Meatballs, Buttered Leather & Tomato Red
The best local sandwich, runway steals & Autumn salads that tingle.
Substack #19
“I’ve got this lovely little tingle in my mouth and it leaves a lovely scent in the house”
On Our Table & On The Radar
The Way We Cook
Our kitchen this week? A bit of a revolving door. It’s been cold, we’re always hungry, and chicken soup’s back on.
It’s the usual, just better. This time we swapped in German egg vermicelli - richer, silkier, upgraded. James starts the pot, I jump in to prep, he comes back for the roux. A proper tag team. Whoever’s around and whatever it takes - because we’re all excited to eat it again. (Scroll down for the free recipe)
One pot, many mouths. That’s the goal. The kind of cooking we’re into lately feeds the week, not just the night. No waste. Full flavour. We use it all. We stretch it out. We portion, we freeze. A post-swim warmer, a work lunch for Leni, a container for Mum because I know she loves ginger and this one’s packed with it, the kind you chew on.
On Our Table - A Taste Of What We’re Loving
The soup’s amazing though the kitchen hero this week was this vibrant and flavour-packed salad: Warm Spice Roast Pumpkin, Green Beans, Lemon, Bacon & Fetta. Imagine sweet roasted pumpkin with a spiced tingle, tossed with crisp green beans, smoky bacon, and salty fetta. Finish with a squeeze of lemon.
The aroma alone fills your mouth and the house and trust me, the leftovers are even better.
Want the full recipe to recreate this magic? It's exclusively for our paid subscribers below!
The Chicken Soup That Keeps Getting Better
This week we swapped rice vermicelli for Bechtle German Egg Vermicelli. Richer, silkier, good. We eat it for days, leftovers that actually improve, flavours that become mates, you know the drill.
If you want the recipe for free, it’s in my last Substack right here.
Substack right here. It’s good.
On the Radar
HAM Cronulla
Hungry? Go to Ham in Cronulla for the Soutzoukakia.
It’s a Greek meatball sandwich - roasted beef meatballs in cinnamon and tomato sauce, cheese in a crusty potato roll. Heaps of flavour, pure comfort food, delicious.
Kitty’s meatballs are next level: twice-baked, straight from the oven.
“I don’t like it, I love it” James
Oh! and the single serve trifle in a glass jar, it’s not Christmas but who cares - mixed layers of blackberry jam, passionfruit curd, mascarpone cream, Genovese sponge, take it home and try and save it for desert.
James and the Double Smash Burger
Just off Bondi Junction’s Oxford Street Mall, on the ramp that leads to the train station and bus interchange, there’s this tiny spot called HiHi Burger.
James hit it up, sat next to a celebrity, no idea who, just know!
He ordered their go-to: the double smash burger with fries. Two patties, American cheese, pickles, all on a potato bun. $12.90. Really good value - fast, cheap, fresh.
Potato Bread is Everywhere Right Now
It’s the sandwich bread of the moment.
The Vietnamese roll is too light. Sourdough? Too much of a gum bleeder if it’s not super fresh. Potato bread sits perfectly in the middle. The new go-to. It’s clever: not as sugary as brioche, it eats really well.
5 Minutes In Fashion - from the back row.
Australian Fashion Week - you just have to dig a little past the influencers to find the fashion. But once you do, it’s cool.
Alix Higgins is playing with skinny ties and digital fur prints, and there’s one look I love, that turns what seems to me like an old towel into a perfectly cut short. His work includes up-cycling, so if that’s the case, I think it’s clever, raw, and so distinctly Australian.
Wynn Hamlyn’s delicious red mini with a plunging U-shaped gathered neckline, the leather looks soft, pliable - the kind you actually want to wear not the kind we used to wear and Common Hours from the UK sent out a black leather strapless cocoon shaped dress that looks buttery soft with a cut that creates drape and movement. There are bubble skirts, sheer tights, and a chartreuse silk with grey silver lace moment at Bear Park that feels like a neon dream.
So be on the lookout: pops of tomato red, soft buttery leather, and maybe a recycled towel which suits me just fine. Dig your leather jacket out of the wardrobe. Pull your UGGs back on and add an ankle sock. And if you’re lucky enough to find an old cotton towel, with tassels a bonus, at St Vinnies that actually dries you - hang onto it, wrap it around your hips, and away you go.
From Fashion Week to Cronulla Beach, it’s easy and we can make the towel work :-)
Regret Of The Week
On a more personal note, I had a little pang of regret this week.
I got invited to a last-minute lunch for a homemade curry. I didn’t go. The logistics felt tricky, I didn’t have the car, whatever. I’ve been kicking myself since. I should’ve just walked. It was a warm, generous invite, and I let a small hurdle (not even a one really) get in the way of something lovely.
So here's the reminder: say yes. Go. However you need to get there.
Next time? I’ll be there with bells on.
Connecting the Dots - Introducing Mr Cliff Tan
Speaking of seizing the day I was just watching a Tik Tok from the ever-positive Mr. Cliff Tan of Dear Modern.
He recently won a Webby Award (go him!) and his acceptance speech was gold, especially resonating with my curry lunch regret.
He said:
“It’s always easy to do nothing. So when an invite comes up or some other opportunity, it’s easy to say no or make up excuses. But even if it feels scary or awkward, always say yes. Because even though it feels tough now, it’s tougher to spend the rest of your life wondering.”
He went on to say that life is about experiencing it. The memories that matter don't come from the everyday. So remember this: as long as you show up, it's going to be amazing.
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Thanks for reading please ❤️ Hit the heart it helps others discover me and I’d be super grateful.
If you want more unfiltered thoughts, exclusive stories, chef husband insights and access to the full archive? Then become a paid subscriber for just $2 a week and join the discussion. x
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Lisa’s Substack to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.