the pie tin, newtown

The Pie Tin
1A Brown Street
Newtown, NSW 2042
Tel: +61 (02) 9519 7880
Website: http://www.thepietin.com.au/

I think I might need to move soon.... to Newtown (or somewhere close by).

Newtown seems like the place to be with a couple of good restaurants like Bloodwood and Oscillate Wildly, popular patisseries and cafes like Black Star Pastry (which makes my favourite cake in town), Luxe and Campos, multiple burger outlets and one delicious Roti Bom. The Pie Tin is one of the newer kids on the block which has recently added to Newtown's "hip" quotient.

Pies are a popular thing in Australia and I love my pies. Savoury ones to be specific. The best part of a pie is always the pastry and this always riles up a discussion but I'm a flaky pastry kinda girl. R on the other hand, is all for shortcrust pastry and the sweet pies. So this is where we get the best of both worlds. The Pie Tin sells a wide array of sweet and savoury pies; the classic apple pie, apple & boysenberry, chocolate & gooey caramel, a classic mince pie, chicken & leek, butter chicken and the list goes on.

Southern Style Shredded Pork & Apples with Sides of Baked Beans with Speck

& Sweet Potato Mash with Gravy

 Lemon Meringue Pie

The pies were rather delicious. The filling in the Southern Style Pork pie was generous and the pastry was flaky but given another trip, I will probably choose a more classic pie because I wasn't so crazy about the apples in there. What I remember clearly though were the sides because they were delicious. The sweet potato mash was the better among the 2; smooth, sweet and so tasty with the gravy drizzled all over. The Lemon Meringue pie did pretty well too. I'm not always a lover of meringues but this one I liked cos it was soft, fluffy and not overly sweet. The lemon filling was not too tart as well. I did try the Chocolate & Gooey Caramel Pie on another occasion and loved that better because of the caramel and chocolate base.

Besides pies, they also make a few different types of sweet pastries, sausage rolls etc. so whether you're a fan of pies or not, there will most likely be something for you. So if you're in the neighbourhood, that little detour off King St. might be worth it.

to the life that made a difference

Over the last 2 days, my FB and Twitter account has been flooded with tributes and expressions of sadness at the news of Steve Jobs' death. Did his death come as a surprise? I guess not because the signs were all there. He was frail, lost an extreme amount of weight and most importantly, stepped down from his position with Apple as he knew he could no longer fulfil his duties.

Just as I was watching a mini tribute to him on the television, it struck me hard. Apple will still continue and I believe, will continue strong without Jobs. However, the impact that he's made to this generation is something that only few can match up to. He had changed the way that people communicate today; from making a phonecall to conducting a business presentation. He had changed the way we watch animation today. He has changed the way the entertainment industry works today and even revived the music industry with the invention of iTunes. Long story short, you cannot go anywhere without coming into contact with something related to Steve Jobs or the Apple brand. (Just so you know, this entry that you're reading now was typed from a MacBook as well).

It is surely not only Jobs' work that deserves the credit. The brains and hard work of many others are responsible for the brand's success today but you always need a visionary behind the success. Steve Jobs was that visionary. So RIP Steve Jobs. The world will miss you and your great mind but your legacy lives on.

london eats: hibiscus

Hibiscus
29 Maddox Street
London W1S 2PA
Tel: +44 (020) 7629 2999
Website: www.hibiscusrestaurant.co.uk/ 

Hibiscus was one of the "star" restaurants which made it to the CRAZY list. With 2 Michelin Stars under its belt and a resume which boasts of time spent in some of France's best restaurants, Claude Bosi is certainly one of London's acclaimed chefs today. I honestly had high expectations because I had read widely of positive reviews online and heard good comments about the restaurant. However, it might have been precisely because of those expectations, that I left feeling slightly underwhelmed.

spring weekend in canberra!

So I'm back from a short weekend in Canberra. Whilst it's not the most exciting city in Australia, there is a vastness about the place that I like. Not to mention that the roads are extremely friendly (and parallel parking is a breeze!). Apart from settling the important stuff and viewing the pretty flowers at the annual Floriade, good food definitely played a big part over the weekend. Some I was impressed with and some left a lot to be desired.

One place I liked was Cream Cafe & Bar. High ceilings, white clean walls, buzzing atmosphere, chill- out music, delicious food. What's not to like right?

Omelette with Double Shaved Leg Ham, Persian Feta,

Hickory Smoked Tomato and Chilli Jam

london eats: st. john bread and wine

St. John Bread and Wine
94-96 Commercial Street
London
E1 6LZ
Tel: +44 (020) 3301 8069
Website: http://www.stjohnbreadandwine.com/

Back in London again!

There seems to be a couple of food trends going on at the moment; the movement from fine to casual dining, sharing plates, foraging. There is also one that Asians, in particular the Chinese, have been doing for god knows how long and is now a big hit in the Western world - nose to tail eating. There is one person who is well known for popularising and synonymous with this "new" way of eating and that person is Fergus Henderson (along with Trevor Gulliver), chef and owner of St. John Bar & Restaurant.

french flair at felix.

Felix
2 Ash Street
Sydney, NSW 2000
Tel: +61 (02) 9240 3000
Website: http://www.merivale.com/#/felix/felix

So I just found out that Leo DiCaprio visited Felix last week just like I did. (He's in town to film a new movie called The Great Gatsby and has been spotted dining out at some of Sydney's fine eating spots) Well, I don't have a story to tell about DiCaprio because we weren't there at the same time and I didn't get to see him in person (not yet at least). What I did get, was one great tasting sandwich!

Reuben Sandwich with a Dill Pickle