I Don't Eat, I Devour

Bodhi is a Sydney vegan institution - it follows the Buddhist tradition of not only eschewing all animal products, but also onions, shallots and the likes. It was serving vegan food in Sydney since before veganism became mainstream, so it is no wonder that it receives such rave reviews from devotees.  Half of the restaurant is outdoors, so when you book, it is important to indicate your preference. Some people enjoy having their meals in fresh air, while others, such as myself, prefer not to have a side of sun damage with my meal.  Shitake mushroom deumplings, $12 One thing Bodhi is known for is vegan yum cha, which is served at lunch. A couple of the items pop up in the dinner menu under the heading of "oriental taps". I am personally not offended by the term "oriental", but it is still an interesting and arguably bold choice from the Caucasian owners, especially as some Asians are quite offended by subtexts that run along with the term "oriental".  Socia

When it comes to parentage, Restaurant Leo is born of Sydney's culinary elite: a child born of LuMi and Oscillating Wildly, it is Italian fine dining with just a smidgen of alley-casual-chic; the kind where the friendly, unobtrusive yet helpful staff take little mouthfuls of red wine between expertly serving tables and suggesting wines. I was immediately charmed.  Adam & Eve, $19; Travel Nostalgia, $19, GLS Garussin Complet, $16 There is a small but creative cocktail list, and an interesting wine list. The Adam & Eve is a tequila and bitters based cocktail topped with a slice of peach - it is sweet at first and then it hits you with just enough bitterness to make it count; the Travel Nostalgia is whiskey based, with banana-miso, and is a heady, sweet saunter down memory lane; and the GLS Garussin Complet is a chilled red wine that is perfect for an end-of-summer lunch.  Bread with anchovy butter, complimentary The bread is a soft panini still warm from the oven, and served

Tucked away in the charming, quaint, bird-cage filled Angel Place, Ragazzi is one restaurant I have been looking forward to trying for a long time, because I have had a couple people recommend this restaurant to me a good spot to dine in the CBD.  Having never been to Ragazzi before, I was delighted to see that they have a chef's choice menu. I am a big fan of giving control over to those who prepare the food, because I trust that the chef's menu is the highlights reel. Having said that, the fact that we chose the chef's menu is where we went wrong. There were three of us dining, and I think the restaurant actually under-served by providing two people portions for most of the main courses and dessert.  The fact that 2 of the courses are side-salads also significantly decrease the value of the chef's menu. Having done some basic maths, it simply does not add up, I found myself significantly over-paying for the misfortune of being lumped with some courses I would never ha

 Anason, an acclaimed Turkish restaurant inspired by the mayhanes of Istanbul, is one of the many wonderful culinary offerings at Barangaroo. The seasonal menu is divided into three sections: flora, fauna and ocean. The best way to enjoy Anason is to grab a couple of friends, because all the dishes are designed for sharing.  Humus (LHS), $18 One can't go past the house-made humus, creamy and smoky, resting in a pool of golden olive oil and topped with crispy chickpeas, loads of paprika and a sprinkling of parsley.  Village bread with olive oil, $8 The village bread (house-made, of course) is a fluffy, comforting and airy number, made fragrant by white sesame seeds and served with olive oil and za’atar.  Roasted cauliflower, $23 I am a huge fan of roasted caulifower - and the one at Anason is charred to perfection, served with green harissa and roasted almonds. The almonds add a welcome crunch to the soft, sweet cauliflower, and I particularly like that some of the leaves are left o