2009: A Grab Your Fork digest

Where did the year go? It must be a sign of getting older when the year swoops by faster than a food blogger's camera over your main course.People often say to me "you seem to eat out a lot" to which I always reply "oh no, not really, just a few meals here and there". And yet reviewing a year's worth of posts seems to prove otherwise - so much food. How did I fit it all in?With ease, of course.In

The day I met the Luther Burger

Oh yes. They really are donuts.A meet-up with food bloggers is guaranteed to bring a few interesting dishes. We gathered at Richard's for a post-Christmas catch-up, but perhaps the star of the show was Suze's Luther Burgers.The Luther Burger, a bacon cheeseburgersandwiched with a Krispy Kreme donut by SuzeThe Luther Burger is named after Luther Vandross - some say it was his favourite snack,

Stomach's Eleven: Christmas dinner

Chocolate with olive oil and saltI really am grateful. I'm grateful for a family, friends, good health and a bounty of amazing food. All too often it can be easy to get caught up in the trivial squabbles of life, and whilst there are many things you cannot change, there are many more you wouldn't want to - moments of good fortune you take for granted every day.I like to think that this is what

Eating well?Don't forget to check out the round-up of Christmas pics on the Christmas feasting post. 32 pics of an Australian Christmas - thanks everyone for sharing!

Christmas feasting

EDIT 27/12/09: Latest food pics added at the end of this postRoast turkey or seafood?I love that despite the heat of an Australian summer, so many of us continue to indulge in the traditional English Christmas dinner of roast turkey, gravy, plum pudding and all the trimmings. Our family has always done leg ham and seafood - it's so much easier with minimal preparation, and besides, Mum always

Big Rig Diner, Darlinghurst

I've always had a romanticised affection for diners.Blame it on a childhood brought up on American sitcoms, movies and teenage fiction, but alongside Twinkies, Kool Aid and Milk Duds, diners have always been that elusive promise of the quintessential American experience. The jingle of the bell as the door opens, the gum-chewing waitress with a pen tucked behind her ear, the cosy booths in which

Behind-the-scenes: Food photography shoot for Mad Mex

Food photography? It's not so hard is it?I know it is. As a food blogger, personal experience tells me I have much to learn when it comes to droolworthy food photography.Hence when Billy contacted me to get involved with a food photography job for Mad Mex I leapt at the opportunity. Officially I was hired as his lighting assistant. Primarily this meant I was in charge of the softbox lights. It

Bright Star movie winners

Congratulations to the winners of the Bright Star movie ticket giveaway.The winners are: Arradius, nvmeii, Andrea, gillianlisa and the fashionate traveller. Enjoy the film!

Stomachs' Eleven: Shabu shabu with wagyu

Miniature ramen replicasWhy does everything look so much better in miniature?The first thing I did was grab the camera when I spotted these in the display cabinet at the home of Silverlily and Supermario. Collected from toy stores on a recent trip to Japan, they held pride of place in the cabinet. I was enamoured immediately.Tiny bowls of ramen with chopsticks suspended mid-air, steaks of wagyu,

Wuxi pork spareribs

Do you like it saucy?No, no, I'm talking food. Of course I am. Are you the kind of person who gets your spoon into the bottom of the casserole dish to get the last dregs of sauce? Do you sneak a spoon into the bottom of the takeaway container of roast duck to collect the puddle of rich juices for your rice?Me too.My obsession with sauce explains my affection for Wuxi pork ribs. You have meat on

Rowda Ya Habibi, Newtown

Baba ghanouj eggplant dip

It's always funny to watch your friends get pulled up to join the belly dancer, until you realise, with horror, she's coming straight for you.

There's a belly dancer at Rowda Ya Habibi most Friday and Saturday nights. This spot seems to have become my fall-back venue for group functions. It's not hard to see why. The most expensive banquet will only cost you $30 per

Restaurant Review #224: Viva La Pasta, Simi Valley

Gnocchi al pomodoro e basilico

With its location near Ralph's in the Wood Ranch shopping center, you probably wouldn't think to try Viva La Pasta for dinner unless you had heard good things about it. Despite the cheesy name, I decided to try it because it had lots of good reviews on Yelp! They also send out lots of coupons in the mail, which I guess finally wore me down. Besides, there are not

Churrasco, Coogee

Stop and Go coastersIt's the coasters that excite me most.For a while now, I've been meaning to get to Churrasco--not just for the promise of all-you-can-eat meat; not because the meat is served to you on swords that are brought to your table; but primarily because you can control the arrival of food to your table by flipping your personal coaster to Red (stop, I'm full) or Green (keep it coming!

Freebie Friday winner: And the love is free

Congratulations to Kate who has won a copy of the cookbook And the love is free... by Jules Clancy. If you missed out, dont forget that Grab Your Fork readers qualify for a 10% discount on all orders placed before Christmas. Simply use the discount code "Christmas" when you order online or call Naomi Clancy on 0407 014 232. Free postage applies anywhere in Australia.Like the idea of seeing a

Elvis Cupcakes and a Sydney Food Bloggers' Christmas Party

How big is Sydney's food blogging community?It numbers at about 112 according to research by Suze and I. We know this because this was the number of invitations we sent out for the first all-inclusive Sydney food bloggers' event, a Christmas picnic in Hyde Park.A gluttony of 50 food bloggers descended on the day, each bearing a plate of sweets or savouries for our afternoon tea. I revelled in the

Freebie Friday: Win tickets to see Bright Star

Are you all set for the silly season?What with the hive of activity in the lead-up to Christmas, it's usually not until Boxing Day that everyone breathes as sigh of relief. Traditionally a big day for movie-goers, why pay when you win yourself free tickets courtesy of this week's Freebie Friday.Movie tickets to Bright Star(five in-season double passes to win)Bright Star is the latest film by

Popcorn cupcakes

Popcorn cupcakesSo yes, I'm starting to get a reputation. Bring a dish? I always end up bringing cupcakes. They're so easy to make, they come in easy individual packaging, and I love the way you can tailor them with different decorations or flavours for every occasion.After variations that included black sesame, Coca Cola and chocolate bacon, I decided to continue my current salty obsession with

Restaurant Review #223: Golden Deli Vietnamese Restaurant, San Gabriel

Eggrolls

Golden Deli is supposed to be the best Vietnamese restaurant in LA, so I came with high expectations. I braved an hour's worth of scary freeway driving with lots of large trucks to eat my favorite cuisine (or is sushi my favorite?), which I don't eat nearly often enough.

The restaurant was easy to find, thanks to the exterior shot I'd seen on Yelp! and the good fortune I had to hit a

Malacca Straits, Broadway

Silence.There's a welcome sense of peace and quiet at Malacca Straits, tucked away in the courtyard of the Quadrant building, off Broadway. You wouldn't know that, less than 100 yards away, six lanes of traffic are steadily weaving their way across the Great Western Highway.A signboard outside is a helpful reminder to passersby. And yet Malacca Straits seems to enjoy a steady stream of customers,

South Restaurant, Neutral Bay

Three time's the charm.After two foiled attempts to visit South Restaurant, it's not until my third attempt that we finally get a table. The difference? Trying to book on a Friday and Saturday night, a week prior. On a Tuesday evening, we ring up on the spur on the moment and get a table with no problem.Once we arrive, it soon becomes apparent why getting a table can be difficult - the restaurant

Chairman Mao Chinese Restaurant, Kensington

The orange red walls of Chairman Mao Chinese Restaurant are an ideal backdrop for the propaganda posters that adorn its walls. The hue might also give an indication of the heat your tongue is about to endure - this is a restaurant that specialises in Hunanese cuisine, its spicy offerings favoured by Chairman Mao.Celery salad (complimentary)Most of us love chilli; Suze, not so much. She obligingly

Elvis, a wedding and 99 macarons....

Allllllll my friends are getting married...Friends The Department and Wingdingo got hitched recently, but rather than go the route of a church service or a garden wedding, they headed straight to Las Vegas to exhange vows with Elvis at the Graceland Chapel. A few weeks after they returned, friends and family were invited to a casual low-key party to celebrate.Balloon cupcakesThe wedding cake was

Freebie Friday: Win a copy of "And the Love is Free"

What would you do without your mum?When Jules Clancy's mum passed away suddenly in August 2007, she was inspired to create a cookbook of family recipes as a tribute to her mother. After the book was completed, Jules decided to self-publish the book and share her mum's life and recipes with others. The result is "And the Love is Free", a cookbook with 57 classic Australian recipes (each with

Restaurant Review #222: sugarFISH, Marina del Rey

Tuna Sashimi

sugarFISH is a sushi restaurant by Chef Kazunori Nozawa (of the cult favorite Sushi Nozawa in Studio City) that emphasizes simplicity and quality over trendiness and pretention. You won't see the words "spicy," "crunchy," "rainbow," or "California" anywhere on the menu. In fact, you'll see very little on the menu, period--it's so basic that it's only a page long.
In addition to

Melbourne Food and Wine Festival launch at Omerta, Darlinghurst

Confit baby artichokes and Shaw River buffalo mozzarellawith tomato butter and pangrattatoserved with 2009 Tahblik MarsanneIs there really a bitter rivalry between Sydney-siders and Melbourne-ites about which city is best?It's a question we debate at our table during the [Sydney] media launch for the 2010 Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. Sydney has its iconic harbour, Opera House, Harbour Bridge

The Counter, Crows Nest

EDIT: The Counter is now closed

I'm not sure whether I'm filling out a census form or taking a test.

The Build Your Own Burger concept at The Counter is either a blessing or a curse for hungry customers. On the one hand, the five-step process gives you the opportunity to customise your burger with the exact toppings you like, down to the size of burger patty, the type of cheese and which

Spice I Am Restaurant, Darlinghurst

Miang Goong Gaa Tong KrobThai king prawn salad with lime, garlic, galangal, shallot, gingerwith roasted peanut and chilli served in a crispy shellI like to look at my food.As I'd admired the deep-fried fluted cup on my entree plate, I'd remembered wondering if these delicate cups were bought in to the Spice I Am Restaurant. It's not until a cooking demonstration halfway through our meal that I

Freebie Friday winners

Congratulations to the following winners:Andrea has won a copy of Lyndey Milan: The Best Collection and Raine has won a copy of Great, Grand and Famous Chefs.Missed out this time? Don't forget to submit your entries for the Freebie Friday competitions still open!Win a bottle of Bundaberg Reserve Rum with personalised label (5 to win!)Win a gift box of Achacha fruitWin a copy of MasterChef

Haji Lane, Singapore Chilli Crab and Roti Tisu: Singapore Day Four

Arab Street, SingaporeFor years I foolishly dismissed Singapore as a travel destination because of its reputation for being ultra clean and super strict, where citizens were fined for chewing gum, littering or not flushing the toilet. When I finally visited its humid shores, I could see how wrong I had been.In addition to exploring the hawker stalls and kopitiam cafes that reassuringly dot much

Achacha fruit launch and another Freebie Friday Double

Achacha. Try saying that out loud without shaking your hips.I first encountered achacha at the Eveleigh farmers market earlier this year. A native Amazonian fruit, the first commercial plantation outside of Bolivia commenced in Northern Queensland in 2002.Achacha are a distant relative to the mangosteen and have a similar creamy sweet flesh with a slight sherbet tang. The modest crop late last

Food bloggers, a birthday and a mountain of dumplings

How does a food blogger celebrate her birthday? With food. And lots of it.I was fortunate enough to celebrate my birthday with homemade dumplings on the weekend, a happy huddle of food bloggers industriously pleating packages of pork and veal mince. It's been ages since I'd made wontons or dumplings. I love the ritual of seasoning the mince and then settling down for a few hours to patiently

Poporo, Haymarket

Touch screen menu orderingI feel like I'm back in high school. Or, more accurately, I feel like I'm hanging out after high school.The cheerful red and white colour scheme has something to do with this burst of youthful exuberance. Shiny plastic stools--with a very generous seat--cluster around a table at the front and line the kitchen counter. But most of the dining area is situtated on a raised

Adriano Zumbo, Manu Feildel and Somage Fine Foods afternoon tea at L'etoile

"I didn't realise there would be so many women."I feel a little sorry for the lone male at our table during a tea-gustation at L'etoile. As women in floaty summer dresses and strappy heels stream into the outdoor tiered deck area of L'etoile, the hapless husband maintains he thought he'd be enjoying a champagne tasting.Whilst there is a glass of champagne Loire sparkling at the start, today's

Freebie Friday: Win a bottle of Bundaberg Reserve Rum

It's Freebie Friday!This week we're giving away five bottles of Bundaberg Reserve Rum. Reserve Rum is a premium spirit that has a rich, dark character with hints of oak and caramel.For a limited time, Bundaberg is also offering personalised labels, so the winners will be able to have their own name printed on the bottle - that's one way to stop people raiding your liquor cabinet! You can also

Me. A published writer.

It's official. I'm a published writer.The latest edition in the To Asia With Love guidebook series is To Japan With Love. Within it are two pieces contributed by yours truly -- in the food section of course.The process entailed in compiling and editing a travel guidebook has been eye-opening. I was first contacted to be a contributor in June 2005 after the editor, Celeste Heiter, noticed my blog

The Coachmen Russian Restaurant, Surry Hills

Gargoyles beneath the barYou've probably driven past it countless times. The tall sandstone walls of The Coachmen appear rather ominous, but step through the wrought iron gate, walk up the short stretch of red carpet and then let your gaze rest upon the wonder that is the bar area.Red velvet loungeThere's a wondrous sense of over-the-top spectacle in the Imperial Russian decor. Opulent red velvet

Food Safari Book Launch

Tetsuya WakudaTwo book launches, both alike in dignity. In fair Sydney where we lay our scene.On Tuesday night it was the launch of Food Safari, the companion book to the popular SBS cooking series hosted by Maeve O'Meara, at Spice I Am Restaurant in Darlinghurst.Food Safari by Maeve O'MearaOn Thursday night it was a smaller launch at the Global Gallery in Paddington for fellow Sydney food

Freebie Friday Double: Two Cookbooks to Win

Happy Friday!You wouldn't believe it, but we have another Freebie Friday Double.This week, it's all about cookbooks. Whether you use them as manuals, sources of inspiration, coffee table talk or bedtime stories -- in my case, all of the above -- you can never have enough cookbooks, especially FREE ones!Prize #1:Great, Grand and Famous Chefs and Their Signature DishesDo the names Thomas Keller,

Frogs leg congee, Siang Hee, MOS Burger and a trip to The Clinic

Breakfast. In the sweltering heat and humidity that is everyday Singapore, an iced coffee never looked so good.Breakfast crowds at Tiong Bahru MarketAfter a long day and late night, Suze, the es&t crew and I end up at Tiong Bahru Market the next day for a mid-morning breakfast. The place is packed with locals, a hive of people eating and drinking and chatting in the sticky 75% humidity.I'm

Concordia German Club, Tempe

You don't go to community clubs for the atmosphere. Although perhaps, in a perverse way, you do.The Concordia German Club in Tempe, in Sydney's south, won't win any awards for its design or decor. And yet there's an element of comfort in the dated furniture, the 1980s colour scheme of salmon pink and viridian green, and the quiet unassuming staff who go about their business.The club, in operation

Adriano Zumbo - Macaron Day

Macaron! Macaron! Macaron!It was macaron mania last Friday, a one-off day of nothing but crazy macaron flavours in-store at Adriano Zumbo, Balmain, to celebrate Adriano Zumbo's birthday.Up to sixty flavours had been promised, a bewildering array of creations, ranging from Vegemite sourdough to cheeseburger to avocado and Golden Gaytime.I arrived early on Friday morning with fellow macaron fans to

Freebie Friday Double: Win a Scanpan Classic Roaster and movie tickets to see The Boys Are Back

Thank God It's Friday!Did you back a winner in the Melbourne Cup? If not, never fear, because Freebie Friday is here!Today we have TWO competitions to enter, and there are SEVEN chances to win! You can enter both competitions and submit entries each day. Please note the different closing dates for each competition.Prize #1:Scanpan Classic RoasterLove a Sunday roast but dread the prospect of

Macaron Day at Adriano Zumbo Patisserie, Balmain

Photo credit: Image courtesy of adrianozumbo.com and imagineationBREAKING NEWS: Do you know whose birthday it is tomorrow?It’s Adriano Zumbo’s!How is he celebrating?Adriano Zumbo is having a macaron party.AND YOU’RE INVITED.We’re not talking about 12 different flavours of macarons.We’re talking about a shop full of nothing but crazy macaron flavours!The team at Adriano Zumbo’s kitchens have been

A nose-to-tail dinner party

Do you ever have out-of-body experiences during an amazing meal?I have.Tonight, this is one of them.Fergus Henderon's nose-to-tail barbecue at the Sydney International Food Festival was the catalyst. Nose-to-tail eating is about eating the entire animal and not wasting anything. That means eating heads and hearts and offal and tripe.To me, this philosophy is about making sure we maximise every

A Taste of Peru, a plateful of alpaca

I can't wait to try the alpaca!It's this carnivorous curiosity that has me most excited about A Taste of Peru, a degustation dinner recently staged by Illapu Peru at The Sheraton on the Park for the Sydney International Food Festival.I've yet to visit Peru - all I can think of is Paddington Bear who came from "darkest Peru"! There are no marmalade sandwiches here, but Peruvian chef Alejandro

Sweet corn ice cream, Tiong Bahru Market, crab and oatmeal prawns

Iced coffee SG$1.20 (in a Ribena cup!)Playing the tourist is thirsty work.Our Singapore day tour, hosted by Nuffnang, boasted a jam-packed itinerary. By 1.30pm, we'd already visited the MINT toy museum and the Chinatown Heritage Museum, whilst squeezing in a second breakfast and a heart-shaped barbecued pork snack before lunch at the amazing Maxwell Food Centre hawker market.The touristing

Kaya toast, the MINT toy museum and Maxwell Food Centre joy

Coffee with condensed milk SG$0.80 and kaya toast SG$0.60Mmm... why can't all takeaway breakfasts look so good.Suze and I had promised each other we'd have kaya toast for breakfast and so, despite the bleary eyes and early start, we traipsed our way from the Link Hotel to Hong Kong Jin Tian Roast Meat for kopi and kaya, Singapore-style.The novelty of buying a hot drink in a plastic bag was not

Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards 2009

Congee simpang (mixed) SG$3.00Welcome to Singapore.We step off our Singapore Airlines jumbo from Sydney to Singapore only to be hit by a wall of tropical 30C heat and 75% humidity.Suze and I waste no time in looking for food once we check into our hotel. We explore the surrounding streets and end up at a corner cafe/eating house which will become our regular haunt over the coming days.Hong Kong

Sugar Hits at The Grace Hotel, Glass and Azuma Kushiyaki

I'm baaaack.Singapore was an absolute blast - a blast of heat and humidity but much fun nonetheless. Food? Photos? Of course there was plenty of both, but because time is of the essence, I'm uploading a backlog of SIFF posts whilst it's still October.Remember this? Last year, Billy hosted a sponsored Stickier and Sweeter Sydney Tour - a quest to consume as many Sugar Hits in one night. We managed

Interview: Ten Questions with Luke Nguyen (and another Freebie Friday!)

Luke NguyenThe night before Luke Nguyen's Cabramatta Tour, I read Secrets of the Red Lantern, written by Luke's sister, Pauline.As Pauline unravelled the threads of her family story, there was one anecdote that immediately leapt off the pages, making me smile. It was her description of her younger brother Luke as a kid...It came as no surprise to any of us when Luke told of his plans for Red

Canh Chua tamarind broth with silver perch and elephant ear stem

Elephant ear stems must be up there as one of the most exotic-sounding and evocative vegetable names in English.The Fairfield City Council guide to South-East Asian Greens explains that Elephant Ear Stem (Khoai So)"...gets its name from its wide elephant-like ear leaf (not shown). The stem and stalk are used for cooking and yield mild grassy flavoured spongy flesh. Khoai So is a good source of

How to make your own mozzarella and camembert

"I'm just crackers about cheese!"- Wallace, The Curse of the Were-RabbitWe were all crackers about cheese, a group of 18 cheese lovers assembled for the Cheese Making Workshop by McIntosh and Bowman as part of the Sydney International Food Festival.Much like making one's own bread, creating your own cheese can seem a little intimidating for the uninitiated. It all seems so complex and

Gorkha Palace Restaurant, North Strathfield

The forks. They are tiny.I've never been known for any semblance of graceful movement, but at Gorkha, the tiny forks that accompany our dishes have tines the width of a pea. It's a struggle to manouevre any more than one cube of food at a time. Perhaps this is a deliberate dietary hint from above I need to take heed.In other ways, the tiny forks match the petite servings. At first glance the

Cooking Modern Mexican at VictorsFood

Victor Pisapia with an ancho chilliMention Mexican food to an Australian, and most of us will immediately think of corn chips, sour cream and cheese.It's no wonder that Mexican cuisine tends to get a bad rap. In fact, much of what is labelled here as "Mexican", is more Tex-Mex - an American interpretation of Mexican cuisine that spread from Texas and other states in the southwest. Nachos and

Recipe: Vietnamese caramelised pork belly (thit kho)

After a fascinating tour of Cabramatta with Sydney chef Luke Nguyen, we stumbled upon an outdoor kichen set-up in the local mall. Only then were we told that we would be shopping and cooking dishes to share with everyone for lunch.I was instantly drawn to the caramelised pork belly, a favourite dish of mine, and one I was keen to learn how to recreate at home.Cooking in public on portable gas

Cabramatta Food Tour with Luke Nguyen

Luke Nguyen rips open his coat with a flourish.

Beneath his assuming attire is a fitted black t-shirt that proclaims "I love pho". It generates a round of laughter amongst the assembled crowd as he stands there, chest puffed and proud like a Vietnamese superman.

Luke's family story is not dissimilar to thousands of other Vietnamese refugees who fled to Australia following the fall of Saigon.

World Chef Showcase, Sydney International Food Festival 2009

International acts, tatts and one big nosh pit. The weekend's World Chef Showcase was the gastronomic equivalent of the Big Day Out, with renowned chefs from all over the world descending on Sydney for the headline event of the Sydney International Food Festival. Sebastien Bras, Sergi Arola, David Thompson, Alexandre Bourdas, Peter Gordon, Pichet Ong and more... their arrival has created a

Interview with Poh Ling Yeow - before and after Masterchef

Image from thesecretrecipe.com.auWhen I was very little I used to shred my graph paper and pretend I was a hawker stall vendor selling noodles instead of paying attention in maths class. - Poh Ling YeowWith Celebrity Masterchef currently on our television screens, it's hard not to reminisice about the Masterchef contestants from the original season. Runner-up Poh Ling Yeow was perhaps one of the

Chocolate bacon cupcakes

I blame Matt. I also blame Fergus.In a week involving non-stop salami and the hypnotic display of roasting pigs on a spit, I had pork on the brain.I'm a pig that way.I'd like to think this is why I could not stop thinking about bacon last weekend, and why, when brainstorming a dessert--my favourite pasttime--to bring to Simon's luncheon, I'm thinking cupcakes. With chocolate. And bacon. Mother

Azuma Kushiyaki, Sydney - Sugar Hit 2009

East Meets West Dessert Tasting Plate $20Sydney International Food Festival Sugar Hit - Azuma KushiyakiWe are suitably excited. Our first Sugar Hit for 2009.You would not think that we had just eaten a dinner of dumplings, of pan-fried buns, of crab in salted egg yolk and crisp and golden shallot pancake.And yet a short car-ride from Ashfield to the City followed by a mad dash through the driving

New Shanghai Chinese Restaurant, Ashfield

Dumpling kitchenOn a wet and wild evening, New Shanghai is a welcome shelter of warmth and cosiness. The tables are already mostly full when our group of five arrive, but our focus goes straight to the back of the room featuring a modern glass-walled view into the dumpling-making station.Stuffing the pastry with pork minceDressed in crisp white uniforms and red-and-white checked aprons, the two

Eveleigh Farmers' Market

CeleriacThe best thing about getting up early on a Saturday morning is being rewarded with so much extra time to play with.This is how, after a morning spent at the SIFF Good Living Growers' Market with Fergus Henderson, a pig on a spit and 12 Sydney chefs serving up nose-to-tail inspired dishes, Minh and I still have time to stop by the Eveleigh Farmers' Market on our way home.The huge

Fergus Henderson and a nose-to-tail barbecue - Sydney International Food Festival

Pigs. On. Spits.Three words guaranteed to get me out of bed early on a Saturday morning.The Sydney Morning Herald Growers' Marketcelebrating Barbecue Madness for the Sydney International Food FestivalThe October Good Living Growers' Market was one of the first big events on the calendar for the inaugural Sydney International Food Festival. It promised to be a event like no other, featuring

Yum Cha at The Dynasty, Belmore

Fung jao phoenix claws (chicken feet)I'm looking forward to the long weekend.More often than not, we find ourselves at yum cha. For some people, the chaos of yum cha sends them into a frazzle from sensory overload. I revel in it.There's something comforting about the ritual of yum cha. The inevitable queue out the front, the hustle towards your table - still being cleared by efficient but surly

Masterchef's Matt Preston, a fleischmeister and a feast of salami

"You're a bad bad fleischmeister!"Now that is the kind of dirty talk guaranteed to get a gourmand's pulse racing.When those words are uttered by Matt Preston himself, well, let's just say I was glad I was sitting down at the time...The deli envelope containing the Don media lunchI have to confess that Matt Preston was the main drawcard to my attendance at the Don Smallgoods media lunch, although

Biggest mooncake in Australia

I did a double-take when I walked past this the other day at the Sussex Centre in Chinatown.According to the plaque alongside it, this mooncake weighs 65kg and is equivalent to 700 normal sized mooncakes, which apparently makes it the biggest mooncake in Australia. The mooncake measures 67cm across and is 12cm high.Made by Saint Honore Cake Shop on 14 September, 2009, the giant-sized mooncake

Malaysia Festival 2009, Darling Habour

Curry Chee Cheong Fun $8.50Sunday seemed to be a day of festivals. Before the trek out to Cabramatta for the Moon Festival and mooncake eating competition, Minh, Simon, Suze and I started the day at the Malaysia Festival in Darling Harbour.We arrived well before the crowds. A 10am start meant most stalls were still unpacking, but it did give us time to inspect the offerings at leisure, and we

Moon festival, Cabramatta

It was a weekend filled with food.My weekend started with a Friday night gluttony of two-hour all-you-can-eat yakiniku at Suminoya. It wasn't the first time I'd eaten myself into oblivion amidst a haze of charcoal, but I'd never before eaten with people who still had room for more - not just a snack, but chicken satay, roti tisu and roti kaya at Mamak immediately afterwards.The theme of excessive

Fix St James, Sydney

Artichoke and broad bean crostini $10We walk past it at first. The signage on Fix St James is so subdued we have to double back when we realise we must have walked straight past it.At first glance, Fix St James could almost pass itself off as an upmarket cafe, the entrance dominated by a espresso machine at the counter. The banquette seating, raised dining platform at the back, and a huge wine

Chat Thai, Sydney (and an interview on the Times Online)

The open kitchen at the front of Chat Thai is always a hive of activity.At least it means that the inevitable wait for a table at this busy restaurant is always entertaining. The narrow galley kitchen fits more chefs than you could think possible, industriously making desserts, checking on bubbling pots and searing skewers of chicken and pork on the grill.After a dinner of make-your-own tofu,

Less than two days to enter the Wellington prize pack giveaway

Entries have now closed for the o-mochi mooncake giveaway but don't forget there are still two more competitions you can enter!A prize hamper worth NZ$135 could be on its way from Wellington and straight to you in the Wellington prize pack competition. Hurry, entries close this Friday 5pm AEST. Enter now.And you could be enjoying a day of talks with chefs and all-day catering at the SIFF World

North Bondi Italian Food, Sydney

"Eating at North Bondi Italian Food is like eating with an Italian grandma," Pig Flyin muses thoughtfully, after dinner.I nod and counter "Except this nonna happens to have a beachfront apartment with a huge circle of friends who are hip, cool, young and pretty."Pig Flyin laughs. "Agreed."Postcard mural decorated by dining patronsTucked away at the northern end of Bondi Beach, North Bondi Italian

Kasumi Izakaya, Sydney

OMIGOD it's a water slide!I am beside myself with excitement. A water slide! With noodles! It's like the kids' bathttime water slide I never had but always coveted.It's not the only surprise dish we find at Kasumi Izakaya, the Japanese tavern on the northern offshootof Dixon Street mall, not far from the new Mandarin Club. Whilst we wait for the rest of our group to arrive, I'm easily entertained

Interview: Ten questions with Chubby Hubby, and your chance to win a ticket to the SIFF World Chef Showcase worth $285

Can you feel the excitement in the air? That's the anticipation of the first ever Sydney International Food Festival, due to launch on 1 October, less than two weeks away!The gustatory celebration once known as Good Food Month has been expanded and rebranded as the Sydney International Food Festival, with more events than ever before. Popular events like Let's do Lunch, Hats Off dinners and Sugar

Phu Quoc, Cabramatta, Sydney

It's a struggle to make it to lunch in Cabramatta without first ruining your appetite.The journey on foot down John Street is a chaotic din of sights, sounds and colour. Bright plastic stools, racks of tops for under $10, curls of incense smoke that tickle your nose, and shop upon shop crammed with bolts of fabric, leaning against each other in a mosh pit of polyester, lace and flannel.But it's

Cabramatta Food Tour

Durian stand

Who needs a passport when you live in Sydney?

The woman selling durian on a street stall shields herself from the sun's blistering rays with a market umbrella. "It's just like Malaysia!" says Shez.

A passerby picks up a ripe durian and inhales deeply. She carefully checks the weight and then slowly inspects the other spiky fruits in the pile. The smell of durian, the heat, the

Sahara Restaurant, Parramatta, Sydney

Famous Turkish apple tea $3Six food bloggers in a restaurant can never be missed.I often wonder what we must look like to the casual passerby, a table of diners intent on photographing each dish with such seriousness, their faces obscured by a camera lens.Tonight I'm dining with fellow food bloggers Lex, Minh, Richard, Simon and Suze. It takes some time for six people to get the shot they're

Bodega Tapas Bar, Surry Hills, Sydney

It was a rhetorical question.

Did you want to eat at Bodega or somewhere else? I didn't hear the rest of the question.

For a tiny tapas bar, the menu is extensive - 22 different dishes and all of them so tempting.


"Fish fingers" $16
Sashimi kingfish on garlic toast with cuttlefish ceviche and mojama

The sashimi kingfish "fish fingers" is one of Bodega's signature dishes, and with good

Mid-Autumn Festival: O-Mochi Mooncake Giveaway

Have you noticed the brightly coloured tins appearing in Asian grocery stores?The Mid-Autumn Moon Festival falls on October 3 this year, a time for families to come together and eat mooncakes and pomelos, beneath the bright and full mid-autumn moon.The packaging and flavours of mooncakes continues to evolve each year. These fancy mooncake gift boxes are probably the most impressive I've seen -

Observatory Hotel Globe Bar, Sydney

It's hard to believe that the Observatory Hotel was only opened in 1993.Georgian-style architecture is complemented by a old-worlde charm from a bygone era. At the entrance to the hotel bar is a celestial globe from which it takes its name. Crafted in 1799, the globe features a handpainted face of the world's star configurations.Inside the bar, a thick carpeted room with heavy drapery and solid

Caffe L'affare, Wellington, New Zealand - and a competition giveaway for Grab Your Fork readers

[Read on for details on a new Grab Your Fork giveaway!] I may have skipped breakfast on Sunday, but there was no way I was skipping lunch.It's true that in my whirlwind weekend of Wellington, I ate until I was fit to burst. I had limited time in the Windy City and I was determined to eat and see as much of it as I possibly could. Instead of being suddenly hit with hunger pangs, I was actively

Moore Wilson, Wellington, New Zealand

Things that make you go awww........Just as this photogenic pug made me melt into a smile, so did the picture perfect food that awaited me at Moore Wilson.It was my final day in Wellington and after joining a tour of the Harbourside Market, I'd zipped over to the fancy new City Market. There was not a moment to waste as I kept an eye on my watch and walked the couple of blocks up to Moore Wilson

City Market, Wellington, New Zealand

Schneckenudel from BrezelmaniaThe City Market is a new addition to the markets scene in Wellington, established by local award-winning chef Martin Bosley (his restarant Martin Bosley's was the Supreme Winner in the 2007 Cuisine Magazine Restaurant of the Year Awards).Housed under the shelter of the Chaffers Dock Function Centre, the City Market is a gourmande's paradise of artisan breads, cheeses

Top 10 Sydney Eats for Tourists

Each week Grab Your Fork receives emails from overseas visitors looking for a personalised list of the best eats in Sydney. To this end, I've compiled a list of my recommended eats for the fleeting visitor to our sunny shores.

My Top 10 are mostly located within the Sydney city area and should be easily accessible for the visitor on a whirlwind schedule.


Wagyu burger from Plan B

Top 10

Harbourside Market, Wellington, New Zealand

I was blessed with good weather during my weekend in Wellington.On Sunday morning the sun was shining, and though the air was brisk at about 9C, it was a gorgeous day to be out and about and taking in the local markets.When I'd first visited Wellington two years ago, I'd delighted in the Waitangi Park markets. Today the markets have expanded both in size and offering, including gourmet artisans

Becasse, Sydney - Spring Dinner with Champagne

It's a green carpet entrance.

As I approach the doorway to Bécasse, I hesitate, for in my way is a shallow bed of grassy turf. It's cut to a doormat-size, but positioned sideways so it runs like a small hall-runner. A little voice inside me shouts "KEEP OFF THE GRASS" but there's no other way around and that's when I realise we're meant to walk on the grass, a tongue-in-cheek start to

Restaurant Review #221: Greek House Cafe, Simi Valley

Chicken kebab plate

Simi Valley's Greek House Cafe, located in a small strip mall on the busy corner of Sycamore and Cochran, has a nice sign out front, but that's pretty much the restaurant's only decor. This little hole in the wall is kind of dingy--not the kind of place where you want to linger and eat your food--but you shouldn't pass it up. It's affordable, many dishes will tickle your

New World Supermarket, Wellington, New Zealand

Am I the only person who considers an overseas supermarket a valid tourist destination?Having eaten myself into oblivion at Hippopotamus, I know I need to walk off some off my dinner. Where better to head than the fluroscent-lit aisles of New World supermarket, an insight into Wellington's grocery habits?Fruit displayHaving spent much of my high school and university life working in supermarkets,

Steel Bar & Grill, Sydney

It quickly becomes obvious why Damien Head's latest retaurant is called Steel. It's everywhere.The open kitchen dominates the room, the chefs penned in by a floor-to-ceiling steel framework. There's a futuristic feel to the decor, with a molten mercury-look light fitting hanging over several tables. An illuminated all-glass elevator behind our table slowly and ominously descends back and forth

Hippopotamus Restaurant at the Museum Hotel, Wellington, New Zealand

Have you ever dined alone at dinner?It always feels a little disarming dining without company, and often the biggest barrier is the self-conscious worry about what other people will think about you, the Nigel No Mates in the corner.Presumably this is why room service exists, so business travellers (and yes, cooped-in couples) can order food to be eaten in bed in front of a flickering television.

Schoc Chocolates at Ciocco Chocolaterie, Wellington, New Zealand

"I'm going to Wellington!" I told Divemummy."So you're going to Schoc?" she'd replied at once.The last time I'd visited Wellington, my Schoc Chocolate tablet souvenirs had been a huge hit. It's not just the pleasant bitter cocoa of the dark chocolate, or the smooth sweetness of the milk, but the fact that the tablets comes in 60 different flavour varieties sends the mind boggling and excites the

The Weta Cave and Cafe Polo, Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand

Precioussss...... my precioussssIt's hard to think about New Zealand without remembering the dramatic scenery from The Lord of the Rings. And whilst downtown Wellington is perfectly compact and flat for the tourist on foot, you will need wheels to take in the more dramatic ocean views and ascend the steep hills around the city.The Plate-mobileEnter the Plate-mobile. After completing the

Floriditas, Wellington, New Zealand

Rolling out chocolate pastry"See, it's really easy."Emily Keshav, head baker at Floriditas Bakery, is rolling out chocolate pastry with the casual confidence of a kid with play-doh."The trick is to make sure you always work with it when its cold," she says, folding over her perfect circle onto the rolling pin and transferring it to the waiting fluted tin.We cluster around the stainless steel work

Dixon St Deli, Wellington, New Zealand

You had me at bacon.Because my trip to Wellington was organised so quickly, I didn't have much time to do research. Yes, food research. I usually like to spend days or weeks looking online for recommendations, checking out restaurant websites, food blogs and reviews for the best eats in the area.As I'd walked past Dixon St Deli on my first afternoon in Wellington, I doubled back once I realised

The Ambeli, Wellington, New Zealand

Pan-fried haloumi $17.00with roasted choggia beet salad and mint dressingDo you have anything on the menu that's local?It's a question I often ask when travelling overseas, a chance to sample fresh fare from the area in which it was caught or grown.Co-owner and maitre'd of The Ambeli, Shaebodine Moleta, can only smile. He then launches into a detailed description of almost every item on the menu

Wellington on a Plate food festival 2009

Have stomach. Will travel.This is the descriptor on my current blogger profile. Those two sentences could not have been apt for my weekend adventure.How so? I was hosted over the weekend for the first ever Wellington on a Plate food festival.That's right. Positively Wellington Tourism flew me across the ditch to eat my around their beautiful city. Oh yes, even my jaw dropped a little at the

Adora Handmade Chocolates, Earlwood

Gia truffles - soft hazelnut centre with a milk waferIt's the last place you'd look for a chocolate shop.Sitting on the side of the road, a lone retailer in a sprawl of suburbia, Adora Handmade Chocolates looks like a fish out of water.And water isn't too far away. The sloping hill leads down to the Illawarra Road bridge over Cooks River, with Mahony Memorial Reserve on one side of the bridge,

Restaurant Review #220: Cafe Firenze, Moorpark - Restaurant of Top Chef's Fabio Viviani

Osso bucco

I wanted to go to Cafe Firenze even before I knew what it was--the restaurant of Chef Fabio Viviani, the #4 contestant from season five of the television show Top Chef. The glitz of Los Angeles proper doesn't generally make its way out to places like Moorpark, which is several miles over the Ventura County line, a few miles north of Thousand Oaks. I was curious--could a place out in

Restaurant Review #219: Eggs N Things, Simi Valley

Scrambled eggs, bacon, and potatoes O'Brien

There are a variety of reasons why I don't really like to go out for breakfast. I am not a morning person. Breakfast is cheap and easy to make at home. I don't like to eat right after I wake up. I hate the smell of bacon.

Perhaps worst of all is that it's impossible to get through a meal without those near-invisible traces of syrup that are on the

Restaurant Review #218: Two Guys From Italy, Moorpark

Jägerschnitzel

Our party of five showed up at Two Guys From Italy on a Thursday night around 7:30. We were a little taken aback at first because we were asked to wait for a table and the restaurant looked nearly empty. But then a friendly woman told us that she had two large parties coming in and she wanted to give us a quiet table in the back where another group was finishing up. Once we found

Restaurant Review #217: Indian Haweli, Simi Valley

Aloo gobi

Simi Valley isn’t known for its restaurants. Food snobs on Chow.com, a message board website for culinary enthusiasts, refer to the distant suburb as “a culinary wasteland” and “a real down and dirty low class locale.” Another commenter moans, “My co-workers and I are stuck in Simi Valley for a few months on our latest project. There seems to be nothing but fast food, chain

Restaurant Review #216: Soot Bull Jeep, Koreatown

Soot Bull Jeep has a widespread reputation as one of the best restaurants in Koreatown. It’s also notorious for being one of the smokiest, due to its charcoal (not gas) grills at every table in a dining room that is entirely indoors (and has all the ambiance of a truck stop).
Indeed, I wanted to change clothes when I got home, but while I was actually at the restaurant, I barely noticed the

Restaurant Review #215: O2 Sushi, Simi Valley

Hawaiian ceviche

I found O2 Sushi on Yelp! while looking for a nice, independent restaurant in Simi Valley, land of many casual restaurants and chains. Simi Valley actually has a surprising number of independent restaurants - you just have to work a little harder to find them since they aren't in freestanding, multi-thousand-square-foot buildings with giant red signs. Perhaps even more