Three days in Melbourne = many mealtimes, chased by the photo-filter haze of Instagram. Words soon, promise.

Here’s a confession of guilt: I’ve declared war on some unending to-do lists and I’m not sure if I’m winning. So, being time-poor, here’s the laziest blog post I’ve come up with: a recap of recent meals via that hazy-coloured memory prop, Instagram. Youeni Foodstore, Surry Hills. The wedges, roasted with rosemary, thyme and Parmesan […]

Mr Wong on Bridge Lane is next-level great – it’s the James Bond of yum cha restaurants. Whereas other eateries rely on the charm of leaky teapots and lazy-susan spins, this new place has sharp-suited waiters, details revved up to design-to-impress levels and there’s enough exotic glamour to fuel three Daniel Craig films. And like […]

Good news for anyone who has been on vigilant “Gelato Messina Watch”, the new branch in Surry Hills finally opened today. Like the Darlinghurst original, there are the dependable classics (Bounty, Tiramisu, Blood Orange) and the one-of-a-kind eccentric flavours that we gravitate to Messina for – such as Sexual Chocolate (which is so heavy-going you […]

I’ve started a podcast! Thanks to my amazing producer Alex Watts and FBi radio for making it possible. I’ve had the idea cooking in my head for an embarrassingly long time, so I’m glad it’s now happening. Unless they’re major celebrities, you hardly ever come across long-form interviews with chefs (they’re usually hustled in just […]

Here’s one upside to weeknights – until September 27, it gives you a good excuse to visit The Larder, the pop-up taking place at Otto Ristorante in Woolloomooloo. Otto is great, undoubtedly, but the first I dined there in 2007, I did feel like an income-bracket tourist. It’s a restaurant known for its ritzy celebrity clientele, […]

You can expect “Burgers and Things” at The Milk Bar By Cafe Ish in Redfern, which opened on Thursday. The menu allows you to mastermind many variations on this classic order – you can “double up”, or even extension-build further and go for a three-level beef pattie/cheese/pickle/ketchup/grilled-onion combination (watch out for the lockjaw). You can […]

This is just a quick, bento-sized update to say how much Will and I like Ume in Surry Hills. It’s a new Japanese place run by Kerby Craig (The Bridge Room, Tetsuya, Koi) and Hiroko Muranishi (who, like her chef husband, also worked at Koi). It’s eternally hanami-watching time, thanks to the cherry-blossom mural and […]

Arcadia Liquors in Redfern is a fine hideout on a cold winter night – as Matt and I discovered on Tuesday, eating ourselves into toastie comas. The staff made him a “joke” sambo, so big that it hardly fit into the griller. They warned him it was so large and crammed with ham and cheese […]

You can easily pick a fight over Fleetwood Macchiato’s name. In the week that this Erskineville joint has been open, I’ve already heard people slam its jokey title while others have hailed its punchline brilliance. What’s clear cut, though, is that this is a really good cafe. It’s partly run by Jai Pyne – a familiar […]