I had possibly some of the best Middle Eastern food of my life when I incidentally stumbled across the now-famous Cairo Takeaway, so imagine my surprise when a friend of mine told me that as although he agrees that Cairo is great, he thinks that Emma’s Snack Bar is better. Now if I weren’t who I am, I would’ve found some time to drop by Emma’s maybe a couple weeks after that conversation. As it stands, it’s been almost a whole 4 years. Sorry Ben, but at least I made it eventually!
I have a deep fascination with American roadside diners. Although I can’t quite put my finger on what it is, something about the classic neon-lit greasy spoon just pushes all my buttons. And whilst there are plenty of restaurants serving American-styled food around, the classic diner experience has remained elusive, as most places are just looking to capitalise on the aesthetic. With that said, Valentinas does look rather promising. Whilst it’s more of an Australian café take on the American diner, the menu is full of all the Southern American dishes that pop culture has taught me to love. The little nods to traditional diner decor are also rather charming, and I was especially a fan of the olive-green banquette…
Like any true blue Aussie, I love a cheeky kebab any time of day. But now that I’m coming up to 30 (eep!) and can no longer eat whatever I want whenever I want without consequences, when I do eat a kebab, it had better be worth my while. And although the Strathfield area is a bit dire on the kebab front, I’m only a short train ride away from Auburn, where Middle-Eastern food abounds. New Star Kebab looks dodgy, no two ways about it. The neon sign reminds me of those pizza-pasta-kebab joints that line the streets of the CBD, and have only managed to stay around due to their convenience factor, rather than any merit of their food.…
The top end of King St in Newtown gets a bad rap. For myself personally at any rate, I find myself pretty much ignoring anything due east of the turn-off to RPA hospital. Hence, I’m always surprised when good eats pop up along that stretch of road, and that was exactly how I felt when I came first came across Calle Rey. Having been searching for good Mexican food since coming up to Sydney, as well as being rather keen on vegan food as of late, I was very surprised that this is the first I’ve ever heard of Calley Rey, which ticks both of those boxes. The restaurant and bar is rather snazzy, with fun décor that hints at…
There’s a pretty great story behind how I wound up at Rivareno Gelato. Three years ago when I was getting ready to move from Melbourne to Sydney, I decided to hit up my favourite denim store to stock up on jeans. And whilst waiting in line to get into said store, I got into a conversation with a lovely lass from Sydney. Of course, the topic of food came up, and because we were just down the road from Gelato Messina, talk quickly turned to desserts of the frozen variety. To my intense shock, my new friend confessed that she actually has a gelateria she loves even more than Messina, and that’s Rivareno. She then went on to describe some…
One thing I missed the most (food-wise) during lockdown was a fresh, piping-hot bowl of pho. Sure I got plenty of Vietnamese takeaway whilst we were banned from going out, but pho is just one of those things that’s really not the same if you’re not there to eat it within seconds of it hitting your table. That’s why, within days of lockdown ending, I was at VN City, ready for my pho fix. In a suburb saturated with Korean food, VN City is one of the very few spots to get a Vietnamese feed. So it’s a relief that by all accounts, this place is a good one. They’re known for their signature crispy chicken, but you’ll find all…