Imagine spending an afternoon on the water, just past the heads of Sydney Harbour in a small charter vessel courtesy of Deep Sea Charters.

A beautiful, clear Summer’s day. The wide blue yonder stretches out before you as far as the eye can see. Moderate temperates with a cool sea breeze, carrying the fresh scent of the sea. The pleasant company of friends. Lines over the side of the boat waiting for a sizable catch to take back home for dinner. The gentle rocking of the boat. The more vigorous rocking of the boat. Fending off waves of nausea brought on by sea sickness. Succumbing to the nausea of sea sickness. The cramped toilet cubicle with a toilet so small that you have to make the difficult choice between going No.1 or No.2, as the seat was only big enough to accommodate the motion one or the other and not both.

Believe it or not, it was a great day in hindsight. Read more »

Some succulent looking roast pork, huh? It’s been a while since I’ve had roasted pork this good! However, this dish was but a small portion of the food that was available at a post-Christmas gathering of food bloggers that was organised by Richard from Here Comes The Food.

Though, don’t be fooled into thinking that this was just some casual gathering of a few people.

No, no, no…

With up to 21 attendees in total, which includes a few +1’s i.e. partners, this turned out to be something of a special occasion. An occasion where the food ranged from the good, the crazy, and the crazy good. 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 »

Ok, I’ll level with you. The little birds nest creation above looks nothing like what this month’s Daring Bakers challenge is meant to look like. This creation was born out of the need to improvise; part inspiration and desperation alike.

This is in fact meant to be a reasonably well known Italian pastry. Can you guess what this month’s challenge is meant to be? Read more »

I heart pizza. In my eyes, even when it’s bad, it’s still alright. I mean, how can you go wrong when crusty bread and warm melted cheese serve as the foundation on which most pizzas, great and small, are built apon.

Though pizzas are quite readily available at many a restaurant, over the phone, the Internet and heck, even in a shopping mall food court or the freezer section of any supermarket if you’re desperate enough, there’s a certain sense of satisfaction to be had when attempting to make pizza at home, especially for the first time. Read more »