news Archive
Buffet to the max
Monday, March 25th, 2013
There’s a lot to be said about buffet dining; good and bad. Some love it while others can think of nothing worse. But if you’re travelling through the USA and Las Vegas is on the menu, then you you really have to go and see it for yourself! And while the 99c buffets may have [...]
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Big travels in Little China
Tuesday, July 31st, 2012
The Chinese are one of the most intrepid people on Earth. If there is a fortune to be made in a far off land, then you can be sure to find the Chinese eagerly working their way towards it. And in San Francisco this has been the case for the better part of the last [...]
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LA street scene
Wednesday, July 25th, 2012
When you’re in a new city, the quickest way to take its pulse is to find out where the locals love to eat. Generally, we ask around and follow recommendations and the crowd to see where’s hot. But sometimes this can be a bit hit and miss. Take my recent dinner outing with my beautiful [...]
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Chili chili chili
Friday, July 13th, 2012
Some of us love them, and others do not. But what cannot be denied is the twinkle in the eyes when one mentions the word “Spicy” to a chili-lover. As you are all undoubtedly aware, chilies are one of the cornerstones in Mexican cooking. But what you may not know about is the variety of [...]
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Market life
Sunday, July 1st, 2012
A great person told me once “you never get to know a city unless you smell it”. And these words are never truer than when you are travelling and you get out of your comfort zone. For some people the idea of crowded, bustling markets filled with rare and strange foods and smells that are [...]
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Far horizon
Tuesday, June 19th, 2012
A booked airline ticket months out from a date can never prepare you for what is about to come. You work so hard to save the money to get there that it can be overwhelming. Detailed itineraries, especially when travelling with kids, can feel like you’re planning out the spontaneity and the costs of tours, [...]
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Ortiga: Brisbane’s Iberian star
Tuesday, May 1st, 2012
I’m going to keep on the Spanish theme for a bit and share with you my dining experience at Ortiga in Brisbane’s Valley district. The growing list of accolades achieved by this restaurant played a big part in my insistence that my beautiful wife invite her biggest Sydney client up for dinner here. And the [...]
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La bodega
Wednesday, April 25th, 2012
The wonderful thing about food is that it can trigger your fondest memories and transport you back in time. All of our senses engage with food. And for me, the sensation is heightened when I travel. Spain is one of those destinations that leaves me craving for more, filled with amazing food, drink and culture. [...]
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New light on old Masters
Monday, March 19th, 2012
You might think that food styling is new and people like me are “so hot right now” (like Zoolander). But the reality is that we have been styling food for centuries. Since the Renaissance, artists have been using food and still-life scenes to turn a profit and pass comment on the issues of the day. [...]
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It’s a big food country
Friday, February 24th, 2012
What a start to the year it has been! Late Feb and I haven’t spoken to you guys since New Year. Tutt Tutt. As many of you may have seen on Facebook and Twitter, work has been full-on and there’s been plenty of kilometres clocked in road trips. But the best thing about road trips [...]
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“Thank you” to the people who make magic happen
Monday, December 26th, 2011
I must say that it has been a wonderful year for me. I am privileged to live in a beautiful corner of an extraordinary country. I have the bounty that nature provides available to me. I am able to express my creativity in my work and in my home. And I have a beautiful family [...]
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Let’s talk turkey: gobble gobble
Wednesday, December 21st, 2011
Looks great doesn’t it? And it’s always a head turner when you come to the lavishly adorned table with a bird as big as a small car, on a plate you can barely hold, with jus dribbling down your front. You can see where I’m going with this? Yes, I know that TURKEY = TRADITION [...]
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Salumi: not a bunch of boloney
Thursday, December 15th, 2011
In an age when the ham you buy usually contains more water than cured pork, it’s refreshing to see the simple things done right by people who love what they do. One such company is Salumi Australia based in the Northern Rivers region of NSW. In a short period of time, this boutique smallgoods manufacturer [...]
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Pig out: Bangalow sweet pork
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011
Over the years, pork has had a bit of a rough trot… Revelations into the practices of modern, industrialised piggeries paint an horrific image of breeding sows forced into confinement. Unable to move, they undergo an incessant cycle of artificial insemination, gestation, delivery and weening, never setting foot outside the stall that holds them upright, [...]
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Songs of Sapa
Wednesday, November 9th, 2011
Recently, I had the pleasure of dining with my most important VIP at Red Lantern in Sydney. This popular restaurant is no overnight success. It was literally built on the back of the Nguyen family who migrated to Australia following the Vietnam War. The original Nguyen restaurant Pho Cay Du opened in Cabramatta in the [...]
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Preserving traditions
Tuesday, November 1st, 2011
My grandparents, Jaime and Regina Merino pictured in the foreground, emigrated to Australia from Chile in 1977. They were great teachers. Lessons were learned through example and kindness. My parents worked hard, so I spent every afternoon from kindergarten to third grade with them in their small print workshop in Rushcutters Bay. I learned how [...]
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Little love goes a long way
Tuesday, October 25th, 2011
As we draw to the end of the Queensland strawberry season, let’s take five to think what this little heart-shaped berry is capable of. The Australian strawberry industry consists of over 600 growers around the country producing around 50,000 tonnes of fruit each year, ranking it in the top 20 worldwide. About a third of [...]
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Rockpool bar & grill
Friday, October 7th, 2011
Let me start by saying that this is NOT a review, but merely sharing my experience. On a recent Sydney visit for a food trade show, I invited a Sydney VIP (my Mum) to dine at one of the city’s leading restaurants run by one of Australia’s leading chefs. Niel Perry’s Rockpool Bar & Grill [...]
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The milky way
Friday, August 26th, 2011
You know that you have succeeded as a father when your youngest son says “For my birthday this year, can I milk a cow?” So how could I refuse a request like that? Luckily for us we live near a working dairy farm…Maleny Dairies located high in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast. For four [...]
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Slow motion pictures
Friday, July 8th, 2011
Recently I was lucky enough to enjoy two pleasures at once… dinner and a show. But this one came with a twist. Every year the local branch of Slow Food holds its Film with Food night as part of the Noosa Long Weekend. This year’s showcase was Julie and Julia… so here I am blogging [...]
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