Bamiyan, Five Dock

Bamiyan is one of Sydney’s few restaurants serving Afghani food, a cuisine that fuses Middle Eastern and South Asian cuisines. Think Indian curries and Nepalese dumplings kicked up with influences from China, Turkey, Iran and other regions/areas of the Middle East.

With only eight months under its belt (the restaurant opened in August 2011), Bamiyan has fast become a hit with locals. On a

The Grounds of Alexandria

There's one thing you must have if you visit The Grounds of Alexandria, and that's patience. A 10.30am arrival on a Saturday nets us a 40-minute wait for a table for three. By 11am we hear latest arrivals face a 60-90 minute wait before they can expect to be seated.

And yet waiting is hardly a chore when we start to roam the outdoor dining area. Surrounded by factory outlets, showrooms and

Hot Wing Eating Competition at The Dip, Goodgod, Sydney

How did you celebrate your first birthday? The Dip turned one last night, and just like El Loco, decided to mark the occasion with a competitive eating competition. Where El Loco had the taco challenge, The Dip put out the call to find who could eat the most hot wings and be crowned Lord of the Wings.


Fried chicken burger $12 birthday special

On the celebratory birthday menu: The Birthday

Cornersmith, Marrickville

Oh Marrickville, how you've changed. Before Cornersmith, this corner premises used to host an old sewing shop. As a kid I'd walk past the big glass windows that gave a view into dusty shelves packed with sewing machine thread. You could barely see past the giant spools of cotton in black, maroon and white, but they never seemed to budge no matter how many times I walked past.

Today the site

Muay Thai, Haymarket Chinatown, Sydney

The decor is the first thing you notice. Thainatown's newest addition, Muay Thai, has taken over the former Shalom site on Pitt Street, bringing new levels of fancy with printed wallpaper, quirky seating and a bling bling chandelier that dominates the room.


Muay Thai menu and decor

The restaurant only opened in the first weekend of May, combining girly glam with a Muay Thai boxing theme.

Press Food & Wine and Adelaide Dessert Bars: The Aviary and Devour

Visiting a new city is both exciting and stressful for someone keen to uncover its gastronomic secrets. There's so much eat and discover, but time and insider knowledge is half the battle.

One restaurant that was hot on everyone's lips during our recent trip to Adelaide was Press Food & Wine. Opening mid-last year, Press was awarded Best New Restaurant in the 2011 Adelaide Food Awards.

Our

Taco Eating Challenge at El Loco, Surry Hills

Most people celebrate their first birthday with cake and one candle. El Loco celebrated theirs with a call-out for their first ever taco challenge - how many tacos could you eat in half an hour?

What is it about competitive eating competitions that brings out the voyeur in all some of us? In a world plagued by  both rising obesity and starving children, excessive consumption should not enthral

Adelaide Central Market, Adelaide Showground Farmers Market and Inside a Bee Hive at Buzz Honey

There ain't nothing like a protective suit to really feel like you're living on the edge. We're not heading into a biochemical hazard zone but off to get up close and personal with a working bee hive in the Adelaide Hills.

I made my first trip to South Australia for Tasting Australia two years ago, a biennial event that brings together chefs, publishers and journalists in food, wine and travel

Rhinedorf German Restaurant, Beverly Hills

Let's face it: the best part about ordering schweinehaxen is the excuse to pronounce it in the thickest German accent you can muster. Say it right and you’ll be rewarded with a massive hunk of roasted pork knuckle gift-wrapped in golden crackling.


Decor inside Rhinedorf German Restaurant

Get your pork knuckle on by putting the top down and cruising past the palm trees that welcome you to