Dani Venn

I cannot remember a time in my life where I didn’t eat dumplings. When I was young my family were never the type to eat at an Italian or Indian restaurant, if we went out for lunch or dinner, it was always to a suburban Chinese restaurant where garish chandeliers that reflected subtle neon lights hung [...]

Last week I think I had the best week of my life. I put on 1.5kg so that speaks for itself really, but it was all for a meaningful cause. For a week I became Frodo or apparently I did, I have no idea who that is but apparently Frodo is out of Lord of [...]

I grew up believing that I didn’t really like Italian food, and rightly so. What I knew to be Italian food was my Aunty’s stodgy lasagne, the pasta was cardboardy, the filling so dense you could have knocked someone out by throwing a slice of it at their head (perhaps better then digesting it?). Or [...]

There are not too many families around that can live together, work together, remain productive and fond of each other. I tried working at my dad’s business once and well, let’s just say, never again. Arguably Melbourne’s finest chocolatiers from Xocalatl (pronouced: sho – ko – la – tl), the Partsioglou family, are an exception. Love [...]

One of the things that I love about Melbourne is that you can buy incredible food with $1.50 (try the steamed pork buns at Nam Loong on Russell St) or $150 (perhaps a feast at Circa). Everywhere you go in Melbourne there are new culinary discoveries to be made and that’s what is so inspiring [...]

Many people have a love or hate relationship with oysters. I’m a member of the former category. I adore oysters and fully appreciate their texture and saltiness. There are other people that gag at the thought of swallowing one of the slippery little suckers. And then there’s a whole different category of persons who only [...]

Last week I attempted being an apprentice for a day, as if Masterchef wasn’t enough? The team at Ezard were happy to have me on board to show me the ropes around their kitchen and I helped out where I could. I was quite happy to be presented with a box full of baby globe [...]

Battle of the Corn It seems my obsession with food may be verging on unhealthy. Not in the sense that I eat unhealthy food (well, sometimes…) but I question how many sane people out there would cut there relaxing holiday in balmy far north Queensland short because they felt like eating Japanese food from Izakaya [...]

How I have missed Melbourne and how glad I am to be back. On my first foray into the city I find myself on Gertrude St to meet up with a friend for a spot of brunch. She suggests this newish cafe called De Clieu. I google it and realise how tragically out of the [...]