Supermarkets, ensaymada and Arce Dairy ice cream - Manila, Phiippines

Food courts. And supermarkets. Is it odd that these were my top two touristing highlights in Manila?JeepneyAdmittedly I'd wanted to ride on a jeepney, but with our hotel within walking distance of Greenhills Shopping Centre in San Juan, there was no need for a jeepney.SecurityI'd been pre-warned about the presence of armed security at shopping centres in Manila. At every public entrance, security

Hello! Kyochon Chatswood

Soy marinated chickenFried chicken is my weakness.Is there anything more magical than crunching through a layer of golden batter and sinking your teeth into sweet and juicy chicken?Complimentary cabbage saladAn impromptu dinner is no excuse to contend with the tried and tested. I could barely type 'yes' fast enough when fried chicken was mentioned in the lazy tic-tac of group emails.We push open

Luxe Bakery Cafe, Newtown

Ham and cheese crossiantMan cannot live by bread alone, they say, but maybe they haven't yet been to Luxe. Bright, airy and ever popular, Luxe Bakery Cafe is not quite when you expect when you step through the doors of this former five bedroom cottage. Co-owners Jonathan Harvey, Simon Cancio and Tony Leibowitz gutted the building to create this buzzy cafe packed with loaves of fresh sourdough

Food courts in the Philippines

Forget about sightseeing - the only thing I want photograph when I travel is food.A trip to Manila for a wedding offered limited free time and we ended up spending much of it shopping. Even then, I found myself continually gravitating toward the sights and smells of the food court.Kusina ni GraciaFood courts. What's not to love?We ended up shopping at the SM Mall of Asia, the fourth largest

Teochew dinner: Stomachs Eleven

Good food should always be shared.This is the philosophy behind the group of friends I've been so lucky to have been a part of, over the years. We came up with the name Stomachs Eleven, for this is the focus of all our gatherings - an emphasis on good food which we share with each, rotating from one kitchen to the next as we each take turns to host a dinner.There is little doubt over whose house

Signorelli Gastronomia, Pyrmont

Let there be pig.It was my birthday last week and I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate than with a whole porchetta.I'd spied this dish on my last visit to Signorelli Gastronomia and had vowed to return. The pig, I swore, would be mine someday.I can't think of a better way to celebrate a birthday than with dear friends and good food.Seared tuna with orangeWe started with an amuse bouche

Freebie Friday: Win a box of Christmas cupcakes from Sparkle Cupcakery

Can you believe it's only five weeks til Christmas? Argh. Where did the year go?The key to maintaining your sanity during the mad countdown to Christmas? A cup of tea. And a cupcake. Yes, this week's Freebie Friday is a box of treats from Sparkle Cupcakery!THE PRIZE:Three lucky readers will win one half-dozen box of Christmas cupcakes containing:chocolate and peppermint cupcakes with crushed

Lechon, Jollibee and sizzling sisig - Manila, Philippines

I'm back!Those of you following me on Twitter or Facebook will know that I was in the Philippines for the past week for a wedding.Recycling bins at Singapore Changi airportIt was a whirlwind trip of six days, and two of those days were chewed up by travelling. We flew to Manila via Singapore, a brief layover preventing us from checking out the giant slides at Changi Airport.The giant slide at

Chat Thai, Haymarket Chinatown

Join the queue.It's part of the ritual of eating at Chat Thai - joining the constant huddle of hungry people spilling out the doorway and onto the footpath, a torn strip of paper clutched tightly in one hand.Watching the chefs work in the front kitchen is like a pre-dinner theatre show - a ladle of coconut soup here, a sizzle of skewers there, and the dull thud of a pestle on mortar as a som tum

Single Origin Roasters, Surry Hills

It's like watching live theatre.The modest eat-in area at Single Origin Cafe is full when we stop by for lunch, and we are motioned to wait on the row of stools in the alley across from the cafe. We sit there patiently with menus, watching the bustle of locals drinking coffee, eating lunch and soaking up the sun - it almost seems a shame when we're summoned over with a friendly wave when a table

Tan Viet Noodle House, Cabramatta

There is only one dish you need to order at Tan Viet: crispy chicken.At 11.45am on a Sunday, the queue outside this Cabramatta favourite is already forming. By the time 12.15pm rolls around, hungry diners have formed a line that would rival any yum cha queue.Today Richard and I are eating our way around this vibrant suburb with neighbourhood local, Phuoc. The dining room has the same energy of

Spicy Panda, Haymarket Chinatown

Signature stew of diced rabbit with cucumber $28You're eating what?!There's a cheeky smile in my voice when I tell a work colleague I'm off to have Spicy Panda for dinner. It's not literal of course - just the name of the restaurant, but its quirky name means it's easily remembered, a novelty when it comes to the usual roll call of Chinese restaurant names.Jelly fish with cucumber in garlic sauce

Blue Plate Grill, Neutral Bay

You won't eat a hot dog in a fancier restaurant.We arrive at Blue Plate Grill to find a dining room much fancier than its American menu would suggest, with curved booth seating along one wall, a Roman column in the middle, and a spectacular chandelier above the bar.We are a group of seven tonight, and immediately agree to share a mix of dishes for entree.Deep dish pizza $16 for halfThe deep dish

Yummy Chinese BBQ, Haymarket Chinatown

Oops, I did it again.I often say that I'm too old for buffets. Those university days of maximum value on student budgets are far behind me now, I say. And yet, still, the offer of the all-you-can-eat bounty will still draw me in at the weakest of moments.BuffetAdmittedly we'd been drawn to Yummy Chinese BBQ in search of the rotating skewer buffet I'd enjoyed at its sister restaurant in Ashfield.

District Dining, Surry Hills

It's a sardine tin!

Words cannot describe my giddy excitement when I spot the sardine tin with "District Dining" printed on the sticker on its side. It's the kind of excitement reminiscent of your six-year-old self on Christmas morning, a sense of wonderment and joy that greets the arrival of each dish during our weekend lunch at District Dining.



District Dining is the latest venture by

Freebie Friday: Win a gold double pass to MasterChef Live worth $140

Poh-lercoaster. Invention Test. Kiddie mafia. Bags of flavour.MasterChef Australia has generated more expressions than you can poke seven lucky skewers at.Now fans can revel in MasterChef Live, a premiere event that will see judges Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston unite with celebrity chefs and former contestants in a three-day festival of cooking demonstrations at the Hordern

La Paula, Fairfield

There's a surreal moment when you first step inside La Paula. Its bare shopfront gives no indication of the colour and vibrance within. I headed here for this month's Time Out Sydney column, and as we sat on plastic chairs in a dining room filled with gaudy streamers and Chilean flags, sinking our teeth into warm empanadas and lomitos, I almost convinced myself I was somewhere in Santiago, and

Bentley Restaurant, Surry Hills

Do you know lemonpi?I was always amazed by the incredibly crafted and exquisitely plated desserts by Y until eventually she revealed she was a qualified pastry chef, patient enough to invest time on her food blog even after early starts and long shifts in the kitchen.Unfortunately I never managed to make it to Sepia during her stint there, but we do catch her in her final week working at

Charlie & Co Burgers, Westfield Sydney

After two years of construction, the $1.2 billion Westfield Sydney redevelopment is finally open. I joined the throng of crowds on its opening day last Thursday, but found most of the food court besieged by curious, hungry and patient office workers. Yesterday I was fortunate enough to see the new development in much more relaxed style, hosted by Westfield on a special tour for media.Charlie & Co