Golden Sichuan Restaurant, Haymarket Chinatown

Professional trencherman. I think that's what I'd like to put on my next business card.It's the one word which is actually meaningful on the garbled Chinglish ode to Sichuan cuisine at the entrance to Golden Sichuan Restaurant. A trencherman, according to the dictionary, is a hearty eater, its origin explained by its medieval usage as some who "frequents another's table; a hanger-on or parasite".

Eveleigh Farmers' Market

Don't forget the Eveleigh Farmers' Market officially starts this Saturday. One presumes there'll be no suckling pigs on offer like last year's Christmas Market but an undercover weekly farmers market in the inner city is just what Sydneysiders want and need.View Larger MapEveleigh Farmers' MarketEvery Saturday 8am-1pm243 Wilson Street, Darlingtonnear the corner of Codrington Streetabout a ten

A quick trip to the US of A

Pop Tarts $8.95Growing up on a diet of Judy Blume, Trixie Belden, Paul Zindel and Robert Cormier novels, it was always the paragraphs about American food that intrigued the most.What were these magical treats called Tootsie Rolls, Twinkies and Kool-Aid? In an era pre-Internet--yes really!--these unknown mysteries could only be pictured in my imagination. For years I pictured a bowl filled with

Harry's Bar de Ville at Bay Tinh, Marrickville

Bo luc lacTender beef cubes sauteed in special sauceserved with pepper and lemon juice"Toto, I don't think we're in Marrickville anymore..."Except we are in Marrickville, and we're in a bar. A bar. With cherry red textured floral wallpaper, and wall-to-wall timber and fancy light fittings. Are you sure I'm not in Newtown?I say this because the change in Marrickville's landscape over the past

1000 posts prize giveaway: The lucky winners!

Everybody likes freebies, and it was clear that readers agreed with a flood of entries for the prize giveaways celebrating 1,000 posts on Grab Your Fork. A whopping 852 entries were received in total.I wish that everyone could win, but alas, there will only be eight lucky people shrieking over their emails this morning. Congratulations to all the winners - you should have already received your

Lowenbrau Keller, The Rocks, Sydney

Schweinshaxn $31Oven-roasted pork knuckle with sauerkraut, Löwenbräu bier sauce and mashed potatoYou've just had chocolate for breakfast. What would you have for lunch?Pork knuckle.Of course.Because I'm with chocolatesuze and if there's one thing I've learnt from my eating adventures with her, it's that she's always ready to move onto her next feast.There's a kind of wild woman crazy-eyed look

For the Love of Food: 50 of the World's Best Food Blogs

Food blogs are finally in fashion.After several years of having to explain a) what is a blog and b) why I photograph my meals, it seems that finally, finally, people get it. At least in the UK, anyway.On Wednesday of this week, the UK Times Online headlined their Food & Drink section with the article The Art of Food Blogging. Far from a quirky personality piece about eccentric foodies, Lynne

Boon Chocolates, Darlinghurst

I couldn't imagine going into business with my brother. Or any family member. But brother and sister team Alex and Fanny Chan have done just that, and look sheepishly happy for it.It's been a series of serendipitous events and deliberate detours that led to the creation of Boon Chocolates, one of the latest handmade chocolate boutiques to open in Sydney. Listening to her heart and making a

Origami 101: DIY Chopstick Rest

In case anyone was wondering, this is how you make a chopstick rest out of the chopstick paper wrapper...with thanks to the G-man for acting as hand model.Stylish, functional and a great time-filler whilst waiting for your food to arrive.

Wakana Yakiniku Restaurant, Artarmon

Kuriimu korotte $10.00Cream croquetteThere's always something happening when you eat yakiniku. Yakiniku, or grilled meat, involves a smoking hot grill, lots of dishes arriving on your already crowded table, and a frenetic pace of food photography. Argh!But when the food tastes this good, you want to capture each detail. We head to Wakana on the recommendation of M&L, a non-descript restaurant on

Interview rescheduled

Just a quick note that ABC Sydney will be broadcasting the Melbourne memorial service this Sunday, as part of the National Day of Mourning to honour those affected by the Victorian bushfires.As a result, the aforementioned interview segment on food writing has had to be rescheduled. I will advise the new air date and time in the week prior.If you would like to make a donation to the Victoria

Grab Your Fork goes live on air

EDIT: Interview has been rescheduled due to broadcast of the Victoria bushfires memorial service in Melbourne. Will advise new interview date/time if and when it happens.Grab Your Fork goes live!I'll be interviewed on 702 ABC Sydney this Sunday, along with John Newton and Chris Mansfield on a discussion panel about food writing.Simon Marnie, host of 702 Weekends and long-time follower of Grab

Salted chocolate and cranberry cookies

Sydney weather has turned of late. Is it summer or winter? From week to week, Mother Nature weather can't seem to make up her mind.This weekend has been cold and wet. Last weekend was hot and dry. Two weekends ago it was unbelievably hot. That dry suck-the-breath-out-of-you kind of hot where your body radiates heat and trees seem to shimmer in the distance.What did we do? We had a picnic of

The definition of romance

It's Valentine's Day today. I've never really bought into the whole overpriced-roses-on-one-token-day-of-the-year concept, but that doesn't mean I don't believe in romance. Because as much as men think that women are swayed by expensive jewellery, five-star dining and miniature carry bags in Tiffany blue, the best way to worm your way into any girl's heart is time and effort. Trust me on this one

Crocodile Farm Hotel, Ashfield

$10 rump steak specialwith mushroom sauce, salad and chipsYou wouldn't expect to find a swanky bar in downtown Ashfield, but here we are at the Crocodile Farm Hotel and the recent revamp is obvious. Upstairs there's a flood of natural light, a balcony with giant plasma screen, booth seating and sleek white tables and chairs. It seems a world away from Shanghai Night across the road, but that's

Passionflower, Sydney

Final Fantasy $14.00Black sesame and coconut ice creams accompanied by cool refreshing pieces of black jellydrowned in a shot of evaporated milkI remember when the cinema section of George Street was never-ending scaffolding, wooden board footpaths and giant long-abandoned holes in the ground. Now the area is filled with shiny buildings, trendy apartment complexes, and new restaurants and cafes

Tet Festival, Fairfield Showground

Fresh sugar cane juiceThe Chinese celebrate Chinese New Year. The Vietnamese call it Tet. Every year Tet is celebrated by Sydney's Vietnamese community, culminating in a huge festival open to all. For years this event had been held at Warwick Farm, but this year it made the move to the Fairfield Showground. Speedy and I headed over to check out all the action with friends - a first time visit for

Plan B by becasse, Sydney

EDIT: Plan B has now closed. Becasse and Becasse Bakery are now open on Level 5, Westfield Sydney
This little piggy went to Becasse.

This little piggy went to Plan B.

It's hard to tell which excited me more: the prospect of sinking my teeth into one of Justin North's famous wagyu burgers, or watching a delivery man hoist a whole pig onto his shoulder and walk past us into Becasse.

Because

Taste of Sydney Festival media launch

Does any city do al fresco dining better than Sydney?The Taste Festival finally comes to Sydney after its inception in London, and a rapid-fire international take-up in cities including Dublin, Dubai, Cape Town and Melbourne. The concept allows the public to sample some of Sydney's hottest and best restaurants in the outdoor sunshine of Centennial Park over four days in March.Jared Ingersoll of

Chinese New Year Banquet at Makan at Alice's, Thornleigh

Course #1: Yee sangIt's a family tradition of ours to celebrate birthdays by eating out together at a restaurant. The two Aquarians always get a combined celebration and at their behest, we headed to Makan at Alice's for their annual Chinese New Year banquet.Readers with good memories will remember that I'd already attended and blogged this banquet last year. Sadly the menu remains exactly the

Ten Ren Cha for Tea, Chatswood

Lemon green tea with ai-yu gelatin $7.50Green tea ice cream with red bean icee and qq $7.50Lemon green tea with ai-yu gelatin $6.50I'm hopeless when it comes to ordering from a menu. It's a serious undertaking that requires assessment, adventure and a little bit of intuition.So when I first open the menu at Ten Ren Tea in Chatswod, I'm a little taken aback. There are over 200 different drinks

El Jannah, Granville

You can smell the charcoal from a block away. Its smoky tendrils waft toward us, taunting us, calling us, whetting our appetite and making our footsteps to El Jannah just that little bit faster.El Jannah means paradise or heaven in Arabic. It's a spiritual destination that many of El Jannah's most loyal customers profess to visit. The friend who recommended it to me closed her eyes as she told me

Chinese New Year Parade, Sydney

Chinese lion dancersThe Chinese New Year Parade is always a highlight in Sydney's Chinese New Year celebrations. This year the parade was held at night-time for the first time, a move that brought a new dynamic of darkness and neon.We took up positions on Goulburn Street at 6.00pm. Originally advertised as starting at 7.30pm, the heaving crowds were getting restless and a little agitated by

Ocean Room, Sydney

Soft shell crab tacos Spiced, crispy fried served with pickled vegetables and crispy wafersSoft shell crab tacos. You may as well substitute those four words with "heaven in every mouthful". And whilst soft shell crab seem to be as ubiquitous as pork belly on restaurant menus, I think that Raita Noda's version is one of the best.Once his signature dish at former restaurant Rise (a dish I first