Behind-the-scenes tour of the galley kitchen on the P&O Pacific Pearl cruise ship

Exactly where and how does a ship prepare 8,600 meals every day for the passengers and crew onboard at sea? A behind-the-scenes tour of the Pacific Pearl main kitchen held all the answers.


The Chef's Table

The galley tour forms part of the recently launched Chef's Table, held in the privately enclosed Wine Room and bookable by any passenger. Up to three Chef's Table dinners for 14 passengers

El Capo, Surry Hills

El Capo means "the boss", and there's no question about who's in charge here. From the bad ass murals on the wall, to the pallet-load of dollar bills that doubles as a stool, El Capo feels like a seedy drug den come-to-life comic book-style.


El Capo

The pine tables are set with buckets of help-yourself cutlery and a box of domino tiles. The chairs are a colourful mix of wooden and metal

Olka Polka Bakery & Deli, Campbelltown

It's a long journey on the train out to Campbelltown, but the trip is well worth it when there's freshly baked rye bread at the other end. For my latest column for Time Out Sydney I headed to Olka Polka, a Polish bakery and deli that's been a godsend for homesick ex-pats for almost a decade. 

The business has no relation to Sammy and Bella Jakubiak, the NSW sisters who used the same name for

Salt Grill by Luke Mangan

It's true. The main thing you have to look forward to on a cruise is the food. With four days at sea on-board the P&O Pacific Pearl, our seemingly endless hours of idleness were broken only by meal times. Our visits to Salt Grill by Luke Mangan were a particular highlight.


Salt Grill by Luke Mangan

Dining at Salt Grill incurs a nominal surcharge for passengers ($30 at lunch and $40 at dinner

El Loco, Surry Hills

Food should always be fun, which probably explains why I've taken such a shining to El Loco of late. There's nothing fancy, with Mexican-style street food served in takeaway trays and margaritas dispensed in plastic cups, but that's half the appeal - chowing down on messy deliciousness as you perch on a metal stool at a table covered in plastic prints.


El Loco Mexican cantina y barra

El Loco

Cumulus Inc, Melbourne

It's barely 10am but we just manage to score one of the last remaining tables at Cumulus Inc, the casual cafe bar restaurant by Cutler & Co's Andrew O'Connell. The room is bright and airy, warm with the chatter of breakfast diners and the constant hum of the coffee machine. A dark bar counter runs against the window side of the room; on the other side is the marble white counter of the open

Eating and Drinking Sydney Guide

Who said food blogging didn't get you anywhere?

I was pretty taken aback when I was approached to be one of the editors for the new Eating and Drinking Sydney guide earlier this year. It's the kind of offer a food writer dreams about, and then freaks out over, when you realise the magnitude of responsibility this position entails.

As editor for the Cheap and Cheerful section, I was entrusted

P&O Cruises: On-board the Pacific Pearl

I'll admit it. I've never understood the appeal of cruises. I would look at those hulking great ships in the harbour and ponder the phonebook-sized passenger lists that could qualify as a small city. I imagined being stuck with a boat-load of American retirees in matching tracksuits called John and Barbara or Bob and Nancy. I had nightmares of a floating RSL with daggy carpet, bland buffets and

Concrete Blonde, Potts Point

The best table in a restaurant, I say, is one that gives you a view of all the action in the kitchen. At   new Potts Point hot spot Concrete Blonde -- barely open for eight weeks -- this means everyone. It's hard not to keep staring at the whole Tinder Creek ducks, slowly rotating over coals as the five-spiced skin develops a crispy tan. The long and expansive fully-exposed kitchen offers

Burch & Purchese and LuxBite, South Yarra, Melbourne

Is there a faster way to happiness than dessert? We weren't particularly organised with an eating schedule on our recent trip to Melbourne, but we did have two patisseries on our hit list: Burch & Purchese and LuxBite.


Burch & Purchese
Like bumbling interstate tourists we hopped on the tram towards Toorak, barely realising our poorly timed journey until a tidal wave of school boys engulfed

Abercrombie Hotel, Chippendale

Deep fried Gaytime. Because surely a coating of batter could only make this sentimental childhood favourite even better than we remembered? It's not the only thing we're excited about as we head into the newly re-opened Abercrombie Hotel, resurrected after closing for more than a year.


Booth seating and library shelves

The Abercrombie was always a popular haunt for university students,

Casa Brasil, Petersham

Churrasco is a carnivore's dream come true. In Brazil, churrasco means barbecue, a meat-fest of assorted cuts and proteins cooked on skewers over charcoal or a grill. The common way of enjoying churrasco in Brazil is rodizio-style, where waiters carry skewers of meat around the restaurant and carve slices for diners on demand. It's always all-you-can-eat.


Palma Louca Brazilian pilsener and

Naked for Satan, Fitzroy, Melbourne

The world needs more pintxos. These bite-sized snacks aren't common in Australia, but they're found all over bars in northern Spain, usually available at a self-serve counter for patrons and eaten at leisure over a beer.

Pintxos means spike in Basque (pinchos in Spanish), referring to the toothpick that holds the ingredients together, often on top of a piece of bread. You take your time to