SoCal a Migraine-Friendly Gem

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This meal was independently paid for.

I stumbled across SoCal while wandering around Neutral Bay one afternoon. It has a bit of a hidden entrance on Young Street, but the aqua blue door and walls to the stairwell beckoned me up for a look. I was warmly greeted, even though it was three in the afternoon, and I asked if I could look at the menu. The Octopus Tostada immediately caught my eye and the smell of the smoker lured me to keep perusing the menu. I fell in love at first sight.

Luckily it was that lovely down time prior to the prepping before the dinner rush, so I was able to have a bit of a chat to the chef Tomaz Salema Reis about the menu, cooking techniques and ingredients he uses. To his credit Tomaz listened intently to my tale, answered all my questions and even ducked back into the kitchen to ensure that the ingredients for the homemade BBQ sauce didn’t have preservatives. Recon mission was successful and we had a new restaurant to try.

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Review: Pastry Making Class at the Sydney Cooking School

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This class was independently paid for.

My birthday present this year was a pastry making class at the Sydney Cooking School. It was a gift from Stuart, that I chose and sent him the details to book, which was also a gift for him. You see I never learned how to make proper pastry. It just wasn’t a skill that anyone had that they could pass down to me.

My lack of pastry making skills has been a challenge in the Aussie household. One of the staple ways of using leftovers is to slap them in some pastry and hope for the best. This country loves a meat pie. My fillings were good, but the frozen pastry I used left, well something to be desired. I tried learning from the Internet to no avail. Pastry is just one of those things you need some expert guidance to get the texture right. Read More

Shop Local: Why I Cross the Bridge to Galluzzo’s Fruit Shop in Glebe

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I moved to Sydney in 2002. Parting gifts from Adelaide included a copy of the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Shopping Guide and some guide to the bars of Sydney. My 2002 copy of The Good Food Shopping Guide is dog eared and still my go to guide for finding the best providores in Sydney. Sure there’s some new kids in the food scene every year, but if it was good in 2002 and still around, then it’s a gem. Read More