What sort of restaurant comes to mind when you see the above image? With a wood grained paneled interior such as this, the first thing that comes to mind for me is a steakhouse, with all the meaty, smokey goodness that lies within. In this case, it’s the Outback Steakhouse.

It’s the sort of place where manly men hang out with other manly men, or as the manly head of their family, to eat manly meals that are of man-sized portions.

So it’s kind of odd to admit that two men walked into this establishment to share a single entree, a single main and, for a moment, contemplated sharing a dessert. One of those men may have been me. Read more »

Dim lights of orange and yellow cast rays of warmth, drawing forth a sense of comfort on an otherwise frigid winter’s evening. Lights, that barely give form to sophisticated cocktails and diners a like, provide an intimate mood of romance, elegance & class.

A party of five gathers around a small table, some of whom are old friends. The transformation from stranger to acquaintance takes place as introductions are made and pleasantries exchanged over martinis and aperitifs. A moment passes. Before long, an escort directs us to a booth. Positions are taken around a square table. A listless anticipation builds, as we await the first course of the tasting menu at Tokonoma. Read more »

Malaysia, day two. The food tour group’s first day on the road leads us to a bubbling cauldron of meat, bones and end trails, with a little toil and trouble; a flash flood and a growing dislike for a deity; seafood with a lyrical name; and taking a fresh approach when facing an arch nemesis on its home turf. Read more »

When dining out with friends, do you find that you often order dishes to share amongst the group, or order individual dishes for each person to enjoy on their own? When faced with a plate of these fantastic lamb cutlets from Sahara, I wouldn’t blame you if you’d wanted these all to yourself.

For me, despite how fantastic these may be, sharing is by far and away the preferred option. Perhaps that’s due to my Asian heritage, where the concept of communal eating is as integral to life as breathing. However, when five succulent & smokey lamb cutlets are to be shared amongst six food bloggers (none of whom are vegetarian), you find yourself caught in what I refer to as the “yum cha dilemma”.

At yum cha, you’re often faced with the situation where there are an insufficient or uneven number of dumplings or portions to be shared equally. The question is, do you order more? Cut up & divide the portions evenly? Choose to fore go your portion in an act of self sacrifice? Or does it come down to a wild-west-like showdown of the quick and the dead unfed? Read more »

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 »