Foraging for Pine Mushrooms and Slippery Jacks, Wingello

It was an awesome autumn day in Sydney today. The sky was blue, the sun was shining brightly and the temperature was perfect at 27C with very low humidity. To me, that is a perfect autumn day and one of the many reasons why autumn is my favourite season. It was too good a day to be stuck indoors. Luckily we had booked to join Jill Dyson from FoodPath Culinary Tours on a mushroom foraging tour in Wingello. The drive down to the Southern Highlands was smooth and easy; compared to the previous Saturday when it was raining cats and dogs. 

Autumn is the best season to forage for pine mushrooms which grow below pine trees. They are also known as milky saffron because when cut, they discharge a milky orange sap. The pine mushrooms are identified by the vibrant saffron coloured cap, gills and stems. They are quite 'meaty' and have a nutty flavour. Best way to cook them is to saute the pine mushrooms with garlic in butter, throw in some chopped parsley and rosemary and serve on crusty toasted sourdough topped with a sunny side egg (with runny yolk).

Jill took some time to explain how to identify the pine mushrooms and slippery jacks; how to remove them and to avoid poisonous mushrooms. The key difference between the two besides the taste is the pine mushrooms have gills and the slippery jacks have a spongy base under the cap. When foraging for mushrooms, we had to be careful and check with Jill before we cut the mushrooms. There were some poisonous mushrooms around. These poisonous mushrooms had a beautiful red colour with spots on the top. Poisonous mushrooms usually have a white base. There was a case in Canberra last year where a Chinese chef and friend died after eating the Death Cap mushrooms which the chef mistook for Chinese straw mushrooms.

Poisonous Mushrooms

The mushrooms were just growing on the side of a country road under the pine trees. Jill had done some scouting earlier in the week to find where the mushrooms are. Armed with gloves, a small knife and a bucket, we set off walking up the country road looking for these amazing mushrooms. Everyone in the group was very excited when we spotted the first pine mushrooms.

Jill holding a pine mushroom (see saffron coloured ring at the base) 

Pine Mushrooms with distinguishable round rings

We moved on further up the road to look for the slippery jacks which grows in clumps.

There were more slippery jacks than pine mushrooms. We also helped Jill fill her two buckets as she was collecting them for the chef at Mount Ashby Winery in Bowral.

Along the way we saw a large wombat burrow which explained the amount of fresh wombat poo around. We were careful to avoid stepping on them.

Wombat's burrow 

Australian Native Banksia 

Pine cones

After an hour and half, we had a bucketful of pine mushrooms and slippery jacks.

Heading back to our cars

Thank you Jill for a wonderful experience. We had another fun adventure with you.

Note: People die every year from eating the wrong mushrooms, NEVER eat a mushroom that you are not sure and have not been able to positively identify.

The Gardener's Kitchen, Bundanoon

After an hour and half of foraging for mushrooms, we were hungry. We had several places to chose from but decided to stop at The Gardener's Kitchen in Bundanoon, which was about 15 kms away from Wingello.

The Gardener's Kitchen is a cosy country cafe that serves breakfast and lunches in a casual setting. There are tables set up indoors and outdoors. Meals are ordered at the counter and served at your table.

We had Ham and Cheese Croissant; Beef Pie served with Creamy Mash Potatoes and Peas; Pumpkin, Spinach Leek and Feta Frittata served with salad and Spinach and Ricotta Pastie served with salad. Thankfully, service was prompt and meals were brought to our table quickly. We were hungry and tucked straight away.

We all had our eyes on Ash's pie and creamy mash and peas; more specifically, we were eyeing the mash and gravy. I am usually not keen on mash as I am trying to stay away from carbs, but this mash was simple irresistible. I had to have a few forkfuls.

I was happy with my frittata; a light and healthy meal which left my tummy some room for the best scones in Bundanoon. No complaints from Cait on her croissant which is a good sign. Chris happy ate his pastie.

We had to taste the scones, so we ordered a serve to share. The scones were indeed the best, served piping hot and light with raspberry jam from Alpine Berry Farm and clotted cream. We also ordered coffees. I found my skim flat white quite mild and milky, it was more like a latte.  Chris on the other hand, said he was satisfied with his flat white. Hmmm..slight inconsistency here. Usually he's the one who complains about the quality of his coffee.

After lunch, we popped into the delightful shop next door called "Nest and Burrow". It's owned by the same owners as The Gardener's Kitchen and managed by the mother-in-law of the owners, who is a friendly lady from Bowral (I forgot to ask her name). Our main purpose to visit "Nest and Burrow" was to buy some Alpine Berry Farm jams for family back in Sydney. Just quietly, we did come out with more than just jams. There are so many beautiful items for sale from kitchen and homewares, jewellery and toys. Yes, we could have spent more time there if not for the trip back to Sydney. I suppose we just have to return another time.


The Gardener's Kitchen
27 Railway Ave
Bundanoon NSW 2578
(02) 4883 6354

PappaRich, Sydney

PappaRich is a Malaysian franchise which opened its first outlet in Sydney this week. The PappaRich grouped opened its first outlet in Malaysia in 2005. Since then, the business has grown and there are 6 outlets in Australia including 5 in Melbourne. Like any new restaurants, the crowds are queuing up to try this new eatery. Tonight, we went early for dinner and the place was still quite empty. The queue starts around 6pm so best to get in just before 6pm for dinner. By the time we left at 7pm, there about 20 people waiting outside.

First thing that impressed us was the menu with its glossy pictures and many varieties to entice your tastebuds. The menu is categorised into roti (roti kaya), satay, bread (Hainan style bread with curry chicken), noodles, rice, vegetarian (nasi lemak with vegetarian mutton curry), snacks, desserts and drinks. It took us a while to write on our orders on the form as there were too many choices. When we've decided, we wrote the item number on the form, pressed the bell at the table and one of the wait staff promptly appears to collect the form.

There is also a children's play area which a good place for kids to be distracted

For dinner tonight, we ordered Wat Tan Hor, Char Koay Teow, Seafood Laksa, Ipoh Hor Fun with Steamed Chicken, Roti Planta, Oriental Chicken Chop with Rice, Chicken Satay, Ice Kacang and Banana Fritters. Yes, we were that hungry or greedy!!!

What did we like: Wat Tan Hor, Ipoh Hor Fun with Steamed Chicken, Chicken Satay, Oriental Chicken Chop with Rice and Banana Fritters. The fitters was crunchy and served with vanilla ice cream. Chicken Satay was tender but not enough satay sauce to go with it, we had to ask for extra sauce. I did give them feedback about the sauce. The Wat Tan Hor was tasty with lots of gravy; quite a large portion too. Ash enjoyed her Chicken Chop served with Chicken Rice. The rice is cooked with chicken stock which enhances the taste. The Steamed Chicken served with the Hor Fun was silky smooth and best part, it was deboned.

Banana Fritters served with ice cream

The Char Koay Teow lacked the chilli oomph and wok hei (charred smoky) flavours. We didn't ask for chilli in the CKT as we assumed there would be some. A friend went the day before and she said her CKT was good. Our serving was quite small tonight too. Some inconsistencies in the serving sizes and cooking.

We think the shaved ice in the Ice Kacang was not freshly shaved but shaved earlier and refreeze, so it was compact and hard when served. I like the peanuts and creamed corn added.

Ice Kacang - check out the odd shape

Roti Planta was dry and crispy and the amount of curry served was small. PappaRich's version of Roti Planta has sugar in the middle. Cait was not keen on the roti, as she preferred the roti at Mamak.

Service was efficient and there are many wait staff available to respond each time you ring the bell. The dishes were quick to be served from the kitchen too. One downside was no napkins were provided at the table, we had to asked for them. Why can't they just place the napkins on the table together with the cutlery?

Some hits and misses for us but we will visit the restaurant again to try the other dishes in the menu. I am keen to try the Briyani dishes and Nasi Lemak.



PappaRich Chatswood
1/63 Archer Street
Chatswood NSW 2067
Ph: (02) 9411 3207

Opening hours: 11am to 10pm 7 days

Disclaimer: Opinions written above are based on my family's and my tastes and views. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions based on their tastes and preferences.

Toad in the Hole

Ever heard of this baked dish called 'Toad in the Hole'? Neither have I until two weeks ago when our friends Jim and Georgie made it for dinner on our 1st night at their farm.

It is a traditional English dish. Sausages are cooked in Yorkshire pudding batter, usually served with vegetables and gravy. No one knows where the unusual name originated from but there are suggestions that the sausages resemble a toad sticking its head out of a hole. Not sure I can see that from the dish. What do you think?

Nonetheless, it is a simple one dish dinner (hurray!) that children will love.

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