Japanese

Win one of five double passes to Jiro Dreams of Sushi!

May 8, 2012

To be an award winning chef, one might not expect to conquer the culinary world in a day – but might expect that years of grueling training would arm them with an impressive repertoire of skills that allow them to create miracles out of any boring food stuff presented to them. In Japan, the opposite [...]

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Foraging for pine mushrooms and yabbies in Belanglo State Forest

March 19, 2011

For most people when a stranger makes contact and invites you to Belanglo State Forest, it sets off alarm bells at orifice-damaging decibels. And… you might consider my decision to accept the invitation a sure fire bet to win me a Darwin award. For those unfamiliar with the infamous Belanglo State Forest, it is a [...]

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Developing an appreciation for sake at Ocean Room

August 25, 2010

Sake and I got off on the wrong foot. My first encounter with sake was at a young age, many, many years ago, back when I was still studying science at uni. I remember spending a particularly gruelling and long day in the lab performing experiments to extract DNA from bacterial cells (never thought I’d [...]

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Monkey Magic, Surry Hills

July 6, 2010

The words “Monkey Magic” evoke very fond childhood memories for me. Memories of running home from primary school with my brother; scooting up to the TV as close as we dared without crossing that invisible line that would make our mother scold us about going short-sighted; and watching the afternoon cartoon session that included a [...]

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Izakaya style fare at Musashi

June 12, 2009

I’m in the mood for Japanese and Musashi in Haymarket is on the cards for dinner. It’s an “izakaya-style” Japanese restaurant – “izakaya” being the name given to tradtional Japanese pub style restaurants and we’ve been before with fond memories of previous dining experiences. The first time the co-pilot and I went was particularly memorable. [...]

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Sparks of brilliance at Sepia

June 2, 2009

Since it opened it’s doors at the beginning of May, there has been much foodie interest in Sepia. Headed by ex-Tetsuya’s Head Chef Martin Benn and supported by Daniel Puskas of Oscillate Wildly the talent in the kitchen promises to delight the diners of Sydney with their take on contemporary Australian cuisine. Given the new [...]

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Worried about swine flu? Do as I do and develop a porcine obsession

May 20, 2009

I’ve always been a reluctant but astute student of reverse psychology. If you tell me I shouldn’t eat a particular food, I instantly develop some form of all-consuming craving for it. So I know there is much concern about swine flu at the moment, but it seems porcine is firmly on my mind and on [...]

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March into Merivale – Teppanyaki Dinner

March 19, 2009

Tonight I enjoyed the second of my March into Merivale dinners. After my first March into Merivale dinner at the relaxed Ash St Cellar last week, this time we ventured to Teppanyaki which was decidely more sleek and upmarket. Again – the venue had been chosen on the basis of the meal offered and we [...]

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Food voyeurism at Wase

February 16, 2009

Last week I had dinner with the co-pilot and his folks at their favourite new haunt, Wase, in Balmain. Wase hasn’t been open for long but already the co-pilot’s family have become regulars, recommending it to all who will listen. The restaurant is on the main road adjacent the single traffic light in Balmain, but [...]

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Tummy warming fare at Don Don

February 13, 2009

It’s mid February in Sydney and last week we had days of 40+ degrees C. This week couldn’t be more different and might as well be a Sydney winter. I’ve spent the week in boots, scarves, woollens – and today with the incessant down pour outside, I’ve even pulled the leather jacket out of the [...]