A wee taste of In Zid

What wuth the widding theah wasn’t much time for eatung out un NZ (In Zid). Stull, theah was plinty of gud food going.

OK, so this would be a lot easier if I’d studied linguistics, but you get the point.

From Sydney I made a short trip across the ditch for my cousin Matt’s wedding; this was the main reason for my visiting the southern hemisphere, although you would be forgiven for thinking filling my stomach was the primary motive.

While I didn’t have much time to eat out in NZ, the Brown’s know how to do good food well and so I still managed to fit in most of my favourite quintessentially New Zealand dishes (namely fishes).

The highlight of the wedding canapés were the whitebait fritters.

Fresh New Zealand whitebait, lots of it, held together by egg and possibly a little flour, although if there was any I certainly couldn't taste it. The fritters were served simply, just as they should be, with lemon and tartar sauce. 

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76 dishes, 14 venues, 4 kilos, 2 weeks in Sydney

I have been eating out so much since I have been in Sydney that I don’t know where to begin. I would love to write about each and every meal and dish, but I am so busy eating more that I don’t when I will find time. There have been so many eating experiences that if I leave them to write up when I am back in London, I will still be discussing Sydney food by the time Easter comes round. So I have decided to provide a visual account, a few images from each place, with more details about the standout meals later. 

Din Tai Fung

Steamed pork dumplingsSteamed crab meat and pork dumplings

Din Tai Fung - Taiwanese cuisine; Shop 11.04, World Square Shopping Centre, 
644 George Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000; Ph +61 2 9264 6010

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La belle France: sip, sup, satiate

So I am back in London and it is certainly not the excess weight of my luggage that gives any cause for concern. After five days of gorging myself on all things Dalmatian, I moved on to the South of France to do it all over. My aunt and uncle, Pam and Joe have a holiday home in Mazan, a tiny medieval village in the department of Vaucluse, Provence. Vaucluse is flanked by the Rhone river to the west and the River Durance to the south, while the north-eastern perimeter is defined by mountains, most notably Mont Ventoux. Mazan sits pretty much slap bang in the middle, perfect for exploring the Southern Rhone wine region and the villages from which many of the wines take their names. And everyone knows that a glass of fine wine is best enjoyed with a plate of good food to accompany it.

Here are some of the highlights: 

View of the Cotes du Rhone from SeguretBuying fougasse, markets at L'Isle sur la Sorgue

Saucisson stall, markets at L'Isle sur la Sorgue

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101 ways to eat octopus salad

The title of this post is slightly misleading (not just because it is outrageous hyperbole); it could just as easily be called 101 ways to eat grilled squid, fried squid or anchovies. My friends and I were pleasantly surprised with the quality of food on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia, but one does have to be prepared to eat the same thing over and over … and over. Fortunately I am a big fan of seafood and five days was just long enough to feel we had sampled the best that Dubrovnik and the Elaphite islands had to offer, but not so long that we were chomping at the bit for more variety.

Wireless is hard to come by in Mazan, so for the time being, I will tell our gastronomic journey in images:

Dubrovnik old town

Our host in Dubrovnik, the ebullient Marko, was extremely helpful; a trait that was rather lacking in the service we received elsewhere. Marko runs the Apartments Lovrijenac and it seems it is his mission in life is to ensure that everyone he encounters experiences the best his fair city has to offer.

“I will do anything you want to make you happy holiday, that is what I am here for”

“We’re mostly interested in where to eat. We’d like to try something local and not too touristy”

“Ha ha! Everything is touristy in Croatia, but I can show you some good places for the locals and for the tourists”

His enthusiasm was infectious and we parted his company not only with four restaurant recommendations (helpfully pencilled in for us on a map of the city), but each wearing his exuberant grin and in a state of eager anticipation.

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