Hi there! Just a quick post to wish a Merry Christmas to those of you that may have missed my Twitter message wishing everyone merriment for the day of Christmas. Feel free to follow me on Twitter, if you haven’t already done so.

With the family members jetsetting around the globe (or at least out of Sydney), I’d spent my Christmas with the family of a close friend, who are effectively my family away from my family. Read more »

It’s not often that you have the opportunity to meet with a food blogger from another country. So it was with some excitement that I had the pleasure to meet Brad, the photographer/writer behind the award nominated food blog ladyironchef, one of the most popular food blogs in Singapore. With a name like ladyironchef, I was surprised to not see a woman sitting at the table when I arrived at the restaurant.

Considering it was his first time in Sydney, what better way to be introduced to the Sydney food scene than by having a marathon night out with prominent food bloggers from Grab Your Fork, chocolatesuze, A Table for Two, eatshow&tell, Citrus & Candy, & hungry.digital.elf. Read more »

Imagine, if you will, the following scenario.

It’s a wonderfully moderate Summer’s day with a nice, cool breeze. You make you way out to a park, perhaps to walk the dog. Before you, a large gathering of people (you estimate around fifty) are having what looks to be a picnic. Rugs laid out on the grass, as well as a generous spread various foods, both savory and sweet, which remains otherwise untouched. People sitting or standing around in small clusters socialising & seemingly enjoying each others company. The person whom you presume to be the host, gathers everyone’s attention in order to say a few words. A moment later, forty odd digital cameras, ranging from a basic camera phone, point & shoot compact cameras, through to pro level camera equipment worth thousands of dollars, suddenly appears from seemingly no where & proceeds to fire away. The focus of their photo frenzy is not aimed at the group as a whole. Not even an individual. The food is the epicenter of their attention, & continues to be that way for the next ten minutes or so.

I’d imagine it would be quite a surreal sight to bear for the person walking their dog in the park. Believe me, as one of the fifty odd attendees of the Sydney food blogger’s Christmas picnic in Hyde park, it was surreal even for me. Read more »

Hi all! Welcome to December’s Daring Cooks Challenge. This month’s challenge, hosted by the wonderful Simone from Junglefrog Cooking, is Salmon en Croute or some variation that essentially composes of meat (or vegetables for vegetarians/vegans) wrapped & baked in pastry. The suggested meat alternative to fish was Beef Wellington. However, me being me for those of you that have read a number of my challenge entries, I’m certainly not one to follow convention.

So, if that modestly nice looking pastry parcel is neither Salmon en Croute or Beef Wellington, then what exactly is contained within? The answer I shall provide below in the form of a joke.

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You take your place at a table with friends, situated on an elevated platform that overlooks lush vegetation & picturesque water views. A sea of green & blue, as far as the eye can see, slowly fades to black as the curtain of night is drawn slowly over a fabulous Spring day. A gentle breeze carries wonderful aromas of seafood, chorizo, saffron, paprika and other spices, drawing your attention to a professionally prepared pan of paella. The chef, and host for the evening, takes his place at the table and motions for the guests to begin eating.

You could easily mistake this for an alfresco dining experience at a chef’s table at some fabulously expensive restaurant overlooking water views. Oh no, it’s far better than that. This is just dinner at Lex’s place. Read more »