Kindly Yours

There is always the comforting Sunday afternoon, with French and other Euro styled patisserie delights and sugar fix. Pattison's bakery has outlets all over the northern suburbs of Sydney, from Hornsby to Cammeray, and was established by Peter and Michelle in 1995. They offer tarts, breads, pies, biscuits, coffee and tea cakes. Cheesecake (clockwise from top left) is followed by apple crumble, pistachio and cream plus finally, a raspberry flavoured friand.

A festive occasion, when glutinous rice, meat and /or savoury mushrooms are packed into tightly bound bamboo leaves and then steamed. The result (foreground above) - made only once a year - can be filling to the palate, but also eaten in rememberance and honour acknowledged to a poet and statesman in feudal China. The latter was banished back to his provincial roots from the national capital when he protested against corruption. In desperation and protest, he threw himself into the raging waters of the river. His supporters jumped into a boat to try to rescue him, but this was in vain.Next they had to distract the fish from feeding on his body by then throwing in cooked rice. Hence, the traditions of the Dragon Boat races and the related steamed dumplings were born. Simple but tasty - hawker fare on Penang Island (above image), with sauce stir fry egg noodles (left of picture), accompanied by a sambal- based condiment and a bowl of soup with tofu blocks and fish balls. Image credit to...

A gathering, a birthday and a feast. It was the middle of winter in the Sydney region. The food served was eclectic, inspired by traditions from southern China to Penang to Australia. There was relaxed conversation, it was winding down after a working day. Singapore styled pepper chili crab was appetising, whilst the closer of flourless chocolate cake was topped up by brewed Campos coffee. In between, one went through laughter, thoughtful chatter, change of plates, munching of rather sweet mandarins from an Eastwood outlet, delightful smoked tea and the serving of traditional Straits Chinese braised birthday noodles ( lam mee ). The mussels moray stood out as an appetiser (above image) followed by the carving of the Beijing roast duck (below), served on paper thin pancake slices, garnished with hoi sin sauce, shallot strips and cucumber bites. Captivating red syrup flavoured jelly (below) provided a contrast to the heavier items on the menu. Uncle Jimmy also brought his home made kuay...

Waiting and sizing up. Feeling the vibes and the wind on the face. Getting ready for just the right moment. Visualising the moment. Anticipating. Not too early and not too late. Recalling lessons learnt and relishing this next time. Keeping an eye for detail. Enjoying the mateship and the conditions of the day. Acting out the right pose. In a split second, it is time to decide - and go. Go ride the waves.

Victoria Street in Potts Point offer the surroundings leading to Ms G's (above) Vongole with a twist, served with egg noodles and graced by Vietnamese inspired herbs. (Image below). The bar counter is right upfront as you enter Ms G's (Image above). Pandanus flavoured chiffon cake (above), topped by a coconut themed ice cream with nuts and raspberry - I prefer a less dense and more fluffy version of this traditional Straits Chinese cake. Below, the Stoner sandwich of various sugar fix flavours. Mini-sized burgers that come with a choice of chicken katsu or crispy pork. My personalised food platter - the highly recommended lamb shank (well marinated and with such a tasty texture from the first bite) at 10 o'clock; the sumptuous grilled prawn at 2 o'clock; and accompanying side serves. A finger food idea - fine eggplant paste with sea urchin, served on a miniature base of pork crackling. (above). A light and refreshing salad for the palate with calamari and more (below...

Traditional siew mai or steamed pork and prawn dumplings. Golden egg custard, sans caramel, is the key to a delicious tarn tart. Char siew yoke , or red lined barbecued pork, is made with an attractive relish. Deep fried and crunchy calamari strips, not just good with tea, but beer.  A bite of char siew bun.  Prawns galore - in Cantonese,   "ha" also indicates happiness. The ubiquitous fried rice. Smooth as silk - the steamed soya bean dessert.

The Zenya Noodle Bar may be more popular with the twenty somethings for hot piping ramen soups influenced  by Kyushu and Tokyo traditions, but I had the opportunity to try their bento or lunchbox combinations recently.  Zenya is located along Rowe Street in the north-western Sydney suburb of Eastwood -and attracts a fair share of Macquarie University students and families of Asian background who dominate the demographics in that corner of Australia.  The lighting is low and  the space can be limited. There is one Caucasian Australian guy working there as a staff member, to provide a contrast to the Asian-centric atmosphere.  Above image, the Toro-Toro bento set, with mains served as deep fried pork cutlets with batter.  Clockwise from 10am for the box - gyoza dumplings, marinated seaweed, tomato and onion salad, salmon shashimi and the pork cutlets. Leafy vegetables,onion slices and tomato cuts predominate the lightly dressed salad piece i...