The Fair Trade Coffee Company, Gioia

This Saturday morning is my shortest morning ever. I woke up at 11.14am. haha. Stella and I were supposed to do some housework in the morning but yeah, no time for that now. Cafe-tasting is more important. :D Therefore, after a rye bread breakfast, we headed out to Glebe, the bohemian haven. Lots of weird people there. Weird people= men with make-up, women with really really boho get-up. And lots of normal people like us too. :D

The Fair Trade Coffee Company is along Glebe street, Sydney, right next to The Well-connected Cafe. The food they serve is not too bad, though a bit pricey for me. With the wooden, rustic furnishings and corniced ceiling, it gives a really nice, comfy atmosphere.

Chilli hot chocolate. Taste great. Who knows chilli actually goes well with chocolate? Stella had Indian buttered chicken with rice. That was a really dramatic dish. They lit the oil on the plate so that the flame can further sizzle the chicken. I had a snack size Moroccan meatball with couscous. Even that was too much for me. As a result, we didn't go through the ritual of having a dessert though the flourless chocolate cake look sooo tempting.

Later in the evening, we have a dinner appointment with Roneel and Naomi and their friends at this Italian restaurant in Balmain. Balmain is quite a happening place. Clubs, discos and eateries litter the entire area.

This is like a multi-national dinner engagement. haha. From left, Naomi (Japan) and Elena (Marcedonia), Viktor (Marcedonia) and his girlfriend (Russia). Bottom, from left: Stella (Philippines) and me (Singapore), Elena's boyfriend and Roneel (Fiji). And Julie (Australia). (I didn't manage to take her picture.) They are all very warm and friendly people!

Most importantly the food! Garlic bread. The standard version.

Stella and mine: Scalloppine prawns in marsala creamy sauce. $21.80. Taste a little like the non-spicy version of chilli crab, haha. The veal could be more undercooked though.

Stella and mine too. This is by far the superior dish out of the two we ordered. Princepessi pizza, large. $21.80. Oven-baked pizza base, topped with prosciutto, rocket and shaved parmigiano. Really yummy. Actually, Stella and I have been lusting for prosciutto for days after watching Anthony Bourdian: Decoding Ferran Adria. Prosciutto is so so good. Much better than salami and ham. :D

Naomi and Roneel's half and half. Seafood on one half, pepperoni on the other.

The surprisingly disastrous tiramisu that Stella and I decided to try since it was home-made and all. $7.70. Marscapone cheese was too lacking and the cake layer was over-soaked. The worst was the whipped cream they gave on the side was sour. Elena was telling us about the best tiramisu recipe that her aunt passed down to her. She said the secret was in the biscuit they used. Instead of lady-finger, they used milk and coffee biscuits. I have to try it out.

Roneel and Naomi's blueberry cheesecake which was the only decent dessert of they day.

Vienna coffee. $4.80. Elena says a standard Vienna coffee should have black coffee with a little milk and fresh cream on top with shaved chocolate. Well, the Vienna coffee they serve is pretty similar to the one described except that the fresh cream was sour, again. Eeww. We threw the cream out and had coffee instead.

End.