April 19th, 2010 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
Although I live near one of Sydney’s biggest ‘dumpling belts’ – where the supply lines of ingredient-plump Asian parcels of dough never run out – I was excited to learn about the new Bamboo Dumpling Bar in Surry Hills. The original restaurant in Potts Point has been serving up gow gee and won tons for […]
January 11th, 2010 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 10 Comments »
Sometimes you can’t reduce why you like something down to one particular reason. Often, you end up overcrowding your explanation with lots of adjectives – the same way you do when justifying a crush to friends (where you talk someone up as “funny, smart, cute, talented, thoughtful” etc etc, piling on the praise until your […]
November 27th, 2009 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 8 Comments »
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) […]
October 25th, 2009 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Cafes | 11 Comments »
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 […]
September 21st, 2009 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 5 Comments »
The good thing about being sick is getting to laze out with noodle soups for a week. The bad thing is wearing out your favourite ramen recipe. So I switched it up this morning and I made breakfast couscous instead. I took the basics from here – boil 1 cup fruit juice and one tbsp […]
September 7th, 2009 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 5 Comments »
Like a very incriminating receipt you excavate from your pants when doing laundry – timestamping the last time you actually gave the pair a clean – I must admit I’ve had this review scrunched up in my pocket for a while. It’s kinda silly and I can’t quite explain it (the same way it’s hard […]
July 21st, 2009 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 6 Comments »
It’s easy to miss the kilometre of string above your head as you enter Yulli’s in Surry Hills. Cleverly lit and lined in graphic red rows, the thread looks nothing like a daggy sewing basket staple. This visual trick is by architect Joe Snell, who was asked to create a striking interior effect on a […]
July 6th, 2009 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 9 Comments »
Over the years, I’ve kept circling back to Satellite in Newtown. It was Tabitha who introduced me to this cafe, many menus ago. During my uni days, many sleepy weekends were jumpstarted by the mega pile-up that was Satellite’s vego breakfast option. (The mountain of toast and sides was impossible to scale, let alone finish […]
June 1st, 2009 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Uncategorized | 16 Comments »
Sometimes you like a cafe from the very first millisecond. And then – several cleared plates, sipped-clean glasses and much cafe-lingering later – your initial instinct is proved right. So here it is, Clipper Cafe in Glebe, my latest big cafe crush. OK, so I didn’t quite stumble into this cute little terrace eatery by […]
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 […]