Olive oil and pasta at the Potts Point markets

Where I came into the world (well not right there but close)

The weekend before last, I spend a wonderful 3 nights in Sydney with my new-Sydney-resident friend Kristin. She left Brisbane at the end of 2009 and slack friend that I am this was my first visit. I think the timing was just right though because she sure knows her way around now! I had such an amazing time with her eating our way around the town, visiting markets, strolling in the park, stretching out at yoga with a view, browsing random art galleries and helping ourselves to some corn we found growing (there was no sign so it’s not stealing!).

Seeing a city through a local’s eyes (yes Kristin I think you can call yourself a local now) is so different to not having a host. Apart from all the amazing food that I sampled there, one thing I was rather jealous of was the Pott’s Point market being just up the road from Kristin. It’s probably a good thing I don’t have anything like that within walking distance because I would have a lot less money and a lot more curves!

The pasta lady

If that smile’s not enough to lure you in to buy some fresh pasta and sauce then a taste will definitely do it. This simple stall sells seven varieties of fresh pasta and three fresh sauces. Everything is made with all natural ingredients and not a preservative to be seen. I couldn’t decide on just one so I took ‘the pasta lady’ up on her $25-for-3-pastas-3-sauces deal.

Sauce selection

The three sauces were; eggplant, red capsicum and classic neapolitan. Because they’re made from all natural ingredients and mostly just veges the sauces are very low in calories as well at around 50 calories per serve (2 serves in a packet).

The pasta selection

It was a tough decision but I finally settled on my pasta selection of; garlic and basil, porcini mushroom and chilli.

Porcini with neopolitan

I have only sampled one of the combinations so far but it was a real treat. The sauce was lovely and rich in tomato flavour and not too sweet like bottled sauces tend to be. The mushroom pasta was bursting with mushroom flavour but not so much as to over-power the sauce. Two thumbs up from me. I can’t wait to try the rest!

The olive stall

There were lots of other stalls there but the night before, Kristin had been telling me about the amazing citrus flavoured oils at this particular stall. Now I know you’re thinking ‘what’s so special about flavoured oil?’ but this is flavoured oil with a difference. Unlike oils where they leave the flavouring in the oil to infuse, this oil is made by pressing the citrus through the olive press so it’s effectively made with the oil. The result is an intense flavour so delicious you’ll be hooked.

The 'culinary' selection

I chose a small bottle of the lemon and the lime oils. So far I’ve had some of the lime on my muesli and yoghurt, a little lemon in a stir-fry and added some lime to a cake. The museli was by far the best way I’ve sampled it so far unless you include dipping fresh bread straight into a pool of oil. Who can resist that?

Kiewa Estate oils

They also sell their plain olive oil range which are just as enticing as the rest of the range. What makes these oils special is that they don’t filter the oils, choosing instead to use the centuries old method of allowing the naturally cloudy oil to settle gently into a clear soft fruity finish rich in colour and flavour (I stole that bit from their brochure). Their olive grove is located in Victoria and you can read more about them on their website.

Thank you Kristin for a lovely weekend and it won’t be another 18 months before my next visit.