Aperitivo, Leichhardt

Oh how Leichhardt has changed. No longer dominated by family-run Italian bistros, you'll now find a happy mix of Thai, Japanese and Chinese restaurants offering alternatives to pizza, pasta and gelato.Leichhardt still maintains its Italian roots, although newer restaurants look a little more upscale these days. Aperitivo is a rather flashy wine bar and restaurant addition to the strip, opening

Yummy Chinese BBQ, Ashfield

Rotating food is fun.I'm sure this is why sushi trains offer so much appeal. A mesmerising rhythm of food on the move. Like pigs on spits. And now, behold, the spinning skewer.We'd come prepared tonight. Stomachs hungry and any jackets left in the car before we step into the smoky confines of Yummy Chinese BBQ, a temple of all-you-can-eat feasting in Ashfield, in Sydney's inner west.The thick fog

Freebie Friday: Win a Braun Multiquick Cordless

Are you looking for an incentive to get back into the kitchen?New gadgets always get me excited about cooking again, especially those that involve speed and power. This week's Freebie Friday is the new Braun Multiquick Cordless, a rechargeable hand blender that allows you to chop, crush and puree without being tethered to a power outlet.THE PRIZE:One lucky reader will win a Braun Multiquick

Fresh tofu and soy milk at Nhu Quynh, Yagoona

Fresh soy milk.It's the keen eyes of Speedy who spots it first, a nondescript shopfront but for the 6-foot tall raft of empty polyurethane bottles stacked by the door.We have only just emerged from Rodriguez Brothers a few doors up, laden down with fresh chorizo and morcilla blood sausage and white anchovies and more, but we take one look at each other, grin and step through the door.Fried tofu

Boteco, Surry Hills

Classic caiprinha $15 and melancia and flor de laranjeira watermelon and orange blossom caipifrutas $16Cocktails? Yes please.Tonight we're at Boteco, a name given to the small bars commonly found in Brazil. These neighbourhood hangouts are filled with locals after work or on weekends, a casual spot to enjoy an ice cold beer and eat cheap and cheerful snacks known as petiscos.BotecoBoteco in

My's Vietnamese Restaurant, Canberra

"The best part of the apple is definitely eating the core."There's a slight pause in conversation as I allow this piece of information to sink in. Across the table, Hannah looks at me in earnest, unblinking."You. eat. the. seeds" I clarify."Well it started out of laziness, because I couldn't be bothered finding a bin, but now it's my favourite part," she says, nodding eagerly.It's not the first

Molecular Gastronomy at Chef's Armoury, Rosebery

"I've got the perfect book for this," says Leigh Hudson at Chef's Armoury.It seems highly appropriate that The Big Fat Duck Cookbook by Heston Blumenthal is used to depress the plungers of nine loaded syringes in a molecular gastronomy cooking demonstration called Tokyo Food Trends held for SIFF.Loading the syringe with red capsicum pureeTonight Pig Flyin' and I are guests at the preview class of

Tomislav, Darlinghurst

A friend of mine loved desserts so much he decided to have three courses of desserts at a fine dining restaurant, whilst everyone else went with the usual entree, main and sweets.The hardest thing, he said, was deciding the order in which to have his desserts. Start with fruity and end with rich, or save the fruit desserts as a final palate cleanser?Tomislav Martinovic has come up with an even

Simple coconut dhal with crispy onions

It started snowing yesterday morning here in Tallinn & nearby. Most of the snow was gone by the evening, but then, late at night, there was thunderstorm, lightning and more snow!?!?! I never knew that snow and lightning can happen simultaneously - I've always associated the thunderstorms with summer - but here you go. In any case, it's a perfect weather for some warm spices and comforting food. Here's an Indian-inspired dish that's on your table within 30 minutes, and tastes really lovely. Don't skip the crispy onion and mustard seed topping - that what makes the dish so lovely. Adding coconut milk to a dhal is definitely rather unusual, but the result is delicious and creamy!

The dhal is vegan and gluten free.

Simple coconut dhal with crispy onions
(Kookospiima-dhal krõbe sibulakattega)
Serves 4
Adapted from BBC Olive, March 2005



250 g red lentils (masoor dhal), rinsed
400 ml coconut milk
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
0.5 tsp dried red chilli flakes
1 tsp ground turmeric
300 ml water
salt
lemon juice

Crispy onion garnish:
4 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 large onions
2 tsp brown or black mustard seeds
handful of fresh coriander/cilantro, chopped

Place lentils, coconut milk, onion, tomatoes, chilli flakes and turmeric into a saucepan. Add water, bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until lentils are cooked. Taste for seasoning - you probably need to add some salt and lemon juice for it to be perfect.
Meanwhile, prepare the crispy onion topping. Peel the onions, halve and cut into thin slices. Heat the oil on a frying pan, add the onion and fry gently until golden and slightly crispy. Add the mustard seeds and coriander/cilantro and fry for another few minutes, until you've got a crispy and aromatic mixture.
Divide dhal into bowls, top with plenty of crispy onions and serve some flatbread on the side.

Freebie Friday: Win a Mexican/Spanish spice kit

Can you smell that? It's the promise of summer only just around the corner!What does summer smell like? To me it smells of sunscreen, ripe mangoes, and of course the good ol' Aussie backyard barbecue.You'll be able to add some pizazz to your next barbecue with this week's Freebie Friday prize - a Mexican/Spanish BBQ kit from Le' Spice. Rub the Mexican seasoning into your favourite meats, use the

Fidel's Cafe, Wellington

Forget smoking. Cool kids pack their knitting needles when they meet friends for coffee.This is the sight that greets Billy and I when we stumble into the courtyard of Fidel's Cafe on our recent trip to Wellington, New Zealand. We'd been about to leave when we couldn't find a seat inside, until we notice someone coming in from the back. We follow the path to find a sunny courtyard that looks like

Rodriguez Brothers, Yagoona

The smell of lust.I'm convinced that scientific analysis will tell you it smells just like jamon, the same wave of salty porcine pungency that hits me when I push open the door to Rodriguez Brothers.If the smell doesn't make you weak at the knees, the sight of over 100 hanging legs of jamon will, the repetitive rows stretching off into the distance like a gourmand's mirage.I stand there for a

Red Chilli Sichuan, Chatswood

It's so cute! Pork and cucumber! On a miniature clothesline!It's the first thing that catches my eye when we make it up the stairs and onto the landing of Red Chilli Sichuan in Chatswood. Despite our booking, we're told to wait for a table to clear, joining the throng of families who stand three-deep on the balcony. Everyone, it seems, has a booking, and it feels more like the cattle call on a

Ipoh chicken and bean sprouts and Ipoh Night Market, Malaysia

Just another day in Ipoh.

There was no question as to what would be our first dinner in Billy's hometown. Chicken and bean sprouts are the pride of Ipoh, Malaysia, and we headed to the locals' favourite, Restoran Lou Wong Tauge Ayam Kuetiau.

Restoran Lou Wong Tauge Ayam Kuetiau



I can still remember that warm and muggy evening, the plastic stools sticking to the backs of our thighs as we

Le Monde, Surry Hills

Decisions.Deciding what to eat is never an easy task in my book. I always end up loitering over the menu, scrutinising each option with considered thoughtfulness, hoping against hope to find the perfect meal.There is much to deliberate over at Le Monde, a hip and light-filled Surry Hills cafe where patrons dine with oversized sunglasses and the barista's arm is covered in tattoos.I love the menu

Marcus Wareing, Tetsuya Wakuda and Peter Gilmore at the World Chef Showcase 2010

"Cooking is giving," says Tetsuya Wakuda during his presentation at the World Chef Showcase. Perhaps this is why he looks so earnest and eager-to-please.The Contemporary Creative session featuring Tetsuya Wakuda, Peter Gilmore and Marcus Wareing was the first to sell-out, we're told. All three have internationally-acclaimed restaurants, yet despite their fierce culinary reputations, all are

More apple cakes: Hollandse appeltaart aka Dutch Apple Tart

Have you ever been to Amsterdam? If you have, then you surely remember this apple tart that was on offer everywhere - in pubs, in cafés. I definitely remember that, although I'm pretty sure it was called simply appeltaart and not Hollandse appeltaart there :) It's a delicious apple cake with a moist apple-raisin-cinnamon filling that's decorated with a criss-cross pattern of pastry strips. Pretty pretty, I'd say :)

Serve it with a generous dollop of whipped cream, or if you're feeling more glamorous, then some delicious home-made vanilla custard.

Dutch Apple Tart
(Hollandi õunapirukas)
Serves 8

Pastry:
300 g plain flour/all-purpose flour
200 g cold butter
125 g caster sugar
a pinch of salt
1 egg, lightly whisked

Filling:
3 to 4 large cooking apples (Antonovka, Granny Smith)
100 g caster sugar
30 g currants (dark seedless raisins)
30 g golden seedless raisins
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp breadcrumbs

First, make the pastry. Whisk flour, salt and sugar in the bowl of your food processor, add cubed cold butter. Blitz until the mixture is moist and crumbly. Add most of the egg (leave some for brushing), blitz once again. Using your hands, press the pastry together into a flat disk. (Avoid overworking the pastry, as it'll become tough). Wrap into a clingfilm and put to the fridge to relax for about half an hour.

Make the filling. Peel and core the apples, cut into smaller chunks. Rinse and drain the raisins, add to the apple pieces alongside sugar and cinnamon.

Butter a 24 cm springform tin.

Roll 2/3 of the pastry into a about 30 cm circle, use this to line the base and sides of the cake tin. Sprinkle breadcrumbs onto the pastry base, top with apple and raisin mixture.

Roll out the rest of the pastry thinly (about 3 mm), then cut into 1.5 cm strips. Place the pastry strips across the filling, interlacing them. Brush the top with the leftover whisked egg.

Bake in the middle of a preheated 180 C/350 F oven for about 45-50 minutes, until the cake is golden brown.

Cool a little, then transfer onto a serving plate.

Freebie Friday: Win a four-pack of Endeavour True Vintage Beer

Can a beer be crafted and cellared as carefully as a bottle of wine?Three mates sitting in a Sydney pub one day thought so, and Endeavour True Vintage Beer was born.These unique ales are created to a different recipe each year, factoring in the variation in barley and hops obtained from the annual harvest. Chief brewer, Andy Stewart, who has 13 years' experience in viticulture, approaches each

Kungfu Ramen, Haymarket Chinatown

Kungfu ramen? It makes me want to karate chop the air at the thought.We happen upon this new noodle house on a recent walk through Chinatown. Gone is the former Vietnamese pho restaurant Xic Lo next to the Dong Nam Asian grocery store. In its place is Kungfu Ramen.Making hand-pulled noodles in the kitchenThe menu promises "Secret Recipe Hand-Pulled Noodles" and as we take our seats in the mostly

Malaysian Food Festival at the Grace Hotel, Sydney

Malaysia. Truly Asia.The current Malaysia tourism campaign echoes the unique diversity of its cuisine. Spiced, fresh, fried or barbecued, the dishes of Malaysia include influences from Indonesia, China, India and Thai.On my first trip to Malaysia this year, I found it glorious to feast on Malay-style ayam goreng fried chicken for breakfast, Hainanese chicken for lunch, Nyonya assam laksa for

Pumpkin Scones

Considering the pumpkin feast that's approaching on the other side of the Atlantic, I decided to share a delicious pumpkin recipe :) The original recipe had much more sugar in it and used boiled pumpkin. I've recently used roasted pumpkin instead, and if anything, it's improvement on the flavour. Use whatever you prefer.

These were also a great hit with various kids (aged 1 year and 4 months to 39, by the way), so a truly family-friendly recipe.

Pumpkin Scones
(Kõrvitsapräänikud)
Based on a recipe in Tesco Recipe Magazine (October 2003)
about 18 cookies



100 g butter, softened
150 g dark muscovado sugar
200 g steamed or roasted pumpkin, pureed
100 g small seedless raisins
1 tsp vanilla extract
225 g plain/all-purpose flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Fold in the pumpkin puree, raisins and vanilla extract, stirring thoroughly.
Sift flour, baking powder and cinnamon into another bowl, then stir into the wet ingredients until combined.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Take dessertspoonfuls (ca 10 ml) of cookie dough and transfer them onto the baking sheet. Leave plenty of room between the heaps of dough, as the cookies spread when cooking.
(I always get 18 cookies :))
Bake in a preheated 200 C oven for 12-15 minutes, until the cookies are light golden brown.
Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer onto a metal rack to cool.

Sizzling Fillo, Lidcombe

The October issue of Time Out Sydney is now out with my latest Food & Drink column highlighting Sizzling Fillo in Lidcombe.

As vocal fans of Anthony Bourdain's show No Reservations pointed out, Filipino cuisine seems to often be overlooked and under-appreciated on the international dining scene. There are not many Filipino restaurants in Sydney, but they do exist and are worth visiting,

Bacon and salted caramel slice for the Sydney Food Bloggers' Mad Hatter Spring Picnic

Food bloggers. We like to eat.A swarm of about 40 Sydney food bloggers converged on Centennial Park over the weekend, a Mat Hatter spring picnic organised by Billy (pictured above) and Karen.Broccoli and cheese muffins by Minh of Eat, Show and TellWe feasted on a bounty of good food of course, although the prominence of sweet tooths in the crowd meant that desserts outweighed savouries on a ratio

2010 Vin de Champagne Awards at Becasse, Sydney

Champagne. Who doesn't love a glass of bubbles?I recently had the pleasure of attending the 2010 Vin de Champagne awards, a search for the best Champagne palates in Australia. The black tie event commenced with canapes at Le Grande Cafe followed by a six-course dinner at Becasse matched with thirteen incredible Champagnes.Louis Roederer Cristal Brut 2002The Vin de Champagne awards take place

Freebie Friday: Win a copy of the India Cookbook

So you know how to put together a stir-fry and a simple pasta dish, but does the thought of cooking Indian still fall in the "too hard" basket?The India Cookbook is predicted to do for Indian cuisine what The Silver Spoon achieved for Italian cuisine - provide a comprehensive guide that runs through all the basics and provide a well-laid out resource of classic recipes.The book has been divided

Etch, Sydney

There's nothing like a sense of humour in the bathroom.Female patrons at Etch push open the bathroom door to find themselves face to face with an undressed female mannequin. Step through the antechember and you'll find the rear view of another nude mannequin, her buttocks majestically illuminated.Angel-winged mannequinBy the sinks of course, is the angel-winged mannequin I remember so fondly from

Crazy Wings, Chinatown Sydney

"Crazy wings? Ooh yes," Billy said with a smile. "Let's eat here."Insert the word 'crazy in front of something, and surely knee-slapping mad-cap hilarity is guaranteed?We've stopped in at Crazy Wings for a late night feed, and as we run through the menu that lists crazy wings, crazy lamb, crazy kidney, crazy ox tongue, crazy seafood, crazy vege, crazy snack, crazy soup... I can feel my pupils

Macaroni & Cheese a la Nancy Reagan

I cannot remember where exactly I got this recipe from (the Internet is a wide, wide world), but apparently that's the way Nancy Reagan would make mac'n'cheese for her hubby. Please, please don't read any politics into this choice of recipe :) - it appealed to me because of its simplicity. It's a good mac'n'cheese recipe for those moments when you're craving something simple and comforting, but haven't got many eggs in your fridge nor bacon nor cream.

As you can see from the picture below, then I've combined it with some Georgian creamy & herby mushrooms. They worked together like a dream.

What's your favourite macaroni & cheese recipe and do you eat it as it is or as a side dish?

Nancy Reagan's Macaroni & Cheese
(Reaganite makaroni-juustuvorm)



250 g small pasta (f.ex. elbow pasta)
water & salt, for boiling pasta
1 tsp butter
1 large egg
250 ml (one cup) of milk
1 tsp mustard powder/dry mustard
1 tsp finely ground sea salt
200-250 g grated cheese

Cook pasta al dente, drain (keep a spoonful of the cooking water for later). Stir in the butter and whisked egg, then transfer into a buttered round gratin dish.
Mix mustard powder, salt and a spoonful of hot pasta-cooking water, then stir in the milk and about 3/4 of the grated cheese. Pour over the pasta in the gratin dish. Toss a little, then sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
Bake in a pre-heated 170 C/350 F oven for about 45 minutes, until the custard is set and cheese lovely golden.

Cabramatta Allsorts Barbecue - Crave Sydney International Food Festival

Cabramatta. Always a hive of activity.Last Saturday, locals woke to find Freedom Plaza overtaken by a stage, massive white tent and food stalls, as the Cabramatta Allsorts Barbecue swung into gear for the Crave Sydney International Food Festival.Simon Marnie broadcasting live for 702ABC Sydney702 Weekends was broadcasting live from Cabramatta, and I'd been asked to come down to be interviewed for

American Apple Pie

This is a very American apple pie - very rich, very high, and also very delicious. I had seen them popping up in various American food blogs and finally tried out my own version last year. It's quite unlike any of the typical apple cakes and pies we see here in Estonia, and thus providing a nice change to me, my family and friends.

American Apple Pie
(Ameerika õunapirukas)



Pastry:
300 g plain flour
1 Tbsp (demerara) sugar
1 tsp salt
200 g cold butter
4 Tbsp cold water

Filling:
1 kg cooking apples (e.g. something not too sweet or too soft)
3 Tbsp plain flour
100 g caster sugar
0.25 tsp ground allspice
0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla sugar
2 Tbsp cognac or brandy

Egg wash:
1 egg + 2 tsp water, whisked

Start with the pastry. Put flour, salt and sugar into the bowl of the food processor, then add cold cubed butter and blitz until you've got fine crumbs. Add about 4 Tbsp cold water and process once again. (Avoid overworking your pastry, as it'll result in hard cake crust).
Divide into two, press into flat discs, and place into the fridge for at least half an hour.
Meanwhile peel and core the apples, cut into thin slices or wedges.
Take a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, vanilla and nutmeg. Add the brandy and stir gently.

Take the pastry discs out of the fridge and roll both of them into a circle (about 28 cm in diameter). Line a 24 cm fluted pie dish with the pastry. Top with apple slices, piling them high in the middle. Top with the other pastry disc, pressing the edges tightly together. (If you wish, you can decorate the top disc with pastry leaves and such like).

Brush with an egg wash. Bake in the middle of a pre-heated 180 C oven for about 40 minutes, until the apples are soft and the pie is lovely golden brown.

Cool a little before serving.

Mantra Indian Restaurant, Ryde

Jewelled print in the dining roomBollywood glamour.You wouldn't know it from the outside--a bland concrete facade perched at a busy intersection in Ryde--but enter Mantra and you'll find an over-the-top spectacle of diamantes, gold and silk, a whirling riot of colour that screams Bollywood on speed.There's so much to take in, I don't know where to look first. Everything is glittery and shiny and

New Shanghai, Chatswood Chase, Sydney

"Ooh, fancy."It's the first thought that comes in my head when we finally find New Shanghai at Chatswood Chase.We'd wandered around the shopping centre a little lost at first, taking a wrong turn and hitting a dead end at the supermarket before turning back and heading hesitantly towards the food court.I'm still unsure as we make our way past hard plastic chairs and tables, coffee chains and

Win The Foodies' Guide to Sydney 2011

So you've read about Foodies' Guide. Now who wants a free copy to aid their next food adventure?It's a long weekend for Sydneysiders and what better way to start it than with a Freebie Saturday giveaway.THE PRIZE:Five readers will win a copy of the The 2011 Foodies' Guide to Sydney authored by Simon Thomsen and written by a team of 18 food writers, including me.We've combed the streets of Sydney