I Don't Eat, I Devour

Since its opening at Crown Sydney, I have had several foodie colleagues recommend A'Mare to me, so when I finally found a fitting occasion, I was excited to try their degustation menu.  First, A'Mare is a beautiful restaurant. During the day it is bright and vibrant, overlooking the waters. At night, it transforms into something elegant and sleekly intimate. Another aspect that sets A'Mare apart from other restaurants is that there are a lot of table-side service, which adds another dimension to the dining experience.  Burrata caprese The burrata is presented whole and cut open at the table, then drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with pepper. It is a rich, creamy burrata with very little salt; accompanied by green tomatoes and salsa verde.  Focaccia The bread is, of course, served warm. Springy and pillowy, with a satisfying bounce, it is accompanied by Pugliese extra version olive oil and an aged balsamic that tastes mildly bitter - presented by staff and drizzled ta...

When Loulou opened a couple of months ago, there was a real buzz about this chic French bistro and boulangerie that makes what I consider to be the best baguette in Sydney, surpassing even my old favourite, Azuki Bakery. So when an opportunity came up to try the cuisine, I was curious to see if it lives up to the hype.  Chicken liver parfait, $18 This unassuming-looking liver parfait is my favourite dish of the evening. Beautifully creamy and smooth, the flavours wonderfully balanced, and paired with a soft, buttery brioche from Loulou's esteemed bakery, this is a fine way to start a meal.  Pommes Dauphines, $12 Fluffy, smooth, creamy mashed potatoes encased in a light batter and gently fried, this is the comfort food of one's dreams. Absolutely gorgeous - highly recommended with a drink or two. Speaking of which, the cocktails at Loulou are classic and well-balanced. I particularly recommend the Vieux Carre.  John Dory, $48 If I were to recommend one main dish only, this...

 MONA is an incredible museum and art gallery (perhaps my favourite in Australia), and the food options are just as incredible. There is the wonderful Faro, of course - but I'm going to talk about The Source, a restaurant quirkily giving you the option of dining outdoors on "living tables" with moss and herbs as tablecloths, or dining indoors and risking being seated indoors and eating above a dildo.  The table we got, alas, had no dildo fun, but is a rather aesthetic piece of jade ornament. The dining philosophy is sharing is caring, so here goes.   Spiced eggplant, $28 Eggplant has always been my favourite vegetable, and I fell in love with it once again in Tasmania. At The Source, spiced eggplant is cooked with saffron and fino roast fennel, manchego cream, green olives, roast tomato broth and topped with a couple of grissini. It is rich, umami and complex. The star ingredient - the eggplant - being such a perfect vessel to deliver all these flavour explosions....

 A tiny, unassuming little gem seating no more than 18, Templo is a neighbourhood gem in the truest sense of the word. The set menu, along with a small-ish wine list, is scrawled on a blackboard. The kitchen is semi-open, the chef calling "service" from time to time. The glasses and the drinks are lined up near the teller, to be picked up casually, as if reaching in one's cupboard at home, whenever a drink is ordered.  While awaiting the food, fresh bread is served. Drizzled with olive oil, it is fluffy, pillowy, and large loaves of them rested near the open kitchen temptingly. We ordered a skin contact wine to pair with the first couple of courses - refreshing like a white, but bolder and deeper, with strong and distinctive passion fruit notes on the nose.  The first course, the gnocco fritto, consist of little fried pieces of bread to be wrapped in cured meat along with pickle. The pickle at Templo is distinctly sweet compared to most pickles, which works very well with...

 Hobart is one of the most under-rated cities in Australia, in my humble opinion. Combining culture (MONA is my favourite museum / art gallery in Australia), natural beauty, excellent whiskey and creative cuisine showcasing local produce, it is a city I could revisit again and again.  Aloft is on the wharf, overlooking the vast expanse of water carrying fishing boats out to sea. It is what modern high end Australian cuisine is all about: fresh ingredients, superb technique, and a little East-meets-West.  The set menu starts with sashimi sitting on a bed of parsley buttermilk. It certainly lives up to the name of the course - an amuse bouche. The interesting texture, unexpected flavour (creamy yet so fresh) and tiny portion tickle one's fancy and awakens the taste buds.  Wallaby is meat I don't often see in Sydney, but in Hobart, most good restaurants would at least have one course that serves this unusual meat. Here we have a wallaby tataki with miso and macadamia. T...

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 se...