Food Safari Book Launch

Tetsuya Wakuda

Two book launches, both alike in dignity. In fair Sydney where we lay our scene.

On Tuesday night it was the launch of Food Safari, the companion book to the popular SBS cooking series hosted by Maeve O'Meara, at Spice I Am Restaurant in Darlinghurst.


Food Safari by Maeve O'Meara

On Thursday night it was a smaller launch at the Global Gallery in Paddington for fellow Sydney food blogger Jennifer Lam's self-published book, I Ate My Way Through.


I Ate My Through Singapore & Vietnam by Jennifer Lam

Always dreamed of a book deal? Those who are gutsy enough, fund their own. A photographic memoir of her travels through Singapore and Vietnam, Jennifer launched her book for friends, bloggers and media, with Vietnamese canapes and wine donated by sponsors Saigon Saigon restaurant and Aja Wines.


Maeva O'Meara with Tetsuya Wakuda

At the Food Safari launch, guests included Tetsuya Wakuda, Chui Lee Luk, Guy Grossi, Kimitaka Azuma, Greg Malouf, Charmaine Solomon, Peter Kuravita and Angie Hong.


Guy Grossi introduces Maeve O'Meara


Maeve O'Meara


Chicken balls

Canapes were dispensed from the open kitchen at Spice I Am. After spotting Billy, Karen and I on tiptoes trying to snap food photos, the staff kindly let us into the kitchen for a much better vantage point.


The kitchen


The canapes


Steaming fresh rice noodles for canapes


Rice noodles rolled with pork mince and vegetables

The blue tinge from these freshly steamed rice noodles come from the butterfly pea flower, the blue flower that is also used to colour the Malaysian sticky rice dessert kuih tekan in streaks of blue.


Tapioca balls stuffed with pork and water chestnuts

I loved the chewy starchy exterior of these tapioca balls, especially with the crunch of water chestnuts inside.


Fried prawn canapes


Prawns in spring roll sheets with chilli sauce and fresh pineapple

A prawn spring roll never looked so good. These prawns were fresh and sweet, wrapped up in spring roll sheets and then deep-fried. The accompanying slices of pineapple gave some tart refreshment for the palate.


Prawns rolled in shredded coconut and deep-fried

Even more decadent were the prawns blanketed with shreded coconut and then deep-fried until golden. A basting of chilli sauce gave a hint of bite, the coconut sweet and almost caramelised against the juicy prawns.

Two books. Both by women. Both with heart.


The Food Safari cookbook retails for $55 and is available from Dymocks and the SBS shop.

I Ate My Way Through Singapore and Vietnam retails for $50 and is available from Ampersand Cafe Bookstore or from I Ate My Way Through. Ten per cent of net proceeds will be donated to KOTO International, a not-for-profit restaurant and vocational training program for street and disadvantaged youth in Vietnam.


Spice I Am Restaurant
296-300 Victoria St, Darlinghurst
Tel: +61 (02) 9332 2445

Lunch: Thursday-Sunday 11.30am-3.00pm
Dinner: 7 days 6.00pm-10.30pm

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FREEBIE FRIDAY WINNERS

Congratulations to Jo, The Ninja, Divemummy, Carmen and WC who have each won double passes to see The Boys Are Back. Enjoy the movie!

Congratulations also to KFC So Good who has won a copy of Luke Nguyen's latest book, The Songs of Sapa. There was an amazing collection of entries detailing readers' school day lunches. Read them all here.

Don't forget to enter the Freebie Friday competitions currently on offer. Enter now to win a Scanpan Classic Roaster, Great, Grand & Famous Chefs and Lyndey Milan: The Best Collection.