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Childhood memories of Chinese New Year have always featured elaborate homemade banquets on the eve of the New Year followed by a day witnessing the roaring of firecrackers and drums as the lion dance parades through masses of crowds in Sydney's Chinatown.

This year however was different. I had taken on an ambitious project with Asian Home Gourmet at the City Of Sydney Chinese New Year festival markets (12 - 14 February 2010), to present a line-up of delicious kitchen demonstrations on a live stage, and hence wasn't home when families across the globe were reuniting with a feast.

Lots of love goes out to all the friends and fans who stopped by. If you missed it, you can check out a snippet of the action at the kitchen demonstrations here:

So my lovely parents agreed to celebrate a week in advance and decided that we take a year off from our usual banquet of seafood delicacies.

Instead, we would have a simple kind of Chinese New Year, celebrating with a decent sized suckling pig, served Vietnamese DIY style which I think brilliantly showcases the cultural background of my family (both my parents were born & raised in Vietnam with a Chinese Teochew heritage - while my siblings and I were all born & raised here, in Sydney).

Whole roasted suckling pig from Good Luck BBQ House

The delicate crunch of crackling on a whole roasted suckling pig

While I adore a slow braised abalone or a rich lobster stir-fry, nothing quite gets my heart pumping and my mouth drooling as much as the glossy delicate crisp layer of crackling on a juicy tender suckling pig.

Suckling pigs often need to be pre-ordered from local Siu Mei establishments (Asian BBQ Houses) weeks in advance if required during popular celebratory occasions such as Chinese New Year. Otherwise, I think three days is the general rule of thumb. The suckling pig is 2 - 6 weeks of age and are roasted whole with a generous rub of five spice powder, red and white vinegar, Chinese rice wine, garlic and maltose. The cost of a suckling pig is only confirmed once it has been cooked and weighed and will generally cost between $200 - $300.

Pieces of suckling pig - crunchy thin glossy crackling with juicy bites of meat

Deep-fried buns are the perfect accompaniment with suckling pig

Ours was ordered from Good Luck BBQ this year as they were much more flexible on our last minute timings than Emperor's Garden.

We served this with deep-fried buns which are crunchy on the outside and fluffy within, a crisp jelly fish salad fragrant with sesame oil, a zesty fresh lotus root salad, lettuce leaves, an array of garden mints, banh hoi (woven rice vermicelli noodle sheets), hoisin sauce and nuoc mam (fish sauce).

Our simple feast, a fusion of Vietnamese and Chinese

Traditional Chinese New Year treats: candied fruits in a circular tray and dried abalone

While a whole suckling pig is usually reserved for the main course of a celebratory banquet, you don't really need an excuse to buy just a cut to treat yourself today. So here are two of my preferred Asian BBQ houses where you can buy/order the best roasted suckling pig in Sydney:

Emperor's Garden
213-215 Thomas St
Haymarket NSW 2000
Phone (02) 9281 9899

Good Luck BBQ House
Shop 18, 24-28 Hughes St
Cabramatta NSW 2166
Phone (02) 9724 0661

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.

Most Visited Casual Restaurant: Dong Ba Bun Bo Hue, Bankstown, NSW
I think I have honestly dined at Dong Ba at least once every fortnight in 2009 - joining the regular local slurpers of Bun Bo Hue, a Hue-style spicy noodle soup. It is only $7 and the food (they also serve plenty of other traditional Vietnamese eats such as my second most ordered dish here, the Cambodian Rice Noodle Soup) is served at lightening fast speed. Dining at Dong Ba in Bankstown is always a guaranteed fuss-free cheap and cheerful eat. Another bonus is that the menu caters for all possible cravings of anything Vietnamese so is sure to satisfy everyone. But the best part would probably be their drinks menu which includes the iced black coffee and the avocado milkshake.

Dong Ba
296 Chapel Rd South, Bankstown, NSW

Bun bo hue (Hue-style spicy noodle soup) at Dong Ba, Bankstown - My most visited casual restaurant of 2009

Most Expensive: Le Cinq, Paris
In May 2009, I left home for my first eating extravaganza in Europe. Let me just start off by confessing that I have a really bad habit of not checking prices whether it be shopping or food. My boyfriend almost passed out when he browsed through the 'host' menu at Le Cinq, which I had booked many months in advance. Thankfully I had the 'guest' menu which didn't have the prices so he was able to break the shock to me slowly. We soon justified to ourselves that because we had travelled all the way from Sydney to Paris, it would only be right if we allowed this one splurge and promised to be sensible throughout the rest of the trip. Le Cinq sits within Paris' most luxurious hotel - Four Seasons George V, and is the most elegant space I've ever dined in. Something like 440€ (AU$900 at the exchange rate during that time) excluding drinks and service charge and almost six hours later, we left gleefully with a massive dent on my credit card.

Le Cinq
Four Seasons Hotel George V
31, Avenue George V, Paris, France
www.fourseasons.com/paris/dining

Best Surprise: Wiseman Park Wollongong City Bowling Club
My boyfriend was transferred to Wollongong for six months for work, a few years ago. During a visit to some of his old workmates earlier in 2009, we were introduced to Wiseman Park Bowling Club. Tucked within a senior's bowling club bistro is this spectacular down-to-earth yet slightly fancy restaurant. Think traditional Mediterranean and remember to make a reservation if dining on a Friday or Saturday night as the secret is out, and this place is hawt!

Wiseman Park Wollongong City Bowling Club
Gipps Road, Wollongong, NSW

Favourite City Travelled To: Barcelona
My time in Barcelona can easily be summarized with daily visits to the Boqueria Market - the best market I have ever been to. The vivid display of fruits, seafood and jamon was an amazing sight and simply drool-worthy. The friendliness of locals shouting "hola" and the buzz in eating paella after paella, oh, and the shoes made Barcelona my favourite city visited in 2009. Hopefully I'll get a chance to visit it again soon.

Boqueria Market
www.boqueria.info

Fruit drinks display at Boqueria Markets, close up of paella and tapas in Barcelona

Most Visited Seafood Outlet: Ocean Foods, Drummoyne, NSW
Almost every drive on Lyons Road in Drummoyne has resulted in me stopping by at Ocean Foods. Their floor to ceiling glass walls means there's no running away from the grand display of fresh and ready to cook seafood and salads.

Ocean Foods
154 Lyons Rd, Drummoyne, NSW

Most Visited For Dessert: Mamak, Sydney, NSW
Roti and condensed milk are just made for each other. After countless dinners at other restaurants across the city, Sydney food bloggers, myself included, seem to always end up at Mamak for dessert. The roti tisu is a golden cone encrusted with butter and sugar that tastes heavenly with a swirl of condensed milk and sometimes, even ice-cream. If that doesn't have you drooling, the roti pisang will - with freshly sliced banana that caramelizes within a thin buttery roti. Oh, so good.

Mamak
15 Goulburn St, Haymarket, NSW

Favourite Late Night Dining: Wagaya, Haymarket, NSW
With ridiculous trading hours (Wagaya opens until 2am on most nights), private booths and a quirky touch screen ordering system, late night dining at Wagaya is perfect for those night owls (like me) who want a decent feed. I can't get enough of their soft-shell crab hand rolls, lotus root chips or takoyaki gratin. Unfortunately, all this late night dining has contributed greatly to my growing waistline... Hmm... Did someone say New Years Resolution?

Wagaya
Level 1, 78-86 Harbour St, Haymarket, NSW

Dining at Wagaya - Most Visited Late Night Dining Restaurant of 2009

Best Discovery of a Hidden Gem: Uchi Lounge, Surry Hills, NSW
Uchi Lounge is only a street behind the chaotic Oxford Street but upon stepping inside, you're in a whole new world. It is soothing and peaceful, offering a selection of Japanese sake cocktails and some scrumptious food such as their grilled eggplant with miso and a sprinkle of parmesan.

Uchi Lounge
15 Brisbane St, Surry Hills, NSW

Favourite Bar: Water Bar at Blue, Woolloomooloo
I was introduced to Water Bar after my 25th birthday dinner in 2009. It's the fine dining of bars. As well as offering all the traditional cocktail favourites, Water Bar also features a range of new concept drinks that utilises some surprising and experimental techniques. Elderflower martini with a cucumber air, the kaffir lime dacquiri with coconut foam or the spiced fig whisky sour are just a few to name. The only downside here are their trading hours, closing at midnight on most nights and 10pm on Sundays and Mondays.

Water Bar
6 Cowper Wharf Rd, Woolloomooloo, NSW

Favourite Brunch: Rhodes Phoenix, Rhodes, NSW
Yum-Cha, Dim-Sum, whatever two words you use to call the fine art of eating dumplings and other Chinese delicacies over tea with friends or family, is a weekend hobby of mine. Having discovered the Phoenix group in 2007 - there's four of them: Sky Phoenix, Hilltop Phoenix, Manly Phoenix and Rhodes Phoenix, I quickly became a regular at the Rhodes restaurant which is only a short drive from my place. 2009 saw me dining at Rhodes Phoenix more than ever before. I have such a weakness for their prawn toast!

Rhodes Phoenix
1/5 Rider Blvd, Rhodes, NSW

Family meal deal at Habib's

Dinner for four, only $31

That works out to just $7.75 each. While it is in the fast food price range, the family meal deal at Habib's is much more satisfying. In fact, get it take away and you can save a further $4!

For only $31, you get a fuss free spread of:

• 4x Lebanese bread
• 1x whole butterfly-cut charcoal chicken
• 2x plates of garlic sauce
• 1x salad or tabouli
• 1x plate of pickles
• 1x plate of chips
• 1x 1.25L bottle of soft drink

The charcoal chicken is juicy and has a beautiful smoky aroma to it, going hand in hand with a smooth spread of the pungent garlic sauce. Wrap it in a roll with chicken salt coated chips, fluorescent pink pickles and tabouli or attack it with a fork and knife. For only $31, four people (or two very hungry people) will have a guaranteed mouth full!

Habib's, Bankstown is finger licking good shows my brother, Bryan

And as my younger brother, Bryan, shows in the photo above... It is finger licking good!

P.S. Don't forget I've got 5 packs of Blu Gourmet Pearl Couscous to giveaway! See how you can win here.

P.S.S. Have you been to Habib's Bankstown, Al Barakeh Liverpool and Franks Fairfield? Let me know how you think Habib's compares. I haven't been to the latter but have only heard good things!

Habib's Charcoal Chicken
24 Restwell Street, Bankstown, NSW
Phone: (02) 9708 2219

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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 Choice
Winner: Glebe Point Diner, Glebe
Runners-up: Bodega, Surry Hills; Quay, The Rocks; Marque, Surry Hills; Longrain, Surry Hills

I'm a bit ashamed that I haven't yet dined at Glebe Point Diner. There are all round positive reviews from other food bloggers, namely, The Unbearable Lightness of Being Hungry, Double Cooked, Lemonade Land and Steph's Food Journey and along with mountain loads of press and editorial reviews, Glebe Point Diner is an obvious people's choice.

Best New Restaurant
Winner: Rockpool Bar and Grill, Sydney
Runners-up: Sepia, Sydney; Spice Temple, Sydney; Etch, Sydney; The Beresford, Darlinghurst

Rockpool Bar & Grill in Melbourne is an absolute favourite. While I haven't been to its Sydney sister, can anyone tell me if it's any different?

Etch is simply full of pretty spaces and their macaroni is to-die-for. The revamped Beresford trattoria is also a clear winner (runner-up in this case) with the locals.

Best Cafe
Winner: Cafe Sopra, Waterloo
Runners-up: Deus ex Machina, Camperdown; Wall, Surry Hills; Ruby's Diner, Waverley; Kazbah, Balmain

Anyone who has been to Kazbah's breakfast banquet will be an advocate. Hmmm, why isn't Dank Street Depot a runner-up?

Best Desserts
Winner: Universal, Darlinghurst
Runners-up: Pier, Rosebay; Quay, The Rocks; Longrain, Surry Hills; Rockpool, The Rocks

I haven't been to Universal, nor Pier or Longrain. But if Quay is any benchmark for the winner, I have to get myself to Universal. I adore Quay's eight texture chocolate cake and their pear creme caramel, sauterne jelly, pear icecream and caramel cream!

Best Steak
Winner: Fix St James, Sydney
Runners-up: Bistro Moncur, Woolahra; Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sydney; Tabou, Surry Hills; Mad Cow, Sydney

Wow, I haven't been to any of these places. What about Prime? Chophouse?

Best Fixed Price Menu
Winner: Bentley Restaurant and Bar, Surry Hills
Runners-up: Assiette, Surry Hills, Atelier, Glebe; Vini, Surry Hills; Marque, Surry Hills

Best Seafood
Winner: Sepia, Sydney
Runners-up: Tetsuya's, Sydney; Manta, Woolloomooloo; Fish Face, Darlinghurst; Pier, Rose Bay

Am I the only one who hearts Flying Fish, Masuya and Ocean Room?

Best Burgers
Winner: Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sydney
Runners-Up: Plan B by Becasse, Sydney; Ruby's Diner, Waverley; The Burger Joint, Darlinghurst; Paul's Burgers, Sylvania

You will have no doubt seen my recent list of where to find the best burgers in Sydney. I still stand by it -although from reading the comments, I need to get myself to Rockpool Bar & Grill and Counter Burger!

Best Cheap Eat
Winner: Black Star Pastry, Newtown
Runners-up: Din Tai Fung, Haymarket; Guzman y Gomez, Newtown; Mamak, Haymarket; Gumshara Ramen, Haymarket

Seriously, how can anything beat Mamak? OK, maybe #chronic ramen is close, but a pastry shop? It must be bloody good, and I have yet to try. But the bigger issue here, is how 6 xiao long bao (soup dumplings) for $8.80 can be considered a cheap eat!

Best Sandwiches
Winner: Malibu, Surry Hills
Runners-up: Pilu Kiosk, 'On the Beach', Freshwater; Big Bite, Sydney; Hong Ha, Hurstville; Plan B by Becasse, Sydney

Best Patisseries
Winner: Adriano Zumbo, Balmain
Runners-up: Croissant D'Or, Potts Point; Yellow, Potts Point; Bourke Street Bakery, Surry Hills; Sweet Belem, Petersham

Ah, Zumbo. Post-Masterchef, Zumbo appears to be the real winner with endless queues and requests for his macarons, croquembouche and the chocolate mousse cake.

Best Noodles
Winner: Gumshara, Haymarket
Runners-up: Pho An, Bankstown; Twisted Noodle Bar, Sydney; Menya Noodle Bar, Sydney, Tan Viet, Cabramatta

I think ramen should be in its own category. But regardless, you'll still find me every fortnight slurping up $7 noodles at Dong Ba in Bankstown.

Best Thai
Winner: Spice I Am, Surry Hills
Runners-up: Longrain, Surry Hills; Sailor's Thai, The Rocks; Chat Thai, Sydney; Crocodile Senior, Sydney

Best Yum Cha
Winner: Fisherman's Wharf, Pyrmont
Runners-up: Marigold, Sydney, Sunny Harbour Seafood Restaurant, Hurstville; Sky Phoenix, Sydney; Golden Unicorn, Maroubra

Best Tapas
Winner: Bodega, Surry Hills
Runners-up: Ash St Cellar, Sydney; Delicado, McMahons Point; Sean's Kitchen, Pyrmont, Catalonia, Kirribilli

Bodega, can anything beat it? I think Spanish Terrazas, Velero and Cantina may be close contenders for runners-up.

Best Pizza
Winner: Lucio Pizzeria, Darlinghurst
Runners-up: Pompei's, Bondi Beach; Rosso Pomodoro, Balmain; La Disfida, Haberfield; Pizza Mario, Surry Hills

Errr, Pizza e Birra anyone?

So what do you think? Are these the winners or losers?

Despite my consumption of Vietnamese food at least twice a week, I've never blogged on it! So here's the first... with many more to come ;-)

Viet food is probably one of my favourite cuisines. It tastes of home... I love the herbs, the spices, all the greens and just the simplicity of its flavours. My parents always rant about how a bowl of Pho Dac Biet (beef noodle soup) or Bun Bo Hue (spicy beef noodle soup) can be bought for just 50 cents in Vietnam. They used to wake up to its aromas...

Dong Ba at Bankstown is just like that. On a Saturday morning, families are packed inside this small but cheerful restaurant. Everything on the menu is practically $7!!

Mum and I ordered their specialty... bun bo hue... *drools*

A few minutes after placing our order, a colourful array of vegies and herbs arrived on our table. Bean sprouts, mints, lettuce and purple cabbage.

bun bo hue

So hearty and... just fabulous. The herbs & vegies added a refreshing texture and the broth was worth all the hours it took to make.

families @ the weekend brunch

longan with shaved ice

The males of the house opted for rice dishes... my bro had the tomato rice and my dad went for the broken rice. We all ate with satisfaction :-)

tomato rice with beef

com tam (broken rice with grilled pork, meat loaf and shredded pork)

The verdict? I loved this place to bits. It's casual, cheap and cheerful.

Dong Ba
2/296 Chapel Road South, Bankstown
Phone: 9708 0327

Iron Chef Chinese Seafood Restaurant is meant to be a part of the new breed. Along side it's sister restaurant, Zilver, they clearly stand out from the traditional Chinese restaurants, in terms of menu range, ambience and furnishing.

The restaurant is classically decorated in royal red hues, live bamboo shoots and fancy spotlights. It is probably one of the best looking Chinese restaurants I've ever been to.

One of the great things about dining at Chinese restaurants would be all the complementary starters and desserts. We started off with the house soup, which was served in a cute porcelain pot. The soup showed signs of being boiled for hours...

Next up was the Morwong, also known as the Deep Sea Bream, or Rubber Lips; and its lips truely lived up to it's name. Its soft flesh was steamed with shallots, coriander and soy. This dish was actually prepared wrong, but my lovely parents decided to not make a fuss and accepted it anyway. What sane-minded person would order such a large fish steamed? I don't know what the chefs were thinking? There was an apology -but no discount.. hehe...

steamed Morwong

Furthermore, this is how unthoughful the restaurant was... THEY DIDN'T SERVE THE CRAB FIRST! Being served in between dishes meant that we weren't able to fully savor this $180 dish. Snow Crabs are a little less meaty than other crabs, but it is meant to be sweeter in flavour. Ours was somewhat dull and tasteless. Doh!

snow crab fried in shallots and ginger

Another of my absolute favourite dishes would have to be this crispy taro duck... deboned duck, deep-fried with creamy taro paste on the inside... and served with a thick shitake mushroom sauce.

Then we had the Wasabi Beef which hardly tasted of the unbearably hot kick I can desired for.

beef fillets seared with wasabi, and served with mayonnaise

... and the steamed eggplant stuffed with mince pork... looking nothing like the imagery used in the menu

red bean dessert soup with mandarin peel shavings

coconut cookies

Mum, Bryan and Dad

Me & Christina

Me with Roland and Mum

Beauty is obviously skin-deep. Beneath the classy makeover, were waiters whom spoke while chewing gum and food which took over an hour to be prepared and served...

Iron Chef Chinese Seafood Restaurant
84 Broomfield St Cabramatta
Phone (02) 9723 6228

This is ultimately my favourite Korean restaurant! The service is excellent (I love how they cook the food for you), the staff are super friendly and they really care about their customers. I walked in on a Sunday afternoon after the lunch operating hours and they were more than happy to re-open for just a table of two!

Condiments of bean sprouts, kim chi and pickled vegies

Prawn pancake

Spicy Octopus and Beef Hot Pot

Try the traditional floor seating, or the western tables & chairs at this homestyle restaurant.

Se Jong
68 - 72 Evaline St, Campsie
Phone: (02) 9718-4039