A very Australian celebration of the Chinese New Year - SOLD OUT

You are warmly invited to join Kylie Kwong and some very special guests to celebrate the Year of the Dragon. As Dragons are associated with innovation, this year our feast will showcase the distinct and vivid flavours of organically grown Australian bush foods, alongside Chinese favourites such as whole fish which represents togetherness and abundance, freshly made uncut noodles to represent longevity, and dumplings since they resemble ancient gold ingots.

At Billy Kwong we are constantly striving to make our food more authentically Australian, while staying true to Chinese tradition. Introducing these quintessentially Australian ingredients - the ultimate local food - is a meaningful way of doing this and at the same time strengthening our commitment to ethical and sustainable food. Mike and Gayle Quarmby from Outback Pride will be here to tell us more about their amazing produce, including fresh Warrigal greens, saltbush leaves, samphire and sea parsley, all sourced in partnership with indigenous Australians.

Our uniquely Australian Chinese banquet will be accompanied by naturally made wines from Natural Selection Theory, introduced by winemaker Sam Hughes. So we can all share in the unveiling of their new vintage, our CNY celebration is a little late this year (officially the new year festival runs from 23rd Jan to 6th February), but we're sure it will be worth the wait!

Date: Sunday 26th February 2012

Venue: Billy Kwong Restaurant 3/355 Crown Street, Surry Hills

Time: 6.30pm for 7pm

Cost: $165 per person; 10 course banquet, including all beverage

Bookings: please call Kin Chen, Restaurant Manager (02)9332 3300



Thanks for all of your support in 2011, and I look forward to seeing you in 2012.

Here are some of the highlights of the last few months, and to fill you in on the latest here at Billy Kwong.

For day-to-day updates, please visit my Facebook page.

Last market day before Christmas ...

Christmas Eve, Saturday 24th December, was the final Eveleigh Market for 2011, and we were there, enjoying the festive atmosphere, over 3500 people came along and made their Christmas feast a fresh and local one. When you visit Eveleigh next time look for the red Billy Kwong sign and try our Steamed pork ( certified free-range ) dumplings with ginger & tamari dressing, our Steamed savoury pancakes filled with organic vegetables & organic fried eggs, and Fairtrade organic green tea. The Billy Kwong stall returns on 4 February 2012. ( If you can't wait that long to stock up, other stalls return to the market on 21 January 2012. ) www.eveleighmarket.com.au

CRAVE Sydney International Food Festival

As part of the 2011 festival, I was honoured to host two very special dinners at Billy Kwong: a celebration of seasonal eating with David Tanis, ex co-head chef of Chez Panisse, in Berkeley, California; and a sustainable seafood dinner with fisherman extraordinaire Mark Eather.
      For the better part of 25 years, David Tanis has worked with Alice Waters to define the style of Chez Panisse - a style that has influenced my approach to food and cooking for so many years. So, to be able to hear David talk first-hand about the food philosophy that informs his cooking and his two award-winning books was a real treat.
      Closer to home, Mark Eather has revolutionised my attitude to seafood and how it should be handled. The only non-Japanese Iki-jime Grand Master, Mark is also a tireless campaigner on behalf of our oceans, spreading the word about what needs to be done to preserve their bounty for future generations.

Adventures in biodynamic winemaking

I am very excited about some more superb natural wines on the Billy Kwong wine list, created by the avante-garde, brilliant and completely crazy guys from Natural Selection Theory: Sam Hughes, Anton von Klopper, James Erskine and Tom Shobbrook.
      Visit www.naturalselectiontheory.com to find out more about their 'collaborative experiment in natural winemaking'.

Bush foods on the menu at Billy Kwong...

I am thrilled to be introducing some stunning quality native Australian bush foods to the Billy Kwong menu, including fresh organic Warrigal greens, saltbush leaves, samphire and sea parsley. These are sourced from Outback Pride, Gayle and Mike Quarmby's inspirational venture, which works in partnership with indigenous Australians to provide jobs and training in horticulture and the food industry.
       Integrating these ingredients into my cooking makes the notion of Australian-Chinese food more authentic and meaningful, and I'm really loving their intense, clean, vibrant flavours in dishes such as Stir-fried Warrigal greens with Patrice Newell's biodynamic garlic; Stir-fried saltbush leaves with organic ginger; Stir-fried mussels with sea parsley, samphire & Sichuan chilli dressing; and Caramelised, red-braised pork belly with locally grown padrone chillies & saltbush. ( Outback Pride's Warrigal greens, saltbush and sea parsley are also available to buy at Sydney's Whole Foods House; check their website for other stockists - www.outbackpride.com.au )

...plus more amazing seafood

We are also serving some great seafood caught by expert, caring fishermen. From South Australia, we have Garry Hera-Singh's beautiful yellow eye mullet, caught in the Marine Stewardship Council-certified Coorong Fishery. Further east, at Corner Inlet, on Victoria's South Gippsland coast, Bruce Collis is sending us sustainably caught rock flathead, King George whiting, garfish and calamari.

Keeping it local

I source a lot of my organic fruit and vegetables for Billy Kwong from Eveleigh Market: why not go and see for yourself the amazing fresh produce at Champion's Mountain Organics, Kurrawong Organics and Yuri's Sustainable Produce next time you're at the markets? I'll see you there!

Books for your kitchen shelf

For a good part of 2011, I was busy writing, testing and photographing the recipes for my next cookbook, which will be out mid this year.
      Meanwhile, keep an eye out for Crown Street Cooks. Along with many of the cafes and restaurants in the neighbourhood, I contributed recipes to this book, which has already sold 6000 copies, and has just been reprinted. Proceeds go to the local public school. www.crownstreetcooks.com.au

Kylie Kwong tableware from Oxfam Australia

As an Oxfam ambassador, I believe strongly in the power of fair trade to combat poverty and make a difference to the lives of families in developing countries. With its distinctive lotus symbol, my first ever tableware range has been designed in collaboration with Oxfam Australia, and produced by one of their key fair trade producer partners in Vietnam, Mai Vietnamese Handicrafts. All proceeds will go to support the producers and Oxfam's work. When Oxfam approached me to consider designing a range of kitchenware, I realised this was a project that could bring together my passion for cooking, love of art and advocacy for a better deal for producers in developing countries. Please click on www.oxfam.org.au for more information.

It Tastes Better: over 100 new recipes using my favourite sustainable produce

My latest book, It Tastes Better, hit the shelves at the end of June, 2010. Having made the switch to locally grown, organic and biodynamic produce, I became more and more curious about where my food came from. So I decided to go and find out…Join me as I criss-cross Australia, collecting great recipes and covering huge distances to track down the finest food in the land and the stories of those behind it. These are not just farmers and fishermen, but great unsung Australian heroes who make quality, taste and the environment a priority. Meet them for yourself in my new book, then cook some of the fresh, simple dishes inspired by their produce.

Bottled water: just say no!

At Billy Kwong, we’re determined to do our bit to stem the tide of resources that go into producing bottled water by offering only filtered Sydney tap water to diners. The manufacture and transport of bottles, both plastic and glass, adds to greenhouse emissions, and the used bottles are a significant contributor to oceanic pollution. Check out the Bottled Water Alliance to see what you can do.

Climate Friendly dining at Billy Kwong                                                                                                 
At Billy Kwong, we are constantly striving to reduce our carbon footprint, and being climate friendly is simply a natural progression of this. Through carbon-offsetting company Climate Friendly, we purchase renewable energy credits from a wind farm in the Chinese province of Hebei, effectively making our power consumption 100 per cent renewable. You can help too! Next time you eat at Billy Kwong, please consider donating $1 to offset the carbon emissions embedded in your meal. Each month, we will use the total amount to buy more wind farm credits from Climate Friendly. Together, we can continue our commitment to fighting climate change.

Giving back...

I guess all of the above is a reflection of my continuing quest to find the most naturally grown Australian produce I can; and of the depth of my commitment to support and work alongside producers and organisations that assist other communities in turn. Without strong communities and a healthy environment, we have no foundation on which to build and grow.

Billy Kwong gift vouchers

Don’t forget you can now buy Billy Kwong gift vouchers through the website, so if someone you know deserves a treat, click here  to order.