I Don't Eat, I Devour

I have been putting off writing about Automata because I needed to expand my vocabulary beyond "amazing", "delicious" and "highly recommended" without veering into territories I refuse to enter (think "scrumptious" and "yummy") or - but I can put it off no longer. With an ever changing tasting menu, Automata waits for no food review. Flaky, light, savoury pastry and squid-ink puffs filled with cream cheese are the perfect morsels to whet the appetite - the contrast in texture prepares us for the menu to come. The main event of the evening begins with a white radish and fennel puree topped with sand crab and fermented chili sauce. The fermented chili sauce bears a distinct similarity with kimchi, and it works surprisingly well with the creamy, light sauce. The sand crab meat is delicate and sweet. This, my friends, is raw kangaroo. Though the concept may seem a little intimidating at first, any feared "raw meat"

I have heard friends talk about Queen Chow, a trendy Chinese eatery in Enmore (plus a Manly location which opened earlier this year) that offers traditional Cantonese style food, but with surroundings very different to the busy, bustling and no-nonsense Chinatown locations which normally jump to mind when we talk about Chinese food. Why has it taken me so long to try Queen Chow (in fact, I wouldn't have tried it but for my friend's birthday dinner)? Much to the astonishment of friends and acquaintances, Chinese food is my least favourite cuisine and my last choice when it comes to dining out. Having said that, I appreciate good food when I taste it, but it takes very special Chinese food for me to be impressed.  Queen chow steamed dim sum platter, $32 The dim sum platter comes with the following selection of dumplings - wagyu beef xiao long bao, vegetarian dumpling, prawn dumpling and prawn & scallop dumpling. The flavours are balanced and delicate, but with the

When Kid Kyoto opened in the heart of Sydney's business district, there were a lot of hype around their lunch time bentos. Served during the work week, these $35-a-pop bentos were tooted as the best bento in Sydney. As a frequent customer of dinner delivery services, I am no stranger to bento, and I am a huge fan of them - a small salad, a protein main, some sushi / sashimi, some rice - not only does the bento box provide variety, it is a pretty balanced meal and as healthy as takeaway gets. However, I also know that the bento boxes we are familiar with from Deliveroo or Uber Eats doesn't do the bento justice - like many Japanese things, the bento can be elevated to a work of art. That's what I imagined the Kid Kyoto bento would be. Kid Kyoto Bento, $35 Upon first glance, it's not bad. However, it's really not great either - the entire affair had a whiff of the pick n' mix, where pre-prepared, cold food could be lined up and simply put onto a tray. Th