Despite the lure of lesser queues at Cre Asion (although that might have changed in the last few weeks?!) I braved Zumbo’s again, and let’s just say weekdays are a whole different story (less people, more macarons!). From ‘The Lab’, Adriano Zumbo’s cafe and Willy Wonka-esque pastry making kitchen in Rozelle, we picked up a few of his latest macaron flavours:  butterscotch caramel, salted butter popcorn and coffee cream brulee (complete with crunchy sugar coating). The perfect spot to devour them? Perched by the harbour at a small beach backed by parkland in beautiful Birchgrove. Sydney bliss! (Oh, and I recommend buying the butterscotch caramel by the truckload, they’re that good!).

Cabramatta’s quieter cousin Canley Heights for Lao/Thai food at Holy Basil.

The vibe:
Let’s just say this place could have been transported straight from Crown Street, Surry Hills to far flung suburban Sydney. Gorgeous, mod-Asian decor (gold buddha statues, a wall of mortar and pestles, splashes of hot pink), a bar, open kitchen, outdoor seating for a post-meal Toby’s Estate…If this is the new face of southwest Sydney, I think some more weekend excursions are in order!

The eats:
The menu features Lao specialities with some old faithful Thai dishes (yum, but yawn). We ate nam tok (a Lao beef salad laden with fresh herbs), kai yang (Lao charcoal grilled chicken), Lao sausage and steaming hot sticky rice served in individual baskets.

The verdict:
The price is right though some say high for the area (most dishes are in the $10-15 range), the decor is gorgeous, the service swift and the food, amazing. The soft Lao sausage fragrant with lemongrass and kaffir lime was my favourite. If only it was a little closer to home. Closer than Laos, at least!

Holy Basil, 233A Canley Vale Road, Canley Heights, tel: 02 9727 7585

Shanghai Night for northern Chinese cuisine in the heart of Ashfield’s bustling restaurant and food shopping strip – think Indian spice stores, seafood shops, huge fruit and veg emporiums and copious Chinese restaurants (did someone say dumplings?!).

The vibe:
A busy, buzzing, happy, family oriented scene heavy on Chinese patrons, with no frills decor complete with colourful cardboard signage showcasing the specials.

The eats:
Dumplings (of course!) in the form of pork and crab soup dumplings and a pork and coriander variety, with a huge platter of spicy Sichuan chicken, one of the restaurant’s ‘winter specials’.

The verdict:
The delicious pork and coriander dumplings dunked in vinegar trumped the ‘not quite as good as Din Tai Fung’ soup dumplings (though they definitely beat DTF for price), while the Sichuan chicken was bursting with spice, heat and flavour. A winner for a cheap and cheerful foray into Ashfield’s Asian food scene.

Shanghai Night, 275 Liverpool Road, Ashfield, tel: 02 9798 8437

White miso…plum wine…avocado…strawberry milk…

Set in a modern industrial style glass cube with Japanese influences, Cre Asion is tucked down a non-descript alleyway behind the city’s Liverpool Street, bordering Surry Hills. The macaron maestro behind the new venture is Yu Sasaki, formerly of Christine Mansfield’s Universal. His macarons are a textural delight and exciting to taste, from the full flavoured chocolate to the zesty, on-trend yuzu. Also tried – a delicious blood orange, and my overall favourite, a rich caramel.

Caramel, yuzu and chocolate macarons

Chickpea fritters and pork belly shish kebab

The destination:
Kazbah, for a midday middle eastern flavour fix in the heart of buzzing Balmain

The vibe:
A big, brash, buzzing brunch crowd of all ages, queuing out the door for a coveted big table

The eats:
– Breakfast tajine (lamb mince, sucuk, spinach, roast capsicum, roast tomato, caramelised onion, feta, eggs, turkish toast and lebanese bread)
– Chickpea fritters with a pork belly shish kebab, labne, baby spinach, roast tomato, poached eggs and capsicum sauce
– Moroccan mint tea, fresh watermelon juice and Turkish coffee

The verdict:
Big ticks for the hearty, huge servings, perfectly poached eggs and beautifully spiced Moroccan tea; the kid-friendly factor and vibrant atmosphere. I just wish the Turkish coffee was a little stronger and sludgier, the chickpea fritters spicier… or maybe it’s just me, always wanting flavours that pack a punch!

Kazbah, 379 Darling Street, Balmain, tel: 02 9555 7067

Part of the courtyard at House

The flavours of Isaan (in northeastern Thailand) are, in a nutshell, fishy, sour and spicy. There’s an absence of coconut milk, and the hot, dry, inland location of Isaan province means a reliance on fermented, pickled and preserved ingredients, like fermented fish and pickled bamboo. The fermented fish part may not sound too enticing (after tasting prahok – fermented fish paste – in Cambodia, I wasn’t too sure about it), but when balanced with sour and spicy ingredients it enhances each dish with a richness and depth of flavour.

Spicy bamboo salad

Devoured:

Sundried beef

Lebanese perfection, plated!

The lightest, fluffiest garlic sauce, the crunchiest falafels with the softest insides, the tastiest tabouli, the smokiest chicken, the most mountainous pile of Lebanese bread you’ve ever been served, the pickle-iest pickles, you get the idea? Sounds like heaven on a plate, and indeed it is. Order a mixed plate for $15 (we had the chicken shawarma) and share it with a friend or two. The original Jasmin’s restaurant in multi-culti Lakemba is definitely worth the hop, skip and jump southwest. Simply, wow.

Jasmin’s, 30b Haldon St, Lakemba, tel: 02 9740 3589

Kawa on Crown Street

I can’t seem to get enough of Surry Hills and surrounds since moving back to Sydney – it’s always been a favourite, but there’s something about the energy, architecture, cafe culture and non-stop crop of cool new bars and restaurants that makes it the place I want to be right now.

A sunny but slightly chilly Saturday called for a Surry-hurst exploration on foot. First stop was cute cafe Kawa, with its tiki and tribal accents, hanging tropical plants, bountiful fruit display awaiting the juicer and mismatched vintage vibe. After fuelling up on eggs benedict and coffees we headed off on an epic walk all over the inner east, from Darlinghurst and Surry Hills across to Kings Cross and Potts Point, and eventually back to the city.

Lunch was at the very Euro La Petit Creme (french onion soup and merguez and harissa sandwich). The cafe has an old school, antiquey look and a busy, bustling vibe, an open fast paced kitchen and cool French and Spanish accented patrons.

Double happiness – rosewater, mandarin & honey; salted caramel and white choc chip
plus chocolate fondante and rasberry. Who cares that it’s winter!

Next stop was Gelato Messina, renowned for their innovative gelato flavours and often hailed as Sydney’s best gelato – now I see why. The rosewater, mandarin and honey combination was a middle eastern inspired taste trip and my overall favourite. Also devoured – the salted caramel and white choc chip, the chocolate fondante and raspberry, which were all amazingly rich and full of flavour.

We also visited The Artery, a not-for-profit gallery featuring contemporary aboriginal art. The art is actually affordable (well, by art’s standards!) and really appeals to my love of colour and pattern. I fell in love with so many stunning pieces and am seriously thinking of buying something!

Water Dreaming by Rex Winston Walford (image courtesy The Artery)

Bush Yam Dreaming by Jeannie Mills Pwerle (image courtesy The Artery)

After a wander across to Potts Point’s shops and art galleries we headed back to the city to Grandma’s, a fairly recent addition to Sydney’s small bar scene. A subterranean room is decked out in mismatched retro furniture and fittings and the cocktail list is long and enticing. Tiki and rum flavoured cocktails dominate, with a nod to prohibition era concoctions. There are a few beers like Tiger (umm, no thanks – after nearly five years in Asia I don’t want to see another Tiger for a long time, or Beer Chang, or Angkor, or 333….!). We stuck to wine and had a great Printhie Shiraz from Orange that the barman suggested (tip – the pour here is VERY generous!). Like hanging out in someone’s loungeroom, Grandma’s is a comfortable, casual and cosy affair. There was even an actual grandma having drinks there – she must have been at least 75! The clientele was a really diverse mix – definitely a welcoming and unpretentious place for a drink. Loved it!

The kitsch-fest stairwell down to Grandma’s

Kawa, 346-350 Crown St, Surry Hills, tel: 02 9331 6811
La Petit Creme, 118 Darlinghurst Rd, Darlinghurst, tel: 02 9361 4738
Gelato Messina, Shop 1/241 Victoria St, Darlinghurst, tel: 02 8354 1223
The Artery, Shop 2 The Westbury, 221 Darlinhurst Rd, Darlinghurst, tel: 02 9380 8234
Grandma’s, basement of 275 Clarence St, Sydney, tel: 02 9264 3004

Last weekend we ventured southwest to Campsie (think Sydney’s Koreatown in the burbs) for its annual food festival, along with 20,000 other hungry souls. Giving the kim chi eating competition a miss we headed to Campsie’s main drag, Beamish Street, where several blocks were cordoned off and lined with food stalls.

Korean barbecue was a prominent player (mmm, meat on sticks) along with a whole range of diverse cuisines featuring the usual suspects (gozleme, where do you not pop up?!) and some not so typical. Along with Malaysian, Korean and Chinese snacks we had a Colombian arepa and some Senegalese lamb stew and fatayas, a type of fish pastry similar to a samosa.

As for the more standard fare, the char kway teow from the Albee’s Kitchen stand was tasty enough to require a return trip to Campsie to eat at their restaurant, with further enticement from Not Quite Nigella’s review (though I’m not sure about the Marmite chicken?!). Korean is definitely on the agenda too… next time, Campsie!