I used to be a very unimaginative cook because I knew I could rely on a few unoriginal ingredients – namely meat – to satiate the people I was feeding. Pasta sauce a bit boring? Add some bacon, because everyone likes bacon. Or, say you have people coming around to dinner, what is guaranteed to…
Read more
Food trends are a double-edged sword. They can be fantastic and give a type of food or cuisine well-deserved attention and popularity. I remember when I was in Year 12, all of a sudden, sushi was uber trendy. The exquisite combination of salty soy, sweet salmon and hot wasabi was suddenly all the rage. The…
Read more
Like a lot of people, I love me some spaghetti (so much so that I’m willing to sacrifice talking like a grown-up). But like a lot of people, if I find myself eating too much of it, I have to wear the things in my wardrobe that are “blousy” or empire-lined. I don’t just like…
Read more
French Onion Soup is one of those recipes that manage to make the most basic, taken-for-granted ingredient and make it taste exquisite (also, funny trivia, in France, French Onion Soup is apparently just called Onion Soup). I suppose it’s easy to make anything taste good if you caramelise it in butter, but it’s still pretty…
Read more
I’m not big on breakfast. Don’t get me wrong – I’m big on breakfast foods. Like a lot of people, I could eat pancakes and bacon at any time of the day (and often have). Breakfast for dinner is one of my favourite “I-can-do-this-because-I’m-a-grown-up” perks, and I can’t even count the amount of times I’ve…
Read more
This is embarrassing to admit but I’ve never been able to master the perfect risotto. I don’t know if my stock/broth to rice ratio was way off, tipped in the favour of stock, if I stirred too much, not enough… I follow the recipe exactly, recipes written by the Nigellas and Jamies of the world…
Read more
I will state this baldly: when I cooked this recipe I was absolutely rancid with PMS. You know how when you feel bossed around by your hormones to the point where there is a part of yourself that exists outside your body watching all the insane things you say and do and says, ‘Why? Why…
Read more
My best friend Fiona and I have a predisposition to drinking Soco Amaretto Limes when we are together, thanks to a song of the same name that we were obsessed with when we were 18. It’s a mixture of liquors we don’t usually drink: Southern Comfort and Amaretto. It’s served on the rocks with a…
Read more
I absolutely love soup. It’s the ultimate comfort food. It’s nourishing and satisfying. It takes on various forms and can be honed by its creator to suit the needs and desires of those who consume it (meaty, salty, garlicky, zesty… the list goes on). It can be light, it can be hearty, it can be…
Read more
Degustations, once seen as a complete luxury, are fast becoming a staple in many menus, and are seen as something accessible for diners with time to spare. And just what are degustations? They usually consist of eight or more small courses, designed to give you an appreciation for the Chef’s signature dishes and the…
Read more
I’m going to admit it: when Nestle released Nespresso machines a few years ago, I thought they were going to be a fad. They seemed convenient, but surely people would put away their pods in return for the ritual of their own espresso machine, right? Or return to the even less quick fix of instant?…
Read more
Last fortnight I wrote about being bewitched by an intoxicating champagne at Ananas Bar & Brasserie. After all, who isn’t swept away by a Gatsbyesque fishbowl of French champagne? Coco Chanel definitely was. She once cheekily remarked, ‘I drink champagne on two occasions. When I’m in love, and when I’m not.’ But unlike the matriarch of the…
Read more
One of my favourite things to do is to throw a dinner party. Once or twice a fortnight I’ll invite up to half a dozen of my friends around and cook up a couple of different things (I can’t seem to only ever cook one thing – I always get carried away) and uncork several…
Read more
I’ve recently been looking into the ways food can provide energy. My unfortunate reality is that the foods I absolutely adore often leave me feeling bloated and sleepy. (I completely understand and love the Spanish idea of a siesta after lunch.) It often seems like a good idea to have a delicious steak sandwich with…
Read more
