Desserts & Sweets

High tea or more correctly, afternoon tea is one of my most favourite leisurely activities. During the month of June, Sheraton On The Park will be serving a special royal edition to celebrate Queen's Birthday! You don't have to be... Continue reading Royal Tea Stand at Sheraton On The Park »

Sydney's cheap eat scene recently welcomed the addition of Chanoma Cafe to Regent Place (where Azuma Patisserie used to be). Matcha green tea is the focus of the menu here - there's green tea soft serve ice-cream, green tea lattes,... Continue reading Chanoma Cafe »

The latest excitement in the land of Parramatta is Sweet Street Bakery. Part of the local council's initiative to revamp the area and turn it into more of a foodie destination, the pop-up of Sweet Street brings the shabby chic... Continue reading Sweet Street Bakery, Parramatta (formerly Short Sweet Bakery) »

Meeting other business owners has become a bit of a drug to me. Their drive is so contagious, I'm usually left buzzing with new ideas and goals. It is the feeling of invigoration and inspiration that I'm addicted to. I... Continue reading Croquembouche and macarons by Looma's »

Not many public holidays make sense to me. For example, why do we celebrate the Queen's Birthday on a date that's so far from her real birthday? But with that aside, I do love our Australia Day. As a child... Continue reading Australia Day at Black Star Pastry and my pop-up radio gig on ABC Radio for Lunar New Year 2013 »

Growing up with a mish mash of cultures and cuisines was tremendously confusing as a kid. During my young school years, I was always trying to work out the correlation between certain words in the various languages that were spoken... Continue reading Mooncakes giveaway »

Winter is no excuse for not indulging in ice cream or gelato. Aside from Gelato Messina popping up in Surry Hills, the other talk of the town in the gelato world is N2. Named after the chemical formula for nitrogen... Continue reading N2 Extreme Gelato »

I had the most unusual craving the other night for my mother's homemade banana ice-cream. Reminiscing about my childhood, my mouth started salivating when I came across a particular flashback. It must've been at least 15 years ago, where hot... Continue reading Kem Chuoi (Vietnamese banana ice-cream) »

The concept of leverage is all about achieving ever more with ever less. I've been reading a lot about it lately as I'm learning to systemise more areas of my businesses. As everything in my life relates back to food,... Continue reading Banoffee Pie recipe for the lazy cook »

It's only spring but we're already getting our first taste of summer - juicy golden pineapples, luscious mangoes and sweet and tangy passionfruits. A recipe which combines all of these summer flavours is this irresistible Hummingbird Cake. Penguin Books sent... Continue reading Summer tastes like Hummingbird Cakes »

For those of you who have only ever eaten marshmallows by Pascall (those packet ones you find in the supermarket), you'll be blown away by the gourmet marshmallows at Sweetness. I've been lucky enough to have tasted them several times,... Continue reading Sweetness The Patisserie »

A dish which I never fail to order at yum cha is the tofu dessert (豆腐花, pronounced as dòufu huā). It is essentially a sweet beancurd pudding/jelly that is irresistibly silky soft. The syrup that goes with this varies across... Continue reading Homemade Tofu Fa »

The talk of the town at the moment is Cafe Cre Asion. Tucked within a Sydney laneway, this tiny cafe produces scrumptious sandwiches with housemade breads, fabulous Single Origin coffees, and a very exciting range of macarons. Their macaron flavours... Continue reading Cafe Cre Asion »

There are a few things that instantly strike me at Home Thai. The first being its visual similarities to Chat Thai, and the second being the trendiness of the waitresses. Where else am I going to find waitresses that carry... Continue reading Home Thai »

Meet Fresh has been open in Sydney for about seven months and is just next door to Mamak. No matter what time of the day or night I passed it, there seemed to be constant queues out the door! I... Continue reading Meet Fresh: Taiwanese Dessert House »

As much as I miss the luscious sweetness of summer fruits - lychees, mangoes, passionfruit and peaches - I always welcome the autumn and winter months with open arms. It's a time for warm and nourishing foods such as stews,... Continue reading Baked pear dumplings »

I was so excited when I first discovered MakMak. It felt like I had just stumbled across the source that was supplying to a secret society of macaron connoisseurs. The macaron craze has been going on for quite some years... Continue reading MakMak Macarons »

Formerly at Balmain, Victoire boulangerie / pâtisserie moved down the street to Rozelle late last year. This was good news for me as it meant I was now only minutes away from eye candy! The sweet scent of freshly baked... Continue reading Victoire »

I've blabbed on about matcha this and matcha that in my recent Japan blog posts but how many of you really know what matcha is? Matcha (抹茶) is basically finely-milled Japanese green tea. Traditionally used in the Japanese tea ceremony,... Continue reading Matcha (Japanese Green Tea) Pound Cake Muffins »

There's so much to love about this relatively new addition to Glebe - the stunning Provençal decor, the aroma of just baked goodies, the baskets and wooden shelves of breads and rustic baguettes and the stunning display of delectable tarts,... Continue reading La Banette Patisserie Boulangerie »

My posts from Japan are starting to drag on now so i'm going to post at least once a day until they're all done! Now, on to waffles... mmmm... waffles. Waffle Waffle is a chain of dessert cafes in Japan... Continue reading Waffle Waffle Le Fruitier, Japan »

Mangoes are one of summer's greatest delights so it was only natural that it became the focus of a recent cooking challenge I took part in at a friend's place. Similar to the way Iron Chef works, we each had... Continue reading Mango, white chocolate and almond cigars »

"I just don't have time!". How often do you hear that phrase? Well, that seems to be my excuse for everything - baking, reading, exercising, replying to emails... everything. So since moving into my new place, I have been determined... Continue reading Instant Dessert: Maple Apple Tarte Tatin »

Thought the deep-fried Mars Bar was good? Wait 'til you've tried the sensational deep-fried Oreo! But before we get carried away with dessert, let me show you the fish and chips which lured me to Aussie Bob's. Aussie Bob's is... Continue reading Aussie Bob's Fish and Chips »

For as long as I can remember, ice cream has always been an indulgent reward. Growing up in the 90's meant I used to cherish ice creams like the Bubble O' Bill... Remember those? Well, into adulthood, I now appreciate... Continue reading Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream »

Although EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) is one of the most common pantry items in kitchens across the world, I'll admit that I didn't really know much about it at the time I received an invitation from Media Moguls to... Continue reading Cobram Estate's Extra-Virgin Olive Oil »

Along with several other bloggers, I was recently treated by Lindt to a Gold Class screening of Alice in Wonderland. It was a meet and greet with the marketing team and their advertising and PR agencies and being such marvelous... Continue reading Chocolate & Peanut Butter Lava Cakes »

In celebration of the new year, I thought it would be suitable to look back at all of my best eats in 2009. Here, I've included some of my most frequently visited restaurants as well as a few memorable favourites.... Continue reading Top 10 list of the best I've eaten in 2009 »

While I'm not religious, my family and I have always celebrated Christmas as a time to be together, share food, and give love and appreciation. Part of the fun is of course within the preparation and cooking stages which gives... Continue reading A Galaxy of Gingerbread Stars »

Last week, I had the pleasure of not only meeting Jason Roberts, but also cooking with him, thanks to IGA, Stellar* Concepts and City Public Relations. Many of you will remember Jason from his time at Channel Nine's cooking program... Continue reading Introducing Jason Roberts as IGA Food 4 Life brand ambassador »

Rice and pasta are kitchen staples I can't live without. And now, thanks to Blu and the team at Haystac, I can add Pearl Couscous (also known as Israeli couscous) to my list of must-have versatile ingredients. You can win... Continue reading Cooking with pearl couscous »

Vietnamese-style coconut and pandan waffles I grew up on these waffles. I remember sitting on the kitchen bench on many after school afternoons, eagerly waiting for my parents to pour batches of batter onto our Black and Decker Sweet Hearts... Continue reading Coconut and pandan waffles »

Last Monday would have been just another girly catch-up dinner at CeCi in Strathfield had I not discovered Hello Happy (to which I squealed with excitement). As you may have noticed, I'm a regular at Strathfield. With a growing South-Korean,... Continue reading Hello Happy, Strathfield »

In celebration of the upcoming release of Julie & Julia, and thanks to Sony Pictures, I have one very exciting competition for JENIUS readers. If you don't know anything about this movie, here's the synopsis: Meryl Streep is Julia... Continue reading Julie and Julia: Mastering the Art of French food blogging Competition »

With a name like this, how can anyone not like them? Smiling doughnuts are also commonly known as smiling mouth cookies, happy mouth cookie balls, deep-fried sesame cookie balls or from it's direct Cantonese translation, 笑口枣 means smiling mouth dates.... Continue reading Smiling Doughnuts (笑口枣) »

I don't care what you call it (or how you spell it): slushee, slushy, slushie, slurpee or granita. But this has to be the world's best tasting and looking slush. Served on large martini glasses, LNC Dessert House offer over... Continue reading The world's best slushee »

I'm a big fan of Time Out. I would never visit a city without first consulting the local Time Out guide. Time Out Sydney's Food Awards 09 winners were announced this week, so let's see who made the cut: People's... Continue reading The best of Sydney, according to Time Out »

The Aussie in me has never experienced a cold wintery Christmas. I'm used to the barbecues, the fresh seafood, chilled fruity drinks and spending the morning watching a repeat of Christmas cartoons followed by a balmy afternoon at the beach.... Continue reading Baking for Christmas In July afternoon tea »

I think Uchi Lounge is the perfect place for a first date. Now, I've been with Zen for almost 7 years and can't quite remember what first dates are like, but how can an equation which includes awesome sake cocktails,... Continue reading Uchi Lounge »

Shopping in Melbourne is sensational... and every time my energy depleted, a San Churro Chocolateria franchise seemed to come to my saviour. They were seriously everywhere! Brunswick Street Fitzroy, Lygon Street, Harbour Town & more. Chocolate tapas, truffles and more,... Continue reading San Churro Chocolateria »

Welcome back! I hope ya'll had many delicious moments during the break. To kick off a new year of blogging, I thought it would only make sense to firstly conclude 2008 with my family Christmas dinner. It was a little... Continue reading Christmas at home »

A little mishap led me to be finally endowed with a chance to eat at Ryo's Noodles. Random location, tiny restaurant, queues which stretch onto the street and signature postings by Japanese celebrities! There were more than enough signals to... Continue reading Ryo's Noodles »

For as long as I can remember, it has always been a fantasy to visit a real chocolate factory. My expectations of course were hyped up by films such as Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. At Cadbury's visitor centre, for... Continue reading Cadbury's chocolate factory »

Here's my lush green tea mousse birthday cake. And I thought I'd also include this pic of my fave dessert. Dad's homemade tofu dessert with caramelised ginger syrup. It's better than at yum cha... Continue reading Cake and sweet stuff »

I took my family out to Rise this week for another celebration of my birthday! Once upon a time, I filled out a membership form which was hidden beneath the bill. And earlier this month, I received an email from... Continue reading 24th birthday at Rise »

I've made my own baklava at home plenty of times. While it's fun mixing and matching different nuts, syrup to pastry ratio and wacky shapes, nothing beats walking into a baklava pastry store. The huge display here offers more varieties of baklava than you can imagine. Continue reading Auburn Baladna Pastry »

Every time I'm in the Broadway area, which isn't often... I cannot resist stepping into Bourke Street Bakery. Yesterday was no different. However, I think I ate the bad batch. Is there really such a thing, you ask? Continue reading ginger and pistachio brulee tart »

I love this place with passion. Bourke Street Bakery has delicious savoury breads, sourdough of all sorts and my favourite tarts. Continue reading Bourke Street Bakery »

...it doesn't mean I like getting ripped off. Passionflower does not serve free tap water. They have a minimum $10 spend per person on Friday and Saturday nights... and for 3 scoops, you're looking at paying at least $12. Now that I've got that off my chest... for the good stuff! Continue reading Just because I eat ice-cream at Passionflower... »

Vanilla Sundae cupcakes from Cupcakes on Pitt Continue reading On my way to lunch... these cupcakes caught my eye »

And for my favourite of the three... Lindt's version of the black forest cake. Rich dark chocolate with kirsch infused cherries... mmmmm.... Continue reading sweet tooth... Lindt cafe »

It was Friday lunch, but I felt the weekend vibrations already. Or perhaps it was an early Three Thirtyitis attack. Whatever excuse it was... feel free to drool. Continue reading eye candy: Cupcakes on Pitt »

Girls love pampering, chocolate and gossip. To finish off my heavenly weekend (keep in mind this was wayyyy back at the beginning of this month), I had a manicure and a pedicure... and then arranged for high tea with the girls. I love high tea. All of us turned up in pretty summer dresses and stuffed ourselves with enough sugar to last a year. We spoke about uni, work, family, partners, holidays and aspirations. Nora then joked about it being called 'high tea' because we were so high on sugar. But who could resist? Everything was mouth-watering goodness. Continue reading High tea @ Swissotel »

Merry Christmas! Last night, I was put in charge of our family's Christmas dinner. So instead of last year's roast, fresh prawns and lobster mornay, I decided to stock up on some oysters, scallops and green king prawns. I also did the gingerbread baking a day in advance! Continue reading Christmas dinner @ home »

After the Night Noodle Markets, the remaining six of us Foodies strolled down to Sofitel Wentworth for a Sugar Hit. Continue reading Sugar Hit @ Sofitel Wentworth »

In search for some late night sweetness, Zen and I hunted down Sugar Hit at Westin, Sydney... and to my surprise, only one out of the three concierges knew what Sugar Hit was (and where it was at). The armchairs were big and comfy -however, not so practical for dining. One small but tall ramekin of the brulee, a tiny spoonful of the sour-cherry compote, and a pint-sized biscott lay on each of the corners of a large glass plate... what happened to the portion-size to plate-size ratio? Continue reading (Sugar) Hit me baby one more time... »

Bookings are essential, says the website. But are they really? I scored fabulous window seats, with a stunning view to Sydney Harbour and the Opera House -without a booking. The waiter introduced the Sugar Hit tasting plate, took away our dying candle for replacement, and ensured us that he would "remove" the cockaroach which was creeping beneath my seat. A good ten minutes later, he turns with a bottle of Brown Brothers Moscato. No candle, and no removal of the pest. The Moscato was beautiful, it was so refreshing, sweet and fruity. Continue reading Sugar Hit @ HarbourKitchen & Bar, Park Hyatt »

Chocolate is a girl's best friend... So suffering from Tuesdayitis, my chocoholic workmates and I power walked to the Lindt Concept Store and Cafe at Martins Place during another lunchtime adventure, with the hope of reviving our mentality. The store emphasized the royal nature of chocolate with glass cabinet displays, marble columns and sky high ceilings. The windows reach far up and create a heavenly atmosphere. I thought I was fantasizing, but perhaps this explains the glowing menu. Continue reading Lindt Concept Store and Cafe »

Imagine pure white chocolate smothering soft creamy marshmallows with cranberry kisses, making the toasted coconut and crunchy cashews very jealous, as they are all drizzled with smooth dark chocolate. Continue reading Better than Sex »