i try organicus

Where: Organicus Kitchen and Pantry, Manly

Who: Dr Gab and I

What I ate: Chickpea, quinoa & vegetable tagine w/ prunes, goji berries & saffron yogurt ($16.50/$24.00, pictured)

The verdict: I have to be honest. It looked like chunky vomit with a dollop of yogurt, and I was worried the generous sprinkling of saffron on top would overpower (and ruin) everything. Turns out Mum was right again: never judge a book by it's cover. The dish was full of flavour and the big chunks of zucchini, pumpkin and carrot were all cooked perfectly. This is my kind of meal, that is, loaded with veggies, not drenched in cheese or oozing oil everywhere. I could feel my body thanking me with every mouthful.

What Dr Gab ate: Zucchini, quinoa, mushroom & walnut veggie burger w/ tzatziki, tomato, rocket & homemade chips w/ truffle salt ($16.50, pictured).

The verdict: There is no graceful way to eat a burger. The challenge was made even harder for Dr Gab due to the tough sour dough. Apart from that Dr Gab was pretty happy. She let me have a bite and it was delicious. The patty was a little on the...er...little side but it was moist and flavoursome. The chips looked a lot better than they actually were. They seemed a little underdone. I don't recall tasting truffle in the salt either.

Overall: The service was friendly and swift. The atmosphere was very casual and cool. Great spot for people watching. Nice little indoor green wall installation and plenty of room for everyone! Doggies welcome too! Definitely worth a visit!

Follow me on Instagram: @mirandamc

i try zumbo

There we were, Dr Gab and I, standing on the side of the street staring at the map on my phone. We had typed in the address for Zumbo and according to the little blue dot that represented us we were in the exact right spot. We walked up the street and back again, looking around like lost puppies.

Then we noticed someone emerge from an understated doorway around a corner, carrying what could only be a pastry box. We approached the doorway and just above it was a small sign that read "adrianozumbo patissier".

We walked in to see a cabinet full of pastries, tarts and macarons. The colours and shapes were exquisite. I was overwhelmed. The only flavour of macarons that remained were licorice. Adriano Zumbo single handedly turned Australians into macaron lovers. I. Love. Macarons. But, licorice just wasn't going to cut it.

We settled on a tarte aux fruits de la passion - passionfruit curd and pate sucree (pictured, $6) and sacher's sister blanca - white chocolate sponge, white chocolate pear ganache, kumabo ganache and vanilla glacage (also pictured, $8).

Dr Gab and I cut both our deserts in half and shared them. We started with the tart. The vivid colours of the tart acurately reflected the passionfruit explosion that occurred when we dug in. It was smooth and slightly tart, the pastry: perfectly thin and beautifully crumbly.

The many layers of the pear sponge worked together in perfect harmony. A stunning combination of flavours and textures, from the smooth ganache to the soft sponge to the small chunks of pear, all brought together with subtle splashes of white chocolate. Heaven.

Adriano Zumbo and his team create genius works of art and put them on a plate. They look amazing. They taste even better. Every trip to Zumbo is overwhelming because everything looks and sounds (and is) delicious. If you haven't been to Zumbo you need to get yourself there. Now. Right now! Are you still reaing this? Go!!

Follow me on Instagram: @mirandamc

i try the manly to spit walk

The Manly to Spit walk is quite a well known walk that follows the waterline from Manly (near Oceanworld) to The Spit (Spit Bridge). It's about 9km one way. It's a nice walk with enough variety in the scenery so you don't get bored.

Here's a few things I learnt from doing the Manly to Spit walk

1. Don't bring your bike. They ain't allowed on the path.

2. The first section out of Manly is like running through a park. There are dogs and people and kids all over the place. Persevere because the boring concrete path doesn't last forever.



3. Sunday mid-morning is peak hour on the path. If you have the option to do it on a weekday do it. on a weekday.