In my opinion, the best way to visit a chinese restaurant is to bring along your father, uncle or chinese best friend. They know all the best dishes to order – especially the ones that aren’t on the menu. In fact, I don’t think my dad even bothers to look at the menu at all. He practically haggles with the waiter over what they have and haven’t got in the restaurant kitchen and always ends his order with a request for, “Less oil and less salt please”.

On this occasion, we were at Kam Fook in Chatswood and it was my uncle’s birthday. Eight of us experienced a fantastic meal that my uncle selected : crab with shallots, steamed parrot fish, shantung chicken, bok choy in garlic, stir fried beef, and the highlight of the evening, a dish of broccoli and bean curd in XO sauce, which was recommended by our waiter. The broccoli was vibrantly green, the bean curd so soft and silky inside, and the sauce! What was in that fantastic sauce?? An eggplant hotpot we had on a previous visit was very good too.

There are two other Kam Fook restaurants in Sydney; one in Chinatown and the other at Bondi Junction. At the start of the week, the Chatswood restaurant is a little low on atmosphere – capable of seating 600, it’s a large enough space to make even the presence of at least 100 people dining, feel sparse. But I guess it matters less when the restaurant is chinese and the meal (cantonese, in this case) is this good.

Kam Fook
Chatswood Westfield,
28 Victor Street,
Chatswood 2067.

The moment Marcus Wareing pulled his custard tart out of the oven in an episode of Great British Menu, I knew I would be spending part of my weekend trying to recreate it. The fact that all three judges gave it a perfect score, only sealed the deal further. It seems quite hard to find a good custard tart these days. The best custardy tart in Sydney would have to be Lorraine Godsmark’s Date Tart, available at Yellow Bistro in Potts Point. But if you don’t live in the area and happen to have some tart pastry lying around, it’s good to be able to make your own too. The spicy scent that penetrates every room of your house will be worth it, especially on a cold winter’s day.

Marcus Wareing’s Recipe for Custard Tart filling :

9 free-range egg yolks
75g caster sugar
500ml whipping cream
freshly grated nutmeg

First, start blind baking the tart shell. To make the filling, whisk the yolks and sugar together. Add the cream, pass the mixture and heat it in a pan until it reaches blood temperature. Pour the filling into the tart case and bake at 130’C for 30-40 minutes until the custard is just set. Dust with nutmeg while still warm, then leave to cool before cutting a large slice to enjoy!

The chef served his tart with garibaldi biscuits, but I think a slice of this tart is perfect even on its own. And please don’t waste a single bit on Bill!

A free Sunday. Used to be such a rarity. I savour every moment of it : every cup of tea and nibble of toast that is partaken on a Sunday, tastes different to any other day of the week. This time we woke up late, having stayed up to watch England play Portugal in the World Cup Quarter Final. The sun was streaming onto the balcony and it looked like we could do with a few more family members. So here’s introducing.. french tarragon, continental parsley and vietnamese mint.

The parsley and some basil went into one of my favourite pasta dishes – Spaghetti with anchovies, chilli, garlic and cherry tomatoes. It’s a quick, extremely tasty dish that’s perfect for Sunday evenings.. or Mondays (if like me, you were feeling a bit too lazy on Sunday).