It's October (yep, already). This time of the year means several things:
1. Men with various shaped balls, running around on television
2. Slightly erratic weather
3. A whole bunch of food-related stuff happening around Sydney
That's right, it's the Crave Sydney International Food Festival. So here's the pick of the litter this year:
1. BBQ Madness
Every year, the Pyrmont Growers Market presents a cook-off like no other - several of Sydney's best chefs creating delicious dishes while you watch the action from your front row seat. This year, the line up includes The Table Sessions (and TOYS collective member) Darren Robertson, Alex Herbert (Bird Cow Fish), Martin Boetz (Longrain), Kylie Kwong and more...as well as international chef David Tanis from the legendary Chez Panisse.
...and apparently me. Well, that's to say, a bunch of food writers and bloggers including myself have been enlisted as lackies to help out tomorrow...so come down and say hello!
The BBQ madness runs from 8.30am - 12.00pm in 25 minute sessions.
Where: Pyrmont Growers Markets
When: Tomorrow morning!
Cost: $20
More info here.
2. Breakfast on the beach
This one's for you, earlybirds. A brand new event for the festival, we've seen dawn choruses, even yoga, but this year there will be food. Intended to be a community-focused, BYO breaky on the golden sand at Bondi Beach, you can buy your breaky from stalls on the promenade, or your own hamper from home and chill out while enjoying the sunshine, music and celebrity chef appearances by Bill Granger and more.
Where: Bondi Beach
When: October 23 from sunrise
Cost: Free
3. Shoot The Chef
Each year, professional and amateur photographers snap photos of chefs, in a bid to win the now famous Shoot the Chef competition. There have been photos of chefs eating random raw food, chefs covered in flour, naked chefs and chefs shooting journalists! This year, the finalists showcased were beautifully simple, elegant and artfully shot, no trickery here. Check out the finalists at the Chifley Plaza over the next couple of weeks, maybe before heading to the Night Noodle Markets!
Where: Chifley Plaza
When: October 5-28, Mon-Sat; Mon-Fri 9.30am-6pm, Sat 9.30-4pm
Cost: Free
More: Click here.
Friday, 30 September 2011
Friday, 23 September 2011
spring
While the nights are still cool, the mood in Sydney, along with the weather has hotted up, which can mean only one thing (aside from global warming)...Summer is on its way!
It's time to head outdoors, start reaping the best of the spring vegetables, enjoy the sunshine and of course, brilliant food and drink.
This week's FBi segment is a mixed bag of food experiences worth checking out:
Sydney Entertainment Quarter's 5th Annual Spring Food and Wine Festival
If the sound of smooth, smooth jazz, along with delicious food and wine floats your boat, then you had best be off to Moore Park's Entertainment Quarter this weekend. Showcasing some of Australia's favourite wineries including Tamburlaine Organic Wines and Tulloch, there will be tastings as well as cooking demonstrations featuring past Master Chef winners. Regardless of whether you're a reality television tragic or not, entry is free and tasting glasses and tokens are available for purchase once you're inside.
Details:
This Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th from 11am - 5pm on the EQ Showring
Click here for more info
Sustainable Cycle? Ride On
So many great food initiatives are coming from Sydney's youth these days, which is awesome. We know what interests our peers and ourselves, so if you can't find an event you like, why not create it yourself?
The Ride On Lunch program is hosted by the Youth Food Movement and celebrates local produce. Supported by Eveleigh Market, they're conducting a cycle around Sydney's inner city suburbs in which you can meet producers at Eveleigh Farmers' Market, tour a local community garden and a sustainable eco-property. It's about sharing food, ideas, and the city together, so if you have a bike and a helmet, this one is well worth checking out. Apparently you can even learn how to make a smoothie using your bike!
Details:
When: October 15
Cost: $17, click here to book:
For more info, contact Alexandra Girdwood on 0423 175 654 or email yfmsydney@gmail.com.
The Youth Food Movement is a broad-based collective of young people with a strong interest in food and sustainability. For more information, please visit www.yfmsydney.wordpress.com/events/.
Walking Dessert Tour
Saving the best for last, if the idea of an afternoon wandering around Darlinghurst and Kings Cross eating delicious sweets makes you "ooh", then you need to know about Eddie. A bonafide travel tour guide, he's created a dessert tasting experience kind of like a pub crawl (just replace 'booze' with 'sugar').
In around 3 hours, you'll experience 8 amazing dessert dream destinations and best of all, you're walking between them, which has to count for something, right?
From gelato to pastry and Greek sweets, it's all here.
Details:
When: This Sunday, 25 September
Where: Starts in Kings Cross at 1pm
Cost: $39
Click here for more information
Bookings are essential:
eddie@dessertlovers.com.au or call 0406109996
It's time to head outdoors, start reaping the best of the spring vegetables, enjoy the sunshine and of course, brilliant food and drink.
This week's FBi segment is a mixed bag of food experiences worth checking out:
Sydney Entertainment Quarter's 5th Annual Spring Food and Wine Festival
If the sound of smooth, smooth jazz, along with delicious food and wine floats your boat, then you had best be off to Moore Park's Entertainment Quarter this weekend. Showcasing some of Australia's favourite wineries including Tamburlaine Organic Wines and Tulloch, there will be tastings as well as cooking demonstrations featuring past Master Chef winners. Regardless of whether you're a reality television tragic or not, entry is free and tasting glasses and tokens are available for purchase once you're inside.
Entry is free and tasting glasses and tokens are available for purchase at the event.
This Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th from 11am - 5pm on the EQ Showring
Click here for more info
Sustainable Cycle? Ride On
So many great food initiatives are coming from Sydney's youth these days, which is awesome. We know what interests our peers and ourselves, so if you can't find an event you like, why not create it yourself?
The Ride On Lunch program is hosted by the Youth Food Movement and celebrates local produce. Supported by Eveleigh Market, they're conducting a cycle around Sydney's inner city suburbs in which you can meet producers at Eveleigh Farmers' Market, tour a local community garden and a sustainable eco-property. It's about sharing food, ideas, and the city together, so if you have a bike and a helmet, this one is well worth checking out. Apparently you can even learn how to make a smoothie using your bike!
Details:
When: October 15
Cost: $17, click here to book:
For more info, contact Alexandra Girdwood on 0423 175 654 or email yfmsydney@gmail.com.
The Youth Food Movement is a broad-based collective of young people with a strong interest in food and sustainability. For more information, please visit www.yfmsydney.wordpress.com/events/.
Walking Dessert Tour
Saving the best for last, if the idea of an afternoon wandering around Darlinghurst and Kings Cross eating delicious sweets makes you "ooh", then you need to know about Eddie. A bonafide travel tour guide, he's created a dessert tasting experience kind of like a pub crawl (just replace 'booze' with 'sugar').
In around 3 hours, you'll experience 8 amazing dessert dream destinations and best of all, you're walking between them, which has to count for something, right?
From gelato to pastry and Greek sweets, it's all here.
Details:
When: This Sunday, 25 September
Where: Starts in Kings Cross at 1pm
Cost: $39
Click here for more information
Bookings are essential:
eddie@dessertlovers.com.au or call 0406109996
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
fooderati speaks (perish the thought)
So apparently I'm speaking this Thursday night at Surry Hills Library on the topic of food writing, alongside my SMH Good Food Shopping Guide cohorts Helen Greenwood and Merelyn Franks (sans the beautiful Carli Ratcliff who is in Champagne writing about...well, Champagne).
With 3 very different backgrounds, it should be an interesting talk..and at the very least, come and say hello before I embarrass myself stupid. Click here for more info.
When: Thursday 22 September from 18.00 to 19.00
Where: Surry Hills Library, 405 Crown Street Surry Hills 2010 Venue details
Cost: Free. Nada.
Website: http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/library
More Info:
City of Sydney Library
Library Staff
8374-6230
library@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
With 3 very different backgrounds, it should be an interesting talk..and at the very least, come and say hello before I embarrass myself stupid. Click here for more info.
When: Thursday 22 September from 18.00 to 19.00
Where: Surry Hills Library, 405 Crown Street Surry Hills 2010 Venue details
Cost: Free. Nada.
Website: http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/library
More Info:
City of Sydney Library
Library Staff
8374-6230
library@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
Friday, 16 September 2011
New bars and pop up stars
Sydney's casino grand opening may have caught the headlines week, but if you weren't one of the 250 VIP guests partying with Leo last night, here are some other ways to feel cool about going out this week:
The Drummer
'Miranda Otto' and the 'Sydney dining scene' don't seem like two things that go together, unless you count glamourous restaurant openings and the like. Nevertheless, Otto has teamed up as a mentor on the American Express Room For Thought community ideas project, in which winner Elle Formica (with help from Otto Ristorante) will put together a pop up restaurant from September 14-16. The restaurant will highlight Sudanese and Burmese food, where trained chefs will work alongside refugees from each of those countries to help them gain experience in hospitality as well as to highlight more serious social commentary. This evening is the last night of the pop up restaurant, so check it out by calling 8333 0010.
When: Wed 14–Fri 16 Sept | 7am–10pm
Where: 72 Erskine St, Sydney
Phone: (02) 8333 0010
Details: Look up Room For Thought on Facebook
Hinky Dinks
Serious cocktail lovers should head to Hinky Dinks, a new bar in Darlinghurst, where the only thing serious is the technical know-how to make a damn fine drink. Named after Michael ‘Hinky
Dink’ Kenna, a corrupt Chicago politician who owned a bar and used to give away
drinks to the homeless in exchange for votes, it's a nod to the seedy (dare I say it) underbelly of this part of the world. Gangstas and technically-driven cocktails aside, it's a super cute retro-inspired space that's geared for fun, frivolity and if Leif Etournard (ex Onde, who consulted on the menu) has anything to do with it, some damn fine food, too.
185 Darlinghurst Rd Darlinghurst 2010
8084 6379
www.hinkydinks.com.au
Mrs. Sippy
Double Bay. Not the first place you think of for cutting edge bar culture, but think again. Opening about two weeks ago, Mrs. Sippy brings a touch of vibrant fun back to fading 80's glory that is Double Bay with it's multifunctional cafe/diner/bar space. By day, it's all about Campos coffee, and simple, tasty breakfast and lunch dishes and by night, Mrs. Sippy's laneway and couryard bars open to allow plenty of cocktail swilling and wine toting, as well as a relaxed menu including pizzas, steak frites with cafe de Paris butter and banofee banana splits (YUM). The place is owned by a group of four hospitality industry lifers including Andrew 'AJ' Jamieson, sommellier extraordinare...so you know the list is bangin'.
7 Bay St. Double Bay, NSW Australia, 2028
9362 3321
www.mrssippy.com.au
The Drummer
'Miranda Otto' and the 'Sydney dining scene' don't seem like two things that go together, unless you count glamourous restaurant openings and the like. Nevertheless, Otto has teamed up as a mentor on the American Express Room For Thought community ideas project, in which winner Elle Formica (with help from Otto Ristorante) will put together a pop up restaurant from September 14-16. The restaurant will highlight Sudanese and Burmese food, where trained chefs will work alongside refugees from each of those countries to help them gain experience in hospitality as well as to highlight more serious social commentary. This evening is the last night of the pop up restaurant, so check it out by calling 8333 0010.
When: Wed 14–Fri 16 Sept | 7am–10pm
Where: 72 Erskine St, Sydney
Phone: (02) 8333 0010
Details: Look up Room For Thought on Facebook
Hinky Dinks
Serious cocktail lovers should head to Hinky Dinks, a new bar in Darlinghurst, where the only thing serious is the technical know-how to make a damn fine drink. Named after Michael ‘Hinky
Dink’ Kenna, a corrupt Chicago politician who owned a bar and used to give away
drinks to the homeless in exchange for votes, it's a nod to the seedy (dare I say it) underbelly of this part of the world. Gangstas and technically-driven cocktails aside, it's a super cute retro-inspired space that's geared for fun, frivolity and if Leif Etournard (ex Onde, who consulted on the menu) has anything to do with it, some damn fine food, too.
185 Darlinghurst Rd Darlinghurst 2010
8084 6379
www.hinkydinks.com.au
Mrs. Sippy
Double Bay. Not the first place you think of for cutting edge bar culture, but think again. Opening about two weeks ago, Mrs. Sippy brings a touch of vibrant fun back to fading 80's glory that is Double Bay with it's multifunctional cafe/diner/bar space. By day, it's all about Campos coffee, and simple, tasty breakfast and lunch dishes and by night, Mrs. Sippy's laneway and couryard bars open to allow plenty of cocktail swilling and wine toting, as well as a relaxed menu including pizzas, steak frites with cafe de Paris butter and banofee banana splits (YUM). The place is owned by a group of four hospitality industry lifers including Andrew 'AJ' Jamieson, sommellier extraordinare...so you know the list is bangin'.
7 Bay St. Double Bay, NSW Australia, 2028
9362 3321
www.mrssippy.com.au
Monday, 5 September 2011
bread for good
A few weeks ago, my dear friend Helen Greenwood started a campaign in aid of UNICEF's efforts to help the two million starving children in East Africa. To help is so very simple.
Restaurants: All it requires it to encourage customers to donate $2 or more when ordering bread, for just one week.
Diners, foodies: A donation, passing on the news, or just your support on Twitter is awesome.
Below is a note from Helen, please read, absorb, act and pass it on.
We're so very lucky to have such small worries in comparison to whether our children or friend's children will survive the day, so I hope this communication falls on compassionate ears.
The Horn of Africa is witnessing the worst drought and the worst famine in the world at the moment.
I know that Australians who are living in the horn of plenty can help.
So that’s why I came up with the Bread For Good campaign.
Restaurateurs will ask their diners to donate for their bread for one week and the money will go to UNICEF to help two million children facing starvation in East Africa.
From September 16, diners can donate $2 for the bread they order in a restaurant and that donation will provide a child with three therapeutic meals.
This campaign is an initiative by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age and is being supported by editorial and advertising.
Go to www.breadforgood.com.au to register and be involved. Follow the campaign on #breadforgood and twitter breadforgood.
Almost 12.4 million people, more than half the Australian population, are affected by the devastating crisis.
A child is dying every 6 minutes.
We need the support of restaurateurs like you to make a tremendous difference in those children’s lives.
Helen Greenwood
Good Living writer and journalist, The Sydney Morning Herald
Friday, 2 September 2011
father's day 2011
No, not 'dude food', we're talking about 'dad food' this week. With Father's Day looming (this Sunday), it's time to talk food-related tactics. Whether it's a butchery class or a classic Sunday roast, we've got you covered.
Woollahra NSW 2025
(02) 9328 0402
http://www.victorchurchill.com
Pub Grub
I realise I'm making massive sweeping generalisations about what dads like, but I reckon beer probably hits the nail on the head for most. For dads who don't cook, but like a good pub meal and a beer, The Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel will probably fit the bill nicely. Sydney’s oldest licensed hotel, The Lord Nelson can be found in The Rocks and is Australia's oldest pub brewery. Featuring cracking pub food, including dishes like braised milk fed South Australian suffolk lamb shoulder with smashed minted peas garlic mash, to herb-rubbed spatchcock with braised leeks and spinach, it's tasty, hearty food that makes for a great Sunday lunch. Leave time to check out the brewery and taste a few best selling ales, to boot.
The Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel
19 Kent St, The Rocks
9251 4044
www.lordnelsonbrewery.com
Talk and Taste
It may be a little while off yet, but if your dad fancies himself a bit of a whisky buff (or wants to be), the Crave Festival is a great place to start. During the month-long food festival, taste makers, McIntosh & Bowman are conducting a whisky and cheese tasting workshop. Yep. Whisky. And cheese. Together. Dad will be guided through an impressive list of single malts, ranging from 10 to 21 years, paired with 10 brilliant international and local artisan cheese. Hosted by Alexx Stuart, booze-guru, and Claudia Bowman, respected cheesemonger, you'll not only learn about what makes a great whisky and cheese paring, but the history and stories behind some of the world's best whisky houses.
When: October 13, 7-8.30pm
Cost: $99
Beverages included: An impressive and independent selection of single malts ranging from 10 to 21 years maturation
Click here to read more and to book.
More about other man-friendly booze and food workshops and experiences here.
DIY
And if all that's a bit too much, pick up a BBQ pack from Urbanfoodmarket in Marrickville, suppliers of meat to some of the best restaurants in Sydney. They're open to the public on Saturdays, so jump in!
Meat Magic
That palace of all things carnivorous, Victor Churchill is not just an awesome butcher and purveyor of brilliant smallgoods, but a classroom as well. Catering to anyone who's interested in how to butcher, cure, cook and carve, there's a series of classes perfect for dads of all abilities - even those whose idea of a perfectly cooked steak includes a layer of charcoal.
Upcoming classes include sausage making, butchery, as well as how to do your finished product justice with the flames, click here to check it out and book.
Victor Churchill
132 Queen StreetWoollahra NSW 2025
(02) 9328 0402
http://www.victorchurchill.com
Pub Grub
I realise I'm making massive sweeping generalisations about what dads like, but I reckon beer probably hits the nail on the head for most. For dads who don't cook, but like a good pub meal and a beer, The Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel will probably fit the bill nicely. Sydney’s oldest licensed hotel, The Lord Nelson can be found in The Rocks and is Australia's oldest pub brewery. Featuring cracking pub food, including dishes like braised milk fed South Australian suffolk lamb shoulder with smashed minted peas garlic mash, to herb-rubbed spatchcock with braised leeks and spinach, it's tasty, hearty food that makes for a great Sunday lunch. Leave time to check out the brewery and taste a few best selling ales, to boot.
The Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel
19 Kent St, The Rocks
9251 4044
www.lordnelsonbrewery.com
Talk and Taste
It may be a little while off yet, but if your dad fancies himself a bit of a whisky buff (or wants to be), the Crave Festival is a great place to start. During the month-long food festival, taste makers, McIntosh & Bowman are conducting a whisky and cheese tasting workshop. Yep. Whisky. And cheese. Together. Dad will be guided through an impressive list of single malts, ranging from 10 to 21 years, paired with 10 brilliant international and local artisan cheese. Hosted by Alexx Stuart, booze-guru, and Claudia Bowman, respected cheesemonger, you'll not only learn about what makes a great whisky and cheese paring, but the history and stories behind some of the world's best whisky houses.
When: October 13, 7-8.30pm
Cost: $99
Beverages included: An impressive and independent selection of single malts ranging from 10 to 21 years maturation
Click here to read more and to book.
More about other man-friendly booze and food workshops and experiences here.
DIY
And if all that's a bit too much, pick up a BBQ pack from Urbanfoodmarket in Marrickville, suppliers of meat to some of the best restaurants in Sydney. They're open to the public on Saturdays, so jump in!
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