April 19th, 2009 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 5 Comments »
I really love trying out new places for breakfast – even if this can lead to awkward greetings when you go back to your regular joints. Wait Staff: Hey, haven’t seen you guys for a while…Me: [not sure how to reply, as I’ve obviously been seeing other cafes] What can you say, that you’re not […]
March 29th, 2009 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
If it’s possible to get to know someone over a drink, can you properly size up a cafe from just one simple beverage? The first time I went to La Buena Mesa, a year ago, all I had was a Mango & Kaffir Lime Leaf Frappe and already, I knew I liked this place. Due […]
February 17th, 2009 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Cafes | 5 Comments »
Hot chips are the edible equivalent of The Simpsons. It’s weird to know of anyone who doesn’t like either (although “later seasons” of hot chips probably don’t attract as many For & Against arguments as that 20-year-strong cartoon does). I’ve only ever heard of one person who could reject a bowl stacked with long, crispy, […]
January 26th, 2009 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
Every TV show has a perfect hangout – the kind of place where characters linger forever and never get shooed by wait staff; with booths ergonomically built for conversations (and sighs) about complicated relationships or just light, fizzy, punchline-packed joking around. The food is smart and there are frappes you can sip with sass or […]
January 15th, 2009 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
If the name isn’t already a red (white-and-blue) flag, then the Brie and Tomato Croissants and Savoury Crepe Rolls will clue you in. St Germain Patisserie may be on a Redfern street corner, but its picnic-ready display will whisk you to a small patch in Paris’ Sixth Arrondissement. The Riviera Raspberry and Lemon Mousse Cake, […]
October 6th, 2008 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | Leave A Comment »
There was a point where you couldn’t go to Cafe Giulia in Surry Hills without bumping into five other people you knew. It was like the Peach Pit. All this social colliding made sense – Giulia was a good breakfast-meet-up-magnet and slurping away on their brightly-coloured fruit frappes was a fine way to revitalise your […]
September 27th, 2008 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
You know you’re super-lucky when you have friends who will make breakfast for you. And not just some cereal-dunked-in-milk affair but a grand buffet with hand-squeezed orange juice and beans simmered for 12 hours and egg orders being sent via SMS (fried, poached or scrambled?). There were enough sides to make your ceramic plate quiver. […]
September 20th, 2008 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
So I haven’t been doing the Burger Dance (like these Lego dudes hopped up on patties-and-buns obviously are) but today I kick-started a food segment on Weekend Lunch, the FBI radio show presented by the amazing Anna Burns. Today we had our first go (or “first course”) and it was a lot of fun. Running […]
August 21st, 2008 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
“Can you write on your blog about ‘bressert’?” asked Chris. “You know, ‘breakfast dessert’?” Sure. I admit, the phrase sounds eerily similar to a form of ladies underwear often seen in frat-boy comedies, but I am pro-bressert. I like the idea of the breakfast food pyramid being dismantled, gutted and rebuilt with a few secret […]
July 18th, 2008 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 6 Comments »
When Mark from China Heights gallery claimed Cafe Ish as one of his favourites on my list blog, that’s when the place first tripped off my worth-registering-in-brain mechanism. I did a bit more online sleuthing and discovered it was a cafe that specialised in Australian food with a Japanese twist (!) and it flaunted an […]