Category: FOOD & DRINK

New sundowner seafood menu on the banks of the Thames this summer

Le Pont De La Tour champagne

The countdown to the end of August is on, so if seafood and summer are your thing, then Le Pont de la Tour is where you need to be. Until the end of the month, for £50 a pop, you can sit Thames-side through golden hour (for the ‘Gram), feasting on the restaurant’s sundowner seafood menu, coupled with Moet & Chandon champagne. There’s a new chef in the kitchen, Thomas Piat, whose new menu of his favourite fresh bits from the sea will be paired alongside a sea of white florals and green foliage will decorate the outside terrace alongside some elegant gold and white Moët lifebuoys  as guests catch the last-minute rays in style on the sun-drenched terrace.  The sundowner menu features seafood delights such as bouillabaisse of mussels and prawns with saffron potatoes; line-caught cod filet with ratatouille Provençale and  stuffed piquillo peppers and lavender peach melba with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy the three-course seafood platter and a cold glass of Moet & Chandon as guests take in the breath-taking early evening views by the river.  See more at the Le Pont de la Tour website.

Bye Chur Burger: The OTHER best burger places in Sydney

Bolognese-burger-1

This week news of one of Sydney’s favourite burger joints comes that they will be closing its doors, after seven years of flipping burgers. This Surry Hills institution, which contributed to Sydney’s burger boom, will be open until August 18th. To help grieve the loss of its beloved burgers, OpenTable has compiled a list of seven mouth-watering burger joints to help keep the taste buds satisfied. Butter, Parramatta Butter is a hybrid sneaker bar where fried chicken and champagne come together in a delicious harmony. Specialities include the fried chicken sandwich (burger), served with house made slaw and delicious fries. To finish the meal off, try Butter’s famous cinnamon doughnuts – a perfect blend of street food and delectable flavours. Elements Bar and Grill, Darlinghurst Local steakhouse, run with excellence and with incredible food to match! Using top-end produce serving up quality burgers with their premium dry aged wagyu beef patty at affordable prices. On top of that, there’s a range of 12 craft beers to wash down your meal –as well as an extensive wine and cocktail menu, offering something tantalising for all. Macelleria, Newtown Macelleria is more a way of life than just a restaurant. It’s designed for those who care about quality and traceability of produce, as well as value for money. Serving up a triple formaggio blend sure to satisfy any cheese lover, their burgers are of the highest grade of grass-fed meat sourced from the Cape Grim with the purest air on earth. Nighthawk Diner, Chippendale Originally a food truck,… Read More

Sydney’s Parklands Food Festival is back for 2019

Food

Lump the lot into a car and head to Western Sydney Parklands’ Lizard Log, Abbotsbury for this year’s new chef, new food line-up of the Parklands Food Festival. With big food names like Miguel Maestre aka “The Crazy Bull” and Anna Polyviou, it’ll be a new experience for those who’re after a bit of sweet and a bit of savoury. Miguel’s cooking style incorporates ingredients he grew up with in Murcia, the south of Spain, with the fabulous fresh produce of Australia, whereas Anna is the queen of sweets, creating extraordinary sweet treats wherever she goes. Anna’s known for her role as executive pastry chef at the Shangri-La Hotel Sydney and is known for her unique take on desserts and appearances on TV shows like Family Food Fight and MasterChef Australia. Anna has revolutionised patisserie across Australia with her sell-out Dessert Degustations and High Teas, as well as her cookbook Sweet Street. Now in its eighth year, Parklands Food Fest is the flagship event for Western Sydney Parklands, also known as “Sydney’s Biggest Backyard”. The festival is a must-do for Sydney’s food lovers and features an array of food and drink stalls, market produce, free children’s activities, a bar serving up local brews and cocktails as well as live entertainment and a dedicated kids’ zone. Check out more about the festival online.

Drink milk right from the cow: Made By Cow raw milk

Made By Cow raw milk 1

Love the idea of drinking milk in its most purest form, straight from farm to bottle? Of course you do! Then you’re going to love Made By Cow – the world’s first safe to drink raw milk. Unlike the majority of the milk we find on the supermarket shelves that are subjected to heat pasteurisation, Made By Cow is created using an innovative cold high pressure method, along with….a little bit of love and passion! This cold high pressure method destroys harmful pathogens without depleting the milk’s natural nutrients. Unlike pasteurised milk, Made by Cow milk retains all the important enzymes. The end result? A deliciously creamy, cold pressed raw milk – straight from the cutest Jersey cow herd on the New South Wales South Coast to bottle.  Aside from the fact this milk comes from happy and healthy free-range cows, the secret behind this wonderful product is a new, patented, breakthrough method which has been approved by the New South Wales Food Authority. So there’s no need to worry about the harmful bacteria that was once associated with drinking raw milk. Hooray! In a nutshell, Made By Cow milk is sourced from a single Jersey herd and then transferred to the processing site where it is tested for quality. It is then bottled, sealed and then loaded into a high pressure processing unit which destroys any harmful pathogens. Interesting fact: the high isostatic pressure applied to every sealed bottle measures six times the pressure of the deepest part of the ocean. From here, the… Read More

5 Aussie food festivals you need to visit in 2019

Food market

Food festivals are a great place to pick up new ideas to experiment with your own home-cooking ventures. We all lead busy lives, so losing creative inspiration in the kitchen happens quite often. Thankfully, many of Australia’s major cities are full of a wide range of amazing food festivals, focusing on a diverse array of cuisines, food types and culinary experiences. If you’re someone who likes to experiment with different foods and recipes, here are several great food festivals you should check out this year! The Food and Wine Festival (August 4) Taking place in Mt Penang Gardens, The Food and Wine Festival features over 100 food and wine vendors. With free entry and more stalls than ever before, this should be the year that you finally check out this great festival. Over 6000 people attended the event in 2018, which featured Hunter Valley winery stalls, cooking demonstrations and gourmet food options. You’ll pick up some great healthy recipes, which you can test and experiment with in your own kitchen. You could find something like this delicious roast chickpea and cauliflower salad. If you think you hate cauliflower, well this recipe will certainly change your mind! The Curated Plate (August 8-11) Featuring some of Australia’s best and most acclaimed chefs, The Curated Plate is a new food festival based on the Sunshine Coast. In its debut year, the line-up will include chefs like Matt Stone, Clayton Wells, Nelly Robinson and Darren Robertson. With a focus on organic and locally-grown produce, The Curated Plate encourages visitors… Read More

Ways to celebrate Food Month at London’s Seven Dials

Seven Dials

Seven Dials, right in the heart of London is turning up what it means to be apart of their Food Month this year with secret menu trails, special events, promotions and more. The secret menu trail is about offering anyone who’s keen the chance for a food and nibble at any one of the area’s find drinking and dining establishments. Some of the best joints for a meal in London are participating, like: Tredwells by Marcus Wareing will be offering an exclusive Summer Dial Menu, featuring classic seasonal British ingredients the menu includes 3 courses and a ‘Gunpowder Gimlet’ summer cocktail for £29. The Barbary will offer a special drink, the ‘Rose Blush’ especially for Food Month; a delicious homemade lemonade blend infused with rose.   Jacob the Angel is a coffee house that’ll be launching an exclusive sweet pastry – drop in to discover their innovative Chocolate & Tahini Slice. Chick ‘n’ Sours will preview their August specials exclusively in Seven Dials, savvy diners who say the secret word “fabulous food month” will receive a scratch card… where everyone is set to be a winner. St JOHN. Bakery will be featuring guest donut flavours all inspired by their wonderful neighbours; including sweet goats curd honey and marc de Bourgogne brandy inspired by Neal’s Yard Dairy. Flesh & Buns is the Japanese izakaya restaurant and bar that is serving up an exclusive Seven Dials Food Month cocktail ‘The Manga Martini’. Inspired by the colourful and cult Japanese manga comics, this cocktail is finished with a shot of delicately sweet sparkling Sake on the side. Redemption is a vegan restaurant… Read More

The Mudgee Wine & Food Festival is coming to Balmoral Sydney

Mudgee Balmoral Food Wine Festival 3

From the bush to the beach, the best of wine region Mudgee in rural NSW is coming to the best of inner-city beaches, Balmoral for the annual food fest worth travelling for. The annual Mudgee Wine and Food Festival is back on 11 August 2019, turning out some of the region’s most popular wineries and producers to the city. Still the longest-running regional wine and food festival in Sydney, activities will run from 11am-5pm, launching the official 40th Mudgee Wine + Food Festival program and the 2019 Mudgee Region magazine. The beach will undergo a revamp for the day, transforming the entire foreshore of Balmoral Beach into a chill ground for wines by Craigmoor Wines, De Beaurepaire Wines, Moothi Estate, Robert Stein Winery and First Ridge Estate and other local producers like High Valley Cheese Co., Lomondo Olive Oil, Milnes of Mudgee and Rylstone Olive Press. Check out more about the day at the Festival’s website.

London: Morty & Bob’s is opening in Shepherd’s Bush

Toasted sandwich at Morty Bobs Coal Drops Yard

They freaked people out when they opened in Coal Drops Yard, just near Kings Cross Station and now, Morty & Bob’s will do it again when they open a sandwich bar in Westfield Shepherds Bush in October. The new digs will focus on M&B’s British roots with really good sandwiches and will feature their signature grilled cheese toasties alongside a number of new hot sandwiches made fresh in front of the customers. They’ve done the menu in an effort to bring Londoners a new take on filled sandwiches. Think a menu of their classic grilled cheese toasties made with sourdough and layers of oozing cheese including their famous mushroom and truffle one, as well as new additions such as slow-roasted porchetta sub with house slaw, salsa verde and gravy drizzle; popcorn shrimp with dressed crispy salad served in a brioche roll; chicken schnitzel sandwich with a lemon zest crust and house slaw and their Brunch Bun with crispy smoked streaky bacon, smashed avocado, soft scrambled egg, shoestring fries and M&B mushroom ketchup. Some of the collaboration specials that have featured in their Coal Drops Yard restaurant will also make an appearance.  It’ll be nice. And you’ll be able to find it in Westfield Shepherd’s Bush from October and Morty & Bob’s in Coal Drops Yard, 49 Coal Drops Yard, London N1C 4DQ, in the meantime.

Sydney coffee brand Seven Miles launches recycling program in the right direction

Coffee cup

To say that Australians “enjoy a cup of coffee” would be an understatement. We guzzle over six billion cups of coffee every year. Manly roaster, Seven Miles are not only committed to roasting the best but being the best in sustainability. Seven Miles has partnered with Terracycle on Australia’s first free-to-use coffee recycling program. The program allows consumers to recycle used coffee bags and coffee pods, free of charge.  CEO of Seven Miles, Jenny Willits explains “everything we do is in the pursuit of exceptional coffee, and for us that includes the journey from bean to cup, and beyond. It is expected that the new sustainability initiatives at Seven Miles will reduce landfill levels by a whopping 16 tonnes over the next five years. The 7 Miles in the Right Direction initiatives include: 1/ A free recycling partnership with TerraCycle for coffee bags and capsules 2/ The use of RecycleMe™ cups which can actually be recycled (standard coffee cups can’t be). 3/ The installation of 264 solar panels on their Manly Vale roastery 4/ Collecting used coffee grinds and using them as fertiliser on local farms 5/ The coffee bean sacks are reused in animal enclosures at Taronga Zoo Jenny continues “We know our consumers want to make more sustainable choices, and our exciting new TerraCycle partnership means this can now include even the bags their coffee comes in!” You can purchase Seven Miles coffee online or visit them at their Manly Vale roastery, 75 Kenneth Rd, the espresso bar is open 7:30am – 11:30am, Monday to Friday. Lottie Dalziel is resident… Read More

There’s a new bakery in London: Maitre Choux opens in Canary Wharf

Maitre Choux pastries 2

If choux pastry is your thing, and Canary Wharf is your side of London, then get excited – Maitre Choux is opening a new bakery. They’re the undisputed king of choux pastry, which on 7 August, will throw open the doors to a new outlet after the success of the King Road opening last year. Just near the Canary Wharf train station plaza, Canada Square, the new outlet will be an all-day grab-and-go stop where time-strapped city workers and residents can drop in and purchase the French patisserie’s signature bakes along with hot beverages, and choux treats.  The new digs have even teamed up with London coffee overlords (apparently), Monmouth coffee, who from 7am, will turn the new pad into an ideal pit stop for morning commuters. Maitre Choux will be open from 7am-8pm, and at weekends for Canary Wharf’s locals. Open until late night, the store will be ideal place for passing commuters to pick up authentic French pastries en-route home. With an already thriving food-to-go market in Canary Wharf, Maître Choux will bring their much-loved modern French éclairs to the area.