Sydney really does host some amazing events.  I feel blessed to live in such an artistic and culturally diverse city.  Opera may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but let me take your mind away from whatever preconceptions you may have.  All operas are not created equally.

The opera of choice for this year’s Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour is Carmen.

Ariya Sawadivong (Fraquita), Milijana Nikolic (Carmen) & Tania Ferris (Mercedes) in HOSH – Carmen 2013. Photo by James Morgan

Carmen is a tragic love story set in Seville.  A naive solider, Don Jose falls in love with the fiery and beautiful gypsy Carmen.  Don Jose abandons his childhood sweetheart for the lusty Carmen who them dumps like a lead balloon for a glamorous toreador.  Love, lust, betrayal and death, accompany this with vibrant colours, catchy music, amazing voices, entertaining choreography and fireworks, who could ask for more?  Oh wait, there is more.  You get to watch this all from the historic Fleet Steps in the Sydney Royal Botanic Garden overlooking the Sydney Harbour Bridge and iconic Opera House. Read more →

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Hello, my name is Sara, and I am addict.

As of the time of writing it has been exactly 22 hours, 34 minutes and 12.. 13.. 14.. seconds since my last ‘hit’.

I have just cleaned up the mess from satisfying yesterday’s craving.  Hiding the evidence from plain view is inevitably getting harder and harder to do.  In fact I have the urge to head out once again to satiate my cravings.  Most of my regular ‘dealers’ take Sunday’s off.  I could go and visit a more expensive supplier, one that satisfies the cravings of ladies who lunch or the Sunday bruncheon crowd, who don’t realise they can, or want to, source their needs less expensively.  Instead I am sitting confessing my sins to you dear reader.

I am not alone, there are others that are afflicted.  With desire I look upon their tweets, Instagram evidence and Facebook confessions.  I partly blame them for fuelling my addiction. Read more →

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Some of you may remember the Three Chefs & a Pig Dinners that happened late last year and January this year.  Three chefs, from three different restaurants, Restaurant Atelier, Bishop Sessa and Lochiel House, cooking up a pork degustation, they were simply delicious.  We attended the first two dinners but couldn’t attend the third at Lochiel House.

It was a week night and Lochiel House is just shy of a two hour drive from where we live.  Even though from our place it is a bit of a hike, that wasn’t going to deter me from visiting on a weekend.  A leisurely Sunday lunch was booked and we escaped to the country for a day.

Lochiel House is a gorgeous heritage cottage built in the 1820′s.  Located at Kurrajong Heights in the foothills of the Blue Mountains.  A pretty cottage garden out the front and a massive organic kitchen garden out the back, it would be the envy of any chef.  Cosy inside with fireplaces, but if it is a lovely sunny day, I suggest sitting out back in the courtyard.  Enjoy the garden, and the birds and butterflies it attracts. Read more →

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Happy St Patrick’s Day for tomorrow.  May your glass be ever full of Guinness, may your stew be hearty and may you have an endless supply of potato bread to go with your Ulster Fry.

Potato bread can take on a few forms, but the stuff I am talking about here is common in Northern Ireland.  It is also known as potato farls or fadge.  Very common in Ulster and is a key ingredient in an Ulster Fry.  Which here in Australia we would call a ‘big breakfast’.

As much as I love Paddy The Baker’s bread, I do giggle to myself when I see people buying potato bread at a premium price.  To be honest here, we have been known to  buy a slice or two when at Marrickville Markets to nibble as we shop.  Mac and Sally munch away as I dart between stalls to pick up our supplies. Read more →

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It’s quite funny when you think about it.  I married into an Irish family but I don’t think Mac and I have ever celebrated St Patricks’ Day the entire time we have been together.  It has been talked about, but the day seems to come and go and we don’t do anything for it.  Generally I don’t even realise it is St Patrick’s Day unless I am in town and see a group of inebriated people in green.  Actually next Sunday, 17th March, is St Patrick’s Day.  In fact, I already know that once again this year I won’t be celebrating St Paddy’s Day.  Instead I’m heading out to enjoy lunch with a group of very un-Irish friends. Read more →

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When Tara from VegeTARAian gave a shout-out for those interested to come along to a vegetarian degustation I put my hand up pretty promptly. I asked both Mac and Josh if they would like to come along.  Josh gave an instant excited ‘yes’ and I received an instant ‘not bloody likely’ from Mac.  Consequently two, not three places were booked to attend.

The Saturday of the degustation rolled around.  Josh looked like death warmed up on the lounge and was in the process of hacking up his second lung.   The first one was successfully hacked up earlier that morning.  He wasn’t going to be joining me that evening.

I needed to find a solution to this problem as I didn’t want to cancel a place at the 11th hour.  I knew this degustation was being specifically prepared for our group.  Phone a friend?  I could of, but I knew the ones I would of roped in already had plans.  My last hope, persuade Mac to come along.

We are no strangers to dining at Restaurant Atelier , we really do enjoy the food and service.  Even then, this was a hard sell.  After an initial ‘no’, to a ‘do I have to’.  I pulled out the ‘I am sure Darren (chef & owner of Restaurant Atelier) will slip you some meat’, I ended up finally with an, ‘okay, if I have to’.  Phew, mission accomplished. Read more →

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The Singapore Shiok Truck
Last week you may have spied The Singapore Shiok Truck around town?  Singapore Tourism has brought a glimpse of Singapore’s Hawker markets to Sydney.  The menu has been designed by Audra Morrice (MasterChef finalist), and includes dishes Ketang Laksa $6, Nonya Chicken Curry $6 Sambal Stingray $7 and Popiah $4.

But what is shiok?  Shiok is a Singlish  term used to convey extreme pleasure and happiness.

If you missed out on escaping to Singapore for a few minutes last week, the Singapore Shiok Truck is around until Tuesday next week.

Sunday 10th March:  Overseas Passenger Terminal 12-3pm & Hyde Park (Cnr Elizabeth & Park Sts) 6-9pm.
Monday 11th March:  Bangaroo 12-3pm & Queen’s Square (Hyde Park Barracks) 6-9pm.
Tuesday 12th March:  Victoria Park (car park) 12-3pm & Harmony Park, Surry Hills 6-9pm

The Singapore Shiok Truck is part of Singapore Tourism Board’s ‘Get Lost & Find the Real Singapore’ campaign, which challenges Australian to go beyond the Singapore they know to uncover the true breadth of exciting experiences the city offers.

If you have a chance, be sure to check out The Singapore Shiok Truck for great food at great prices which hopefully will have you  exclaiming ‘SHIOK”!

School of Shiok
I was invited last week to the School of Shiok, a pop-up event in Waterloo, to get my hands dirty and have a go at making some Singaporean cuisine for myself.  Ed Halmagyi ‘Fast Ed’ was given the task of leading those invited through cooking the dishes. Read more →

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Welcome to this month’s roundup of what is happening around town.

Givva Fork:  Do you Givva Fork?
This March, local charity Major Raiser will be giving Sydney diners the opportunity to become philanthropists with their forks through its 2013 GIVVA FORK campaign.
The GIVVA FORK promotion was created by Syndneysider Dominic Greenwood to raise money and awareness for the reputable World Food Programme, with this particular campaign focused on providing children in Laos with school meals. Every dollar raised for the WFP will provide four school meals to a child in need in Laos.
To spread the word, Major Raiser has partnered with some of Sydney’s most popular restaurants to offer diners a very simple and guilt free way of giving to this worthy cause. When dining at one of the Major Raiser restaurant partners during March, diners will be given the opportunity to;
Pay an optional ‘FORKAGE’ fee: Everyone knows of corkage – the fee you pay for the removal of a cork from your BYO alcohol. However ‘FORKAGE’ is an optional fee you can pay to help the charity – a small donation made when paying your bill at the end of your meal.
Purchase a ‘GIVVA FORK’ for $6: each fork purchased provides a child in Laos with school meals for a month.
The restaurant partners include: Orto Trading Co Surry Hills; Ampersand Surry Hills; Mad Pizza Surry Hills, Potts Point, Darlinghurst, Bondi Beach and Newtown; Olio St Leonards; Michelini Crows Nest; Not Bread Alone St Leonards; Ham Cronulla; The Dip at Goodgod and Edmonds and Greer Oatley.
For more information on Givva Fork

Meet Free Week:  Will take place from 18 – 24 March and has the support of some of Australia’s top chefs.  Bill Granger, Simon Bryant and Belinda Jeffery are among the chefs on board providing meat free recipes for Australians to enjoy during this flesh free week.
Simon is the ambassador for Meat Free Week and is very passionate about the campaign.  The aim is to raise awareness of the meat we eat and the processes that take place to get it on our plate.  We are the second largest consumer of meat (after the USA), whoffing down a staggering $120kg per capita each year.
For more information about Meat Free Week and to sign up to the challenge head to the Meat Free Week website. Read more →

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If you have been watching MasterChef Professionals, you may have seen the Italian challenge earlier this week.  There was a restaurant challenge and the challengers had to ensure one of their dishes included Barilla pasta.

The lovely people at Barilla decided to challenge me as well.  I received the recipes under embargo before the episode aired, and was challenged to choose one to cook, but add my own twist.

I couldn’t help myself and ended up playing around with both recipes, Orecchiette Vongole and Casarecce with Rabbit, Cavolo Nero, Almonds and olives.  I hate to blow my own horn, but I love my twists on both recipes.  My version of the rabbit rocked, and I will share it with you guys shortly, but today I share the Orecchiette recipe. Read more →

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