FoodieChat

My favourite place for Japanese in Sydney (and yes I have been to Tetsuya’s!) is Masuya, tucked into the basement of a building on Sydney’s O’Connell Street.  Its unassuming position in the middle of Sydney’s lawyers and bankers offices mean that its clientele is predominantly lunching corporate types, and that means be sure to book! Which really surprises me that the food is so affordable, for the amazing quality that you get.  For example, the Masuya Set, at $23.80 provides teriyaki chicken, 2 tempura jumbo prawns and veges, sashimi, sushi along with rice and miso soup is huge! The tempura is no dodgy gluggy oily job either, it’s the real thing – light and crispy and not oily at all.  The chicken is tender and moist (thigh fillets), and not too salty.  And the sashimi fresh daily.   For those non-sushi eating types, the Teriyaki Angus Beef Steak ($19.80) really is as promised “prime angus scotch fillet cooked with ginger teriyaki sauce”.  And I reckon you get more than a whole steak there, and it is plenty for one person and more. (And it comes with rice). It’s perfectly cooked – cooked through (just) and not dry at all, and sweetly scented with teriyaki sauce that enhances the tender sliced beef.

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More than just a cheap lunch, shish kebabs to me are a less guilty way to have a doner kebab. I mean – the fat drips into the coals right? And it’s chicken breast! $9.50 for a shish or andana kebab plate gets you ALOT of meat from the kebab shop downstairs from my office – as well as turkish bread, hommus, salad and vegetables grilled over the same hot coals that cook the chicken into a smokey juicey delight. Hmmm knew I should have opted for salad as I fall alseep around 2:30pm!

Cupcake craze has officially swept the world, thanks to the favoured baby cakes of those four New York girls on THAT TV show.  So where can you get one of these cupcake holders?  I was lucky enough to be given one as a gift from my American aunt- they are much cheaper in the states than here as they are imported.  But if you don’t have a visiting American relative, then try Peter’s of Kensington (which sells larger ones), or specialty cake stores and wholesalers.  Amazon.com also has some but I found it difficult locating one that would ship to Australia.   (more…)

I made these from the 2005 spring edition of Donna Hay magazine. Sooo fiddly – allow yourself at least an hour and a half (more if you’re like me and start cooking without all the ingredients so need to pop out to the nearest rip off convenience store).  I filled them with pink coloured white chocolate. They look a bit like baby hamburgers, don’t they? Maybe with a bit more practice I can get them to look like the Lindt delice!