Cookbookmaniac
  • 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…

  • Banh Mi Thit – Vietnamese Pork Rolls – Miniature version
    Banh Mi Thit – Vietnamese Pork Rolls – Miniature version
    Asian Recipes

    I grew up in a small suburb in Sydney called Cabramatta. It is a thriving, family-oriented Vietnamese metropolis. Taking a stroll through the shopping centre can be best described as, "a cleaned up version of Saigon." The streets are lined with bakeries, sweet shops, tiny restaurants, grocery shops and many other places touting to make the best vietnamese products outside of the motherland. When I was in primary school mum use to walk my sisters and I home almost everyday. There were two different routes that we could take. One was a quick walk through suburban streets and the other was a longer walk through the shopping centre. I always secretly hoped that we would walk through the shopping centre. It gave me ample opportunity to put on the desperately-hungry-act so that I could weasel a few dollars out of mama's wallet to buy whatever sweetie that took my fancy.…

  • 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…