Is there any better way to start a weekend than by spending time with friends?
Yesterday afternoon, Tania, Pete and I had arranged to go to Costco, and our darling friend Carol came with us. I also needed supplies from Harkola and the Turkish deli and, as we expected to buy quite a few items, we took two cars.
Our first port of call was Harkola in Auburn…
I convinced Carol to pick up a couple of ma’moul moulds for her chocolate tempering experiments…
As always, the shelves were laden with grains, flours and pulses, and the deli counter filled with dried fruit and nuts…
My purchases included nuts, za’atar, moghrabieh, dried fruit, fine semolina and rolled spelt. The moghrabieh which retails for $11 in a local gourmet deli is available at Harkola for under $4…
Harkola Food Worldwide
3 – 7 Highgate Street
Auburn NSW 2144
02 9737 8883
http://www.harkola.com
. . . . .
Arzum Market is a short drive from Harkola and my source for Turkish herbal teas. It’s run by the nicest pair of gentlemanly brothers…
…and stocks all things Turkish…
I picked up apple, mint and linden, and camomile teas, but they were out of stock of my favourite fennel tea…
The baklava looked amazing, but sadly, Small Man is allergic to pistachios…
Arzum Market
61 Rawson St
Auburn NSW 2144
02 9649 9327
. . . . .
As Tania and I hadn’t eaten lunch by this stage, we walked a few doors down to the Buket Cake Shop and bought a mince filled pide. Like Arzum, Buket is run by the most gracious baker, who heated our pide until crispy in the oven rather than in the microwave. T and I scoffed it in the car on the way to Costco…
Buket Cake Shop
67 Rawson St
Auburn NSW 2144
02 9643 2135
. . . . .
It was obvious that Christmas had arrived at Costco, with these gorgeous glass ornaments on sale for under $2 each ($25 for set of 14)…
The trick to shopping successfully at Costco is to avoid the aisles of processed foods and concentrate instead on the great value raw ingredients and high end products. If you’re a Swarovski collector, the prices here would be hard to beat…
I was surprised to see Riedel glassware on sale – it wasn’t there last time we visited…
Abalone usually costs a fortune, but Costco have large Australian grown ones for under $50/kg. Still too rich for my blood, as I’m the only one in the house who will eat them, but I know most of my extended family would adore these…
With Christmas approaching, there were a myriad of toys on offer…
Costco Lidcombe
17 – 21 Parramatta Road
Lidcombe NSW 2141
02 8756 4600
. . . . .
It really was the best way to spend a free Friday afternoon!
And to round the day off perfectly, in a display of sisterhood and solidarity, Carol took her ma’moul moulds home and made these fabulous dark chocolates (honestly, she is such a star!)…
…and I bought a two kilo bag of certified sustainable locally grown mussels (for just $10)…
…and made Tania’s green curry mussels!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
What a lovely way to spend the afternoon with friends…and do something practical. I don’t think I could walk past the Buket Cake Shop without buying one of their tempting treats! Enjoy the rest of the weekend :-)
Danielle, thank you! Hope you’ve had a good weekend too, this one’s been fun for us! :)
Looks like a very happy time was had on this trip. I do so envy you having those stores so handy.
Amanda, I’ve never understood why there aren’t similar offerings in Adelaide. It’s a capital city, and it’s not like SA isn’t known for amazing food!
It looks that you had a fabulous time in these stores,..Great & fun pics too!
We had a blast, thanks Sophie! Hope you’ve had a great weekend! x
Yes, I had, my father-in-law turned 70! :) xx
What a fantastic way to start a weekend Celia.
Have a beautiful weekend.
:-) Mandy xo
Mandy, getting to do something on a Friday afternoon makes it feel like a long weekend! Hope you’ve been having fun this weekend too!
All I can say is that I wish I was there! what a great way to start a weekend! Glad you had fun….
Sally, I wish you could have been here too! xx
Foodie expedition are the best…and have the ability of making any day a good one!
Laila, it was so relaxed and we laughed the whole time. I had to figure out where to store everything when we came home though! :)
What a fantastic day. I don’t know Carol but when I realised it was Justin’s mom – she’s a good friend. Any time you spend with Tania will be a joy.
I’d give a lot to be able to shop in any of those stores!
Yep, Carol and I go back thirty years, friends like that are forever. And Tania is just so much fun! Come down and play. Wear flat shoes. :)
What a fabulous haul, and what sounds like a truly enjoyable shopping expedition! You’re so lucky to have access to such interesting little grocers, I could spend hours (and $$) at that Turkish grocer!!
Jas, the Turkish shop is really interesting, there are a couple in the area, but the folks who run Arzum are just so nice. And bakery is great too – we often buy pide there whenever we’re in the area.
I love this post. I am having a foodie day today as well. I am going to the Asian market, cheese importers and costco. This makes me look forward to the day.
Hooray! Have fun Connie! That does sound like a perfect day – Asian groceries, cheese tasting and then playing trolley dodgems at Costco. :)
Are Australian grown abalone farmed? Delightful way to spend an afternoon with friends. I would definitely buy one of those baklava and eat it on the spot.
Norma, I believe they are. I have no idea how to cook them, so I’m going to show my mum the photos and see if she wants me to buy some for Christmas.
What a lovely way to spend a day! Today is my farmers market day, i look forward to picking a basket full of great fresh things to eat. You’ve got some really great stores there. I’ve got to keep my eyes open for some of those molds.
Pamela, the moulds are made in Syria and sold at Lebanese and Middle Eastern grocery store. They’re really versatile! Have a wonderful time at the markets!
Hiya Celia, Next time I am in Sydney I expect you to take me to these shops!
Of course you do. :) We’ll plan to take two cars that day as well. ;-)
Only two :(
It is the best kind of day for me. Looking & considering all the possibilities in ingredients. The hardest part?. Not buying EVERYTHING. The easiest part? Having a great day with friends that share your interests. Priceless. x
Darling, thanks for such a fun afternoon. I’m using those scales today, they’re bloody brilliant. :)
Celia, for a minute there , upon looking at your ‘wog’ stash from Harkola, one would think you’re Lebanese! And Yes, I agree with Glenda….we have to make a group trip of this! As for the baklava (made differently) That tastes far better than the one made with Filo pastry ( & so simple to make!) in my opinion! Thanks for sharing your adventures with us!….off to the kitchen now!
Lina, I DO love my Lebanese supplies, and Barbara at Harkola is always sharing recipes with me! The baklava are made from kataifi pastry, that’s right isn’t it? It was $2 a packet at Harkola! :)
Celia, what a wonderful way to spend a day with like minded friends.
All of your shops need visiting…….the decision is which one first!
When I left home on Wednesday and looked around deciding what I couldn’t live without the French preserving pan and bannetons were such old friends just couldn’t leave them behind……..glad no one could see what treasures were in the car boot
Thank you for your best wishes during a difficult time.
Elaine, I’m glad you came back to find it all intact. I’m sure it was a difficult time for everyone in your community. xx
Celia I remember some time back you posted about how you don’t do girlie retail therapy and I nodded agreeing vehemently. However, as you have so admirably demonstrated, there are notable exceptions to this rule and in this case I’d be squealing like the proverbial preteen at a One Direction concert.
Haha…no, that was girlie weekends away, I’d rather stick a needle in my eye than go on one of those. Pete came along for this trip! :D
I have a funny story that you’d enjoy. Many years ago, I was having lunch with a group of mums from school, and afterwards they all wanted to go into a shabby chic shop. I kept arguing that we should go into the Portuguese butcher next door instead. They all looked at me as if I had two heads – in the end, they went to look at vintage cut glass and scented candles, and I oohed and aahed over seasoned sausages and marinated flattened chickens. ;-)
hehehe, that’s why I like your style Ms Celia :-) I’ll happily talk sausages with you any time over a day at Westfield.
We must get together Brydie, we’ve been saying it all year! xx
I love looking in supermarkets and food shops in other countries. I’ve been meaning to do a similar post myself…you’ve inspired me to get on with it Celia.
Look forward to reading it Sally! xx
What a fun outing! Thanks for letting us join in vicariously :)
Thanks for coming along! x
My kinda outing!
It was a fun afternoon, Lizzy! :)
What a fabulous shopping trip – so much tempting deliciousness!
We were quite naughty and taste tested everything on offer at Costco. Some of it was quite good! :)
What a wonderful day!
I love going on expeditions like this one!
It is so much fun and the possibilities that open up with all the goodies you buy are endless :)
Sawsan, I always feel warm and contented when I’ve stocked the pantry with grains and pulses, so a trip to Harkola is always very comforting! And Costco is just sheer fun! :)
That does look like the best day out. Tania is such good company. And Carol is definitely a star chocolatier xx
Charlie, isn’t she brilliant? She’s off now, there’s no stopping her. And Tania is a joy to spend time with!
Hehe Tania looks so excited! That’s very cute. I wish I could have come now!
Next time, darling! xx
I’d do the pins in the eye dance too rather than do girly day-spa stuff, but that kind of a shopping trip would have me and my giant handbag tripping along the yellow brick road skippety-doo-dah.
Jan, we had a blast, you would have loved it! I can never understand why folks go to spas – I don’t know that I could cope with being touched all day long! :)
What a great day Celia! It’s so hard not to buy everything when there are such good bargains though- I’m not that good at restraint :) xox
I’m not great at it either, Becca, truth be told. :)
What a fun post!
Thanks Mimi, so glad you enjoyed it!
I still haven’t tried tempering chocolate, it still seems too daunting.
Ah well, whenever (or if ever) you’re ready, Clare. It’s good fun though! :)
One of my favorite things to do when we go on vacation (which is never…) is to snoop around in the local grocery shops (hubby thinks I’m weird). I’m so glad that you took us on a tour of the places you usually talk about. I loved it! Looks like you guys had a great (and efficient) day :) xx
Hey Em, I didn’t realise that was you then! :) We really did have a great day, wish you could have been there! xx
Now that’s my kind of day, Celia! We shop in places that are quite similar and only about 1500 km apart! Arzum Market looks quite similar to a few of the places I frequent and Costco is the same wherever you go, though I doubt I’d find abalone in “mine.” I guess I’ll have to come to Oz to buys abalone the next time I want some. Do let me know when Costco has abalone on sale. :)
Hahaha…John, maybe if you ask at Costco, they’ll import it for you! Arzum Market and Harkola are Aladdin’s caves! xx
To answer your opening question … No, there isn’t anything I can think of better than time with good friends. I still remember shopping with a friend at Costco and buying their bakery chocolate cake, which we renamed “the 10 pound chocolate cake” because it must weigh all of that. Anyway, we stopped by the food court as we left the store to pick up two plastic forks … without any guilt we started on the cake as soon as we sat down in the car. We laughed and laughed while we ate that cake — silly, spontaneous, delicious fun. :)
Judy, that’s too funny! Surely you didn’t get though all ten pounds! ;-)
Ha! No, but when we got back to my house we did get some quizzical looks when we brought the cake in. ;)
I need a trip to Auburn! Funny / a pity that I lived in the western suburbs before I learned to cook, and so never discovered the treasures that were nearby!
Saucy, there’s so much out there! And the parking is easy too! :)
Celia, you did well! I can’t believe small man is allergic to pistachios…what a shame although I think I might have bought a stash just for myself. We have Costco’s over here but none very close by although we do have BJ’s. I’ve never really explored it though I think I shall now.
I’d love to go shopping with you :) And the Turkish food shops remind me of living in North London, I lived in a big Turkish and Cypriot area, the fresh breads, the vats of cheese and olives – aahhhhh !!
Foodie shopping is my favourite. I can walk past a clothes shop… perhaps not a shoe shop… but enjoy browsing, exploring and sniffing around speciality food shops and market stalls and thinking of all the possibilities even though I don’t have a clue of what most of them would entail…
I’ve never eaten Abalone but the green curry mussells look great :)
Oh RJ’s eyes may roll out of his head when I tell him we need to go to Auburn ;D such great stuff!!
Tell him it’s worth it, JJ! :D
Oh goodness you’re killing me :) In a good way but I’m envious! I so love your blog and I have literally spent hours looking at past posts instead of unpacking all the boxes from my container. We have just moved from the south of France/Italian border and had got used to all the markets and where to buy things to live as sustainably as possible. Now moving to a new country we do not know anything. Unfortunately we are in Brisbane otherwise I think I would be going around all your recommendations! Any tips for Brisbane that you know of???
Rachel, how exciting! I’m sorry, I don’t know much about Brisbane, but my friend Claire is up there – check out her blog: http://www.clairekcreations.com. Thanks for dropping by!