We decided to go up to Katoomba yesterday to check out the Blue Mountains Food Co-Op (local co-op for local growers and makers of most things organic) and also to see what BigW had in terms of stainless steel cookware. (👈 This is a blog for tomorrow!)

After hours of looking around we finally walked out with a few choice purchases then headed to the co-op which, unfortunately, eluded us.

I would have persisted in searching but after running out of the house that morning, skipping breakfast and all that shopping, it was definitely time for food and I decided we will have to hunt the co-op another day.

We ended up finding Basil Nut tucked away in a little arcade. We saw signs for it when we headed towards the direction of where I thought the co-op was going to be, and then another sign when we circled back and decided that was a sign of it's own and followed my nose the rest of the way.

Basil Nut

Basil Nut is a small, yet sprawling cafe/restaurant boasting a plethora of dishes on their menu.

Although they give you a menu, one can't help but be overwhelmed by the dish options also on the walls like this one directly above our table.

Ambience and decor wise, not gonna lie, where we sat felt a tad claustrophobic (or cosy, whichever way you want to swing), but I can forgive a lot for fantastic food and flavours and they had that and authenticity in abundance.

Seriously can't get more authentic than serving coconut juice like this.

If you're wondering, it was delicious and nothing quite like drinking coconut juice and eating coconut flesh straight from the coconut.

With the amount of stuff on the menu that we were unfamiliar with we decided to stick to some of our known favourites to start with like.. .

Prawn and Scallop Dumplings

Hubby's faves but this time with scallops. He actually loved these better than Andy's dumplings from the growers market.

Asian Street Food Platter

BBQ Pork Bun, Net Spring Roll, Prawn Gyoza, Money Bag, Prawn and Scallop Dumpling & Thai Fish Cake.

Because I needed my pork bun hit and some deep fried goodies, and I'm a sucker for money bags and net spring rolls.

The money bag and spring roll was delicious, unfortunately the pork bun was still cold inside and Andy's pork bun was loads better, from size to softness to filling.

Crispy Pork Belly

Twice cooked succulent pork belly drizzled with chilli jam, lime and tamarind jus, topped with flaky kumara.

After the huge lot of pork I made a month ago, I still couldn't look at or even consider pork anything, though I did have a small bite of it and it was ok. Different from how I would have it definitely, but it was still tasty.

Hubby enjoyed it though so that's all that matters.

Grilled Eggplant Duck Curry

Sliced duck & green beans cooked in mild aromatic curry layered on grilled eggplant, topped with kumara flakes.

Ok this dish deserves a moment of silence for reverence.

This was, up and down, all me.

I have a serious, SERIOUS, love for eggplants. Doesn't matter how it's cooked, I always seem to love it.

From babaganoush, to fried with eggs and mince (ala Filo way), to grilled served in vinegar and now this curry. You pretty much can't go wrong as long as you serve me eggplant.

This curry was no exception. In fact it's the best eggplant dish I have ever had in a long long time.

The combination of the curry, the duck, the sauce, the beans, the herbs 👌👌👌 was a total flavour explosion and I was mindlessly satisfied. Writing about it right now is actually making me drool and crave.

And you know what made me super happy? They didn't stinge out on the eggplant. Ohh lord did they give me a great serving. 🙏

The only downfall was the rice I had with the dish (like as if I couldn't have rice with this!!!). The saving grace was that it was a small bowl of rice. So my paleo no grains rule took a small hit on account of this curry, but it was worth it and I would so do it again!!!

I'd like to say I floated out of there but with the amount of food I consumed that was just not possible. In fact I think another bite and Hubby would have needed a trolley to haul me out of the restaurant.

Final thoughts?

Would I go again?
Ohh hell yeh I would! I actually wanna go right now, (or tonight) I'm so keen for another round of the eggplant & duck curry.

There's so many dishes I want to try on their menu that I can see a "Basil Nut Round Two" post coming soon. Such a shame they're not closer!!

Would I recommend it?
Absofuckinglutely!!! Go go go!! This is seriously worth the trip up to the mountains. In fact, anyone up for a Katoomba meet up at Basil Nut?! 😉

Well, that's it for me this gorgeous Monday. All the food talk has taken it's toll and I am starving.

Hope ya'll have a great day!