Grab Your Diary, 2 - 16 Sept

FRIDAY 2 SEPTEMBER 2005Paper Chef #10 startsBurwood Jazz & Noodle MarketWoodstock Community Centre, Church Street, Burwood5.30pm - 9pmEoMEoTE #10: Dr SeussGuess your Dr Seuss-themed eggs-on-toast entry to Jeanne at CookSister!IMBB launch cook-off (with beer!)Come along to the Is My Blog Burning housewarming for its new website design. Bring food. And beer.SATURDAY 3 SEPTEMBER 2005Pure Gelato Open

Bankstown Bites: Tantalising Tea

Two months ago, I headed west for the first ever Bankstown Bites festival. Five different themed food tours were run throughout the day and I wasted no time in signing up for three of them.I had been through Little Lebanon, enjoyed some European Eats, and now I was ready to wash it all down with some Tantalising Tea.First stop: Izvor DeliYup, we were back here although this time Gordica was ready

IMBB #18: Vietnamese banh xeo crispy pancakes

This month's IMBB theme is fried. Ahhh fried. How many crunchy promises lie in that introductory hiss and sizzle?Unfortunately Murphy's Law dictates that the tastier each mouthful is, the more likely it will be carcinogenic, cholesterol-clogging or a diabetic's nightmare.Banh xeo, however, is the perfect compromise for the fried food fanatic on a health kick. Crunchy crisp crepe, embedded with

Sydney foodbloggers' yumcha @ East Ocean, Haymarket

To the non-Cantonese, yum cha may as well be the literal description of this family-favourite Sunday ritual.First there is the yum: delicious, tantalising, bite-sized morsels of heart-warming goodness glistening on plates, sizzling on griddles or hiding in the sauna'd comfort of stacked bamboo steamers.Then there is the cha-cha of dimsum trolleys as they weave their way through packed tables,

Grab Your Diary, 26 Aug - 7 Sept

SATURDAY 27 AUGUST 2005Haldon Street FestivalDig in to the multicultural flavours of Lakemba at this annual community event.SUNDAY 28 AUGUST 2005Boulevarde Market - SpicyHead to Sydney Olympic Park to spice up your Sunday with flavours from Brazil, Peru, Puerto Rico and Ecuador.9am-2pm, FREEIMBB #18: Summer's Flying, Let's Get FryingGet your stir-fried, pan-fried and deep-fried concoctions to

Bankstown Bites: European Eats

Two months ago, I headed west for the first ever Bankstown Bites festival. Five different themed food tours were run throughout the day and I wasted no time in signing up for three of them.After the whirlwind tour of Little Lebanon through the streets of Bankstown, my next bite of this multicultural suburb was Eastern Europe.First stop: Izvor DeliRun by husband-and-wife team Pero and Gordica

Dine & Dish #4: Be Rachael Ray for a Day

As a devoted fan of "cheap and cheerful", this month's Dine & Dish theme seemed right up my alley. Sam issued the Rachael Ray challenge - showcase the cuisine that your city has to offer on a budget of under US$40 in one day.As most international visitors to Australia are gleefully aware, our pathetic exchange rate significantly increases the size of the bulge in your trousers. That means US$40

Maya Masala, Surry Hills

Gulab jamunI love the way the word gulab jamun rolls off the tongue. Like a dramatic Indianised flamenco, there's a pleasingly impressive sense of certainty and flourish in just saying those four syllables.The other pleasure I've only recently had the pleasure of discovering is dosa (or dosai) and needless to say, I'm hooked.There's something about its sheer enormity of size which never fails to

Sydney Fish Market, Pyrmont

Fishmongers in action Claudio's at the Sydney Fish MarketThe Sydney Fish Market have always been a favourite foodie haunt of mine. Often we're here for only a quick dive through the shops; just long enough to secure some fresh salmon or live sea urchin for home-made sushi, or perhaps some tentacled friends for sticky chilli baby octopus.Even better, though, is when we head to the fish market as a

Una's on Broadway, Ultimo

Think Una's and think schnitzel, cabbage roll or perhaps a big hunk of pork knuckle. But guess what--Una's does breakfast as well.We're at the recently-opened Una's on Broadway which is fairly desserted on an early Saturday morning. The wooden chairs, decorated with Alpine-themed floral paintwork, look even more kitsch by the harsh light of day, but the wealth of breakfast options is hungrily

Taste test: taro chips

I'm a huge taro fan. Taro bubble tea, taro-filled dumpling buns and especially ube spongecake--an essential ingredient to any Filipino birthday party.Taro chips, though, are another story. I recall a purchase of a bag of taro chips in Vietnam which, upon tasting, were shoved down the side of a bus seat with an accompanying shudder. Cut like shoe-string chips, they tasted like taro cardboard but

Grab Your Diary, 17 Aug - 24 Sep

FRIDAY 19 AUGUST 2005Blogging By Mail #2Last day to sign up with Sam from The Samantha Files for the second edible package swap!MONDAY 22 AUGUST 2005Dine & Dish #4: Be Rachael Ray for a DayWho is Rachael Ray? --No idea, fellow Antipodeans, but the challenge is simple. Showcase the cuisine your city has to offer on a budget of US$40 for the day. That's AU$53.05 people. How much value can you get

The Flicky's

Voting for The Flicky's is now open.Thanks so much to Tracey for nominating me in the Excellence in Food Photography category. Awww shucks. Better than a gold star on the forehead!Voting closes 1 September 2005.

Bankstown Bites: Little Lebanon

Ok, so this post has been a little late in coming but AG's fingers can barely keep up with the pace of my stomach (slow down the consumption? - Bah! Nein!). And so it was 52 days ago that I had the edible camera-capturing pleasure of the first ever Bankstown Bites festival.9.30am Saturday 25 June, if my memory serves me correctly, saw me clutching an umbrella in Bankstown City Plaza, praying that

Paradoxe Restaurant Francais, Crows Nest

Paradoxe is one of those "locals' secrets" you don't hear of except by word-of-mouth. Sitting on its own some blocks down from the main drag of Crows Nest, it's not a restaurant you would notice as you zoom past in traffic, although its quaint appearance is pretty enough.Luckily for me, foodie fiends R and A put me onto this hidden French gem.R waxed lyrical about the joys of this cosy

Ichi Ban Boshi, Sydney

When I first heard about the tonkotsu ramen at Ichi Ban Boshi, my attention was immediately commandeered."Everyday they have this special noodle soup they make for lunchtime," a fellow foodie confided."They use a whole pot full of pork bones and simmer it for hours and hours and hours. The stock is simmered so long, it becomes rich with collagen, and..."I lean in excitedly."...they only make 15

Snapped: The Hub

The Hub Theatre, King Street, Newtown

SHF #11: Coffee hazelnut cookies with dark chocolate chunks

The smell of freshly ground coffee gets me everytime. That first whiff of roasted coffee beans draws me spellbound into its nutty, sweet embrace. I am under its spell each morning. Resistance is futile.So yes, consider me delighted when coffee was announced as the latest theme for Sugar High Friday. I flicked through the recipe books, I drooled, and I awoke from a caffeine-infused reverie with

Sheraton on the Park Botanica Brasserie, Sydney

There's something distinctly Australian about the enigma that is The Seafood Buffet. We have plenty of seafood in our coastal waters. Why not allow the true blue Aussie eat half their body weight in one sitting in an all-out celebration of pure gluttony? =)I say this as a recovering buffet-aholic. It is true, indeed, that these visits reached their culminative peak in the high school / university

Grab Your Diary, 10-27 August

Check out the continuing wrap-up of all 90-strong IMBB entries for the Taste Tea edition. Clement is doing a stellar job of posting them in bite sized portions. 31 beautifully composed summaries. Only 59 to go. Check out parts One, Two and Three at A La Cuisine!WEDNESDAY 10 AUGUST 2005Wine Blogging Wednesday #12: Drink Local. Real LocalFor the one-year anniversary of this event, Lenn has only one

Pyrmont Growers' Market

It's the first Saturday of the month. Where else would I be but at Pyrmont Growers' Market!This month I synchronised watches with both Saffron (a Pyrmont first-timer!) and Pinkcocoa for triple camera power.Anonymity was not an option as cameras were whipped out at every opportune moment. Zoom lenses extended, samples were zeroed in on, and oh, yes, a certain celebrity chef was somewhat stalked...

Ramen Kan, Haymarket

I've posted on Ramen Kan before, but like any good foodblogger, I find it hard to forgo any photo opportunity.

We step into the discreet doorway with the blase confidence of a local now and ascend the lift to the first floor. We're here for lunch today and, as usual, the place is full of noodle-slurping patrons.



My dining companion orders the yakisoba, a giant platter of soba noodles

Beb Patisserie, Ultimo

EDIT 05/07/07: Beb Patisserie has now closedFrench macarons $1.50 eachYou wouldn't expect to find a fine French patisserie along the smoke-clogged carriageway of Broadway. A patisserie which bakes everything on the premises by a genuine Frenchman. Which has loaves of bread on a shelf behind the counter, pastries in a giant wicker tray on the bench-top and a glass cabinet filled with every type of

EoMEoTE #9:The morning after

Harry couldn't believe how much his head was pounding. Last night had been an absolute blinder. It was only supposed to be a couple of social butterbeers, and then somehow they turned into butterscotches and inevitably everything ended up in a sticky mess from there.Sticky mess. Sticky mess. Dear god. Harry wracked the dark recesses of his memory. He remembered talking, drowning in those gorgeous

Grab Your Diary, 5-27 August

NOTE: You can now find all online and Sydney diary dates in the template on the right hand side panel.It's festival madness (and yes, I had to trawl through all the local government websites in Sydney to track down every single one of them!)FRIDAY 5 AUGUST 2005 Omnivoribus Australis JulyAll Australian foodbloggers are invited to submit their favourite July post to Saffron at The Food Palate.Paper

Sprout the love, baby

I've always loved Brussel sprouts--their miniature cabbage-like appearance, their compactness, their pass-the-parcel like layers. Perhaps not quite as monumental an export from Belgium as their chocolate, but still thoroughly endearing.Those who think otherwise have probably fallen victim to overcooked mush to the point of grey. And no vegetable should ever be forced to overcome a handicap of

Tokyo Mart, Northbridge

As you know, nothing excites AG more than the sight of a hitherto unexplored supermarket.With the memory of the Tokyo Mart crew at the Good Food Show still fresh in the mind, we made a lazy detour to Northbridge after our visit to the Northside Produce Market.Oh doesn't the entrance just scream "Irrashaimase!" (welcome) in a high-pitched female Japanese giggle?Just inside the store, my eye is

Kagaya, Hurstville

Kagaya is one of those places you're tempted to keep to yourself. It's crowded enough. It doesn't need more patronage. How on earth will I get a table on Friday nights now?We are in Hurstville, in Sydney's south-west, and although it is barely 6.30pm on a Friday night, Kagaya is already packed out. Thank goodness we have a booking (of course)!My companions have been here before and recommend the