Tony Roma's, Sydney

Tony Roma's Original Baby back ribs $27.50 (full slab)Cut from tenderloin and basted with original barbecue sauce, we consider them the "filet mignon of ribs"I love my veggies. And I love my meat.The best meat is cooked whilst still attached to the bone. Bones add flavour, give moisture protection, and give some reassurance that the flesh you're eating really is what it claims to be (chicken

Pier 26, Darling Harbour

Ocean trout with grilled zucchini, figs, semi-dried romas, cider and goats cheese dressing $20.50It's no secret I'm a big fan of Pier 26. I think I've worked out why. The food is reliably tasty and presented deliciously. It's plated nicely without being wanky. The portions are neither excessive nor miserly. And there's always something that tempts you either on the regular menu or the glass-wall

Yots Cafe Bar, Pyrmont

It'd been over a year since we'd last eaten at Yots. A friend had recommended to me, and just as well, as it's so discreetly hidden that you would never find it otherwise, tucked away down a boardwalk under the shadow of the Maritime Museum.I remember tucking in a pair of perfectly cooked lamb shanks, the meat so soft and tender it was falling off the bone. We'd sat in perfect summer sun,

Greek Festival, Darling Harbour

I swung past Greek Fest on Sunday hoping to sample some souvlaki, dolmades and perhaps a couple of loukoumades.Apparently so did everyone else. Tumbalong Park was the most people-saturated I've ever seen. Every Greek person in Sydney must've been there.The queues for food were far too long for me to even contemplate, but I lingered long enough to take a couple of snaps before I extricated myself

Sel & Poivre, Darlinghurst

As a child, I remember thinking about French food as being exotic, sophisticated and only for rich people. French food, I was sure, came with crisp white starched tablecloths, heavy silver cutlery, and food cooked in heavy rich sauces with, ewww, wine.Of course, as I later discovered, French food is nothing like that. The French love their wine and their food but their meals are light and small

What's On In Sydney

Every Fri til 30 June 2006: Chinatown Night MarketThis weekendSat 25 March: Ultimo Pyrmont UPTown FestivalSat 25 March: Sydney, The City Chase - Urban Adventure SeriesSat 25 March: Ashfield Gourmet MarketSat 25 March: Farmers Market, Entertainment QuarterSat 25 March: Kings Cross Organic MarketSat 25 March: Orange Grove MarketsSun 26 March: Greek Festival, Darling HarbourSun 26 March: Boulevarde

Farmers Market, Entertainment Quarter

Michette loaves of bread from Beb PatisserieIt's been a year since I was last at the Farmers Market in the Entertainment Quarter. Back then it was known as Fox Studios, and it's a term of reference we can't seem to shake the habit of using in our everyday conversations.We headed to Fox Studios the Entertainment Quarter straight after the Northside Produce Market. It's funny how the clientele seem

Gungho, Haymarket

Bright.And shiny.Two words which immediately spring to mind when you first set your eyes upon the dizzy spectacle that is Gungho.Cherry red moulded plastic chairs are tucked under bright white formica square tables. The backlit menu behind the service counter has helpful food photos. And all this is amplified by the floor-to-ceiling mirrored wall down one side of the narrow eatery.Proudly

Northside Produce Market

Lamb ribs on the barbieA feast for the eyes, the nose and the tastebuds at last weekend's Northside Produce Market in North Sydney...Crisp gala applesFig sample (oh it was delicious!)Organic sourdough baguettes from La TartineOrganic sourdough fruit loaves from La TartineGourmet biscuit treatsCheese cutting at Formagi OcelloMarinated fetta cheese at Formagi OcelloLive bees at a honey stallShiny

Bairro Portgues: Portugese Festival, Petersham

Last Sunday was the annual Portuguese Festival in Petersham. The air was thick with the haze of charcoal as families, couples, friends and foodies celebrated all the goodness that is Portuguese cuisine and culture.Chicken skewersEspetadaCubes of rump steak are packed onto giant sword-like skewers, coated with coarse rock salt and then cooked over charcoal in this Madeiran specialty.Goan

Good Living Growers Market

Once again it was the Good Living Growers Market on the first Saturday of the month, down by the water at Pyrmont Bay Park.It's funny how when you attend the markets regularly, you immediately notice the absence of regular stallholders, your feet slowing down and your brow furrowing as you subconsciously ponder "hang on... shouldn't this section be occupied by...?"At the same time, newcomers are

Shanghai Night, Ashfield

Steamed Shanghai-style mini pork and crab bun $8.00After a hard day's foodie shopping in Ashfield, the shoulders will droop, the legs will falter and the stomach will rumble with increasing urgency.Nourishment can be found quickly, cheaply and in delicious air-conditioned comfort at Shanghai Night, one of the most celebrated cheap eats on Liverpool Road.The decor is, well, non-existent. Vertical

Four things meme

Another day, another meme.This one's from chickpea. Here goes...Four Jobs I've Had in My Life:1. Public relations coordinator2. Youth hostel duty manager3. Radio station researcher4. Youth telephone counsellorFour Movies I Could Watch Over and Over:1. Tampopo2. The Breakfast Club3. The Joy Luck Club4. The GuruFour Places I've Lived:1. Cambridge, England2. Leytonstone, London, England3.

Foodie shopping: Ashfield, Sydney

They say that the best way to appreciate the familiar is to go and see it with a tourist.A couple of Sundays back, four food bloggers found themselves assembled on the high street of Ashfield, in Sydney's inner west. An comment by Saffron about a Chinese grocer in an Ashfield underground carpark had been met with a response of "intriguing!", a suggestion of "an excursion?" and a chorus of "oh yes

Sago pudding recipe

When I think of sago pudding, I think of that thick baked custardy dessert from yum cha. The pudding is baked so it forms a skin on top which caramelises to the colour of rich molasses. Breaking through the skin with your eager spoon reveals a dense but creamy custard with hints of coconut milk and packed tight with luminescent sago pearls.We searched high and low all over Google for this sago

What's the Story?

Another Sydney institution passes. A walk through Chinatown last week showed the old Maxim's cake shop--on the corner of Goulburn and Sussex Street--all boarded up. Already painted on the awning and with new signs hanging are the new owners, the expanding Malaysian franchise bakery, Bread Story.Admittedly I haven't been that big a customer at Maxim's lately--all too often I've been waylaid by

Tropfest 2006

Picnic goodness: Tetsuya truffle butter on bagel crispsLast Sunday saw our annual pilgramage to The Domain for the now much-advertised "largest short film festival in the world" Tropfest.The competition is open to anyone and everyone. The film must be no longer than 7 minutes, it must include the Tropfest Signature Item (announced on 1 December), and Tropfest must be its first public

The Apprentice, Ultimo

The road to becoming a chef is not an easy one. You work every public holiday, enduring the glamour of peeling nothing but potatoes all shift, only to be rewarded with minimal pay on apprentice wages. No wonder there's a high drop-out rate.I do admire anyone who works in the hospitality industry, especially those in the kitchen. It's hot, it's stressful and there's absolutely no room for

Surf's Up

The latest round-up of photos for Does My Blog Look Good in This has just been posted by Ron from LoveSicily. Check out the gallery of foodbloggers' favourite food porn here.My latest SugarSavvy piece on chocolate taste-testing is also up.And I've done some housekeeping and updated my drop-down list of food blogs--now split into "Australia" and "around the world". What I have been surprised by

What's On in Sydney

Every Fri til 30 June 2006: Chinatown Night MarketThis weekendSat 04 March: Good Living Growers Market, PyrmontSat 04 March: Ashfield Gourmet MarketSat 04 March: Farmers Market, Entertainment QuarterSat 04 March: Orange Grove MarketsNext weekendSat 11 March: Kings Cross Organic MarketSat 11 March: Ashfield Gourmet MarketSat 11 March: Farmers Market, Entertainment QuarterSat 11 March: Orange Grove