The Unbearable Lightness of Being Hungry (a Sydney food blog)

O Tama Carey (Berta) and Stories From The Cellar

2014-02-17T00:11:00.002+11:00

I've just finished a new podcast – here's a snack-sized blurb that'll hopefully stoke some curiosity (and, fingers crossed, a few downloads, too):

O Tama Carey grew up "eating nothing, refusing all food", so it may be surprising that she ended up as a chef. In fact, she jokes that she was "tricked" into this career. She's made a name for herself in Sydney, through working at Billy Kwong, running pop-up dinners with Billy Kwong co-conspirator Hamish Ingham (who now heads Bar H) and for the last three years, she's been adding a contemporary twist to Italian food at Berta in Surry Hills (her Sri Lankan background leads her to sneaking some curry leaves into the dishes, occasionally). O Tama's hands-on approach means that she's reared pigs for the restaurant (an incident that resulted in her first experience with shotguns) and she's had to deal with mega beestings and chasing queen bees in the post (yes, they do get sent in the mail!) in order to cultivate honey for Berta. She also talks about coverage of women's chefs, what she refuses to eat and her upcoming appearance at Stories from the Cellar on February 23 at Elizabeth Bay House, as presented by Wildwon Projects and Sydney Living Museums. O Tama name-checks her favourite places to eat in Sydney, too – in particular, she salutes the brilliance of Brent Savage (Monopole, Yellow, Bentley).

I had great fun talking to O Tama – she's insightful, witty and really personable – and I'm super appreciative of the fact that she literally sat in the gutter with me to conduct the interview (it was the only quiet spot we could find).

You can listen to the podcast on iTunes or download it via RSS or directly. And thanks to all the people who have previously left some nice words about the podcasts in the iTunes store, it really makes those 3am edits and uploading stints worth it.

Rootstock Sydney

2014-02-01T20:47:00.001+11:00

Whatever your battle plans are for next weekend, make sure they involve a visit to Rootstock Sydney, which is on at Carriageworks in Eveleigh. Since its debut last year, this artisanal food and wine fair has upsized and is now taking place over two days, with an impressive program of masterclasses, workshops and markets.

Each night, a knockout line-up of chefs will create dishes tailored to their favourite wines – this cast list includes Pasi Petanen (Cafe Paci), Mat Lindsay (Ester), James Parry & Daniel Puskas (Sixpenny), Mitch Orr (121BC), Clayton Wells (Momofuku Seiōbo), Mike Eggert and Jemma Whiteman (Pinbone) and more. The whole crew from Garagistes will be closing the restaurant in Tasmania and is heading to Sydney, just for this event.

Thirst is not going to be an issue, as there'll be an orange wine bar run by Banjo Harris Plane (Attica) and a sake equivalent by Matt Young (Black Market Sake, 10 William St), too.

On Sunday, there'll be a marketplace, which sees great eateries colluding with producers: Mary's teams up with Krinklewood Farm, Vini with Highland Gourmet Potatoes, Pasta Emilia with Kurrawong Organics, Biota Dining with Pecora Dairy and more. Hartsyard will create dishes from its kitchen garden – and, to opportunistically riff off this segueway – to really get the lowdown on Rootstock Sydney, it's worth taking a listen to my latest podcast, which features one of the festival's organisers, Mike Bennie.

You may have sipped from Mike's drinks list at Hartsyard (co-created with good guy, Ned Brooks of Moon Park) or you might have read his writing in Time Out Sydney, Gourmet Traveller Wine or Men's Style. As an award-winning wine writer, he's had some amazing adventures: he's conquered 600-metre cliff drops – just to visit a vineyard on top of a Swiss mountain (and yes, dangling from those scary ledges proved worth it) to enduring 10-star hangovers after testing up to 40 wines a day. In the podcast, he chats about the 8000-year-old wine-making traditions of Georgia and why orange wine is a big deal (both topics that tie into Rootstock Sydney), and we also take an irreverent look at whether you should get wine advice from rap music. Don't worry, you needn't be a wine buff to listen – because Mike is so accessible and witty, it's a fun and insightful chat. It also covers Mike's favourite places to eat in town, plus the restaurant opening he's most excited about this year – the new place that Luke Powell (Mary's, Tetsuya's) will be running in Chippendale.

You can listen to my podcast on iTunes or download it via RSS or directly. And thanks to all the people who have left some kind words about previous podcasts in the iTunes store, it means a lot. See you at Rootstock Sydney.

Rootstock Sydney, February 8-9, Carriageworks, 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh NSW rootstocksydney.com

New podcasts, Gelato Messina, Supernormal Canteen, Lee Ho Fook

2014-01-24T00:30:00.001+11:00

This post is brought to you by a lack of sleep! And some semi-news …

I recently unleashed some new podcasts. If you'd like the audio company, you can listen to me chat to:

Andrew Levins, who accidentally became a one-man media-storm over the last day or so, thanks to Barry O'Farrell's ill-advised lockout laws. But, you probably know him better as the head chef and co-owner of The Dip, which got name-checked for its hot dogs by Gourmet Traveller when it opened in mid-2011. Levins is also the only person I know who scored a cookbook deal while performing a DJ set. He has a million great tales to tell – some involving deep-fried Korean hot dogs; and it's worth downloading this just to hear Levins' favourite places to eat in Sydney – you'll end up busily plotting your future meals on Google Maps as a result, I swear. Download on iTunes, directly or via RSS.

Also recently: I interviewed Elizabeth Hewson, whose PR job means that she has to "tough it out" by eating lots of snow eggs at Quay (brutal, I know; one time, she found herself being alternately fed by Peter Gilmore and Rene Redzepi). She's also the author of a cookbook that has at least one hangover-inspired recipe. It's called Moving Out … Eating In. Download on iTunes, directly or via RSS.

And it was great fun to talk to Adam Humphrey of Arras about the inspired creations at his restaurant – sushi bread, "Tomato Soup & Friends", a dessert that resembles a spilled-over Negroni, to name a few. Adam also once scored against a famous UK goalkeeper, denied carbs to Antonio Banderas and, according to his doctor, should technically be dead. It's lucky for Sydney diners that he isn't. Download on iTunes, directly or via RSS.

If you haven't yet scored a Gelato Messina hot dog while at Sydney Festival, then you have until this Sunday to try out the gelato parlour's takes on that and other carnival staples – like the Pluto Pup and fairy floss (the cute punchline is that the fairy floss is just sugar-spun camouflage for the yuzu sorbet and salted caramel hidden inside, while the "Messinaweiner" is a deep-fried baton of maple syrup gelato, with a crispy coat of pancake batter and red drip of plum sauce). Or you could just go for a sundae. Follow the queues at Festival Village in Hyde Park.

And although I recently in Melbourne for only a short spell, I made sure to check out Supernormal Canteen and Lee Ho Fook – both great, unmissable places.

These inspired eateries have impressive DNA – the former is the latest project for the brilliant Andrew McConnell (whose hitmaking record includes Cutler & Co, Golden Fields, Moon Under Water and Cumulus Inc) and the latter highlights the talents of Victor Liong, previously of Mr Wong. Order the eggplant at both places. In fact, just order everything.

Papi Chulo, Manly

2014-01-08T01:40:00.001+11:00

Some winning streaks can not be stopped. The new Papi Chulo restaurant in Manly continues Dan Hong's hitmaking record with Merivale (Ms G's, El Loco, Mr Wong) and the executive chef is joined here by two brilliant co-conspirators and head chefs, Patrick Friesen (who has been running Ms.G's for the last two years) and Christopher Hogarth (who launched both outposts of El Loco). Together, they've created an excellent menu that takes on the slow and smoky tempo of American barbecue, while weaponising the power of Asian ingredients to add fire and contrast to cuisines from different borders. It's original, fun, a little audacious and full of bullseye-hitting thrills. Case in point: the last time I boarded a ferry to Manly was 14 years ago; then I found myself hitting the wharf twice in two days, solely to dine at Papi Chulo just after it opened. It's that good.

The central nerve of Papi Chulo is dedicated to the American style of barbecue – where flavours are built from many hours and smoke, and is a universe away from the quick time signature of meat sizzling in Australian backyards over summer. The restaurant's got the serious hardware to make it happen – fortified by a Brazilian rotisserie and parilla, and two smokers made in Sydney – and diners are appropriately equipped if they dare to take on the Smoked Pork Ribs with Papi’s BBQ Sauce ($34 for half rack, $49 for full slab) or the Papi Chulo BBQ platter ($86), which is so overloaded with wagyu brisket, pickles, soft bread and triple-barrel variations on Homer Simpson's favourite "magical animal" (ribs, chopped pork and pork belly) that it can feed four people. Try these mess-fests and you'll actually be handed a "Tall Papi syndrome" bib to cope with what you're attempting.

There's no bib-wearing dress code necessary for the Smoked Maple Black Pepper Pork Belly ($29), which Dan and Will cleanly and happily consumed. The sweetness, fiery pep and char tap into personal territory for head chef Patrick Friesen, who comes from Canada. "My family always would crack heaps of black pepper onto our bacon while it was cooking and finished it with maple syrup," he says. "We only eat the streaky bacon back home, so the pork belly that we smoke is recreating that flavour for me."

While joint credit for Papi Chulo's menu goes to the restaurant's three chefs, some dishes come with individual signatures. The Smoked Pork Belly Banh Mi with Sriracha Mayo ($18) has Dan Hong's influence, while the Grilled Southern Calamari with Sorrel, Sour Cream, Crispy Potato, Dill ($21) derives its flavours from Friesen's Mennonite background. The Empanadas ($12) feature raclette from Tasmania, where Chris Hogarth is from, and also unlocks ideas from the Latin American cuisine he was creating at El Loco. Definitely order this dish: these salt-flaked puffs are swollen hot with a nucleus of melted cheese and wild greens; served with the sweet kick of tomato jam, they are totally brilliant.

Papi Chulo bills itself as an American-inspired smokehouse and grill, but in creating the dishes, the chefs couldn't quite break up with the Asian roots of their previous restaurants. (El Loco, after all, has a zesty Vietnamese streak; and Mr Wong and Ms G's rely heavily and smartly on the condiment box and flavour profile of the East.) "I love Asian food. I tell people that I am half-Chinese all the time," jokes Friesen. "In writing our recipes, sometimes we were playing a game of 'hide the Asian', because we wanted to do Western food, but with the intense umami and tastiness of Asian food. Even our barbecue sauce has Korean chilli powder in it." This unashamed plot to sneak in Eastern ingredients is hard to battle against when it works so exceedingly well at Papi Chulo.

The Summer Melon Salad ($14) gets an ultra-lively charge from the chilli lime dressing, while a creamy landmass of buffalo mozzarella is brilliantly teamed with the blast-off effect of spicy, sweet ssamjang in the Salad of Grilled Summer Vegetables ($21). Disproving the idea that salads mainly exist to tackle guilt rather than flavour, Dan Hong's excellent (Not a) Chopped Salad ($16) remixes a dish from Ms.G's. Here it wonderfully layers contrasts: the crunch of fried corn, slices of squash and zucchini, fresh herbs and a flavoursome mix of ultra-savoury mushrooms you might normally spot in a stir fry. So, even if barbecue is headliner here, you can still eat awesomely well as a vegetarian at Papi Chulo. (And it's not just about salad either; the empanadas, Croquettes with Mushroom and Heidi Gruyere and Grilled Corn on the Cob with Smoked Cheese and Lime are ace, too.)

At Papi Chulo, the condiments alone are great – to the point that I found myself harbouring all the leftover dishes of sauces and jams (even after their main accompaniments had been long eaten), not wanting the wait staff to prematurely clear them away. These were too good to give up and turned out to be fine dipping practice for the Curly Fries ($9) – also another worthwhile item to order.

Notable, too, are the playful cocktails (like the "almost healthy" coconut-and-mint Cravado or the prawn-garnished Bloody Maria, which adds the throat-burn of mescal to the Bloody Mary formula), and the ocean-side charm of the location. Just sitting there, sunstruck and flirting with the sea breeze while you enjoy an excellent meal is a lone joy. The interiors also have a holiday-evoking charm, too. Instead of going for a stereotypically dude-heavy barbecue theme, Papi Chulo has a carefree and relaxed atmosphere, thanks to the huge beach-revealing windows, comfy wicker furniture, cute nautical-themed touches (like a boat-shaped mirror) and the open feel.

Oh and declare open season on the desserts – they are all excellent and worth ordering. The streusel-topped Passionfruit and Mango Sundae ($14) tastes like a fancy Weiss bar (in the best way possible); the Warm Chocolate Chip Cookie ($14), as abetted by vanilla malt ice-cream, macadamia brittle and butterscotch sauce, would qualify as the ideal nightcap, and the Tres Leches Cake ($14) takes the traditional three-milk cake and teams it with berries and peaches that have had a light charry kiss from the grill.

Papi Chulo is named after the kind of guy who is unmistakably cool and appealing. It seems apt that the restaurant lives up to this rep, too.

Papi Chulo, 22-23 Manly Wharf, Manly NSW 9240 3000 merivale.com.au/papichulo

Black Star Pastry, Rosebery

2014-01-06T01:24:00.000+11:00

Black Star Pastry has opened in Rosebery and it's far from a carbon copy of the original Newtown store.

The new space is beautiful: lines of copper wrap around the counter, like industrial layers of frosting, while suspended planters flirt with gravity and the neat stacks of timber remind you of what fuels and warms the wood-fired bread. (Incidentally, the location is also footsteps away from Kitchen By Mike and Da Mario – other eateries that make the suburb worth a detour.) And while the Smith & Carmody interiors in Rosebery are larger than the Newtown outlet – so, too, is the menu.

Yes, you can still get all the brilliant classics – the signature Strawberry Watermelon Cake, the Lamb Shank and Red Wine Pie ($8), the Orange Cake with Persian Fig – but you can also find Minted Pea Tarts ($8), Sumac Salad with Fried Serrano ($5) or Slices of Beetroot Bread with Dips and Pickles ($12). Unless, of course, these items are out of commission because they've quickly sold out, which we discovered when we turned up to lunch on Friday. Sure, it was only the second day that Black Star had been operating in Rosebery, but it was already insanely popular. Already! It was just after New Year's, most people were still on holidays, and there'd been minimal fanfare about the opening, but there was an endless queue snaking out the door. Of course! How could I underestimate the instant fervour for the new Rosebery store, given that Black Star in Newtown is one of the best eateries in Sydney, with more-than-justified crowds to match?

We were still lucky to "scrape" together an order that day in Rosebery, choosing the leftover beetroot bread (minus sold-out dips and pickles), a roasted veg salad and some surprisingly still available lamb shank pie. Our friends missed out altogether. And this was around 1pm.

So, we were determined to come back at a more earlybird time, when we wouldn't be greeted by a menu buried under "sold out" signs. We thought we could ask staff members for a recommended hour to turn up, but this was a little like asking for diplomatic secrets. They told us that they'd only just opened and had not expected this intense patronage so far.

We came back on Sunday morning and enjoyed the excellent, ingredient-stuffed Feta Almond Zucchini Stick ($6), Ham and Cheese Croissant with Smoked Paprika Relish ($6.50), good coffee by The Little Marionette and a summer-friendly Iced Tea of the Day ($4.50). The food, at any Black Star, is always brilliant and worth the pilgrimage. But the Rosebery spin-off has a few small things to smooth out. For instance, Will asked one staff member about the specials – only to be told there'd be no specials today. This would be contradicted by someone writing up specials on the board not long after the question was posed. Or you'd ask about the pita pockets and learn that staff had no idea when they might be ready. 10 minutes later, you would see pita pockets arriving in the cabinet. Maybe there's just a communications blackout between the kitchen and counter. Maybe it's one of those things that happen in opening week and a little patience is worth calling on.

I think Black Star Pastry is awesome and we're lucky to have one outlet in this city, let alone two. But maybe recalibrate your expectations if you turn up in the first week or so – every place deserves a grace period. (Also, the sweet spot for getting there seems to be around 11am – early enough that you're not greeted with abundant "sold out" signs, but not so early that the specials and extra items haven't yet made an appearance. Closing hour at Rosebery, incidentally, is much earlier than the Newtown store: 3pm daily.) And patience and time-strategising does pay off; Will's Pita Pocket ($10), well-stuffed with roast chicken and a kale/quinoa salad, was worth waiting that little bit longer for the menu to slide from breakfast to lunch territory.

Black Star Pastry in Rosebery also has an expanded drinks list (with brews from Tea House, cold-pressed juice from Joostice) and is otherwise stacked with re-reminders of why you love BSP in the first place – killer sweets, savoury treats and well-made items always worth queuing for.

Black Star Pastry, Corner of Dunning and Hayes Streets, Rosebery NSW blackstarpastry.com.au. Follow Black Star Pastry on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Pinbone, Woollahra

2013-12-24T21:53:00.001+11:00

Pinbone in Woollahra is a sharp, fresh shot of oxygen to the local dining scene. By taking over the old Buzo site, this establishment does more than just hit the reset button. Chefs Mike Eggert and Jemma Whiteman (Billy Kwong, Three Blue Ducks) and front-of-house whiz Berri Eggert (Cafe Paci) manage to sneak in redefinitions of what to expect. Yes, they have serious fine-dining cred, but they also front-load the menu with snacks inspired by kids' parties. There's a dedication to sourcing interesting natural wines, without any overblown delivery of the drinks list ("fizzy shit" is the sharpshooting way they describe the sparkling options). And just when you've got this ambitious restaurant pegged, it eases gears on Sundays, and becomes a laidback cafe that offers lots of reasons not to skip breakfast.

The service, too, is smart and spot-on, but also friendly and good-humoured (I rang up to prospect for details about the Sunday brunch and find out when would be the best hour to turn up. "Any time after you've woken up," was the quick-witted response.)

This fun streak lights up the whole menu, particularly the snacks section. There's Fairy Bread ($4) that isn't an oversugared exercise in carbs and food dye, but a mascarpone and roe combo influenced by the classic American bagel with lox. Chocolate Crackle ($4) comes with a surprise dose of chicken liver parfait. Expectations are also flipped with the Lamb Ribs ($5), which Berri says exist purely because the chefs wanted something that looked like a Golden Gaytime ice-cream. While it's not something Will would ever want to pull out of a freezer, the flaked ribs are something that he's very happy to tackle when served hot on a plate at Pinbone (they also have the bonus of not melting, too). And while they are truly excellent, they're yet to knock off his full-reigning favourite – the ribs at 121BC in Surry Hills (funnily enough – Pinbone's Crabstick has an origin story that begins with 121BC's Giorgio De Maria; what you'll find in the restaurant is the chefs' tribute to a dish Giorgio once made for them at a dinner party).

On our first visit, there wasn't a vegetarian snack on offer, but that was quickly and brilliantly rectified (on visit #3) with the Smokey, Potatoey, Cheesy Thing ($4), which sets the gold standard for taking what's awesome about cheese-melted carbs and blowing that up to the next level. Here, potato 'shells' are salt-baked, scooped out, deep-fried and then gloriously married with a smoked gruyere and parmesan sauce. Just to top out the health-disregarding elements of this dish, it's also sprinkled with a smoked salt from Levins of The Dip. Unless artery maintenance will be a major obstruction to enjoying this, I highly recommend the Smokey, Potatoey, Cheesy Thing.

The larger "to share" plates retain the inventiveness of the snacks, even if the influences might be a little more grown-up. Simplicity does feature on the menu: Raw Zucchini, Pecorino and Lemon ($12) is literally just that, while a high-comfort Chicken ($28) dish uses garlic, kale and chewy frills of white fungi to offset the savoury punch of the chargrilled chicken and dashi. But the dishes that circuit-break convention stand out the most. Dan and Will both named the Pork & Pineapple ($28) as an outright favourite. Any dish with instructions is always fun, especially when you're told to dive right in; with this, you pick up roasted pork chunks and "ash" them in a liquorice nori seaweed salt, add grilled pineapple rings and round it all off with a palate-resetting salad of herbs. The dish has an unorthodox backstory, too. "The idea for the grilled pineapple pieces came from watching a legend in Mexico carve up grilled pieces and flick them with a knife into tacos in his other hand," says Berri. Other inspirations for this number include flashbacks to '70s food (ham with pineapple on toothpicks, anyone?) and the salt-dipping is a clever way to sneak in an interactive element to the dish.

One of the best desserts I've had this year has to be the Blueberry Granita with White Pepper Parfait and Pine Nut Brittle ($12) at Pinbone. The lively clash of flavours – bracing ice, tooth-clomping nuttiness and wildcard pepper – is designed to jam your brain and overtax your senses in the best way possible.

Also really clever is the Apple, Bay and Cider dessert ($12), which gives you a two-fold way to enjoy the same ingredients. The fruit is browned off with bay leaf and cider; one half of this mix is frozen and the other is aerated and dehydrated. Despite the same origins, the two high-contrast parts play off each other in unusual ways. The cool part is like ice-cream, while the dry pastry-like "shards" are served on top and the effect is like eating a delicious, space-age apple pie.

Another note-worthy aspect about Pinbone is that it has a lot of inspired vego, vegan and gluten-free options – and you're safe from resorting to the cliched fallback dishes (dietary-restricted diners will be served something worthwhile interesting, and not a mushroom risotto). Our friend Cybele asked for a vegan dessert and the kitchen came up with an off-menu creation that was as flavour-blitzing as any of the best sweets on offer.

And if you head to Pinbone after waking up on a Sunday, there's more than the usual brunch menu suspects on offer: Fregola with Creamed Corn and Poached Egg ($18) and Bacon, Maple and Pumpkin Tart ($8) are worthwhile picks (although, if muesli and toast is your thing, that's covered, too).

The name 'pinbone' comes from the small bones that chefs have to meticulously pull out of the fillets when they prepare the fish. "For us, it stands for the eye for detail and the precision involved in cooking," says Berri. At their restaurant, the team has nailed the elements both big and microscopic. Pinbone is definitely deserves multiple visits. Any time after you wake up should be fine.

Pinbone, 3 Jersey Road, Woollahra NSW (02) 9328 1600, pinbone.com.au. Follow Pinbone on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

The Oxford Tavern, Petersham

2013-12-17T01:44:00.000+11:00

Thanks to a recent takeover by Drink N Dine, The Oxford Tavern in Petersham will no longer be known for its waitresses' extremely lenient dress code. Its R-rated past isn't entirely forgotten, though – a sign for the Golden G-String Comp still accompanies the bar and the neon lettering that used to brightly crackle about girly shows now announces the establishment's new attraction: "Live Hot BBQ".

Sure, entry to The Oxford Tavern is no longer an admission ticket to scoring a beer and a perv, but that doesn't mean it's been replaced by some oversanitised pub. Like Jaime Wirth's other Drink N Dine venues, a healthy amount of humour, playfulness and invention is on show here. The cocktail names – A Swinging Tit and Banana Hammock, for instance – are a wry dig at the establishment's not-so-chaste history. The latter is like an adult version of a visit to your childhood milk bar, and our friend Dan suggests taking one of the banana lolly "garnishes" and using it as a "straw" for the drink, as a more boozy alternative to the Timtam-milk-sucking tradition.

Jamie Thomas, Drink N Dine's executive chef, oversees the menu; he reprograms pub standards, adding livelier flavours and tricks from American and Mexican cuisine. Dino's Charcoal Chicken ($18) isn't the usual order you might get at a nearby Petersham takeaway joint; it's a spiced affair, revved up with "kicktang sauce" and slaw, and is ready to be divided up with tortillas, beans and rice. And yes, there's schnitzel, but at The Oxford Tavern, there are Mexican and Hawaiian varieties; there's even a vegetarian eggplant version – crumbed, fried and so spongy-soft that it reminds me of nasu dengaku.

By the way, vego-friendly options abound here. Lots of dishes – from the zippy, chipotle-dressed Van Kalen Salad ($13) to the Double Dawgs ($14) – can be tweaked to be meatless, and stand-alone veg orders are pretty good. The Drink N Drine crew lives up to its fryer-worship (as epitomised by the famous Deep-Fried Golden Gaytime at The Abercrombie) by sizzling avocado chunks to a crisp and throwing them in a Taco ($5.50) with roast corn salsa, zingy mojo verde and a snowdrift of creamy queso cheese. My menu favourite is the BBQ Corn ($8), which looks like a cluster of cobs left in a sandstorm, but actually has been encrusted in popcorn and corn chips and is possibly the best – and grittiest – way to get a triple dose of kernel flavour.

The Jelly Wrestle ($20) is a dessert tribute to the skanky gelatine battles that used to take place at The Oxford Tavern. You're not allowed to have it with cutlery and, in fact, you're given gloves to tackle it properly. Diving your hands right into a four-jelly mess (where caramel popcorn, choc and raspberry sauces, whipped cream and a colourful tumble of hundreds and thousands is perched on top of waffles) feels more oddball than sleazy. In fact, the experience is like a cross between CSI and the most unsupervised kid's birthday party you've ever attended.

Like the other Drink N Dine locations, the decor is madcap and inspired. Lamps are crafted from drum cymbals and tires. Stuffed animals – including the Chinese bear that used to stalk Santa Barbara – stand mid-prowl, along the bar. One wall is a staggering mosaic of thousands of bottle caps that have been hand-pixellated to spell out "Oxford".

And there's an Australiana theme – Christine Anu cover art, Graham Kennedy photography, outlines of local wildlife studded into a doorway – that resonates through the food selection. In fact, the barbecue menu will open properly on Australia Day.

The new version of The Oxford Tavern opened on Friday and I wonder how the pub's previous regulars will react to an establishment now run by fully clothed staff. Jaime Wirth predicts that kicking out the poker machines (and slotting in a beer garden instead) would be more of a factor in losing old clientele. If you like the idea of a venue that has definitely adjusted to 21st-century ideas about women and is a fun place to enjoy a drink and not-so-common pub food, then you'll welcome the clean-sweeping changes.

The Oxford Tavern, Petersham, 1 New Canterbury Road, Petersham NSW (02) 8019 9351, theoxfordtavern.com.au

You can listen to my podcast with Jaime Wirth via RSS feed, direct download or iTunes.

Little Indi, Alexandria

2013-12-11T00:25:00.002+11:00

No one can say there's an oversupply of vegetarian cafes inside hardware stores – in fact, Little Indi in Alexandria is the only case study I can think of.

It's an unusual pairing – you don't immediately associate decking, paint tins or toolbox-filling accessories with raw food or tofu, but this eatery has a way of staying unpredictable. It's split in two: there's a stand inside the store's loading dock, where you sneak a look at the menu and order; then there's a deck outside, where you can sit near pallets upcycled into herb gardens or other rustic fixtures. All the furniture feels like the "after" shot of a DIY project. Little Indi's sustainability credentials are also evident in all the natural, crafted finishes and the composter nearby.

All this worthiness is admirable, but also helpfully backed up by an inspired menu. Produce, which is kept local as possible, is so bright and rich that it looks like it's been colour-graded. The Marinated Asparagus salad ($12 as main/$4 as side) is all salt, greens, sweetness and crunch: a lovely jumble of leek, sprouts, kale, pangrattato and goat's fetta.

The rolls, on Iggy's ficelle bread, are definitely worth trying. They come in great flavour-flirting combos, such as nectarine, ricotta, asparagus, lime agrumato and basil ($10) or egg, zucchini, relish, and avocado ($10). They're served with cutlery, but the bread is so rustic that you will spend hours earnestly sawing away with a (compostable) knife before you make much headway. "I feel like my cutlery is composting away right now," says Will, as he energetically tries to slice his ficelle. I went for the hands-on, napkin-destroying method instead.

There's also raw felafel (strangely sweet and delicious), bargain-priced Buddha rolls, vegan balls and all the health-conscious drinks to match (organic slow juice, whey cool smoothie or alpine green tea, anyone?). The only underwhelming item I've had is a brown rice miso, where the raw vegie shreds overpowered everything and just tasted joyless and crude.

Otherwise, Little Indi (which is run by the duo behind this year's Naked Indiana pop-up) proves that eating well doesn't necessarily mean being shortchanged on flavour. The eatery's close proximity to tools and garden hoses is still a mystery, but perhaps that's part of Little Indi's two-in-one appeal. Come for the power tools, stay for the inventive dishes.

Little Indi, 50 McCauley Street, Alexandria NSW instagram.com/insideindian

Sagra, Darlinghurst

2013-12-03T00:34:00.000+11:00

Recently, it's been easy to feel like you've been double-crossed by the weather – there have been downpours and cold days when you thought sunshine was what you'd signed up for.

We found an upside to the persistent rainclouds and temperature drops, though. One particularly soggy Monday, Will and I went to Sagra in Darlinghurst and it was exactly the kind of place that you want to be on a soaked-through day.

A plate of Potato Gnocci ($16) with taleggio and sage will trigger your melting point for a simple, but exquisitely executed pasta dish. A must, if it appears on the ever-shifting menu when you're there, is the Zucchini Fritti ($16). These crisp veggie shreds, spiked with gorgonzola and honey, seem like the most addictive thing to ever come from a high-sizzle frypan.

Also worth trying are the desserts, such as the Smashed Meringue ($12), shot through with a sweet mess of cherries and creamy marscapone. As Time Out Sydney and Gourmet Traveller have pointed out, this Italian restaurant by Nigel Ward (Lucio's, Sean's Panaroma) is a local gem. And regardless of how the weather report looks, it's definitely worth a visit – rain, hail or shine (but especially rain and its carb-compatible climate).

Sagra, 62 Stanley St, Darlinghurst, NSW (02) 8307 0430. www.sagrarestaurant.com.au. Follow Sagra on Twitter and Instagram

Moon Park, Redfern

2013-11-16T18:14:00.002+11:00

Moon Park modestly claims to be the "2nd best Korean restaurant at 34 Redfern St, Redfern", ceding all bragging rights and competition-beating honours to Danny's Rice Bar downstairs. By that logic, Danny's establishment must be category-killing awesome, because Moon Park sets the bar damn high.

You'll find the eatery above Jason Mowen Decorative Arts. The room is simple and raw-boned – stripped of the skulls and The Smiths paraphernalia that used to furnish the space in its former life as a dive bar. Moon Park is sparsely adorned with industrial lights, timber furniture and the odd gravity-defying bouquet. You really have to lean in to hear what your companions are saying, because the sound levels can be a little harsh and uncushioned (but handy, if you want to eavesdrop on some interesting loudmouths nearby). The acoustics don't matter too much, because it's the food that's worth paying attention to.

The casual set-up might misdirect expectations (one friend complained about portion size at Moon Park, but it's a mistake to assume this is a generic address for getting cheap and cheery $10 takeout). The room might not look flashy, but the restaurant's pedigree is high-grade impressive. Moon Park is run by chefs Ben Sears (Cutler & Co) and "his more talented partner" Eun Hee An ("she's actually Korean"), who were both at Claude's. On the floor is the likeable Ned Brooks (of Brooks & Amos and also a face you may recognise from his stint at MoVida). His interesting drinks list reflects the restaurant's Korean direction (rice beer, plum wine), while the kitchen reinterprets standard dishes in expectation-twisting ways.

Bibimbap ($20) is not the usual julienned rainbow of vegies that you destroy with gochujang, but a more elegant mix of rice and pearl barley that also folds in corn, cured egg, nori and crab (you can have the crab optional, for a vego-friendly version). It's still ready to have its spice levels dialled fiery high with the chilli paste, though. Imjasutang ($17), usually a soup, is reimagined as a broth-free chicken dish, with a flavoursome support cast of pine nut, mushroom and date. It was traditionally a specialty enjoyed by royalty and, judging from Will's endorsement, I'm sure the court would dig this translation, too. While some diners might be happy to discover the Fried Chickpea Cake ($5) has sneaky pork elements in it, you can still order a variation of this if you're a vego. And you should, because it's great. The alternative has shiitake instead and comes served as crisp pillows of awesomeness that you dip into yuzu and fermented chilli sauce.

My other favourite is the Whipped Tofu ($15). A picturebook-like row of carrots, wakame and fat-hen herbs is topped with shiitake crisps, while underneath is a creamy spill of liquid bean curd and a crunchy crumb path of buckwheat. It all adds up to an inspired, flavoursome dish.

The desserts are inventive, too: there's the (very fun to say) Patbingsu, which is a pile-up of soy flour donuts, strawberry, fig leaf shaved milk, red bean and omija ($13), and the brilliant Moon Pie ($14), which is (despite the name) not a typical pastry, but a free-form dessert with self-assemble parts for your spoon (ginger jelly, pear, maesil marshmallow and scatterings of graham cracker and chocolate).

Like Moon Park, the dessert is unassuming at first, but a real surprise once you get to know it. Someone warn Danny's Rice Bar.

Moon Park, Level 1, 34 Redfern Street, Redfern NSW (02) 9690 0111. Follow Moon Park on Twitter or Instagram.

Milk Bar Pizza, Redfern

2013-11-11T00:39:00.002+11:00

Hot Dog, Fish Taco, Sunday Roast – these are some of the not-so-standard toppings on offer at Milk Bar Pizza in Redfern. Here, you can also order slices flavoured with Korean Chicken or Cheeseburger elements and there's even a Vego "Meat Lovers" creation that's loaded with almost everything you could buy from Suzy Spoon's Vegetarian Butcher.

This eatery is the newest project for the folks from The Milk Bar by Cafe Ish around the corner, and it feels like they're aiming to be the Gelato Messina of pizza. There's a Chicken Kebab flavour, topped with tabbouleh and garlic sauce, that probably tastes pretty good at a seedy hour, but translates just as well at a less hangover-haunted dinnertime, according to Will. The Sunday Roast, too, with its gravy base and oven-crisp vegies, is appetite-warming and satisfying any time of the week. And it's nice to see that the vegetarian selection goes beyond plain margarita: the eggplant and cauliflower Indian Curry in particular, is ultra-spiced, a-swirl with garlic sauce and, all in all, delicious.

This store is placed opposite Domino's Pizza – not only geographically, but literally. It's small, there's no flashy advertising or stack of coupon offers (Milk Bar's Space Invaders wall is cooler than any corporate brand, though), and each oven-hot order feels individual, rather than just another unit sold.

Some of The Milk Bar by Cafe Ish's dishes are being reworked for its pizzeria spin-off – the popular crab omelette will be custom-fitted as a pizza you can order and the super-jammy donuts will be imported to the dessert selection. As you'd guess from all the quirky toppings, this establishment isn't aiming for authenticity (so don't scan its walls for an certificate of official recognition from a tradition-adhering pizza-making body in Naples). The bases aren't rustic and thin, for instance – they're unapologetically padded and suitably thick enough to carry the ingredient-heavy toppings; and, at $12 a pizza, this place scores for its incredibly cheap and cheery menu. Like the Space Invaders game that lends its pixellated marks to this pizzeria's interiors, Milk Bar Pizza is unashamed fun. So come out and play.

Milk Bar Pizza, 152 Redfern Street, Redfern NSW (02) 9699 3366 milkbarpizza.com. Follow Milk Bar Pizza on Twitter.

On holidays

2013-11-01T16:23:00.001+11:00

It's been a little quite here 'cos I snuck out of town. I'm back soon, but if you're curious about what's keeping me well fed in Tokyo, Paris, Amsterdam, New York and San Francisco, you can sneak a few glances at my Instagram feed - instagram.com/leetranlam. See you in a bit!

Da Mario, Rosebery

2013-10-10T22:19:00.002+11:00

You know how sometimes you'll read a menu and every dish is stripped down to its elements, like someone trying to trap a good idea with a dying pen? Pumpkin Coconut Coriander; Broccoli Pecorino Chanterelles, etc. Sometimes I wish I could just write a blog post like that – Pizza Mario Rosebery Spin-off Go – and be done.

In a way, that's all I should scribble, because Pizza Mario in Surry Hills has long been one of these heavily namedropped places whenever someone is bringing up their contender for best pizza in Sydney. Its new restaurant – Da Mario in Rosebery – extends its geographical grip and reminds you of why its reputation is so rock-solid.

There's one item from Mario that I had ten years ago and have not stopped thinking about ever since. It's a simple three-ingredient affair that gives you one – of many – good reasons to go the Rosebery establishment. It's the Patate ($16), which takes a sprinkling of sea salt and rosemary and pairs it with potato so thin and exquisitely sliced, it's as slight and contoured as the summery ruffle of a dress. The base is barely bigger, but the crust still has a good amount of puff and a few cratered blistery burns from the oven. It's my favourite thing on the menu – but because it's so good, it also sabotages my ability to get to know what else is on offer; I only want to order this repeatedly.

The first time I went to Da Mario, I smashed an entire patate pizza on my own, plus the very lovely Radicchio ($8) salad – vivid red leaves dressed in balsamic, and tossed through with little bursts of grapes and shards of parmigiano.

When I went again – with more lunch-sharing allies this time – I still couldn't overlook the patate. I also couldn't skirt over the Crumbed and Fried Potato and Mozzarella Croquettes ($12), which sound like a monstrous carb bomb, but are so logic-defying in how delightfully light and airy they are. We also had the Margerita 'Extra' ($25), which gives you a bonus creamy pool of buffalo mozzarella alongside the wood-fired tomato and basil. This satiny meltdown of ingredients shifts the flavour intensity up a gear and reminds you how simple pairings can work so well. Will and Chris also highly rated the Capricciosa ($20) which piles savoury ruffles of ham with artichoke, mushroom caps and salty olives on top of tomato and cheese.

The site's three-tonne pizza oven – so heavy that it needed to be air-lifted into Da Mario and slowly shifted into place – definitely gets a workout, and the Mario name is so synonymous with toppings and crusts, it's easy to forget that you can have a meal here without picking up a single slice. There's a selection of antipasti, pasta, fried snacks, soup and even calzone, but this place makes a gold-standard case for ordering pizza first.

You can also acknowledge your sweet tooth with Tiramisu ($12), Panna Cotta with Pineapple Juice and Apple Crumble ($12), or a bracing Hazelnut Semifreddo ($12) – a cool creamy block crisped with nuts and trapped in an unapologetically sweet syrup of mulberries.

Da Mario doesn't yet have its licence, so it's currently open for lunch only. Once it gets the OK to serve wine, then the pizzeria will extend its business to dinnertimes, too. Having an excuse to enjoy a mealtime in this breezy industrial space – or its sun-friendly deck – is not a bad thing, though.

Da Mario, 36 Morley Avenue, Rosebery, NSW (02) 9669 2242. Follow Da Mario on Facebook and Instagram.

Bao Town Pop-Up, Vella Nero, Sydney

2013-10-10T00:37:00.000+11:00

Lifting the lid off bamboo steamers is a standard Saturday ritual, but the Bao Town Pop-Up at Sydney's Vella Nero cafe offers an inspired take on this bun-savouring custom.

Theresa Nguyen's venture goes far beyond the default options – her inventive menu includes dessert bao with a stowaway layer of lemon polenta, or one that hides an intense mouth-burst of hot, free-flowing Marou chocolate. There's also a miso eggplant bao, topped with a coriander-ginger salsa that raids the Asian condiment box (there's a bottle-tip of sesame oil and soy in the herbal mix).

And while Theresa taps into family recipes in her yellow chicken curry and beef bo kho buns – she does add a twist of her own. (That said, she remembers going "crazy" for her grandmother's versions: "she'd cook up a whole heap of these baos and leave them in a recycled ice-cream container for us. This was one of my favourite childhood rituals." And while her gran is older and frailer, she still makes the same snacks in a take-home ice-cream container pack when her bao-obsessed relatives visit.)

Theresa has reworked the basics – so while tradition calls for you to basically roll yum-cha-style buns in sugar, she has reduced the sweetness and subtracted the MSG. It means when you reach for her creations, it's because you actually want more – and haven't been chemically tricked into overloading on what's in front of you. It also allows her fillings – whether they're pork belly slow-cooked in coconut juice or pure chocolate sourced from Vietnam – to really stand on their own.

I was lucky enough to attend the Bao Town launch recently; I'm glad for the preview, as sadly, I won't be in Sydney when it launches this Saturday. If you can't make it, you've got a second chance to check it out on Saturday November 2 and a final opportunity to pick up a stash of lemon polenta and eggplant buns* on Saturday December 7. (*Or equivalent, as there'll also be an ever-changing jackpot of flavours each time, just to keep things interesting). And make the most of the cafe setting by adding a chaser of Vietnamese coffee to your offer. Enjoy Bao Town while it's here.

Bao Town Pop-Up at Vella Nero, Shop 3, 259 Clarence St, Sydney NSW 0411 771 361, baotown.com. Follow Bao Town on Facebook and Instagram.

Chow Bar and Eating House, Surry Hills

2013-10-07T19:14:00.002+11:00

Chow Bar and Eating House – the new Chinese eatery for Chui Lee Luk of Claude's – opened in Surry Hills on Friday. With Cannon Shot Dumplings ($9) and Explosive Lamb ($26) on the cards, it has one fired-up menu. Chow is Chui's take on Chinese food, with rerouted stopovers in unexpected places.

The decor calls on some classic motifs – enough lucky cats to guarantee a jackpot win or two; tables lined with the colourful brickwork of Mahjong tiles – and is teeming with many contemporary Asian flourishes that'll make you (almost!) forget this used to be the site of Bentley Restaurant and Bar. Chow's look is very sleek and elegant, just like the food, which reworks items from the Chinese playbook. Will's order of "Lemon chicken" ($21) is turbocharged as American-style fried chicken, topped with decorative pearls and a lemon confit that's gloop-thick with zestiness and zing. That slamming amount of citrus really powers the dish.

Even something as "simple" as the Crackers ($5) can spark an expectation-flipping moment. Instead of cliched prawn crisps, here's something that's just lightness and snap, ready for landing through an ultra-spiced curried broadbean dip. Fried Cauliflower ($9) jolted with hot mustard and sunflower seeds isn't something I've counted multiple sightings of on a Chinese menu, either. That doesn't mean everything has been reprogrammed or retweaked – little hunks of five-spice tofu and wild greens ($11), for instance, are dressed in a joyfully familiar combination of sesame oil and soy.

Seeing as Chow Bar and Eating House has just opened, a few items appear on the menu without being ready for diners to order. (Teases, right?) I'd have loved to have tried the Smoky Eggplant ($14) or the Peanut Crumpet ($6), for instance, but will shuffle these onto my list for "next time".

Definitely available is a Blancmange ($12) set with cocoa jelly, fanned-out pear slices and caramelised white chocolate that may easily freak out people not used to avocado overpowering a dessert. (Will was weirded out by the consistency and sweetness; having grown up with my mum blitzing avocado in Vietnamese shakes and encountering the ingredient far beyond salad plates, this didn't seem so unsettling to me.) A more well-recognised dessert is Egg Custard Tart ($8); each spoonful takes something you know so well and gives it a light, airy spin.

And it's not really a Chinese restaurant unless the teapots leak or leave incriminating spill trails as you try to tip green tea into a cup. And so Chow passes this test. But if brews of Silver Jasmine or Dragonwell are a little mild-mannered for you, try the Cointreau-spiked Green Tea Latte (or anything else on the ultra-fun cocktails list by Trolley'D, for that matter). There's also a line-up of Chinese beers on the way, too.

With its casual Asian approach, Chow Bar and Eating House is a total globe-spin away from the hatted world and French origins of Claude's. But it shares an inventiveness and determination to set itself apart. Toast it with a pot or two of messy, uncontainable tea.

Chow Bar and Eating House, Surry Hills, 320 Crown Street Surry Hills NSW (02) 8095 9058 chowbar.com.au. Follow Chow Bar and Eating House on Twitter or Instagram.

Harajuku Gyoza, Potts Point

2013-09-16T23:13:00.001+10:00

Walk into a Japan restaurant, and you'll instantly hear "Irasshaimase!" upon arrival. At the new Harajuku Gyoza in Potts Point, this greeting is ramped up to rock-star levels.

The overloud cheers are quite something – the staff really amp it up and stretch out the catchcry, like it's a break-out chorus at karaoke. It's fun to walk into a room and encounter such high-pitched enthusiasm from strangers, and this is the zippy energy and mood that this izakaya taps into. (Although, the high-decibel welcome isn't exactly for everyone – I saw one guy do a U-turn straight on hearing the rousing echoes of "Irasshaimase!" that signalled his entrance.)

While the name evokes the neon-charged brightness of Tokyo, Harajuku Gyoza originates from Brisbane. The first outpost opened in late 2011, with a menu that scored some help from Ryan Squires (of the highly acclaimed Esquire). Despite this fine-dining pedigree, this izakaya is really a shot of unbridled fun. Ultra-colourful plates line the walls as well as your table, and they feature eye-popping and iconic Japanese graphics: ninjas, Mount Fuji, cartoon creatures powered by soy-sauce-jetpacks, for instance. The lights hide cutesy, loud messages on their underside ("Hai!" and "Sip!) and the soundtrack rolls out an endless stream of feelgood tracks, whether it's Sinatra, J-pop or jazz.

And the food is just as cheerful – you can overload on many types of gyoza. There's prawn, duck, chicken, vegie – even a kimchi pork special – as well as dessert ones. Will's favourite is the salted caramel (which comes with a highly necessary scoop of vanilla ice-cream to counter the ultra salty-sweetness), while mine is the apple gyoza (this little parcel of cinnamon-spiced fruit tastes exactly like a miniature apple pie). There's a nutella banana dumpling, too. It's one of the few crunchy pockets of dough that doesn't call for you to freestyle your own dipping sauce from the condiments on offer. (The menu suggests a ratio of two parts soy sauce to one part vinegar, plus as much firepower as you can handle from the jar of chilli.)

If you overdo it and need to calm down that raging, lip-burning after-effect, there's a stack of Japanese beers on offer, plus some sake, umeshu and iced green tea. Or you could try the cooling cucumber salad, which is dressed in a miso-sweet sauce, or the snap and crunch of a salad, filled with shreds of carrot, cabbage and other sesame-coated vegies. Other snacks include squares of pork belly kakuni so soft you could use them as insulation, crunchy wedges of eggplant tempura, chicken karaage, agedashi tofu and more.

And in case the Tokyo-referencing name isn't enough, the restaurant still manages to channel Japan in expected ways. If you go to the bathroom, you'll find one of those famously hi-tech toilets the country is so famous for – you know, the multi-function, button-rich models that are so sophisticated that David Chang refused to throw up in one during his ramen binge for Lucky Peach because he had too much respect for the gadgetry (he aimed for the alley instead).

When Harajuku Gyoza opened in Brisbane, it quickly attracted a reputation for its queues, and you can easily imagine the Sydney branch easily earning quite a fan base. You don't need to spend any yen to have some fun in Japan; this is an entertaining way to teleport to Tokyo – right from that very first overeager welcome. "Irasshaimase!"

Harajuku Gyoza, 9-15 Bayswater Road, Potts Point NSW, harajukugyoza.com. Follow Harajuku Gyoza on Twitter and Facebook.

Good Food Guide 2014

2013-09-03T23:38:00.001+10:00

In the lead up to the Good Food Guide 2014 Awards, editor Joanna Savill said there would be some big "oooooooh" moments. And while some heavy-hitting restaurants lost hats in a much remarked-upon way, there were lots of upsides as well.

It was excellent to see Ross Lusted of The Bridge Room take out Chef of the Year; Louis Tikaram of Longrain score the Josephine Pignolet Young Chef of the Year Award (after getting very close last year); the incredibly warm Louise Tamayo (Claude's, The Bourbon) pick up an honour for Service Excellence (even though she humbly considers herself too young and undue for the award), and Richard Hargreave earn Sommelier of the Year for the inspired drinks list and accessible approach at Momofuku Seiobo.

It was also good to see lots of new restaurants score hats, particular the brilliant, fun-charged Hartsyard (which temporarily has the honour of 'Sommelier of the Year', as Naomi Hart from the restaurant accidentally took home Richard's award) and Mr Wong (which also scored New Restaurant of the Year). Also great: seeing consistently excellent restaurants (such as Oscillate Wildly) still get recognition, even though they've not had the glare of the spotlight recently.

Congrats to the 600 eateries in the book that give us a good reason to avoid cooking duties and to Joanna Savill for her gold-star job as editor.

The Good Food Guide 2014 is out now

Cafe Paci, Darlinghurst

2013-08-26T22:21:00.002+10:00

If you look for Cafe Paci in Darlinghurst, you'll find it at the old Cafe Pacifico site – the neon sign is still there, minus the last few letters. What's been subtracted is no big deal, because what Pasi Petanen has added is phenomenal. It easily qualifies as one of the best new restaurants I've been to this year.

When you walk into Cafe Paci, everything is in greyscale – but what's on your plate comes in full-blast colour and the flavours are dialled up bright. The menu is a fine-dining bargain - $85 for 11 set items, full of expectation-flipping delight. Of course, you suspect you'll have a good dinner, given that chef Pasi Petanen has a high-grade reputation from his time at Marque (and more recently was at the eternally brilliant Oscillate Wildly), but still, how nice to be knocked out by this 11-part mealtime.

Will had the standard set menu and I had the vegetarian version – both are equally excellent. The dinner starts out with some low-key snacks, including a rye taco that's a cute throwback to the old Mexican restaurant that used to be here. (Who didn't have their first-time experience with tacos and tequilas at Cafe Pacifico, back in the pre-Mex-was-everywhere day?) This mini tortilla is a three-bite delivery of rice pudding, chives and egg – the unusual combination catches you offguard in the best way possible.

Accordingly, each menu item here has a little plot twist: a carrot jewellery-crusted in prawn (or mandarin, in my case); a "photato" course that mutates the DNA of the classic Vietnamese noodle dish; a crunchy landmass of togarashi, its flashpoint flavours tempered by smoked capsicum and soft lamb leg tartare (or the vego option of silken eggplant); a "white" salad realised in pickled cauliflower, radish, apple, buttermilk cream; or cabbage showered with cavolo nero dust, mussel butter, marrow and the surprising zing of pomelo pulp.

There's an unlikely dessert that matchmakes carrot sorbet with yogurt and licorice. "I'm from Finland," says our waitress, "this is my favourite." It's one of several callbacks to Pasi Petanen's Finnish heritage; one example would be the bread (which takes three days to make) and has a sticky molasses syrup coating – the kind that likes to trap fingerprints, while also adding a sweet flourish to the very rustic dough inside. There's also the wall mural of an impressive, mustachioed gentleman that the wait staff temporarily fool us into believing is Petanen's grandfather; in reality, the man depicted is a highly decorated Finnish war hero.

Besides the Finnish streak in the licorice dessert, there's also a banana/malt/choc concoction that feels like a very adult version of schoolday treats (particularly with the coffee accent and the parsley sorbet); but my favourite would be the cloudbank of popcorn fairy floss that's entirely coated in butter salt. Unloosening the savoury threads and letting each mouthful dissolve is a cinematic delight.

And just as your meal begins with a nod back to the old Cafe Pacifico restaurant that used to occupy this site, so it ends, too, with an alcoholic tribute – if you'd like to finish your dinner with some throat-burning mescal, that is. Or just enjoy the final sweets: pork crackling encased with chocolate and fennel dust; a eucalyptus koala that every schoolkid wish was in their recess diet and, if you're lucky, the chef's signature take on a certain meringue-and-ganache treat: Ryeroons.

Service is also excellent (especially from sommelier Dennis Roman, who is endearingly referred to as "el mostacho and proud Chilean" on the Cafe Paci site) and, frankly, the only "downside" is that this place will only be around for a year. So, don't take your time. Fit in as many visits to Cafe Paci as the calendar will allow – this restaurant is brilliant and one of a kind.

Cafe Paci, 96 Riley Street, Darlinghurst NSW (02) 9368 7000, www.cafepaci.com.au.

Ester, Chippendale

2013-08-05T00:27:00.000+10:00

Here's the quick version: Ester is a new restaurant in Chippendale, backed by the guys behind Vini, Berta and 121BC. It's run by Mat Lindsay, and before you go in, you suspect it'll end up with a high scorecard. After all, this chef used to be at 121BC (Kristen Allan raved about his food at the Surry Hills wine bar in my podcast); Mat also snuck in a preview of Ester at Sixpenny earlier this year; and long before that, he was head chef at Billy Kwong. No dropped jaws or spoiler alerts needed – this place is the business, it's good.

Here's the longer version … Ester is a brilliant extension of the Vini family. You have an "of course!" moment when you realise the connection – the way you do when you slowly register that similar people happen to be related. There's that common factor of relaxed, welcoming settings – nothing too shiny, just the right level of industrial, functional and rustic; the Vini establishments are always places that really melt into their neighbourhood, helped by the casual, smart, friendly service; and the produce-focused menus always knock you out with their apparent simplicity: fuss-free dishes built on well-bolstered flavours and the natural strength of their ingredients.

There are many ways that Ester sets itself apart from Vini, Berta and 121BC, though. Firstly, it isn't ruled entirely by Italian borders. It's Mat Lindsay's creative concept and he's not restricted to one country's culinary traditions. He's aiming for something looser, taking what he likes from different influences and giving himself room to change. It's the same with the wine list, which focuses on all-natural, organic and minimal intervention-style wines, with lots of choices by the glass – but the restaurant only keeps a small supply of each selection, so that list will be constantly in flux, too.

Something that's an unshakeable part of the Ester, though, is the wood-fired oven – Mat calls it "the new cathedral". It's definitely a place of worship at the restaurant, notching up enough Instagram cameos to earn the caption, "Just another oven photo". It's a no-brainer to say that the wood-fired dishes make the most of this cooking approach, but other parts of the menu feel the blast of the oven's heat, too – sometimes in subtle ways. At Ester, when Mat and his sous chef Nic Wong (The Apollo, Billy Kwong, Bodega, Vini) make stocks, they'll actually use the "cathedral" to roast the bones first. Even the Raw Fish ($19) in the "small plates" selection calls on use of the oven; the chefs scorch the fish bones initially, before steeping them in soy to make the dressing.

You'll understand why they are so devoted to this wood-fired feature when you try some of the dishes that are explicitly cooked with it. Will was wrapt by the roasted Chicken ($26), its ever-juicy flavour well complemented by jolts of garlic and grilled slices of lemon. You need to order the Cauliflower ($14), which is so intensely blasted by the oven that it looks like it's the victim of an arson attack. But that blanket charring results in this amazing blaze of flavour, souped up further by some lemon dressing, gorgeous almond cream and zippy mint leaves. It's understandable why this dish is so damn popular. Other much-ordered items include Roasted Oysters (from $3.50) and the Carrot ($14) with parmesan custard – this hefty cheese bomb is nicely contrasted with the sweetly glazed root vegetable, a scattering of sesame and some sprigs of Lebanese cress – a green that has a surprising way of tasting like carrot. The Blue Swimmer Crab ($20) has inspired quite a few raves; and personally, the Potato ($15) served with macadamia cream and nasturtium and a dusting of celery salt is like the dream version of the potato salad you find at barbecues. Also worth mentioning, even though it's not strictly on the menu: the delicious appetiser of fried chickpeas and rosemary you're given as soon as you sit down. Containing yourself to one strict handful of this is really hard.

The upside of Ester's focus on small plates, snacks and sides is that you can stake out a lot of stomach room for the desserts. And given that three of offerings are single-scoop sweets that are a bargain $4 each, it's easy to order every single thing – even if you're a table of two. The big hitter is the Three Milks ($11); Ester's take on the Latin American Tres Leches Cake is realised with sheep's milk foam, ricotta panna cotta, olive oil biscuit and a generous slick of "more please" dulce de leche. There's also an excellent Salted Caramel Semi-freddo ($4) ashed with black sesame dust; plus, a dark Chocolate Gelato ($4), its rich, semi-bitter profile nicely rounded out by a high-contrast garnish of oregano; and there's a Fennel Ice Cream ($4) that surprised me in the best way. I'm not the biggest cheerleader for fennel – its loud, aniseed taste isn't for everyone. Here, though, it's clean and subtle; its screechy flavour pitched right down to a quiet, creamy delight. It reminds me a bit of the Buffalo Milk with Bay Leaf Gelato at Berta – bracing yet unshowy.

When it comes to restaurant's name, I probably need a chemistry lesson to properly explain to you what an ester is; in the case of this Chippendale eatery, though, I can tell you straight up – this is an excellent place worth your time. Top marks.

Ester, 46-52 Meagher St, Chippendale NSW (02) 8068 8279 Ester. Follow Ester on Instagram

PS When I started this blog, I was amazed to even score 20 page views. Last week, this site somehow hit 1 million page views – which is a crazy milestone, when I think about it. Thanks to everyone who has ever dropped by, read my words and played a role in tipping that odometer into the 1 million range.

Bentley Restaurant and Bar closing in Surry Hills

2013-07-31T23:05:00.001+10:00

The first time I was adrenalised by a meal was at Bentley Restaurant and Bar in Surry Hills. It was visit number one, the beginning of many trips. That dinner was charged with high-voltage flavours; and it unlifted so many surprises, I was amazed when my feet hit the ground again and life resettled to its normal, gravity-obeying state. Bentley was what inspired me to start this blog, back in 2007, and now that the Surry Hills location is closing, I can only recommend a last-minute visit if you can fit it in.

The upside is that Bentley will be relocating to a much bigger space at the Radisson Blu hotel in the city. (If you're wondering which building it is, you've probably walked past it on the way to Circular Quay, and noticed its seriously imposing columns at the Bistro Fax entrance.) In the meantime, the great team of Brent Savage and Nick Hildebrandt will still be busy at Monopole in Potts Point and, according to last week's Good Food, there's a rumour they're working on another venture in the area, too.

Bentley serves its last meal in Surry Hills on August 10. Other reasons to revisit include the fact it's reintroducing some old favourites onto the menu (including the knockout gazpacho) and talented alumni like Dan Hong (Mr Wong) and Louis Tikaram (Longrain) are taking part in a special dinner on August 5.

So head back and, for a whole mealtime, you might forget what gravity is like.

Bentley Restaurant and Bar, 320 Crown St Surry Hills NSW (02) 9332 2344, www.thebentley.com.au. Follow Bentley on Twitter.

Sloppies, Glebe

2013-07-19T14:21:00.000+10:00

There's a pure gut-level joy in eating at a place like Sloppies in Glebe. This is the night-time alter-ego of Wedge Espresso: once evening strikes, this narrow Tetris-block of a cafe gains an American accent and serves sloppy joes, which are burger buns loaded with super-braised "loose meat". (If you're a certain age, that phrase will come with bonus flashbacks of watching the sitcom Roseanne.)

This is food that has boundary issues – pick up a sloppy joe and all the ingredients slurp, spill and drip all over each other, but that's part of the fun. At Sloppies, you might find yourself mopping up with a few serviettes after having The O.G. ($10), which slams together beef mince ragu and slaw; the Sloppy Pork ($10), pork shoulder slopped with chipotle mayo and mustard slaw; and The Yoko ($10), a vegetarian option that's as high-mess and delightful – think sweet, rich miso eggplant chunks crammed with sesame slaw. It feels like Japanese cuisine redone as American drive-thru convenience. And in fact, at Sloppies, even if you're eating in, your meal will come in a takeaway paper bag, just to complete the on-the-run, fast-food feel.

Will's pick was The Darren ($13), the first of many "guest Sloppies" – this one is by chef Darren Templeman of Restaurant Atelier, from across the road. It was a squishy, super-charged combo of braised Kobe brisket, melted cheese, green tomato chutney, with some Japanese accents of miso and seaweed.

Will also loved the Pork Nuggets ($8), which are equal parts ludicrous and outright delicious. They're made of pork chunks that are braised, compressed, coated in all-spice and then fried for maximum blowout flavour. They get dunked in a sweet and sour sauce that has a zippy, home-made apeal and may be a serious contender to a certain franchise's offerings. (Oh and the sauce also does double-duty if you have a serve of chipotle fries that needs some condiment baptising.)

For me, the most dangerous selection on the Sloppies menu is the Peanut Butter and Crunchy Nut Corn Shake ($6). The first time I had it, I wrote on Instagram that it should be declared illegal in many countries because it's so addictive. The shake is blitzed through with chunky peanut butter ice cream and lightly topped with crisp corn flakes on top. It's a lot of fun, overworking your straw as you sip.

Sloppies also has plans for licensed drinks – aka tinnies – but for now, you can also get "$3 yank dranks" like Mountain Dew Voltage, which tastes like a screwy, oversugared translation of the raspberry flavour advertised on the can. (We loved it, while also acknowledging that we would pay major nutitritional penance for consuming its stupidly enjoyable flavour.)

Also on the cards: Saturday night hours for Sloppies, which would make it a perfect pre-movie dinner spot, given its proximity to the Broadway cinemas. Currently, though, its doors are open Wednesday to Friday, 6-10pm. Order up, make a mess and don't let any nutritional concern infiltrate your thoughts. This isn't the kind of place to be an overserious killjoy – it's called Sloppies, after all.

Sloppies (at Wedge Espresso), 53-55 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe (enter on Cowper Street). Follow Sloppies on Twitter.

Earl's Juke Joint, Newtown

2013-07-09T23:50:00.000+10:00

Earl's Juke Joint in Newtown is finally open.

There's been drumroll anticipation for this new bar since last August, when Time Out Sydney reported that Pasan Wijesena (of Shady Pines) would kickstart his own establishment at the old Betta Meats location on King Street. I've been keeping an eye out for any microscopic change in its facade whenever I've walked past in the last year (especially as the bar was apparently meant to open in December); yesterday, a non-descript sign finally went up saying Earl's Juke Joint would be ready on Tuesday. The entrance was even more low-key today, with nothing but the old Betta Meats logo to cryptically explain to people why this long unoccupied butcher was suddenly abuzz inside. (The front display's promise of "continental smallgoods" and "top quality meats" probably didn't dissolve the mystery either.)

So with no actual sign outside, gloomy Tuesday night rain to abet anyone's preference for staying in, and only a few hours of open business so far – Earl's Juke Joint was already jammed with people. Part credit goes to the reputation of Shady Pines and all its related ventures (Baxter Inn, Frankie's Pizza); any bar with a link to that family of good-time establishments is a big drawcard, it's seen as a shortcut to guaranteed fun. And Earl's Juke Joint lives up to that – as the New Orleans flag near the bar hints, this place taps into the spirit of that lively city.

It also beats to the drum of Earl Palmer, the famous local that gave us the foundation stone of rock'n'roll. Framed music prints – such as posters of Fats Domino and T-Bone Walker – resonate across the walls, and the soundtrack runs on endless pick-me-up mode. You know discography is a big deal here when one of the advertised house rules is, "If Triumph by the Wu-Tang Clan plays, there will momentarily be no bar service. At least for the first verse anyway".

To match this vibrant atmosphere is a list of fun drinks – including a rum-and-sugarcane cocktail dedicated to rapper Phife Dawg and a whiskey-spiked strawberry lemonade that is damn delicious – and complimentary serves of Bombay spice mix to keep your appetite in check. So, that front window signage is partly true: the meats are a long-gone fixture, but this place remains "top quality".

Earl's Juke Joint, 407 King Street, Newtown NSW

New podcast: Kristen Allan of Cornersmith and Full Circle

2013-07-09T13:54:00.003+10:00

What's it like to stage a dinner in the back lot of Opera Australia? Or throw a random soup party in a park and hope you don't get busted? Kristen Allan would know, as these are some of the guerilla culinary events she's organised with Full Circle (the team that also ran The Eat In pop-up restaurant in Chippendale earlier this year).

She also teaches excellent cheesemaking workshops at Cornersmith, so she's also an expert on ricotta, labne, and all things curds and whey – and in fact, can personally tell you what's more unappealing than eating maggot-riddled cheese (you'll be surprised by her answer!) or the lovely story behind the most expensive cheese she's ever bought. Kristen also chats about her unusual career path into the world of food; her time at much-loved Italian restaurants Vini and Berta; and her involvement with Cornersmith's newest establishment – a school and picklery opening in August.

Thanks to Kristen for being my guest on the podcast (and letting me record from her lovely house). You can download the interview from iTunes or via RSS.

Keep updated with Kristen's events by following her on Facebook. For her latest round of cheese-making classes, see her website.

In The Annex, Forest Lodge

2013-07-01T23:16:00.001+10:00

Some places have a way of winning you over in record-breaking time. This is the case with In The Annex in Forest Lodge, which is now my new favourite cafe.

It's the kind of establishment where you order something unassuming, like Roasted Potato ($15), thinking it'll just be target practice for your knife and fork. Then the dish arrives at your table and it's this expectation-blitzing work of art – an exquisite sculpture collection on a plate, with zucchini ribbons unscrolling around clouds of potato puree; play coins of potato, so vibrantly coloured they're like escapees from a Miro painting; a feathery landing of dill and parsley, chunky edges of smoked cheddar and a dynamite stick of seeded Organic Bread Bar goodness. From plain-sounding order to knockout when fully revealed – it's kinda like the brunch version of The Ugly Duckling.

Perhaps this should be no surprise as the menu is by Joey Astorga (who can take credit for this cafe, alongside Edrick Santos and Theo Hlorotiris). He used to be head chef at El Capo in Surry Hills, which was home to a three-milk cake so good-looking that I called it the "Ryan Gosling of desserts". So, here, you can order a side of Avo ($4) to go with your breakfast, thinking it'll be another functional, background-receding dish, but it comes out as artful avocado crescents with radish slices that could be stunt doubles for lily blooms. And OK, so the Brussel Sprouts ($4), roasted and tossed through with sesame seeds, isn't exactly a pin-up beauty, but it's so flavoursome that it'd instantly erase the bad rep the vegetable has among green-fearing kids.

It's not the usual breakfast extra you'd see on a cafe menu either, but that's the charm of In The Annex - its selection is short, capped at five items for each daytime meal, but they're not the usual suspects. Early risers can order a Kale and Egg Roll with Chilli Relish and Aioli ($6.50; $8.50 with crispy speck) or Earl Grey Bircher Muesli with Pineapple and Passionfruit ($10), for instance; while lunchtime diners can ask for Cured Duck ($16) with brioche, duck egg and the excellent brussel sprouts; Crumbed Egg with Mushy Peas ($15) or Spiced Eggplant ($15), which is tucked in a tomato braise with potato chunks, olives, capers, poached egg ($15) – it's one of those warming, security-blanket dishes that feels like an upside to this miserable cold weather.

There are also inventive drinks – like a frappe blitzed together from grapefruit, honey, ginger and tonic ($8) – or something that's halfway between a virgin Bloody Mary and gazpacho (it's a savoury, icy crush of tomato, chilli, lime and celery). And good coffee by Umami and tea offerings by Ttotaler in Marrickville.

There's an eccentric charm to the space: tables, made of reclaimed wood, have that patchy reveal of old, withheld colours; a spice grinder is a hiding spot for toothpicks, while a Bankstown souvenir spoon is shovelled into a labware beaker functioning as a sugar pot. Many items were either recycled (such as the 100-year-old bricks) or happened to be unique scores from op shops. So In The Annex has this lived-in, age-worn appeal, like it's been here for ages, instead of only being a few weeks old. I like this place a lot, I hope it racks up a longevity that matches the lengthy lives of all the vintage goods scattered throughout.

In The Annex, 35 Ross St, Forest Lodge NSW. Follow In The Annex on Facebook

Chur Burger reopens in Surry Hills

2013-06-26T23:17:00.000+10:00

Chur Burger reopened in Surry Hills this week. It's upsized its digs – moving from its squeezy Beauchamp Lane quarters into the roomier location where Albion Street Kitchen used to be – and it's also stretched out its menu, too. Not only can you carbo-load on the joint's acclaimed $10 burgers, you can now score more sides, shakes and salads and even splurge on desserts (Smashed Pavlova; Macadamia Pie with Whisky Ice Cream; an inventive take on Banana Split). And Chur Burger now rolls onto dinner time, too – so if you're feeling real flashy, you can even order a $20 main (a bargain, considering it comes from a kitchen run by hatted chef Warren Turnbull). Despite these menu additions, it's hard to skip over the chilli-salted chips and pattie-loaded buns that attracted you here in the first place. Nice to see this place back in the neighbourhood.

Chur Burger, 48 Albion St, Surry Hills NSW (02) 9211 8105, churburger.com.au.