Sydney NYE fireworks 2008

Happy New Year!Thanks to Speedy, I scored a plum spot right beneath the Harbour Bridge at the VIP viewing area, Dawes Point. And if there's one thing that Sydney does best, it's putting on the most spectacular skyshow against the most beautiful harbour in the world (and who's biased, hey?).The themed party was Tropic Oasis, hence the blue flashing leis. A stage and dancefloor played host to

Sabbagh Patissery, Greenacre

So I don't have 20/20 vision, but I'm sure I can spot a patisserie sign faster than most people.Despite rolling out the door of Lebanese restaurant Al Aseel, our bellies distended with falafel, lamb skewers and garlic yoghurt chicken, we found renewed energy (and appetite!) by the time we had stepped into the sweet syrupy surrounds of Sabbagh Patisserie (spelt with an inexplicable 'y' on the

Lemon shortbread and ginger shortbread

In addition to little cellophane bags of iced gingerbread men, I also made up little packages of shortbread. These were made using a piping bag - the somewhat stiff dough means it's much easier to pipe small amounts of dough at a time. I made two batches - one with lemon, the other with crystallised ginger, but you could substitute with vanilla essence if you prefer them plain.Shortbread

Christmas feasting (and the mother of all dinner parties)

And how was your Christmas?For me, it involved two days of relentless (and totally selfless) gluttony. Two dinners were consumed on Christmas Eve, because I had to. First a casual affair at Mum's--leg ham, salads and roll-your-ownVietnamese goi cuon summer rolls.At 10.30pm, I'm at cucina Veruca for a feast of glazed leg ham (ooh yum, that ginger marmalade glaze works a treat!), bo tai chanh raw

Christmas gingerbread

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.My kitchen certainly smelled a lot like Christmas this past week, with batches of gingerbread and shortbread filling the air with the gorgeous smell of ginger, golden syrup, lemon and butter.A newly acquired icing kit finally got a workout on my gingerbread shapes, made using my usual tried-and-trusted gingerbread recipe. I think my royal icing was

Al Aseel, Greenacre

So I've always had a soft spot for Lebanese food. I think it's the simplicity of the cuisine: charcoal meats, zingy salads and downy soft quarters of fluffy Lebanese bread. Perhaps the deep-fried falafel balls (mmm... deep-fried) also have something to do with it. And I love the creamy decadence of toum, the dip with a fiery garlic punch.We head to Al Aseel in Greenacre to see if its reputation

Tokyo Ramen, Hornsby

Okonomiyaki pancake $4.50We're on a search for good ramen. K and M have been eating their way through a list of Top 15 Ramen Dishes in Sydney--printed recently in a Japanese local mag--and now we're at Tokyo Ramen in the bustling Westfield Shopping Centre at Hornsby.Tokyo Ramen is doing brisk business as well. In addition to the constant queue of people at the takeaway counter, there's a high

Eveleigh Christmas Farmers' Market

Oh yes, did your heart just skip a beat too?It's moments like these that I realise that food really does rule my world. Heart racing, smile playing on my lips, there's almost an urge to pinch myself. Surely this must be a dream!I'd forgotten that suckling pigs were advertised on the flyer for the Eveleigh Christmas Market. Just the idea of a Christmas Market in Sydney was novel enough to hook me

Menu for Hope V

Menu for Hope is back again.This annual fundraising event was created by Chez Pim in 2004, and since then has been hosted and supported by foodbloggers all over the world. This year, its fifth year of running, we will be supporting the UN World Food Programme, the world's largest food aid agency, working with over 1,000 organisations in more than 75 countries.If you are a foodblogger or a

Doyles on the Wharf, Watsons Bay

Too often I think we Sydneysiders tend to take our beloved Harbour for granted.Overseas tourists travel thousands of kilometres to see our sunny shores and yet too few of us take the time to really stop, stare and smile at our picture perfect city.The best way to appreciate Sydney's spectacular waterfront is by hopping on a ferry. We made a day trip to Watsons Bay on what turned out to be a

6 Random Things Meme

The dog ate my homework.Billy tagged me for the 6 random things meme, and it's taken me over three weeks to finally respond. It's reasonably similar to the 10 Random Things Meme I first answered in January 2006, but I won't let Billy down. And yeah, this blog and I do feel old.So here are 6 more random things about me. They're all food-related. Surely you're not surprised!My ideal breakfast would

Tender Value Meats, Hornsby

It's the start of summer, and that means barbecue season.Easiest thing to throw on the barbie? The humble sausage. It comes in edible packaging, already portioned and its generous fat content means guaranteed juiciness.Of course there's a big difference between good and bad sausages. And at Hornsby Tender Value Meats, butcher Adam Stratton knows his snags.It's a small and cosy butchery in Hornsby

Chez Pascal, Ramsgate

We're halfway through dinner when it happens again."IS EVERYBODY HAVING A GOOD TIME???"Chef Philipe Lebreux is standing at the entrance to the dining room, eyes alight, chest puffed, smile from ear to ear. His voice booms across the tiny restaurant. Our table is the closest to the kitchen and hence closest to Lebreux, and not only do we jump out of our chairs with fright, but our ears are still

Nippon Club, Sydney

I feel like I'm in Japan. All around me, the dining room is filled with Japanese businessmen, murmuring softly. Cheesey muzak is being piped through the speakers and behind me the sushi bar is a chaotic assault of souvenir trinkets, Hanshin Tigers baseball flags and towers of lacquered bowls and sushi platters.Except I'm not in hustle-bustle Tokyo or foodaholic Osaka, but in the basement of

32cm soft serve ice cream cones at Smile Korea Mart, Sydney

Now that's what I call an ice cream.As anyone who's ever read Chocolatesuze knows, Suze never eats anything by halves. Which is why, even as we're sitting down to a chocolate degustation plate at Guylian Cafe, only hours before we're due to down cocktails and canapes at the Vibe Entertains cookbook launch, she's pulling out a printed blog post from her handbag saying "We have to eat this! Look at

Kopitiam Malaysian Cafe, Ultimo

Roti canai with curry sauce $3.50

In spite of, or perhaps because of, the queues at Mamak, I still prefer to head to Kopitiam anytime I need a Malaysian fix. It's poky, small and simple in furnishings but that's partly why I like it so much.

There's no spectacle of roti production in the front window like Mamak, but a serve of roti and curry sauce is a steal at $3.50. And whilst the Malaysian

MasterChef Australia

Have you ever dreamed of becoming the next Gordon Ramsay? By some random glance at the TV guide, I serendipitously noticed last month's screening of MasterChef Goes Large, the UK game show where non-professional cooks battle it out for the title of MasterChef. I only caught the final five episodes (it was the 2007 season), but I did watch the final three contestants cook three-course meals for:

Guylian Belgian Chocolate Cafe, The Rocks, Sydney

Red delight $13.50 ($9.00 takeaway)Belgian chocolate buche filled with raspberry fruit creamFirst the Lindt Cafe. Now it's Guylian's turn to open its own chocolate cafe. Are these chocolate giants attempting to diversify, or are these cafes being leveraged as a branding tool, especially for the public's gift-shopping loyalty?With Chocolatesuze making the trek into town for the Vibe Entertains

Vibe Entertains cookbook launch, Vibe Hotel Sydney

Lychee and midori cocktailsWhat does a hotel have to do with a cookbook? I'm not sure, but I'm guessing that the new Vibe Entertains cookbook by the Vibe Hotel group is all about promoting a lifestyle that is one part party to two parts glam (try saying that after three cocktails).In order to find out more, Chocolatesuze and I attended the "exclusive launch" of said cookbook at the Vibe Hotel

Adriano Zumbo, Balmain

I think I'm in love.I've been a late arrival to the Adriano Zumbo online party, he the cherished darling of swooning sweet-toothed food bloggers all over Sydney. It doesn't take long for me to fall head over heels myself.This small but amazing patissierie is housed in a narrow shop on Darling Street, a few cellophaned gingerbread houses greeting you at the entrance. Barely wide enough to fit two

Max Brenner Chocolate Bar, Bondi Junction

So even though we'd just eaten half our body weight in ribs at Kelly's next door, it would have been impossible to head home without a pit stop at Max Brenner for dessert.Feeling a little bloated, we did somewhat virtuously agree to "go for a little walk" before dessert. In reality this meant a short stroll down to a dead end, use of a lift to descend a few floors, then a slow meander around the

Top 10, my friend

So yes we all know that Top 10 lists are, by their nature, extremely subjective and open for debate, but hey, I don't think I'm going to knock back getting mentioned in the Times Online list of Top ten food blogs from around the world.I met up with Simon Majumdar in May 2007 when he visited Sydney as part of his gastronomic world tour of research for his upcoming book, Eat My Globe. We had

Kelly's Bar and Grill, Bondi Junction

Pork ribs regular $27.95You're either a ribs person, or you ain't. I know which one I am.What greater pleasure than holding a rib bone with both hands and tearing shreds of succulent char-grilled meat off with your teeth. With a few grunts, sighs and surreptitious licking of lips, it's the closest anyone of us gets to impersonating Nigella.Complimentary briocheWe headed to Kelly's at Bondi

Sushi Tengoku, Kensington

Sashimi moriawase $26Mixed raw fillets of seafood (18 pieces)Read any online review of Sushi Tengoku and the words GIANT SUSHI are sure to feature.With a reputation for being incredibly popular with locals, especially nearby uni students, we're glad we've made a booking, although it's not too busy on a Wednesday night. The restaurant is small and unassuming, nestled between a dry cleaners and a

Restaurant Blancmange, Petersham

Tucked away on a small street off busy Parramatta Road lies the unassuming Restaurant Blancmange, former site of Manna. It's so discreet that I'm struck by the lack of on-street signage, a cursive script above the door providing the only indication a restaurant lies behind the striped blue canopies and sheer white curtains.And so it's the little details in this restaurant that impress me most.

A week of birthday cake

It's been a busy week. And whilst birthdays don't seem to have quite the same appeal as when you're say, ten years old, the prospect of cake and a week of birthday dinners more than eases the psychological trauma.Sushi with the travelling dinner party crowd (now christened Stomachs Eleven) was followed by the cutest chocolate mud cake from Michel's Patisserie. Sliced carefully into six pieces,

Homemade char siu, Hainan chicken and green tea cake

Did you know that giant paperclips make great meat hooks?I didn't either, but it truly does work. And no, I don't normally make my own char siu but when it's your turn to host the travelling dinner party gang (with high standards set so far) there's an element of self-imposed pressure to feed them well.I spent days planning the menu - any excuse is a good one if it justifies reading cookbooks at

Bill Granger's ricotta hotcakes

Half a tub of leftover ricotta in the fridge provides a perfect excuse to whip up a batch of Bill Granger's famous ricotta hotcakes. Light, soft and incredibly fluffy, it really does make a difference when you beat the egg whites separately and fold them into the batter oh-so-very gently.Surprise pockets of ricotta are the best part about these hotcakes. If you fold them in at the very last

Lindt Chocolat Café, Darling Harbour

Chocolat cerise $11.50Lindt's own black forest cake, crafted using kirsch-infused cherries,rich dark chocolate cake and vanilla cream,encased with a dark chocolate glazeThe best thing about the new influx of chocolat cafes is that finally, finally, Sydneysiders have late-night options to satiate their sweet tooths.The regular nighttime crowds at the Lindt Chocolat Cafe in Darling Harbour's Cockle

The Australian Heritage Hotel, The Rocks, Sydney

Beer and pizza. What better way to spend a weekend.A catch-up with an interstate visitor means showcasing the best that Sydney has to offer. For a lazy lunch with a good selection of local beers, we headed to the historic Australian Heritage Hotel at The Rocks.The Mexican was put onto Little Creatures Pale Ale. I was on a newly available beer on tap, Sydney Rocks Brewery’s Red Ale.Moroccan lamb

Chinese Herbal King Seafood Restaurant, Ultimo

I've been surrounded by so many waitstaff.We head to Chinese Herbal King Seafood Restaurant on a lazy Sunday for lunch, keen to sample this new shiny addition to Wattle Street and to discover what lies behind the giant neon signage.The answer, it appears, is an army of waitstaff. Whilst I count about 18 people in the restaurant during our lunch, there are nine eager waitstaff milling within

allrecipes.com.au media launch

It seemed like a mini food blogger convention at the media launch for allrecipes.com.au, sister site to the American allrecipes.com. There were as many foodbloggers as there were print journalists, a rare thing to see. Perhaps it was because the launch involved a website; perhaps it was because an American company was involved; but it was a welcome change to see foodblogs and foodbloggers

Chocolate brownies

Brownies are fantastic comfort food. Sugary crust, dense squidgy insides, and those delightful encounters with crunchy walnut pieces, their slight bitterness offsetting the rich goodness of butter and chocolate.Brownies also make perfect dinner party desserts given that they can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container until the big night. I made these recently for friends,

Sanctuary Hotel, Sydney

There's nothing like a good steak sandwich.The Sanctuary, sister establisment to the St James Hotel and on the site formerley occupied by Don Quixote, is one of our new lunchtime favourites. Decor and furnishings are strikingly similar to St James, in a style described on the Sanctuary website as "cosmopolitan chic". Pressed metal finishes, quirky lamp chandeliers and a colour scheme of creams

Umaimon, Sydney

EDIT: Umaimon has now closed.UPDATE MAY 2010: Word is they have moved to 159 Oxford Street Darlinghurst under the name Yokozuna Japanese restaurant.I love getting reader recommendations for restaurant.Admittedly I can't always get to them. Factors like transport (I have no car), price (I pay for all my own meals) and friend appeal (I need to find someone who'll want to accompany me) are all

The Sugar Hit super challenge: How many could you do in one night?

How many Sugar Hits could you possibly consume in one night?It's a question that's plagued me everytime Good Food Month rolled around. As I'd finish scraping the plate of another delectable Sugar Hit, the final mouthful of sugar slowly dissolving on my tongue, I'd ponder deep and meaningful musings like "should one start at the north end of town or south?" and "would it be faster to get a taxi or

The amazing impromptu dinner party

The dangerous thing about having friends as greedy as you is that food is never far from the topic of conversation.So even before we had finished swallowing the last mouthfuls of our oyster picnic at Mooney Mooney, hands rubbing our distended and protesting bellies packed solid with oysters, sushi, cous cous, salad, meatballs, quiche, cheese and spinach triangles, grilled octopus, banana cupcakes

Oyster Saturday at Mooney Mooney

Freshly shucked oystersThe G-man likes oysters. A year after our first trip to Mooney Mooney, the G-man was clamouring for a return visit.We could think of no reason to refuse.Les Wadham OystersOur bivalve-loving motorcade made its way towards the Hawkesbury, shack number ten, by Les Wadham, firmly in our sights. Imagine our horror when we discovered the shack was closed!Disaster was averted when

Banana cupcakes

I’d been hoarding mashed up rotten bananas in my freezer for weeks. When the bananas in the fruit bowl start to get all spotty and soft, I let them sit for a little while longer until they’re a mushy goo, transfer them to an airtight container, mash quickly with a fork, and freeze until required.With a stock of banana mash on hand, and an upcoming picnic with friends, there was no thought but

Good Food Month: Night Noodle Markets, Hyde Park

If you go down to Hyde Park today, you'd better go in disguise...We made it to the second and final week of the Night Noodle Markets, one of the more popular and accessible events during Good Food Month. It's been cold and blustery this week--almost a return to winter temperatures it seems-- but the allure of food stalls, alfresco dining and an opportunity to catch up with friends after work has

Good Food Month Sugar Hit: Kings Cross Hotel, Sydney

Black and white tasting plate:White chocolate panna cotta;Grand Marnier rhubarb and bitter chocolate sorbet with champagne raspberry;and warm chocolate fondant with Frangelico chocolate sauceIt was an impromptu Sugar Hit with a group of foodbloggers that christened my first Good Food Month venture for 2008. Together with Chocolatesuze, Fig & Cherry, Morsels and Musing and Not Quite Nigella, we

A little bit of self-promotion, a little more patience please

It's always an unexpected but pleasant surprise to discover a media mention about Grab Your Fork. And yet there's also a sense of Tall Poppy Syndrome Aussie awkwardness when it comes to self-promotion. I won't deny it's nice to be recognised, but perhaps more exciting is the sense that food blogs are becoming more and more recognised as valid forms of new media. We know they're cool. It's time

Osso bucco

We're rapidly approaching summer but occasional wet days like today are a good excuse to indulge in the last of the stodgy comfort food so relished in winter.Osso bucco is comfort food at its finest. A cheap cut of meat cooked on the bone until meltingly tender, the highlight for me is the bonus dessert of marrow - rich and fatty but delicious.This is a low-maintenance recipe - once you've seared

Crab racing at the Friend in Hand Hotel, Glebe

Crab racing. A drawcard for pubs around Australia, it involves a bucket of hermit crabs, a sheet of numbered stickers and no end of thirsty and raucous punters.We're at the Friend in Hand pub in Glebe, tucked away in the backstreets behind Broadway Shopping Centre, for its weekly crab racing night. But first there must be dinner, which we have in the Cesare's No Names bistro off to one side of

East Ocean, Haymarket - Sydney foodbloggers' yumcha

What do you call a gathering of foodbloggers?A gluttony? A stampede? A paparazzi?I'm undecided about the term, suffice to say twelve foodbloggers met at East Ocean for yum cha on Saturday. We had the corner table right up the back if you happened to be there. The one with ten cameras poised to take photos as each bamboo steamer touched down on the lazy susan airfield. You couldn't miss us!It was

Hunter Valley vineyards and cheese tasting

Very few things bring a smile to my face first thing in the morning. I don't like mornings. Introduce the promise of a hot cooked buffet breakfast however, and somehow I can manage to get out of bed with a decided spring in my step!Our final day of our Hunter Valley mini-break concluded with an itinerary packed with wine and cheese. We had a champagne tasting at 9am, and we needed to line our

Simple malt biscuits recipe

I've always loved the taste of malt: Horlicks, Milo, malted milk biscuits and Maltesers. All are consumed with insatiable gusto. Malt is also the basis of beer and whiskey, but let's face it, it's the sweet stuff that most of us are interested in.So I'm not sure why it took me so long to discover malt extract at the supermarket, but there it was, quietly perched on a shelf above the golden syrup

Kings Cross Organic Market, Potts Point

Lemon sour cake from Birgitta's BitesEn-route to brunch at Yellow Bistro & Food Store, I was pleased to happen upon the Kings Cross Organic Markets, a small but friendly cluster of stalls just past the dandelion-shaped El Alamein Memorial fountain.Foods mix with craft at this laid-back local market, but there's still plenty of bakeries, exotic mushrooms, smoked goods and gourmet teas to tempt the

Huong Huong Restaurant, Marrickville

Squid with lemongrass and chilli $12.00There's something very reassuring about busy suburban restaurants. The kind of places where the crockery may be a little chipped, and the decor is often loud if earnest, but the waitstaff know all their regulars, and the dining room is filled with a cosmopolitan mix of local families, couples and usually one screeching kid right up the back corner.And so we

Good Living Growers' Markets, Pyrmont

Like the corn cobs above, there were small windows of sunshine that blessed an otherwise temperamentally wet and miserable Good Living Growers' Markets today.At 9.30am the crowds were out in force, a hubbub of prams and toddlers and dogs and tourists...Herb posies $10.00Watercress from Darling Mills $2.50Cheese at Formaggi OcelloJersey butter from Johnson's Farmgate $6.00Still craving my Gympie

Travelodge Newcastle Hotel, Newcastle

Mushroom and potato soupSo these photos aren't my best but in the interests of thoroughness, I'm posting them anyway.Our recent weekend mini-break to the Hunter Valley saw us spend the Saturday night at the Travelodge in Newcastle. Only an hour's drive from the vineyards, it easily provided the best value accommodation for our money. There were a few problems reported with air-conditioning units

Make your long weekend sweeter

Only a few more days til a lovely long weekend! Yay!You can make your long weekend sweeter by heading to the Good Living Growers' Markets, mentioning Grab Your Fork to Gena at Sweetness the Patisserie, and taking home a special free gift with any purchase. This exclusive offer has been carried over from last month after the miserable washout at the last Good Living Growers' Markets. Mother Nature

Yellow Bistro & Food Store, Potts Point

Brunch at Yellow.Mention Yellow, and most sweet tooths immediately think of Lorraine Godsmark, Rockpool alumnus and part of date tart legend.I arrive early for brunch but don't complain. There's plenty of eye candy in the adjoining Food Store. I lust quietly over the tins of Ortiz sardines, the fridge full of cheeses and a glass display cabinet flaunting luscious cakes, pastries and handmade

Chinatown Night Markets, Haymarket

Fishball sticks $3.00 eachAlthough reasonably modest in size, there's still a buzz that hangs in the air over the Chinatown Night Markets. Most of the food stalls are huddled down the bottom end of Dixon Street: a mixture of fish balls and steaming bamboo baskets, caramelised squares of barbecued fatty pork and lustworthy trays of all things fried: salt and pepper squid, prawns and mud crab

Morpeth Sourdough Arnotts Bakehouse Restaurant, Morpeth

Boiled sweetsAfter the sobering and somewhat gruesome tour at Maitland Gaol, it was a relief to arrive at the picturesque township of Morpeth, a once-booming river port. It was interesting to discover its rich history that included the birth of famous businesses Soul Pattison Chemists, Brambles and the Arnotts Family. It was also named after the town of Morpeth in England, which is the same

Maitland Jail - tour with an ex-inmate

I spent last weekend on a mini-break to the Hunter Valley with a busload of friends. In charge of the itinerary, I leapt at the chance to include a visit to Maitland Gaol, the longest continuously running correctional facility in Australia when it closed in 1998.Dating back to the 1840s, Maitland Gaol is now a heritage site that has become a popular tourist attraction. We joined the 1.5 hour tour

High tea at the Sofitel Wentworth, Sydney (Lenotre Afternoon Tea)

And so we return.Surprisingly, not much has changed in the 18 months since I first experienced a Lenotre Afternoon Tea at the Sofitel Wentworth hotel.This time I'm here for a baby shower - a gaggle of women and an afternoon of sweet things are a perfect match in oestrogen heaven.The desserts are much the same, although two desserts--the Ambiance and the Camaieu--have been replaced with different

Dinner with friends

Dinner with friends. The perfect night in.Our night started early, time for everyone to gather at M and L's and make dinner together: in one corner was the dumpling station, J using four folds in hers for a rustic look, M creating precise pleats just like a professional. Both learnt how to fold dumplings from their mother. They attempt to teach the rest of us with limited success. We laugh amidst

Keung Kee Seafood Restaurant, Campsie

Steamed oysters with ginger and shallots $2.80 eachA family gathering of 7 adults and 2 toddlers descend on Keung Kee Seafood Restaurant in Campsie. A familiar shopper in the area, I've rarely taken the time to enjoy a meal here, but the matriarch has heard good things and spotted an ad or two in the Chinese newspaper.It's quite a big restaurant in the hustle and bustle of Beamish Street, fish

Mini cupcakes

It's amazing how things in miniature automatically look cute.I recently hosted a lunch for friends and mini-cupcakes seemed the perfect dessert idea - easily prepared in advance (I made these the night before) and petite enough to tempt even the smallest appetite.The recipe was the usual one by Nigella (of course), although this time I used a mini-cupcake tin and after dolloping out half the

Good Living Growers' Markets, Pyrmont

As if on cue, the first day of spring on Monday was full of warmth, sunshine and nary a cloud. The first Good Living Growers' Markets for spring was completely the opposite. Oh Mother Nature, why do you mock us so!!!The determind trudge over the Pyrmont Bridge involved a battle with an umbrella determined to elope with the wind. I put my head down and battled on, the pursuit of good food driving

Don't forget...

Don't forget the Hawkesbury Harvest Farmers and Fine Food Market on today, Friday 10am-2.30pm next to St Mary's Cathedral.There's also a free gift waiting for you at Saturday's Good Living Growers' Markets, 7am - 11am opposite Star City. Gena from Sweetness the Patisserie will give you a free gift with any purchase for any shoppers who mention Grab Your Fork. First in best dressed, so get there

The WatersEdge Restaurant, Sydney

Weddings. There's the big white dress. The Kiss. And my personal highlight: the reception food :)Despite the blustery conditions, the rain held out for the ceremony, the vows exchanged at the end of a red carpet aisle with a spectacular backdrop supplied by Sydney's iconic Opera House.It was only a short stroll to the WatersEdge restaurant beneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge for the reception. It

Free gift for Grab Your Fork readers from Sweetness The Patisserie

It's the first Saturday of this month this weekend and you know what that means... the Good Living Growers Markets at Pyrmont.To celebrate the first markets for spring, Sweetness the Patisserie will be offering a free gift with any purchase for shoppers who mention Grab Your Fork (yes, reading food blogs does have its rewards!). This gourmet treat will be in limited qualities only, so get there

Flavour of Brazil, Leichhardt

I'm sure I could become a vegetarian, if only I didn't like meat so much.And so we find ourselves at Flavour of Brazil, a temple for carnivores in inner-west Leichhardt. The all-you-can-eat Brazilian Churrasco Banquet is gluttonous protein consumption at its finest. Normally priced at $35 per person, we take advantage of the $26 off-peak discount, available all-day Sunday and Monday and Tuesday

Albion Place Hotel, Sydney

Battered flathead and chips, tandoori chicken burger,and grilled snapper filletI remember when the strip along George Street cinemas used to have a Timezone, a Galaxy World, a cafe called New York at the Movies and a seemingly permanent walkway of scaffolding.Today there's a new generation of hotels, cafes, cake shops and clothing stores.In amongst them is the Albion Place Hotel, modern, light

Haldon Street Festival, Lakemba

You don't often encounter a camel on the street in Sydney, but you do at the Haldon Street Festival in cultural melting pot, Lakemba.Perhaps it's just coincedence that I always seem to make it to this annual community festival, or maybe it's because I really do enjoy wandering the stalls, weaving my way through the families, and stopping into the poky Lebanese grocery stores, aromatic Indian

Hawkesbury Harvest Farmers and Fine Food Market, Cook + Phillip Park every Friday

What's a little rain between friends?A wet and gloomy Friday did little to deter Sydney city workers from the launch of the Hawkesbury Harvest Farmers and Fine Food Market at Cook + Phillip Park.To be held every Friday, now there's no excuse for missing your favourite suppliers at the weekend markets. In amongst the jams, trays of plump strawberries and lemon myrtle shampoos were market regulars:

Restaurant 08

The future for Australian restaurants?I was keen to uncover the answers at Restaurant 08, the annual industry event--now in its third year--for restaurant owners, chefs and sommeliers.There was a happy browse amongst the 120+ exhibitors, offering everything from veal jus to cash registers, to uniforms to wagyu. We marvelled at cutlery, crockery, Japanese knives and an amazing electric vegetable

Upcoming events: Sydney food festivals

There's no shortage of food-related events in Sydney. This weekend's highlights include the Hawkesbury Harvest farmers market in the City on Friday and the annual Haldon Street Festival in Lakemba on Saturday.Friday 22 August (then every Friday)10am - 2.30pmHawkesbury Harvest Farmers and Fine Food MarketThe square at Cook + Phillip ParkCollege Street, SydneyFreeFriday 22 August4pm - 8pmGluten

Banana Sour Cream Cake

Who can resist a tantalising slice of moist banana cake? The secret to a tasty banana cake is a well-aged over-ripe banana. I take my banana fermentation quite seriously, allowing the bananas to ripen on the counter for at least two weeks, letting it go until the skin's about to start growing mould - seriously! I then carefully peel the bananas, plop them into a container, give them a quick mash

Sydney events calendar: food festivals and expos

I know, I know, things have been quiet around here lately, but that shouldn't stop you having fun! Get these dates in the diary and enjoy the best of Sydney at its tastiest...*UPDATED*Sunday 17 August10am - 4pmLive GreenWith a kitchen marquee featuring Kylie Kwong, Jared Ingersoll, Joanna Savill and John NewtonVictoria Park, CamperdownFreeSunday 17 August10am - 4pmFerragosto '08 (GYF photos 2007)

Good Living Growers' Markets, Pyrmont

Manna from Heaven cupcakesGolden rays of early morning sunshine warmed our cheeks on Saturday as we browsed the monthly Good Living Growers' Markets. Is there much more to say after 19 posts on this outdoor celebration of tasty treats?We sure do miss the butter lady though. I have a major craving for that hearty spoon-worthy slab of Gympie cultured butter. Is she nary to be seen?Cakes from Manna

Irish soda bread

Baking with yeast can be a daunting prospect, which is why Irish soda bread--which uses baking powder, bicarb and buttermilk to rise--is a easy task for baking beginners to tackle.I love the chewy wholesomeness of Irish soda bread. My Irish friend tells me a traditional way to eat it is with butter and honey, but I much prefer it slathered only in butter, or otherwise sandwiched around a thick

Bankstown Bites Food Festival 2008

Bankstown Bites. The most rewarding fooding festival on the Sydney calendar.I can hardly believe it's been three years since my last visit at the inaugural Bankstown Bites Festival. Since then, the festival has grown in size and popularity. Crowd estimates were set at 15,000 according the Bankstown Council website.The highlight, of course, was the range of free food tours on offer: an opportunity

Bill Granger's buttermilk pancakes

Do crepe pans really make a difference? The friendly folk at Kitchenware Direct recently offered to send me a Scanpan crepe pan to road-test, and who was I to argue?It was also the perfect excuse to test out Bill Granger's recipe for buttermilk pancakes.Bill Granger's buttermilk pancakes2 cups plain flour3 teaspoons baking powder1 pinch salt2 tablespoons sugar2 eggs, lightly beaten3 cups

Shanghai Night, Ashfield

Steamed Shanghai style mini pork bun $6.50(xiao long bao)Sydney's best xiao long bao? Search no more.Despite the class and style of the newly opened Din Tai Fung, it's the cheap and cheerful chaos of Shanghai Night that still wins my heart.Just like Din Tai Fung, the xiao long bao are handmade on-site. Here, however, it's a family-run affair: a modest production line of two sitting discreetly

Chocolate cupcakes

You don't make friends with salad, but you will make mates with cupcakes.These Nigella cupcakes were brought to a barbecue dinner with friends and a hit with everyone. The cupcake batter was flavoured with three tablespoons of cocoa; the buttercream icing made with four tablespoons of cocoa.The only downfall was my laziness: making a double batch in the food processor meant the sugar didn't quite

Lemon curd (or how to use up leftover egg yolks)

Need a recipe to use up those extra egg yolks?With six egg yolks in the fridge after a batch of friands, I made a double batch of the lemon curd recipe listed below. Even then I'd wish I'd made more. Extra thick and zingy with lemon, this is heaven in every spoonful.Use it on toast, in butterfly cakes, in tarts, on sponges, with ice cream or to sandwich meringues.This also makes a lovely gift--if

Blueberry friands

Forget those manufactured oily friands that sit like a brick in your stomach. A homemade friand is deliciously moist with a nutty crumb.But I always save the best for last - the caramelised edge, of course.Blueberry friands6 egg whites185g butter, melted1 cup or 125g almond meal1 1/2 cups or 240g icing sugar mixture1/2 cup or 75g plain flour80g frozen or fresh blueberriesLightly whisk egg whites

Din Tai Fung, Sydney

Xiao long baoDin Tai Fung - the most talked-about dumpling house in Sydney at the moment. From its beginnings as a side business for an oil shop in Taiwan, Din Tai Fung is now a global phenomenon with dumpling houses across China, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, the USA, and now Australia.Dumpling makers hard at workIt's hard not to get excited at first sight of the glass-walled

Good Living Growers' Markets, Pyrmont

Jamberoo blood limesOnly my second trip to the Good Living Growers Markets this year (for shame) but, on the flip side, it meant the surprise discovery of new stalls and new products. Jamberoo blood limes--a new cross between an Ellendale mandarin and the Australian native red pulp fingerlime--packed powerful bite-sized bursts of zing.Cheeses by Formaggi OcelloSweetness the Pattisserie was

Nigella's cupcake recipe (with a chocolate cupcake variation too)

Thank you Nigella.It was a Friday night with girlfriends cooking up all things Nigella: we had the Feast DVD on perpetual pause on the telly, bucketloads of cream in the fridge, and--most important--, hot pink cardigans and Hollywood tape at the ready.Nigella's food processor cupcakes are my latest obsession. Quick to make with a recipe that's easy to remember, these instant crowd-pleasers are

Na Zdrowie, Glebe

Pierogi boiled $15.90Traditional Polish dumplings in creamy tomato and roasted capsicum saucePolish food is made for winter. This stodgy hearty fare is heavy with pork, pickles and potatoes.My second encounter with Polish cuisine saw me head to Na Zdrowie (pronounced na-zdro-vee-ah) in Glebe, a cosy restaurant in a converted terrace that seats 35 at a pinch. Stained pine furnishings abound, one

Good Food & Wine Show 2008

Did someone say #$@*&!It's been Gordon Ramsay mania all week it seems. If he wasn't being interviewed on telly, one of his shows would be scheduled. There was talk of his possible Australian venture, his defence of his tendency to use profanities in the kitchen, him dropping a giant swear jar, promoting his new book and an absolute riot of fans desperate to see him at the Good Food Show.Friday

Blue Eye Dragon, Pyrmont

Prawn dumplings with water chestnuts, shallots and Chinese celery $12Blue Eye Dragon is not your average Taiwanese restaurant. More used to the no-nonsense brusqueness of Mother Chu's, Blue Eye Dragon provides an impressive welcome of mood lighting, crisp tablecloths, real napkins and polished wine glasses waiting on every table.All these niceties are reflected in the price, of course. Twelve

Hazelnut Macaroons

I had the pleasure of encountering my first ever hazelnut macaroon from a tiny family-run bakery in Istanbul, Turkey. A giant swirl wrapped tightly in clingfilm, I took one nibble and swooned at the crusty nutty edge.It got even better. A few more bites and I had reached its moist inner core, a soft chewy heart rich with the goodness of hazelnut. Have you ever eaten something so good, you're

Chocolate workshop at Kimberley Chocolates, Leichhardt

Mmm.... chocolate.It's no coincidence that Homer Simpson's chocolate reverie is my current mobile ring tone. There are few pleasures greater than the clean snap of good dark chocolate, feeling it melt on the tongue in an instant, and being rewarded with a velvety smooth mouthfeel that leaves only a memory of lingering happiness on the palate.And so I found myself surrounded by a dozen like-minded

Hazelnut Bundt Cake

My mother loves hazelnuts, so a hazelnut bundt cake seemed like a perfect birthday treat. I cobbled a few recipes together, splitting the cake in half and sandwiching it back together with cream. Over the top I poured over a thick chocolate icing which was then sprinkled with more hazelnuts for extra crunch.This is quite a dense cake that is more filling than it looks. All those hazelnuts must be

Campsie Food Festival, 2008

Korean noodlesThe annual Campsie Food Festival was the usual celebration of all things multicultural and delicious.Beamish Street was closed down to traffic as locals crammed the festival sampling dishes from Fiji, Thailand, Hungary, Turkey, Japan, China, Indonesia and more.Despite ominous weather forecasts, the sun shone on ensuring a tasty day out for one and all.Fruit carvingsIndonesian

Gingernut biscuits

I've always had a thing for Arnotts gingernut biscuits, so hard and toffee-like you had to dip them into your tea to soften them, or risk cracking a tooth.There are no nuts in gingernuts, but apparently they're named as such (mainly in Australia and the UK) because of their specific hardness--they're hard as a nut to crack. Americans prefer to call them ginger snaps. I just call them delicious.I

Dashi Korean Cafe and Restaurant, Sydney

EDIT 25/07/08: Dashi has now closed.Deep-fried chicken in sweet and spicy sauce $17.99 (normally $28)KFC is set for world domination. Long live KFC!No we're not talking about the Colonel and his seven secret spices, but Korean Fried Chicken and boy, are we talking!Panchan side dishesFiguro can't wait to show us his latest find - a hole-in-the-wall eatery that serves "fried chicken to die for!!"

The Wentworth Hotel, Homebush West

300gram T-bone steak $5.00Available every Friday 5pm-9pmonly during the month of MayI've been dragged to The Wentworth by Veruca, who insists this is one of the best $5 steaks she's even eaten.She's right. There's plenty of meat on that T-bone, along with a hunger-busting mound of crunchy steak-cut chips and a cursory nod to some salad. Even better, the steaks come with your choice of sauce:

Lamb leftover special

Who doesn't love a fridge leftover special?There's a little bit of magic that happens when you turn fridge leftovers into something that both looks and tastes good. Like you deliberately planned on having half a bunch of yellowing parsley and some cold slices of leftover roast lamb in preparation for a lazy weekend lunch.Lamb leftover specialMake a rough tabbouleh salad by finely chopping half a

The Monkey Bar, Balmain

Suckling pig $20.00available only on Tuesdays Ahhh suckling pig. Let's not think about scenes from Babe, but instead appreciate the glorious sight of --ooh! the crackling! ahh the tender flesh!Tuesday night is Suckling Pig and Mussels night at the Monkey Bar in Balmain. A recent change in restaurant management meant our Entertainment Card was rejected, but we stayed in the bar anyway, swayed by

Chocolate truffle mud cake

What do you bake for the resident chocoholic? This chocolate truffle mud cake was a recent hit.Decadently rich with the bitterness of dark chocolate, the texture remains deliciously light and silky, reminiscent of a chocolate truffle centre. Essentially it's a chocolate ganache with eggs and sugar. It reminded me of a dense chocolate mousse, the moistness meaning there are no crumbs on your plate

Lovedale Long Lunch competition: the winners

Congratulations to:1. Hong L, and2. John Rwho have each won prize packages for two people to attend the Lovedale Long Lunch. Each prize package is worth $148. Please check your email for your prize pick-up details.Thank you to everyone who entered. This year, a total of 153 entries were received, up from 98 entries last year.Didn't win? You can still head to the Lovedale Long Lunch.

Temasek, Parramatta

Hainanese chicken (half) boneless $11.80The rumours are true.The Hainanese chicken at Temasek is gloriously good. Incredibly moist, succulent and silky in texture, it ranks among the best I've ever tasted. The only thing missing is the chicken rice, a mound of rice cooked in chicken stock that is served only with individual servings, not the half-chicken platter we've ordered for our table.I'd

3 days to go

Current number of Lovedale Long Lunch competition entries: 130Value of prize package: $146Number of prizes: 2Current chance of winning: 1 in 65Competition deadline: 6.00pm Tuesday May 6, 2008More info: hereand for anyone who's interested, the recent green tea cake post now comes with photo.

Only six days to go! Win tickets to the 2008 Lovedale Long Lunch

Have you submitted your entry to win free tickets to the 2008 Lovedale Long Lunch?So far I have 107 entries. Is yours one of them? There are only six days to go!Read all the competition details hereand don't forget to submit your entry by 6.00pm Tuesday May 6, 2008.My pics from the media launch can now be seen on the official Lovedale Long Lunch website too.

Green tea marble cake

Gung Che Num PlaKing prawn cocktail with spicy garlic and lemon dressingwith Khai Look Koei son-in-law eggsThe G-man always feeds us well.At a recent dinner party for eight, we knew we were in for a feast. We started with a fancy looking prawn entree surrounded by quartered son-in-law eggs. A barely-cooked prawn curled its way into a plunge pool of hot and tangy dressing, intensely flavoured with

The Australian Heritage Hotel, The Rocks, Sydney

BBQ emu pizza $14.50 small
with Spanish onion, fresh basil leaves and cherry tomatoes

There are few things better than beer and pizza with friends, bathed in a late burst of autumnal sunshine in the bliss of a long weekend.


Crispy bacon pizza $19.50 large
with mushrooms, tomatoes, spanish onions
and tasty cheese

The Australian Heritage Hotel has long been a favourite with locals, office

Sunday brunch: French toast with caramelised banana and crispy bacon

The perfect indulgent breakfast.Dunk stale bread (I used up my bread crusts) in a beaten mixture of eggs with a splash of milk. Remove the bread and set aside whilst you heat your frypan.Add a small amount of oil to the frypan and swirl. Briefly dunk the bread in the egg mixture again and then fry both sides until golden.At the same time, panfry one banana sliced lengthwise and a few strips of

Brigadoon at Bundanoon: the 32nd Annual Highland Gathering

Who doesn't appreciate a man in a kilt?We made the trip to Bundanoon in the Southern Highlands for the 32nd annual Brigadoon Highland Gathering a few weekends ago. The promise of haggis, black pudding and shortbread was too good to resist, let alone the excitement of watching the Highland Games that included caber tossing, haggis throwing and lifting of the Stones of Manhood, a feat that features

Mere Catherine, Potts Point

Lucifer soupIntimate and cosy are the first two words I'd use to describe Mere Catherine, an old-fashioned (some would say "retro") French bistro in Potts Point that has fostered a legion of loyal fans over the years.It used to be that one would have to knock at the heavy door of Mere Catherine, whereupon the curtains would twitch slightly, and, legend has it, Nanette would peer out the window

Hooters, Parramatta

Now I'm not normally one to hang out at Hooters on a Tuesday night but mention chicken wings and I'm all there In The Name of Research.KIDS EAT FREE TUESDAY proclaims the huge banner outside, and I'm wondering whether families do actually head here for a different type of Happy Meal. Yes, they do, I discover, as we head inside, two families arriving shortly after us. Most patrons are male, as I'd

Life can get in the way of blogging. Sure things have been quiet around here, but the eating has continued, even if the backlog of posts steadily grows.And whilst eating out is always fun, the best type of meal is always a home-cooked one. There's nothing more satisfying than converting a jumble of random ingredients into a delicious meal. I love the flexibility and speed of pasta, and within an

Lovedale Long Lunch, 17-18 May 2008 (win free tickets too!)

Good food, good wine and good music. These are the key ingredients of the upcoming annual Lovedale Long Lunch.Lovedale Long Lunch media launchAll three flowed freely at the media launch last week, celebrating this novel outdoor concept that is now in its 15th year.How does it work? Every year, on the third weekend in May, visitors lunch their way around seven participating vineyards on or near

Encasa Restaurant, Sydney

Albondigas $11.00Beef meatballs in almond sauceI like this end of Pitt Street, the southern end near the Capitol Theatre. Here on this block you find a backpacker hostel, a dim sim factory, the Chamberlain Hotel on the corner and an assortment of cheap and cheerful Thai restaurants.And then there's Encasa, a little patch of Spain in Thainatown, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it entrance were it not for

You could win...

The media launch for the annual Lovedale Long Lunch was held last Thursday, and once again I've brokered a photos-for-prizes deal with the lovely organisers.That's right. You, lucky reader, have the chance to win a fantastic prize package that will see you sipping and supping your way through participating Hunter Valley vineyards.Check back here on Wednesday 19 March for the entire delicious

Koh-Ya Yakiniku Japanese BBQ Restaurant, Neutral Bay

Beef loin, beef harami and chickenFour words that elicit thrill yet terror: all you can eat.For ninety minutes you can order and eat all you like at Koh-Ya. The seafood and yakiniku buffet will set you back $39.80; 44 different dishes and two desserts may set you back three belt holes or more.Ox tongueWe revel in the Japanese tavern style atmosphere at Koh-Ya, the front room furnished with a

Crocodile Senior Thai, Haymarket Chinatown

Grilled marinated pork with sticky rice $8.00Crocodile Senior Thai?The restaurant name always stops people mid-sentence. It makes a little more sense when I explain that there's a sister restaurant called Crocodile Junior Thai in Bondi Junction.Ah. I see. Um, kinda.Chilli basil stir-fry with roast duck $10.50We head here for a weekday lunch, noting the restaurant rapidly filling to capacity by