Share my favourite restaurants, chefs, dishes, ingredients, provedores, recipes and cooking hacks, in these Top 5 food lists.
Sometimes (OK, often) what I drink is as important as what I eat – and sometimes it’s more important. The eats still have to be good of course (and inclusion on this list is in no way an indictment of the food at these establishments), but sometimes I just feel like grazing my way through […]
The inner western suburb of Petersham is Sydney’s ‘Little Portugal’ – with everything you need for a vicarious Portuguese gourmet tour in a short strip of New Canterbury Road. There’s a butcher, a baker, a deli, liquor store and authentic Portuguese chicken shop. Here’s where to stock up on Sydney’s best Portuguese food and drink. […]
Sometimes half the fun of cooking can be exploring specialty stores full of exotic Ingredients – it’s like a mini holiday to a distant land. Apart from the dizzying array of spices, Indian food shops are a wonderful place to discover the vast array of rice (and rice products), legumes and condiments used in […]
Have you noticed how ‘plant-based menus’ have replaced ‘vegetarian menus’? It makes sense; while vegetarian smacks of mung beans and anaemic-looking hippies – plant-based speaks to concern for the planet’s limited resources and our own well-being. Vegetarian is a lifestyle but plant-based is just a menu option. Far from being fringe, many of Sydney’s […]
Top 5 Vegetarian Recipes I was vegetarian for many years … until I married the world’s biggest carnivore and started writing restaurant reviews and news. I guess it just became easier to eat meat (especially as Franz did a lot of the cooking) and I do enjoy some meat dishes now. But I also still […]
Top 5 Hearty Soups What’s more comforting than a big pot of soup to share with family or friends? You can even make extra to freeze for quick meals in future months. One of the great things about soup recipes is they needn’t be too precise, they’re a great way to use up what’s on […]
Top 5 Regional French Recipes France borders eight other countries, including Italy, Spain, and Germany, and stretches from the North Sea to the Mediterranean via a long Atlantic coastline. All of which makes for very varied regional cuisines. Let your tastebuds take you on a vicarious holiday with these five regional French recipes. Salade Lyonnaise […]
As Lennon and McCartney wrote: ‘there are places I’ll remember all my life’ – and Lucio’s Italian Restaurant is certainly that for generations of Sydneysiders. While Sydney is blessed with much good food, wine and service, much rarer is the authentic hospitality in rooms full of colour, laughter and creative energy that transform a good […]
Often relegated to the aperitif and dessert ends of a meal, the complex wines of the Jerez region of southern Spain are in fact incredibly diverse and food-friendly, great at every stage of a meal. Here’s an excuse to get a few friends together for a Sherry-matched lunch or dinner: my suggested menu, with […]
Top 5 Spring Vegetables I love spring! The garden bursts back into life after its winter rest, and the green grocers are full of some of my favourite Ingredients. It’s the easiest time of year for quick simple dishes as these spring vegetables require very little fuss. Here are five of the reasons spring just […]
