The
Good Life
Byronian wanders down street
Savita worked for Shai (L) at the original Byronian cafe, now they run the Little Byronian together. The coffee is 100% fairAfter a ten-year hiatus, iconic just keeping it real. Savita grew up in Byron trade, organic, and grown Byron cafe The Byronian (est. and has been a barista by small farmers in South 1978) has returned with a on and off since she first East Asia. Old Quarter new location, outside Wooworked for Shai as a Coffee Merchants are Auslies, and a new name too. tralia’s only specialty coffee Little Byronian is dishing teenager at the original roastery that sources 100% up delicious Middle Eastern Byronian. Shai has been in Byron South East Asian green street food, pita pockets, since 2000. He grew up sur- beans. Little Byronian has and great coffee roasted rounded by Middle Eastern chosen The Village Blend, locally in Ballina by Old food and his cooking is in which is a full-bodied blend Quarter Coffee Merchants the realms of the beyond. sourced from Sumatra, – all served with a healthy side of community and old- He uses flavours and spices Myanmar and Laos. conjured from memories The cafe has been an school Byron vibes. of his grandmother’s instant hit with some of its Locals will recognise kitchen, igniting childhood original customers, and lots Shai and Savita from their memories for some, and of locals have found their years in the hospitality causing others to become way back to enjoy the food industry around town or and vibes of the relaxed from the old Byronian cafe, seriously addicted to the Middle Eastern flavours and and friendly café. which was one of the first cafes to open in Byron, and freshness of his cooking. in its heyday was the local At Little Byronian, Q Little Byronian: Open hub of the town. pastries are handmade and 6am-3pm Monday-Friday, Shai and Savita are both baked fresh daily, pitas are 7am-2pm Saturday, 8amlong-term locals with a prepared on the spot, and 2pm Sunday. passion and focus on good anything not made inOutside Woolies: 108-114 quality, consistent food, house is sourced from the Jonson St, Byron Bay. coffee, friendly service and best local suppliers.
New local whisky aged in viognier casks The third whisky released by local distillers Brookies, Viognier Cask has a deep hue and is said to have notes of buttered croissant, mocha, papaya and charred peach. It combines whiskies matured for over three years in Australian white wine casks and American oak ex-bourbon casks. Viognier wine is often found in French wine blends and is considered one of the world’s most textural white wines with a heady perfume and exotic fruit characters. The viognier casks for the whisky were sourced from Inkwell Wines, McLaren Vale. The French oak casks have delicate characters of white peach, ginger and bergamot which show through on the sophisticated style of Australian whisky. Q There are only 1,100 bottles of this particular whisky available either online at capebyrondistillery.com, at the cellar door at St Helena, or at premium independent liquor retailers.
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Celebrate a native food Christmas with Mindy Woods & Santos Organics A time for culture and connection at the table – Santos Organics are excited to announce that Mindy Woods from Masterchef, owner of Karkalla restaurant in Byron Bay, is holding an interactive cooking demonstration at the Santos Organics Industrial Arts store in Byron on 5 December. Featuring local and sustainable First Nations’ produce, the aptly titled ‘native food queen’ will be preparing, cooking and presenting a ‘roast eggplant with native succulents and macadamia cream’ (unfortunately it is not possible to make any substitutes for the demonstration) that you can create in your own home this Christmas. As well as enjoying Mindy’s seasonal and delicious dish, complimentary drinks and snacks will also be served throughout the evening, and guests will receive a goodie bag
and exclusive store-wide discounts. If you’re looking to discover a deeper connection to storytelling and cultural understanding through the nourishing and diverse foods of Australia, be sure to secure your ticket to this unique experience with Mindy Woods today. This unique culinary experience runs for two and a half hours, kicking
off at 5:30pm. Tickets are $35, with $10 from each ticket being donated to the charity ‘The Returning’, a not-for-profit organisation that’s been changing the lives of mothers, families and our Indigenous community since 2018. Q To purchase tickets, head to santosorganics. com.au. This event is sure to sell out!
Kangkung and Ceylon spinach Victoria Cosford I’d never heard of kangkung until Ryan Bruin mentioned it to me. This was during our first chat and it was, he said, his favourite vegetable. More commonly referred to as water spinach, it’s a semi-aquatic tropical plant grown for its tender shoots, and is widely cultivated in South East Asia. Ryan, a prodigious source of agricultural information for a man his (youthful) age, tells me that it’s become popular in the last two years. ‘People are embracing seasonal vegetables’, he says, ‘and cooking more Asian dishes.’ And becoming better educated, of course. ‘It’s so easy to grow in this area’, he adds. ‘It loves the Australian summer.’ Ryan says to ‘treat it like spinach. It’s the king of stir-fries, with chilli and garlic.’ He tells me it’s got a circular stem you can chop up and eat as well. ‘There’s a lot of bang for your buck when you buy it.’ At the ever-popular Summit Organics stall – where the great green bunches of mint, parsley and sage are suggesting to me salsa verde, or pesto – we’re discussing what’s
Ryan Bruin from Summit Organics: a good source of information in season. ‘Brown onions’, Ryan tells me. ‘Tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini. Kangkung. Green beans.’ He says that the leafy greens are starting to slow down: English spinach, silverbeet and chard ‘are on the way out.’ Instead, ‘if you want to eat spinach, you have to be adventurous. Branch out and try Egyptian or Ceylon spinach.’ I ask what distinguishes the latter from common-or-garden spinach. ‘Ceylon has a creaminess to it’, he replies.
‘It goes so well with eggs, or in bakes.’ It’s been ‘a good year for tomatoes’, he continues, ‘and I’d be shot by my parents if I didn’t mention basil’, which is exactly what you should be planting right now. Oh, and kangkung! Q Summit Organics are at New Brighton Farmers Market every Tuesday from 8 to 11am and at Mullumbimby Farmers Market every Friday from 7 to 11am.
mşưĕŔćĕſ ǩǰǽ ǩǧǩǪ The Byron Shire Echo 27