La Mesa Philippine Cuisine ~ Chinatown

It took several visits, hearty recommendations from Filipino folks, and a trip to Manila for us to understand the pleasures of La Mesa. Now it's one of our all-time favourite Sydney restaurants.

Supermarkets of Mystery - Wattalappan, Sri Lankan dessert

One of the desserts we loved most in Sri Lanka was wattalappan, so finding a pack of ready to make mix in a supermarket in Toongabbie looked like a way to love it all over again.

Breakfast at Superbowl ~ Chinese - Chinatown Dixon Street Mall

We're eternally searching every inch of Sydney for that 'just like overseas' dining experience. Superbowl in the Dixon Street Mall has been right under our travel nerd noses all this time...

Like Noodle ~ Shanghai Chinese - Hurstville

Like Noodle in Hurstville is like, noodles.

Paris ~ Little Tokyo, a small taste of Japan

A few narrow streets house the Little Tokyo district of Paris. Get your fill of ramen, udon and gyoza and top it off with mountains of matcha flavoured sweeties.

Malaysian Hawker Classics at Malacca Straits, Broadway

We play Malacca Straits roulette, eating a different hawker style dish every day until we get a dud. Well, that dud dish never came after fourteen visits, so we declare Malacca Straits the winner.

Paris ~ Banh Mi Roundup - Vietnamese Pork Rolls, French style

Eating a Vietnamese pork roll in Paris is one of those circular journeys that food often takes. Parisians have embraced the familiar baguette with its exotic fillings, the price and taste causing lunchtime queues and devoted fans.

$2 Chinese at Hot Woks ~ Westfield Shopping Gulag - Hurstville

The battle of the end of day discounting takes place in the Westfield Shopping Gulag in Hurstville on a Sunday afternoon. We grab a bargain throwback of a Chinese feed for only $7.

Manoush City ~ Lebanese - Broadway

Zaatar time. A small spot in the city is pumping out Lebanese style breads and pizzas, working the pizza oven with that distinct herb flavour and haloumi filled treats.

Paris ~ Bistros Bistrots Cafes Tabacs and Brasseries

When folks ask us what we loved most on our month-long stay in Paris, our answer is the cafes and bistros. That Paris cliche about sitting in a cafe and idly watching the world (and Gerard Depardieu) go by is true. So true. We did it every day for a month, and could do it all again.

Supermarkets of Mystery ~ Sizzling sisig in a can - Filipino

Sisig, the Filipino specialty of a hot plate filled with chopped pieces of pigs head, is available in a small snack size can. We rip the lid off to see if it can really sizzle.

Tasty Bites ~ Sichuan Chinese, Chatswood

There's a mighty big blast of Sichuan heat and flash coming from a small shop in Chatswood. Tasty Bites serves up food with a fiery focus and a touch of homestyle in the cooking.

Yasaka Ramen - Japanese - Sydney City / CBD

Five years ago we went out for a beer and a meal in Chinatown, we took some photos and started a blog to write about it.

Paris ~ Chinese Food, Chinatown and Belleville

Paris is lucky enough to have three Chinatowns. We were lucky enough to have time to explore two of them, finding a mix of influences from China, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

Burmese Curry Place ~ Civic, Canberra

A legend among Canberra cheap eats fans, Burmese Curry Place is everything we hoped it would be.

Bistro Hulu ~ Taiwanese / Chinese - City South, Chinatown Fringe [CLOSED]

Bistro Hulu opened last year as a Taiwanese specialty joint but changed it's pitch and prices to get the punters in. We went nine months (and a blog name change) between visits and found it still going strong.

[CLOSED 2015 - NOW IN CROWS NEST]

National Multicultural Festival 2015 ~ Civic, Canberra

We happened to be in Canberra when the most amazing multicultural food festival was also scheduled.

Valentines Romance at the Mandalay Yellow Bus, Canberra

No place screams 'romance!' more than Canberra, so that's where we head for Valentines Day 2015.

20 years ago today - Glebe in the 1994 Cheap Eats in Sydney Guide

Look back at what was in the 1994 Cheap Eats Guide for Glebe, with only three restaurants hanging in there twenty years later.

Bei Wan ~ Taiwanese - Rhodes

We stumble upon a corker of a Taiwanese restaurant as we wander around the colossus shopping centre of Rhodes.

Ramen O-San Bar ~ Japanese Ramen - Dixon House Food Court

Yay, a new ramen joint in Sydney Chinatown's Dixon House Food Court, Ramen O-San Bar.

[Relocated to Sussex Centre food court, 2017]

Haymarket Cheese Shop ~ Paddy's Markets, Haymarket

Excuse me sir, is this a cheese shop? In Paddy's Market? Now you can stick a wedge of emmental in with your shopping next time you are at the markets buying kang kong and cheap mangoes.

Mr Bing ~ Chinese and Taiwanese style jianbing - Chippendale

Is it a pancake? Is it an omelette?  Is it a wrap? No, its a jianbing, a classic Chinese and Taiwanese street food made fresh to order.

Mathura ~ Sri Lankan and a walk around Toongabbie

On the western edge of Sydney lies Toongabbie, the small suburb with a spicy heart.

Rotikon ~ Malaysian - Market City, Haymarket

A crunchy roti stuffed with rendang or curry and a few shakes of salad, Rotikon in Market City twists the usual roti canai into a takeaway snack cone.

Three Lanes Seven Alleys ~ Fujian Chinese - Chinatown

The reason we write this stuff is to travel over the world right here in our own city. We take you now to Fuzhou in China via Dixon Street in Sydney Chinatown for noodles, raw egg drinks and stinky tofu.

Supermarkets of Mystery ~ Couldn't you go a Chiko Roll?

Get on your dragsters and head to the supermarket cause the one and only Chiko Roll is ready and waiting to be plunged into hot oil and scoffed in the privacy of your own home.

Paris ~ West African, Moroccan and Jewish Tunisian Food

Of all things it was African food we looked forward to most on our month long stay in Paris in late 2014, in particular restaurants catering to African migrants, a rarity back home in Australia. We found some great West and North African restos, but not nearly as many as we hoped.

Koban ~ Korean takeaway banchan - Town Hall / Sydney CBD

So you're drudging home from work wondering what to have for dinner. Hmmmm, Korean, anyone? "Oh but I want all the banchan too!" I hear you cry. Well, now you can have your chilli radish and your bulgogi for dinner too at Koban in the CBD.

Noumea ~ A Week of Lunches, Horse Races and Death by Raclette

We headed back to Noumea in July for a mid-winter break. We get a little more upmarket than on our last trip, just a little. We bust our bellies eating French and New Caledonian food, with a spot of gee-gee racing in between.