REVIEW: Jolt Cafe - Rockhampton

Whenever I am in Rockhampton....this is a must. Not only do they serve the best breakfast in Rockhampton - they have an Early Birds Special for $6.50. This consists of Sour Dough Toast, 2 poached Eggs - to your liking, Bacon and Butcher Quality Sausages. It is a tasty treat and of course then you go for a walk along the river to work a little of it off.

Situated in the old Post Office at 80 East Street, it is a beautiful old building to sit and relax. The staff are friendly and even when it has been busy the service has been fast. Being a tea enthusiast, I was wrapped with the tea and it comes in a pot big enough for two cups. I have been told the coffee is great also.

RECIPE: Easy Brunch Bruchetta

Ingredients: (2pax)

4 large slices of Sour Dough                                 50g shaved Parmesan Cheese

1 large ripe Tomato, cored & diced                       1/2 Spanish Onion, diced

1/4 Green Capsicum, seeded & diced                    8 large fresh Basil Leaves, sliced thin

Balsamic Glaze, for drizzle garnish                       1 garlic clove

Olive Oil

Method:

Lightly toast the sour dough and rub with garlic clove just to get a little flavour. You may like to dice this up and use in mix if you wish but you will get a lot of flavour on the toast. 

In a small bowl add Tomato, Onion, Capsicum, Basil and a little olive oil just to moisten.

Spoon the tomato mix onto the sour dough and top with Parmesan. Cut each slice of Bruchetta in half.

Place onto your serving dish and drizzle with Balsamic Glaze.

Alternatives:

You may like to omit the capsicum.

 I also like to change the basil for coriander and add a little lime juice instead of the olive oil.

Try adding a little pinch of lemon myrtle to the tomato mix.

RECIPE: Asparagus & Pumpkin Pasta

Ingredients: (for 4 pax)

1 packet of Penne Pasta                                              1/2 Japnese Pumpkin (or other pumkin)

1 bunch of fresh Asparagus                                         250ml thickened Cream

4 cloves Garlic, crushed                                              2 tbsp Pesto (homemade or jar)

1 Spanish Onion, sliced thin                                        150ml White Wine (dry if possible)

Olive Oil                                                                       Salt and Cracked Pepper, to season

Method:

Place a large cooking pot on the stove and add a pinch of salt and a good dash of Olive Oil.

Once water has boiled add Penne and stir for 1 minute. Allow to cook for a further 10 minutes then drain and set aside. If you are going to pre-cook this in the morning ready for a dinner party, refresh pasta in iced water then place in fridge till ready to reheat in boiling water for service.

In a separate frying pan, on medium heat, add onion, garlic and pesto sauce and allow to heat through. Take pan off stove if cooking too quick. 

Tail the Asparagus - trim to take off hard ends. With a potato peeler, cut a few slices of pumpkin for decoration and set aside. Cut the rest of the pumpkin in thin strips like the onion. (Julienne cut)

Place Pumpkin decoration on a baking tray with a little olive oil and seasoning. Cook in an oven on 200℃ for 5-7 minutes to crisp up the pumpkin. 

Place frying pan back on stove and add pumpkin, Asparagus and White Wine to the Onion mix.

Saute until white wine has absorbed into vegetables then add the cream. Bring to the boil and test seasoning, adding more as desired. The sauce should coat the pasta, not sitting in a soup like sauce, keep cooking until you get this consistency. Add pasta and toss through. 

Serve immediately with Roasted Pumpkin on Top.

May also be served with Shaved or Grated Parmesan if desired.

CAFE REVIEW: Roses and Beans

This great little establishment  can be found in front of the Woolworths at Centro Emerald right in front of Woolworths.  (51 -57 Hospital Rd, Emerald.)

The food is stlyish and there is a lot to choose from on the Menu including all day breakfast. I chose the Breakfast Bruchetta. It was flavoursome, although the eggs were a little over cooked. But the presentation is of high standard cafe. Pricing is a little expensive for a brunch but I was happy to overlook this with the ambiance of the cafe and the fast and efficient service.

They make their own cupcakes so I could not resist taking a photo, to the amusement of the staff. Roses and Beans have a Facebook Page but haven't discovered Instagram yet... if they read this, I would highly recommend you go on IG and post some of your dishes.

HOTEL REVIEW: Leichardt Hotel - Rockhampton

Located on the corner of  Denham and Bosolver Street this lovely older style hotel as been updated quite comfortably.

I got the best deal from Bookings.com and managed to get two nights stay on a weekend for just $193. Parking is off street but outside and getting your luggage out is best done from the loading zone on the street frontage on Bosolver Street. 

The staff here are friendly and very helpful.

The rooms are comfortable and the bed is ready for a good night's sleep. The tv is a good size and there is even a dvd player in the room. there is pay tv and free to air options.

Free Wifi is available although I had trouble accessing this.
The shower is in the bathtub, not ideal for elderly stayers but very good water pressure and heat.
The rooms have a mini bar option all though I didn't need it, but a nice touch just the same.

The view from my room was beautiful and at night time even more spectacular watching the lights and weather roll in was relaxing.

Although I had plans for diner both nights there is a restaurant that provides breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is also an in-room dining menu for an extra $3.00 for those wanting to relax more in the room.

The location is a short block walk to the city shopping center which boasts Target and Coles and a few specialty stores. The main street is dotted with shops, cafes and restaurants. If you walk a little further through the newly upgraded mall and riverfront.

CHEF TIPS: Mistakes Chefs Make

As a Consultant and Chef my biggest joy is assisting business owners with their chefs.
I come across a large variety of different personalities and backgrounds and I am never surprised when I see some of the things that go on in other commercial kitchens.

Biggest Mistakes Chefs Make in the Industry:

1. Telling their employer they know more than they actually do about being a head chef.
2. Believing they know more about being a head chef than actual experience.
3. Ordering too much or too little food. Especially in an area with limited delivery. This can send a business broke.
4. As a head chef you need to guide and unite your kitchen brigade, your personal feelings on people should not be brought into the kitchen. You are there to get the best out of your team...encouragement and positive attitude will always work better than yelling and stressing out in front of your staff.
5. Your upper management are your superiors, you do need to listen to them, getting egotistical about your way of doing things will not help you stay employed.
6. Thinking a head chef doesn't need to cook and is only there to supervise the kitchen. As a head chef you should always be hands on and lead your team by working by example.
7. Abiding by Health Regulations in your state is a must. Your shortcuts will get you sacked, fined or can kill someone in your Restaurant. You do not know better than the Health Department. Abide by the Danger-zone Temperatures and follow the rules... you won't go wrong if you follow the rules.
8. Know your food costing vs labour cost. Sometimes homemade can be better but not at the expense of wages if a bought in product is just as good.
9. Keeping food for too long... not utilising food into specials before it spoils there for driving up your food wastage.
10. Don't belittle another chef if they don't know how to make a certain dish... not everyone has the same background and there will be things that chef knows that you don't. 
11. Use the skillsets in your kitchen. If another chef is faster at a certain task, than you, encourage them to take on that task regularly or ask them to show you how they are able to achieve this faster. Learn from your team.
12. Don't fake your stock take..... you will be found out and if your figures don't add up you could find yourself sacked. Better to admit your over ordering or mistakes so that you can work on them and move forward. Learn and Grow!!!
13. Don't go overboard on the Specials Board.... Keep it Simple and Tasty.
14. When setting up function menus - Take into consideration the season, client, keeping choices limited so as not to overwhelm, colour, kitchen and equipment, team skillset, garnish and presentation, availability,  texture and no repetition in the menu.
15. Not knowing your customer, food costing, food wastage, labour cost, ordering system, HACCP and local food laws, staff skillset, rostering, function/banquet menu, management expectations, stock par levels. If any of these words are foreign to you and you are a head chef - it is time to upskill or leave.

I have many more but at the moment these are the main ones that come to mind. The chefs that can look for assistance with gaps in their training are the best eventual heads chefs. Learn as much as you can on your way up the ladder, ask many questions and invest in your own education. Take business courses and understand your industry.

Many head chefs fail their employer or themselves by making silly mistakes. Most chefs can cook but lack the leadership and business skills to run a kitchen. Which chef are you? Chef - can cook Chef/Manager - can cook and run a successful business or Head Chef - can cook, works well with other and great at organising and keeping on top of daily tasks, management skills and cooking.

RECIPE: My Pepperonatta Sauce

Although this is not a traditional Pepperonatta Sauce, it is my version and I have never had a complaint in all the years of serving it.... make it and decide for yourself. 😇

Ingredients:

1 Red Capsicum                                                    2 large firm Tomatoes

1 large Onion                                                         100g Butter

100ml White Wine                                                 1tbsp Paprika, smokey, optional

Salt and Cracked Black Pepper

Method:

In a pot of boiling water, add a small pinch of salt. Score the tomatoes and core. Drop them into the boiling water for around 3 minutes or until the skin looks like it is coming off. Take tomatoes out of water and cool quickly in ice water. Peel the skins off with the back of a knife.

On a clean chopping board (green) slice capsicum and onions in very thin strips (julienne cut).

Cut tomatoes in quarters and take out middle of each quarter leaving the outer flesh to cut thinly in the same style as capsicum and onion.

Place a saucepan on low heat and add all ingredients into the pot. Allow to simmer slowly for around half an hour, stirring occasionally and allowing the flavours to infuse. Set sauce aside until ready to use. Can be served hot or cold.