EoMEoTE #6: Warm and sunny

In the fried egg world you're either a runny-yolk person, or you're a... Neanderthal.Why anyone would deny themselves the bliss of piercing the golden sun of a barely cooked egg yolk is beyond me. Rich, thick and eggy it oozes languidly into your toast providing nourishment and comfort.So for this month's End of Month Eggs on Toast Extravanga #6 it was back to basics. Fried egg on toast. Extra

Bar Fly: Pier 26, Darling Harbour

So I've posted on the Pier 26 bar before, but for Sarah's first dining-out online flogger event: Bar Fly: eat at the bar (great idea!), I couldn't resist heading back here again.In the dying throes of a gorgeous Sydney summer (technically it's the end of autumn but don't tell the sun that), Pier 26 is one of our favourite places to sit back with a glass of wine and watch the world go

IMBB#14: Orange You Hungry

Foodgooat's theme for the 14th version of Is My Blog Burning was Orange You Hungry (say it in an American twang-- "Aaaaaah", sigh the Antipodeans).Orange as in orange-coloured foods or spices, or products even.What to cook? I thought of Aussie favourites like pumpkin soup and pumpkin scones. Then I thought about orange poppyseed cake and sweet potato chips.But then I thought, why make things

IMBB#14: Tarka dhal

I've been craving dhal for some time now. There's something deliciously comforting about a spoonful of steaming hot, spicy dhal with rice.I've never made it before though, and IMBB#14: Orange You Hungry seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so.A couple of clicks later on the Internet and I found what looked like an authentic recipe from someone who had visited a friend's mother in New Dehli.

IMBB#14: Moroccan carrot dip

With left-over carrot mash from my tarka dhal on-hand, I decided to turn this into a Moroccan carrot dip for my second submission for IMBB#14: Orange You Hungry.Moroccan Carrot Dip1 cup cooked carrot2 tsp cumin1 tsp paprika1/4 tsp ground ginger1/2 tsp ground cinammon1 garlic clove, mincedsalt and pepper to tastePuree or mash the cooked carrot and combine with remaining ingredients.The end.This

IMBB#14: German carrots cooked in beer

When I stumbled upon this recipe, there was noooooo way I could resist this one. Carrots and ale? Oh boy, do I know a few people who would love this one! You know who you are...German Carrots In Beer(4 servings)4 large carrots1/4 ts salt1 tbp butter1 tsp sugar1 pint dark beerMethod:Peel and slice carrots into long, thin slices.Melt butter in medium-size frying panAdd beer and carrots.Cook slowly

SHF#7: Dense gingerbread

My first-ever Sugar High Friday entry! Woohoo!When I found out Derrick's chosen key ingredient was molasses, my first thoughts--like Niki--were of literary memories of childhood. I can remember poring over English and American stories, trying to imagine the treacle tarts, pulled taffy and treacle toffee so lovingly described. I had no idea what these things were, but boy, they sounded good!I've

The World's 50 Best Restaurants

Britain's Restaurant magazine recently published its annual list of 50 best restaurants in the world. Not surprisingly London, Paris and New York feature prominently:1. The Fat Duck, England 2. El Bulli, Spain3. The French Laundry, California 4. Tetsuya's, Sydney5. Gordon Ramsay, London6. Pierre Gagnaire, Paris7. Per Se, New York8. Tom Aikens, London9. Jean Georges, New York10. St John, London 11

Snapped: The Bridge by Night

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Killing Heidi, Tumbalong Park

After checking out the Northside Produce Market, we headed back over the Bridge to check out the Killing Heidi gig at Darling Harbour's Tumbalong Park. Not only did we get a free concert, but we also (apparently) got into the Book of Alternative Records for the world's biggest air guitar gathering.Current New South Wales Air Guitar Champion, Darrin "Jimmy Dangles" SmithA tough act to follow, but

Northside Produce Market

I think I'm becoming addicted to markets like muso's get addicted to gigs. There's something intoxifyingly adrenalin-pumping about talking to the people behind the product, getting all the insider info, and sharing the experience with like-minded foodies.We got up with the birds and made it all the way over the Bridge. (Note to non-Sydneysiders: The Harbour Bridge divides Sydney much like the

bills2, Surry Hills

Some might call it greed. I call it thoroughness.And so in a selfless gesture to ensure Quality Assurance for you, dear reader, we found ourselves at bills2--just to double-check that Bill Granger's scrambled eggs are as equally good here as they were at bills in Darlinghurst.It's 8.00am Thursday morning and the place is already 30% full with businessmen, couriers and a handful of Japanese

Saigon Village, Haymarket

Somewhat spurred on by previous proof that you can't always judge a book by its cover (or a restaurant by its doorway), we decided to have lunch at Saigon Village--despite (or in this case, because of) its funny little windowless entrance on Sydney's Little Hay Street.Apart from a protuding neon sign and a beckoning red lantern proclaiming "$6 lunch", there is little to attract the passing

WBW#8: Vini Siciliani Rossi.... er... Bianco

WBW? It means Wine Blogging Wednesday and just like other similarly acronymed events, involves a simultaneous collaboration of posts around a specific theme.Sounds hard-core. Or so it did when I first heard about IMBBs, SHFs and the snappy EoMEoTE. But like most of the finer things in life, once you're acquired a taste for them, they become strangely addictive. And so having already attempted two

Seaside snacks, Terrigal

There must be some kind of psychosomatic link between feeling the refreshing tingle of salt spray on the skin, and an irrepressible urge to get salt under the skin. Fish and chips aside (and yes, even those artery-clogging deep-fried Mars bars), nothing screams Aussie seaside satiation like the beloved potato scallop and the pineapple fritter.The potato scallop is but the transportable clutchable

Tetsuya's, Sydney

At $175 a head, Tetsuya's is perhaps seens as the gastronomic Mecca for Australian foodies. "One day I'll go", is the repeated mantra. "It's just so expensive..."For non-foodies, their look of bewilderment is genuine. "$175 for a meal?" they bleat. "And it costs $75 on top of that for matching wines?" Their pupils dilate in disbelief.But they don't understand. This is not just "a meal". This is

Pyrmont Growers Market

I arrived uncharacteristically early at the Growers Market this month. 6.30am to be exact. For those who know me--I know, I know! This doesn't happen often!In the bleary tranquility of early morning, the stallholders were still unpacking and setting up for the busy morning ahead...Stallholders chalk up their signboards.Trays of fresh figs are bathed in early morning sunlight.By 8.26am the crowds

Comment corner

Unfortunately Blogger doesn't support the "Recent comments" capability available to Typepad users, so I thought I'd manually highlight a recent topic thread in my post on Sweet Belem here.Hi there,I'm new to your site and it has been nice reading about your food adventures.I went to Sweet Belem after reading your post and I must say the Portugese tart was lighter and more refined than other tarts

Zest tell me the truth!

Which pie are you?With thanks to Saffron for unearthing this one