9. Nduja salami from Pino's Dolce Vita

We were headed to Kogarah for lunch so on the way home we went to Pino's Dolce Vita to grab some of their Nudja salami.

Walking into Pino's is like stepping into a traditional Italian butchers. Salamis and cured meat are hanging from the ceiling, the cold counter is full of beautiful cuts of meat and the shelves are stacked with divine produce.

The produce is handcrafted with pride and passion by Pino Tomini Foresti and Sons, Fabiano and Marco who are artisan producers of smallgoods using long-held, traditional methods passed down through seven generations and brought here from Italy over 30 years ago.

The salami is a soft, spreadable, spicy sausage the Calabrians call 'nduja (pronounced endooya), meaning nude. It is best warmed up then spooned onto bread. Unfortunately the first time I warmed my a little too much, frying it and cooked the fat out of it and this left me with an incredibly spicy sausage with ALOT of chilli in!

Personally we found the salami too spicy to eat by itself but it would be nice for cooking a nice spicy winter casserole.

Pino's is at Shop 10, 45 President Avenue, Kogarah and is open Monday to Friday 7.30am - 5.30pm
and Saturday 7.30am - 2pm

8. Single Origin Chocolate from Zokoko

We made a detour to Zokoko on our way back from the Blue Mountains to grab a bar of their delicious chocolate. We were surprised to find the store and cafe is located in what seems to be an industrial estate but the place was busy none the less. The cafe is beautifully decorated and laid out with a large window that goes through to the chocolate making area so customers can see chocolate being made from bean to bar while they relax enjoy their lunch. 

There were many delicious delights to choose from but we opted for a bar of the Alto Beni simply because it has won the most awards!

When we got home we cracked open the chocolate bar and each took one square to savoir the taste which put simply is divine. Zokoko's website describes the chocolate as displaying a delicate citrus and honey profile but personally I thought it was a smooth rich chocolate with only a hint of bitterness and a slight cherry flavour. Simon also detected a slight smoky note to it.

Zokoko is located at Unit 3, 84–90 Old Bathurst Road, Emu Heights NSW 2750 and is open Monday to Friday 7am to 4pm and Saturdays 8.30am to midday! 

7. The Tiger from Harry's Cafe de Wheels

Yet again its been way too many months since I posted. We were on our way home from the Rock n Roll markets today when we happened to pass Harry's Cafe de Wheels. I've wanted to try Harry's Tiger for some time and today's miserable weather made me crave pie and mash so we pulled up and ordered two Tigers.

The Tiger is named after Harry's founder Harry 'Tiger' Edwards and comprises of chunky lean beef pie served with mushy peas, mash & gravy.  The Tiger did not disappoint and had a chunky beef filling with quite a peppery and spicy taste, perhaps a little too peppery. The mash was deliciously soft and buttery and the mushy peas and gravy were simply yum! For the price of $6 we will definitely be back for more!