Pier 26, Darling Harbour

Love is dangerous. The more attached you become to something, the greater the risk that one day it will let you down. It may be a petty mistake. A slight transgression. But it causes you to rethink your relationship. Question everything you held true. You ponder. You stress. You fret. You over-analyse.But then you step back and think over the good times. Put things in perspective. Lighten up a

Avocado Shake: the green iced mother

It's Sugar High Friday, the theme is ice and thanks to Sarah, I've had a certain song spinning around in my head for the past fortnight.Inspired by my first ever venture into the land of sweet avocado, I got out the blender to recreate the rich creamy green concoction known as the Avocado Shake at home.Avocado with condensed milk sounds bizarre to the uninitiated, but if you like avocado, trust

Superbowl on Goulburn, Haymarket, Chinatown

EDIT: Superbowl has now been replaced by Super Meal.Sometimes there are days when you've had enough of rich heavy oily foods and you just want fat-free plain plain plain. That's when congee comes to the rescue.Non-Asian colleagues don't seem to understand the allure of rice porridge. "Watery rice?", they ask with a nervous tremor. An eyebrow is raised and the question mark hanging in the air says

Hung Vuong, Cabramatta

I had a friend in high school who used to mortify me with her favourite indulgence. Avocado shakes. Yes. That's one sentence.Avocado.And sugar.Condensed milk.Cow's milk.And lots of ice.I was horrified.But I'm older now. More mature. And I'm a foodblogger. It could only mean one thing…We headed out to Cabramatta for some snacking action at sentimental dessert house favourite Hung Vuong.There's an

Food News

No Soup For YouSoup Plus has closed its doors. For thirty years, Soup Plus was the place to go to for live music and a cheap feed. An anonymous commenter tipped me off to its closure, a passing which does not seem to have received much coverage otherwise. Sad news indeed for a Sydney icon that will be sorely missed.24-Hour Blogathon to Feed the HungryMelbourne foodblogger Lisa, from Lady

DMBLGiT: Meet the Judges

Entries for the July edition of Does My Blog Look Good in This have now closed.A record number of 66 entries were received, all of which will now be assessed by a panel of personally hand-picked judges. These are all fantastically talented foodbloggers whom I have long admired. They take awe-inspiring photos, write well-crafted posts and, most importantly, have a love of all things food.Now meet

Italian Forum Market

Portobello mushrooms We visited the Italian Forum Markets last Sunday, its much anticipated return appearance after a prolonged hiatus.The Italian Forum is an ambitious attempt to create an Italian piazza atmosphere within inner-city Leichhardt, Sydney's own celebrated Little Italy. There's a huge square, a fountain, restaurants and cafes in the courtyard, and balconied apartments in lemon-yellow

Lowenbrau Keller at The Rocks, Sydney

You are either a lover of crackling, or you are... a complete party pooper. For what is there not to love about the earthquake tremor of that first bite, the slight adhesion it creates as dry crisp meets your moist lips, the footsteps on gravel crunch as you disintegrate each mouthful, and the trail of crumbs that inevitably scatter down the front of your shirt.So when I heard that the pork

Bo tai chanh, steamboat, and salt and pepper calamari

Salt-and-pepper calamariI adore a homemade family feast. Large communal eating gatherings are a strong part of "ethnic" cultures, and I relish that familiar bustle of cooks in the kitchen, raucous laughter amongst the stress of preparation, many hands making light work, and the cacophony of shrieking children as they create havoc underfoot.Celebratory feasts with the family of Veruca Salt are all

Superbowl Dixon Street, Chinatown, Sydney

There is nothing awful about offal. I love the stuff. It is heaven in a mouthful.Those who disagree have never had it Asian-style: simmered for hours until the tripe is tender, soft and gelatinous. It is cooked in a rich dark stock, taking on a deep honeyed brown as it slowly soaks up a layered melange of flavours.Tripe-eating companions are hard to find, so when Saffron said that she was

What's On in Sydney

Sat 22 July: Organic ExpoSat 22 July: Ashfield Gourmet MarketSat 22 July: Farmers Market, Entertainment QuarterSat 22 July: Kings Cross Organic MarketSat 22 July: Orange Grove MarketsSat 22 July: Warwick Farm Trackside MarketSun 23 July: Organic ExpoSun 23 July: The Rocks Aroma Coffee FestivalSun 23 July: Italian Forum Market, Norton Street, LeichhardtMon 24 July: DMBLGiT June photo submissions

Breadtop, World Square, Sydney

Twin sausage bunThere's been a recent influx of Asian bakery chains of late. On offer are prettied-up buns with flavours of taro, matcha and durian, frosted crinkly carrier bags with elegant sans serif fonts, and the best part: glass-walled production areas for deliciously hypnotic smell-evision.I love watching the bakers make deft graceful movements that turn globs of dough into droolworthy

How to Make Your Own Dukkah

Dukkah is the new chevre, if its unfailing presence at Sydney farmers' markets is any indication. This tumble of nuts and seeds may not appear appetising, but one crunch of the stuff is enough to make your nose ooh at the roasted aromas, your tongue tingle at the multiple textures, and your tastebuds sigh at the nutty goodness with which it has been blessed.A traditional Egyptian spice, the

Uighur Cuisine, Haymarket

I recently received a friendly email from Jenny, a GrabYourFork reader who, along with other recommendations, encouraged me to try Uighur food, available at a number of dedicated restaurants in Sydney's Chinatown. I had never heard of such a cuisine, and the fact that the Uighur people (also spelled as Uyghur and Uygur) lived in China, motherland of my ancestral heritage (although shamefully I

501 Posts and Counting

As I started on a new entry today, I suddenly realised that my latest post on Hannah's Pies was officially my 500th post. Whoah.Back in February of this year, I provided some brief stats on the gluttony that is my reason for living. Here are the latest blogging figures accrued over 500 posts on GrabYourFork:196 reviews on 148 different restaurants across Sydney13 bakeries, patisseries or

Hannah's Pies, Ultimo (supplier to Harry's Cafe de Wheels)

The meat pie is an Australian institution. Hot, meaty and holdable in one hand (the other's for your stubbie), the meat pie is the brickie's breakfast, the football fan's belly warmer, and the best lunch a bloke could hope for.In Sydney, the most famous pie vendor is Harry's Cafe de Wheels. Open until 4am on Saturday and Sunday mornings, this little pie cart on the wharf has refuelled many a

Charr at Rydges Jamison, Sydney

A good steak these days is hard to find.True beef, the wagyu kind...It's true that it's the simplest things that are the most elusive. We headed to Charr at Rydges Jamison in search of the perfect steak.Sourdough bread rolls(olive and rosemary bread rolls tucked underneath)The dining room is a sheltered quiet enclave, off to the side of a buzzy drinks and bar area. The chairs are solid in a

Tamago: My First Attempt

The Japanese seem to have an affinity for sweets with their savouries. Kare (curry) rice, teriyaki chicken and inari deep-fried tofu bags all have sugary sweet nuances. Tamago, or Japanese omelette is another favourite that appeals to my rampant sweet tooth. This layered omelette is flavoured with dashi stock and soy and sweetened with mirin rice wine and sugar. I often leave my tamago sushi till

Charity Dinner for the Archive of Vietnamese Boat People, Crystal Palace Function Centre, Canley Heights

I'd never been to Canley Heights before, but if there's one thing that will lead me way out (south) west, food would probably be it. There's a strong Vietnamese community here, and as we drove down Canley Vale Road, I loved the chaotic no-nonsense feel of pho noodle houses, bakeries and fabric shops all jostling for my attention.Tonight I had been invited by friends to attend a fundraising dinner

Paddy's Market, Haymarket

Seafood section at Paddy's MarketPaddy's Market. Often over-run with tourists cash-happy for tacky t-shirts, crocodile warning signs and foam stubby coolers. However there are always plenty of locals too, who head to the fresh food section for a bounty of cheap fruit and vegetables, seafood, nuts and dried fruit. It's not as exciting as Melbourne's Queen Victoria Markets, but it's the closest

Victoria's Basement, Sydney

Victoria's Basement is kitchenware heaven. An Aladdin's cave of crockery, gadgets, bakeware, Scanpan supplies, knives and every other kitchen utensil you can imagine all at heavily discounted prices.A few things which caught my eye on a quick browse with Saffron last weekend:Silicon pastry brushesThese were pretty but I went with practicality and purchased the style with a brushed metal handle. A

Mado Cafe, Auburn

Turkish ice cream, known as dondurma is like nothing else. It contains salep, a flour made from the ground tubers of wild orchids, and mastic resin. It is these two ingredients that make dondurma such a textural experience, creating a stretchy chewy ice cream that is virtually impossible to melt.

We stopped at Mado Cafe for lunch after a DIY foodie tour of Auburn all morning. I had been

Does My Blog Look Good in This: 2006 #7 July

Does My Blog Look in This invites foodbloggers from around the globe to submit a favourite photo posted on their blog in the previous month. For more information about this event please click here. UPDATE 24 JULY 06: Please note that entries have now closed. UPDATE 1 AUG 06: Check out the winners herePhotos will be uploaded on an ongoing basis until the competition deadline: Monday 24 July 2006.

Good Living Growers Markets

Last cupcake from Rowies"So do you always vist these markets, or is it just coincedence I keep bumping into you here?"Last Saturday I was sprung. Not by one, but two colleagues I separately bumped into.I didn't tell either of them that so far I've been to every Good Living Growers Market in 2006. Is that obsessive? Or excessive? Who cares... like all good things in life it's always too good to

Turkish Delights: an Auburn Food Tour

Kebab shops and washing powder. These are the two things which stand out as we make our way on a fooding adventure around Auburn. Fooding works best with foodies and in the company of Deborah, Bowb, Sue and Sarah, we assemble one Sunday in a day totally dedicated to eating up Auburn.There are plenty of kebabs to be eaten in Auburn, Sydney's Turkish heartland. Kebab shops here are as much a part

Call for Entries: Does My Blog Look Good in This

Grab Your Fork is proud to be this month's host for Does My Blog Look Good in This.What is it about? Perhaps it's best to quote its original initiator Ronald who says:The idea behind the event/contest is to give everyone a chance to enjoy some of the best pictures of the month posted on food blogs. There are so many food blogs now and stories are constantly posted that it's very easy to miss some