The sounds of abras gliding over the winding waterways turn into music. Over the tent-filled terrace, the full moon casts a silvery light while the majestic Burj Al Arab hotel rising from the Arabian Gulf puts on a spectacle of colour and light. This is not a mirage. Shoo Fee Ma Fee is a Moroccan [...]

The last time I ate at Pizzeria Italiana*, I stared at the crumbling walls, the plastic moulded chairs, the easy to wipe tables and thanked the pizza gods that this local haunt has remained the same over time. For over ten years, many Friday nights were spent in its surrounds,  crammed around tables, eagerly waiting [...]

During our trip to Sicily, a last minute change of plans had us spending 24 hours in Palermo. There was little time to look for accommodation and we needed a hotel that was relatively inexpensive but comfortable. Since we were arriving by bus from Mazara del Vallo and there was a stop near Teatro Politeama, [...]

Taste Orange Bondi is a week long celebration of the food, wine and produce from the NSW town of Orange. Running from 23 to 29 August, the event is now in its fourth year and draws an eager crowd looking to sample some of the best the town has on offer. Culminating in the popular [...]

This is the kind of wine label that grabs your attention. The one that stops you in your tracks as you innocently peruse a bottle shop for your favourite drop. Nude and erotic imagery. Entwined bodies in light and dark shades wrapped around a wine bottle. Naturally, you do a double take. From Moorilla, one [...]

Tchak Tchak Tchak That’s the sound of the coppersmiths at work as you approach Khan Al Nahasin, the copper market in Aleppo. Tchak Tchak Tchak. Your footsteps on the cobblestones echo their rhythm. The Aleppian khan or souk dates back to the 16th century when it was the epicentre of copper trade in the Syrian [...]

When it comes to quality produce, there are two adjectives that weave their magic and elevate simple food to a higher level: seasonal and regional. Two simple concepts that are becoming rare in some parts of the world where we willingly exchange flavour for year round availability. But not in Italy. In the Sicilian town [...]