No-knead easy crusty bread

Homemade bread. Just looking at this picture makes my mouth water.I love how a simple party involving yeast, flour and a sprinkle of salt can result in something so beautiful. I'm still learning my way around the potential of yeast so pulling this gorgeous loaf out of the oven did make my heart flutter just a little.This recipe has been doing the rounds all over the internet. It's not hard to see

Stomach's Eleven and a whole suckling pig

Crisping the crackling on the suckling pigI know. The irony of a post on suckling pig in the midst of a swine flu outbreak is not lost on me.But this pig. It was consumed last week in a world where pork still made people happy. It made us very happy. Oh happy indeed.Ru zhu quang tiBarbecue whole pigletPerhaps not so happy for the piglet. He in his silver-lined red cardboard box, skull flayed in

Grotta Capri, Kensington, Sydney

EDIT: Grotta Capri has now closed.

If you've been watching the second series of Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities, you cannot have missed noticing the scenes featuring Robert "Aussie Bob" Trimbole in his favourite restaurant Grotta Capri.

I'd first noticed this restaurant when we'd dined at Sushi Tengoku, only a few doors up the road, but for many older Sydneysiders, it's one filled with

A Table for Nine

My camera parking spotGiven that we were in his 'hood, Billy was recently kind enough to invite us to an Easter barbecue lunch. It was not his usual Table For Two, but rather a table for nine, and a great chance to catch up with mutual friends over good food and tasty sangria.Snapper stuffed with lemon slicesIf there's one thing I admire in any home chef, it's the presence of calm. Billy has

Markets, Mingara and mementoes at The Entrance

The Entrance Lions Club MarketsMarkets. We'd barely left our holiday apartment at The Entrance when we pulled over to the side of the road upon spotting the local markets. I love scouring second-hand stalls - an irresistible combination of shopping and bargain hunting, not to mention a chance to mosey at other people's eclectic wares and ponder their history.Local ocean honey $4and Trinidad

Surf Spot Cafe, The Entrance

Jackie's Bowls ShopA week without internet? It's enough to make any twitterer clutch their chest with panic.But you know what? It is possible. Truly.I spent my Easter break up at The Entrance with family and it's amazing how much free time you have if you're forcibly disconnected from online distractions. I made good use of the pool and the sauna after dinner, or found myself curled up on the

Sydney Royal Easter Show 2009: The Racing and Diving Pigs

Mogul Miss Fontenot 12thBrahman cattle femaleAfter covering the Woolworths Fresh Food Dome and the cake decorating at the Sydney Royal Easter Show, it was time to move onto the animals and the food.But first we needed sustenance.Cheese on a stick with fresh lemonadeChocolatesuze likes her cheese. This was her second cheese on a stick for the day. She would later have one more for a personal Show

Sydney Royal Easter Show 2009

Ahhh the Easter Show. It brings out the kid in all of us doesn't it?A celebration of agriculture and livestock, it's one of the few times in which we all earnestly celebrate our ties to the land.Whilst childhood memories are inevitably tinted with sentimentality, attending as an adult gives you free financial rein to create your own version of an idyllic day out. Deep-fried food included.Queuing

Recipe: Hot cross buns

There's something so satisfying about baking with yeast. The transformation of yeast and flour into something alive and growing is magical indeed, and there's a certain empowering pleasure in transforming a warm and fermenting blob of grey into great big pillows of fluffy bread that looks and smells fantastic.Hot cross buns are always a crowd favourite and homemade versions taste like no other.

Bodega Tapas Bar, Surry Hills

No reservations.Whilst I respect a restaurant's right to uphold a no-bookings policy, it does require the tedium of organisation, a willingness to dine early and a contract with friends to arrive on time (rah!) unless you're prepared to queue.That's partly why it's taken me so long to get to Bodegas Tapas Bar. Despite all the rave reviews and glowing endorsements, it had always seemed that

Chefs of Merivale Gala Dinner

Wow.After delighting in a backstage tour before the Chefs of Merivale Gala Dinner--sampling the canapes and talking to the chefs in the banquet kitchen downstairs--we food bloggers fully expected to be escorted out the door once the official dinner was served. At $300 a head, the six-course dinner would not only herald the conclusion of the first March into Merivale campaign, but would also be

One night of hot pot

Ahhh.... the onset of winter.As the last echoes of summer subside, I find myself looking forward to the cooler months. Cold nights mean bigger appetites and that paves the way for hearty portions of comfort food. Hurrah.Our latest Stomach's Eleven venture saw us descend on the home of M&L for a night of hot pot or steamboat. There's a little bit of prep work involved for the host, but for the

Behind-the-scenes at the Chefs of Merivale Gala Dinner

CanapesThe tides. They are a-turning.At the start of the month, Grab Your Fork, along with several other Sydney food blogs, reported on the March Into Merivale launch party. Open to anyone and everyone, it was a great evening. Free food, free drinks, lots of photos, a chance for some chef ogling and did I mention the free food? We ate, we photographed, we blogged the evening in all its glory.