I Don't Eat, I Devour

An irreverent play on words complete with exclamation point, Holy Duck specialises in - if you can't guess already - Hong Kong deli-style duck. Unlike the more traditional deli houses, you won't see rows upon rows of roast duck hanging in the windows. Instead, the window spot is reserved for the bartender. Situated next to Spice Alley, Holy Duck is in that bustling strip of high end meets casual eateries in Chippendale. Its venerable neighbours include Automata (one of the best degustation menus in Sydney), Olio (the Sydney home of award-winning chef Lino Sauro), Mekong (serving modern Indochine cuisine) and Koi Dessert Bar (high-end dessert almost too beautiful to eat). Holy Duck's cocktail menu are all modern twists on classics, with a distinctly fruity bend.  Perhaps due to COVID19, the bar was quite short-stocked, resulting in a few of our top choices being unavailable. In the end, we settled for an orange martini which was among that evening's special. It is

Ah, Spice Temple. That venerated institution of Chinese cuisine hidden behind a door disguised as an LCD screen on the side of a building buried deep within Sydney's legal quarter. Dark, intimate and hushed, it is not your usual Chinese food joint. Once you enter and descend the dark, moody stairs, you leave behind your daily worries and concentrate on the delicious, amazing dishes of China's lesser known culinary regions, including Guangxi and Xinjiang. Chicken and black fungi dumplings, $16 These crystal clear pastry (is pastry the right word?) are very, very hard to get right. They are very glutinous, very sticky - yet not so sticky that they get stuck in your teeth; they must be meltingly soft, yet not so soft as to fall apart before their delicious contents could be transported into your mouth. Getting these right is worthy of respect, and Spice Temple does not disappoint. The flavour of the chicken mince and black fungus are mild and clean, neither reliant on the

The gentle easing of covid19 restrictions coincides with the gentle descent of winter upon Sydney. What is winter perfect for? A big, comforting bowl of ramen, of course. Rara is one of the most popular and highly rated ramen joints in Sydney - since its opening, there's always been a line meandering outside its small but chic Redfern location. Rara is usually a walk-in joint, but with covid restrictions, Rara is currently taking bookings through its website - make sure you get in quick, because unless you book days in advance, your choices will be limited to 5pm or 9pm sessions, if you get a spot at all. Rara Tonkotsu with black garlic and chili oil, $18.80 The OG Rara tonkotsu is a creamy and thick pork bone broth that is wonderfully satisfying. You can also choose, for a dollar or two extra, to add black garlic or chili oil, or both. The noodle at Rara is hand-and-house-made, it is on the softer side, but delightfully bouncy. It is topped with charsiu (free range pork),