appetite for design

Don't be fooled, while this may look scrumptious, don't eat it, its a book!
Design publisher Victionary's latest release Appetite for Design is chock full of food related design from packaging & branding to restaurant interiors... including Eat Drink Chic's very own Amy Moss with her McFancy project.

designer popsicles

The best way to cool down this summer is with one of these scrumptious looking (and i'm sure tasting) artisan pops from the girls over at Liana Raine.

Each popsicle is made only using natural ingredients and the freshest, sweetest seasonal fruit with flavours like Strawberry Mint and Pineapple & Chilli. Aja & Bianca have even conjured up some exotic 'poptails' - the perfect treat for a summer party or wedding and I can't wait to see their new vintage pop cart which is arriving soon.

cool kids: ms g's

By no means am I a restaurant critic, but when you find something this good you just can't help but want to share. A few months back the work girls got together for our not-regular-enough 'wine & dine' at the latest Merivale venture Ms G's in Potts Point (can Justin Hemmes ever put a foot wrong?)

As soon as you step foot in the door you can't help but absorb the 'hip' air. Hip decor (who else but Sibella Court), hip soundtrack, hip staff and hip menu: one that can only be described as modern asian share food. Too cool to take bookings, you can however wait for your table in the upstairs bar where you can sip on bubble-tea inspired cocktails in sealed cups with giant straws - the Good Morning Vietnam goes down a treat.

Food wise, most of the meals are designed to be shared and you really can't go past the pork belly or chicken katsu mini bánh mì, prawn toast with yuzu aioli, fried baby chicken with kimchi mayonnaise and last but not least Ms G's grilled corn on the cob with parmesan and lime.

Even for the sweet tooth, the Stoners Delight is a dessert best shared. Doughnut ice cream, mars bar slice, pretzels, peanut brittle and marshmallows all on the one plate may sound like someone raided the pantry of left overs but gee whiz the combination is amazing!

Pictures courtesy of Spicy Ice Cream 

let's picnic!

These free picnic printables from Amy Moss at Eat Drink Chic have inspired me.
Time to get the gang together for a little gourmet picnic, me thinks.

Image from H&M Home

potato head beach club

I'm super bummed I missed out on Potato Head Beach Club on my last visit to Bali.
Opened in December 2010, Potato Head is the newest hot spot in Seminyak, boasting 3 restaurants, an extensive cocktail menu and international DJ's.
This relaxed beachfront getaway transitions into party central once the sun goes down, but what I really love is the unique design that showcases an eclectic mix of Scandinavian & Indonesian furniture. Designed by Indonesia's architect of the moment, Andra Matin, the exterior of the colosseum inspired amphitheatre is covered in more than 12,000 vintage teak shutters recycled from Dutch colonial-era buildings scattered across the Indonesian archipelago, giving it a real rustic, tropical feel.

Potato Head Beach Club is definitely on my list for next time, in the mean time i'll just plug into my Ku De Ta playlist and imagine i'm there.

nectar summer

Jen Altman is one amazingly cool cookie. Photographer, writer and mum to three seriously cute girls, Jen has just released her newest blog Nectar, aptly subtitled 'slice of life and rock n' roll'.  At Nectar Jen waxes lyrical about food and family, but my favourite part is the playlists that often accompany Jen's posts, matched to the food like an accompanying wine (see Jen's weekend playlist here).

The Turkish Prawn & Vegetable Kebabs with Grilled Watermelon Salad look perfect for the upcoming summer.

TURKISH PRAWN & VEGETABLE KEBABS

1 1/2 lbs large prawns, peeled


1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil


2 teaspoons Turkish baharat kebab spice blend 


1 zucchini, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced


1/2 large red onion, sliced into thick half-moons

8-10 button mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed


additional olive oil for brushing


8 to 10 metal or bamboo skewers *soak bamboo skewers first so they don't burn

Cacik

5 oz Greek yogurt


1/2 small garlic clove, minced


1/2 cucumber, finely grated

Toasted Pita with Za'atar 

4 pitas
extra virgin olive oil for brushing

za’atar spice *za'atar is a ubiquitous Middle Eastern spice blend of sumac, thyme and sesame seeds that can be used on virtually anything and everything from pita, vegetables, fish, poultry and more.  

GRILLED WATERMELON SALAD WITH CUCUMBER, FETA & MINT

½ watermelon, cut into triangular wedges, rind discarded
1 cucumber, diced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
4 ounces Greek or Bulgarian feta cheese
¼ cup fresh mint, roughly chopped
½ hot red chili, thinly sliced, *if desired
extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
juice of ½ lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
sumac for sprinkling  *sumac is a Mediterranean spice with purple-reddish hue and a tangy, lemony flavor. 

Heat a grill or grill pan on medium-high.  Grill watermelon triangles for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until light grill marks appear. Arrange slices on a platter.  Mix remaining ingredients together in a mixing bowl and spoon over top watermelon.  Sprinkle salad with sumac.

Photos by Jen Altman | Recipes by Marissa Lipert

dumplings

Who says you have to go to Chinatown to get good dumplings?

Working in the lower north shore I am lucky to be spoilt for choice with traditional asian eateries but my all time favourite at the moment just has to be the traditional handmade dumplings of New Shanghai.
And judging by the lunchtime queues to get a table (they don't take bookings) it seems I'm not the only one who thinks so.

Today I popped in for lunch with my work buddies and about an hour later we rolled back out in a dumpling coma.

Even if you were to pick from the menu wearing a blindfold you really can't go wrong, but the pan fried pork buns are definitely a draw card as well as our other go to dishes - pork & chive dumplings, salt and pepper chilli prawns and stir fried chinese rice cakes.

I think what really tops it all off for me though is the decor. You really feel as though you could be eating in the side streets of Shanghai and there is even an old bicycle at the front door.

New Shanghai
Chatswood Chase
Ph. 02 9412 3358