With our love of espresso, pizza, pasta and vino, Australia could be Italy’s 21st region. Italian immigrants were among the first to broaden the Anglo-Celtic Aussie palate and we also have them to thank for one of the world’s best coffee cultures. Now more than ever, it’s easy to get delicious, authentic, great value Italian […]
I love Malaysian food – earthy curries, flaky roti, chewy noodles, rich coconut milk, great ways with seafood, chicken and beef … and that’s before we even start talking about pork trotters, durian and other things not quite to my taste, but which my husband, Franz, adores! It’s the original multi-cultural cooking, with its blend […]
Some of my best times have been sharing a meal with friends tucked away in a private dining room in one of my favourite restaurants. There’s something special about gathering in a space away from everyone else, you can laugh a little louder, eat and drink with more abandon, and carry on almost as you […]
I’m a Sydney girl born and bred, and I love showing visitors this beautiful city I call home. Knowing how much Sydney has to offer, I find it challenging to view my hometown through the eyes of a visitor … to think about what I would see and do if I was only here for […]
I love food – and I love wine. But best of all I love it when the two come together in a marriage that is greater than the sum of its parts … when each lifts the other to new heights. And I love eating in restaurants where the staff know their stuff well enough […]
I love pasta! It’s one of the few things I love eating out as much as I love cooking at home. And the same rules apply: don’t overcook it (dried pasta should be al dente and fresh should be tender with a little ‘bite’), serve it fresh (never pre-cooked) and keep the sauce simple (3 […]
Remember when you first started dating your partner? Going out of your way to think of special things to do together that would surprise and delight the other? I used to think ‘date night’ was a great idea for couples busy with kids, who needed to set time aside for each other – and so […]
I like a bit of theatre with my food – and it doesn’t get much more theatrical than gueridon, the art of finishing and plating dishes tableside! Crêpes Suzette and steak Diane come immediately to mind, but there are many other possibilities as these restaurants show. I’m pleased to see a bit of a gueridon […]
I’ve been accused of featuring the eastern suburbs too heavily, but I can’t help it if there’s a concentration of great eats (and drinks) in that part of town. So I’m delighted to be celebrating something that the northside (my home turf) has in abundance – great eats with great views! Time to enjoy a […]
Australia has a long tradition of Asian food, with the Chinese restaurant a mainstay in every suburb and country town beyond living memory. In the late ‘70s, Thai and Vietnamese entered the mix and, over time, more Japanese and Korean restaurants followed. Initially they were clusters of ‘cheap & cheerful’ ethnic restaurants in specific suburbs […]
