burning koala

Last night we had an early dinner at a favorite vietnamese restaurant in the neighborhood called Non La, which, we were told, refers to the cone-shaped reed hat common to traditional Vietnamese dress. This place is unassuming but fantastic. Not quite a hole-in-the-wall, but tiny, and almost always packed. We had the requisite spring rolls and bun (vermacelli noodle dish), and tried out a new dish of carmelized pork, which was really complex and licorice-salty and sticky, served in a clay pot. It was all fantastic, and we were so full that we had to take a long walk around the neighborhood after dinner, which was really pretty in the dusk-light.

Gòi Cuốn (Fresh spring roles with spicy dipping sauce)

Bún Thịt Nướng (Rice noodles with grilled pork and a sweet and sour dressing)

Heo Kho Tá (Caramelized pork in earthen pot)

Eric has suggested that perhaps we should split the blog off into two sections, with one being dedicated to food experiences, since those seem to often dominate much of what we capture here in this space. I hope we’re not in danger of boring our dear readers (that’s you). I don’t think we consider ourselves “foodies” so much as our culinary exploration represents an affordable, interesting, culturally-rich passtime. Our food adventures are a distinctive part of the experience of living in a great multicultural city like Sydney.

We happened upon the colorful Brackenbury & Austen building on our walk

Corner of Crown and Devonshire Streets in Surry Hills

Cool graffiti on an Art Gallery door