Cookbookmaniac
  • Bitton Gourmet – Cafe and Grocer
    Bitton Gourmet – Cafe and Grocer
    Eastern Suburbs

    I had come across Bitton Gourmet in the Sydney Morning Herald Foodies Guide 2010. Its little blurb about their famous jams and dressings was enticing enough for me to view their website. From that point on my curiosity grew. I loved the description of a green grocer, cafe, and gourmet food shop, and was convinced I had to pay a visit. Pizzaboy and I invite Papa & Mama Bear along with us for a Sunday Lunch. It turned out we got more than what we expected and truly love and believe in this wonderful establishment in Alexandria. We arrive at the store in between the breakfast and lunch rush. We were seated inside the cafe as the tables outside were all occupied. I was slightly disappointed because I prefer my food pictures to be lit by sunlight. I politely ask if we could move when there is a table free.…

  • Johnsons Overalls – Whisk It!
    Johnsons Overalls – Whisk It!
    CBD & Inner City

    Johnsons Overalls is one of those places that I have walked pass numerous times and never batted an eyelash at it. It wasn't until I started this blog that I began to pay attention to the window merchandise and realised that it was more than just a haven for chefs and restaurants. They sold kitchenware to the public. However, it is obvious that dressing chefs is their main drawcard. They have shelves upon shelves and huge racks dedicated to smartening up the geekiest of apprentices. I enter the store and I am immediately drawn to a shelf of sauce tubs, pickling jars, mixing bowls and measuring jugs. At the very top of the shelf I find some wooden blocks with carved out shapes for mooncakes. I gawk at this find because I walked the length of Mongkok and Yu Mei Tai in Hong Kong to look for the perfect block…

  • Twelve in King St, Newtown
    Twelve in King St, Newtown
    CBD & Inner City

    Bad luck follows me wherever I go. There is always something that I am missing out on or something that I have overlooked. One rainy evening, Pizzaboy and I make our way to Newtown to try the newly opened and uber-trendy Bloodwood, only to find the windows shut and lights turned off. It is closed on Tuesdays... bummer. We walk along King St, glum faced and with no idea what to have for dinner. We walked past Twelve a couple of times before deciding on dining here. It was really our hunger that made the final decision. After being shown to our tables and looking over the menu I take a closer look at the restaurant and notice it is tasteful but haphazardly decorated. It's retro-italian, Lygon St, high school mural, arty, home furnishing shop, organic cafe style that somehow meshes together well. The restaurant is empty when we sit…