The Carrington $3 pintxos Tuesdays, Surry Hills

It's no coincidence that I seem to have taken up residence at Sydney's pubs of late. Everyone loves a cheap eat and Sydney's watering holes have taken up the challenge with gusto. The Abercrombie offers $10 weekday lunches, The Norfolk has $4 mini burgers on Mondays; and at the Pyrmont Bridge Hotel you can score a 1kg steak on Thursdays for only $20.

On Tuesday nights you're best off heading

Cheap Eats 2012

Life has a way of coming full circle. Exactly two years ago I landed a regular column with Time Out Sydney covering suburban eats. My first review appeared in the May 2010 Cheap Eats issue - a fitting theme for this cheap 'n' cheerful fan. Now I'm pleased to reveal that the latest Time Out Sydney 2012 Cheap Eats feature was curated and written by yours truly - my first ever cover story!



The

The Norfolk, Surry Hills

If life is marked by epiphanies, then this is one of mine. The deep-fried pickle. Oh god yes. It's the glorious combination of crunchy batter wrapped around a pickled gherkin. Ingenious. Why? Because even as an aficionado of all things deep-fried, there is only so much greasy batter my war-torn arteries can take. And that's when the pickle comes in - a sweet and acidic bullet that doubles as

Pyrmont Bridge Hotel, Pyrmont

They didn't require much convincing. The boys were in. The Man or Mouse challenge at the Pyrmont Bridge Hotel was in their sights. All that stood between them and chest-thumping glory was a plate of chips, salad and one kilo of rump steak.

How much steak do you get for one kilo? We debate its size while we wait for it to arrive. The steak is part of their regular bistro menu, a one kilo "prime

Mushroom picking in Oberon

Mushroom picking. For years I'd wanted to indulge in this foraging fantasy, my mind filled with romanticised visions of skipping in a cool dark forest with a wicker basket tucked under my arm, stopping every now and then to pluck a large waiting mushroom to add to my spoils.

The reality, of course, was markedly different. For us, it began with a 5.30am wake-up call so we could be on the road

Restaurant Review #252: Pho 21, Canoga Park

No. 77, Spring rolls, $5.25

After making the long trek from my house to San Gabriel to get my Golden Deli fix, I decided I needed to find a quality Vietnamese restaurant that wasn't so far away. Pho 21 seemed to fit the bill with its extensive menu and stellar Yelp reviews (4.5 stars out of 113 reviews). I studied the menu and came up with $45 worth of food I wanted to order. At most

Lao Village, Fairfield

There are many things to love about Lao Village. The bargain basement prices are just one of them. You could easily eat there for about $15 a head, feasting from a menu of 30 dishes with nothing priced over $12.

The restaurant itself is unassuming: one of several businesses housed in a long red brick building. Entry is via a white flyscreen door, depositing you into a room that is minimal in

Restaurant Review #251, Leila's, Oak Park

Grilled lamb loin with Israeli couscous and apricot sauce

If you think all the delicious gourmet restaurants are in LA County, Leila's in Oak Park, a small pocket of Ventura County near Agoura Hills, will prove you wrong. There's also plenty of free parking, and the surrounding area makes for a beautiful drive during the day.



Soup of the day: Corn chowder, $8


The restaurant is pricey for

Darley Street Bistro at the Botany View Hotel, Newtown

The southern end of King Street has always been my preferred stretch in Newtown. Here you'll still find a chaotic jumble of shopfronts, dusty window displays and traces of its original bohemia. And yet capable of a surprise or two.

On the corner of Darley Street you'll find the Botany View Hotel, a local watering hole for blokes with TAB screens for punting and flatscreens for the latest in

Buffalo Dining Club, Darlinghurst

There was only one thing we wanted. Pasta. In a giant parmesan wheel. Could a humble plate of spaghetti arrive with any more spectacle?

It's the promise of this glorious vision that brings us to Buffalo Dining Club, a tiny slip of a place just off the hubbub of Victoria Street, Darlinghurst. No bookings means an early arrival is crucial - at 6pm on a Friday the place is empty but by 6.40pm