It has been more than a year since I wrote about learning to bake bread at a baking school in Singapore. To be precise that was posted on the 14th of October 2016. During this period when I went MIA from this blog , my husband and I decided to move to Sydney and then physically moved to Sydney in early 2017. We have been caught up with changing jobs, setting up a new life and just the general transitory period when moving to a new city and new country. I cannot summarize this entire period in this blog post that only reflects a tiny snippet of my life. However I can surely say that it has been a new adventure with different experiences.
So what is this post all about ? Food is the reason this blog was started in the first place and it will continue to do so. So far you have seen me posting healthy-ish (mostly) food recipes . I have posted random cooking and baking recipes. Whenever I have felt like writing about a recipe that I tried out and was of interest to me, I have put it up here. Or posting a food related experience that I felt worthy of sharing with the world . Remember the Bread baking class or the Cambodian cooking experience while travelling to Siem Reap? Hence I feel it is apt to share my initial thoughts of the food scene in Sydney. This is just what I have observed and learnt along the way in my time since we moved here.
Sydney is a thriving, bustling and multi-cultural city. It can be a home cook’s paradise. I have fallen in love with the fresh produce so easily and abundantly available via farmers markets or neighbourhood grocery stores. I can live and eat the seasons. I enjoy shopping at bulk food stores buying as much as I need, filling my own jars while trying to minimize my plastic consumption. Visiting orchards and picking my own seasonal fruit has been a new and enjoyable experience. It feels good to discover ethical food producers who try to sell free range eggs or chicken as much as possible and don’t use the label blatantly (Although may not always be fool proof with many hidden prints). I am losing track of the various Super foods, Kombuchas and Kefirs readily available in countless health food stores. There are numerous bakeries baking onsite and selling fresh loaves of bread everyday. Of these my current favorite is the wholemeal Miche sourdough from Sonoma Bakery or Bowan Island Bakery.
On eating out in Sydney, brunch on the weekends seems to be the most important meal of the day. There are countless cafes serving all day brunch fiercely competing with each other and trying to come up with creative menus. I notice chefs trying to pimp up the plain old Avo toast, chia seed puddings and ricotta hotcakes all the time. The food can be expensive and I hate spending $15 for eggs and toast that many cafes charge you. However I am all up for trying innovative creations using seasonal produce with quality ingredients and flavor concoctions. The dining scene with numerous variations of gluten-free, dairy free, nut free, vegan, vegetarian, paleo and keto can feel a bit extreme and overwhelming at times . A funny thing I have noticed is the vegetable pumpkin used so abundantly in every food menu that if you don’t like pumpkin you may find it difficult to eat here (Kidding!). Australia takes its coffee very seriously. Depending on my mood and time of the day, I have tried out some very good long blacks, strong lattes and Flat Whites since moving here. Other Aussie favorites such as warm, fresh pies and lamingtons are available easily. But the key for me is always trying to find the perfect pie or lamington . An all time favorite are the pies and baked goods from the iconic Bourke Street Bakery .
Another thing that has caught my attention the last few years has been trying out and experimenting with wines from different regions. So now I am excited to be learn about the Australian wines with every state having a distinct wine region and grape variety. One of the best things about being in Sydney is that most of the wine regions of New South Wales are a short 2-4 hour drive from the city. So looking forward to exploring these wines.
So going forward I am really hoping to post more often about my foodie and travel experiences in Sydney, Australia and beyond. I intend to build this “ Wholesome food and travel journal” . Will I be able to keep up to my resolution ? Will have to wait and watch this space. So anyone new here – Welcome to the urbanfoodlover blog! And to the old time reader – Thank you for following along and I hope you will continue to enjoy reading here!
P.S. These pics above and below are all foodie experiences that I have posted on my Instagram account where I must admit I have been very active and regular
P.P.S. My instagram handle is [AT]urbanfoodlover in case you want to follow along the page 🙂
