Life has a way of coming full circle. Exactly two years ago I landed a regular column with Time Out Sydney covering suburban eats. My first review appeared in the May 2010 Cheap Eats issue - a fitting theme for this cheap 'n' cheerful fan. Now I'm pleased to reveal that the latest Time Out Sydney 2012 Cheap Eats feature was curated and written by yours truly - my first ever cover story!
The brief from Food & Drink editor, Myffy Rigby, seemed simple enough: come up with 25 eats under $15 that covered a broad spectrum of cuisines and suburbs across all of Sydney. The catch? These had to be spots not already reviewed by Time Out Sydney. Not so easy!
Writing 25 snappy blurbs so they all sounded different was quite the challenge. So was coming up with descriptors that weren't just "tasty" and "delicious". Distilling the essence of each restaurant into a few sentences is an underrated artform, especially when you're also trying to include just enough detail on standout dishes.
But hey, it was an assignment I relished, resulting in a five-page spread of some fantastic budget eats around Sydney, with awesome photos from Daniel Boud and Dave Cheng.
What's your favourite cheap eat? Let me know if I missed something! Meanwhile I'm excited to be heading to Adelaide for Tasting Australia 2012. Posts will continue, but you can follow 'grabyourfork' on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram for live pics of my adventures around South Australia.
The May 2012 special Cheap Eats edition of Time Out Sydney is out now. You can check out an excerpt from the full Cheap Eats feature online here.
Read more of my Time Out Sydney reviews
That's brilliant... good on ya!! Can't wait to grab this list and start trying all the great places you found for us. :)
ReplyDeleteInspirational, as ever.
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome stuff Helen! Gumshara FTW!
ReplyDeleteNice one young lady! Look forward to checking out your compilation when I grab the Time Out.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy Adelaide!
Wow wow wow. You so deserve this! Your writing is amazing and I hope you get even more opportunities to write cover stories in the near future. I'm so proud of you! *eyes tearing up like a proud parent*
ReplyDeleteDear Helen,
ReplyDeleteYour work is inspiring. With food trucks now hitting Sydney, I truly believe that cheap eats and comfort food with a twist are going to take a stranglehold on Sydney dining in years to come.
Awesome Helen, really well done (and awesome that the eats really are cheap at under $15). Going to grab my copy tomorrow.
ReplyDeletewell done. lots of great choices to work though now. yum yum
ReplyDeleteWow congrats Helen! Front cover and all!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to get my copy and read through it.
Love a cheap eats! so many to choose from too!
ReplyDeleteCongrats Helen! Can't wait to read the article!
ReplyDeleteWoohoo awesome stuff Helen! Congratulations!!! Love cheap and cheerful eats, thanks for this awesome spread!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Helen! Really looking forward to having a copy in my hand :) !
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Helen…not only are you my favourite restaurant reviewer but you have a great writing style too (and your pics are great!). You will always be my "doyenne"!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the cover story! Must have been alot of hard work finding cheap eats that haven't been reviewed by Timeout. Looking forward to reading the full article!
ReplyDeleteOh, Helen my dear!! I'm all full of smiles! Hurrah! xoxoxo
ReplyDeleteFabulous! Congrats on the article and the choice of eateries!
ReplyDeletewoot congrats man!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Helen! Keep it up. I know that people are always wanting to try cheap eats just as much as the fancy schmancy stuff!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the article Helen!! You are doing a supurb job!
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for your food wisdom :)
Awesomeness!! Way to go, Helen! :D You continue to inspire. :) Any way I can read your cover story online?
ReplyDeleteReally glad to have come across this blog post of yours! I'm heading to Sydney in October so this is going to be an awesome food guide. (:
ReplyDeleteYay go Helen :) congrats on the article
ReplyDeleteYay! Great stuff!
ReplyDeleteWas so lovely to meet you this weekend at Boston Bay wines.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoyed the rest of your time in Adelaide and our wine regions.
I'll be looking forward to your next post so I can experience all your food adventures.
Evelyn x
Congratulations how fantastic and well deserved
ReplyDelete