Hats Off at Becasse

I honestly can’t believe October is just a memory and December just around the corner. I turned another year older during the multiple celebrations of food, and a meal at Becasse a few days after this momentous event seemed fitting.

“Hats Off”  has been a staple of the SIFF for years. The idea is that various restaurants takes on the challenge to create a menu significantly different from their traditional offering. I still remember with very fond memories of Claude’s Hat’s Off a number of years ago where they move away from their traditional French menu and ventured off on Asian fusion that was simply delightful. This particular year we decided to go and see what Becasse’s Heroes and Masters Hats Off dinner is all about. According to them:

“This is a tribute to our heroes and masters and the dishes we’ve enjoyed over the years. Some we’ve endeavoured to replicate and others we’ve taken the inspiration, but all pay homage to these great chefs and amazing temples of gastronomy – Enjoy!”

First up was a homage to Thomas Keller of French Laundry and Per Se dish of Oysters and Pearls .  The original dish consists of Island Creek oysters, pearly tapioca and Osetra caviar. I doubt the last ingredient was replicated, but the tapioca gave it an interesting texture.

Second was a tribute to Heston Blumenthal from Fat Duck, with Beetrot and Orange. The original dish played on the diner’s sense, with the orange jello being beetrot and vice versa.  One can argue whether it is more of a taster than a dish as the whole experience is all about flicking flavour in one’s mouth rather like gargling with juice actually.

Third was Joël Robuchon of  L’Atelier Paris – L’oeuf de poule cocotte et sa crème légère de champignons des bois. Translated as Egg cocotte topped with light wild mushroom cream, it was a lovely layering of flavours. There was the herb emulsion, digging deeper you will find the slow cooked egg, wobbling and oozing, but cooked in a way that retained the flavour of the yolk. The creamy mushroom puree provided a contrast to the flavours and this was all topped with crunch Jamon crumbs. Balanced on top was a piece of toasted brioche that was consumed very quickly. Needless to say this was my favourite dish throughout the evening.

Pierre Gagnaire, Paris – Ormeau, murex, amande et moules d’Espagne aux cèpes sèches, Bouillabaisse mousseuse et gelée d’oursin was in my mind bouillabaisse deconstructed to its base flavours.

Marc Veyrat, Le Ferme de Mon Pere – Le bar éclaté, laitance de chocolat blanc, sirop de citron vert et citronnelle was a gigantic let down for me. It was served with a paint brush to “paint” the mulloway with the lemon-lime gelee. I frankly don’t get it, it would have made sense if liberal application would change the texture or the flavour , but it made no difference and was rather gimmicky with minimum results. A huge disappointment for me was the fish itself. In texture it was between raw and steamed, with neither end being reached and the compromise was an unhappy one for: me, my paintbrush and the fish. I would love to know what the original dish taste like, because this was by far a very sad dish.

Andoni Aduriz, Mugaritz – A piece of veal, roasted and perfumed with vine cuttings and embers, cinders and salts with Joël Robuchon’s Paris mash and Marc Veyrat’s forgotten vegetables. Keep in mind that this was last meat dish of our degustation menu, yes we were incredibly hungry at this stage of the game. When the charred veal arrived, the first thing my dining companion noted was that it was a tiny, burnt little thing and we gazed even more sadly at the proportion of mash to be divided between the three of us. Like everything else throughout the evening, it was an interesting way to cook the food, but did not quite deliver a spectacularly different result that was mind blowing.

Raymond Blanc, Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons -  Soupe à la fraise avec un sorbet au lait. Was a refreshing contrast of tart and sweet and brought us into the most memorable part of the evening.

Alain Ducasse, Louise XV Monaco - Louise XV chocolate praline was an extravagantly rich chocolate praline. T commented that the size differential throughout this meal was somewhat puzzling, this chocolate praline was easily twice the size of the veal and nearly tipped us into a chocolate coma. What can I say? Dark, rich and probably more than a single person can cope with unlesss you’re I who asked for a second serving half seriously and was given one by our bemused waiter.

To top off the night we ordered some tea again surprised at how insanely huge their teapots are and wondered if this degustation menu’s plan was to stuff us silly with pastries and tea all along. There were three different types of petit fours: a vanilla friand, chocolate ganache macaroon and brand snap. The brandy snap was the most interesting in terms of texture and flavour, but I enjoyed the subtle sweetness of the friand the best. As much as I liked the idea of “Heroes and Master” this was a rather lackluster dinner in many respect. Considering it was a set menu, the dishes came at an incredibly slow rate with up to 40 minute pauses in between meals, being visited by a cocroach halfway through the meal was not the type of distraction we were looking for. I know that the intent was to experiment and pay homage to some of the greatest chefs in the world, but somewhere along the line the meal itself was forgotten and the concept took over. On the other hand service was fantastic and the same goes with the dessert and bread and made me think that going back to experience Becasse’s usual offering would help to wipe clean my memory of this meal.

Arola at Bentley (World Showcase Dinner)

One would think that one World Showcase Dinner in a month, let alone a year is enough to last for a while. Then again, if the experience was so great, why not repeat it? It’s a week after Bras at Quay, Y and I were the first to arrive for the World Showcase Dinner with Sergi Arola at Bentley in Surry Hills.

Aside from being well known for his restaurant Gastro, Arola was famous for training at the well known el Bulli and was considered to be even then, one of the most promising chef in the industry. When this is combined with Brent Savage’s of Bentley’s highly experimental approach to fine dining, I was expecting something rather extraordinary.

We started with Patatas Bravas and Ajo Blanco with Cherry Caviar ( both from Arola), Kingfish Ceviche with Pickled Daikon and Yuzu Mayonaise and Smoked Eel Parfait with White Soy and Seaweed Salad (Savage). This particular World Showcase Dinner came with matching wine for all courses and this one was the MV Lancelot-Pienne ‘Cuvee de Table Ronde’ from Cragmant Champagne.

I wasn’t quite sure how the partnership between Savage and Arola was going to play out until this first course arrived. When it did, it dawned on me that it wasn’t exactly a duet of styles, but more of a solo of their signature dishes appearing side by side. Looking around the web later on, I wasn’t suprised to see that the Patatas Bravas and Ajo Blanco with Cherry Caviar usually appeared on Arola’s menu. I personally would happily nibble on the Patatas Bravas with its cute aoili topping all night, there was something deliciously more-ish and simple about the little dish.

Next was Arola’s Scallop and Bacon Saugage, Jerusalem Artichoke and Smoked Scallop matched with the 2007 Marques De Riscal Limousin Verdejo, Rueda Spain. The bite sized sausage was surprisingly bacony (if there is such a word) had I ate it with my eyes closes it would not be surprising to believe I was eating bacon.

Next was Savage’s Black Sesame and Pea Fondant with Snow Peas and Goats Curd. We were a little puzzled with this one, noting the strong presence of licorice, but missing out on the Black Sesame flavour. Whilst pondering whether they managed to mix up licorice and black sesame in the kitchen I sipped the 2008 Keller Trocken Riesling, Rheinhessen Germany and discovered a whole new dish. The fruity sweetness of the wine perfectly balanced the strong licorice flavour of the dish.

By this stage in the evening the light was getting dimmer, the decor and the light combined threw shades of red on everything we ate and my photos became progressively more abstract.

The next dish was Arola’s Snapper Sandwich, Mango, Haricots Verts and a Rockfish Consome paired with 2008 Bodegas Campante ‘Gran Reboreda’ Treixadura Blend from Ribeiro Spain. It wasn’t the most memorable of dish to me, being basically pan fried snapper with fish stock.

I couldn’t say much about Savage’s Pork Belly and Bubble, Green Olive, Apple and Tonka paired with Sidra Extra Brut Lagar De Camin, Lavandera Spain. I can understand the idea behind matching pork with apple cider, apple and pork is a magical classic pairing after all, but I found the cider too overpowering for my poor pork belly topped with crackle and had to put it away.

Arola’s Foie Gras ‘coca’ with Roasted Bellpeppers paired with 2004 Marques De Velila Crianza Tempranillo, Ribera del Duero made up for the other two dishes. Described as a Spanish pizza it was a magical layering of a crusty base with caramelised capsicums.

Next was Savage’s Duck Breast with Sweet Corn, Pistachio and Asparagus paired with 2004 Muga ‘Reserva’ Tempranillo Garmacha, Rioja Spain. It was a nice dish, but after the high of the ‘coca’ it was somewhat of a let down. Perhaps the most noticeable difference between Bras at Quay and Arola at Bentley was the direction of the dishes as the night progressed. At Quay there was a definite theme and direction with each dish, whereas at Bentley it was rather like observing two very different performers on the same stage without quite knowing what the theme of the show was.

With dessert coming soon, I finally abandoned my manners and took out my flash. I hate taking it out when out in restaurants like Bentley, but thought a few discreet flash would hardly make a difference. The Seared and Marinated Watermelon, Hibiscus Infusion, Pomegranate Seeds and Green Tomato Ice Cream paired with the delicious lychee scented 2007 Fustanova Moscatel, Valencia Spain was a surprisingly savoury tast dessert with a hint of tomato.

Reading the menu earlier in the night we speculated how Savage would present his Hazelnut White Chocolte and Blubery. I predicted it will turn up as a block whereas Y predicted a tube, when it arrived it turned out that we were both right. The white chocolate tube contained yogurt sauce that glide out when pierced. It was paired with 2004 Alain Brumont Pacherenc ‘Larmes Celestes’ from South West France.

The last dish for the night was Arola’s Dark Chocolate Mousse, coated in Mango Chutney and Toasted Sweetcorn, Coconut Espuma paired with the 2006 Castano Dulce Monastrell from Yecia Spain. I think Arola served this dish himself on the night. Instead of staying in the kitchen he was very much visible throughout the night making his ways to different tables. I remembered the fact that the chocolate mousse was not as dark as I would expect and the sweet corn was so subtle it appeared only for an instant on my tongue. If sight contributed to sensation when eating, I must confess I was eating blindly by this stage of the night and what you see on the photo with the aid of flash was not what I remembered on my plate.
It was close to eleven when we staggered out. There were some definite hits during the night, also dishes that didn’t quite work. At the same time it was a wonderful opportunity to be able to taste dishes that I would have to travel to the other side of the world to experience. The experience also reminded me how food and wine can be amazing when done right, and although I drink the occasional glass or two with my meal it made me rethink the idea  in a whole different light.

Bras at Quay

It’s Monday evening and I am on my way towards Circular Quay to join Y, M and Mitch for a World Chef Showcase dinner with Sebastiean Bras at Quay restaurant. On a day where most of are cursing the start of yet another work week, it is the unofficial day off for the lovely people in the hospitality industry. This partly explains the rather festive atmosphere floating in the air the moment I stepped through the door and noted the presence of food critics and chefs alike, but regardless of who you are that night, you were there to worship at the altar of gastronomy.

The event was part of SIFF’s World Chef Showcase. A first of its kind in Sydney’s gastronomy calendar, it partners some of Sydney’s best restaurants with world class chefs from around the world for an unforgettable dining experience. Priced at around $300 per head, it wasn’t the cheapest of dining experiences, but when considering the fact that you are able to eat at one of the top ten restaurants in the world without leaving the city it was an amazing deal.

My dining experience can be best summarised by Uhh:

Sebastian Bras at Quay
Bras, the restaurant he and his father Michel run in the centre of France is considered that country’s finest and one of the top 10 in the world. There they gather amongst other things local vegetables, herbs and flowers and combine them to dizzying effect. Sydney’s Quay is arguably Australia’s finest restaurant and it too has gained a worldwide reputation based on chef Peter Gilmore’s understanding of the natural. Those lucky enough to afford it will be treated to a six-course menu by these two like minded souls.

We started with a fresh apertiser consisting of vongole, burghul and goats curd. This simple, but beautifully balanced dish was a perfect introduction to the rest of the evening.

Next was the signature Gargouillou of young vegetables, with grains, herbs and grilled almond eggnog. Also known as the most beautiful combination of vegetables and petals on a plate, I’m sad that this photo did not it any justice aside from capturing the endearingly tiny baby radish. Each vegetable was braised individually to bring out its flavour, and it was unbelievable how much flavour each piece of piece packed in every bite.

Next was a feast of colours with juicy sauteed scallops on sugar -loaf cabbage, white apple and garden cress, apple juice and almond prune oil.

Next was the rather surprising orange dusted king prawns wit a vegetable broth and touch of coriander. I could barely remember the coriander from this dish, but I still remember the sweet orange dust on the side of the plate like edible fairy dust that burst in my mouth.

I should mention that although wines were not included as part of the meal, matching wines were thoughtfully recommended within the menu. I decided to have a glass of the 2007 Ramon Bilbao, Viura, Rioja, Spain with the next dish. Aptly named Earthly Flavour it consisted of green asparagus crusted with black truffles, toasted barley and ham. It reminded me of a mini haggis in appearance, but the flavour was smoky, green and very earthy. A complete turning point to the previous light and delicate flavours.

Next was the roast rack of lamb on the bone: chopped aromatic herbs, Mexican tarragon with salted lemon and slightly spiced sauce. It was beautifully done, but not the most memorable part of the meal. I wonder now if I had ordered the wine, it would have made the pairing more interesting.

There was a noticeable lag as we waited for the longest time for our cheese. During this time both Sebastien Bras and Peter Gilmore wandered around to say hello to all the diners. Too star struck to say anything I just watched them walk closer and closer to us.

Dessert could not come soon enough with the first being meringues shaped into the sails of the Opera House garnished with a palette of local fruit, rose petal and gentian. It was unexpected and eventhough shaping food in the form of the Opera House is sometimes trite, it seemed fitting this time around. I am not a big fan of meringue as a rule, but found this version not too sweet and matched brilliantly with the fruits and sugar coated rose petals.

Last, but not least was the potato gaufrette nut brown butter cream and salted butter caramel. We grabbed a piece and munched on this crispy, sweet dessert with a satisfied crunch.

The time was close to midnight when we finished, I was full, but happy and could not think of a better way to start a week…

Spice I Am

With the plethora of amazing food blogs scattered around Sydney, sometimes I wonder whether the world needs another review on yet another Sydney restaurant. Particularly when sites like Not Quite Nigella,  Chocolatesuze and Grab Your Fork are so well written with their own quirky personalities. Then ofcourse sites such as A Table for Two are just so beautifully shot and laid out that it’s a feast for the eyes. I still can’t figure out how Billy managed to take photos from the incredibly dimly lit Est. and believe that he possesses magical powers.

Despite my blog envy, at the end of the day there is never any harm to reaffirm to the online world treasured finds such as Spice I Am. Located on the other side of Central and just a hop and skip away from Surry Hills, Spice I Am is something of an institution winning an impressive list of awards as an Authentic Thai restaurant. Such is their success that they opened a bigger restaurant in Darling Hurst. I have yet to visit their new restaurant, but the word of mouth is that although the new Spice I Am’s menu is almost identical to the original restaurant they hike up the price and lowered the portion size accordingly.

In any case, their original restaurant is still true to form. We started with the Homok (steamed fish in banana leaves), so moist that it was just unbeliavable. This was followed by their Som tum (green papaya salad), the perfect combination of hot chilli and sour taste explosion.

Then there was the fried rice along to go with the ridicilously more-ish Basil Crispy Pork Belly, so tender and moist with the most magical combination of sauce to pork coverage. It’s difficult not to write about it without licking my lips in fond remembrance. We probably ordered more than enough for three people, but struggled on with the Pla Sam Rot (deep fried whole fish topped with sweet and sour chili sauce).

Everything was just balanced perfectly with no flavour overpowering the other in this very authentic Thai restaurant, and rather affordable too with mains from $14. There will be a queue if you are planning on rocking up for dinner, but the wait is worth it.

PS: Talking about food, submissions for Like Mum Used to Make ends this week!

Spice I am
90 Wentworth Ave.
Surry Hills
Sydney 2010

Trading Hours
Tuesday – Sunday
Lunch: 11:30 AM – 3:30 PM
Dinner: 6:00 PM – 10:00

Cropped Cardigan with Leaf Ties

I have a backlog of posts that I never got the chance to write, but I’m going to take a leaf from other bloggers’ virtual book and dedicate days to write posts. Stay tune to see how this will eventuate.

TINA was lots of fun as always, but more of that next time. Sales was slow, but the wind and the rain kept most people out. Thanks to those who bought my zine, you guys rock as always.

I just realised it has been a while since I posted about my knitting project, eventhough they are piling in the background. I started knitting Stefanie Japel’s Cropped Cardigan with Leaf Ties last week using Morris’s Superwash Merino 8ply and was initially rather pleased with how fast it knitted up. I had never knitted anything from the top down before and finally realised what the fuss was all about. It really was gratifying being able to try a piece on while knitting it, and I do get a better sense of how the fit was going to be compared to a bottom up knit.

The only ammend I have made so far was to knit the sleeves in the round using circulars. So far so good, but not quite sure what I will do with the gaping hole underneath the sleeves. Another thing I find slightly irritating about the pattern was the initial increase to create the yoke. I had to fudge my way a few times ensure that the number of stitches before and after the sleeves will sit properly on my shoulder.

I still need to knit the body and the tie, but I can definitely see new possibilities in the cardigan construction to create something new based on this pattern. Oh and another thing, as much as I love the colour and smooth texture of this yarn and how it feels, it does have a rather unfortunate tendency to split. I wasn’t happy with the random joints as well, for a 50g ball I would not expect see more than one joint at a time.

Incidentally, I believe the Morris yarn is produced by the same family that owns Morris and Sons, arguably Sydney’s biggest yarn store.

Reading challenge and comedians in October

Meet Glenn Wool,  one of the funniest and scruffiest comedian around who’s currently in Sydney until the end of next week. He was also the comedian I watched during the Late Show at the Fringe whose name completely slipped my mind. I would recommend buying tickets before he flies off to the other side of the world.

As I type this, I cringe thinking that you might be able to see my mug promoting his show in the very near future. The Comedy Store was grabbing audience members for soundbites after the show and as everyone around us suddenly took a step back, we found ourselves shoved in front of a microphone.

Talking about comedians I’m thinking of watching The Bedroom Philosopher later on this month and hopefully stalking Lawrence Leung at TINA this weekend. No I’m not a geeky comedian groupie at all (ahem). For readers who are interested issue 4 of Sharp and Pointy will hopefully be available at TINA. I’m still trying to put it all together right now and wonder why my time management skills falls apart when it comes to zines.

Talking about zines and reading. The 2009 Books Alive Reading Challenge is  finished and although I didn’t do too badly, I realise that I am an horridly unfaithful reader with a penchant to read multiple books at the same time.  Rather like my knitting habit really…

The theme for this started of as the 50 books from Books Alive, but it morphed into “Library Books I am reading”

Books read between September 7 to October 1

1. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale – sweet adaptation of fairy tale of the same title. Light beach read.
2. Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey – her first non fantasy novel. A surprisingly believable post plague America with a very strong heroine.
3. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman – reminded me of Diane W. Jones more so than any of his other books. Quoting Epany, his books are fairy tales for adults and that’s just fine!
4. Grug Learns To Read by Ted Prior –
5. The Matchmaker of Perigord by Julia Stuart – shades of Chocolat with some rather lovely prose, but left me feeling a little unsatisfied. The setting and the characters felt a little contrived at times and the ending was rather abrupt.
6. Risk: The Science and Politics of Fear by Dan Gardner – can be summarised as “the world is not going to end and stop freaking out”

Other books I am currently reading are listed here. I am somewhat in love with Library Thing, I love the way it can search and find books that are not necessarily published within the UK or America.

Spring is here, baby elephant and all

Spring is in the air judging from the multiple new additions at Sydney Taronga Zoo, but the centre stage belongs to the its baby elephant Luk Chai. So much so that Taronga’s entire website and merchandise had been rebranded to reflect his arrival. I admit there is is something gorgeous about watching a smaller version of a truck sized mammal trying his hardest to over turn a red cover lid for a good five minutes.

In other news with the new addition of their brand new car park it is no longer so painful to find parking around Mosman. More reasons to check out this little guy…

A winter’s feast at Est.

Est.
1 course    35
2 courses  50
3 courses  60

( clockwise) passion fruit soufflé
tangelo sorbet, fresh dates, nashi, pistachio and clove
tahitian vanilla cheesecake, strawberry  sorbet

As much as I love to hate Merivale for being so good in creating and building its empire on glamorous, over hyped sites around Sydney, I have to admit that they know what they’re doing. Their Merivale’s winter feast was a perfect example of their marketing skills. In order to drum up business during the quiet winter months, why not create a special winter menu with price to match and open their doors to new customers?

It was the chance to check out the three hatted Est. that prompted a group of mid week foodies to this beautiful space. The fact that the offer was only available on a weekday between 6-8pm fit the bill perfectly for a MSG gathering. Feeling rather nervous about throwing a group of people across a table who for the most part have never met before, I swallowed my mini melt down and just hoped for the best. It didn’t take long before someone in the group quoted A table for two and Grab Your Fork as their food blog/bible. I couldn’t help, but pointed out that one of their idol was sitting at the end of the table, and was amused to see a case of a star struck fan throughout the rest of the evening.

I have to apologise for the quality of the photos, low lighting and no flash create some rather tragic 80 style food photos, but not having any images would stretch my power of descriptive with even more tragic result.

As R2 pointed out during the evening, the capelli, white scallops, fennel, snap peas and chives entrée was replaced by linguine, chorizo, broccoli, red chilli, parsley and lemon. Thankfully it was the only item noticeably absent from the menu. The three mains of

duck leg confit, roast kipfler potatoes, green peas, jamon, savoy cabbage
pan roasted ocean trout fillet, courgettes, spring peas and salsa verde
slow cooked lamb rump, green lentils, tapenade, love bite tomatoes and basil

were lovely, and well cooked the duck in particular sliding off the bone with a gentle wiggle from my knife. Were they outstanding in any way, not particularly, they show that est. is capable of producing a well cooked meal with decent ingredients, with a keen eye on their bottom line.

When it was time for dessert, I well…deserted and decided to order their passion fruit souffle from their normal menu, just to see what it was like. If you do love your souffle and your passion fruit, the two was combined in a perfect creation that was both light and proudly puffy. The winter feast dessert of vanilla cheesecake and tangelo sorbet were both pleasing, but the souffle won my tastebud and reminded me yet again that what they served was not the true .Est experience.

est.
252 George St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia‎ – (02) 9299 1700‎

Merivale’s Winter Feast finishes at the end of September

Sydney a post apocalyptic preview

There are many reasons to love Sydney, like its constant blue sky. On the other hand today’s orange start gave an early preview of a post apocalyptic Sydney. I am waiting for the dust storm to come back later on in the afternoon, hoping to catch a glimpse of a very red sun set across the Quay. I guess this answers that old question “if the world is ending today, what will you do?” Looks like I will be out and about with a camera hoping that an alien race will be able to find my footage somewhere down the line.

Talking about the future, I managed to catch the last of the City Talks last week.

Former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone will give a free public talk about sustainable cities and integrated transport on Wednesday 16 September.

…
He will be joined by Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP. Ms Moore said; “We have much in common in our vision for our respective cities. Sustainable Sydney 2030 calls for better public transport, less cars, more walking and cycling.”

“A green, global and connected Sydney needs an integrated public transport system. Major public transport is at capacity and it is difficult to move efficiently around the city. Congestion inhibits economic development and private vehicle use is a major source of green house emissions,” Ms Moore said.

Also speaking at the City Talk will be The Hon Anthony Albanese MP, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Leader of the House, Federal Member for Grayndler.

The speakers will participate in a panel discussion chaired by ABC broadcaster Simon Marnie. They will be joined by Garry Glazebrook, Senior Lecturer, School of the Built Environment, University of Technology, Sydney, and Robert Whitehead, Director, Marketing & Newspaper Sales, The Sydney Morning Herald.

Aside from the fact that the talk was free, I was curious to hear what the panel would say about Sydney’s transport infrastructure. If there is one cause that all Sydney siders are united under, it’s our useless public transportation. Trains, buses, light rails and ferries are run separately with their own separate ticketing systems. Unless you live within the inner city suburbs, you will need a car. Riding a bike is just not an option for long distances unless you enjoy near death experiences on a daily basis.

It was actually quite depressing to hear Ken Livingstone speak. In less than a decade London managed to transform its transportation system into an efficient system that does exactly what a growing, vibrant city require. Listening to our Lord Mayor it became clear that any real changes to Sydney’s transportation system will only happen in the long term, and only after years of negotiations between the various bodies governing the entire transportation systems. I didn’t realise that as Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone was given almost total power to do as he saw fit to change the transportation system, hence cutting the years of red tape to almost nothing.

When the suggestion of congestion charge was mentioned, it was rather laughable as  this article rightly pointeded out in order to even think of congestion charge, this city will need a working transportation system to begin with.

I walked out feeling inspired, jaded and hopeful at the same time. Thankful that at least attempts were being made to start working on a single plan, but not trusting the fact that everything will happen within my lifetime. Food for thought, and on that note I am off to enjoy what Sydney has plenty to offer, food and plenty of it at one of Merivale’s Winter Feast.

Stay tune for more food news, in the meantime you might want to check Billy’s review on Teppanyaki’s Winter Feast.

I heart Kings Cross

If there is one thing that I am missing quite badly after leaving London it is the lovely London Stitch N Bitch crew, and as I typed this one of their newsletter just popped into my inbox! I missed the lovely ladies, the weekly meet ups at all types of venues around London and finding out what the Knit the City knitters are up to as they spread their knitting love around London.

While looking around for a local knitting group to join, I came across the Iheartkx website. Inviting all knitters to attend one of their knitting circles for the month of September, the various knitted bits and pieces will be used as part of a public art project around Kings Cross.

THE PROJECT

Every year City of Sydney commissions a major community-based public art project as part of Art & About. This year, Reef Knot’s ‘I Heart Kings Cross’ project was chosen to engage with the truly diverse and spirited community of Kings Cross as well as local artists.

Over two months Reef Knot will collaborate with a team of artists to run assorted knitting circles in Fitzroy Gardens and other local businesses. Then, in early October 2009, the finished pieces will be installed throughout the Cross in a celebration of colour, tolerance and diversity.

‘I Heart Kings Cross’ will be installed from 10-25 October.

From memory this was indeed the biggest collaborative knitting project that I have seen in Sydney. By mid October, expect to see sometimes dodgy but always lively Kings Cross be covered in knitting.

If interested, there are several knitting circles meeting up on various days of the week, with the biggest group meeting on Saturdays from 10:00-16:00 at the Fitzroy Garden in Kings Cross. More details can be found here.