March 18th, 2012 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 7 Comments »
If you feel battle-tested by the idea of eggs and sides (again!) for weekend breakfast, then you’ll be happy to know Kuku Tanuki in Erskineville is now offering a Japanese spin on brunch. This sake bar has been doing cool things, neighbourhood-wise, since it opened around new year. Having just relaunched, it scores extra grades […]
February 10th, 2012 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 13 Comments »
For me, Rosebery has always been a suburb defined by speed bumps and 40 kph limits. It’s where I learned to drive as a teenager and it was full of L-plated kids being overly sensitive with the accelerator pedal. Driving instructors loved Rosebery’s enforced slowness; even wildcard adolescents couldn’t help but keep their teacher’s car […]
January 18th, 2012 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Cafes | 6 Comments »
At Bread and Circus in Alexandria, you won’t see a thousand clowns jam themselves into a tiny car – instead, your attention may be redirected towards “life-alterating” Callebaut chocolate cookies, drinking coconuts, “circus soups”, brews chosen by a “tea neurotic” and defiantly good salads. If you think a “wholefoods canteen” is a total killjoy – […]
February 14th, 2011 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 5 Comments »
It’s hard not to be knocked out at Restaurant Arras. Every dish seems to blaze with high-resolution colour and the flavours are just as carefully, exquisitely rendered: elegant, playful and thrill-seeking. I’ve already written about this great restaurant but it’s difficult not to re-praise the people who cast this dinner-long spell on us: the incredibly […]
December 25th, 2010 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Travel | Leave A Comment »
For any Twitter-weary people out there, here’s a case for the defence: it helps you find amazing places to visit overseas. During a research-binge on where to eat in Japan, I posted this throwaway tweet: “In Japan, ham is considered a vegetable” -> OK, my attempt to find good vego-friendly places to dine at in […]
November 11th, 2010 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 16 Comments »
Pictures from the new Bentley book, available now through Murdoch Books At Bentley Restaurant & Bar, Brent Savage uses a colourful mix of ingredients – lychee glass, coffee puree, orange blossom gel, red miso oil – to create dishes that are spring-loaded with flavour. It’s one of my favourite places in Sydney and it was […]
November 1st, 2010 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Restaurants | 11 Comments »
When Bloodwood opened earlier this year, and everyone rushed to declare “casual dining” as the hot new thing in Sydney, I felt a tad skeptical. Bloodwood is great, but can a trend really exist when Exhibit A only holds one example? Well, since March, we’ve seen the opening of Berta, Eathouse Diner, District Dining and […]
August 30th, 2010 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 6 Comments »
If you’re bored with toast, then head to Bruschetteria 102 in Surry Hills – it will flare up your enthusiasm for grilled bread. As the name suggests, this Italian cafe offers many oil-drizzled variations on bruschetta, with charming and likeable results. If you’re in a breakfast mood, you can get a serve of the Will-approved […]
July 4th, 2010 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 10 Comments »
I enjoy watching the year change according to, not the calendar, but the blackboard menu at the Luxe Bakery in Newtown. In summer, you could order oxheart-tomatoes, basil and bocconcini, fanned out on sourdough; as the temperature dropped, that disappeared and was replaced with garlicky, roasted-through mushrooms served on a thick, crusty bread-slice, and later, […]
May 18th, 2010 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 14 Comments »
If you want to max out on breakfast, this is the finest way to do it. Le Monde in Surry Hills has started serving a breakfast degustation. For $25*, you get three inventive courses, two coffees (swappable for tea, if you’re not into ground beans), and multiple amounts of early-morning fun. The fine print though […]