Mouthful

Phil Lees

Phil Lees

A blog about what the world eats, when and where it eats it, and why it matters to us all. Only much less ambitious than that sounds and with more excruciating puns.

Phil Lees grew up in rural Victoria, the first generation in his family to not have lived on the farm and thereby not slaughter their own meat.

In 2005 he moved to Cambodia and started the nation’s first food blog, Phnomenon.com, named after the best pun that he has ever made. It turns out that Cambodian food is delicious and unlike the warnings in most guidebooks, is not likely to kill you with any immediacy. Gridskipper called him a “national treasure”. Lonely Planet’s Greater Mekong guide called him “the unofficial pimp of Cambodian cuisine”. The New York Times laughed at a funny hotdog he saw.

Phil makes a mean sausage, a hoppy pale ale, a modest laksa. He owns three barbecues and is in the market for a fourth.

Peak tuna

18 November 2009 | 13:53 - By Phil Lees

 Will we see the end of tuna before 2023?


It's been a bad few weeks to be an Atlantic tuna with the predictions of species extinction within the next few decades

Chow Mein: The Australian Classic

11 November 2009 | 12:24 - By Phil Lees

Chow Mein, Australian-Style

How did chow mein become a uniquely Australian food?


Chow mein in Australia is a monotonal mush that you would cook with the express purpose of annoying the convalescent.

Unfashionable loquats

04 November 2009 | 8:54 - By Phil Lees

ripe loquat fruit in a tree


Until I had a loquat tree in my backyard, loquats is something that I'd be more likely to throw down in a game of Scrabble than eat.

Lazy Mussels

28 October 2009 | 23:38 - By Phil Lees

Mussels


The weather has turned warm which is all the excuse that I need to cook the laziest seafood meal possible: mussels.

Global warming and fish migration

21 October 2009 | 1:38 - By Phil Lees


An often overlooked element of climate change is the impact that it will have on the fish that we eat. Of all the food production in Western nations, fish tends to be the most distant and ignored. Terrestrial animals get all the attention because they’re much more obvious and Australians eat more of them. You’ve only got to take a glance at the meat refrigerator in a supermarket to discern where the bulk of the protein is coming from.

An Unfair Comparison: About Italy's "answer" to champagne

15 October 2009 | 10:37 - By Phil Lees


Along with every other food-related angle to the global financial crisis, one of the interesting effects is the dropping price of champagne. If you’re into things sparkling and French, it is a great time to buy. If you’re not, it is a good time to start.

Self Preservation

07 October 2009 | 12:20 - By Phil Lees


Pickling your own beetroot. It turns out that I have about three kilograms of beetroot of which to dispose in the first flush of spring, as a result of the urge to get the next season's plantings underway rather than any attempt at timing such things.



When was the last time that you had a conversation with someone about sandwich spread?


Over the weekend, Kraft announced the results of its attempt to generate a new name for its new Vegemite with spreadable cheese product: iSnack 2.0. It sent Australians with an internet connection into alternate paroxysms of disbelief and pure schadenfreude.

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Featured Recipes

Hot Tips

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Matzoh balls

Keeping your hands moist when rolling Matzoh balls makes it easier to handle the sticky dough.

Glossary

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Betel Leaf

These glossy, dark green heart shaped leaves have a slightly bitter taste and are mostly used as a wrapper for a filling of cooked meats.

 
 
 
 
The rich, mellow flavours of James Squire Porter provide luxurious company for any fine cut of beef. As elegant as any wine and more palate refreshing, you can draw your drink, marinade and sauce from the one bottle.
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