Grasshopper Bar, Sydney

Grasshopper may be completely hidden to the average passerby, but that seems to be half the appeal for the Sydney suits and hipster crowd that spill out the front of this laneway bar each weeknight. There are no signs on the street to indicate its existence, but those in-the-know head down the narrow alley off George Street, unmarked but for the remarkably appropriate street sign "Temperance

The Good Kitchen, Hurstville

The Hong Kong cafe is where cost and efficiency are valued over décor and conversational niceties. Expect your order to be taken within two minutes of being handed the menu and your food to arrive shortly after.

For my Eat This! column in the July issue of Time Out Sydney, I headed to Hurstville where comfort food equals pan-fried spam, condensed milk on toast and the calorific glory that is

Din Tai Fung, Sydney

Half the fun of dining at Din Tai Fung is the chance to watch the dumpling makers in action, clearly visible through the glassed-in kitchen out the front. There's always something to look at - from the man stretching a skipping rope of noodles by bouncing it effortlessly onto the metal bench; to the secret huddle of staff deftly folding dumplings in the corner; to the man checking the bamboo

Stomachs Eleven: Bone marrow, pig's trotters Pierre Koffmann and truffled hens

If you ever have a bone to pick with someone, make sure it's a marrow bone. It was this sight of marrow bone towers that excited me most when I arrived at the home of Mr and Mrs Pig Flyin' for our latest Stomachs Eleven adventure.


Appetisers to start

The members of our merry dining crew have all been terribly spoilt by the generosity of Mr and Mrs Pig Flyin'. Our original aim was to rotate

Yukis at the Quay, Sydney

Today's assorted sashimi - Chef's selection $45

It's quite a romantic stroll along the waterfront at the Overseas Passenger Terminal. The winking city lights, the toot-toot of ferries and there in the distance: the sleepy sails of the Opera House, curled over as if mid-nap.

Hidden up high on the fourth floor of the Overseas Passenger Terminal is Yukis, accessed by a glass elevator that

Badde Manors, Glebe

"Wow, everyone ordered vegetarian," says Mrs Presley, and it's only then she realises that everything on Badde Manors menu is completely meat and seafood-free.

It's a commendable feat that this fact slipped unnoticed, the comprehensive menu littered with a range of dishes that all sound tempting and filling. We skip our eyes down the page that includes stuffed crumbed mushrooms, Cajun-spiced

Tomahawk steak at Chophouse, Sydney

Some women like to be wooed with flowers, handbags or jewellery, but seriously, who wants glittering trinkets when you can sink your teeth into a premium steak with gusto? Serve me one of these on a plate and I'm definitely calling you again.

We'd gathered at the Chophouse for dinner, but there was only one thing I really wanted to order - the tomahawk steak. It's a gargantuan-sized cut of