Monthly Archives: November 2015

Food Diary: East Ocean Restaurant, Chinatown, Sydney

Posted on 30 November 2015 by andyq

I haven’t been to East Ocean in ages, having ended up in the habit of dropping by Zilver, mainly, or perhaps Marigold for old times sake. But taking a young fourteen-year-old friend out for yum cha, I liked the idea … Continue reading →

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Home Cooking: Heston Blumenthal’s Lemon Tart

Posted on 27 November 2015 by andyq

So, I’m going through a pie-making phase. Why not? All purpose. Slightly retro. Who doesn’t like a piece of pie… or tart, as the case may be? But the last time I made a lemon tart, I remember that it … Continue reading →

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Food Diary: Jonkanoo, Surry Hills, Sydney

Posted on 20 November 2015 by andyq

It’s strange to say that I miss Caribbean food when I can’t say that I’m all that much an expert in it. Jamaican patties in Vancouver (possibly not the best) and superb rotis in Toronto (oh my god, these were … Continue reading →

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Food Diary: Firedoor, Surry Hills, Sydney (Part 1 and 2)

Posted on 20 November 2015 by andyq

Wow. I’d heard good things about Firedoor, but in November, we had a pretty much perfect food night: surprising, tasty and innovative with an extremely fair price of $85 for a whatever-the-chef-decides kind of night. The interiors are Surry Hills … Continue reading →

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Food Diary: Shakespeare Hotel, Surry Hills, Sydney

Posted on 18 November 2015 by andyq

The Shakespeare Hotel in Surry Hills on Devonshire Street is an institution. It has remained the same since I first arrived in Sydney, and describes itself as one of the last ‘authentic pubs in Sydney’. It even has accommodation upstairs, … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers

Posted on 17 November 2015 by andyq

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell My rating: 3 of 5 stars I’m feeling really ambiguous about Malcolm Gladwell lately. In some ways, it’s related to how GOOD his writing is. He spins a great story. They’re the … Continue reading →

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Food Diary: Lal Qila, Redfern, Sydney

Posted on 17 November 2015 by andyq

All those Indian restaurants along that stretch on Cleveland Street, between Bourke and Crown, are tasty enough, and inexpensive, but none has ever stood out to me. Instead, I’ve been a number of times to this crowded Pakistani restaurant, with … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Patrick Gale’s A Place Called Winter

Posted on 17 November 2015 by andyq

A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale My rating: 4 of 5 stars As I’ve written before in book reviews, I often look to books in slightly opposing ways: both to find myself, and to be introduced to a completely … Continue reading →

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Food Diary: Buster Brown, Darlinghurst, Sydney

Posted on 16 November 2015 by andyq

Sunday lunch, on the terrible day after the events in Paris, it seemed appropriate to discover a French cafe in my neighbourhood, and perhaps in a misguided way to show support. With a name like Buster Brown, who knew? But … Continue reading →

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The Sze Yap underachievers

Posted on 15 November 2015 by andyq

I just finished reading Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers and came across a passage that struck me. His theory is that the cultures that cultivated rice paddies, as compared to other crops such as wheat, learned that their success depended not on … Continue reading →

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