December 31st, 2015 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Favourites, Latest, Restaurants | Leave A Comment »
So I’m writing this literally hours before 2015 is about to wind up, so I hope you don’t mind if I do a little time-tripping via memory lane and drop some of my culinary highlights of 2015. One of the most-amped-up openings of the year was The Paddington in (non-spoiler alert) Paddington. Given that it […]
June 21st, 2015 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Latest, Podcasts | Leave A Comment »
The fan base for Black Star Pastry is pretty large – after all, its stores attract long lines, have scored many Sydney food awards and even drawn the attention of an Argentinean TV show (its crew called up and asked for an updated pavlova). Black Star Pastry’s success may seem unlikely when you consider that […]
January 6th, 2014 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Cafes, Latest | 3 Comments »
Black Star Pastry has opened in Rosebery and it’s far from a carbon copy of the original Newtown store. The new space is beautiful: lines of copper wrap around the counter, like industrial layers of frosting, while suspended planters flirt with gravity and the neat stacks of timber remind you of what fuels and warms […]
May 24th, 2013 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Cafes, Latest | 1 Comment »
The arrival of the Finders Keepers markets is always a great permission slip to browse like hell and fill your shopping bags with excellent independent design. With the relocation and expansion of this ultra-popular event to Australian Technology Park, it means the crafted approach you see applied to homewares, fashion and stationery is now extended […]
March 28th, 2013 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Shops | 2 Comments »
My collection box of Easter memories is pretty small. I grew up with Buddhist parents, so I was off the hook when it came to the religious significance of the holiday. Mainly, I remember peeling foil off chocolate, and knowing that the little solid eggs were nowhere near as prized as the large hollow ones […]
February 2nd, 2012 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Cafes | 6 Comments »
Here are a few things that preoccupied me, appetite-wise, in the last week. The Lamington Affogato ($6) at Sample Coffee Bar in Surry Hills. It’s a 2-in-1 megahit of coffee and cake – and a fine enough reason to seek out this new-ish cafe. If you’re looking for (heart) trouble, try its custom Pacemaker blend […]
July 30th, 2011 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Bars, Cafes, Travel | 11 Comments »
As my parents could tell you, getting me interested in maths is a losing battle (for years, my brain and trigonometry enjoyed pretending the other did not exist). Here’s one calculation I enjoy making, though: taking a holiday and dividing it into maximum mealtimes and snack breaks – with no remainders left over. So this […]
March 3rd, 2011 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 8 Comments »
One of the upsides of turning older: getting to pin birthday candles into something fun. I am not sure if this cake endured any instance of lighting or wax-melting but it sure was a party highlight. I think it even earned a round of applause! Someone who deserves many claps and cheers: Will, who secretly […]
June 7th, 2010 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 5 Comments »
Last month, I went to a great talk given by Christopher The, who runs the wonderful Black Star Pastry in Newtown. (I’ve been meaning to scribble something on it much sooner, but life has had a funny, dodgem-car-like way of throwing plans off-course.) His talk was part of the Food&Company show on at Gaffa Gallery, […]
December 5th, 2009 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 6 Comments »
Black Star Pastry Seeing as everyone has gone list-mad, I thought I’d join in on the craziness. For the year’s last segment on Anna Burns’ Weekend Lunch show (on FBI 94.5FM), I gathered a few favourite picks from some food-savvy people to read on-air. The idea was to spotlight the best places that had opened […]