January 2006

Support diversity in wine: Wine Blogging Wednesday #18

by Ed

For February WBW#18 is hosted by Dr Vino’s wine blog. The challenge is to blog about a local wine store. We are very spoilt for wine stores in Melbourne so this should be a difficult challenge. But for me one shop stands out and I should probably visit it more. Cloudwine Cellars, which now has [...]

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More local food blogs for Gourmet Travellers

by Ed

Click on the pic to read the full story. Updated figures again. Since I wrote this story the food blogging world has grown again. You can find my definitive list of local bloggers here. Since I filed my copy in November, at least a dozen new local bloggers have emerged. I have tracked 54 locally, [...]

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Beyond the hype: Longrain

by Ed

It is David Thompson, now London-based, who is credited with transforming Asian food in Australia. He took the ethnic recipes and ingredients and knocked the rough edges off. He put Thai food on the map in Sydney. When he left it was Martin Boetz who again honed the art. Since 1999 Longrain in Sydney has [...]

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Italian challenge

by Ed

Peppoli Antinori 2003$25.95 (Dan Murphy’s) Cherries and leather. Smooth. versus Umani Ronchi San Lorenzo Rosso Conero 2002 $24.95(The Prince Wine Store) Pamplemous, the citrus taste of those giant south pacific grapefruit. And the winner is Peppoli Antinori 2003 It just has the edge.

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Weekend zucchini emergency. Urgent help needed

by Ed

I’m in trouble. Three Zucchini plants all survived this year and there are just two of us. We are in urgent need of help. As each day passes the massed forces of the Zucchini threaten to take over. At first there was just one or two a week. Now its one or two a day. [...]

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For racial stereotypes start here

by Ed

I’ve begun contributing to The Spirit World, which is nothing at all to do with Doris Stokes. It is part of the new Well Fed blog network in the US. You can check out my first entry on the real beer that real Aussies drink here. I think I was frustrated by the assumption by [...]

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Stone-faced blogger turns to buttery rolls

by Ed

Click on thumbnail for full-sized image I have never really felt the need to sport Medusa on clothing, although she once featured on my fly buttons. Saying that I don’t need to turn women to stone to keep away from my fly. It just sorta happens without trying. I’m really a low key Paul Smith [...]

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Hop on the Krispy Kreme media bandwagon

by Ed

Picture pinched from Il Fornaio. Yuk! Over at Espresso in The Age the editors are already licking their lips at the prospect of a drive through Krispy Kreme doughnut outlet in Melbourne. I’ve had the misfortune to eat these dubious sugar coated bits of dough. Double yuk! At first bite they have a pleasant crispy [...]

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Five food challenges for 2006 (and koala)

by Ed

Lucas (aka Crazy Gaijin) has tagged me to come up with my five food challenges for 2006. 1. Bake loads of different cakes and biscuits Especially a sponge cake, probably a traditional one using no fat but also a Genoese (made with butter) one filled with strawberries and cream. I’ll probably make a couple of [...]

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Does My Blog Look Good in this?

by Ed

Get on over to Spittoon Extra where Andrew is hosting the first Does My Blog Look Good in this (DMBLGIT) for 2006. Five judges will pick a winner from the best food and wine related pictures posted on a blog in December 2005. Technically it may be the last DMBLGIT of 2005. Confused? I am, [...]

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Lunchtime in paradise

by Ed

Drive through Surfers Paradise and turn off the main highway to Budd’s Beach on the Nerang River. Here you’ll find a quite backwater with Bumbles Café (21 River Drive, Budd’s Beach QLD 07 5538 6668) offering refreshing breakfasts and BYO lunches. The view is to die for and if you can’t afford the well-priced menu, [...]

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Third time lucky with Pouilly-Fuissé

by Ed

Yes, the second bottle of the AUS40 Pouilly-Fuisse that Jackie chose as part of a mixed dozen was also corked. Third time lucky we opened it in the shop to taste and I nearly choked. This was an expensive bottle with all the class and acid of a cheap Muscadet. The lesson is to avoid [...]

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WHB#14:Angry irritated…

by Ed

…and just very cross. Verdict: Picture required for weekend cat blogging – with bird in mouth. That’s it. You can check out the round up for weekend herb blogging over at Kalyn’s Kitchen.

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This is impressive: swapping a corked wine

by Ed

Today we bought a bottle of Puilly Fuissé for nearly AUS40. We opened it half an hour ago. It was corked. Yuk! It smelt of mouldy cardboard and was, well, just plain horrible. I’m on the phone to Vintage Cellars South Melbourne ready to get angry and indignant as they say tought luck. This is [...]