Spirited away in the misty mountains of the Blue Mountains, the charming town of Katoomba perches itself as the community hub steeping in art, panoramic views and delicious food. Tempus Katoomba is a restaurant that came out of the challenging period of the COVID-19 pandemic intent on delivering a dining ethos that’s steeped in ensuring sustainability and having a valuable connection to the community. I went in on a  lovely Saturday afternoon back in April to have lunch and was quite stunned. The menu was short but varied enough to cater for all tastes. The decor is of a minimalist desig ..read more

Hi everyone! I have some exciting news to share with you.  Lately, I’ve been involved in quite a few writing assignments over the last few months but I am happy to share with you all that I can promote one of those here. In the last few weeks in particular, I’ve been involved with an exciting project with Chatswood Culture Bites called Chatswood Nights – Roaming Gnomes. What is it? It’s basically an event that will be happening from today in Chatswood featuring 12 large scale inflatable Gnomes located around the city. Each of these Gnomes represents a region/country who will each have t ..read more

Ever felt that feeling of rush and adrenaline from something that brings joy but equally suffers from being tumultuous in nature? That’s the feeling David Bae gets when he wakes up to manage his ever-growing hospitality empire. In a year where COVID-19 decimated the hospitality industry, ‘Tokki Group’ Owner David introduced more restaurants to Sydney in a time where survival was the mindset for most restaurateurs. He expanded so fast that his group (that includes Marble BBQ, Tokki, Kinhboy and Khoi Sydney) doesn’t even have a proper name yet. I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down with Da ..read more

Being Australian, there’s always been a fascination with the art of barbecue and its various forms have evolved since Paul Hogan’s famous tourism ad featuring Australia’s famous prawn and barbie. As we’ve become more diverse, we’ve been blessed with Korean BBQ, Japanese BBQ and even Brazillian BBQ. Another on the rise that captures our minds and hearts is the all-famous American BBQ. Known for its long smoking process, American BBQ smells and tastes like no other when executed properly. Smoky and spicy sausages, outrageously juicy brisket and ridiculous ribs/short ribs. American BBQ is an art ..read more

Situated in Darlinghurst is a small shop delivering rolls filled with crispy pork crackling that infiltrates the sound waves of the entire street. No, it’s not Mr Crackles but it’s neighbour two stores down named Kenny’s Pork Rolls that’s starting to create a little reputation of their own for who owns the loudest crunch. There’s no competition though, says owner Kenny Hak, who firmly believes that everyone deserves success and if they succeed, everyone succeeds. His pork rolls are so good it’s compelled me to visit twice now, but it’s his naturally good nature that draws me for an interview ..read more

Tucked away at the revered Carriageworks Markets, stalls stand ready every weekend offering a variety of gourmet goods, organic products and delicious meals straight from farmers or crafted by artisans. One lovely stall, called Bird and Ewe, leverages the fresh produce at these markets to deliver a spectacular range of flatbreads feeding the swelling number of visitors that swing by the markets on any given weekend. Co-owner Andrea Eraso and her team of flatbread experts, have been operating Bird and Ewe for the past couple of years facing various challenges such as the COVID-19 lockdowns. I s ..read more

Having opened up 3 years ago, Horizon Dining has been fulfilling their quest in bringing various South-East Asian cuisine to their diners. Located in the Diggers Club in Canley Vale, an area already absolutely spoilt for Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine, Executive Chef Stevenson Su and his band of culturally-specialised chefs have continued to raise the bar of culinary excellence by delivering delicious Chinese, Malaysian, Thai and Vietnamese (to name a few) dishes all in the same location.   Last October, Horizon Dining (and District 8) just celebrated their 3rd birthday, and as an act of ..read more

Yesterday, we celebrated the mid-Autumn festival, or the Moon Festival, as it’s alternatively called. One particular cake heralds the arrival of this sacred holiday and it is the much-celebrated mooncake. Enjoyed predominantly by South-East Asian cultures, it’s a cake that often floods our local Asian groceries, our homes and even our social media platforms. Traditionally filled with red/white lotus paste and a salted duck egg yolk, the mooncake has evolved to include various fillings such as custard, green tea, black sesame and in some interesting occurrences, black truffle. What was once a k ..read more

In a quiet area located in the middle of Smithfield, a restaurant café lies surrounded by industry and factories offering a unique but essential service. Zen Tea Lounge has been operating to support the community by helping its women endangered by domestic violence. Through services such as their restaurant and wellness programs, Zen Tea Lounge is looking to empower the women who come under their care and re-usher them back into society as warriors. The restaurant and café (which doubles up as an eatery and tea lounge) employ these women, upskill them with hospitality skills, and pay them to c ..read more

Tucked away on the corner of a small street and the main road in Fairfield is a well-known Italian diner that is much-loved by the local community. The Fairfield area has its riches in many cultural cuisines from middle-eastern in the heart of Fairfield city to the Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine in the neighbouring suburb of Cabramatta. Gigino steps up to provide the Italian entry to our spoiled suburb offering brilliant pasta, delicious wood-fired pizza and cocktails. An absolute local favourite of mine, I knew I had to catch up with Attilio and share his story about his restaurant and see ho ..read more