Newtown food tour

Is there a greater adventure than one that revolves around food?We set off on a Newtown food tour today, a group of food bloggers led by Newtown local John. Food lovers are naturally treasure troves of information, and the mutual sharing of knowledge when it comes to a cuisine or a suburb is always rewarding and inspiring. I still remember the first food tour - an Indian spice tour of

Win one of three Rochester Ginger drink double gift packs

Did you spot Rochester Ginger in Sydney over the last two weeks? Keen foodies may have tasted this spicy non-alcoholic ginger drink which popped up at both the Good Food & Wine Show as well as the Aroma Festival in The Rocks.The Rochester Ginger drink is made to a Dickensian recipe and contains 14% raw ginger root, as well as raisins, cowslip herb and elderflower. It promises to unleash "the kick

Food Bloggers' Dinner - taking over the kitchen at Bistro CBD

Food bloggers. What do they know about cooking in a commercial kitchen?As of last night, four Sydney food bloggers found out a whole lot more, after gaining access to the other side of the pass at Bistro CBD when they were enlisted to cook dinner for 70 paying guests.The Food Bloggers' Dinner was a brave initiative by Merivale, who agreed to let four amateur cooks into their kitchen as part of

Kopi Luwak at Olio, St Leonards, Sydney

Charcuterie plate $13Prosciutto, Spanish salami, bresaola, roasted olives, pickles and grilled sourdoughThe smart Mediterranean brasserie, Olio, is the last thing you'd expect to find at The Forum, a jostle of takeaway stores, a supermarket and a non-stop thoroughfare of commuters. It's barely a dozen steps away from the humdrum of train travel, but Olio is an oasis of calm - a warm and

Apam balik, Kek Look Tong temple caves and suckling pig

Hot and steamy.

Perfect adjectives for a Saturday night, but not so appealing when it's mid-afternoon in downtown Ipoh, Malaysia.
A takeaway bag of freshly squeezed kalamansi juice, packed with ice and a little salty from a ball of salted plum, does wonders.
We had just come from Kek Look Tong, a temple cave that offered cool refuge from the unrelenting heat, and one of Ipoh's main tourist

Win two tickets to the Efendy Celebration Dinner worth $110

It's Friday. Let's celebrate!This week's Freebie Friday celebrates Turkish cuisine with a prize for two tickets to the Efendy Celebration Dinner on August 19. This special one-off dinner follows on from the announcement of Istanbul as the European Capital of Culture for 2010. Each year the European Union chooses a city to showcase its cultural life and cultural development. In 2010, three

Chicken liver parfait recipe

I don't know what I was worried about.Making your own chicken liver parfait -- as I soon found out -- is one of the easiest things in the world. I brought little pots of chicken liver parfait to a Christmas in July Yulefest dinner with fellow food bloggers, a little nervous and filled with trepidation at presenting my first efforts to pate aficionados. When there was no shortage of volunteers to

Haven Seafoods, Terrigal - and a Christmas in July feast

Christmas in July.For most Aussies, Christmases are about fresh prawns, cold ham and oysters. The notion of digging into a hot roast with roast potatoes and gravy is at odds with our stifling hot summers, regardless of tradition. Celebrating Christmas in July is one way of beating Mother Nature at her own game, and this year Billy and The Pom were kind enough to host a small party of food

Ipoh bean sprouts, Concubine Lane and Funny Mountain Soy Milk

Short, fat and stumpy. The bean sprouts in Ipoh are said to be the best in the world.
There is no such thing as a humble bean sprout in Ipoh. Forget about wilted, soggy and translucent imitators. The pride of Ipoh are another experience entirely. Squat in appearance, the sprouts are firm, pure white and decidedly crunchy.
They are addictive to eat on their own, and I'm not usually a big fan of

Becasse, Sydney

Black olive biscotti with whipped goats' curd

I am in love.
His name is Butter and he likes to be whipped.
Like so many great things in life, he's not an attention seeker but tucked away quietly in the corner. He's not even listed on our dinner menu tonight at Bécasse , the inaugural monthly Cellar Night where patrons can bring their own bottle of wine to dinner for waived corkage.
The Cellar

Löwenbräu Keller, Sydney

How do you say Löwenbräu? Did you know the correct pronunciation is loov-en-brau loov-en-broy lurvin-broy [ack. I still got it wrong. Corrected now thanks to anon and Rissole below]? Yes, all this time I've been saying it wrong! Low-en-brau be gone, it's lurvin-broy with a rolling r from now on. Musical Germanic accent entirely optional.If there's a silver lining to the onset colder weather, it's

Blancharu, Elizabeth Bay, Sydney

"Oh my god, they're so cute!"I don't know who utters this first, but Suze and I stare fascinated at the giant lunch box filled with clumps of dough shaped to look like spatchcock heads.We move in closer to the counter at Blancharu, admiring their perfectly shaped heads, the eyes made from cloves, delicate beaks that are every so slightly open. The salt-crusted spatchcock, featured during the

Food Lovers Guide to Chinatown and Haymarket

Doesn't everybody love a food tour? Where to go and what to eat? Where to find the hidden gems and which dishes are the specialty of the house?I'm excited to finally let you all know about my involvement with the new Food Lovers Guide to Chinatown and Haymarket published by Urban Walkabout. This free 34-page booklet highlights a mix of restaurants, pubs, sweets and more. It has been designed to

Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa, Blue Mountains - Emirates Hotel

Wolgan Valley ResortIt wasn't too long ago that my idea of luxury accommodation was having the shower and toilet inside my room. On my first trip overseas on my own, I stayed in a youth hostel in London, sleeping in a triple bunk bed in a compact room with 11 of the newest best friends.Communal showers and toilets aren't all bad. I backpacked around Europe and the UK on a shoestring budget,

Interview with Kumar Mahadevan + win a $150 lunch for two at Aki's, Woolloomooloo

Chef Kumar Mahadevan2010 is a big year for Kumar Mahadevan, celebrating the 20th anniversary of his Indian restaurant Abhi's in North Strathfield. Named after his first son, Abhi's opened in 1990 and soon developed a cult following who relished his lighter touch with new and interesting Indian dishes. A second restaurant, Aki's - named after his second son - opened on the Finger Wharf in