{NYC} 5 things I loved about the Brooklyn Flea

Liz / / 7 Comments

{1} The Setting
A schoolyard in leafy, brownstone-lined Fort Greene plays host to the Brooklyn Flea each Saturday (it’s also on in DUMBO on Sundays), a market featuring retro and vintage furniture and homewares, secondhand jewellery and clothing, independent designers and gourmet treats. The neighbourhood is picture perfect and I loved its community feel, historic buildings and laidback vibe.

{2} Typography everywhere
The Flea is a typography lover’s dream. Wooden block stamps, plastic and tin letters rescued from old signs and vintage typewriters were spotted, but my favourite finds were rings made from old typewriter keys and vintage toy building blocks.

{3} Vintage and retro finds
From mid-century style chairs to lamps and retro kitchenware, the Flea featured many a cool find to decorate a home. There were even a few coffee tables made from old railway sleepers, and old school lockers that would be a great storage space in a vintage look room!

{4} Innovate design
This little tent (the Design Co-op) was home to an assortment of independent designers’ wares. I loved the cute screenprints on these t-shirts and baby onesies.

{5} Rustic woodfired pizza
Our mid-morning sustenance search at the Flea came to a halt at this homemade woodfired pizza stall. The oven is on the back of an old trailer, and from its fiery confines comes a margarita pizza to die for, with fresh basil, tasty tomato sauce and oozing mozzarella on a crispy base. Pizza perfection!
For more on the Brooklyn Flea, check out their blog, or an interview with one of its founders by Lonely Planet. If only I could access this market every weekend…I’m afraid Tan Dinh (my Saigon local) just doesn’t quite measure up!!

{NYC} Soul food at Melba’s in Harlem

Liz / / 8 Comments

Soul food is something I’ve only ever read about or seen on tv – it’s not something that registers on the Australian or Asian food radar, given its American-centric nature.

To the uninitiated, soul food can best be described as fare rooted in African-American traditions, emanating from America’s south with African influences. Vegetables like collard greens feature, as do grits (like polenta), crab cakes, catfish, fried chicken and down-home comfort type foods like mashed potato and onion rings.

Chicken and waffles at Melba’s, served with maple syrup and strawberry butter

One thing we were curious to try was the supposed nirvana of all soul food dishes – chicken and waffles. That’s fried chicken and huge spongy waffles served TOGETHER with maple syrup poured all over the two(!) In search of this artery clogging grease fest we headed ‘across 110th street’ (love that song!) to Harlem, the heart of Manhattan’s African-American community and home to several well-known soul food restaurants. Top of my list was Amy Ruth’s, but after meeting up with some Upper West Side dwelling friends who are in the Harlem know, we were persuaded to try Melba’s instead – a classy little restaurant representing the new, more upmarket style pervading Harlem.

Happy to go with sleek and chic over down and dirty diner, we caught the subway to Melba’s – with a walk through Harlem’s streets at night not nearly as adventurous or dangerous as I was perversely hoping!

Melba’s had the look of a classy brasserie or bistro, with dim lighting, a cosy, buzzing atmosphere and a jazz bar vibe, given it was open mic night when we attended. Of the four of us, two opted for the famous chicken and waffles, which was accompanied by not only maple syrup but strawberry flavoured butter(!!!). Two of us ordered a plate of sides to sample the mash, onion rings, collard greens and more, and we also tried the catfish strips and crabcakes – both delicious. So how were the chicken and waffles? Surprisingly – they weren’t as disgusting as they sound! The maple syrup somehow tied the two main ingredients together in a warm, deep fried, comforting, sweet and savoury, complimentary kind of way! I’m not sure I’d place chicken and waffles in the ‘dishes I regularly like to eat’ category (not having a death by obesity wish) but I’m glad we expanded our eating horizons with a side trip into soul food territory – and what better place to do it than Harlem!

Saigon escape: a month in Bangkok, Sydney and NYC

Liz / / 4 Comments


Hi! I’m back in steamy Saigon after an amazing month away, and luckily, rather than suffering post-holiday blues am feeling happy to be back (first stop was the new Quan An Ngon restaurant on Pasteur – if you’re in Saigon check it out, the building’s beautiful and the food is the same delicious menu as the original).

Our time away began with a long weekend in Bangkok, reacquainting myself with the Siam neighbourhood (read: shops, shops and more shops, cough cough…). Oh and food. Lots of great food. We also caught up with some friends who have moved there which was lots of fun.
Next – a week and a bit in Sydney, which was alot of catching up with family and friends and friends’ new babies and old babies (and unborn babies!). We went to some of our favourite places – Zumbo’s in Balmain, Sulfaro’s (for pizza & coffee) and Colefax Chocolates in Haberfield, Berkelouw Books and movies at the Dendy in Newtown, restaurants and bars in Crown Street, and our old suburb, Dulwich Hill, where I was very happy to discover a new cafe has opened at the end of our street which will be pretty convenient in future! We also went to some of the new ‘small bars’ popping in Sydney (a la Melbourne or New York – yay!) like Pocket Bar in Darlinghurst and The Hive in Erskineville.
Then, bidding little Z adieu, we headed off on something of a post-babymoon to New York City!!! The feeling of walking through an airport without being encumbered by a pram and a big bag full of baby paraphenalia was the best feeling! And being able to read, watch movies and listen to music on the plane was bliss. I didn’t even care that it took about 22 hours to get from Sydney to New York, and felt a bit sorry for the tired, haggard mothers disembarking at the end with screaming baby in tow (in a ‘so glad it’s not me’ kind of way!). Our New York stay featured 10 days of eating, drinking, shopping, art galleries and wandering all over. It was one of the best holidays of my life. Lots of gushy posts to come featuring our favourite neighbourhoods and food finds!

{travel inspiration} Cat & Adam’s cycling journey

Liz / / 7 Comments

The ever-intrepid Cat & Adam in their cycling finery!
My friend Cat and her boyfriend Adam are currently on a cycling journey – from London to Australia, via the world!! It is definitely the most ambitious and inspirational trip of any kind that anyone I know has ever undertaken.

From their temporary home in London (both are Australian) they have so far cycled across Europe (France to Greece and lots of pretty places in between), across Turkey on what sounded like an epic journey in itself, and as I type are traversing Georgia. Next, it’s the ‘stans (think Borat’s homeland!), Iran, a ferry over to UAE and Oman, then to Sri Lanka (ok, they have to fly there but then it’s cycling all the way). Then its across to India and non-stop cycling from south to north, to Nepal, Tibet and into China, down into southeast Asia (and hopefully a pitstop at my place!) and finally, to Oz.

Cat with some gypsy thugs, pretending to be friendly for the camera (actually the one on the right looks pretty scary)

Wild camping in Turkey – what a beautiful sight to wake up to!
Tales of camping in the wild, encounters with gypsy thugs, the overwhelming hospitality of strangers and awesome sights and scenery along the way are all chronicled in Cat and Adam’s blog Cycling2Oz if you want to join me in some armchair travelling! Am looking forward to their Asia leg and when they finally make it to sunny Saigon for some much needed R&R (am thinking massages, pedicures and hairwashes at Jasmine – maybe some beard maintenance for Adam!) though there’s many an adventure ahead of them before then. Can’t wait to read more. I hope they make a film or write a book about their experience!

Adam tackling some mountainous terrain in Turkey
So – where would you go/what would you do if you were going to undertake some kind of epic journey across the world? I’d love to follow the ancient spice route on a food-focussed journey, taking in markets and souks, spice gardens, tea and coffee plantations, authentic, family-run restaurants, cooking schools and staying in atmospheric hotels with character and history along the way…what about you?

New York, New York!

Liz / / 7 Comments

A scanned pic of the Brooklyn Bridge taken on our first NYC trip in 2000 (pre-digital camera days!)

Exactly four weeks from now I’ll be exploring cafes and shops in the East Village, strolling through SoHo or might be at MOMA. I’m going to New York!!

In case it’s not obvious enough, I’m pretty excited about our upcoming 10-day stay in what might be my favourite city in the entire world. First though, we’re having a couple of days in Bangkok to refuel on pad kee mao and iberry, stock up on books at Kinokuniya, hopefully get a Thai massage or two and wander the labyrinth that is Siam Square. Then it’s on to Sydney to see family and friends and do lots of fun Sydney things (and eat lots of yum Sydney food, e.g. macarons from Adriano Zumbo’s in Balmain – obsessed – even had them hand-delivered in Saigon when my parents came to stay!). Then New York, then back to Sydney for a bit more time before returning to Saigon (a month away in all). The countdown to this trip has been the most agonising one ever (18 days to go…. 18 days to go….). Before then I need to try and keep myself pre-occupied with Saigon-centric stuff so I don’t drive myself (even more) insane!

Date night in Saigon #2 (Vino, Gia Dining Room & Cage)

Liz / / 5 Comments

First venue on our 2nd (on the blogging record) date was Vino – a cute little wine shop with a bar situated in The Refinery, the former opium den turned eating and drinking enclave accessed through a French colonial archway on Hai Ba Trung. A few glasses of a Shiraz Voignier in the leafy, tiny front courtyard and the evening was off to a great start. Vino is so low-key and gorgeous I think it’s my new favourite (I know, it changes all the time – I can be fickle like that!).

For dinner, we headed to new restaurant Gia Dining Room. A relatively small, contemporary bedecked space, Gia Dining Room serves up modern Vietnamese fare and French-influenced dishes with some great seafood and delicious duck with fresh green peppercorns (mmm…). Despite it being a Saturday night the restaurant was strangely devoid of customers. By the end of our meal we were actually the only people left in the room. Either Saigonites eat really early or the word just isn’t really out yet about how great this little place is (despite a review being featured in AsiaLIFE HCMC recently). Anyway – Gia Dining Room is well worth a visit if you happen to be in Saigon (and it’s great value for money – fine dining at a modest price!). Sold yet?! Wow, I should be on commission or something!

Moving on… time to sample some Saigon nightlife at Cage, a club and live music venue decorated with (you guessed it) elaborate bird cages with chandeliers inside. We had a few drinks but I think it was a little early or an off night as no-one had braved the dancefloor by the time we left. The funniest thing about Cage is the namebadges the staff wear, which flash ”Hello” in neon. So Saigon!
Romance factor: 9/10 (intimate Vino, chic Gia Dining Room and fun(ny) Cage were the perfect dateworthy combo)
Food factor: 8/10 (delicious baked scallops in a delicate cream sauce were a highlight, and our steak and duck mains were amazing. Points lost as nothing very unique or enticing on the dessert menu!)
Fun Factor: 9/10 (an overall great date and a reminder of Saigon’s stylish side – it does have one, promise!)

Restless…

Liz / / 15 Comments

I’m feeling restless at the moment. I can’t help wondering why I always want to be somewhere else. When living in Sydney all I wanted to do was move to Asia. Towards the end of my time living in Phnom Penh, I couldn’t wait to move on to bigger, brighter Saigon. Once in Saigon, memories of Phnom Penh wouldn’t stop resurfacing and everything here seemed not quite as great (at first – these thoughts eventually went away, replaced with the occasional bout of Cambodia nostalgia). Thoughts of Sydney also emerge now and then – would life be better back at ‘home’? And what about other places? My Bangkok obsession has never really subsided and I often wonder if we should live there next instead of returning to Oz. And I just know that when the day comes (which is yet to be determined) when we move back to Sydney, I’ll be pining for Asia and comparing everything and wishing I was still there. And complaining how expensive everything is! Maybe this is the eternal dilemma of all those who venture outside their comfort zones to live in new places, and fall in and out of love with places along the way. For now – I’m physically settled in Saigon, but my mind refuses to stay put.

Cafe Crush: Orchidee

Liz / / 2 Comments

Orchidee is a light and bright little hideaway down the same alleyway as La Camargue restaurant (off Hai Ba Trung, across the road from Tous Les Jours bakery). It offers the perfect pitstop when exploring Hai Ba Trung’s shops, and serves great iced coffees and ice-cream in martini glasses.


The ground floor feels a little like a cubbyhouse with its rounded windows and colourful stools. If a citrus colour theme isn’t your taste (and I can’t say I love the ‘tropical’ lime/yellow/orange combo) head upstairs to the cute terrace where orchid motifs decorate the cushions and chairs.

Go for: Sweet relief to escape the Saigon-sun mid-shopping spree/street exploration
Not for: The ultimate Saigon cafe experience – more of a cute and convenient pitstop than the next La Fenetre Soleil (this might be more of a short-term cafe crush than a full-blown love affair!)
Orchidee, 195B Hai Ba Trung, D3 (nb:it’s down an alley, not actually on Hai Ba Trung…this is just their address….gotta love Saigon addresses!)

Guest post on Ever the Nomad

Liz / / 1 Comment


A guest post I’ve written on Saigon has been published on cool travel blog, Ever the Nomad (am feeling a bit like a one-girl cheer squad for Saigon right now!).

Ever the Nomad is a blog by Anja Mutic, a Croatian born travel writer, photographer and globetrotter extraordinaire who has called Brooklyn home for the last 10 years. She makes a living from flitting around the globe updating guidebooks, writing for travel publications and making short travel films for Lonely Planet TV (jealous? me??!). Anja’s blog is worth checking out for the other guest posts, accounts of her travels and cool bits of New York (like photos of street art) – pretty inspiring!