A taste of Australia in Los Angeles, my first foodie post in Steemit!

In May 2017, I visited my family in Australia.

Aside from catching up with my long lost sister, one of the best things from my trip was all the amazing food; Australians certainly know how to eat well, and are known for their brunching!

(the above three photos are from Rabbit Hole)

I won't go into too much detail about the restaurants in Oz in this post because I will be writing other posts about them specifically, but it was at one such establishment that I was introduced to halloumi.

If you are as dumbfounded reading that word as I was to see it on a menu, then let me enlighten you.

What is halloumi?

Well, it is a semi-hard, brined cheese (usually made from goat and sheep's milk, sometimes cow), most often served grilled or fried. It is a cheese that, as my sister puts it, squeaks when you eat it.

(My sister and I)

Since I am a huge cheeseaholic, when she had me try deep fried halloumi, I was in heaven. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any trace of this cheese in Los Angeles... That is, not until now.

Whilst browsing the internet for places to eat one day last week, I came across Bondi Harvest in Santa Monica. I immediately thought, if any place has halloumi, it will be an Australian inspired restaurant...and sure enough, it did!

(Bondi Harvest's weekday menu)

Not only do they have the Sweet Halloumi Toast

You can also order halloumi on the side or add it to any dish for $4

But, the halloumi is not the only reason I have returned to this place the past FOUR DAYS IN A ROW; their food and drinks are seriously fantastic!

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My first visit

I had no idea what to choose because I went there hungry.

There is a reason they say not to go to a restaurant or the grocery store hungry

I knew I wanted steak and halloumi... but did I want the steak sandwich with a side of halloumi, or the sweet Halloumi Tartine with a side of steak?
Well, if you've been paying attention to the photos I have been posting, it's obvious which combination I decided upon.

I ordered the Sweet Halloumi Tartine

Avocado smashed onto bread from Lodge Bread, halloumi cheese, lemon, pistachio dukkah, micro greens, and wild flower honey. $11

This is my favorite dish.
It has the soft creaminess of the avocado opposing the crunchiness of the bread and pistachio dukkah, complimented by the saltiness of the halloumi, the sourness of the lemon, the herbacious was of the microgreens, and the sweetness of the honey. It's soooooooooooo delicious! As I like to say, Good food is like an orgasm for my taste buds!

And to compliment my healthy vegetarian craving, I needed something for my more carnivorous side.

Side order of Skirt Steak

Seasoned and cooked medium rare. It was tender, juicy, and OH SO flavorful! $7

Now that I had my food picked out, it was time to choose a beverage....or two.

You don't know this yet, but you will (that is if you continue with me on my foodventures)....
I am a TEA FANATIC and I may just be, not only a food addict, but a tea addict as well. ;)

So, when I saw that they had a Lavender (my favorite floral flavor) Tea Latte, I had to get it. $4.5

To make it:

They brew this tea ⬆️ in a large batch, add sugar, and make a sort of tea syrup which they store in the fridge. Then when you order it, they add the "syrup" to frothed milk of your choosing and top it with lavender.

This tea does have caffeine as it is made from black tea, and while they use sugar to make the syrup, in my opinion, the tea latte is not too sweet.
I don't usually like sweet tea because I feel like the amount of sugar added masks the flavor of the tea. I apologize to you sweet tea drinkers out there (like you @timcason) who would say, this is a blasphemous statement.

So what is that red drink in the original picture?

Pomegranate Kombucha

Bondi Harvest has two flavors of kombucha on draught: apple and pomegranate. $5
I have a fructose intolerance and thus avoid fruits that have a greater frutose:glocose. Apples are one of the fruits I have to avoid, so I chose the pomegranate.

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My second visit

I decided to bring my mom to try the tartine and lavender tea latte, but this time added a side of halloumi instead of the steak.

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My third visit

My mom and I went back a second time together, but this time we came on a weekend, so we were able to try things from the brunch menu.
I will add a photo of the brunch menu when I go back

We tried:

Fried Egg Sandwich

with bacon, avocado, Sriracha aioli, aged Parmesan and tomato. $11
This sandwich has all the loveable traditional breakfast flavors, with a hint of something extra-- Sriracha aoli!

Sweet Squash Pancakes

Gluten-free. Served with sweet avocado, house made granola, berries, mint, and maple syrup. $11
These pancakes were awesome. I love the contrast between the soft fruit and pancakes, and the crunchiness of the granola.

Gluten free scone with lavender tea latte

I don't know whether the scone in this image is the lavender scone or the strawberry scone (because we ordered one of each), but they were both moist and delicious! $4/$4.25

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My fourth visit

My mom and I needed a pick me up after we learned that our 2-year-old car battery, which I had to jump last night, was completely dead this morning. So, we returned to BH.

We had our usual Lavender Tea Lattes
$4.5 each

I had my usual Pomegranate Kombucha
$5

My mom tried:
Ancient Grains Salad

With farro, turmeric quinoa, chickpeas, heirloom tomatoes, and arugula. She loved it! $7

While I tried something I was considering getting the first day I walked in. Do you remember what it is?

Skirt Steak Sandwich

with sun dried tomato pesto, arugula, parmesan cheese, avocado on a ciabatta roll. $13

Wow! This sandwich is definitely competing with the Sweet Halloumi with the Side of Steak as my favorite and go-to meal.

I mean, the ciabatta is the best I've ever had; it has the traditional rustic roll crust, but it's soft! The steak is amazing as I explained earlier, but then the something extra added by the sun dried tomato pesto is just.... sigh

it's a masterpiece of flavors yet again!

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So what's my verdict?

I love Bondi Harvest!
You can find healthy food for reasonable prices with flavor combinations that are absolutely phenomenal. There really is something to be said about complexity of flavor created by simple ingredients. It's an art! My taste buds always go home satiated, and I honestly can't wait to go back to try more things on the menu!

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Are you salivating yet?

If so, please visit Bondi Harvest and then reply to this post with your own photos and your impressions of the place! Tag #foodaddict

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Bondi Harvest can be hard to find, so here are some photos and directions

Address

1814 Berkeley St, Santa Monica

Directions:

Heading East on Olympic, turn left on Centinela, then left on Berkeley, then about a block down you will see an alley marked Berkeley with parking along the left and businesses along the right. Turn down the alley and Bondi Harvest will be on your right. If you pass Taste Made, you've gone too far.

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(Cliffs along the path from Bondi to Bronte)

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All the photos in this post were taken by me.
All content in this post © 2018 Nena Connelly