Food Experiences

If you’ve watched any amount of food television, you’ve probably heard people talking about ‘Mexican Street Corn’. I spent a lot of time in the streets, squares and parks of Mexico but couldn’t find street corn for love nor money. That is, until I visited the Bosque de Chapultepec in Mexico City. It was on a… Read more

Whilst I was researching our holiday to Mexico, I watched a lot of Pati Jinich’s ‘My Mexican Table’. In one episode, Pati visits Morelia in the state of Michoacan and enjoys the local specialty of Gaspacho. If it’s good enough for Pati, it’s good enough for me. So, in the same way that we ended… Read more

There are millions of Hong Kong Stories. This is one of them…. As a late riser, Hong Kong is my kind of city. Hong Kongers are for the most part also late risers. To some extent this is because they’re night owls, out drinking and socialising to the wee small hours. In part it’s because… Read more

As part of a short holiday in the Wide Bay-Burnett region, we had attended a ‘Plate To Paddock’ afternoon, organised by Judy Plath from Nourish Cafe in Bundaberg. We were lucky enough to buy the last two tickets. The event was hosted on the Bucca property of Rob & Sarah Cook, owners of the RS Cattle… Read more

July in Queensland means clear skies and a chance to slip into a second layer. It also means lots of outdoor, food focused events before the temperatures start to rise again. Mark these Queensland Food Festivals on your calendar and take advantage of the great weather. Scenic Rim Eat Local Week I’ve written before about… Read more

Most people have heard of the riads in Morocco. Traditional guest houses where the rooms all face onto an open central courtyard, open to the sky. Riads face inwards to provide privacy to those in the house, with small gardens and soothing fountains offering peaceful respite from the hubbub of the world outside the door. A… Read more

When were travelling through Wyoming, we spent a night in the dot on the map town of Lusk. I had read they had an old fashioned Drive-In burger joint and was keen to visit but the ever present ‘closed for the season’ sign that haunted our holiday meant visiting a drive-in burger restuarant would have… Read more

On a drizzling Sunday morning as we headed to Grand Teton National Park, we had some time to kill before checking into our hotel. A sign on the side of the road said ‘World Famous Huckleberry Shakes’ and that seemed like a good enough reason to stop. Victor is a small town in north-east Idaho… Read more

After discovering Flaxman Wines a few years ago via the Good Food & Wine Show in Brisbane, we visited them last Vintage Festival for a fantastic private tasting. Many wines were tasted and quite a few dollars charged to credit cards as we enjoyed a relaxed afternoon set on the gentle slopes on the vineyard… Read more

This is a public service announcement for all Australians who are seeking a real cup of coffee in the USA. Make your way immediately to the town of West Yellowstone in Montana. There you will find the true secret of happiness. An elixir that you will recall with fondness for many months and bad coffees… Read more

Travelling through the US in Fall has its charms. The trees are at their best, displaying their Autumnal splendour; the crowds have diminished so you can enjoy the attractions in relative peace; and lots of accommodation offers low season specials. One of the disadvantages though are the many signs that you see saying ‘Closed For… Read more

In busy New Farm, there’s a little community that’s quietly going about its business on the rooftops of James St. High above the air kisses and alfresco dining is the secret world of the honey bee, living in beehives above your very heads. In case you missed it, urban beehives and neighbourhood beekeeping is very much… Read more

When visiting New York City, make sure you wander Uptown past the end of Central Park, to Harlem. Once with a reputation for poverty and violence, Harlem like many NYC suburbs has gentrified. It’s interesting to note that in the 1950s, 98% of the population in Harlem was black but these days, African-Americans represent only… Read more

What is an Indian Taco? Is it a taco shell filled with curry? These were my thoughts as I saw a handmade sign outside the Minneluzahan Senior Citizen’s Centre, near where our car was parked. We could see people coming in and out of a side door with takeaway containers so I just had to… Read more

So much food, so little insider knowledge… When you head to a new country or city, you naturally want to enjoy the sights that people have been raving about but you also want to find the hidden gems. Sometimes they are hard to locate or opinion is divided about the best example. It’s no different… Read more

Billings, Montana. It’s a place that most of us have heard of but few have been to. Joan Rivers once asked her audience if anyone had been to Billings. You can hear what she thought about it here: Billings is not for Joan.  It’s not really on the beaten track but serves as a stopping… Read more

In the world of globalisation and social media, food trends sweep the world rapidly. Cupcake parlours, copies of Cronuts and more pulled pork than you’d think there were actual pigs on earth. Let’s not forget macarons. One minute they were small dainties in the elegant salons of Paris, the next minute they were available at… Read more

On our travels, I like to research the city we’re visiting and find out more about what’s on offer as far as restaurants, regional specialities and any ‘must try’ treats. Colour me a surprised shade of pink when I found out that Oregon hipster doughnut shop, Voodoo Doughnut had recently crossed borders to open an… Read more

A few months ago I wrote about a fantastic movie I saw at QAGOMA called Spinning Plates. It followed three very different restaurants striving to make a success of their businesses. One of them, Breitbach’s Country Dining, served Broasted chicken. This sent me dashing to the internet to find out what Broasted chicken was. A… Read more