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 @

Bel Mondo, The Rocks, Sydney

Not Quite Nigella — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:00:02 +0000

Memory is a funny thing. There was a restaurant that I visited about a decade ago called Bel Mondo. It was owned by Stefano Manfredi, one of the biggest chefs in Sydney and we had a wonderful meal there. It was hidden in a little lane way up a flight of steps out of the [...]

Duck Egg Sponge Cake & Beating My Nemesis

Not Quite Nigella — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 18:00:41 +0000

“What do you call that, darl?” “Sponge caaake”* Sponge cake. Fiercely battled among cooks, temperamental and laden with many superstitions, the sponge is one of those cakes that had completely eluded me. This was not for lack of trying. I’ve tried to make a sponge four times exactly and even one was a variation on failure. They [...]

Win 1 of 4 Copies of The Fat Duck Cookbook by Heston Blumenthal

Not Quite Nigella — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 18:00:55 +0000

Before I received a copy of The Fat Duck cookbook by Heston Blumenthal, I (somewhat foolishly) envisaged doing the usual treatment, a review accompanied by a recipe. A little part of me, a devil on my shoulder did whisper “What do you have to do with molecular gastronomy exactly? You barely know your way around [...]

Poached Eggs 101: How To Poach Eggs Perfectly Every Time

Not Quite Nigella — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:00:52 +0000

There are some things that I never really thought to include on my site. Poaching eggs was one of those things that I presumed everyone knew how to do although it was something that I hadn’t done very much until recently. All of this anticlockwise or clockwise water swirling action put me off and the [...]

Berkelouw Wine Bar, Leichhardt

Not Quite Nigella — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:00:32 +0000

Christmas got in the way of a few things. A visit to the Berkelouw Wine Bar was one of them. It’s a wine bar with a twist though. Every season they source wines from a different area throughout Australia to promote them and to bring them to the attention of wine loving Sydney siders. This [...]

(Mr) Toad In The Hole

Not Quite Nigella — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:00:57 +0000

When I was a child, there were a few foods that I wanted to try just for the novelty of the name. They were invariably English because the English love an eccentric name (Spotted Dick anyone? ). One of them was Toad In The Hole which of course my mother never made as [...]

All About Airline Food: Behind The Scenes at Emirates airline

Not Quite Nigella — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:00:16 +0000

Plated Prawn entrees Lobster tail dish Once upon a time there was a girl (ok it was me), that attended an event called Taste of Sydney. It was an event sponsored by Emirates airline and this girl was obsessed with airline food. She had often wondered if there were little elves that put the little portions of [...]

Summer Berry Pudding

Not Quite Nigella — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:00:29 +0000

Even though my husband considers me overly effusive and loquacious, there are some times when I like to speak through cooking. I made this pudding as a way to say “I love you” to my husband who adores berries and fruit in every form. I should share an amusing tidbit with you Dear Reader. We [...]

Whisk & Pin Cafe & Shop, Medlow Bath, The Blue Mountains

Not Quite Nigella — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 18:00:06 +0000

On our way to Jenolan Caves, a place I hadn’t visited in over 20 years, we stopped by the Whisk & Pin cafe and shop for a little sustenance on our drive. OK technically we didn’t need to as we could have eaten breakfast before we left but I will take any opportunity to stop [...]

Slothful Sundays: Coconut Lace Pancakes with White Nectarine, Nashi Pear & Ginger Salad

Not Quite Nigella — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:00:04 +0000

I received the Masterchef cookbook quite a while back and had yet to crack it open. The recipe that I had been anticipating sadly wasn’t there (Poh’s deep fried meringues) but I did see some dishes that I really wanted to cook. I wanted to make these lace pancakes as I adore pancakes in every [...]