Tag: food

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Expert Tips Furniture Homewares

Sydney’s new go-to guide for the best food, shopping and experiences

Newtown's Holy Kitsch

I love exploring Sydney! I’ve also made it no secret how obsessed I am with dining out, experiencing new bars and generally getting out and about (I must admit I’m one of those annoying people who just can’t sit still!). So the launch of the City of Sydney’s new guide, The Little Book of Sydney Villages, couldn’t have come at a better time.

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Perfect for visitors or just those who want to explore more of their backyard, it showcases the food, shopping and experiences our city has to offer, plus some hidden gems off the well-trodden tourist tracks.

Newtown's Holy Kitsch
Newtown’s Holy Kitsch

From the central village of The Rocks, through to the East’s Surry Hills, the West’s Pyrmont and the South’s Alexandria, the palm-sized guide covers a lot of ground. Showcasing the established favourites in the centre of town to the cutting-edge culinary hubs springing up around Green Square, Sydney’s biggest urban redevelopment. It also highlights the broad choice of less well-known live music and performance venues and also – unsurprisingly our favourite category – the best of the furniture and homewares stores.

Potts Point's The Roosevelt
Potts Point’s The Roosevelt

I was lucky enough to attend the opening for The Little Book of Sydney Villages, which was held in the increasingly bustling Sydney village of Rosebery. Launched by the Lord Mayor at Koskela furniture and homewares store (which if you are yet to visit, drop everything and go now!), the event gave all in attendance the opportunity to explore Rosebery’s Cannery Precinct, a hub for foodies and design fanatics.

Getting the chance to stare longingly at all the beautiful homewares, the day also included delicious food thanks to Kitchen by Mike and a tour of one of the Cannery Precinct’s newest businesses – the Archie Rose Distillery, which is the first distillery to open in the City since 1853.

Chippendale's Brickfields
Chippendale’s Brickfields

The Little Book of Sydney Villages is available for free in English and Chinese at a range of city venues, including the City of Sydney’s information kiosks, libraries and neighbourhood centres. An electronic copy is also available.

For more information.

Categories
Expert Tips Kitchens

10 things you should never put down your sink

By Marcus Lim

The last thing we all want to do after a meal is wash the dishes. Most of us are guilty of being too lazy to properly dispose of all small food scraps and find ourselves shoving them down the drain.

But how much damage can this really do? A lot more than you think. Here’s a list of what you should never put down your sink, and reasons why they can be damaging to you, your sink and the environment.

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1. Fat, Grease and Oil. It may be gooey and soft when hot, but as soon as grease cools down you’re left with a thick mess blocking your pipes. Let it cool down in the pan, wipe it up with a paper towel and throw it where it belongs – in the bin.

2. Orange Peels. Urban Myth: putting orange peels down your drain will make it smell fresh. This is untrue. Why not dispose of them in the compost bin? It’ll save you a headache and you’ll get brownie points from Mother Nature for being environmentally friendly.

3. Coffee Grinds. Urban Myth #2: coffee grinds can clear your pipes. Fact: coffee grinds mixed with the oil in the pipes is a sure-fire drain destroyer.

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4. Eggshells. Even the smallest pieces of eggshell can create a mighty mess – they can get stuck on oil and create a build up in your drains.

5. Tea Leaves. Tea may be good for us, but not so much for the drain. If you use loose leaf tea, make sure that as few leaves as possible make it down the drain. They can build up and create a large problem.

6. Semolina. Most pastas are made with semolina, which can become very sticky when wet and can create a hefty blockage if found in your pipes. When draining pasta in your sink, make sure nothing but water makes it down the drain.

7. Metamucil and other medication. Expired liquid medicine is not always best down the drain. Metamucil for example, can turn into hard jelly and will be a nightmare to get rid of. Instead, read the manufacturers guide to disposal and save yourself an unwell drain. 

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8. Potato peels. Potato peels can become very sticky in water. Avoid this by placing them in the compost bin, along with the orange peels.

9. Jelly. Anything with gelatine in it is a no-go for your drain. There are two options – your stomach or the bin.

10. Rice. Although grains of rice can be hard to keep track of, they can become a sludgy mess if they are backed up in your drain. Try your hardest to avoid any of these trouble makers making their way down your sink.

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– Marcus Lim is the founder and CEO of local services marketplace Oneflare, connecting Australians with 50,000 businesses across Australia.

Categories
Travel

The countdown is on to Dubai!

dubai getaway

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This Bloggerati Getaway is proudly sponsored by Dubai Tourism

With a week to go until I head to Dubai with 20 other bloggers, I’m getting pretty damn excited but I’m also as woefully unprepared as ever. You’d think, after spending six months traveling earlier in the year, I’d be a whizz at packing but no, I have something approaching a phobia when it comes to deciding what to take and fitting it all in the suitcase. I think it stems from the fear of making the wrong choices and arriving only to find I am under/over/impractically dressed for every occasion. This is, of course, a little easier in Dubai, where I believe it is important to be sensitive to the ways and customs of a largely Muslim country and dress respectfully and accordingly. No, not everyone does, but I really think you should. So for me, this means many a maxi dress to keep cool with a light shawl to cover my shoulders. And of course, plenty of statement jewels. Done! And while I know flat sandals would be sensible, I prefer a wedge heel…

Old wooden shutters Arab

Enough of my wardrobe choices! Here’s what I’m looking forward to most. While Dubai is known, more recently, for its amazing, super modern, super tall, super expensive architecture, I’m much more intrigued by The Old Town, the gold souks and the traditional food and crafts. I love spicy food so bring on the Emirati cuisine! I’m dreaming of dishes packed with saffron, turmeric and cardamon and sweets drizzled with date syrup and sprinkled with sesame seeds! On our itinerary is a meal at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding.

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Of course, my first love being interiors, checking out local examples of these will be top of my list, from the impressive accommodation at the five-star JW Marriott Marquis where I’m very excited to be staying, to the more traditional Arabian and Persian-inspired homes. There’s nothing like getting a little off the tourist track and seeing how locals really live. This fascinates me most about travel so it is always nice to meet and talk with residents, not just fellow tourists. I’ll be meeting up with an old school friend from England who has now lived in Abu Dhabi and Dubai for many years.

Interior IBN Battuta Mall store. Each hall is decorated in the style of different countries.

Much of this year’s travels with my husband were spent in Europe and the USA and although I loved every minute,  I’m ready for a culture shock in Dubai! It’s a place where you really can experience so many different things. We just got our itinerary and it is so varied and exciting, including a Sundown Desert Safari (squeal!), shopping at The Dubai Mall, penguin encounters at Ski Dubai and the Underwater Zoo & Aquarium!

I’m really looking forward to spending so much time with some of Australia’s finest bloggers too. What a unique opportunity to swap ideas, learn from each other and even just discuss the weird and wonderful world (for many of us) of blogging as an actual job! I’m sure to come home full of inspiration from Dubai and my new travel buddies!

If you’ve been to Dubai, I’d love to hear your tips and recommendations. Please share them in the comments below. Thanks!

dubai getaway

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Categories
Appliances

Smeg Linear oven with TFT display tells you how to cook

Last time I let my vacuum cleaner tell me what to do I got into a whole world of trouble. But Smeg clearly thinks I should give the machines another chance and listen to what its new oven range has to tell me. Or at least read what its new oven range has to tell me.

Smeg Oven SFPA140-LS

The Smeg Linear SFPA140 comes with a TFT touch screen that will give you recipes tailored to Australian produce, advise you on how you should set up your oven depending on what you are cooking and take care of all the fiddly bits and pieces that would usually be handled by a knob or physical button.

Continue reading “Smeg Linear oven with TFT display tells you how to cook”

Categories
Appliances

Beko Indyflex 60cm cooktop makes paella (or a hell of a lot of bacon) real easy

I don’t know about you but every day when I get home I lament the fact that it is terribly difficult to cook a good, big paella on my current cooktop. OK, I don’t, but some people might. And not just paella; other dishes that require large amounts of ingredients, or even just those that you have to cook for a large party. The Beko Indyflex 60cm cooktop (HII 64500FT to give it its full name) could be the answer to your dramas.

beko indyflex cooktop

It could also be the answer if you wanted to cook a hell of a lot of bacon at once, which I do, often and continually. That would be one amazingly mighty bacon sandwich, all of which would be cooked perfectly at the same time. Living the dream, I am.

Continue reading “Beko Indyflex 60cm cooktop makes paella (or a hell of a lot of bacon) real easy”