When I tell visitors from abroad to put the Sydney Fish Markets on their itinerary, if not on their menu, they often regard me with suspicion as if I have suggested they wear eau de fish to an upmarket dining establishment. But once I explain that it is the first stop on our regular Foodie [...]

When it comes to breakfast, it never fails to amuse how one culture interprets another’s dietary requirements. For example, some of the larger hotels cater for most tastes by supplying an assortment of breakfast options for their guests. We no longer bat a sleepy eyelid at the morning smorgasbord where smoked eel sit alongside hash [...]

The Spanish word for ham may be jamón but in our foodie circle, it has become an adjective that denotes a superior type of ham and describes the delicacies of Jamón Ibérico. Even among the ranks of Jamón Ibérico a hierarchy exists. Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, which comes from acorn-fed iberian pigs ranks at the [...]

When my nephew announced to me on the day I was minding him that he has found his vocation in life, I expected it to be a ten year old’s pipe dream. But when he proudly stated that his calling was to be a pastry chef, and the name Adriano Zumbo was spoken in the [...]

With the winter cold and flu season upon us and a symphony of coughs and sneezes in our midst, nothing soothes a chocophile’s sore throat better than Valrhona Celaya hot chocolate. With its thick and unctuous consistency, it glides down smoothly, alleviating discomfort, releasing endorphins along the way. Lovingly warmed over gentle heat, or in [...]

The first time I came face to face with a naked truffle, I stood in awe admiring a beautiful mass of ugliness and inhaling a pungent aroma like I was trying on a new perfume. The black tuber was mine and I was about to embark on a home culinary journey like no other. About [...]

You alight the métro at Cité station your way to visit Notre-Dame de Paris. You stand on the small island of Ile de la Cité, mesmerised by the grandeur of the cathedral and the neighbouring Sainte-Chapelle. Your eyes are ablaze with picturesque sights you’ve seen in postcard so you capture a few memories of your [...]