Top Five Blogger Series - Food & Drink

This post appeared on The Foodologist site on Facebook. Since it suggested sharing and I thought it interesting I'm offering it here for anyone interested. Not having read most of the blogs on food I have no serious opinion about these selections.
I might add that Sandra has completed several units of the Master of Gastronomy course with distinction and I have read most of the relevant literature for the course.

Top Five Blogger Series - Food & Drink

Picking our favourite restaurant bloggers across Australia is no easy task, as there are plenty of them, and good food can be a subjective thing.Melbourne newspaper The Age recently reported that there are now 659 food and drink blogs in Australia (mostly in Victoria) and, according to Grab Your Fork, as many as 56 new food blogs posted for the first time in 2009 in Sydney alone, making the task of picking a top five from each state both time consuming and mouth watering!Apologies to the many worthy blogs we have left off the list (certainly a few good ones missed the cut!) but, obviously, we couldn't squeeze everyone in...

Here goes, state by state:

Western Australia

• EatingWA

Don't be put off by EatingWA's desire to push its celebrity bloggers, it has plenty more to offer than footballer Quinten Lynch's take on sushi in Northbridge. It is chock-full of good information, easily navigable, well presented, and updated regularly. The site also offers discounts for its members, which is a nice bonus.

• The Food Pornographer

It's hard to ignore a blog with a title like The Food Pornographer, so we won't. It's the full bottle on all things WA food, including restaurant reviews and produce vendors. Unfortunately, TFP doesnt like olives, but we can live with that.

• Perth Food Engineers

Purely a restaurant review site, Perth Food Engineers is a good little intro to the world of Perth eateries. The site itself is a bit clunky and old school in its layout, but the message gets across succinctly and without fuss. Well worth a look.

• Cafe Grendel

It's all about the coffee on this cheeky little site. Not afraid to speak their minds, Grendel goes through coffee cocktails, coffee outlets, the people involved in Perth's coffee shops and much more. It's accessible too, no coffee snobbery here.

• A Very Foodly Diary

This is as much a recipe site as a restaurant review site, but A Very Foodly Diary has plenty to offer the WA food lover. It's reader-friendly tone certainly doesn't hurt its cause. One for the aficionados.

New South Wales

• I Am Obsessed With Food

If you want commitment to food, then look no further than I Am Obsessed With Food. It might not be the prettiest website going around, but in terms of detail, it's pretty special. The blogger, Reemski, takes photos of everything, which is essential for a good food blog - whetting the appetite nicely in the process.

• Eat Drink Play

A clever domain name, Eat Drink Play follows a group of fun lovers around Sydney's eastern suburbs, as they hop from restaurants to bars and much more. The site is a little busy, but that's ok, as the content well and truly makes up for it.

• Does My Bomb Look Big In This

We're not going to answer the question, but Does My Bomb Look Good In This certainly answers plenty of questions about Sydney's food scene. Heck, DMBLBIT even provides the reader with its 'to do' list, which may be a step too far, but at least you know what is coming up.

• The Unbearable Lightness of Being Hungry

This is a terrific site for Sydney's food enthusiasts, as the author has done plenty of research and clearly knows her stuff. Even the Sydney Morning Herald's "Good Food Guide" merits a review - that's detail, folks, and we like it!

• Jenius

We can't leave New South Wales without mentioning this Gen-Y food lover's blog. The pics are enough to catch the eye, but we're really impressed by how much food this blogger can order in one night out! It certainly helps when it seems like half of the menu is included in the review!

Victoria

• Melbourne Gastronome

'The musings of a 30 year old Melbourne foodie gal', this site proclaims and delivers. A nice, clean display makes for easy navigation, and our 'foodie gal' certainly loves her food and drink. The cocktail reviews and restaurant reports are overwhelmingly positive, but with Melbourne's reputation for top quality entertainment areas, that's not a huge surprise.

• Jeroxie

It's addictive and consuming. Cool tag line, great layout, fresh approach - oh, and some darn good food appraisal to boot. That's a pretty bloody good start for a food blog. The clarity of the images makes it look like a photography website, and the writing is top notch (Jeroxie is a project manager at a digital brand agency outside of the blogosphere). An excellent site for those heading to Melbourne.

• Confessions of a Food Nazi

We're generally not enamoured of anything with 'Nazi' in the title, but this site is definitely top five material. Then again, this Melbourne Food Nazi describes herself as an irreverent, geriatric Gen-Xer, so the blog's title justifies itself. Full of tips and links, this blogger is a constructivist (unlike her National Socialist namesakes!) and we like it that way.

• Travelling in Mary Janes

So much more than just a food & drink blog, Travelling in Mary Janes is about as passionate a website as can be found. With sister sites that include crafts and fashion, TiMJ's (Mary Janes are shoes, we're led to believe) has some of the most delicious looking food and recipes on the website, and is a breeze to navigate.

• The Breakfast Blog

Ten points if you can guess what this blog is about. Yes, Einstein, breakfasts are hugely important, and an increasingly competitive market for eateries and cafes. If you can put together good eggs on toast with a lip-smackin' coffee, you're going to have a popular place. This blog helps you find the ones that lift the bar.

South Australia

• The Foodologist

This is more than a restaurant review site. The Foodologist is a committed South Australian who is fond of promoting his state's produce, which is admirable. The 'Foodologist' isn't a misnomer either; this blogger has a PhD in Physiology and a Masters in Gastronomy - top that!

• D Bites

This site doesn't pull its punches, giving one Japanese restaurant a score of 4/20. D Bites will tell it like it is, so if you appreciate that kind of thing, this is the place for you.

• Lamb Ears and Honey

For all things food in South Australia (and a little bit of drink too), Lamb Ears and Honey is a nice site. Get into it, crow eaters!

• Leena Eats

Also possessed of a Masters in Gastronomy, Leena Eats is as much about the journey as the food. Leena crams in plenty of stories into this hybrid food/travel blog - it's ultra entertaining as well as being a good source of information.

• Perpetual Curry Pot

If you like curry, then look no further than Perpetual Curry Pot for all the curry recipes you'll ever need. We're hungry just thinking about a pot of curry that never runs out.

Tasmania

• Food Finder Tasmania

We learnt here that Tasmania is honey central - bet you didn't know that! There's a bunch of other useful information on this site too, including why Skeleton Bay is named thusly (a whale skeleton washed up there apparently), as well as tips about pottery, crafts, cooking utensils and assorted items. It's very homely, but pretty cool.

• Hobart Food

It's not often a blog is recommended by a state government, but, sure enough, Hobart Food has a pointer from the Tassie Govt website. Admittedly, this site is not flashy, and needs to be updated more regularly to be in the class of the Melbourne blogs, but its author is a postgrad student and the archive of reviews is impressive, so all is forgiven. Check it out for restaurants in Hobart especially.

• The View From My Porch

My Tasmania - Not perfect, but close, says the header to Steve's food blog, where he opines about all things from the south of the island. While some of the opinion is probably best served elsewhere (such as the rant about cricket match fixing) the blog is entertaining and informative, and news from the southern end of the southern-most tip is hard to find.

• Rita's Bite

Incorporating Hobart's Food For Thought, Rita's Bite is a great entry into the Tassie capital's food and drink scene. Rita also manages to incorporate some social commentary onto her site, which is a welcome addition.

• Hobart Restaurant Bitch

It isn't updated regularly enough, but how can you go wrong with a name like Hobart Restaurant Bitch? It's not actually as menacing as the title might suggest, but the blog certainly tells it as it is. If you want a very honest appraisal of Hobart's food spots, this could be the place for you.

Queensland

• Life's a Feast

This road trip blog has the best the Sunshine Coast can offer, proving once again that life is indeed a feast. It's a cool way of approaching a drive through Queensland, and with pics and videos, one can appreciate the experience that much more. It's a must for those heading to the area.

• Eat, Drink and be Kerry

Nice title for a food blog, and the fact that it's put together by a freelance writer surely helps the cause - no surprises that it reads well and is nicely presented. With contributions from outside of Queensland too, this is a well-rounded blog that is well worth a look.

• Food Bling Brisbane

This blog describes itself as a down to earth guide to the best restaurants, cafes, takeaway and delis in and around Brisbane - a simple premise for a strong platform... A good starting point, and then some, for Queensland foodies.

• New Brisbane

The New Brisbane site is a guide to nightlife in the river city, with a bunch of independent contributors providing their two cents. The pretty basic layout could do with an upgrade, but we're after content more than frills, so give this a look.

• Gold Coast Food Guide

Have a guess what the Gold Coast Food Blog is about? If you're heading to the GC, make sure you scan this site for a heads-up of what's hot and what's not.

Australian Capital Territory

• The Canberra Cook

Restaurant reviews, recipes and much more, The Canberra Cook is a site for living in Canberra, not just eating. It's not exactly the Ritz-Carlton of food blogs, but a solid introduction to the ACT nonetheless.

• Snowdrops, Meringues & Berries

We like this site a lot. Snowdrops, Meringues & Berries is clear, has great pictures of the food, and some cool features such as "you might also like". This is definitely a winner.

Northern Territory

• Darwin Blog - Dining

A quickfire approach to Darwin's restaurants, this site is nice and simple for those heading to the north.

• Darwin Food

A snapshot of Darwin's dining and nightlife scene, Darwin Food is not as extensive as we'd like, but it does the job for those on a flying visit to the city.