Food News – Events

Eat & Drink Foodie Diary

Jackie McMillan
March 4, 2015

With more than 50 dishes arising from 18 of Sydney’s hippest hotspots, there’s a certain economy to buying Taste of Sydney tickets. The event, which kicks off next week on Thursday 12 March, is held in Centennial Park; and the line-up is not limited to Sydney’s fine diners. I’m most excited about road testing BANG, Surry Hills’ new Bangladeshi street food offering, as well as enjoying a dish from Café Paci in a non-degustation environment. If you’re planning your own effective eating strategy, my other must-try is the Bloodwood/Young Henrys collaboration (love my craft beer) and possibly Jonah’s, because I never can find a designated driver to make the trip to their restaurant, an hour north of Sydney.
www.tasteofsydney.com.au

If you’re more intimate dinner than epic food fair, The Devonshire and Melbourne’s Saint Crispin are joining forces in a one-off dinner. Well it’s actually two one-off dinners, as their first one (Monday 23 March) sold out immediately. So I’d suggest jumping onto their curated six-course menu with matching wine ($160/head) held on Tuesday 24 March, quickly. My guess is it will be worth it just to try Joe Grbac’s (Saint Crispin) ocean trout, shimeji, enoki, bottarga, sesame crumble. This dish is made from 90 ingredients, and takes eight hours to prepare.
www.thedevonshire.com.au

REVIEW: Karen’s Diner Top Ryde

Arts & Entertainment Eat & Drink Scene

Swagatalakshmi Roychowdhury
June 28, 2022

I am not going to lie, walking into Karen’s Diner, which is reputed to have the worst customer service in the city, can be nerve-wracking. After several minutes of nervous pacing and scrolling through the reservation confirmation with clammy hands, a Karen turned to serve me. Rolling eyes and sass made up most of her demeanour, which finally put me at ease. As I looked around, I realised I was not the only nervous one in the diner. Many of customers were similarly hesitant to order their food, all of whom were understandably unwilling to invoke the Karens’ wrath but equally keen to experience what this place was all about.

An evening at Karen’s Diner was a fun experience indeed. From aggressive pushes of food on the table to constant f-bombs and booing at customers, Karen’s Diner was a vibe.

The diner decorations were also quite beautiful. Seated at a high-top table with a table full of has-beens next to a comic plastered wall we watched the customers heading out to play the Wheel of Misfortune. Misfortunes that could land you anywhere between model walks to the not-so-fun spicy shots.

I ate a meal called the “Royale Karen” alongside sips of a cocktail called the “Sour Karen” – listening to Good Golly Miss Molly playing overhead. The food was good, but it could have been better.