Ipoh, Malaysia: Tortoises, rojak and yong tau fu

You can take the boy out of Ipoh...
There's a palpable sense of excitement as we descend the winding roads of the Cameron Highlands and head towards the town of Ipoh. This is Billy's hometown and since the start of the trip, Billy has not stopped raving about the food of his childhood.
The increase in temperature is apparent as soon as we leave the mountains. Less than ninety minutes later, we

Abhi's Indian Restaurant, North Strathfield

Pappadums $2.80 per serve with side dish platter of mango chutney, raita and kachumber $6.80The joy of the pappadum.There's a happy sense of joy about snapping the thin crisp disc of pappadum into jagged shards, surveying the little pots of cucumber and yoghurt raita,mango chutney and tomato and onion kachumber set in front of you. The biggest decision is which one to eat first, and next, and

Cameron Highlands, Malaysia: Caterpillar fungus, Brinchang Markets and assam laksa

"They're worms!" we cry out to Billy as we lean in closer to inspect.
Billy laughs. They're actually caterpillar fungus, a parasite that attacks hibernating caterpillar larvae and taps into its circulatory system. The fungus starves the larvae, enveloping the insect and taking on its shape until it is effectively mummified.
The Chinese call it dong chong chao. With a long list of reputed

Aki's Indian Restaurant, Woolloomooloo

Palak patta chaat $13Who knew spinach could taste so good?The secret, of course, is it's deep-fried. To create palak patta chaat, single leaves of spinach are dipped in a thick besan (chickpea) batter and then fried to a crisp golden brown. Piled into a steep and craggy mountain, the entire mass is drizzled with a rainbow of sauces: snow white yoghurt, pale green mint and chilli sauce, and daubs

Brasserie Bread, Banksmeadow: Baking with Brioche Workshop

You know that sound? The crackle of a knife making that first cut into a loaf of crusty bread?It reminds me of footsteps crunching on a pile of autumn leaves. The splintering of the outer shell, the tumble of crust shards onto the chopping board and then the gentle sawing through soft and fluffy pillows of dense sourdough.This must be one of my favourite sounds in the world.Brasserie BreadIt's

Win a 12-month subscription to one of four food magazines

Hungry? I know I always am.Feed your imagination with this week's Freebie Friday prize, a subscription to one of four fabulous food magazines from mag nation. For twelve months, one lucky winner will find new and delicious reading material in their mail box for breakfast, lounging and bedtime reading. You'll never be short of cooking ideas again!THE PRIZE:A 12-month subscription to one of the

Cameron Highlands, Malaysia: Strawberries, tea plantations and charcoal steamboat

Food bloggers go wild
One should always be adventurous when it comes to eating overseas.
We found a bounty of food to savour on our Malaysia trip. Luckily for us, millipedes were not one of them, even if Billy did appear keen.

On the fourth day of our trip we found ourselves departing Kuala Lumpur and heading 214km north to the Cameron Highlands.
At 1500m (5,000 feet) above sea level, the