Melissa Meo and Luke Shaw are the husband and wife team running Fabric Café Bistro at the wharf. They met working in hospitality 15 years ago and now manage to juggle the demands of the restaurant with those of their two small children.
Locals often finish their weekend walks at Fabric with brunch or lunch, and the creamy miso mushrooms are a firm favourite – rich, dark and silky with a luscious ‘umami’ flavour from the miso. We managed to coax the recipe from the chef for fans who want to give it a go at home (see below).
Sunday afternoons in February feature live music from ‘Low Tide’ with a special summer drinks and snacks menu. Follow Fabric on Facebook or Instagram for this and other regular events over the cooler months. They’ll have Sunday roasts and jazz evenings coming up soon!
Creamy miso mushrooms on grilled sourdough, with tempura nori & sesame seasoning
Ingredients
6 - 8 medium sized Portobello mushrooms
700ml cream
2 tsp miso paste
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
Bread of your choice (we recommend the fresh sourdough from the local Catalina Bay Farmers Market), sliced at least 2cm thick to help stand up to the creamy sauce. Something with a good crunchy crust adds some textural contrast to the dish.
Nori garnish (optional)
40g rice flour (we use this to keep the meal gluten free)
2 nori seaweed sheets
Sesame seeds (lightly toasted) and fresh mung bean sprouts
Method
First the optional garnish: in a small bowl, mix your rice flour and water to create a thin batter (crêpe or pancake batter consistency). Cut your nori sheets into squares roughly 3cm and lightly toss these through the batter ensuring a good even coat. Place them into shallow hot oil and lightly fry until crispy and golden, then place them on a piece of kitchen paper to cool and crisp up. Season with flaky sea salt.
Add the miso paste and cream to a small pot, bring to a gentle simmer, then remove from the heat.
Slice the portobellos and finely dice the onion. Crush the garlic but keep this whole as you will be removing it later (pro tip - use the flat of your knife and give it a good tap down, we do this to introduce as much flavour as possible).
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, and saute the mushrooms, onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. When golden brown, remove from heat and remove the garlic entirely.
Combine the sauteed mushrooms with the cream mix and bring to a gentle simmer until slightly thickened, then season with salt to taste.
Pour over the freshly toasted sourdough. Garnish with crispy nori sheets, lightly toasted sesame seeds and fresh mung bean sprouts to add texture and flavour. Serve hot and enjoy mopping up all that creamy goodness with your crunchy bread!
