Andy Wana’s Beef Rendang

Posted by D on 27 December, 2009 in Indonesian, Random | 12 comments

Tip number one – if you’re going to brag about your specialty dish, then it’s best not to do so in front of a foodie. That is, unless you’re willing to make good and prove its worthiness. After a few side comments from our friend Andy about the sheer awesomeness of his beef rendang, a group of us decided to challenge him to make it for us to eat. The perfect occasion for this was his birthday which was just around the corner and we were lucky enough to be treated to an Indonesian feast, followed up by the obligatory birthday cake.

Monkey Magic

Posted by D on 19 December, 2009 in Contemporary, Japanese, Sydney | 7 comments

The last few months at work has been manic to say the least. With starting up the blog, a rebounding market and the resultant influx of work, I was fast running out of steam and eagerly looking forward to the lead-up to Christmas. Historically, this has been a time when work slows down and you’re given the opportunity to wind down and let your hair down. No luck there.

In the end, the hard work paid off its dividends when I was fortunate enough to be invited to a dinner organised to celebrate the successes of our overall team during the past quarter. The place that was chosen

The Sydney Food Bloggers Christmas Picnic

Posted by D on 13 December, 2009 in Random | 11 comments

Today, I, along with another 50 or so fellow Sydney food bloggers were invited to get together for a Christmas picnic in Hyde Park by fellow Sydney bloggers Chocolatesuze and Grab Your Fork. The only catch – we each had to bring one dish and a food-related kris kringle present.

So after a night of putting canapes together and a slight detour when I got the meet-up location slightly mixed up, I walked tentatively towards a large group of people all standing around what I could only assume from a distance to be a large array of culinary delights. Of course, the

Rockpool

Posted by D on 6 December, 2009 in Australian, Sydney | 8 comments

Say the name Neil Perry, and the ears of anybody who knows anything about food prick up. Over the years this chef has firmly cemented himself into a position of one of Australia’s most influential chefs. He is responsible for a spattering of award winning restaurants around Sydney including Rockpool, Rockpool Bar & Grill and Spice Temple, as well as Rockpool Bar & Grill in Melbourne.

Last month, celebrating a special occasion, I was surprised with a dinner at the original Rockpool which was first opened in the Rocks in 1989. The entrance to the restaurant is understated to say the least. Keep looking

Abang Sam

Posted by D on 24 November, 2009 in Malaysian, Sydney | 3 comments

Since I’ve lived in Sydney there’s always been two elusive Malaysian dishes that I’ve never been able to find in a restaurant that have been able to reproduce authentically. So, when a friend and her Malaysian boyfriend started raving about a place that served the “best satay and cendol” in Sydney, my search was reignited and I took the first opportunity to check it out.

The menu largely consists of hawker stall favourites with some typical dishes you would find in other Malaysian restaurants. With a quite a large variety to choose from, I decided that the true test of authenticity would

Azuma Kushiyaki – Sugar Hit

Posted by D on 10 November, 2009 in Japanese, Sydney | 3 comments

The Sydney International Food Festival may be over for the year, but there’s one place that’s carrying on their Sugar Hit special into November due to the overwhelming response to their offering last month.

Unfortunately every time we attempted to head to Azuma Kushiyaki for their Sugar Hit during October it was a last minute decision we were never able to get a table. When it finally dawned on us mid-month that we needed to get our organisational skills in check, it was already booked out. Disappointed at first, but we were thrilled to find out they made the

Bentley Restaurant & Bar – Let’s Do Lunch

Posted by D on 2 November, 2009 in Contemporary, European, Sydney | 4 comments

One last Let’s Do Lunch last week to close off on a month of good eating thanks to the Sydney International Food Festival. This time, we decided to head towards Surry Hills and gave Bentley Restuarant & Bar on Crown Street a try. The restaurant is housed in a refurbished pub which has an unassuming aura about it. In that respect, it’s almost too easy to forget that this restaurant has been awarded two chef’s hats for several years running.

The set menu this time for the Let’s Do Lunch special was a roast spatchcock with sweet corn polenta, pistachio and aspagarus. On the