Blog Day 2006

It's Blog Day today. Squint a little closer at today's date of 31 08 and you can just about make out the word blog.The premise behind Blog Day is simple. Post about 5 blogs new to you, that you find interesting, and watch the tangled web we call the Internet do its grapevine work. It's all about celebrating the diversity of blogosphere and encouraging blog surfers to continue on to sites new to

Al Sofra Pizza, Pide and Kebab House, Auburn

In Cabramatta you will find pho houses. In Auburn, it is all about the kebab.Kebab shops line the main street of Auburn, their windows filled with pide, their backlit menus on the same sea blue background. Thick glistening columns of meat, as wide and sturdy as a forest tree trunk, rotate slowly behind the counter, a charcoal grill hisses when marinated meat skewers hit its surface.We had skipped

It's Definitely Spring

Snapped last Sunday at Sydney Olympic Park during the Boulevard Market: Just Desserts--Pudding and Pie.

Just Desserts at The Boulevard Markets, Sydney Olympic Park

A little bit of Africa at Sydney Olympic Park

Please note: The Boulevard Market has been discontinued

The Boulevard Markets have been happening at Sydney Olympic Park for over a year now, but it was only yesterday that I finally headed over check them out. The lure of a cooking demonstration, titled Just Desserts--Pudding and Pie, may have had something to do with it, but I'm not telling. =)

Haldon Street Festival 2006, Lakemba

It was the annual Haldon Street Festival in Lakemba yesterday. Once again I joined the family-strong crowds to stroll Haldon Street which was closed off to traffic and set up with stalls.Lakemba is a real multicultural melting pot in the south west of Sydney. Greek and Italian migrants settled here in the 1960s, in the 1970s it received an influx of migrants from Lebanon. The Lebanese have a

Me, me, and a big bag of Lindt balls

Here she is. My Lindt ball booty. Last weekend, you'll recall, Veruca Salt and I headed to a one-off Lindt warehouse chocolate sale way out in Eastern Creek, where the queue to enter was half-an-hour long and jostling bargain hunters attacked pallets of unopened boxes.But the prizes, oh the prizes...We have since worked out that much of the stock was 60-75% off. And Veruca also confirmed that

Five Things to Eat Before You Die

I've been tagged by Melissa for an ingenious meme: name five things you've eaten and think that everyone should eat at least once before they die.The idea of a Foodbloggers' Guide to the Globe is brilliant. Who better to provide a passionate list of must-eats in this world for the people than by the people?I've thought long and hard about my top five choice. So long, in fact, that I think I'm the

Kitchen Gadgets: Benriner Turning Slicer

Carrots and Chinese white radishesThese are what you are left with when you use the Benriner turning slicer. I mentioned this kitchen gadget--particularly popular in Japanese kitchens--when I spotted it at The Essential Ingredient in Sydney recently. But the point of this grater is not to make wacky looking nails made of carrot. It's the slicer's ability to create continuous strands of grated

Spring Picnic

Spring may not be officially here, but Mother Nature seems to think otherwise. And so last Sunday a spring picnic was had, one that involved good food, tasty dessert and food-loving company of course.Sunday brought perfect picnic weather. Clear blue skies, skin-tingling sunshine and just the right amount of breeze in the shade. We spread out a patchwork of picnic rugs on an area specifically

Auburn: A Photographic Food Tour

Lahmeh bil agine lamb pizza $1.50"We having our own little food tour in Auburn", emailed a good friend. "Would you like to be our honorary tour guide?"Food. Shopping. More of that irresistably stretchy dondurma Turkish ice cream?I didn't need to be asked twice.And so after a morning spent in the bargain-hunting scrum that was the Lindt Chocolate Warehouse Sale, I found myself back in Auburn again

Lindt Chocolate Sale, Eastern Creek

Lindt chocolate.On sale.Every chocaholics dream come true.On Wednesday I received an email advising a one-day only Lindt chocolate warehouse sale with prices up to 50% off. The ad came as a jpg via a friend of a friend, who received it from their friend and so on.With no information on this event findable on the web, I hesitated to post about it on GrabYourFork, remaining somewhat sceptical about

Snapped: Sydney Icons by Night

Night view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House taken from Mrs Macquarie's Chair, at the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Chamberlain Hotel, Sydney

Since its major refurb a couple of years ago, the Chamberlain Hotel is now resplendent in tones of chrome, dark chocolate and lacquered wood. The food remains low-key pub grub. Orders aren't taken at the bar, but at the separate food service counter at one end of the kitchen.We place our orders with the friendly server, and as he taps in our dishes and sorts out the change, I relish peeking into

Weekday Picnic, David Jones Food Hall

Lunch with the girls suddenly turns into a weekday CBD picnic. After a flurry of mid-morning emails debating the ideal lunch spot, we end up doing a quick whip-around the David Jones Food Hall instead.We collect a series of smallgoods, a wedge of blue cheese and a crusty Laurent baguette big enough for three. The friendly woman behind the counter happily obliges my request to cut this into thirds

Homemade Wontons

Every once in a while, I am spurred into a wonton making frenzy. I will be overcome with cravings for this little bite-sized package, its slippery smooth golden sheath housing the tiniest compact pillow of pork mince within.On a quiet afternoon I will set myself up in front of the television, calmly transforming a giant bowl of seasoned pork mince and a skyscraper of wrappers, into my own small

The Tea Room Gunners' Barracks, Mosman

Doesn't every girl love a wedding?There's that palpable sense of romance in the air, a rare chance to get all dolled up and shamelessly girly, and a tear or two shed as you celebrate two fantastic friends pledging a life together.The reception and wedding took place at the Tea Room at Gunners' Barracks on the former military base overlooking Chowder Bay. Gun emplacements were originally set up

The Essential Ingredient, Rozelle

EDIT: The Essential Ingredient has moved from Crows Nest to Rozelle. 
For someone whose every waking moment revolves around food, the Essential Ingredient always triggers an adrenalin rush when I walk through the door. I scan the store quickly with darting eyes: olive oils, verjuice, giant cooking blocks of Lindt, a wall of goodie-filled fridges, crockery, cookbooks, a wall of spatulas... argh!

Hanabi, Sydney

Panchan Korean side dishesThe best part about eating in a Korean restaurant is the assortment of panchan side dishes that will arrive at the start of your meal.I love wondering what tasty morsels will arrive, this Korean version of amuses bouches to titillate the palate, and then, excitement (and frenzied camera action) ensues as a whole entourage of tiny platters arrive on the table all at

Friday Fun: Ok Go

The latest viral marketing success in the blogosphere is this synchronised treadmill routine from Chicago-based group Ok Go. The song is "Here It Goes Again" from last year's album Oh No.Too cool!Ok Go have a blog here. You can check out more of their dance-offs here.Related GrabYourFork post:It's A Big Ad: Carlton Draught ad

Hong Ha Hot Bread, Mascot

Banh mi Vietnamese pork roll $3.00Is the humble banh mi not God's gift to tastebuds?Each mouthful is a contrast between crunchy baguette and fluffy innards, creamy pate and peppery spring onion, sweetened pork and pickled carrot, and salty fish sauce with soothing cucumber. A scattering of lettuce adds crunch, slivers of raw onion will linger for hours later, and the prized lone sprig of

Satang Thai, Haymarket

Chicken with chilli jam with rice $7.50I've often gone by the theory that the smaller the kitchen to dining room ratio, the greater the chance of a decent feed.Satang Thai has about a 1:1 ratio when it comes to kitchen versus dining area. You literally couldn't swing a cat in there, and yet somehow they fit in four tiny staff members, all clanging away over fiery woks or operating pneumatic

Blue Fish, Darling Harbour

There is no sadder sight than a forlorn foodblogger regretting her menu choice at lunchtime.Blue Fish Famous Fish & Chips $24.50Beer battered and served with house tartare sauceTwo years ago we'd tried the fish and chips, and back then I'd said "the batter was a little more greasy than light for our liking". I wish I'd remembered to read my own post before heading back for a second visit to Blue

East Ocean, Haymarket, Chinatown

Siu lung bao soup-filled dumplings $6.00 for fourOkay so this is now the fifth post on Chinatown's East Ocean, but who can pass up a bit of yum cha food porn on a Monday morning?Har gow prawn dumplings $5.20 andFung jao chicken feet $4.20It was only two of us for yum cha on a Sunday, and we stuck to our regular favourites like har gow steamed dumplings, packed with prawns, and sticky gelatinous

Harkola Food World Wide warehouse, Auburn

Salloum Brothers zaatar $3.50 for 500gI'm such a sucker for a bargain. Warehouse and discount outlet shopping has long been a weekend pastime of mine, and new discoveries are always relished with hand-clapping glee.We recently discovered Harkola Food World Wide courtesy of D, a foodie friend-of-a-friend. It's completely off-the-beaten track of the main Auburn shopping strip, a short drive away

Bread Story, Haymarket, Chinatown

EDIT 05/07/07: Bread Story in Chinatown has now closed.Choco Teddy bun $1.50Sometimes it seems like Bread Story is the new Krispy Kreme. When those yeasted donuts first arrived in Sydney two years ago, it seemed like anyone carrying around those dotted boxes had a certain skip to their step. Today in Chinatown, it feels like Bread Story is the new season must-have. The distinctive frosted Bread

DMBLGiT: And the winners are...

Foodbloggers are amazing individuals. Not only do they approach the platter of life with zest, passion and grateful appetite, but they are also committed to sharing their experiences with an increasingly hungry global audience.Every night, foodbloggers from around the world hunch over their keyboards tapping away with unbridled enthusiasm and unfailing commitment. Posts are crafted, words are