Poor Knights of Windsor

Stale bread happens to all of us. A beautiful baked loaf, crusty on the outside, fluffy in the middle, dries out to an impenetrable heavy and crumbly mess within days. Give it a little more time, and, with the right swing, it soon becomes a potentially lethal weapon.The latest Is My Blog Burning event (a free-for-all online cook-off for foodbloggers) is Yesterday's Bread hosted by Derrick from An

Deco, Civic Hotel, Sydney

Despite its recent classy refurb, with rich burgundy curtains, grand piano in the corner and art deco fittings, the Deco dining room at the Civic Hotel remains true to its Aussie pub roots: the unrelenting wobbly table."I'm really sorry", says our apologetic waitress, as she disappears out of sight underneath our table. We try to offer some direction as she carefully wedges a folded linen napkin

Blogs on the Menu

I've finally gotten around to uploading some pics from last week's Courier Mail article on Australian food bloggers. Thank you Kelly for so thoughtfully sending me the entire Good Life liftout in the mail! Check out the updated post here.

Equilibrium Hotel, Sydney

It's not often that one gets to enjoy super comfy seating, floor to ceiling views (even if it is just Goulburn Street) and a cheap meal all at the same time.We checked out Equilibrium Hotel, a blokily trendy bar in World Square. It has a masculine feel with leather-look seating, enormously high-backed booths, lipstick red chairs and a splattering of chrome. Pressed metal ceilings provide some

Scones

April 23 is St George's Day. I hadn't heard of it until a Londoner told me about it, but to my satisfaction I noticed I wasn't the only one so blase about it all. It barely seemed acknowleged around town, bar a miserly display of dragon-themed cards near the registers at Clinton's.So what do a pair of inspired foodbloggers do? Create greater publicity with an international bake-off of

Jasmin, Lakemba

Tabouleh $5.00Crushed wheat, chopped parsley, onion, mint, tomatoes, lemon juice and oilIf there's anything that brings people together, it's food. Communal dining is even better. Sharing dishes amongst the table means everyone has to engage with each other, and consumption is no longer a private affair but a loud and colourful group effort.At Jasmin, in Lakemba in Sydney’s south-west, there's

Pier 26 Seafood Cafe, Summer Hill

BBQ chilli octopus with chips and salad $20.50One Sunday morning we found ourselves at Pier 26. Not Pier 26 Bar, our long-favoured lunch spot in Darling Harbour, but Pier 26 Seafood Cafe, in Summer Hill.There's no water here, no piers to be seen. It's inner west suburbia and we're in desperate need of brunch.It's a casual set-up with cane chairs, aquamarine walls and a series of red chiffon

Ikea Restaurant and Sweden Shop, Homebush Bay Drive

Knackebrod crispbreadThe one travel wish regrettably not fulfilled when I was living in the UK was Scandinavia. There were efforts made, but alas, t'was not to be.A much cheaper and easier way of embracing all things Nordic is to head to your nearest Ikea. After examining the limitless practical storage ideas, admiring the funky yet functional furnishings, and really really wishing you could fit

East Ocean, Haymarket, Chinatown

Crispy skin chicken $16.80Ever since the old Marigold closed down (about five years ago now, and still fondly remembered) most of our family special occasion dinners in town tend to take place at East Ocean in Sydney's Chinatown. There's a certain affection in having an automatic standby venue for family dinners. No thought is required, just: "I'll go make a booking."Familiarity breeds contempt,

Water cooler talk, but with photos

I'd forgotten that in an interview with Courier Mail journalist, Natascha Mirosch, early this year, I'd compared the social interaction of the foodblogging community as being like "water cooler talk, but with photos".In hindsight, I'm not sure whether that sounds glib, but the excited chatter and voyeuristic photo-sharing is something I can easily identify with.At the start of the article, which

Big John's Pizza Restaurant, Sans Souci

Caesar salad $10.90With croutons, eggs, bacon, parmesan and anchoviesWay back in December last year (yep, I'm determined to get through the back archives) we headed to Big John's in San Souci.The Big John's Story, printed on their inhouse menus, began in 1985 when a small pizza takeaway opened on Bondi Road, Bondi. Initially manned only by Big John himself, its popularity necessitated an

World's 50 Best Restaurants 2006

The 2006 list of The World's 50 Best Restaurants were announced by the UK's Restaurant Magazine last week.El Bulli claimed pole position, forcing last year's titleholder, The Fat Duck, into second place.Sydney was again represented by Tetsuya's which fell one spot to number five, and Rockpool, which climbed twelve spots to number 30. Seems like Neil's ponytail is no longer limp!Melbourne's famed

Sydney Kopitiam Malaysian Cafe, Ultimo

Belacan buncis $8.50
Green beans fried with spicy prawn paste

I often receive emails from Grab Your Fork readers, eager to disclose their latest dining find. Kopitiam was one eatery that had been mentioned on more than one occasion.

It's not quite located on my regular travels though, down the road from the Powerhouse Museum on Harris Street, and a couple of doors up from the popular Hannah's

Sydney Fresh Food Market, Flemington

"Thank god I'm wearing sneakers".We had made an impromptu visit to the Sydney Fresh Food Market in Flemington, and I was grateful for my enclosed sturdy shoes as I picked my way through mangled boxes and mountains of discarded pineapple tops. Even more ominous was the thought of getting my toes run over by the jostle of trolleys and absent-minded veggie-pushers up ahead.It had been aaages since

Seoul Ria, Haymarket, Chinatown

It's 7pm on an autumn Friday night in Sydney, and ambling through Chinatown are your usual sometime throngs of students, office workers and families eager to start the weekend. But it's not terribly crowded or over-run with people, and even as you shudder and jolt your way upwards in the poky dilapidated box of an elevator on Liverpool Street, you have little idea of what lies in wait to greet

Homemade Hot Cross Buns

Hot cross bunsHot cross bunsOne a penny, two a pennyHot cross bunsIf you have no daughtersGive them to your sonsOne a penny, two a pennyHot cross buns!We were singing this nursery rhyme all day yesterday as we fed our yeast, watched it grow, kneaded with patience and then formed our dough... into a modest battalion of sticky-glazed soft and fluffy hot cross buns!This was the first time we'd made

A Taste for Change: OIYP Gala Dinner

There's nothing like eating good food and feeling good about it. That's the feeling we got at last week's A Taste for Change, a charity gala dinner supporting the Oxfam International Youth Parliament (OIYP).400 guests dined on six courses of dishes, prepared by hatted Sydney chefs, and matched with both wines and beers. There was entertainment by Rai Thistlethwayte and Phil Stack from Thirsty

Good Living Growers' Market

Good Living Growers' Market7.00am - 11.00am on the first Saturday of every monthPyrmont Bay Park, Pyrmont (opposite Star City Casino)Related GrabYourFork posts:Good Living Growers' Market 2006: May ¦ April ¦ March ¦ FebruaryGood Living Growers' Market 2005: November ¦ October ¦ September ¦ August ¦ July ¦ April ¦ March ¦ February

Aldhiaffah Al-Iraqi, Fairfield

For a country which figures so prominently in international headlines, it's strange to realise that so little is known about the Iraqi people and their cuisine.

I'd first heard about Sydney's only Iraqi restaurant about a year ago. It had immediately intrigued me. I had to go but it wasn't until late last year (yes, this is a long-overdue post) that I finally managed to get there.



The menu