{Sydney Eats} Bamiyan, Five Dock

The destination: Bamiyan, an Afghan eatery opened in August 2011 set in an eye-catching, cheery yellow painted building in the unexpected locale of otherwise-Italian Five Dock.

The vibe: Warm, comfortable and welcoming.

The eats: An extensive and enticing menu reveals Afghan cuisine's influences, from India and Nepal to the Middle East. There are delicious dumplings, pumpkin stuffed naan bread, beef, lamb and chicken curries, and tasty vegetarian dishes like banjan boranee (fried eggplant with a yoghurt and tomato dressing). Our standout dish was the Kabuli pallow, a fragrant platter of rice studded with spices and served with a creamy chicken korma.

The verdict: Impeccable customer service, an open fireplace, delicious, fragrant and spicy eats and the unexpected boon of a liquor licence make Bamiyan the ultimate winter warming restaurant. A wonderful introduction to Afghanistan's varied, exotic and delicious cuisine.

More info: Check out these reviews on fabulous food blog Grab Your Fork, Time Out Sydney and News.com.au

Bamiyan, 175 First Avenue, Five Dock. Tel: 029712 7801

Two must-see movies (set in Asia!)

Because Asia is a place so close to my heart I'm a sucker for any show, movie, book, blog or anything set in my favourite continent. So I was pretty excited when I found out about Wish You Were Here, an Australian-made movie partially filmed in Cambodia (specifically, Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville). It's about two couples on a carefree holiday in Cambodia, and only three return to Sydney. The opening sequence of markets, food, colour and life in Phnom Penh made my heart race. Beyond the nostalgia and wanderlust the movie evoked I also loved the plot and the acting was fantastic. Totally recommend it to any Asia-philes!

I also recently saw Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a tale of a motley crew of new retirees heeding an ads' call to retire to a supposedly palatial hotel in Jaipur, India. As well as the funny, uplifting and sometimes sad stories it reveals about the characters, it portrays India in all its colourfully chaotic glory. It made me wish I was jostling in a crazy market or tearing around India's streets on the back of a motorbike. Armchair travel can be a wonderful thing, don't you think?!

Eats//Sweets

Chocolate cannoli from Haberfield's Pasticceria Papa

Places I've been, things I've eaten and sweet spots I've loved, lately:


EATS

Albee's Kitchen, Campsie
Albee's is a great little hole in the wall Malaysian place in bustling Campsie. Think a small, simple space with picture card menus on display, packed with hungry patrons. We had prawn laksa and chicken satay, both delicious, but the menu's extensive and there's lots more to try, including some Sarawak specific dishes from the owner's homeland, each available only on specific days. One to return to!

Thai Paragon, Marrickville
An unassuming looking little eatery from the street, inside, Thai Paragon looks and feels just like a cute, contemporary Thai place you'd come across in Bangkok. The staff are super friendly and the food excellent value and really authentic, from a slow cooked mussaman curry to tasty chilli basil chicken. And they even give you chocolates at the end.

El Loco, Surry Hills
An explosion of colour (think hanging pinatas) in an otherwise cavernous, simple space, El Loco is a festive and fun taqueria and bar. Part of the Excelsior Hotel and the Merivale empire, El Loco features $5 tacos and cocktails of the margarita persuasion. Try the Pink Cuco 'house slushie' made with pink grapefruit juice and the spit roasted pork taco with pineapple salsa - so good.

Tokonoma Lounge, Surry Hills
All sleek and chic and moody, this is the bar at Toko, a gorgeous Japanese restaurant with izakaya style eating (wih many a gourmet twist). There's an amazing light fixture and curved wooden ceiling feature, an extensive menu of sake, shochu, wine and cocktails, and you can order some of the snacks from the menu at the bar - loved the spider maki roll with soft shell crab.

SWEETS

Gelatomassi, Newtown
A gelato experience up there with Gelato Messina, Gelatomassi is an award winning gelateria for good reason. The chocolate is rich and luscious, the mango amazing and the pannacotta, sweet and light and moreish.

Pasticceria Papa, Haberfield
This corner pasticceria in Sydney's Italian hub is almost always packed, with people queuing for biscotti, gelato, cannoli and cake from one of the most enticing, sweet laden counters I've ever seen. So many sweets, so hard to decide, so I stuck to cannoli and they didn't disappoint.

Sideways Deli Cafe, Dulwich Hill
Sideways does a really good chocolate brownie. At $4 a pop it's a no brainer addition to a coffee order - moist, fudgy and most importantly, not sickly sweet (yes, this sweet tooth has limits!). There are friands, muffins, and cakes aplenty here too - the pear and chocolate cake is another winner.

Image courtesy Pasticceria Papa

{Cafe Crush} The Grounds, Alexandria

I'm loving the latest addition to the burgeoning cafe scene in urban, industrial Alexandria. The Grounds is aptly set in a former warehouse, converted into a coffee lovers' haven featuring on-site roasting and serious coffee wizardry.

It's well and truly on every food blogger/reviewer/lover/seeker's radar right now, hence the crazy weekend queues with everyone keen to follow the buzz.  The baked goods are luscious (think Bourke Street Bakery/Black Star Pastry standard) and there's a fantastic breakfast and lunch menu featuring seasonal gourmet fare.

The vintage/industrial interior is gorgeous but the drawcard is the oversized courtyard full of vegetable and herb gardens and even chickens. There's a small playground corner and chalkboard for kids, and you can order takeaway to eat outside (hint: with the current crowds or if you have kids or a dog in tow this is the easiest option). With excellent coffee and loads of urban gardening inspiration, it's easy to see why The Grounds is drawing crowds.

The Grounds, Building 7A, 2 Huntley Street, Alexandria, Tel: 02 9699 2225

Spencer Guthrie, Bloodwood and Freda's

Inspiring interiors at Bloodwood

Inside Freda's

Need some date night inspiration in the inner city/inner west? I recently bar and restaurant hopped around the perfect combination of venues - a trio of places featuring amazing drinks from great wines to boutique beers to innovative cocktails (at Bloodwood and Freda's), delicious food using quality, seasonal produce (at Spencer Guthrie, which is currently BYO) and cool vintage/industrial decor and atmosphere at all three.

First stop was Bloodwood down the southern end of Newtown's King Street for cocktails, marinated olives and their amazing fried polenta chips with gorgonzola dipping sauce. A chic bar in Newtown, Bloodwood has a fantastic wine list, impeccable service and for the interiors obsessed, covetable furniture like colourful Tolix stools. Next, we headed (conveniently) across the road to Spencer Guthrie, a gorgeous, tiny, newly opened bistro. From their small menu (that's constantly changing to reflect what's in season) we had an amazing entree of beetroot and goats cheese salad with crushed walnuts and fresh horseradish, and another of chorizo, baby octopus and kipfler potatoes. Then it was onto gnocchi with lamb and mint, and a gorgeous deboned spatchock with mushroom, corn and barley - hearty, flavoursome, perfect!

Next, Negronis at Freda's, a converted warehouse space tucked down an unassuming little alley off Chippendale's Regent Street. Exposed wooden beams and a dark, cavernous space give the bar an underground, industrial feel. For directions on how to find Freda's (and you must!) see their blog. A tried, tested and totally recommended trio of yay!

Images courtesy Bloodwood and Freda's

A plane ticket to happiness

Leaving Cambodia

By Liz Ledden. First published on PocketCultures, 23 March 2012

How many times have you wondered if you’d be so much happier or your life would be perfect, if only I lived ‘there’ (insert fantasy locale of choice – a Thai island or downtown Manhattan perhaps) instead of ‘here’?

The quest for the perfect place and therefore perfect life can take its toll if you heed its call. Once ensconced in a new place the comparison game begins, usually starting with a period of intense highs where all the best bits of the new place are realised and explored, and are deemed ‘so much better’ to the previous (now far more inferior) place. Eventually cracks appear in its shiny surface and the inevitable crash can be a painful one when it becomes clear that this place, too, is deeply flawed. Hence the search begins again. Perhaps the old home is repainted in a new, shinier light, or the quest for a new and better place begins all over again.

For perpetual travellers, career expats and other wandering spirits it can be easy to get caught up in the country or city comparison game. When I moved from Australia to Cambodia I definitely experienced the highs and lows of falling deeply in love with a place then feeling the sting of its bite when things fell apart. Like being seduced then betrayed, I built Cambodia up to be my utopic world of happiness and light, surrounded by smiling faces, serene monks, glittering temples and lush landscapes. Money was no longer any object and life was a party every night.

Eventually though, the gloss wore off (though happily was eventually repainted – I definitely lost a piece of my heart in Cambodia and will never forget the impact my time there has had on my life). Friends became victim to petty theft one by one, and I spent an uncomfortable night sleeping on a rudimentary hospital floor next to a friend who was viciously pulled out of a moving tuk tuk by a handbag snatching thief. I too was robbed, by someone I trusted – my very own cleaner, who skipped town with my precious laptop containing a few years’ worth of photos that were foolishly not backed up. The frustrations continued when dealing with the corrupt and inept police who thought there was no point pursuing the perpetrator when it was obvious the laptop would have already been sold. Talk about missing the point. I eventually moved on from my laptop loss and forgave my beloved Cambodia for all its frustrations.

I moved to Saigon next, where again I went through a process of the first flushes of new love and an eventual comedown once the realities of life there sunk in. I was always comparing Cambodia and Vietnam and which place was better for what reason, throwing Bangkok into the mix (another city I’ve spent a lot of time in and have quite the passion for). Moving back to Sydney a few years later was a ridiculously massive adjustment after living in Asia and it took at least six months or more to accept the fact I no longer lived there. I knew I wasn’t alone, as close friends made in Cambodia and Vietnam had also moved home to countries in the West, and were struggling with the lifestyle change. Hilariously, some of the loudest advocates for moving back home were the ones missing Asia the most. Sometimes, we don’t know what we’ve got until it’s gone, or in this case how amazing a place is until we leave.

A holiday back to the region was the perfect remedy for my restlessness – perhaps this was the solution I was looking for, like the best of both worlds. I could live in my comfortable Sydney home surrounded by my own furniture and things, have family nearby and clean streets and air and all those wonderful things Australia has to offer, while having an intense dose of Asia and all its sensory delights before jetting back home again. I sometimes wish there was a way to divide my time more evenly between Australia and Asia so I could split my life in two, but for now the occasional holiday will have to suffice. Staying in touch with friends from past lives and homes helps keep the memories alive, and armchair travelling in the form of escaping with books and blogs about favourite places help fan the wanderlust flames…until the next plane ticket to happiness is booked.

{Hotel lust} W Retreat & Spa, Vieques Island

My dream outdoor chair...

Loving the colourful interiors at W Retreat & Spa in Vieques Island - a Puerto Rican island in the Caribbean. The interior is by Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola, the food by famed Michelin star chef Alain Ducasse and the vibe, colourful castaway chic. Deserted beaches, fishing villages and a 'bioluminescent bay' can be found at Vieques Island...sounds just about perfect right now. For more on Vieques, see this '36 hours' guide from the New York Times.

{Book love} Henna for the Broken-Hearted

When I first heard about Henna for the Broken-Hearted by Australian author Sharell Cook I immediately knew it would be right up my Asia-loving alley. A traveller turned expat finds new love and her life's calling (writing) in mystical, magical India. A place I have travelled around and grappled with and would love to give another chance some day.

Sharell's story is an inspiring one. At age 30 her marriage falls apart and she has a less then enthralling accounting career. A volunteer stint in Kolkata and subsequent travels around India combined with meeting soulmate Aryan lead to a life rejuvenated. She now lives in Mumbai and blogs at Diary of a White Indian Housewife (which I'm madly trawling through the archives of to catch up with), as well as writes professionally. Oh, and is now married to Aryan!

Though Sharell's story is far more dramatic (and dare I say interesting) than my own, parts of her story really resonated with me and my own experiences living in Asia and searching for meaning. I had the love bit sorted already(!) but also realised my true passion (writing) while living in Cambodia, meanwhile grappling with cultural differences and all the ups and downs of living in a developing country

I found at the end of Henna for the Broken-Hearted I wanted to know more...what happened next? What other obstacles did the author face? What other uniquely Indian things were encountered? I love this genre of book and will happily take any recommendations for others like it!

{Shoptalk} Drunk on the Moon, Newtown

I came across vintage furniture shop Drunk on the Moon by accident on the little strip of shops and restaurants on Newtown's Australia Street, home to the excellent Black Star Pastry cafe. The shop is tiny but packed with a really well curated selection of vintage furniture and home accessories, like wooden dining tables, small wooden pigeon hole shelves, ladders, ice chests, stools and lots more. Like a little piece of the Brooklyn Flea in Sydney's Newtown, the prices are really reasonable and it's one of those places where you fall in love with everything, from the big pieces to the small. Oh, and if you're into typography there are vintage Scrabble letters for $1 a piece.

Drunk on the Moon, 247 Australia Street, Newtown, tel: 0409 841 451, www.drunkonthemoon.com.au

Images courtesy Drunk on the Moon

Sydney's best ethnic eats: a suburban adventure

By Liz Ledden. Article first published by Travelwire Asia, 26 January 2012

SYDNEY’S culturally diverse population produces no shortage of delicious cuisine from all over the world. A trip to the suburbs, particularly those in the city’s inner west, south west and west uncovers an amazing array of eats from Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South America and more. It’s literally the world on a plate. Here are some of the most daytrip-worthy destinations in Sydney for ethnic eats.

Lakemba

Home to a large Muslim population of various ethnic backgrounds, Lakemba is a fascinating place to explore and eat. Excellent Lebanese food has put Lakemba on the Sydney food lovers’ map, in particular the justifiably popular Jasmins offering the best Lebanese style grilled meats, dips, salads and breads at a bargain price. For dessert, cross Haldon Street to Patisserie Arja for baklava, ladies fingers and other middle eastern desserts of the pastry persuasion. In Lakemba you will also find Sydney’s only restaurant featuring Christmas and Cocos Islands cuisine, Island Dreams Café, with its intriguing blend of Malaysian, Indonesian and Chinese influences.

Jasmins in Lakemba serves up excellent Lebanese fare. Pic: Liz Ledden.

Fairfield

Far flung Fairfield in Sydney’s southwest is home to many new migrants to Australia, and a diverse mix of more established ones. The streets surrounding Fairfield train station are alive and thriving, packed with restaurants, cafés and food shops from Lao restaurants to an Afghan bakery and Sydney’s only Iraqi restaurant, Al Diaffah Al Iraqi. Lao Village is an authentic, cheap and unassuming little eatery for some seriously authentic Lao cuisine – try the grilled quail and the chicken larb. La Paula is the perfect dessert spot for Chilean sweets, specialising in luscious dulce de leche creations. New on the Fairfield scene is Misky Cravings, a homely Peruvian place riding Sydney’s new wave of Latino inspired eateries.

Bankstown

A mix of Lebanese and Vietnamese culinary influences dominate the Bankstown dining scene, which also features Indian and African eateries and many excellent delis and fresh  produce emporiums. Pho An is a must try – a large and buzzing Vietnamese restaurant featuring nothing but variations of chicken and beef pho. The broth is fragrant, the noodles are abundant and the flavour is unbeatable amongst the city’s plethora of other pho joints. For a raucous Lebanese feast in a party atmosphere, try Summerland.

Cabramatta

The Little Vietnam of Sydney, Cabramatta is a former trouble spot for drugs and crime come good. It is now more famous for pho than dodgy dealings and has the colour, aromas and vibrancy of a Saigon market. Bursting at the seams with Vietnamese restaurants, fruit and vegetable shops, cafes (coffee with condensed milk anyone?), seafood sellers and fabric merchants, the suburb has some of Sydney’s best Vietnamese food. There’s the perennially popular Thanh Binh for everything from roll your own fresh spring rolls to succulent seafood, and migrant success story Bau Truong among many others. If the bustling atmosphere is too much head to nearby Canley Heights for low-key but equally delicious eats, like the excellent Holy Basil for spicy Lao food dished up in stylish surrounds.

Holy Basil in Canley Heights is a good place to try out some authentic Laos flavours. Pic: Liz Ledden.

Haberfield

Haberfield in Sydney’s inner west can best be described as Sydney’s Little Italy without neighbouring Leichhardt’s crowds. Excellent old school pizza can be found at Napoli in Bocca, and there’s also La Disfida and Dolcissimo for casual Italian dining. Pasticceria Papa is a great dessert pitstop with its array of Italian biscuits and cakes, while A&P Sulfaro  is another contender in the best biscotti stakes. Haberfield is also home to excellent food shopping, with its Italian bread shop, fresh pasta purveyor and cheese shop and deli, Paesanella. Even the supermarkets have a heavy Italian bent, evidenced by the amazing antipasti array at the IGA supermarket.

Petersham

Closer to the city centre, the inner west suburb of Petersham is home to a large Portuguese community and features a small but enticing array of Portuguese eateries on its main thoroughfare, busy New Canterbury Road. Sweet Belem reputedly has the best Portuguese tarts this side of Lisbon, while hungry locals queue for succulent and spicy Portuguese chicken at Frango, which is cooked flattened over coals and basted in a spicy peri peri sauce. There are Portuguese butcheries along the strip and several other eateries, such as Casa Brasil for churrasco, or barbequed meats. The local bottleshop features an abundance of Portuguese wine too, including its intriguing ‘green’ wine, Vinho Verde.

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Other articles I've written for Travelwire Asia lately feature some of my favourite eats from my old homes Cambodia and Vietnam (miss them, miss the food!!):

6 must-try Vietnamese dishes

5 must-try Cambodian dishes

Oh, and for more on Lakemba, one of my favourite foodie suburbs (in case you haven't guessed) here's an article I wrote for Pocket Cultures:

A Taste of the Middle East in Sydney's Lakemba