Win a Beerenberg prize hamper worth $50

It's a timely coincidence that whilst I'm currently in Adelaide for Tasting Australia, this week's Freebie Friday comes from Beerenberg, located in Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia. If you're keen for updates on what I'm up to in Adelaide, simply follow @grabyourfork on Twitter.THE PRIZE:One Beerenberg prize hamper worth $50, containing:1 x Apricot jam1 x Strawberry jam1 x

Tuong Lai, Cabramatta

My first review for Time Out Sydney. The following piece in Tuong Lai has been published in the May 2010 issue as part of my new monthly column. My focus? To uncover hidden gems in the 'burbs.

Writing to a word limit was challenging, and even then, about 15% of my submission hit the editing room floor. I've duplicated the review as it appears in Time Out Sydney but added all the photos I

Guess who has their own column in Time Out Sydney

Hello, I'm a food blogger and I now have a monthly review column in Time Out Sydney.

I know. I know. It's crazy, huh?

Each month I'll be writing a review piece about an untapped culinary Sydney gem. The idea is to focus on out-of-the-way places, providing a brief snapshot of places serving interesting food in the suburbs of Sydney.

My first review appears in the May issue which is out today

Sensory Lab, Melbourne

You don't usually expect a lab coat with your coffee order, but at the Sensory Lab in Melbourne, the making of coffee is a strictly scientific affair.Originally we'd had best intentions to visit famed coffee shop St Ali, but on the morning of our day last in Melbourne, we just missed the tram, the next one wasn't due for 25 minutes and time was ticking down to our departure flight back to

Interview: Ten Questions with Ashley Hughes, Alio + Win Two Tickets to a Pasta-Making Masterclass

Tracey and Ashley Hughes with their fatherSome people know, from a very early age, exactly what they want to do in life.Ashley Hughes was one of them. At age 15, he left school determined to become a chef, commencing an apprenticeship with Greg Doyle and Steve Hodges from Pier and completing it at Bennelong restaurant with Janni Kyritsis and Gay Bilson.In 1996 Ashley left Sydney to work overseas,

Becasse, Sydney - Producers' Forum

Canapé – Sorbello Heirloom tomato tartsJustin North has a particular affection for game. His restaurant, Bécasse, is French for woodcock, a small gamebird mostly found in the Northern Hemisphere.It goes some way to explaining Justin's noticeable excitement at today's Producers' Lunch Forum - one that will feature spanner crab, mushrooms and game. As we learn more about the people behind each

How To Take Better Food Photos and the Rise of the Food Paparazzi

The food paparazzi.It's serendipitous that just as I'm writing this post about food photography, the LA Times publishes an article about the rise in diners taking photographs of their meals in restaurants.Everyone, it seems, is taking pre-dinner snapshots. The article says:Taking a cue from Twitter and Facebook cultures, serious foodies and casual consumers alike are using digital technology to

Park Hyatt Sydney chardonnay tasting dinner

The eighties are back in fashion and winemakers are hoping that chardonnay will be too. This is the message we receive at a recent chardonnay tasting dinner with Heemskerk winemaker Anna Pooley at the Park Hyatt Sydney.The chardonnays of 2010, we are reassured, are not like the ones from twenty-five years ago. Shoulder pads may be back, explains event co-host and lifestyle columnist Melissa Hoyer

Win a magic Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs umbrella

It's raining meatballs!Alas, those fantastic scenes from food movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs are unlikely to eventuate, but winning this magic umbrella is the next best thing...Thanks to Raje from Hausmann Communications, I have five magic umbrellas to give away for this Freebie Friday. Why are they magic? When the white patches on the umbrella get wet, they reveal pictures of hamburgers

New Shanghai, Chatswood

Don't you love a menu that's the size of a newspaper?Its unwieldy size is presumably the reason why Shez and I only receive one menu to peruse between us. If we had one each we wouldn't see each other over the top of it.After a day of shopping, a lunch of dumplings is the perfect antidote for sore feet. It takes some time to find the entrance to Chatswood outlet of New Shanghai on Victoria

Abbotsford Convent Bakery Breadmaking Workshop, Melbourne

Is baking bread one of life's greatest pleasures?I used to have a fear of bread - dealing with yeast seems fraught with failure - but like most things, the only thing holding you back from success is simply your own hesitancy.Making bread in your own home is a rewarding experience, and I love that the simple combination of flour, water and yeast can turn into a beautifully baked loaf of bread,

Miso, World Square, Sydney

Tonkatsu is not just crumbed pork - it's a religious experience.

With a national cuisine celebrated for its low-fat sashimi, sushi and reviving miso soup, I love that when it comes to deep-fried food, the Japanese really know how to party. Whether it's light and aerated puffs of tempura, or the crunchy satisfaction of a panko crumb coating, there's always a deep appreciation of the elegance

Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream

Salted chocolate mousse and salted caramel macaronsImages from The Salt Book, Arbon PublishingSalt in desserts seem like a new and brilliant idea until you realise that people have actually been doing it for ages. In Thailand, fruits like pineapple and green mango are eaten with chilli and salt, and Vietnamese desserts often incorporate a pinch of salt in the coconut milk. In Brittany, they've

Sydney Royal Easter Show 2010

"What do you think we'll see at the Easter Show today?" asked one Mum of her kids on the train to the Easter Show."Um... dogs? And sheep? And um... pigeons!" came the contemplative but excited response.But no mention of ducks, and yet these three ducks stole the show for everyone. They wobbled past Suze and I along the road - we thought they were toys or puppets at first, their long necks swaying

Robosaurus, Sydney Royal Easter Show 2010

The Sydney Royal Easter Show brings out the kid in everyone. As Suze and I watch the Robosaurus stir into action in the main arena, however, it's the first time I've seen an entire stadium turn into awestruck seven-year-old boys.The Robosaurus is a 27-tonne fire-breathing robot that likes to munch on cars. Standing 12m tall, or the equivalent of a five-storey building, the Robosaurus has moving

Claypot King, Melbourne

What food do you crave when you're feeling ill?More often than not, it's a dish that harks back to your childhood. Something simple and comforting with clean flavours that arent overly complex.After two days of non-stop gluttony in Melbourne, Billy and I were already starting to feel a little green around the gills. A post-dinner snack of caramel-filled churros followed by Lord of the Fries hot