Cookbookmaniac
  • 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…

  • Dae Jang Kum – Korean BBQ without the smokey bits
    Dae Jang Kum – Korean BBQ without the smokey bits
    Asian Restaurant Reviews

    I always know what I want. Ask me what I like and you will more often than not get a quick straight answer. However, give me a menu with more than 150 items and watch me crumble with indecision. Throw in colourful photos for each item and a hungry partner... I could be buried in the menu for hours. Dae Jang Kum is not the kind of place to take your time ordering your food. They have a high turnover of customers and there is a constant flow of people - from all walks of life - walking in and out. Their menu includes countless items of sashimi, rice, noodle and soup dishes. There are interesting combinations of hot pots and a selection of An-Ju meals (recommended dishes to go with alcohol). However, the barbecue is the reason why we pay a visit. When Pizzaboy and I arrive at the…