Sydney is currently full of dining bargains to be had.  Unless you are dining out during prime time Saturday night, there are deals a plenty at some of the most popular restaurants around town.

These past twelve months haven’t been fruitful for many Sydney restaurants.  We have seen some of the big names in the business collapse.  The Bilson group of restaurants went into voluntary receivership this time last year and the Becasse group a couple of months ago.  Also gone are Ad Lib, Berowra Waters Inn, Bird Cow Fish, Cotton Duck, Etch, Manly Pavilion, Montpellier Public House, Smiths of Bayswater, Rambutan and many others.

There is a bright side to this doom and gloom, and that is, customers are benefiting.  Restaurateurs are enticing us to eat with them like never before. Read more →

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I am not a dessert person, not at all.  If dining out, often when others are having dessert, I will opt for the cheese plate.  It will take something exceptional to head for something sweet, but there is one general exception.  Crème brulee, if I see it on the menu, then there is a high chance it will be chosen.  The magic of cracking through that thin toffee layer to get to a creamy custard wins me over every time.

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Markets, cooking classes, wine dinners, special events, it’s all happening in Sydney this weekend and next week.

Have you had a chance to check out La Dolce Vita Fine Foods’ cooking classes yet?  Still a relatively new happening at the newly expanded store, but this week the sausage guru himself, Pino Tomini Foresti will be holding a sausage making class.  Well worth getting on their email list for class updates and future dinners.

What Sydneysider doesn’t love a freebie?  To celebrate and bring awareness to National Healthy Bones week (19th – 20th August), why not grab a free shake!  For more details on how to keep your bones healthy and where to grab that free frothy beverage head to http://healthybones.com.au  Don’t worry if you are in another State, there are free shakes all over Australia.

Are kebabs and beer more your style?  Then check out the details for the boys night out at Efendy next Thursday evening, great value and you can count on great food as well. Read more →

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My first visit to the Sydney Cove Oyster Barwas in the late 80′s.  The 1908 federation building had just been redeveloped as a restaurant  in time for Australia’s bicentennial in 1988.  I fell in love with the history of the building which was originally constructed for Burns Philip & Co workers as part of the wharf facilities, this included a public lavatory.  Yes, when you eat at the SCOB, you are eating at a heritage loo.  Trust me I love telling everyone I take there this fact.

As soon as the SCOB opened, my dad would take overseas colleagues there for lunch on the weekends when showing them around Sydney.  I too took on this trait when showing my overseas colleagues around Sydney.  It is in a brilliant location on Sydney Harbour.

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Hi guys

Belly Rumbles is having a little makeover.  I hope that you aren’t inconvenienced in anyway, but if you are, it will be very temporary.  If anything weird and whacky happens that you want to tell me about, feel free to send me a tweet @bellyrumbles or email me sara@bellyrumbles.com.  Actually if anything really weird is happening, do tell me, please!!

BTW this photo was taken in Ginza, Tokyo, Japan.  No real lollypop people when it comes to roadwork (in this instance anyway), I think we could use a few hundred of these guys in Sydney!

Sara xxx

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There seems to be more happening in Sydney this weekend and next week than there was last week!  Is that possible?  I love my town!
First things first, I need to announce the winner of the Wolf Blass competition that has been running for the past few weeks, congratulations Rosemarie!  I will be in touch shortly to grab your details to get your gift basket off to you.
Have you grabbed your cup of coffee yet today?  If not, check out which cafe’s are participating in Cafe Smart and make your cuppa count.
This weekend sees the end of the Swiss Food Festival which has been on at the Swissotel.  If you haven’t had a chance to go, this weekend will be your last.  As we wave good bye  to the Swiss Food Festival we say hello to The Flavours of Philippines Food Festival at the Grace Hotel, 10th – 26th August.
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Actually it wasn’t only Mike Whitney and I doing the eating, it was a group affair.  I was asked to be part of a ‘rent a crowd’ for a special ‘I ate my way through Cabramatta’ tour which was being filmed for Sydney Weekender. 

I will admit I am no stranger to Cabramatta.  I was once, and my first visit years ago felt like I had been transported to Vietnam.  I have since broadened my knowledge of Vietnamese food and am lucky to have a good friend, the lovely Phuoc’n Delicious, who knows Cabramatta like the back of her hand. 

For those who aren’t as lucky as I am to have a friend to give you your own personal tour, this is where the ‘I Ate My Way Through Cabramatta’ tours are fantastic.   The tours are the brain child of Jennifer Lam, Jen is who invited me to join in the fun on this occasion. Read more →

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Executive Chef Carl Middleton has big plans for Sydney Hilton.  Even before his first day in the kitchen, a smoking oven was purchased and installed at his request.  Yet to come are the bee hives that will be the source of Sydney Hilton’s honey.

Carl comes to the Hilton from Lilianfels Spa & Resort’s award winning  Darley’s Restaurant, but it isn’t his first gig at the Hilton chain.  Previously this UK chef worked at the Langham Hilton and the London Hilton on Park Lane. Read more →

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The warm wooden interior of Churrasco is extremely inviting on this cold winter’s night down at Coogee Beach.  Upon entering  the first thing you notice are the rows of long swords holding various meats being rotated over hot BBQ coals.  It smells fantastic.  We are shown to one of the long wooden communal tables by a smiling staff member.

Churrasco is an all you can eat Brazilian BBQ where a selection of barbecued meats, vegetables, salads and antipasto items are served rodizio style at your table.  For $44/person you can eat as much as your heart desires.  It is wise to come on an empty stomach. Read more →

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