I Don't Eat, I Devour

First, a confession: though I have walked past this vibrant, fun-looking cafe many times in the past, I had never considered going in because it seemed way too happy. I thought the food would be gimmicky, yet mediocre. Oh, how I was proved wrong!  Gimmicky? Yes, a bit. Mediocre? Absolutely not.  Dragon Eggs Let's not beat around the bush. This is the reason I finally decided to go. A clutch of black and gold dragon eggs on a bed of crispy sweet potatoes, berries and boba, emerging from the dry-ice-haze like some sort of mythical discovery.  The black eggs are mochi balls, wonderfully crunchy and just slightly sticky; and filled with running salted eggyolk, which has got to be my favourite Asian dessert flavour of all time (oh, perhaps just on par with matcha). These are pure happiness.  Tom Yum Spaghetti Despite being a dessert cafe, the savoury items at Mango Coco are pretty impressive. In particular this tom yum spaghetti, which fuses the sour-and-spicy goodness of...

Thor's hammer certainly packs a punch. Probably one of the best dining experiences I've had in recent times, Mjolnir commits to the theme - but don't be fooled, this is no gimmicky restaurant where the wait staff plays dress up. The food and the drinks here mean business.  The entry is unassuming, leading down to a large, cavernous basement that transports you straight to mythical times.  Upon arrival, we are presented with a little shot of complimentary mead to whet the appetite. A sweet, moreish, fun number, it is nothing like the mead bought in bottle shops.  Across the Fjord, $21 Come for the drinking-out-of-horns, stay for the cocktails. The cocktail list at Mjolner is impressive - and many come with a theatrical display. This one came in a cloudy beaker and tastes alcoholic yet floral and subtle, with a distinct nose of of fresh pine trees.  Blazing Glogg, $23 This sweet, dark, boozy number came with a dramatic display of alcohol being pulled from one vessel to...

The various office buildings, old shopping centres and their connecting pathways in Sydney's Chinatown can be a bit of a maze, and hidden in them are charming, authentic eateries frequented by those who really understand a cuisine - and by that I mean, we go for the home-coming feel, not for the atmosphere.  The last time I visited Kowloon Cafe, a Hong Kong style diner, was in 2020 (see my post here ). We picked up a few snacks to go - but this time, I'm here for the full sit down experience.  Pineapple Bread with egg and spam $9.80 One cannot talk about HK style diners without talking about pineapple bread. So-called because the diamond shaped, sweet topping looks like the skin of a pineapple (and not because there are actual pineapples used in the bread), this delicious concoction comes in many varieties. The most traditional involves a warmed pineapple bread with a thick pat of ice-cold butter. The more interesting varieties, such as the one we have before us, may include s...

Cuckoo Callay Surry Hills boasts a kitchy-bright interior and a big outdoors seating area, serving a menu of creative, East-meets-West dishes that are what brunch dreams are made of. In the era of covid, the outdoors seating and the in-app ordering are particularly appreciated. There is also a Cuckoo Callay Newtown serving a slightly different menu that I'm yet (but excited) to try.  Watermelon mimosa, $5 Weekend brunch, of course, starts with mimosa. In addition to the classic version with orange juice, Cuckoo Callay serves a watermelon version. It is a pretty watered-down, weak drink, but at $5 a pop, there is little to complain of.  Ask a chilli question and you’ll get a chilli answer, $24 The names of the dishes here are all cheeky, fun and punny. I was geniunely torn between a few options, but settled with this gorgeous soft scrambled eggs with fermented chilli, mushroom and eggplant xo, with a roti paratha on top. This rich and savoury dish is flavoured with fried curry ...

In the lazy, hazy days post-Christmas but before New Year, I have ample time to not be productive, yet here I am, writing up the Christmas lunch which wrapped up a full and busy work year.  Venison tartare Venison is not a meat I see served often - Three Blue Ducks did a wonderful job of ensuring it is not gamey by serving it with beetroot, horseradish and crispy beetroot brik pastry. The beetroot is treated so that it is sweet and sour, thereby balancing the meatiness of the dish.  Kingfish  The raw kingfish is tossed through a curry spice and serve with grapefruit, fried curry leaves and toasted peanuts. A delicious twist on the usually lime-heavy kingfish dishes seen elsewhere.  Burnt leeks Leeks is usually not my vegetable of choice, but even I cannot deny that it is gorgeously sweet when cooked right, and here, the vegan treatment of it with macadamia cheese, capers and smoked macadamias, it is soft and flavourful.  Lamb This dramatic-looking dish is a Moro...

The last time I had a booking at Bistrot 916 was the day before going on an interstate holiday just before the most recent Sydney lockdown - and out of an abundance of caution, I had given up the booking (which was no easy feat to get and took months of waiting) to my friends. Since then, I have desperately wanted to try it and finally my time came.  Chic and darkly romantic, this beautiful bistro serves traditional French fare, which is rich, salty, covered in butter and oh-so-delicious.  Baguette with bottarga butter, $7  Of course, we had to commence the meal with that most typical of French bread. The creamy butter is made gently salty by shaved bottarga - one of life's simple pleasures amped up slightly.  Tuna Tartare, $27 The surprise that came with the tuna tartare (which is fresh, gorgeously flavoured with pickles and egg yolk) is the fried pastry with a smattering of Maldon salt - crunchy, sinful, but delicious.  Saucisson Sec, $12 Saucisson sec always ...

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 (...