Writer, Eater
Book prices have received a lot of attention in the media in recent weeks as the Productivity Commission returned its recommendations on parallel importation rules, alleged to cause high book prices in Australia. Regardless of your feelings about the issue, it's worth noting that those high book prices are being exacerbated by the very chains that claim all restrictions should be removed.
Every contestant in Masterchef Australia episode 61 had crunchy macarons. (Ok, except Andre, who didn't have macarons at all.) The microphones captured the powdery crunch. It should never have been like that. I think I know why it might have happened. NOW UPDATED with extra stupid stuff.
For the bakers among you, I have news of fresh yeast. Coles supermarkets are stocking fresh yeast again after a hiatus of three or four years.
Continuing my occasional quest for examples of disappointments in supermarkets, I have found a new example of the import-cheap-product-at-all-costs approach to retailing. What do you think I found?
Olive lovers might be interested in the olive masterclass being run by The Princess and the Providore on March 26th in Melbourne (you need to book).
As far as I can recall, I've never voluntarily entered a KFC "restaurant". Occasionally, social pressures mean I have to tag along. Sometimes it means I eat a piece of chicken. If you have to dine in the enemy's clutches, you might as well make it an...
Read more Tue 12 Apr, 2011
Over at Australia's SBS Food site there's an article about blogging called Everyone's a Critic, published on Oct 7. I'm not sure how you find it if you don't already know it's there. When you do find it, there's a surprise. It's all about...
Read more Fri 17 Oct, 2008
It's three years since I was last in Britain and I was curious to see what might have changed in the food scene. It wasn't hard to miss the popularity of gastropubs, the growth of decent...
Read more Fri 24 Aug, 2007What do you do when you find dinner too enjoyable? How is an irritable, jinxed diner like me to cope with a meal which delivers no disappointments and offers barely a scrap to quibble about? I felt embarrassed at how effusive I was. I sat through the meal thinking of all the people I needed to tell. I was dining at one of Melbourne's most avant garde restaurants, Interlude.
Read more Sun 14 Oct, 2007
"In Portugal, every website is broken," says the concierge as we try for the third time, in vain, to book a bus ticket online. I suggest that he is exaggerating slightly. Three or four years ago I might have agreed, but nowadays the situation is...
Read more Fri 13 Jun, 2008
In the newly revised and updated Memories of Philippine Kitchens, Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan, owners and chef at the Purple Yam and formerly of Cendrillon in Manhattan, present a fascinating—and very personal—look at Filipino cuisine and culture. 
April Bloomfield takes home cooks on an intimate tour of the food that has made her a star. Thoughtful, voice-driven recipes go behind the scenes of Bloomfield's lauded restaurants and into her own home kitchen, where her attention to detail and reverence for honest ingredients result in unforgettable dishes. 
Since its first publication in 1970, South East Asian Food has achieved a reputation as the authoritative book on the subject. This new edition features a completely updated and easy-to-follow design, with beautiful illustrations throughout. 
More than 200 simple, authentic recipes for fish and seafood, newly collected from the Silver Spoon kitchen. From traditional seafood soups to simple grilled fish with herbs, the Italian approach to cooking with fish is both delicious and resourceful.