For their infamous reputation of having a rather average food culture, the Brits sure do have a lot of celebrity chefs. In a way, their lack of enthusiasm in the kitchen is probably the main reason for this. These chefs started their TV careers by showing off their own unique style of cooking on screen, but have now evolved into culinary evangelists, striving to show the British public that they can cook and eat well. There is also this new wave of social awareness we are now seeing more and more in these programs, especially within the last few years. It's not just about the food these days, it's about where it comes from and how it gets delivered to your plate. > continue reading

Cheese, it's one of the most important ingredients making up the rich tartiflette that is the French culture. Any Frenchman who doesn't have some mild obsession with the congealed stuff can hardly call himself French. Some people here in France do not like coffee, some have little affinity for wine, but everyone here loves cheese. I personally didn't eat much of it back home in Sydney, I did start to develop an appreciation for it back in London, and now living in Paris, cheese has become part of my everyday. So, after quite some time trying the soft stuff, the firm stuff, and even the green stuff, which ones are my favourites? > continue reading

It is common knowledge that French cuisine ranks amongst the greatest of culinary styles, maybe even the greatest as most Frenchies would like to believe. They are after all the pioneers of "haute cuisine". Whether they are the best or not remains disputable, but one cannot deny that French food is absolutely delicious. Even though they like to harp on about their regional produce and old school techniques, there is no mystery as to why French gastronomy tastes so good. If they were masters at anything, it would be the ability to use oil, fat and dairy to its maximum potential. > continue reading

It's not everyday that someone of my socioeconomic stature spends over £200 on a meal. And it's not everyday that one waits 3 years to finally sample the fruits of one of the most original restaurants the world has to offer. So after dining at Heston Blumenthal's internationally renowned The Fat Duck, I thought a few culinary notes were in order. > continue reading

Living and travelling overseas has been an interesting experiment. Since my departure from Sydney some three years ago, I have been able to experience different cultures and broaden my perceptions of the world in which we live. Though on a smaller scale, I have simply enjoyed discovering the minor differences in everyday life. Take the culture of coffee for example. Back home in Australia, we are lucky enough to drink great, Italian-grade coffee; the UK is unfortunately infested with Starbucks and a swarm of Starbuck-like chains, and on the small island of Mauritius, the stuff can hardly even be found - they prefer their vanilla tea. So, what is coffee like in France? > continue reading

C'est juste à la fin de mon sejour que je commence à découvrir Carluccio's, une chaine de restaurants italiens actualisée par Antonio Carluccio. La cuisine est fraîche, délicieuse est pour sa qualité, incroyablement bon marché. Si vous êtes à Londres vous devez vister l'un de ses restaurants. > continue reading

I don't know if many people have heard about this rather oddly named cheese. It recently made the news after having a brief appearance in the claymation film Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit Since then, it's sales have surprisingly quadrupled, emptying out some fromageries of this once little known cheese. I too had been strangely hypnotised by this elusive cheese ever since seeing it in the final scenes of the movie. All it took was the word "Stinking Bishop" to flash on the screen for a mere second, and I knew I had to try it. > continue reading

After months of trying bland stir fried dishes and soups loaded with nerve-numbing quantities of MSG, I have finally discovered a decent Chinese restaurant in London. It's called Young Cheng and the food is right up there in the good cheap-eat Asian meals category. I can't describe the simultaneous joy and relief that overcame me when I first tried their Fukin (pronounced Fu-ken not Fuk-in) fried rice. It felt something like home. This is definitely not your white tablecloth dining experience, but everyone needs a basic cafe-style Chinese restaurant for those mid-week cravings or after-drink meals. And this is that. > continue reading