Food
+ Sydney eating adventures of late include dinner and drinks at Miss Peaches, the revamped upstairs area at the Marlborough in Newtown (think all things cajun and deep south), delicious desserts at Hartsyard, the best Thai in ages at Senyai in the city (enhanced by cool Bangkok shophouse decor), an insane Turkish brunch at Efendy in Balmain (if you try nothing else, order the dips), and about a gazillion visits to West Juliett Cafe. If you go you HAVE to have the choc chip cookie with pink salt. Other things you should try – Persian love cake at Brickfields in Chippendale and the shakshuka or hommous and falafel plate at Cafe Shenkin in Erksineville.
+ Making: kale chips! These are a bit like kai phen, a dried Mekong river weed snack we loved in Laos. Healthy, crunchy, savoury and yum. Here’s a quick and easy Japanese-inspired kale chip recipe by The Tart Tart on A Cup of Jo. Mine turned out a little soggy at first (too much oil) so I ended up putting them back in the oven for a few more minutes (10 minutes in total). They were delish, but my other tip is to go easy on the soy sauce if you don’t want them too salty.
Travel
+ Canberra is the next destination on my travel radar, somewhere I haven’t been for years and years! Any recommendations for good coffee, delicious eats, quirky shops, cool markets or other interesting things are welcome. Also on the agenda are Questacon, the National Gallery and maybe Cockington Green. Basically re-enacting our year 6 Canberra school excursions but for our much littler kids. Ok, and for us!
+ I just discovered the excellent travel blog In Search of a Life Less Ordinary and am now playing serious catchup. Check it out for perspectives on travel, expat life and location independent work, plus this beautiful ode to Sydney (and why we shouldn’t take living here for granted). In a sea of Sydney-based blogs written by Sydneysiders, it’s fascinating to read one from an expat’s perspective (le fabuleux destin by Melbourne-based Kristina is another great example in this genre).
Writing
+ The Book Salon is a just-launched online hub for all things writing, with a free e-book download called 50 essential resources every writer needs, featuring well-curated advice and inspiration for writers. It’s a go-to guide for the ‘best-of’ writing advice that’s out there, from blogs to books to podcasts. I can’t wait to see what else this site has in store.
+ I just got wind of a new collection of short stories called Holiday in Cambodia by Laura Jean McKay, published by Black Inc. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy, but in the meantime you can listen to her reading a chapter called The Expatriate. As an ex-expat in Cambodia, I felt a little squeamish and cringey listening to this. The annoyance, the sense of entitlement… eek! It really captures the sometimes uneasy relationship between local and expat, and those lost in translation moments that permeate seemingly trivial moments.
Inspiration
+ Loving reading Through My Looking Glass, a blog packed with motivation and inspiration, with a dose of Sydney cafe love
+ Are you multi-passionate? Let the ridiculously insightful Kacey explain
+ And also: Three signs you’ve found your passion
What have you been eating, making, reading, listening to, writing, watching, discovering or dreaming of lately?