Kylie Kwong @ the Irish Club

If they ever held the Food Olympics, then Kylie Kwong and Matthew Evans would definitely be our representatives because they are such true champions of good food.  Went and saw Kylie last night at the Irish Club in Elizabeth Street, hosted by the cooperative "Brisbane's Better Bookshops".   Kylie was up here doing a slew of events in Brisbane, all of which were slightly out of my current price range (breakfast at Riverbend and drinks/canapes at Mary Ryan's; both circa $100).  So I was delighted when I came across the advertisement to see Kylie for a mere $15 at the Irish Club.   Was somewhat puzzled at first by the Irish Club venue, but at $15, I didn't miss a beat and booked tickets pronto.  The venue was actually a pleasant surprise - the event was held upstairs in a lovely, open and ornate hall.  There was even a bar.  Bonus.  Second surprise of the evening was when John Birmingham was introduced as the interviewer (of "He Died with a Felafel" fame).  Bit of a random personality for the theme I thought, but I'm quite a fan of John, so I rolled with it. 

The true star was of course Kylie herself.  I've seen Kylie quite a few times before in her restaurant, Billy Kwong in Sydney - but it was inspiring to listen to her talk about her current passion for sustainable food and supporting those who produce it.  She was comfortable being on the centre stage and talking about her career and family life; coming across very much as a "true blue" Aussie having a yarn with blokey farmers in their fields, but still retaining a deep connection to the Chinese culture that she grew up with.  I was also interested to learn that her venture with Bill Granger (hence Billy Kwong) only lasted one year together (Kylie bought Bill out post the year and the restaurant is now celebrating it's 10th).  Maybe it was all that white?

Kylie's new book "It Tastes Better" looks great, but I'm already under mounting pressure about the quantities of books I accumulate, so I thought I'd better let sleeping dogs lie on this one.  But I'll continue to support Kwongy (as Neil Perry affectionately calls her) by either relishing her fabulous duck at Billy Kwong or maybe even snacking on her goodies available at the Eveleigh Markets one day.  Photo courtesy of Kylie's website.