When market forces don’t consume bad restaurants

Have you heard of the Vapiano Italian restaurant chain? Last Saturday, while trawling for a Sydney restaurant that didn't cost a motza, I came across Vapiano Italian Restaurant. Vapiano has outlets in Melbourne, Sydney and the Gold Coast, and a further google search revealed that there are 150 outlets worldwide. It was certainly well priced, conveniently...

Salad for blokes: masculine leaf salad

Hard landing on restaurant’s soft furnishings

I have another blog, Julie's Rant, where I rant about all things evil: politics, TV, menu malfunctions and the like. In a little shameless cross-promotion, here is a recent rant on something I hold dear - restaurant noise levels. Every time I go to a restaurant I feel myself becoming more and more like an...

Back to Blacktown’s finest Burmese

Despite winning the 2014 SMH Best Value in Sydney Under $30 Awards and the subsequent publicity, Sun's Burmese Kitchen in Blacktown still is the real deal. I've been there three times in the last six months, including once since they became an award winner, and they are still dishing out tasty, delicate, unusual, authentic Burmese fodder....

Stop queuing for food, Sydney-siders!

Have we come full circle? I don't understand why Sydney people think it is ok to be charged a lot of money to queue for lunch for 45 minutes. I think the revolution has gone far enough! What is next? We will pay for waitstaff to insult us and send us to the back of the queue...

Di Lusso Cucina

Di Lusso Winery in Mudgee is the go-to spot for a slice of the good life. Sure, there's wine tastings, olive tastings, weddings, plus a large semi-outdoor restaurant. We wiled away a couple of hours in the restaurant last weekend with friends in one of life's great pleasures - the long lunch. The owners of Di Lusso's are Italy-philes and...

Eat Epping: Jonga Jip Korean BBQ House

Epping in Sydney's north-west(ish) is a hotbed of, well not much really. It has a handful of cafes and restaurants, a supermarket and a club. But things are looking up. It boasts Jonga Jip Korean BBQ Restaurant, an offshoot of its big brother at Eastwood, which regularly attracts crowds. The Epping version is quieter but...

Cabramatta – Sydney’s Little Vietnam

It takes me an hour to get to Cabramatta. But it's still the next best thing to going to Vietnam. Located in Sydney's south-west, Cabramatta has long been Sydney's Vietnamese hub and it is an invigorating mix of Vietnamese style eateries and food outlets, traffic chaos and the occasional zen moment. Food? Sorted. There are classic...