The London-based cookbook author, who made her name developing recipes in the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen, is a sucker for Ombar vegan chocolate – and a signature iced coffee.
London-based cookbook author and food writer Ixta Belfrage didn’t always have a clear career path. Before pursuing her passion for cooking, she moved to Australia at age 21, leaving university in the UK behind for a life Down Under. While here, she worked as a door-to-door sales rep and spent three years at a travel company before returning to London.
A significant career pivot led her to work at Yotam Ottolenghi’s London restaurant NOPI for a year, followed by five years in his renowned test kitchen, where she developed new recipes.
Pedro Pinho/Penguin
Earlier this year, she returned to Australia as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia, reuniting with friends she hadn’t seen since her time living here.
The 34-year-old, who was raised by a Brazilian mother and a British father, recently released her new cookbook, Fusão. A follow-up to her 2022 cookbook Mezcla, it offers a fresh take on traditional Brazilian dishes, sharing her love of Brazilian fusion cuisine.
EATING OUT
My favourite hometown restaurant
I love the modern French restaurant Planque in London. It’s run by Australian chef Sebastian Meyers. I am not into fancy food, but his cooking is refined, delicious, surprising and inspiring. I ate a cuttlefish dish that had the most incredible texture. It was finished with a creamy sauce that was bright and citrusy, too. I had never had cuttlefish like this before.
I also love Brawn, a modern European neighbourhood restaurant with a focus on seasonal ingredients. The pasta is phenomenal. I also love the red mullet dish served with courgette [zucchini] and courgette flowers. It is delicate and full of flavour.
My favourite hometown cafe and/or bar
Bake Street is a favourite – they make the best hangover food. For me, that’s makhani fried chicken burger. It comes smothered in a butter chicken sauce. They also make great eggs, pastries and coffees here.
Yuki Bar in Hackney Central is an amazing spot that serves natural wine and small Japanese plates perfect for sharing. It has a Nordic influence, too. It’s a very calm spot. I love the clean flavours here. You’ll find incredible deep broths made with dashi and some sort of amazing vegetable, herb or fish in it. I always drink a light, juicy Spanish red wine by Mataburro called Idoine.
ON THE ROAD
My favourite place to eat in Australia
I ate an incredible meal at Bar Liberty in Fitzroy when I was visiting Melbourne to film for MasterChef Australia in January. The former chef, Zackary Furst, created a wonderful pork dish with a creamy paprika-based sauce. The pork was perfectly cooked.
Napier Quarter in Fitzroy and Carlton Wine Room are two favourite spots from my time in Melbourne; they’re great for snacks and drinks.
Old Palm Liquor in Brunswick East was also phenomenal – I ate some of the best bar snacks I have ever had there, and they were paired with an amazing cocktail.
SYDNEY
I love the Thai restaurant Spice I Am in Surry Hills. It’s a Sydney institution. You’ll find really good-quality Thai food that’s served quickly. Everything is extremely spicy. In January, I ate an awesome banana blossom salad. They also do an incredible crispy stir-fried spicy pork belly with morning glory.
Ante, a calm Japanese-inspired bar in Newtown, had great snacks. I ordered a torched bonito crudo with a sake-based cocktail. It’s moody and low-lit and feels really peaceful.
I enjoyed Bush in Redfern, which is inspired by Australian native ingredients. It was the first time I had ever tried kangaroo and indigenous plants.
I also went to an amazing bakery called Cherry Moon General Store in Annandale; they make phenomenal pies, pastries and salads. If it were in London, I would go there every day for a coffee. What impressed me most was their pastries, as they use a lot more spelt flour, which creates nuttier flavours. I always order a double espresso on ice with a tiny bit of coconut milk.
My favourite food city
Rio di Janeiro, Brazil.
My favourite places to eat and drink there
Yaya Comidaria is a modern-Afro Brazilian restaurant I love. The moqueca – an Afro-Brazilian seafood stew made with coconut and red palm oil – is sensational.
Belem Belem Amazonia is where I always order a dish called pato no tucupi, a traditional duck stew cooked in cassava juice. Salty, briny and sour all at once, it falls off the bone.
In Brazil, there are a lot of restaurants serving comida a quilo, a buffet style you find all over the country. You create your own plate and pay by weight. My favourite one is called Broth. It’s hard to get fresh vegetables in Brazil and when I go here, I load up on vegies and salads. I always add meat or fish, black beans and some sort of cassava-based dish and fried banana. Then I load a chopped salsa of lime and tomato over everything with chilli sauce. Look out for farofa, a condiment made from toasted coarse cassava flour fried with banana, egg or pieces of pork. Salt fish fritters is a big thing here, too.
Apprazivel is a great spot in a neighbourhood called Santa Teresa. It offers incredible views over the city and I always order a dish of palm hearts. It comes with a herb oil and lime – simple and so delicious.
My favourite cocktail bar is Chanchada. It’s where you’ll find delicious quesadillas and a bar snack called torresmo, deep-fried pork belly that goes well with their incredible cachaca cocktails.
EATING IN
My go-to dish at home
I like to make big batches of short-grain brown rice and use it in various contexts. One of my favourite ways is to cook a quick stir-fry with prawns, asparagus, herbs and lime. I add a bit of tomato paste and it’s sensational.
My guilty pleasure
I am obsessed with Ombar chocolate – it’s creamy and coconut-based. I am also a big fan of instant coffee. I use an organic Fairtrade coffee, add a bit of coconut milk, honey or maple syrup, and serve it over ice. It’s quick and easy, and people are quite shocked when I tell them I love it.
Kitchen wisdom I cling to
Clean as you go when you cook. It makes life in the kitchen much easier and simpler.
The best recipes from Australia’s leading chefs straight to your inbox.
Jane Rocca is a regular contributor to Sunday Life Magazine, Executive Style, The Age EG, columnist and features writer at Domain Review, Domain Living’s Personal Space page. She is a published author of four books.Connect via Twitter or email.
