat the exterior with quinoa flakes and fry for that crunchy experience. Try a rôsti with chipotle mayo, it’s like chips and mayo but better, or my favourite – scrambled eggs with a rôsti, salsa macha: El Celios hot chilli salsa, and lashings of Kolymvari olive oil. OMG its addictive.