Buns & Balls, Potts Point

Yes you heard right... Buns AND Balls. Get your minds out of the gutter people - we're talking burger buns and meatballs here! And that's exactly what the new Buns & Balls in Potts Point offers - a selection of tasty meatballs and juicy burgers.

Fresh juice cocktails: Pineapple, ginger beer, vodka and bitters (left) and Watermelon, lime and vodka (right) - $12

Of course before we get into the buns and balls, we have a couple of drinks. At Buns & Balls, they have freshly made juice cocktails and we choose to sample the pineapple, ginger beer, vodka and bitters one first. I'm not a huge fan of ginger but thankfully this isn't too gingery, and it's also not tooth-achingly sweet because of the acidity from the pineapple juice. The watermelon, lime and vodka cocktail is equally as refreshing and is perfect for the upcoming warm summer nights.

Balls! Clockwise from top right: Spicy chicken, Barramundi croquette, Beef & pork, Crispy tofu (all $9 per serve), and Spicy Louisiana wings ($1 per wing)

We tried a selection of the meatballs on offer, as well as some of the spicy Louisiana wings. I enjoyed the barramundi croquettes with tartare sauce which reminded me a little bit of fish fingers. The crispy tofu balls were bathed in the deep fryer for a nice crispy outside and firm tofu on the inside. Both the chicken meatballs and wings used the same hot sauce and blue cheese dipping sauce, so they tasted very similar, though I preferred the wings to the chicken meatballs. The beef and pork meatballs with napoletana sauce and grated cheese on top were by far my favourite, reminding me of a classic meatball made by an Italian nonna!

Char-grilled cheese burger - $10

Mejico, Sydney

Would you like a side of theatre with your dinner? If that's your thing, be sure to order the market fresh guacamole ($9) from Mejico. Watch in delight as the waitress comes over to your table with all the raw ingredients - a halved avocado, chopped Spanish onion, lime and chopped coriander - and mashes it up ceremoniously in a molcajete (a mortar and pestle).

Drying chillies out of the front of Mejico

We've actually ordered three guacamoles tonight, because that's how much we love avocado. Although only one of them is made at the table, it doesn't make it any less delicious or fresh as we all pile it on top of the accompanying plantain chips. There's nothing better than freshly made guacamole, and a testament to that is that we were literally scraping every last bit from the molcajete with a spoon.

Mango and habanero chilli salsa - $12

House of Crabs, Redfern

After seeing pictures of crab boil in plastic bags and watching Adam Richman on Man vs. Food hammering the crap out of crawfish to get the meat (and making a giant mess in the process), I was super excited about the prospect of crab boil coming to Sydney.

Clams, crab boil and fries!

Last week, the Drink n Dine group opened their newest venture, the House of Crabs, on the 1st floor of The Norfolk in Redfern. As expected from a place called "House of Crabs", there's plenty of crustaceans to be had in a variety of sauces, but for the non-seafood lovers out there, rest assured there's also steak and some damn good fried chicken ($18) as well.

Cocktails and popcorn

Homemade Tacos

You can tell that summer is just around the corner, with some of the 30+ degree days we've had lately! The heat just makes me feel like eating something cool and refreshing for dinner, and home made tacos are a great option, with minimal cooking required.

The steak filling is marinated in some spices, lime juice and tequila, and then seared on the stove until medium rare. You can also use other meats as well - I've tried the marinade with chicken and it tastes just as good.

The flour tortillas are also made from scratch, which admittedly requires a little bit of elbow grease. You don't have to make your own flour tortillas, but once I realised how easy they were to make, it was well worth the effort and now I can't go back to the store bought kind.

Once you've browned the tortillas, rested the steak, chopped up some avocado and tomato and squeezed on a little bit of lime juice, you have your very own home made tacos for dinner. The best thing about this recipe is that you can really throw in whatever takes your fancy - some chopped cabbage or lettuce, Spanish onion, pickled jalapenos, some corn or cheese... The possibilities are endless!

Good Food Month Night Noodle Markets 2013

October has come around again which means that Good Food Month is back and in full swing! I've visited the Night Noodle Markets in previous years but they have definitely upped the ante this year with more stalls, more seating and more colourful lanterns!

Expanded seating areas at the Night Noodle Markets; Lanterns

In terms of the food, there's a range of dumplings, noodles, dim sims and other Asian goodies to suit everyone's tastes, with offerings from Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian, Thai and Vietnamese restaurants.

Huge woks of fried rice and noodles at the Span Thai stall

Roti twirling action at Mamak