Kindly Yours

From Rose Bay to another lovely corner of Sydney,  the Flaky Tart Bakery in Kirribilli does look, on first impressions, a village store from the good old days, inviting passers-by to sample its aromatic and pretty looking fares.   The glass corner does hold some award winning achievement stickers in baking.   The bakery is sited in a busy junction - Ennis Road and Broughton Streets -  in the village hub, one cannot possibly miss it  - walk away from the Milson's Point Station towards the cafes and restaurants and away from Alfred Street. Visiting a bakery is always a winner on a coolish winter's morning.  The Flaky tart encourages us further - there is a board that says "Take a bite out of life with an appetite for fun....tickle its fancy, tweek its cheek and give it a sassy grin."     Biting into its pastries, pies and doughnuts makes me want to follow their advice. The friendly staff member handling my choices over the ...

My group of six were made welcome to more than a restaurant - it was more like a home, a two level abode with different internal aspects, fascinating corners, several appointed segmented spaces and a spacious main dining area downstairs.   There were tables with bay windows with views of Sydney Harbour,  the Bridge tantalisingly visible behind some foliage.   There were other tables beside street level windows.   This is where the Moorish Blue has anchored itself, in a heritage building now decorated with Tunisian, Moroccan and North African designs and feel.    I was anticipating palm trees outside as well...... And all this within a village atmosphere leading down to MacMahon's Point.   Think of weddings, anniversaries, catering and the Harbour fireworks on New Year's Eve. The colour blue has hues and delightful shades across the place - in the plates, on the tables, on rattan chairs and with variations on the walls.    Co...

Haha, I do not mean to frighten any one at all with a close up shot of well marinated chicken feet , prepared ala Cantonese style.   Most of the Australian population would associate this with a yumcha offering on a trolley at lunch time, although they are often now covered up under bamboo basket covers.   Well I did get my bright looking and savoury cooked chicken feet as in a snack box for take away.    Ah, the delights of the food court after you get out of your railway platforms from the train.  The place is often lively, even after working hours and on weekends, as a kind of Asian diaspora gather for no cooking time and so much choice in East Asian culinary - often with their Aussie mates and partners.   Hurstville, I am told,  has the highest concentration of people with a China background for suburbs in Australia.    Back to my chicken feet - it lived up to my expectations.   Preparation is a three step journey, ...

Ambient, aromatic and appetising?    Meat skewers over the charcoal grill. It is fast food, it is grilled and it relies on turnover.    Its customers like it as snacks, they do  not really have a place to sit down to savour the skewered sticks but perhaps most of them are stopping by quickly in between going from and to somewhere else. Lamb & Cumin's location can be ideal as such, and I appreciate the rather wide walking space in front of it.   It is under cover, so no problems with wet pavements and perhaps waiting in the rain.    It has a potential rival nearby - the Taiwanese inspired Star fried chicken with its blue facade around the corner, but this is different street food. Shaanxi, Beijing and central Asia share the love for this street food.   It can be smokey and captivating to watch, even indoors in this stall sited  above a railway station. It is not just chicken meat , you can have crocodile, Wagyu beef, ...

There are several outlets of this bakery cafe for several years now in Australia.  Did they coem from the USA? Each franchised outlet is in a busy area, often in suburbs so-called by a diverse Asian demographic.   The one in Hurstville is rather roomy and lots of baked stuff on its shelves.   The base of Sydney operations is in Chester Hill, a suburb south-west of the Sydney city centre. Some of the cake creations would be viewed as rather leaning on the East Asian dimension  - Strawberry Angel (with chocolate base and top) and Mango Cheese ( with yoghurt).   However, to counter this perspective, there are also Death by Chocolate, US Cheesecake, Coffee Brulee and Blueberry Marble options.     The pastries are definitely filled with ingredients more suited to perhaps  Anime loving fans and non-mainstream cultures - for example, garlic, pork, tuna, green tea, red bean, shallots, pork floss, coconut, Hokkaido butter cream...