I look forward to my Thursday dates with Jamie Oliver. Welcomed into his quaint cottage kitchen, the décore is warm and the dishes look delightful. I almost want to start a vegetable garden after seeing the beautiful produce he brings back to his kitchen to cook. I imagine his quirky personality and lively enthusiasm are infused into his cooking; I only wish I could try it. This guy LOVES olive oil, though. We laugh as we watch him drown each finished dish.
My first introduction to Nigella Lawson yesterday was less inspiring. She smiles a lot. She's sweet, and safe. Her dishes were more familiar. More domestic. More boring? It's not her fault I prefer a little entertainment with my cooking tips.
This is where Gordon Ramsay comes in! He's all "F***k this" and "This is s**t" that... which I might add is broadcast without bleeps on Aussie television as long as it's after 8:30pm! Though his show is not about recipes, but how to run a successful restaurant, I thoroughly enjoyed watching him criticize, and sometimes berate, the restaurant owner or chefs! Then he offers suggestions on how to turn the failing restaurants around.
Bill Granger is Australia's favorite chef. As a regular on some Sydney morning talk shows, and hosting some of his own series, his style of cooking is as easy to observe as his food is to eat. His recipes require little effort to follow, and his easy-going personality comes through in the cooking experience.
And such is my domestic life...
Thursday, January 10, 2008
bills: Sydney, NSW, Australia
Bill Granger knows a thing or two about great recipes and the dining experience. We visited bills in Surry Hills this week, and I had the pleasure of experiencing some of my favorite recipes from his books first-hand (which I use to cook from all the time). Corn fritters made with capsicum (red bell peppers) and spring onions, topped with bacon, roasted tomato, and baby spinach. We also ordered the ricotta hotcakes served with banana and honeycomb butter. Ah, Australia's best brunch!
I'd like to take this opportunity to quickly share with you that bacon in Australia is different than bacon in the U.S. Anyone who knows me knows my affinity for all things pig. However, this Aussie bacon reminds me more of a thin-cut slice of ham. Not fatty, not crunchy-- I may have met a piece of pork I don't like!
Despite my preference for American bacon, the salt of the pork was so perfectly paired with the sweet of the corn and the mild bite of the spinach.
Refined, hip, casual-- the warm summer breeze carries quiet chatter of patrons on the sidewalk and city noise from the quaint neighborhood street blow in through the large open windows at the front. I'd met Bill briefly at a book signing when I first arrived in Sydney, and his likable, laid-back personality comes through in his food, in the atmosphere of his restaurant, and in his books. The spirit of Australia is in the dining experience here!
http://www.bills.com.au
I'd like to take this opportunity to quickly share with you that bacon in Australia is different than bacon in the U.S. Anyone who knows me knows my affinity for all things pig. However, this Aussie bacon reminds me more of a thin-cut slice of ham. Not fatty, not crunchy-- I may have met a piece of pork I don't like!
Despite my preference for American bacon, the salt of the pork was so perfectly paired with the sweet of the corn and the mild bite of the spinach.
Refined, hip, casual-- the warm summer breeze carries quiet chatter of patrons on the sidewalk and city noise from the quaint neighborhood street blow in through the large open windows at the front. I'd met Bill briefly at a book signing when I first arrived in Sydney, and his likable, laid-back personality comes through in his food, in the atmosphere of his restaurant, and in his books. The spirit of Australia is in the dining experience here!
http://www.bills.com.au
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