Richard Frank: a tribute

On Tuesday, 2 January, I lost a very dear friend and mentor.

I met Richard Frank over 30 years ago when we were judges for the American Express Chinatown Food Festival.

Our pleasant task was to dine at various restaurants in Chinatown and award them with points for quality of food, presentation and service.

Richard was a veteran restaurateur himself and also the President of the Restaurant and Catering Association of Australia.

Christmas 2023

Remember all those Christmas movies we watched? Some of the famous lines in them are memorable because they are funny, poignant or memorable.

Or all three.

Here are some that I love.

“Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to.” — Fred Gailey in Miracle on 34th Street.

“The thing about trains ... it doesn’t matter where they’re going. What matters is deciding to get on.” — Conductor in The Polar Express.

The 2023 Cunard British Film Festival

The 2023 Cunard British Film Festival presented by Palace cinemas showcases the finest British filmmaking, production and acting to Australia.

Now on until November 29, the festival features the acting talents of Britain’s most enduring and well-known faces, including Sir Anthony Hopkins, Timothy Spall, Olivia Colman, Sir Ian McKellen, Helen Mirren and more.

Recipe: prawn sambal for Marion

My nephew Lawrence Tan and his wife Marion who live in the UK had a bumper crop of chillies last summer and I promised to send them recipes using chillies. Here's one especially for Marion and I hope she cooks it for Lawrence soon.

Perhaps one day she'll cook it for me!

Prawn sambal for Marion

6-8 large raw prawns, remove feelers and rinse

½ large onion, sliced thickly

1 clove garlic crushed

1 ½ cups diced or crushed canned tomatoes

½ cup diced pineapple, fresh or canned (optional)

Book review. Frank Moorhouse: A Life

Book review.

Frank Moorhouse: A Life

By Catharine Lumby.

Published by Allen and Unwin.

A decade before his death in 2022, Frank Moorhouse asked well known journalist, writer and academic Catharine Lumby to write his biography.

Because of their many years of friendship and her close engagement with his with his writing, he said she “got'' him and his work, in a way few others did.

“Many writers fashion a career out of their writing. Some fashion brilliant careers.

Advertisement. Cafe for sale in North Melbourne.

Posting on behalf of a friend.

Cafe for sale in North Melbourne.

Situated in a popular location with lots of traffic, this spacious and stylish cafe seats 70, plus 20 more outdoors. Three toilets are available for customers. Reasonable rental. It would be ideal to turn it into a restaurant or run it as the existing cafe. Interested? Dm me for more information or email me at idachionh@gmail.com

St Ali Italian film festival 2023

The St Ali Italian film festival 2023 starts on September 20 to mid October in Australia and there is a fantastic line-up of movies to appeal to everyone's tastes, whether you love drama, comedies, documentaries and more.

The films are presented by Palace cinemas and talented Italian-Australian food writer, TV producer and host Silvia Colloca is the 2023 Festival Ambassador.
Opening the festival is the exciting drama, The Last Night of Amore (L'ultima notte di Amore) led by Italian superstar Pierfrancesco Favino.

Film review: The Miracle Club.

A film I thoroughly enjoyed recently was The Miracle Club.

Set in 1967, it is a heartwarming film that follows the story of three generations of close friends.

Lily (Maggie Smith), Eileen (Kathy Bates) and Dolly (Agnes O'Casey) live in Ballygar, a working class village in Dublin.

They have one tantalising dream: to win a pilgrimage to the sacred French town of Lourdes, a place that promises miracles and draws millions of visitors each year.

2023 Scandinavian Film Festival

The 2023 Saxo Scandinavian Film Festival by Palace cinemas, is now on and the vibrant selection of films promises to ease the winter chill.

The specially curated program of the best new cinema from the Nordic region featuring films from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden are screening nationally at Palace Cinemas, Luna Palace Cinemas and Palace Nova Cinemas from now until August.
Opening the Festival is the Australian Premiere of Let the River Flow. (Ellos eatnu – La elva leve).

2023 Spanish Film Festival

Viva la fiesta!

The 2023 HSBC Spanish film festival promises to spice up the winter season with award-winning dramas, comedies, thrillers and documentaries.

Presented by Palace Cinemas, this an annual celebration of film and culture from Spain and Latin America will screen in June and July.

Celebrating 25 years, the festival will present 32 films in total, highlighting women in film making, delicious comedies and gripping dramas.

A Wok on the Wild Side