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Efendy in Balmain – Lamb Testicles… to eat or not to eat?
Asian Restaurant Reviews By Amy @ cookbookmaniac

"Efendy means 'Gentleman' in old Turkish. It is commonly used to describe people with traditional upbringing adopting modern views" During the Easter break I was invited to attend a food bloggers dinner event at Efendy by Simon Leong of Simon Food Favourites. The purpose of the evening was to introduce and highlight the cuisine of one of the most ancient capitals: Istanbul. I do not know much about Turkish food. My knowledge of it doesn't extend further than Turkish Delight and what is offered at the kebab shop. So, I was quite excited to attend and sample some new things. The evening was hosted by Asli and Somer Sivrioglu. The elegant Asli dined with us, whilst the jovial Somer attended to the kitchen. We sampled many wonderful dishes and had quite a few eye-opening moments too. *wink wink* We were treated to: * Three cold mezes * Three hot mezes…

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The Mediterranean Kitchen – That ain’t paella!
European Restaurant Reviews By Amy @ cookbookmaniac

First thing Friday morning I am happy. I am happy to go to work because I know that the weekend is just peaking around the corner and Pizzaboy and I are going out for our ritual Friday night dinner... or as one of my workmates likes to call it: Friday Night, Date Night. Nothing makes me happier than to leave work right on the dot and head to wherever Pizzaboy and I have planned to dine at... with perhaps a little bit of comic book and cookbook shopping in between. Pizzaboy and I find ourselves on Church St in Parramatta. There is endless variety of restaurants packed between Phillip St and the river. We are undecided as to where we would like to dine at and we walk up and down that part of the street numerous times. We decide that we must visit a place that is a little…

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Plan B by Becasse – Wagyu Burgers
Australian Restaurant Reviews By Amy @ cookbookmaniac

I have a growing desire to work closer to home. I currently live approximately an hour away from Sydney CBD and use to happily travel the distance everyday for many years. I no longer have the patience to be going back and forth for such long periods of time so frequently. Unfortunately, one of the pitfalls of not working in the city is missing out on establishments like Plan B. Plan B is the off-shoot, miniature cafe of Becasse, the main posh restaurant is just next door. It's only open Monday to Friday, 9to5. Grrrr. This is an absolute bummer for a wagyu-obsessed foodie like myself. Plan B serve a much applauded 600-day grass-fed Wagyu Beef Burger. Ever since I read about it in the Sydney Morning Heralds Good Food Guide 2010, I have been daydreaming about when I make pilgrimage to the teeny-tiny cafe. I took a planned day-off…

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