Sydney Hotspot Find: Vietnamese Food at the Kirribilli Markets
VIETNAMESE STAND AT KIRRIBILLI MARKETS, KIRRIBILLI This little piggy went to the Kirribilli Markets A favorite weekend past time of mine is hitting the markets. The fresh air, fresh food and knick-knacks seems to slow down the pace. One of my favorite markets is the Kirribilli Art and Design market, because of the art, design, … Continue reading
The Curators: Laurent-Perrier & Chef Brendan Cato Uncover the Most Indulgent Dining Experiences in Sydney
After a trip to Laurent-Perrier’s Sydney pop-up location The L-P Bar and a chat with its head chef Brendan Cato my mind kept wandering to those moments when we share champagne. These are the moments of pure indulgence that we pair with fine food and wine as we dine inside decedent restaurants. They don’t happen … Continue reading
The Curators: Ms G’s Executive Chef Dan Hong on Sydney Food and his favourite off-duty eats
On my last trip out to Sydney I checked out Ms G’s, a hip pan-Asian restaurant in Potts Point. It instantly took a spot in our Sydney restaurant guide and also became the subject of my Vietnamese food obsessions. You see, the food at Ms G’s is my comfort food only I strangely found myself … Continue reading
Sydney City guide: 11 restaurants that give Melbourne a run for her money
Not to rub it in, but I’m feeling pretty refreshed (and even a little tanned!) after a nice holiday in Australia for the last couple weeks. Normally on a trip all the way out to Australia I’ll always spend a good amount of time with my first city love, Melbourne but this time I cheated … Continue reading
Sydney Hotspot Find: House
HOUSE, SURRY HILLS North Eastern Thai food from the same people who brought Sydney-siders Spice I Am (arguably the most famous Thai restaurant in the city) but this time, no queue to go with it. Best Bit: Jackfruit salad and green curry is done how you’d expect it to be done in Thailand. http://www.spiceiam.com/house-surry-hills 202 … Continue reading
Sydney Hotspot Find: The Fish Shop
THE FISH SHOP, POTTS POINT I’ve had a fish and chips craving for over a year now (the Americans just can’t seem to get it right). It was finally satisfied at The Fish Shop. Amazingly fresh fish fried just enough for that light crunch in your mouth, thick hand cut chips, gourmet tartar sauce and … Continue reading
Sydney Hotspot Find: Nom
NOM, DARLINGHURST A hole in the wall Japanese Izakaya that I probably wouldn’t tell you about if I lived in Sydney for fear of not being able to get a seat. Run by a mother and daughter team from Tokyo and frequented by Japanese locals – its as authentic as you can get. Best Bit: … Continue reading
Sydney Hotspot Find: Ms G’s
MS G’S POTTS POINT Ms G’s is that cool bar where Vietnam and Malaysia meet up with Sydney. Unfussy pan-Asian food with big flavours and a little edge via graffiti-ed walls and pink neon signage. Best Bit: Who doesn’t love a slider let alone a banh mi slider? http://merivale.com.au/msgs/ 155 Victoria St, Potts Point NSW … Continue reading
Sydney Hotspot Find: Three Blue Ducks
THREE BLUE DUCKS, BRONTE Sydney food at its very best – there’s something about this city that does food with an Asian twist with such finesse and this spot is no different. Three Blue Ducks is known equally for its amazing fusion food as it is for its two very handsome surfer/chef/gardening owners – either … Continue reading
Sydney Hotspot Find: Gnome Espresso
GNOME, SURRY HILLS After strolling Surry Hills you’ll need a little caffeine hit to keep you perky enough to visit all of the boutiques on your list. Situated right on Crown Street is Gnome – the perfect spot to recharge with a short macchiato and inadvertently overhear an interesting conversation between some cool looking local … Continue reading
Sydney Hotspot Find: The Commons
THE COMMONS, DARLINGHURST The kind of spot you can hit on a warm Sunday afternoon and stay well into the night grazing on charcuterie, calamari and chardonnay. You won’t know where the time went once it’s time to head downstairs into the basement bar 🙂 Best Bit: The Sunday afternoon garden party vibe is completed … Continue reading
Sydney Hotspot Find: Kitchen by Mike
KITCHEN BY MIKE, ROSEBERY Not far from The Grounds of Alexandria is another restaurant/concept store but this time in a warehouse complex that is breathtakingly huge. The canteen style restaurant serves up quality food prepared with ridiculously fresh ingredients – think beetroot, freekah, goats cheese and mint salad with a bacon and gruyere quiche. Be … Continue reading
Sydney Hotspot Find: The Grounds of Alexandria
THE GROUNDS OF ALEXANDRIA, ALEXANDRIA They don’t call it “The Grounds” for nothing – it’s a veritable complex of food, coffee, horticulture, floristry and landscape design. How many cafés have you been to that have a coffee research and training centre, grow their own herbs and veggies in the gardens, have an in-house bakery AND … Continue reading
Sydney Hotspot Find: Bills
BILLS, DARLINGHURST A trip to Sydney would not be the same without a trip to Bill Granger’s restaurant, Bills in Darlinghurst. Bills is the home of the most famous scrambled eggs in dare I say it, Australia. Everything on the menu here is simple, well cooked with Bill’s signature freshness. Best Bit: The scrambled eggs … Continue reading
Mum’s abalone & chicken congee is a trip down comfort lane
Congee is to comfort food as chicken soup is to comfort food. It’s a rice porridge that the rice eating nations of the world prepare in different ways and is usually eaten for breakfast or fed to you by your mother when you’re feeling sick. It was a blast right into my childhood when mum … Continue reading
Vietnamese broken rice: if it’s broke don’t fix it, eat it.
During my 3 weeks in Adelaide I had a mild twice-a-week obsession – broken rice and avocado smoothies at a Van Restaurant. This is a Vietnamese restaurant tucked away in a quiet residential street deep in the inner-western suburbs of Adelaide where many Vietnamese settled in the mid-70s. It’s the kind of restaurant you’d never … Continue reading
Gaucho’s Argentinean Restaurant and everything you need to know about steak
Adelaide was the starting point of our Australian food odyssey and Gaucho’s was the first restaurant to grace the all-important food schedule that I put together on our yearly Australia trips. This restaurant is a true Adelaide institution famous for it’s house-aged steaks and its chimmichurri sauce – a tangy combination of olive oil, lemon, … Continue reading
Curry night sides: citrusy carrot salad with herbs and toasted almonds
A few weeks back I held a curry night at my place to catch up with a bunch of friends before heading home to Australia for a somewhat impromptu holiday-slash-food-odyssey. Curry nights are a great low maintenance dinner party to throw especially on a cold wintery evening because you’re bound to get a fantastic selection … Continue reading
Prawn skewers with rice salad remind me of home…
…not my family’s home, because braised pork belly hot-pot would remind me of that, I mean home as in Australia. This dish embodies Australian cooking to me – the taste of the sea, the freshness of lemon zest and the fusion of Mediterranean and Asian flavours. Every time I cook this dish, I am transported … Continue reading