JENIUS

Royal Tea Stand at Sheraton On The Park

2013-06-14T06:14:54Z

High tea or more correctly, afternoon tea is one of my most favourite leisurely activities. During the month of June, Sheraton On The Park will be serving a special royal edition to celebrate Queen's Birthday! You don't have to be obsessed with the British royal family to get excited about this royal high tea experience. Set in the lobby of one of Sydney's best five star hotels, the Royal Tea Stand is inspired by Her Majesty's favourite treats. Embracing her love of simple and classic, delights such as jam ring cookies and baked ham and English mustard sandwiches grace the

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4Fourteen, Surry Hills - plus your chance to win the ultimate date valued at $1000

2013-05-08T13:42:40Z

Most foodies have a pair of "eating pants" or an "eating dress". These pieces of clothing are tremendously forgiving around the waistline and are perfect for excessively indulgent periods of eating. Admittedly, a decent ratio of my wardrobe consists of these eating pants and eating dresses. I'm rarely found in a bandage dress and I don't own a single piece of shapewear underwear or Spanx! I value comfort too much and I like to be ready to eat 24/7. You never know when a feast is to be had!However, Berlei recently introduced a new Dig Free product to their hosiery

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Chanoma Cafe

2013-05-07T09:15:45Z

Sydney's cheap eat scene recently welcomed the addition of Chanoma Cafe to Regent Place (where Azuma Patisserie used to be). Matcha green tea is the focus of the menu here - there's green tea soft serve ice-cream, green tea lattes, green tea frappes, green tea espressos and a range of quirky parfaits that are very photogenic on Instagram ;) Matcha drinks range from $4.90 to $6.90. The iced yuzu green tea ($5.50) is straight iced green tea with yuzu juice, a Japanese citrus I absolutely adore. Ask for your sugar syrup on the side so you can control the sweetness.

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Mother's Day present ideas for food loving mums!

2013-05-03T00:30:58Z

Magazine subscriptions (from $25 on Magshop) The gift that keeps on giving, magazine subscriptions are a thoughtful way of extending the Mother's Day present to all year round. Depending on your choice of magazine, your Mum could be receiving her gift every month for a year! Select subscriptions purchased before 28th May 2013, will also grant an automatic entry into a competition to win one of four trips to a health retreat, so there's a little something for yourself too ;) Custom chopping board (from $35.66, Etsy) Personalize an everyday item with a beautiful message. There are so many handmade

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Eat Now's online ordering and Il Grappolo, Rozelle

2013-04-30T02:04:10Z

I'm an online shopping addict but ordering dinner online isn't something I do very often. My first thoughts of takeaway food are 'cheap and greasy'. A meme that has been doing the rounds lately is "You are what you eat - so don't be fast, cheap, easy or fake!" which I think says it all. So when I was invited to trial Eat Now's online ordering system, I was both surprised and delighted that fabulous local restaurants such as Il Grappolo were featured! Who knew takeaway food would become so decadent? I just needed to enter my postcode in the search

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Fish Place, Surry Hills

2013-04-28T11:22:35Z

Fish is rarely something I get excited about. Seafood, yes, but fish specifically, not so much.That was until Fish Place opened up, just one block away from my office! It has since become my new go-to place for lunches or after-work dinner with friends. The front facade features a mural of large sardine tins. It is bold and quirky, and rather hard to miss. The menu on the other hand, is kept simple - fish of the day is available grilled or beer-battered, there's a hearty fish pie, or hot smoked salmon or ocean trout fillets which in my opinion, are

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Sweet Street Bakery, Parramatta (formerly Short Sweet Bakery)

2013-04-12T08:28:10Z

The latest excitement in the land of Parramatta is Sweet Street Bakery. Part of the local council's initiative to revamp the area and turn it into more of a foodie destination, the pop-up of Sweet Street brings the shabby chic look from the likes of Surry Hills to an unlikely location beside a strip of discount shops on Church Street.Incentives such as subsidised rent means world class chefs such as Leanne Beck (of Sweet Infinity fame) are lured to set up exciting new ventures here that otherwise would've stayed in the Eastern Suburbs or the city CBD. While many restaurants

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Meatless Monday: Bodhi in the Park

2013-04-08T08:52:51Z

As the Miss Eat-out-a-lot in my family and circle of friends, decisions on where we dine at are usually up to me. You'd think that I'd know my family best, but for some bizarre reason, I thought a family dinner at Bodhi in the Park would be a fun idea! We're a family with larger than life appetites (search up #lamfamilyeats on Instagram), and everybody but me are massive meat eaters. Oh wait, my brother was forced to go onto a temporary vegetarian diet for health reasons recently. That's right... So I thought the entire family should also see how tasty

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Croquembouche and macarons by Looma's

2013-04-07T07:11:50Z

Meeting other business owners has become a bit of a drug to me. Their drive is so contagious, I'm usually left buzzing with new ideas and goals. It is the feeling of invigoration and inspiration that I'm addicted to. I love a good start-up story, especially if they're based in Sydney and are in the food industry. So I'm sharing this one with you. Meet brothers Ibrahim and Michael Khatib of Looma's. Ibrahim is a qualified chef turned pastry chef, with around 10 years experience. He spent 5 years at Altitude Shangri-la where he did fine dining, then worked at

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Chinese Noodle Bar, Haymarket

2013-04-03T06:53:23Z

Chinese Noodle Bar may have changed names and gone through a succession of new management in the last few years but it's current offering has lured me back on a weekly basis since my first visit earlier this year. Addicted much? I love their cumin & chilli pepper lamb kebab skewers, priced at a very affordable 5 for $10. The waitress asks "spicy OK?". We nod and say yes to everything.The meat is sometimes a little fatty but juicy and well rendered. The charred bits are the best. The metal swords are burning hot but they're worth tackling as these

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Bodega, Surry Hills

2013-03-27T06:39:26Z

There was once when my idea of a good night out was skipping dinner (I know, hard to believe nowadays!) and heading out to a club to dance away the night. These days, I prefer sharing good food and unwinding over long conversations. An excellent place for that, is at Bodega. Bodega is a strictly no bookings restaurant for groups of 4 or less which works in my favour. I'm there by 5:50pm, waiting for the doors to open at 6pm! I'm the first from our 'Female Entrepreneurs That Eats' trio to arrive, and one of the first in the

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Meatless Monday: Loving Hut, Cabramatta

2013-03-25T09:17:06Z

Vegan/vegetarian Asian restaurants are an interesting breed. For some reason, they're mostly obsessed with replicating the texture and appearance of original meat dishes. Despite the concept of mock meats being utterly confusing, I actually love the taste of it all! Due to the large Buddhist population, Cabramatta is home to some of the best vegetarian and vegan Vietnamese restaurants in Sydney. Loving Hut is one of my faves. Loving Hut is actually part of the world's fastest growing vegan restaurant franchise, and dining here requires you to look past the religious propaganda broadcasted throughout the restaurant. It's all a bit

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Meat Free Week and Arras Too's Zucchini, Olive and Bocconcini Muffins

2013-03-15T06:22:49Z

They say you should never trust a skinny cook/critic... But those that follow me on Twitter/Instagram/RunKeeper will know that I've been on a mission to get fit since late last year. It's less about being slim and more about feeling healthy. In addition to my regular exercise regime, I've been eating a lot leaner (and mainly meat-free) Monday to Fridays. I don't go out of my way to be meat-free but I'll get the vegetarian option where possible. I've been educating myself more about consuming ethical meats as well. Books such as The Urban Cook have been a great resource.

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Sea Princess cruise to New Zealand

2013-03-06T03:53:58Z

I feel like I've become a cruising expert. You can read about my first cruise and my second cruise experience via the respective links. As this was my third, I was well and truly prepared for everything - the potential rough seas, the dressy formal nights, every meal being an all-you-can-eat session, and being forced to go offline. I decided to cruise again during the recent Christmas break because I'd so busy that I just wanted a holiday to relax, and I didn't quite care where in the world I was, as long as it wasn't at home or at

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Australia Day at Black Star Pastry and my pop-up radio gig on ABC Radio for Lunar New Year 2013

2013-02-26T04:51:21Z

Not many public holidays make sense to me. For example, why do we celebrate the Queen's Birthday on a date that's so far from her real birthday? But with that aside, I do love our Australia Day. As a child of parents who were refugees from Vietnam, I get a bit sentimental this time of year. I'm so grateful for the opportunities available around me. Without my parents' journey on overcrowded boats into the unknown, without the refugee settlement programs, I wouldn't be living the dream today. I absolutely love the richness of our multiculturalism and how we have access

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