I’ve never before had a meal that unfolded in such beautiful Technicolour. Each dish I’m served at Restaurant Arras, in Walsh Bay, is alive with brightness, swirls, kaleidoscopic specks and scattered petals – like a micro-exhibition on a plate. It’s enough to make me wonder if the talented chefs (owners Adam Humphrey and Lovaine Allen) […]
It’s been fascinating watching the quiet end of Burton Street, Darlinghurst, crack into life at night. Once noiseless with shut doors and ‘closed’ signs, it’s now a-buzz with Pocket Bar, Doctor Pong and, today’s exhibit A, The Pond. A triple blend of pop-up bar, clever sponsorship, and heritage restoration via working bee, this venue is […]
Today I was on Anna Burns’ excellent Weekend Lunch show (on FBI 94.5FM) talking about my favourite Sydney breakfast places. I say ‘favourite’ and not ‘best’, because as soon as you use that word, you end up baiting people into disagreeing. Favourites are a personal thing. Mine are (in no order really):Clipper Cafe, GlebeRuby’s Diner, […]
It’s Macaron Day at Adriano Zumbo in Balmain. Here’s a quick lunchtime post. I arrived at the patisserie at 8.30am and the line was ridiculous and (unencouragingly) not moving at all. But, 40 minutes later (a lot of it spent snooping on other people’s print-outs of the 45ish flavours on offer), I ended up with […]
The ‘Sugar Hit’ dessert plate at Azuma Kushiyaki had so many parts that it spanned two trays. My favourite bit: the vanilla cheesecake that suffered raspberry ‘internal bleeding’ when you spooned deep into it. Will loved the mysterious coconut dessert that you baptised with a glass of maple syrup. The presence of the salty seaweed […]
A brilliant breakfast menu is like a knockout second album by a band you love: different and original enough to leave the critics a little dizzy, but familiar enough to ensure everything that drew you in the first place hasn’t been reprogrammed out of existence. So, you want eggs, sides, toast and the comfort of […]
I easily fall into a spell looking into counters lined with exquisite pralines, and the new Kakawa chocolatier in Darlinghurst is the latest place to continue this hold on me. The boutique is a nice front-display break from the endless car showrooms and rental vehicle outlets that keep William Street so drab, and what’s in […]
Here’s a little blog candy for you. This was one of the Wasabi Macarons that were given out at the Adriano Zumbo session at Sydney International Food Festival, where the pastry chef blew the secret on Margaret Fulton’s birthday cake (it’s going to be several shades of vanilla) and delivered his ever-sweet take on Japanese […]
Din Tai Fung dumplings being prepared outside the World Chef Showcase at Star City The lifespark of this blog has to be the very first dinner I had at Bentley Restaurant and Bar in Surry Hills. That one meal led to a full-blaze curiosity about this city’s food districts, as well as immense awe for […]
I was lucky enough to lurk around the World Chef Showcase that was just on as part of Sydney International Food Festival. Now I’m home and very, very tired. Hopefully I’ll get to blog about the sessions I attended soon … In the meantime, here is a little pic of the showbag from the session […]
