High Tea at the Victoria Room

Scones with jam and cream, dainty sandwiches with the crusts cut off and a bounty of petite and sweet desserts... What's not to love about high tea?Tuesday night saw the launch of High Tea at the Victoria Room, a book by Jill Jones-Evans and Joe Gambacorta, featuring both recipes and the history of high tea. Guests mingled over mini cupcakes, flaky pork and apple sausage rolls and delicate

MoVida Aqui, Melbourne

A creeping grin.It's one that doesn't leave me as soon as I found out Billy and I have been booked in for a dinner at MoVida Aqui for our recent weekend trip to Melbourne. It's hard not be to excited - the buzz around MoVida is palpable with the success of its two cookbooks compounded by the recent opening of MoVida Aqui, its third instalment after Movida and Movida Next Door.MoVida Aqui is not

King crab, Hokkaido milk and strawberries

Love is a 50cm long chocolate eclair. At least that is what my eyes tell my stomach when we spy this beauty at the Daimaru department store food hall in Sapporo. At 1785 yen, or AU$22.30 (Feb 2010), it's presumably one to share, and beause I know you're wondering, alas no, I didn't indulge.But I digress. In the previous Japan post, I'd left you at the Sapporo Beer Museum. We'd continued next door

Red Spice Road, Melbourne

I really want to roll a Jaffa down the table... This is the first thought that crosses my mind as Billy and I take our seats at the table for the Viet Lane Sunday lunch in Melbourne two weekends ago.You can't really tell from the photo, but the table--set up along the narrow laneway of McKillop Street--slopes downward to the bottom of the hill. We're seated at the very top. It's the perfect stage

Freebie Friday: Win hotel accommodation worth AU$200

Everybody loves a holiday.The worst part? All the organising!Whilst the internet has made research so much easier, it's also made looking for the best deal a stressful and information-overloaded affair. HotelsCombined.com is a free and easy-to-use search engine that allows you to save time and money.Instead of wasting hours clicking through multiple web pages, HotelsCombined.com searches and

Marigold Restaurant yum cha, Haymarket Chinatown, Sydney

You know you're getting old when queuing for food is no longer an option.I realise this when Billy and I somehow hijack group yum cha plans and make a case for an earlier start."Eight people? At 1.00pm?" I repeat, horrified."Too late!" chides Billy."We'll have to queue for ages," I mourn.We may as well throw in a head-shaking grandmotherly "ai-yah" in there as well.And so we wangle an 11am start,

Lord of the Fries, Melbourne

Late night munchies.It's irrelevant that Billy and I have just eaten dinner. Wandering the streets of downtown Melbourne, alive and buzzing on a Friday night, we find new energy and appetite as the touristy but still endearing horse-drawn carriages clip-clop on by, iconic trams clanging bells as they hum past - just like a scene out of The Secret Life of Us.I'd made no secret of my intent to

Deus Cafe and Jed Wines Degustation Dinner

They say that if you find a job that you love doing, you will never have to work again. It sounds magical doesn't it, a perfect existence that allows you to play and be paid for it. What, then, stops so many of us living our dreams? Most of us cite money or mortgages, underlined by a fear of taking the plunge and switching careers.Occasionally you do meet or read about people who are living our

Interview: Ten Questions with Curtis Stone

Curtis Stone is hot property. The Aussie surf-loving chef, who trained under Marco Pierre White in London, is conquering new ground - the US of A - and leaving a trail of fawning female fans in his wake. After starring in two series of Take Home Chef, Curtis is appearing in the current US season of Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice, alongside fellow contestants Cyndi Lauper, Sharon Osbourne,

Sapporo Beer Museum

Wakame soba 350yen(about AU$4.40 in Feb 2010)There's a common misconception that Japan is expensive. It's not.As long as you're prepared to eat like a local, it's easy to stay within a modest budget. Of course eating like a local does mean less meat, more pickles and embracing the Japanese affection for soba, udon and ramen.After a night of deep-fried cheese, grilled scallops and a flurry of snow

Madame Brussels, Melbourne

Eclectic, quirky and devil-may-care, Melbourne is constantly full of welcome surprises.Of course, unless luck happens to be in your favour, many of Melbourne's treasures are best-kept secrets known only by locals. For the casual tourist, it's likely you will walk by in complete oblivion and not even realise that you're missing the discreet entrances down alleys, hidden in basements or tucked away

Iiza, Newtown

I can't help it.One look at the spider roll, the nori slices sheathed in a gossamer-thin scroll of daikon, and my mind immediately wanders to comparisons with prophylactics. The phallic-shaped mound of wasabi doesn't help either."It's like safe sex sushi," I whisper to Billy, whose eyes widen in alarm."Don't say that!" he protests, trying to preserve a sense of innocence during his meal, but I

Melbourne Food & Wine Festival 2010: The Edible Garden; and Aussie Bacon Week

We all recognise and appreciate the joys of good wholesome food and the home garden is rapidly becoming the latest frontier in the pursuit of sustainability and provenance.During our weekend to trip to Melbourne, Billy and I were keen to check out The Edible Garden in City Square, a public initiative to demonstrate how to grow, harvest and cook your own fruits and vegetables. Forget about hedges

Melbourne Food & Wine Festival 2010: World's Longest Lunch and Death by Chocolate at Koko Black

Five words you don't ever want to hear? "Your flight has been cancelled."It's a small dampener to the spirits of Billy and I, and even though the next flight is full, and the one after that is delayed by 40 minutes, we're still rather jubilant when we land in Melbourne three hours behind schedule.We're a little excited you see - two food bloggers flown down from Sydney by Tourism Victoria for our

Restaurant Review #227: Bar Celona, Pasadena

Poblano pepper and bean dip with crispy flatbreadBar Celona has been in Old Town Pasadena for years, but Chef Josef Centeno of Echo Park's Lot 1 helped re-do the menu recently. Though I hadn't been to Bar Celona before, I did remember looking at the menu and thinking that it didn't seem very interesting. This time, there were more things I wanted to order than I could afford (or eat).BarWe went

Freebie Friday: Win movie tickets to My One and Only

FREE BACON!I mean KEVIN BACON. Same excitement factor, no? If you don't fancy getting footloose with him, then maybe a Big dose of Chris Noth gets your heart racing instead?This week's Freebie Friday gives you the chance to win free tickets to see My One and Only, a comedy film with a jazz soundtrack that will be the perfect antidote to a long working week.My One and Only is inspired by the

Sapporo Snow Festival 2010

If there's one thing that strikes you about Japan, it's the national doctrine of politeness. No matter whether you've spent 100yen or 10,000yen, you will be addressed with deference and given a small bow or nod of appreciation.Everybody takes their job seriously, and there's always a sense of pride by anyone lucky enough to wear a uniform. Buttons are polished, ironed creases are flawlessly crisp

Dotonbori, okonomiyaki and a hotcake sandwich - Osaka, Japan

Cakes at Takashimaya, Namba, OsakaFor a country that exhibits remarkable restraint when it comes to snacks and junkfood, Japanese depaato (department store) food halls are a haven for dessert lovers. It's all about quality of course - each slice of cake as meticulously crafted as an exquisite work of art.We spent hours roaming these basement levels. The pastry chefs wear pristine white uniforms

Tetsuya's, Sydney - and your chance to win a Masterclass with Tetsuya Wakuda

A Masterclass with Tetsuya doesn't happen everyday.What was most interesting about the evening was that ten food bloggers were chosen from around Australia to join Tetsuya Wakuda in his newly-completed Masterkitchen on the first floor of his Kent Street restaurant."You're the first to see it. Ahead of other media," we're told as we head up the stairs.Tetsuya demonstrates scrambled eggs - I have a

Osaka Castle, plum blossoms and kendo

In the hustle and bustle of Japan's big cities, personal space is something you never take for granted.And yet despite the neverending waves of commuters on the Osaka public transport system, there's always a sense of order. Clear markings on train platforms indicate the precise point where doors will open, and passengers always form a polite and patient queue.On our first full day in Japan, we

Restaurant Review #226: Ken of Japan, Simi Valley

Spicy mayonnaise--err, spicy scallop rollKen of Japan serves the kind of sushi that I used to like--before I moved to California. I knew what I was probably getting myself into by choosing a restaurant that was both Japanese steakhouse and sushi restaurant. But on the other hand, if I had ruled out O2 based on the teriyaki chicken and teriyaki filet mignon that appear on its menu, I never would

Fat Noodle, Star City Casino, Pyrmont

When did Sydney turn into a construction zone?After three weeks out of town, I return to suddenly notice the new escalators at the north end of QVB and the masses of hoarding in Darling Harbour and all along the front entrance of Star City casino.Last night we were shepherded toward the main gaming floor for the launch of Sydney's latest dining venture, Fat Noodle, by consultant chef Luke

Japan 2010: Let's Eat!

Itadakimasu!Our arrival in Osaka, Japan prompted only one response: Let's eat!Fluffy clouds (taken with iPhone)The flight had been reasonably uneventful. We had taken advantage of the buy-one-get-one-free Jetstar offer on sale early last year -- the only downside was the 6.10am departure from Sydney and the transfer from domestic to international at the Gold Coast. The early check-in time and a