Snaps of Sydney 2025

August 8-11, 2025

   

Michael signed up for Sydney's City2Surf this year, and we used it as an excuse to have a long weekend in the city. It rained heavily and incessantly so, run aside, we focused on indoor activities like the White Rabbit Gallery and Golden Age Cinema. We didn't let it get in the way of good eating, either!

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We arrived in Sydney just in time for lunch, and found casual Thai restaurant YOD to be the closest all-veg option to our accommodation. YOD has a dozen $15 lunch specials, but we were ready to splash out on a couple of the numerous full-price mains. I was over the moon with the colours and flavours of my Kao Klug Ka-Pi ($19.90, pictured above). Even the mound of jasmine rice was dotted with fermented soybeans and rich with flavour, let alone the veg mince, sweet and chewy barbecue strips, crispy-fried enoki, bright chopped salad veges and chilli. Happy to be in hotter weather, I teamed the plate with a coconut smoothie ($10, also above). Michael's Ga-Prao ($19.90, pictured below) looked more modest, but was a deceptively tasty medley of eggplant, mushrooms, tofu, mock meat and veges in a Thai basil sauce that was heavier on the black pepper than the chilli.

   

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We had a lovely evening catching up with Herbal Gill and her Significant Eater. Gill booked us into a new vegan ramen restaurant named Towzen, and we're so lucky that she did! As a queue built along the block, we were able to skip right in to our reserved seats. Six varied ramen bowls head the menu, all enriched with plant-based milks. The aroma surrounding us nudged Gill to select the truffle ramen ($35), while Michael took on the Si Chuan Tan Tan Men ($32, pictured above) where soy meat, mushrooms and other vegetables were swirled in an oat milk broth flavoured with sesame paste, peanut paste and chilli oil.

As a group, we shared okra ($12) and lion's mane mushroom karaage ($20), and drank house-made sodas flavoured alternately with yuzu and strawberry ($10 each, pictured below). Everything was prepared with care and precision and served at reasonable speed. (Luckily we also grabbed a drink at the neighbouring Papa Gede's Bar before eating, so we'd had plenty of time to chat.)

   

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I've been following Don Fred on instagram for a while, and we booked it in for another dinner. At night Don Fred is loud, crowded and dimly lit, with a very friendly host. Though it's Italian, there are zero pizzas and two pastas on the menu - rather, there's a series of veg-based shared dishes with a few appearances of mock meat, and half a dozen focaccia sandwiches with thoughtfully composed fillings. We had a pleasant time with the polpetz on polenta chips ($28) and the garlic green beans ($16), but the biggest plate and biggest success was the casarecce carbonara ($26). It was tasty way for Michael to carb-load ahead of his race, though my inability to hear him and carry a conversation was a dampener.

   

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On Sunday morning, I took a bus well away from the City2Surf crowds. The Marrickville Markets were a complete washout - regrettably I didn't have the appetite for the vegan pastries on offer, and satisfied myself with a vegan chai under the verandah and a large punnet of strawberries for later. Our friend Jess had urged us to visit Miss Sina, and it was overwhelming in its own way too - very busy, with a dense indoor queue that didn't give clear sight of the numerous vegan sweet treats in the display case. (The staff were lovely, though!) I ordered a Lox & Loaded bagel ($17, pictured below) to take away and it was still in good shape when I pulled it out of my backpack, sitting in the Botanic Gardens an hour and a half later. The everything bagel had lost the crispness of toasting, but was still an excellent base for a herb schmear, carrot lox, caper verde, cucumber and dill (I asked them to omit the usual pickled onion).

   

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Radiant from a running success, Michael chose The Chippo Hotel for dinner. The all-vegan pub menu had us spoiled for choice: blooming onions, corn ribs, loaded fries, including an Irish spice bag! Salads, pasta, bangers and mash, a KFC plate, even lasagne! Somehow, we just wanted to keep it simple and chose from the six burgers. My smashed cheezeburger and Michael's zinga ($26 each, pictured above) were both solid and satisfying, and the fries were just fine. My foam-topped Frenchtini mocktail ($12, pictured below) was more memorable. I hope we get a chance to revisit The Chippo one day and order more adventurously.

   

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Our Sydney mornings were bookended by visits to A.P. House, a rooftop bakery with varied stunning baked goods. I absolutely loved the milk bun stuffed with an egg cake, cheese, onion and salted egg yolk ($18, pictured above) and hash brown ($8, pictured above), and Michael was just as pleased with the messy, oily Turkish eggs and garlic bread ($23, pictured above). The zucchini flower & ricotta focaccia ($14, pictured below) and Vegemite cheesy scroll ($9.50, not pictured) were winners, but the hot pocket ($22, not pictured) wasn't as successful. We sampled well across the sweets, too, relishing the brownie-like dark chocolate cookie ($8), Basque cheesecake ($10), candied orange brioche Danish ($11) and impeccable lemon meringue tart ($9, pictured below).

   

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Sydney wasn't its most sparkly self for us this year, but the city's restaurants served us so well. We're always happy to go back to see and taste what's new.

Coconut caramel cake

August 2, 2025

   

My chocolate-avoiding mum stopped in for a visit, and I had time to bake us a cocoa-free treat in the couple of hours before she arrived. Even better, Michael and I had time to feast at Tofu Shoten around our grocery shopping. We were hoping to find frozen grated coconut at an Indian grocer that Michael recalled being nearby but they were long gone. Woolies didn't have the coconut either, though they did have something called "moist flakes coconut" that I was hoping would do the job. We were home before I noticed that the flakes were already sweetened and I regretted my choices.

To be honest, this coconut caramel-topped cake went just fine even if I wasn't thrilled with it. The cake was warm and fluffy on the day of baking, firmed up a lot on day two, and I couldn't really taste the cardamom either way. The thick layer of coconut caramel on top was perfectly browned, very sweet and verrry chewy. The recommended dollop of plain yoghurt offered a welcome tangy contrast. I wonder if frozen coconut would be more tender - probably so, but not enough to rescue this recipe from my ambivalence. This was a good cake, but not a great cake, happily shared during a fine family time.

   

Coconut caramel cake

(slightly adapted from a recipe in The Guardian)

coconut caramel

120g caster sugar

250ml coconut milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

300g fresh or frozen coconut, coarsely grated (not 225g sweetened moist coconut flakes)

30g butter

cake batter

3 eggs

220g caster sugar

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon salt

220g plain flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

80g butter, melted

150mL coconut milk

to serve

yoghurt

Start by making the caramel. Place the sugar in a saucepan and set it over medium heat. Swish it around intermittently for about 5 minutes, until the sugar is melted and golden brown. Gently add the coconut milk and salt - it'll sputter. Carefully stir it all together until it's well combined (the sugar may solidify and need to re-melt). Stir in the coconut and cook for a couple more minutes. Stir in the butter until melted and well combined. Turn off the heat and allow the caramel to cool.

Preheat an oven to 190°C. Line a springform cake tin with paper and spray with oil.

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, cardamom and salt. Keep beating for several minutes until very fluffy. Sift over the flour and baking powder and fold them into the egg mixture. Gently stir in the melted butter and the coconut milk.

Pour the cake batter into the cake tin and bake for 40 minutes, until golden. Spread the coconut caramel over the top of the cake and bake for a further 15-20 minutes, until the topping is golden and a little crisp at the edges. Allow the cake to cool before releasing it from the tin and serving, with a generous dollop of yoghurt.

Biang! Biang!

August 1, 2025 

   

We've been very fond of biangbiang or youpo noodles since our 2018 trip to China. We love the ones at Master Lanzhou in Melbourne and have been meaning for a while to check out Biang! Biang!'s version. Their Elizabeth St outlet was conveniently close to Jess Ribeiro's Friday night set at Rocksteady Records.

   

The menu wasn't explicit about veg*n or gluten-free items but we were pretty comfortable with guessing. Though we knew a lot of food was to come, we couldn't resist splitting a fried tofu and egg pastry ($9.50) out of curiosity. It was super-flaky with dense, salty fillings that begged for a little chilli oil.

   

Michael ordered the signature BiangBiang Noodles with Chilli ($14.50), the whole reason we turned up. Since there wasn't any extra chilli oil at the table they were a bit milder than his usual bowl; also oilier.

   

Determined to order across the menu, I skipped the classic bowl and chose the BiangBiang Noodles with Tomato Egg ($14.50). It's a mild and comforting dish for the chilli averse. I really struggled to maneuvre the noodles but that's probably not Biang! Biang!'s fault - I've just got to work those chopstick-wielding muscles more often. 

This was a successful visit! The noodles were bouncy, abundant, and cheap. We're not convinced that Biang! Biang! outperforms Master Lanzhou, but it's a worthy rival.

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Biang! Biang!

419 Elizabeth St, Melbourne CBD

8529 4900

noodles & pastry; side dishes, dumplings & combos

https://www.biangbiang.com.au/

Accessibility: Biang! Biang! has a step up on entry and a clear walkway through to the low counter. Tables are densely arranged and regular height with backless stools. We ordered and paid ahead at the counter, and received food at our table. We didn't visit the toilets.

The Abyssinian

 July 25, 2025

   

We've been talking about going to The Abyssinian since we read about it in an early-2000s Melbourne Cheap Eats Guide. Something about the awkward location on Flemington Road meant that we wound up sampling a whole bunch of other Ethiopian places around town before we finally headed over there for an early dinner on a rainy Friday almost two decades later. It's got a nice, cosy atmosphere and the staff were friendly and efficient.

Our Ethiopian restaurant approach is pretty well established these days - get the vego platter for two (here that costs $48) and enjoy a sampler of all the delicious stews on offer dabbed on a giant injera plate. 

 

   

I always love the lentil dishes (ades on the right and tumtummo on the left, above), but I think the berbere pumpkin in the little bowl at the back (dubba) was my favourite on this night. It's such a fun way to eat, digging in with your hands and scooping up rich, warming veggies in the slightly tangy, springy bread. I don't think the food here is markedly better or worse than other options - Ge'ez is a bit more convenient for us probably - but I'm really glad we finally got to The Abyssinian.

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The Abyssinian has been reviewed positively by Whatever Floats Your Bloat, Tomatom, mamma knows west, Sweet and Sour Fork, Decisive Cravings and Oh... and the kitchen sink.

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The Abyssinan

277 Racecourse Road, Kensington

9376 8754

dinner menu, a la carte, dessert, drinks

https://www.theabyssinian.com.au/

Accessibility: There's a flat but narrow entry and a fairly crowded interior. We ordered at the table and paid at a high counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

Times New Roman

July 17, 2025

   

Michael had been keeping a close eye on the opening of Times New Roman, a Brunswick sibling to Fitzroy's cheap and cheerful pasta restaurant Good Times. It was instantly very popular, booked out and not conducive to the spontaneous walk-in we most wanted for cheap and cheerful pasta. Luckily, we're also willing to eat early in our advancing ages, so we later successfully nabbed a right-on-opening weeknight spot at the end of the central communal table.

   

I really liked the warm, nostalgic fit-out, which reminded me of the Waiters' Restaurant. The menu's available on paper, but orders at more easily lodged and paid for by QR code. There's a list of a dozen tinned fishes and other little savouries like cheese, Cheezels, olives, pickles, and cucumber stuffed with cashew whip. We split a mini burrata ($6), which was fresh, just a little oozy, and well seasoned with olive oil and pepper.

   

We skipped past the salads and focused on pasta, about half of which were vegetarian. Three vegan options and a $3 gluten-free penne surcharge were clearly noted. The mushroom garlic white wine ragu ($18) was more spaghetti than sauce; well flavoured and not excessively rich.

   

Meanwhile, the rigatoni were thickly coated in basil pesto ($17) and studded with just a few walnuts. It was a hearty winter bowl, not brightly summery as basil often feels. In both cases, we found the pasta chewy - perhaps authentically al dente, but tougher than we personally prefer.

   

It wasn't the right night for dessert (a choice of choc chip cookie tiramisu or peach cheesecake). We liked the cosy, casual style of Times New Roman but it remains to be seen whether it'll slip easily into our local eating habits.

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Times New Roman

66 Lygon St, Brunswick East

0403 848 961

menu

instagram page

Accessibility: There's one step up and a low desk that narrows the entry. Furniture is densely packed and low height, a mixture of tight booths and backed chairs. We ordered and paid via app at our table.

Microwaved porridge

July-August, 2025

   

Getting a microwave in the past year has been handy for leftovers, heat packs, and the odd meal. It's also inspired me to circle back to porridge as a winter breakfast, after at least a decade's lapse. It's fast, it's filling, and it doesn't create a messy saucepan to clean up!

I also find it's a handy way to use up pantry odds and ends as toppings. This bowl included brown sugar syrup, chia seeds, chopped dried figs and walnuts. More recently I've switched to dried apricots and flaked almonds.

Microwaved porridge

(a recipe gleaned from some general online searching)

Use a mug to measure out your desired quantity of quick oats, and place them in a microwave-safe serving bowl. Fill the mug with a equal volume of liquid and stir it briefly into the oats (I use an even mix of milk and water). Microwave the mixture on a standard setting for 1:30 minutes. Stir the mixture, then return it to the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir the porridge again.

Add your toppings. I drizzle over a sweet syrup, sprinkle on some seeds, often add some extra cold milk, and finish with dried fruit and nuts.

Some slice with some crunches

July 13, 2025 

   

On a mini weekend away in Castlemaine during July, I had the perfect piece of slice at Stak's Cafe. It was a bit biscuity but more chewy caramel, with big chocolate buttons melted into the top and lots of roasted peanuts. It made me want to bake something similarly chaotic and sweet and salty, so I pulled out a recipe for 'quadruple crunch bars' from Hungry & Frozen. It smashes together potato chips (ever heard of 'em?), rice bubbles, butterscotch lollies and chocolate into a biscuit slice base.

I have to admit up front that I let down this recipe before it let down me. I melted the butter instead of creaming it with the sugar because I'm lazy about using electric beaters, this is a slice, and I wasn't convinced that it was needed. Then I used a medium-large bowl that was way too small for all the dough and the gentle folding needed here. From there I think the recipe needs to take some responsibility: there was way too much mixture for a 25cm square baking tray, perhaps even too much for the 25 cm x 30 cm tray I tried after that. There was so much chocolate (complimentary) that it wasn't to be drizzled about playfully, but instead thickly spread across the entire slice.

Honestly, this was not quite the crunch-a-thon I was hoping for (although the height of the slice certainly did have it crashing into the roof of my mouth). I was surprised how much the potato chips, rice bubbles and butterscotch melded into the biscuit dough. The slice did get a bit crunchier after storage in the fridge. I think these were originally intended to be cookies and I'm tempted to backtrack to that version... rolling the biscuit dough into loose balls and shoving chunks of the crunchy ingredients (choc chips included) into it. This was a sweet, fun slice and yet I hold out hope that there is an even more brilliant recipe lurking within it. 

Some slice with some crunches

(slightly adapted from this recipe on Hungry & Frozen)

250g butter

300g brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

300g plain flour

2 tablespoons milk

150g plain salted, ruffled potato chips

60g rice bubbles

140g bag Werther's Originals butterscotch lollies

200g chocolate

Preheat an oven to 190°C. Line a walled baking tray with paper (at least 25 cm x 30 cm).

Melt the butter and place it in a very large bowl. Stir in the brown sugar, then the vanilla, then the bicarb soda and baking powder. Sift and stir in the flour and then the milk, mixing until well combined. 

Crush the potato chips and add 3/4 of them to the bowl, along with the rice bubbles. No need to stir them just yet!

Unwrap and roughly chop the Werther's butterscotch lollies and add them to the bowl. Now it's time to carefully fold the crunchy things through the dough, mixing until just combined.

Transfer the mixture to the baking tray and use the back of a spoon to spread it out as evenly as you can. Cut slices into the dough where you plan to portion it later. Bake the slice for 25-30 minutes, until golden on top. Allow the slice to cool.

Melt the chocolate using your preferred method and spread it over the slice - the original recipe suggested decorative drizzling but I had plenty for a full layer across the slice. Sprinkle over the remaining chips so that they're caught in the chocolate as it sets. Cut and serve the slice after the chocolate has set.

Cheesy scone wedges

June 29, 2025

   

I was not planning to blog this recipe. It was a spontaneous after-work thing, just a little something to eat with the potato and leek soup that Michael was planning and one quick, poorly composed photo for the groupchat. But these cheesy scone wedges, with a bit of leftover chopped chives thrown in, were so incredibly good that I don't want to forget them.

This might be the first time that I've stumbled upon achieving the flaky texture of an American scone. Even better, I achieved it with a food processor and minimal mess. I think the key is not overworking the dough, which keeps some little pockets of butter distinct from the flour. I have very little experience with RecipeTin's famous recipes since they're not vegetarian but these scones are clear evidence that they know what they're doing. 

Cheesy scone wedges

(slightly adapted from a recipe on RecipeTin Eats)

1 3/4 cups plain flour, plus a little extra for working the dough

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

100g butter, cold and diced

2 cups grated cheddar (I used Damona pecorino and it was brilliant)

1/4 cup chives, finely chopped (optional)

3/4 cup milk

Preheat an oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with paper.

Place the flour, baking powder and salt into a food processor. Pulse briefly to mix. Add the butter and pulse just a few times until it's down to pea-sized pieces (don't overdo it - I think is where the flakiness comes from). Add 1 1/2 cups of the cheese and the chives (if using) and pulse just once to partially mix. Gradually add the milk through the top tube and pulse intermittently, until the mixture just comes together.

Sprinkle a little flour onto a clean work surface and turn the dough onto it. Bring the dough together into a very thick disc (maybe 5 cm?). Slice the disc into 6 wedges and place them on the baking tray with a 2 cm gap between pieces. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the scone wedges and lightly press it in. Bake the scones for around 20 minutes, until they're cooked through and the cheese on top is golden.

Etta 5

June 25, 2025

   

When we visited Etta for Michael's birthday this year, owner Hannah excitedly shared that they'd be offering $30 laksa bowls very soon, including a veg*n option. We kept a keen eye on their social media and booked in a table for 4 as soon as we could.

Unsurprisingly, the standard advertised version of the laksa wasn't vegetarian at all but we were able to confirm vegetarian and vegan versions with a follow-up message. Instead of crispy prawn lok-lok, we were served skewers of mushroom. Us two vegetarians received the standard bowl of coconut curry laksa with rice and egg noodles, golden tofu, cucumber and bean sprouts, while our vegan companions skipped out on the egg noodles and received regular (not golden) tofu. It was complex, tasty and a fun little diversion on a weeknight - not the best of Etta's eating, but the best of their service (which never wavers).

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You can read about one, two, three, four of our more elaborate previous visits.

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Etta 

60 Lygon St, Brunswick 

9448 8233 

laksa on a Wednesday $30 

http://ettadining.com.au/ 

Accessibility: The entry is flat and there is one step up from the bar area to the dining area. Tables are moderately spaced and lighting is quite dim. We received full table service. Toilets are unisex and spacious, but we didn't notice handrails or other mobility aids.

Golden syrup potato dumplings

June 21, 2025

   

While the potato chip Florentines were fast and fun, this idea rattled around in my head for a while before I was ready to get a saucepan out. I don't have a history with golden syrup dumplings though I feel as if I should. They're surely a cousin to the self-saucing puddings I know, with the golden syrup hinting at a British-Aussie lineage, easy to imagine either of my grandmothers making even though I don't think they did! (There's a little more about golden syrup dumplings on Green Gourmet Giraffe.)

I was thinking about how gnocchi are dumplings, and initially imagined that I might simply cook gnocchi in a golden syrup sauce as a potato-themed tribute to golden syrup dumplings. Then I thought about the savoury potato dumplings we love atop this mushroom casserole and figured I could go a step further, making my own potato scone dough instead of buying vegan gnocchi. This called for a couple of test batches. The first round was pretty good, but a bit rubbery due to my use of gluten-free flour. The second wheat-flour batch was noticeably better, and I went ahead and doubled it on potluck day, preparing them at home, then microwaving them at our host's house after dinner.

As a golden syrup dumpling novice, I struggled to judge when they were ready. I was very worried that the ones I took to the potluck had completely disintegrated into the sauce and I'd just be ladling out lumpy caramel soup for dessert. Thankfully I was mistaken, there were spoonable dumplings still to be found, and everyone (non-coeliac) took them on with enthusiasm and a scoop of vanilla icecream. The mashed potato renders their texture a little less cakey and more fudgy than a traditional dumpling but it's a standard texture scale for brownies that I'm happy to transfer to another dessert.

Golden syrup potato dumplings

(a meld of this savoury potato dumpling recipe and this golden syrup dumpling recipe)

dumpling dough

1 medium potato, to make 1/2 cup mashed potato

1 1/2 tablespoons margarine

3/4 cup plain flour (can use gluten-free but the texture is more rubbery)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon brown sugar 

1/4 cup water or milk

caramel sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup golden syrup

2 tablespoons margarine

1 1/2 cups water

Fill a saucepan with water and set it over medium-high heat. Peel and roughly chop the potato, and gently drop the pieces into the saucepan. Bring it all to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes but keep them in the saucepan. Mash the potatoes until there are no lumps, and stir in the margarine. Stir in the flour, baking powder and sugar, then the water/milk to make a dough.

Fill a larger saucepan with all of the sauce ingredients, stirring them together. Set the mixture over medium-high heat and bring it to the boil. Drop generous spoonfuls of the dough into the sauce. Reduce the heat to low and place a lid on the saucepan, cooking the dumplings until they pass the skewer test, about 15-20 minutes. Serve two dumplings each to four people, accompanied by a scoop of icecream.

Potato chip Florentines

June 21, 2025

   

After the great success of my tomato potluck desserts, I enjoyed musing over the possibility of potato potluck desserts for several weeks. This idea came late and fast: substitute plain potato chips in for the usual flaked almonds in my favourite Florentine recipe. So simple to do, and still so tasty! The potato chips toasted to perfection under the syrupy binding mixture, and the dash of salt was welcome. If anything I would have liked more potato flavour here. There's definitely room to play around with different potato chip brands and thicknesses, as well as the quantity added to the recipe. What a fun, tasty process of refinement that would be.

Potato chip Florentines

(adapted from this recipe by Meera Sodha)

60g pistachios, finely chopped 

90g thick/ruffled plain salted potato chips, crushed

50g hazelnuts, chopped 

100g dried cranberries (or other sour berries) 

2 tablespoons plain flour (can be gluten-free)

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

75g margarine 

50g brown sugar 

2 1/2 tablespoons golden syrup

200g dark chocolate

Heat an oven to 200°C. Line a large baking tray with paper.

Chop and crush all the ingredients that need it. Stir together all the nuts, chips and dried fruits in a large bowl. Stir through the flour, salt and cinnamon until combined.

Place the margarine, sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan and set it over medium heat. Cook the mixture, stirring, until everything has melted together and become smooth. (You can also heat in the microwave and stir together.) Take it off the heat and pour it over the nut mixture in the bowl. Stir it all together to combine, then pour the mixture out onto the baking tray. Form a large rectangle about 1 cm thick; mine was about 30 cm x 22 cm.

Bake the Florentine slab for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown - keep a close eye on it to avoid burning! Allow it to cool completely.

Melt the chocolate using your favourite method and pour it over the flattest side of the Florentine rectangle. Allow the chocolate to set completely at room temperature. Slice the Florentine slab into rectangles or diamonds to serve.  

Salt 'n' pepper gems

June 21, 2025

   

We've been getting the old potluck crew together again a bit this year and it's been so great. After the success of the tomato-themed evening earlier in the year, we regathered in June for a potato-focussed event. Potatoes offer up so many possibilities, but I've been eyeing off this very simple but very exciting-looking recipe in Hetty Lui McKinnon's Tenderheart since we first flicked through it. Potato gems are spectacular on their own, but this recipe really takes them to new heights. It's so, so easy and the return on investment is incredible - it was one of the hits of a very high quality potluck. Stop reading this, go and buy some gems and then come back and cook this up, trust me.

Salt and pepper potato gems

(from Hetty Lui McKinnon's Tenderheart)

800g frozen potato gems (one bag)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 red chilli, finely sliced

3 green onions, finely chopped

seasoning

2 teaspoons of salt

1/2 teaspoon white sugar

1 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice

Preheat an oven to 220°C and then bake the gems for half an hour, until they're golden and crispy - don't be afraid to give them more if they're not golden. 

Combine all the seasoning ingredients in a bowl and mix well. 

Heat a large frying pan or wok over medium heat and add the oil. Once it's nice and hot throw in the chilli and green onions and stir-fry for a minute. Throw in the gems and stir-fry for another couple of minutes until everything is nicely combined. 

Kill the heat and stir through the seasoning. Serve immediately. 

Cauliflower & eggplant, both with hoisin

June 7, 2025

   

While Michael was away on a work trip, I set about making myself a large, vege-full set of dishes that I could spin out over many meals. These two recipes from Tenderheart had a complementary way about them - the eggplant's marinade includes hoisin sauce and it's served over rice, while the cauliflower recipe involves making one's own hoisin and includes jointly cooking white rice, brown rice and quinoa.

Since I'm not fond of McKinnon's recommended green onion and coriander garnishes for these dishes, my rendition ended up looking very beige and brown. I went a little light on the hoisin for the cauliflower and had plenty leftover to lend to the eggplant marinade. I really enjoyed the mixed grains and would repeat that process to serve alongside any number of recipes.

Meanwhile, the eggplant didn't quite live up to the glossy image in the book. It was pleasantly salty and savoury, very tender; neither flawed nor quite what I was hoping for in a 'char siu' dish. Once I'd managed my expectations this was a very good meal that packed nicely for work lunches. Little garnishes like peanuts and sesame seeds make all the difference to me!

Hoisin-glazed cauliflower with mixed grains & peanuts

(slightly adapted from Hetty Lui McKinnon's Tenderheart)

1 head cauliflower

olive oil

salt and pepper

1/3 cup roasted peanuts

hoisin sauce

3 tablespoons tamari

2 tablespoons tahini

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

pepper

2 teaspoons miso

mixed grains

1 cup brown rice

1/2 cup white rice

1/4 cup quinoa

salt

Preheat an oven to 200°C.

Place the rices and the quinoa in a sieve and rinse them. Transfer them to a medium-large saucepan with 2 1/2 cups of water and a generous pinch of salt. Set the saucepan over high heat, bring it all to the boil and then turn the heat down to low. Cook the grains for 30-35 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the grains are tender. Turn off the heat but leave the lid on the saucepan.

While the grains are cooking, make the hoisin sauce by whisking all the ingredients together in a bowl.

Chop the cauliflower into big, chunky florets. Place them in a baking tray and stir through olive oil, salt and pepper, and several tablespoons of the hoisin sauce. Roast for 20-30 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender.

To serve, load plates up with grains, then cauliflower, spoon over extra hoisin and then sprinkle over the peanuts.

Eggplant, 'char siu' style

(slightly adapted from Hetty Lui McKinnon's Tenderheart)

2 large eggplants, sliced into 1cm thick rounds

white sesame seeds, to garnish

marinade

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon tamari

1 tablespoon golden syrup

2 teaspoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon five-spice powder

Whisk together all of the marinade ingredients. Arrange the eggplant slices in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over them. Allow the eggplants to soak up the marinade for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours. Turn them over and/or relayer them in the dish along the way, for more even flavouring, if you're marinating them for a longer period.

Preheat an oven to 200°C. Line 1-2 baking trays with paper.

Arrange the eggplant slices in one layer across the baking trays and bake them for 15 minutes. Retrieve the trays, flip the eggplant slices, and spoon some of the remaining marinade over them. Return to the oven for a further 15 minutes of baking. 

Serve the eggplant slices with more marinade spooned over the top, and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

Miso caramel apple pies

June 1, 2025

   

For Michael's birthday this year, his mum gave him a copy of The Australian Women's Weekly The Pie Maker Volume 2, a recipe book full of cute, single-serve pastries. I offered to make his pick of the recipes as a little home celebration on the weekend following his birthday. Apple pie has long been a favourite of Michael's so I wasn't surprised that he chose the miso caramel-garnished version in this book.

This was a fun little combination, very different to my go-to apple pie recipe. It started with frozen shortcrust pastry but I preferred to use puff, simply quartering the sheet and easing each square into a pie dish without trimming it. I'd never before noticed canned pie apple at the supermarket but we tracked it down and it was an easy filling, spiced up with ginger, cinnamon and miso. On top there's an elegant fan of apple slices; the recipe reckons that each pie can support half an apple but I thought a quarter was a better fit. The recipe's designed for a dedicated pie maker, but these ones were just as effectively baked in the oven.

Finally, there's miso-spiked top'n'fill caramel to drizzle over the top (and if you're sensible, a scoop of icecream on the side). It's a delicious little package, fit for a birthday.

   

As a post-script, here's Henry, the newest member of our household. He's as fond of human food as he is his own, and he stared longingly at these pies throughout their assembly.

Miso caramel apple pies

(slightly adapted from a recipe in
The Australian Women's Weekly The Pie Maker Volume 2)

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 tablespoon white miso

1/4 cup caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

385g can pie apple slices

1 red apple

miso caramel

1/2 cup canned caramel top'n'fill

2 tablespoons white miso

Preheat an oven to 180°C. Line four single-serve pie dishes with paper; I just used squares of paper and didn't worry too much about gaps. Cut the pastry into four squares of equal area and gently fit them into the pie dishes. Add some paper/pie weights and pre-bake the pastry for up to 10 minutes, until the pastry corners are just going golden.

Mix together the miso, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and the ginger in a medium bowl. Fold in the canned apple. When the pastry is ready, remove any pie weights and divide this mixture evenly into the four pie dishes.

Remove the core from the apple and slice it into thin wedges. Arrange the slices decoratively across the pies. Sprinkle over the remaining cinnamon and sugar. Bake until the pastry is golden brown but not burnt, about 10-15 minutes.

While the pies are baking, transfer the top'n'fill to a microwave-safe bowl and heat for about 40 seconds. Whisk in the miso until smooth.

Serve the pies warm, generously drizzled with the miso caramel, with a scoop of icecream on the side.

Beit Siti

June 1, 2025

   

I've been following Beit Siti on instagram for quite a while, and immediately put their cafe on my wishlist when its opening was announced in late May. The name means "grandmother's home" in Arabic, and the business pays homage to the Palestinian roots of founder Rahaf Al Khatib.

They're starting slowly and building up. When we arrived at lunch time on a Sunday, the display cabinet was about half sold-out. I missed out on a zaatar and cheese croissant but we happily made do with the alternatives (clockwise from top left): a savoury labaneh croissant ($12), a Danish spread with strawberry jam, dolloped with labaneh and garnished with pomegranate seeds and dill ($10), and a Musakahn Danish of confit onion, sumac and chickpeas ($10). The pastry was beautiful and the fillings so well composed.

   

Beit Siti post what they've got coming up each morning in their instagram stories: I've spotted labaneh cheesecake brownies, several flavours of focaccia, carrot and walnut cake, and mudjaddarah with a vegan option recently! I'd highly recommend stopping in and taking a chance on whatever's in store.

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Beit Siti

150 Bell St, Coburg

https://www.beitsiti.com/

Accessibility: Beit Siti has a ramp on entry. Furniture is mostly regular-height tables and backed chairs at medium spacing (though check out the lovely chaise lounge in the top photo!). We noticed that a high chair was available. We ordered and paid at a regular-height counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

Etta IV

May 29, 2025

   

Last year's visit to Etta for my birthday was such a success that I dragged us back again in May as I ticked off another year. The food at Etta these days is almost surgically designed to appeal to me - lots of bold flavours, Sichuan peppers popping up all over the place and a real emphasis on making the vegetarian food as interesting as the meaty stuff.

We ordered the set menu ($115 each) to save making any decisions - the vego version of this comes with a few dishes that aren't on the standard a la carte menu, so it's definitely worth the money if you're feeling fancy. 

   

They kicked things off with a thick slab of bread from the nearby Wild Life Bakery, served with smoked brown butter. I love the Wild Life bread and I would obviously eat smoked brown butter as part of every meal for the rest of my life if I could. When the butter runs out, you can dab the bread in the amazing Sichuan chilli oil that comes with the other dish - a skewer featuring quail egg, pickled daikon and lotus root. A great mix of flavours and textures to get things underway.

   

Next up was roast pumpkin, with seed satay sauce, Jerusalem artichoke crisp and pickled onions. The satay on this had a nice spicy bite, with some acid from the pickles and a creamy base really drawing out the sweet, rich pumpkin. Great crunch from the crisps on top too - this was a big hit.

   

We also loved the pickled and smoked eggplant, with sambal and crispy potatoes - it's working with the same kind of ideas, spicy sauce, acid from the pickles, rich smokiness and then crisp on top. This one isn't on the regular menu, but you should get your hands on it if you can!

   

The greens dish was a mix of Brussels sprouts and Chinese broccoli, served with puffed buckwheat and a fermented tofu cream. A pretty impressive plate for your side veggies.

   

Next up was a golden egg tofu, served on a corn reduction and topped with pickled chrysanthemum. The tofu texture is so incredible - smooth and creamy underneath a delicately crisp outer layer. Variations on this are a staple on the Etta menu and I would always order it. 

   

I would also always order the heartiest dish of the night, the zongzi, featuring oyster mushrooms and black bean chilli oil. I'd never heard of zongzi before Etta served it up - they're steamed glutinous rice cakes basically. Etta's version is so rich and savoury, with meaty mushrooms and five spice and the kick of the chilli oil. It's sublime, especially in winter.

   

The dessert for the night was the dish that is becoming Etta's signature - the chilli oil parfait, with melon, lychee and lime leaf sorbet. The chilli oil parfait is very clever, and this is a really fresh and sharp dessert - it feels a bit more summery than the rest of the menu, but it shows off Etta's approach really well.

We just had a spectacular dinner - service is always exceptional: incredibly friendly, but always super sharp, and the space is a delight, especially in the back dining room area. Every time we go I want to go back immediately - it's a special occasion place that feels like your favourite local as well.

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You can read about our previous visits to Etta here, here and here, as well as a positive review at The Juliet Report.

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Etta

60 Lygon St, Brunswick

9448 8233

autumn a la carte, set menu

http://ettadining.com.au/

Accessibility: The entry is flat and there is one step up from the bar area to the dining area. Tables are moderately spaced and lighting is quite dim. We received full table service. Toilets are unisex and spacious, but we didn't notice handrails or other mobility aids.

Kale dumplings with brothy butter beans

May 25, 2025

   

We're still working our way through the delights of Hetty Lui McKinnon's Tenderheart, and Melbourne's grim winter had us digging this perfect warming stew. It went so well that we made it for a second time about a week later for friends, and it's immediately slotted into my favourites list. It's kind of a nice one to have two people at work here - both times I took charge of the stew and Cindy managed dumplings - but nothing here is actually super complicated or time-consuming. The first time we did it we followed Hetty's instructions and steam-cooked the dumplings on top of the stew (covered, in the saucepan), but we had enough spare to do an oven baked batch as well and that ended up as our go-to method. Either way is utterly delicious though - you wind up with this hearty, aromatic stew topped with rich, cheesy dumplings. It really is an aboslute killer.

Kale dumplings with brothy butter beans

(a recipe from Hetty Lui McKinnon's Tenderheart)

olive oil

1 leek, white and pale green parts, finely sliced

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon red chilli flakes

400g can crushed tomatoes

500ml veggie stock

2 x 400g cans butter beans, drained

1 teaspoon white sugar

50g kale leaves (about half a small bunch), destemmed and finely chopped

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

half a bunch of basil leaves, roughly chopped

salt and pepper

dumplings

1 cup plain flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 tablespoons butter

50g kale leaves (the other half a bunch), destemmed and finely chopped

3/4 cup grated cheddar

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

half a bunch of basil leaves, chopped

salt and pepper

In a large saucepan heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and, when it's hot, add in the leek and stir-fry for 2 or 3 minutes until it softens. Throw in the garlic, tomato paste, paprika and chilli flakes and stir for anothe minute or so.

Add the tomatoes, stock, beans and sugar and season well with salt and pepper. Bring the mix to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, get to work on your dumplings. Combine the flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper in a bowl. Rub the butter into the flour mix with your fingers and then stir in the kale, cheese and basil and mix well. Beat the egg into the milk and then fold this into the mix until everything is just combined.

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

Go back to your stew and stir the kale leaves and red wine vinegar in, tasting the mix and seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.

Transfer the stew to a casserole dish or ceramic baking tray and scoop out golf ball sized dumpling balls and layer them across the stew - you need to leave a little space between them because they'll expand a bit while you bake. 

Give them about 15 minutes in the oven - you want the dumplings to go a little bit golden on top and be cooked through (a skewer should come out clean). 

Serve, topped with the remaining basil leaves and a few drizzles of olive oil. 

Farmer's Daughters

May 11, 2025

   

We booked in a bunch of events at the Melbourne Writers Festival and found ourselves with a four-hour break on Sunday afternoon. That's long enough to go home for a bit, but instead we elected to splash out on a fancy lunch. Farmer's Daughters, which I didn't know much about, had availability on their (covered) rooftop for the late timeslot we were after. We were probably the only table there not celebrating Mothers' Day.

   

The Farmer's Daughters menu is focused on fresh produce from Gippsland. Dietary features aren't marked on the menu, but we trusted there'd be some great vegetables and that the staff would know what's what. Happily, they also offer a few mocktails ($12 each) and an in-menu option that the bartender can whip you up something customised if they're not what you're after. The Phillip Island Mule, with native lemongrass, suited me straight up.

   

Bread excepted, we sampled everything vegetarian across the entrees and mains. Zucchini pieces were grilled, sauced with romesco, piled with shiso, topped with a ball of creamy burrata and liberally sprinkled with dukkah ($25). In a similar pattern, roasted beetroot was teamed with green leaves, topped with feta and seasoned with hazelnuts and pepperberry ($24).  

   

Neat little potato rösti squares ($10 each) were piped with cheese mousse, topped with a fresh fig flourish and a sprig of French sorrel. I wasn't sure about fig and potato together, but the cream cheese was the natural bridge between the two.

   

The roast potato and leek pie ($35) was tremendously burnished and flaky, topped with confit red onion and surrounded by a rich brown butter sauce. It was a bit late in the season for tomatoes, so the salad of heirloom tomatoes, strawberry, mozzarella and basil ($21) worked slightly better in theory than in practice.

   

Dessert was study in classics done well. Cheesecake ($20) was sweet, tangy, nutty and creamy in perfect proportions, with a little berry compote on the side. The 75% Cuvée chocolate tart ($21) was smooth, firm and bittersweet, accompanied by a delectable salted hazelnut praline sauce and spoonful of crème diplomate. We carefully halved both desserts as fairly as we could.

The service at Farmer's Daughters was bright and professional and we enjoyed our meal very much. The vegetarian options leaned heavily on Gippsland's great dairy products, so it's hard to predict how well they'd cater to vegans. We're glad we had this unusual excuse to splurge on a meal there, and I'd do it again if the same rare circumstances recurred.

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You can also read a positive review from Sweet & Sour Fork.

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Farmer's Daughters

95 Exhibition St, Melbourne CBD

9116 8682

a la carte, chef's selection

https://www.farmersdaughters.com.au/

Accessibility: There's a lift to the rooftop. It's densely packed with regular height tables, backed chairs and some padded benches. We ordered and paid at our table. There's a handful of individual cubicles on the same level, some gendered and some unisex ambulant.