Ha Noi Quan, Marrickville

I had never been to Ha Noi Quan before tonight. Being a huge fan of both Old Thanh Huong and Pho Bac Hai Duong on Illawarra Rd, I usually end up at the former for salt and pepper/chilli and lemongrass cravings, and the latter for pho and banh xeo cravings. However tonight I was invited to try Ha Noi Quan with my two lovely friends Ms Y and Mr K and I was very excited!

Tetsuya’s, Sydney

For my 30th birthday, my lovely lovely man Mr Black took me to Tetsuya’s. After 5 years of waiting and wishing and imagining, I am happy to say it lived up to all my expectations! (The foodie hipsters who ‘don’t like it’ on Urbanspoon are just picking tall poppies and should get over themselves.) In my opinion, there are no words which can do justice to the experience, the gastronomic adventure that is Tetsuya’s. So instead I’ve posted below photos which I took of most of the dishes – the large photos are of the absolute star dishes, though every dish was sublime! Sorry about the poor quality

My family’s traditional plum chicken skewers

Years ago my brother learnt a great recipe for chicken skewers which is really simple and loved by everyone – even kids and fussy eaters. 

Christmas!

Without wishing to sound like a humbug, the only part of Christmas I really enjoy is the food. This year, we hosted Christmas lunch for five adults and one child, which was a nice number to cater for – not out of control like in previous years!

We feasted on chilli and garlic barbecued prawns, baked moroccan meatballs with olives and preserved lemon, my family’s traditional chicken skewers, super-crispy garlic and rosemary potatoes, chickpea masala (recipe courtesy of a fellow teacher and wonderful cook), barbecued corn-on-the-cob, green salad – PLUS our awesome guests brought homemade bread, moroccan lamb ribs, and coleslaw.

Dumpling King, Newtown

When this place first opened a couple of years ago, Mr Black and I were sooo excited. We were also anxious that it might not survive, being one of Newtown’s gazillion restaurants on King Street. Happily, Dumpling King is still there and (deservedly) busy!

Homemade za’atar spice mix

Jars of za’atar

I make this in bulk and give little jars of it as Christmas gifts. It’s simple, cheap (you can by all the herbs and spices in bulk – I buy mine in Lakemba) and delicious! Basically you mix up the following in a mortar and pestle and give it a bit of a smash (not too fine or it’ll become powder – you want it coarse).

Wagaya, Haymarket

For a Christmas dinner with some special ladies, I decided we should try Wagaya – I’d heard good things about the food, the location was central, and the idea of ordering on touch screens really appealed to my inner nerd. (You can also check your bill summary as you go, a great way to keep an eye on the cost.)

Sago gula melaka

Oh heavenly joy of joys, I do believe this is the world’s most perfect dessert (at least for the lactose-intolerant like me).

The best Malaysian beef rendang recipe

I love a good rendang! Here is Mr Black’s favourite version… mine

LaZat Cooking School, Kuala Lumpur

My week in Kuala Lumpur was a full-on, fantasy food fest – and a huge highlight was my time learning to cook Malaysian dishes at LaZat. Each day at LaZat was such a treat, cooking with wonderful people, in a wonderful location, with wonderful food!