I Don't Eat, I Devour

One of Sydney's most exciting new restaurant / bar combo in the heart of Newtown, Odd Culture boasts an excellent wine list and one of the best value banquets I have had. When stepping into the space, the lofty ceilings immediately transport you away from the bustling, slightly crowded streets of Newtown.  The anchovy cigars caught our eye, so we ordered some in addition to the generously portioned set menu. Crispy, delicate and savoury, the already complex flavours of anchovies are enhanced further by the addition of olive and taramasalata.  Anchovy cigars, $7 each The house bread is curiously named "beer bread". It is a house baked sourdough with house butter, which is rich and generously sprinkled with coarse sea salt. The fluffy bread is a wonderful start to the meal - especially if you're also washing the food down with a couple of cocktails.  As a refreshing first course, disks of cucumber is tossed in silky preserved tofu and salted chilli. The contrasting text...

 The fun, chill little sister to Ester (with their names combined to be a tongue-in-cheek "polyester"), Poly does share plates well. I mean, really well. The cocktails are well-balanced and interesting, and the food menu is curated and beautifully executed.  Cocktails, $23-$24 Each of the cocktails at Poly are gorgeous. Whether you are into something light and refreshing, or packs a punch, the ever-revolving cocktail list has something to suit every palette. Where you'd rather be is a pandan-based, fragrant number; golden buzz is strong yet balanced; and green with envy is a sweet yet smooth cocktail that's dangerous moreish.  Six Natural Oysters, $38 Plump, juicy Sydney rock oysters that hasn't been overly-washed, so they retain the wonderful saltiness of the ocean. Paired with a chili vinegar, they are the perfect start to the meal.  Potato bread, $10 This is a must-order at Poly. The chewy, satisfying bread is paired with a magical whipped sesame dip that we co...

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...

This long-standing Paddington restaurant is something of a venerable establishment. I can't quite believe it's taken me so long to finally pay it a visit, and believe me, it lives up to the hype.  Pretzel bottarga, $18 The first thing foodies will mention when the name 10 William St is spoken is probably this delicious entree. The waiter also recommended it, saying, it has practically never left the menu. We can certainly understand why that might be. Beautifully lightly whiped butter with a generous shaving of salty bottarga, served with a piping hot, seedy, satisfyingly chewy pretzel - wonderfully satisfying.  Focaccia, $4 With such generous serving of whipped butter, we had to order a focaccia just to mop up the remainer of the previous dish. The focaccia came with the most decadent pool of olive oil, and is wonderfully fragrant and fluffy.  Eel on toast, $14 each one of the new, rotating menu items, the eel on toast sounded a little more unusual than the alternative (...

 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...

Bar Topa remains one of my favourite spots in Sydney's CBD. A little gem of Spanish corner, it reminds me of the holiday I had in Barcelona where I enjoyed a whole host of pintxos - little bite-sized treats to accompany a drink or two.  The cocktails at Bar Topa are little half-pours, which means you can mix and match to your heart's content. At $8 a pour, these cute little numbers don't make a big dent in one's pocket either. Note, however, that the cocktails are pre-made and therefore you won't be able to make adjustments (for example, they only make a vodka martini, not a gin martini). Mezcal a la moda, Martini Croquetta, $5 each There are three varieties of croquetta - ham (being these ones), spinach and ricotta, and mushrooms. Deep fried and deeply satisfying, they are so fluffy and soft they barely require chewing; and although they are golden brown, they are not greasy at all.  Chorizo, $10 Plump and juicy, with a satisfying bite, the extremely flavourful cho...

I have a lot of memories of this place. When I first came to Australia as a child, this  was one of my parents' favourite places to eat to comfort their "Chinese stomachs". There are quite a bit of similarities between the taste profiles of Shanghainese cuisine and Taiwanese cuisine, now that I think about it: both cuisine prefer that lovely umami sweet-savoury and dainty little portions. Even some of our breakfast foods are just variations on a theme.  This, for example. Glutinous rice logs filled with fried dough stick (you tiao), Taiwan-style pork floss (which is a little sweeter and more toasted than its arch-competitor, the Taichang-style pork floss) and preserved raddish. It is filling, comforting and texturally varied (chewy and soft vs crunchy). It is also easily transported, so a perfect breakfast-on-the-go or snack item. The Shanghainese version is shaped like a ball and sometimes replaces the pork floss and preserved raddish with preserved vegetables.  Egg panc...