Approaching Hyde Park this blustery Saturday morning, the air was thick with the scent of sizzling sausages, stirfried noodles or maybe one of those popular mushroom and chicken burgers being cooked on the hotplate. Every empty stomach in Sydney would have felt compelled to converge to this point, where the Sydney Food and Wine Fair was just starting. Besides, the weather was so good that there wasn’t any reason for us not to be outside, soaking up some sun and calories. First thing B and I did when we reached the park was to join the long queues at one of the ticket booths where we ended up buying $80 worth of coupons – a bit gluttonous of us, but proceeds do go towards a worthwhile cause (the AIDS trust of Australia), so why not! Sadly, this was the only event we managed to make it to, during Good Food Month, but what an event it is!

The one stall we always visit every year, is Sean’s Panaroma, because they do the best nougat – usually white chocolate, with bits of candied peel and chopped pistachios. At Brasserie Bread, we picked up a loaf of Iranian sour cherry bread and one of Brasserie’s award winning sourdough rounds. The Delicious stall had showbags containing the November issue of Delicious as well as a dessert cookbook (I’ve had a browse through it and already see a few things I want to try), two bags of lollies, Barilla pasta, bottled water and some tea. Getting the magazine and cookbook alone was worth the $5.

The dishes I enjoyed most from what we sampled, were the banana leaf parcels of curried fish from Spice I Am, the vanilla pannacotta with caramelised bananas and coffee wafers from Kables Restaurant, and the pork and prawn pie with pickles (how’s that for alliteration!) from The Boathouse. Quirkiest item of the day would have to go to Marque : I’m not sure many people were enticed by the toasted marshmallow and strawberry skewers they were offering, as they seemed to be trying to give it away rather than sell it.

I think I’ve finally gotten over my addiction to soft shell crab. The first time I had it was in a Japanese restaurant, as tempura. I loved the crunch and the fact that you could eat the crab in one go, without having to negotiate bits of normally hard shell. Since then, I find that when you order it, it’s often a bit of a hit-or-miss affair. If done well, it can be lovely and crispy. All it really needs is to be dredged in seasoned flour, deep fried and served with a spicy sauce on the side. I don’t think I’ve ever tried local soft shell crab. Apparently they are of better quality, but are also almost three times as expensive as the imported ones, which usually arrive to our shores flash frozen in boxes all the way from countries like Malaysia. Defrosting them yields quite a bit of liquid, and if not patted well dry, can result in soggy watery bits of crab.

Tonight was a quiet family meal. The choice was between Vietnamese or Chinese, and as I don’t often get a chance to eat Vietnamese food, it seemed like the more interesting option. My parents frequent this restaurant on and off, and the owner greets them warmly when we enter.

Upon recommendation, we end up with two entrees of crispy salt and pepper quail and stuffed chicken wings – both substantial portions, and a main dish of the soft shell crab. With these dishes, we had tomato rice and stir fried chinese spinach. The quail was suitably salty and spicy, and quite tasty, but as my dad says, with a dish like this, you can’t really go wrong with deep frying – just ask the Colonel. The tamarind sauce on the crab was a sweet and sour type of number, which was actually quite nice, but it drowned out the slightly soggy crab which you could barely taste anyway. The stuffed chicken wings was probably the nicest of all the dishes. Deboned and stuffed with chicken mince, glass noodles and something else I can’t recall the specifics of, it was juicy and flavoursome, whilst retaining the crisp and crunch of the outer skin.

While not all the dishes were a success, it was still an enjoyable night, and a welcome change to what I’m normally used to, when it comes to having Vietnamese food – which usually involves sugar cane prawns, vegetable rice paper rolls and bowls of Pho.

Saigon Cuisine
Shop U2b, 2 Central Ave
Thornleigh 2120

We got back from London yesterday evening. I have a ton of holiday photos to sort through, and jet lag to contend with. Rather than tackle either, I decided to bake some bread instead. It was Zorra at Kochtopf’s idea to extend the carbohydrate-rich atmosphere of World Bread Day by inviting everyone to try out each other’s bread recipes. How can you possibly say no, if you are asked to join such an interesting party?

Picking a bread to make was the hard part, but when I came across this one, with a little story and the promise of a brioche-like bread, I knew I had to try it. So here is my attempt at Isabel’s Portuguese Sweet Bread. Due to time constraints of normal working life, I haven’t made a yeast-based bread dough in ages. The kneading of the dough was extra enjoyable, because of that. Within a couple of hours, the little balls of risen dough were plump and smooth like babies’ bottoms. When baked, the loaf was wonderfully brown and slightly crusty on the outside, and incredibly fluffy and moreish on the inside (without being too rich to be a decent tea-time treat).

We sat out on the balcony and ate the bread while it was still warm. This bread was so delicious it barely needed the two little pots of orange and ginger marmalade, and strawberry jam that I had set out. Thank you Helene at Tartlette for the recipe!