Not Quite NigellaThe cooking, eating and travel blog of a hungry blogger from Sydney, Australia featuring original recipes, interviews and articles on all things food @

Saks Espresso & Wine, Surry Hills

Not Quite Nigella — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:00:02 +0000

Friends in high places, they mean a lot of course but friends in the right places means a lot too. My friend M was just the person that I needed to speak to about a very important topic and she suggested that we meet up at Saks Espresso & Wine in Surry Hills as she [...]

Baroque Bistro & Patisserie, The Rocks

Not Quite Nigella — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:00:37 +0000

It’s coming up to crazy season, that’s right, Christmas is almost upon us! December is a hectic time and Christmas meet ups with friends seem to happen in November as December fills up months in advance. When Kath asked our group whether we’d like to go to Baroque Bistro, the brand spanking, new and shiny [...]

Belgium Biscuits & Fairy Godmothers & A Kitchenaid Domestic Goddess Giveaway!

Not Quite Nigella — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:00:20 +0000

Queen Viv has been my friend for years, almost 2 decades to be precise. She has always been my fairy godmother. She watches over me and along with my darling Mr NQN was the first person to encourage me to start this blog two years ago. Ever since she has been one of my most [...]

Quay Restaurant, Overseas Passenger Terminal

Not Quite Nigella — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:00:19 +0000

“Excitement! Dinner at Quay All dressed up. Mr NQN in sneakers and sailing shirt love it lol” I tweeted one Saturday night. As a way to celebrate moving into our new place Mr NQN and I thought we’d do it with a dinner out at Quay. It had been years and I mean [...]

Watermelon Cake and Julie & Julia

Not Quite Nigella — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:00:24 +0000

Last Wednesday was crazy. It was a day on which I’d scheduled myself three things to bake. I only had myself to blame really but the problem, and it wasn’t a problem at all you understand only so far as my insane scheduling practices was concerned – was that I was going out to dinner [...]

The Pond, Pop-up Restaurant, Darlinghurst

Not Quite Nigella — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:00:50 +0000

Many moons ago, there was a heritage listed sandstone building in Sydney’s Darlinghurst. It used to be an Italian restaurant but then lay unused for years. It then became The Pond, a pop up restaurant serving local produce and with a constantly changing menu. And like Cinderella at midnight, on January 31st 2010, the sponsorship [...]

To Market To Market, November 2009

Not Quite Nigella — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:00:14 +0000

Please forgive me, I know I missed October’s 2M2M story but Your Honour, I barely had time to breathe. I take this chance now to apologise too to my friends for cancelled dates and super short emails. I think SIFF took it out of me and Halloween finished me off and come November 1st I [...]

Martin Place Bar Bistro, Sydney CBD

Not Quite Nigella — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:00:29 +0000

A glass of fragrant lavender and rosemary marks the spot at our table at Martin Place Bar, the recent winner of the Bistro of the Year at the I love Food Awards. Even on this Wednesday afternoon it’s crowded with people eating and taking advantage of the “Lunch Within the Hour” where diners can book [...]

Hong Kong Style BBQ Pork Buns – Char Siu Bao

Not Quite Nigella — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:00:29 +0000

Once upon a time, my mother made some BBQ Pork buns. She told me that they turned out perfectly and she saved the recipe so she could make them again. However, like most mums, she became too busy to make these from scratch and would take advantage of the BBQ Pork Buns available in the [...]

The Victoria Room for High Tea, Darlinghurst

Not Quite Nigella — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:00:26 +0000

Karma is a funny thing. I firmly believe in karma, good deeds garner good and bad deeds garner bad and I for one am constantly shocked when I meet nasty people and I often worry about their karma. Thankfully those people are few and far between and I make sure I concentrate on the many [...]