Aperitivo, Leichhardt

Oh how Leichhardt has changed. No longer dominated by family-run Italian bistros, you'll now find a happy mix of Thai, Japanese and Chinese restaurants offering alternatives to pizza, pasta and gelato.Leichhardt still maintains its Italian roots, although newer restaurants look a little more upscale these days. Aperitivo is a rather flashy wine bar and restaurant addition to the strip, opening

Yummy Chinese BBQ, Ashfield

Rotating food is fun.I'm sure this is why sushi trains offer so much appeal. A mesmerising rhythm of food on the move. Like pigs on spits. And now, behold, the spinning skewer.We'd come prepared tonight. Stomachs hungry and any jackets left in the car before we step into the smoky confines of Yummy Chinese BBQ, a temple of all-you-can-eat feasting in Ashfield, in Sydney's inner west.The thick fog

Freebie Friday: Win a Braun Multiquick Cordless

Are you looking for an incentive to get back into the kitchen?New gadgets always get me excited about cooking again, especially those that involve speed and power. This week's Freebie Friday is the new Braun Multiquick Cordless, a rechargeable hand blender that allows you to chop, crush and puree without being tethered to a power outlet.THE PRIZE:One lucky reader will win a Braun Multiquick

Fresh tofu and soy milk at Nhu Quynh, Yagoona

Fresh soy milk.It's the keen eyes of Speedy who spots it first, a nondescript shopfront but for the 6-foot tall raft of empty polyurethane bottles stacked by the door.We have only just emerged from Rodriguez Brothers a few doors up, laden down with fresh chorizo and morcilla blood sausage and white anchovies and more, but we take one look at each other, grin and step through the door.Fried tofu $

Boteco, Surry Hills

Classic caiprinha $15 and melancia and flor de laranjeira watermelon and orange blossom caipifrutas $16Cocktails? Yes please.Tonight we're at Boteco, a name given to the small bars commonly found in Brazil. These neighbourhood hangouts are filled with locals after work or on weekends, a casual spot to enjoy an ice cold beer and eat cheap and cheerful snacks known as petiscos.BotecoBoteco in

My's Vietnamese Restaurant, Canberra

"The best part of the apple is definitely eating the core."There's a slight pause in conversation as I allow this piece of information to sink in. Across the table, Hannah looks at me in earnest, unblinking."You. eat. the. seeds" I clarify."Well it started out of laziness, because I couldn't be bothered finding a bin, but now it's my favourite part," she says, nodding eagerly.It's not the first

Molecular Gastronomy at Chef's Armoury, Rosebery

"I've got the perfect book for this," says Leigh Hudson at Chef's Armoury.It seems highly appropriate that The Big Fat Duck Cookbook by Heston Blumenthal is used to depress the plungers of nine loaded syringes in a molecular gastronomy cooking demonstration called Tokyo Food Trends held for SIFF.Loading the syringe with red capsicum pureeTonight Pig Flyin' and I are guests at the preview class of

Tomislav, Darlinghurst

A friend of mine loved desserts so much he decided to have three courses of desserts at a fine dining restaurant, whilst everyone else went with the usual entree, main and sweets.The hardest thing, he said, was deciding the order in which to have his desserts. Start with fruity and end with rich, or save the fruit desserts as a final palate cleanser?Tomislav Martinovic has come up with an even

Freebie Friday: Win a Mexican/Spanish spice kit

Can you smell that? It's the promise of summer only just around the corner!What does summer smell like? To me it smells of sunscreen, ripe mangoes, and of course the good ol' Aussie backyard barbecue.You'll be able to add some pizazz to your next barbecue with this week's Freebie Friday prize - a Mexican/Spanish BBQ kit from Le' Spice. Rub the Mexican seasoning into your favourite meats, use the

Fidel's Cafe, Wellington

Forget smoking. Cool kids pack their knitting needles when they meet friends for coffee.

This is the sight that greets Billy and I when we stumble into the courtyard of Fidel's Cafe on our recent trip to Wellington, New Zealand. We'd been about to leave when we couldn't find a seat inside, until we notice someone coming in from the back. We follow the path to find a sunny courtyard that looks

Rodriguez Brothers, Yagoona

The smell of lust.I'm convinced that scientific analysis will tell you it smells just like jamon, the same wave of salty porcine pungency that hits me when I push open the door to Rodriguez Brothers.If the smell doesn't make you weak at the knees, the sight of over 100 hanging legs of jamon will, the repetitive rows stretching off into the distance like a gourmand's mirage.I stand there for a

Red Chilli Sichuan, Chatswood

It's so cute! Pork and cucumber! On a miniature clothesline!It's the first thing that catches my eye when we make it up the stairs and onto the landing of Red Chilli Sichuan in Chatswood. Despite our booking, we're told to wait for a table to clear, joining the throng of families who stand three-deep on the balcony. Everyone, it seems, has a booking, and it feels more like the cattle call on a

Ipoh chicken and bean sprouts and Ipoh Night Market, Malaysia

Just another day in Ipoh.

There was no question as to what would be our first dinner in Billy's hometown. Chicken and bean sprouts are the pride of Ipoh, Malaysia, and we headed to the locals' favourite, Restoran Lou Wong Tauge Ayam Kuetiau.

Restoran Lou Wong Tauge Ayam Kuetiau



I can still remember that warm and muggy evening, the plastic stools sticking to the backs of our thighs as we

Le Monde, Surry Hills

Decisions.Deciding what to eat is never an easy task in my book. I always end up loitering over the menu, scrutinising each option with considered thoughtfulness, hoping against hope to find the perfect meal.There is much to deliberate over at Le Monde, a hip and light-filled Surry Hills cafe where patrons dine with oversized sunglasses and the barista's arm is covered in tattoos.I love the menu

Marcus Wareing, Tetsuya Wakuda and Peter Gilmore at the World Chef Showcase 2010

"Cooking is giving," says Tetsuya Wakuda during his presentation at the World Chef Showcase. Perhaps this is why he looks so earnest and eager-to-please.The Contemporary Creative session featuring Tetsuya Wakuda, Peter Gilmore and Marcus Wareing was the first to sell-out, we're told. All three have internationally-acclaimed restaurants, yet despite their fierce culinary reputations, all are

Freebie Friday: Win a four-pack of Endeavour True Vintage Beer

Can a beer be crafted and cellared as carefully as a bottle of wine?Three mates sitting in a Sydney pub one day thought so, and Endeavour True Vintage Beer was born.These unique ales are created to a different recipe each year, factoring in the variation in barley and hops obtained from the annual harvest. Chief brewer, Andy Stewart, who has 13 years' experience in viticulture, approaches each

Kungfu Ramen, Haymarket Chinatown

Kungfu ramen? It makes me want to karate chop the air at the thought.We happen upon this new noodle house on a recent walk through Chinatown. Gone is the former Vietnamese pho restaurant Xic Lo next to the Dong Nam Asian grocery store. In its place is Kungfu Ramen.Making hand-pulled noodles in the kitchenThe menu promises "Secret Recipe Hand-Pulled Noodles" and as we take our seats in the mostly

Malaysian Food Festival at the Grace Hotel, Sydney

Malaysia. Truly Asia.The current Malaysia tourism campaign echoes the unique diversity of its cuisine. Spiced, fresh, fried or barbecued, the dishes of Malaysia include influences from Indonesia, China, India and Thai.On my first trip to Malaysia this year, I found it glorious to feast on Malay-style ayam goreng fried chicken for breakfast, Hainanese chicken for lunch, Nyonya assam laksa for

Sizzling Fillo, Lidcombe

The October issue of Time Out Sydney is now out with my latest Food & Drink column highlighting Sizzling Fillo in Lidcombe.

As vocal fans of Anthony Bourdain's show No Reservations pointed out, Filipino cuisine seems to often be overlooked and under-appreciated on the international dining scene. There are not many Filipino restaurants in Sydney, but they do exist and are worth visiting,

Bacon and salted caramel slice for the Sydney Food Bloggers' Mad Hatter Spring Picnic

Food bloggers. We like to eat.A swarm of about 40 Sydney food bloggers converged on Centennial Park over the weekend, a Mat Hatter spring picnic organised by Billy (pictured above) and Karen.Broccoli and cheese muffins by Minh of Eat, Show and TellWe feasted on a bounty of good food of course, although the prominence of sweet tooths in the crowd meant that desserts outweighed savouries on a ratio

2010 Vin de Champagne Awards at Becasse, Sydney

Champagne. Who doesn't love a glass of bubbles?I recently had the pleasure of attending the 2010 Vin de Champagne awards, a search for the best Champagne palates in Australia. The black tie event commenced with canapes at Le Grande Cafe followed by a six-course dinner at Becasse matched with thirteen incredible Champagnes.Louis Roederer Cristal Brut 2002The Vin de Champagne awards take place

Freebie Friday: Win a copy of the India Cookbook

So you know how to put together a stir-fry and a simple pasta dish, but does the thought of cooking Indian still fall in the "too hard" basket?The India Cookbook is predicted to do for Indian cuisine what The Silver Spoon achieved for Italian cuisine - provide a comprehensive guide that runs through all the basics and provide a well-laid out resource of classic recipes.The book has been divided

Etch, Sydney

There's nothing like a sense of humour in the bathroom.Female patrons at Etch push open the bathroom door to find themselves face to face with an undressed female mannequin. Step through the antechember and you'll find the rear view of another nude mannequin, her buttocks majestically illuminated.Angel-winged mannequinBy the sinks of course, is the angel-winged mannequin I remember so fondly from

Crazy Wings, Chinatown Sydney

"Crazy wings? Ooh yes," Billy said with a smile. "Let's eat here."



Insert the word 'crazy in front of something, and surely knee-slapping mad-cap hilarity is guaranteed?

We've stopped in at Crazy Wings for a late night feed, and as we run through the menu that lists crazy wings, crazy lamb, crazy kidney, crazy ox tongue, crazy seafood, crazy vege, crazy snack, crazy soup... I can feel my

Cabramatta Allsorts Barbecue - Crave Sydney International Food Festival

Cabramatta. Always a hive of activity.Last Saturday, locals woke to find Freedom Plaza overtaken by a stage, massive white tent and food stalls, as the Cabramatta Allsorts Barbecue swung into gear for the Crave Sydney International Food Festival.Simon Marnie broadcasting live for 702ABC Sydney702 Weekends was broadcasting live from Cabramatta, and I'd been asked to come down to be interviewed for

Mantra Indian Restaurant, Ryde

Jewelled print in the dining roomBollywood glamour.You wouldn't know it from the outside--a bland concrete facade perched at a busy intersection in Ryde--but enter Mantra and you'll find an over-the-top spectacle of diamantes, gold and silk, a whirling riot of colour that screams Bollywood on speed.There's so much to take in, I don't know where to look first. Everything is glittery and shiny and

New Shanghai, Chatswood Chase, Sydney

"Ooh, fancy."It's the first thought that comes in my head when we finally find New Shanghai at Chatswood Chase.We'd wandered around the shopping centre a little lost at first, taking a wrong turn and hitting a dead end at the supermarket before turning back and heading hesitantly towards the food court.I'm still unsure as we make our way past hard plastic chairs and tables, coffee chains and

Win The Foodies' Guide to Sydney 2011

So you've read about Foodies' Guide. Now who wants a free copy to aid their next food adventure?It's a long weekend for Sydneysiders and what better way to start it than with a Freebie Saturday giveaway.THE PRIZE:Five readers will win a copy of the The 2011 Foodies' Guide to Sydney authored by Simon Thomsen and written by a team of 18 food writers, including me.We've combed the streets of Sydney