Kindly Yours

An aromatic and eye catching fruit loaf (above), lemon cheesecake presented like an artist's paint palate and a friand topped by pistachios and more (below). Welcome to the world of the Becasse. A twist of a theme, or a well planned act of fusion? Below, the creation that looks like either threads per Uncle Moay, or like southern Chinese egg noodles per my perspective, had elegance and texture on the mouth. Becasse is a French delight from Justin and Georgia North- their bakery I visited is located on level 5, Westfield Sydney Pitt Street Mall. The Becasse offers more than cakes and pastries - it has degustation courses for both vegetarians and meat lovers. The range includes hapuka, mushroom royale, aubergines, wagyu and partridge. Dining is closed on Sundays.

It was Wesak Day - the festival commemorating the birth,enlightenment and death of the Buddha more than two thousand years ago - when these images were taken. Above image, a recreation of the birth of the Buddha in Lumbini, Nepal. Below image, steps leading to a pagoda tower on the extensive landscaped grounds of the complex. The Nan Tien Temple complex is sited in Berkeley, a short drive south of Wollongong CBD if one uses the freeway south. It is the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere and is part of a world wide chain of religious halls belonging to the FoKuang Shan group which originated from Taiwan.

The Bau Troung Restaurant is located somewhere in the middle of the main strip of the Canley Heights area in south-western Sydney, NSW. On this visit, mates and I had wok energetic stir-fried vermicelli; pho noodle soup; oysters on the shell bathed in a ginger and soy sauce garnishing (final image on this post) ; rather niche soups that utilised the flavours of salted fish, pork and prawn slices to offer a rich stock (below); and more. I was impressed with their version of side serve salads (above) and also secretly eyed the steamed duck in plum sauce which was being savoured by a diner at the next table.

The month of May in the Gong has seen many variations of weather. The best, to me, is the cosy feel of wet and sound of windy whoosh, on a weekday morning, when I am resigned to be indoors any way for most of the day. The drip drap of persistent water drops sliding on leaves outside the bedroom window may not be the best way to greet the new day, but it is definitely refreshing -and once I get going, out of the bedroom and the house, and into the car, I relish the prospect of the possibilities of a a new day. Rain or not. On a weekend, the sun and blue skies, typical of the Aussie landscape, are preferred. The promise of a packed weekend is only restrained by the distance travelled and the company I keep. The conscious sense of time diffuses better into a sheer memory of timelessness the better the company. It does not matter what we do as long as we enjoy each other's presence - whether we are cleaning the windscreen of a car, partaking food sitting around a table or driving along...

Located at an unassuming and residential corner of Annandale, not far from Sydney's Anzac Bridge, I had the opportunity on a recent weekend to be introduced by friends to the Dale Cafe. Run by three twenty somethings, two guys and a lady, the place is divided into a cafe sit area and one with leather lounges, all placed with no airs, graffiti on a door and with a feel of a heritage past. The crowd on a Saturday arvo is relaxed, seems to be full of regulars and know what they want - a home away from home. The Dale Cafe is located at 18 Trafalgar Street, Annandale, NSW 2038, in Sydney's inner west, close to the Italian quarter of Leichhardt. The nearest cross road is Albion Street. It also hosts The Little Marionette On the Dale, which offers breakfast, lunch and takeaways, but more interestingly, provides a one-on-one barista training opportunity for those interested.

The Sydney Fish Markets are an hour ahead of the Tsukiji Seafood Markets in Tokyo - both are world leading in their field. Apart from the obvious seafood trading, the Sydney version also hosts a cooking school; an upstairs Chinese restaurant called the Fisherman's Wharf (specialising in Hong Kong and southern Chinese cuisine); behind the scenes walking tours; lunching under Sydney's reputable blue skies and the not so reliable waiting seagulls; dawn crowds especially during the Easter and pre-Christmas seasons; unique offerings like Balmain bugs; the iconic Doyles outlet; and a host of other shopping possibilities for bread, sushi, cut flowers and newspapers. The largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, the Sydney Fish markets offer water side views of fishing boats and marina yachts in an inland bay, with the Anzac Bridge overlooking it all. There are easily more than fifty separate retail outlets and a variety of seafood garnishing, ranging from soy sauce, wasabi musta...

I have not had souffle for a long time from a commercial restaurant, and could not resist the version made by the Bondi Tucker (image above). Run by Ben and Louise, this cafe-restaurant is open every day, and is located only ten minutes walk from the main strip of Campbell Parade at Sydney's Bondi Beach. The place was relatively quiet when we arrived on the evening of Mothers Day, but soon had diners gradually fill up. The walls were surprisingly plain and did not match what was seen on the restaurant's website - maybe it was in the middle of some renovation exercise. Three blokes manned the closed up kitchen, whilst a lone woman attended to customers outside. Note the day menu is very different from the evening offerings. White table cloths were put into place after 6pm that Sunday evening, followed by the practical disposable paper piece on top. For the mains, I took a conscious risk to select pasta with pumpkin and garnished by bacon bits (above image). The chef handled this...