I'm back!

Food keyrings in OsakaI'm back!How did three weeks in Japan fly past so quickly?Japan was a blast. Highlights included the ice sculptures at the Sapporo Snow Festival, seeing the snow monkeys (Japanese macaques) in Nagano enjoying their outdoor onsen, and making a day trip to Kobe for a lunch of Kobe beef. Rest assured, there'll be plenty of Japan-related entries to come once I wade through the

New Shanghai, Ashfield

"All I want is crab."There is only one dish in Suze's mind when we head to New Shanghai in Ashfield for a spur-of-the-moment dinner. It's the crab cooked in salted egg yolk. "Mmmm..... salty....." she whispers in anticipation when we place our order.Famous New Shanghai steamed mini pork bun $6.80But first, we must have xiao long bao. It's not a proper visit to a Shanghainese restaurant without a

Stomachs Eleven: Mussel mania

It started at Bathers. As we slurped and scraped our way through the bowl of mussels on the table, the G-man suddenly asked "Do you remember the time we had the all-you-can-eat mussels at Bungalow 8?"I nod, ruefully."We had four pots!" Gun declares proudly to the assembled throng. "Four kilos! Each!"Heading shaking, I make a wan sort of smile. Oh yes, I remembered. I had eaten about ten mussels

Bathers Pavilion Cafe, Balmoral Beach

The best thing about a restaurant no-bookings policy is that impromptu plans can be easily made, even though it's late on a Friday afternoon.The Bathers' Pavilion Cafe is the casual but more budget-friendly side to Bathers' Pavilion. Patrons enter the same glass door at the front, a view of the sand and crystal blue waters of Balmoral Beach beckoning on the other side. On the left is the

Stomachs Eleven: A Shanghainese Banquet

The best kind of meal? One cooked by Mum and Dad.Make that a meal cooked by any Mum and Dad because tonight Stomachs Eleven have descended on the home of L&M. M's parents, who are in town for the week, find themselves with a whole hoard of eager extra mouths to feed. We'd been promised a Shanghainese feast and we could barely get there fast enough.It's hard to fathom the number of dishes already

Freebie Friday: Win two tickets to a Beef and Beer Masterclass

Beef and beer. How can you go wrong? This week's Freebie Friday is a Beef and Beer Masterclass by MUMU Grill.The Beef and Beer Masterclass by MUMU Grill follows on from its wildly successful launch during the Sydney International Food Festival last year. Initially expecting to fill just one class of 12, overwhelming demand led them to run six classes. As a result, MUMU will be hosting this as a

Konnichi wa

Konnichi wa from Japan. It's cold here but we are having a ball.Those of you following @grabyourfork on twitter will have noticed a sporadic stream of photos. If you're not on twitter, here's a brief update on a few things I've seen so far...[Click the pics for larger versions]Today's Osaka find. Soft boiled eggs from the convenience store!Probs with kids not eating their meals? That's because

Jasmin, Lakemba

Falafel $6"Oh. My. God."I tend to get nervous whenever I recommend a dish or a restaurant, plagued by a moment of self-doubt when the moment of truth arrives.The falafel at Jasmin's are the best I've ever tasted," I confidently declare to Simon and Yas, but even when the dish arrives, I'm a little uncertain.I needn't have worried. Simon takes a bite and then nods in approval. Yas adds a chortle

Beer tasting dinner at MuMu Grill, Crows Nest

"Jamon, Aussie, Jamon... Jamon"This, I think, should be the cheer I will sing at all functions from now on.Tonight I'm at a beer tasting dinner at MUMU Grill, a preview event by owner and head chef Craig Macindoe before the soon-to-be regular event is launched to the public in March. We're also among the first to check out the new private dining room, a previously underutilised alcove that has

Itadakimasu

Kaiseki course, KyotoKonnichi wa!By the time you read this, I will probably have already boarded my early morning flight to Japan. Oh yes, the lure of a cut-price budget airline flight was too good to resist!Over the course of three weeks, we'll be eating our way around Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo and Takayama with a brief side-trip to Seoul, just because we can!Watching television in my capsule in

Freebie Friday: Win a case of Sauvignon Blanc from Jed Wines

Why would three Australian winemakers travel half-way across the world to make wine in Argentina?The story of Jed Wines is best told by Tom Egan, Jed Director and one of the winemakers who makes the annual trek."When it comes to wine, the environment the grape vine grows obviously plays such a huge role in the resulting wine. What we loved about Argentina is that the climate is so different and

Bagan Burmese Restaurant, Strathfield

Pae parata $5.50The food of Burma isn't widely known or recognised around the world. Sydneysiders, blessed with such a diversity of restaurants at their fingertips, have a specialist Burmese restaurant in their own backyard.Burma shares borders with several countries in Southeast Asia: China, Laos, Thailand, Bangladesh and India, and has borrowed elements from all of them to create a unique style

Immanuel Cafe Restaurant, Ultimo

A huddle of taxi drivers is always a good sign.I'm talking about taxi drivers at eating establishments. Surely with free transport at their disposal, their endorsement of any restaurant is worth noting?There's a group of four taxi drivers outside Immanuel, a simple and barely furnished cafe that serves homestyle Indonesian food. It's not our first stop for the evening. Feeling in need of