the heart of food is now a little over a year old, having first started on February of 2009. The birth of this blog is in some part thanks to Helen, from the prolific Sydney food blog Grab Your Fork. She was the one that inspired me to start this whole blogging thing, as she has with a number of other Sydney food bloggers.

Over this past year, there have been quite a number of amazing food experiences. One of the things that stands out in my mind are the birthday celebrations of various food bloggers.

Please join me for a review of the food experiences regarding birthdays and birthday-related posts over the past year, including some new material and images. Read more »

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 »

A rainbow of happiness as one food blogger described it, the selection of macarons available on Macaron Day (the celebration of macarons for Adriano Zumbo’s birthday) was astounding! As the opening quote indicates, a veritable spectrum of bright colours and wonderful & unique flavours ranging from the rather pedestrian green tea to the more exotic flavours of cheeseburger. Well, at least by my standards.

Eighteen flavours of macarons were purchased in the morning, while later that day, three food bloggers gathered to sample & discuss the various macaron flavours. Read more »

Adriano Zumbo. A name that is associated with great, unique and occasionally odd collection of cakes, desserts and, of course, macarons. A master craftsman of his trade; I would doubt that you would find a better macaron, or one that is more unique, in or around the Sydney area.

So, when such an artisan looks to celebrate his birthday (Friday, 6th November), what can one expect? Read more »

Had enough of Zumbo yet? If not, here’s a little more.

Escape from a Colombian Rainforest, referred to at the store by one of the counter staff as “Escape from a Colombian Car Park”. I’m sure you’ve seen the cake a number of times. I even passed up the opportunity to try this out during the launch of the Winter collection, where it was first revealed.

The cake has come along way since that time, huh?

I’d finally gotten around to buying one when I went around that way to pick up the chocolate mousse cake as seen on my previous post. Oh, and Masterchef Australia as well. Read more »