The November Edition
A Day in Sydney, South Korea’s Craft Soju Boom, and Almaty’s Most Breathtaking Mountain Restaurant
Welcome to the November edition of Golden Hour! ✨
Happy, happy Thanksgiving to all of my U.S. readers! May your turkeys be tender and your relatives behave.
Well, we’re here. Second-to-last month of the year. I’m genuinely so grateful you’ve chosen to ride along with me this year. In the moments where I thought, “who is even reading this newsletter??” your comments, your DMs, and your wide-eyed “I ordered that beef noodle soup!” exclamations reminded me why I should keep writing. Growing it with you has meant more than you know.
I’ll be taking a little break next month to cocoon, so there won’t be a December edition, but new content is coming your way in 2026. I hope you’re all carving out some time to rest or sneak in a little adventure. Wishing you all the happiest of holidays!
Here’s the last kitchen-sink roundup of the year — all the things I’ve loved, learned, or stumbled upon this past month:
I loved this SAVEUR piece on South Korea’s craft soju boom. It’s full of rich history lessons and such a warm intro to the five sool makers we should all have on our radar. Won-jeong Lee, an 18th-generation family matriach behind Ellyeop Pyunjoo brewery, is an absolute legend.
Case in point for why localized marketing is where the fun’s at: China’s Olympic sprinter Su Bingtian, teamed up with Nike to open a pop-up herbal soup house on Ersha Island in Guangzhou. Runners can refuel on Cantonese herbal broth using a specially designed spoon shaped like the Nike swoosh, because… it would be a missed opportunity otherwise.
Lastly, Broadsheet — started in Australia — might be one of my favorite lifestyle publications for how they cover a city’s dining scene. They create space for Asian restaurants to shine, and for Asian writers to shine alongside them. Check out this piece on Poon’s at Somerset House or this one on Thai diner Khao Bird in London.
I’m so excited about this month’s city feature: Sydney, Australia. A tiny feather of worry started itching at me (then evolved into full-on clawing) when I realized that the last few months skewed heavily toward Europe and the U.S. Naturally, I began daydreaming about what perfect days in Buenos Aires, Auckland, and Lagos would look like. Luckily, we have friends to crowdsource from.
Remember my best friend from last month with the incredible East London food recommendations? Well, impeccable taste runs in the family. For this issue, I turned to his sister, Marilynne, who’s now pursuing a master’s degree in Sydney, for her favorite spots down under. We share Hong Kong and Shanghai roots (we were once neighbors!), so I trust her palate completely. She kindly shared a few of her hand-picked gems with me, and I feel so lucky to be the one passing them along to you.
BREAKFAST: Marilynne loves a coffee-and-pastry combo, and Pantry Story in Sydney’s Inner West starts her day right. Co-owned by Mutiara Sucipto and Hari Wibowo, Pantry Story is a love letter to their Chinese-Indonesian heritage. Expect unique hits like fudgy brownie mochi (“Brochi-Brownie Mochi”), pandan custard buns, and even an Indomie pie. Marilynne’s go-tos: the beef rendang and potato hand pie and the black sesame mochi cheesecake kouign amann. “The explosion of flavors and aroma of the pie is just incredible,” she says. “As for the kouign amman, it’s a great balance of buttery, nutty, and creaminess — and most importantly, not too sweet!” Passing the Asian taste test with flying colors.
Coffee lovers should check out Diggy Doo’s Coffee by Paul Lee, a hole-in-the-wall, basement specialty coffee spot with larger-than-life energy. Marilynne is drawn to the warmth and eclectic vibe — random knick-knacks, handmade ceramic mugs, and postcards on the walls — that sets itself apart in a city already spoiled with top-notch coffee.
LUNCH: Whenever she’s feeling homesick, dim sum at The Eight in Haymarket hits the spot. “They’re not skimping on ingredients here,” she tells me. Char siu bao (BBQ pork buns) are all pork, no air. Har gao (steamed shrimp dumplings) are plump and juicy. And the aunties and uncles pushing the dim sum carts aren’t exactly the patient type, which stirs up a lot of nostalgia for me — someone who deeply misses the tsk’s and aiya’s echoing through the old Hong Kong dim sum halls I grew up in.
For a quicker bite, Marilynne recommends Marrickville Pork Roll, a no-frills bahn mi institution in Marrickville, a suburb famous for Vietnamese cuisine. “Order the Crackling Pork Belly Roll,” she says. “The bread is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, but doesn’t scratch your mouth!”
DINNER: Ito, a Japanese-Italian neighborhood izakaya, is Marilynne’s pick for stylish aesthetics, creative shared plates, and fizzy cocktails (she loves the Hiragana Highball with yuzu gin, lychee, and jasmine soda). You should try the shio kombu bread with garlic seaweed butter, the veal katsu with wasabi mustard mayo, and the prawn and scallop ravioli with hotaru ika (firefly squid) and tobiko (flying fish roe). Want to fully send it? Ito also has a Festive Feast Menu for $139 per person featuring their greatest hits.
For something fast-casual, delightfully greasy, and oversized in portion, Marilynne usually heads to Fortune Alley in the CBD. “I might be judged for this,” she laughs, “but I secretly love Chinese-American food.” No judgment here — sometimes you just need an orange chicken fix.
Auyl, a Central Asian restaurant tucked into the mountainous Medeu region of Almaty, Kazakhstan, is breathtaking — thanks to the architects at NAAW (Elvira Bakubaeva and Aisulu Uali) and designers at DUNIE. It’s a collaboration among creatives where food is only one of many stars.
The handmade chairs, carpets, and draping — especially when the dinner candles start dancing — make it dangerously easy to imagine Auyl as your future living room. And the restaurant is all about openness. Everything is cooked over an open fire, in the open kitchen, plated on an open stage. You’ll watch the team roll dough, bake flatbread in a tandoor, and char meat to sizzling perfection — all to the soundtrack of wind, birds, and rustling leaves courtesy of the great Kazakh outdoors.
You can read more about the intentional and culturally grounded vision behind Auyl’s design here.
This section doesn’t usually focus on travel, but it’s another chance to spotlight amazing Asian creators, so I hope you’ll read just a little bit more!
COMEDY SPECIAL: Atsuko Okatsuka: Father. Atsuko’s oddball, charming-disarming sense of humor has never failed to make me laugh. Her newest special feels like a smooth continuation of her last — chaotically zigzagging through jokes about tandem bikes, laundry hiatuses, and her dad’s body — all bizarre to hear out of context — but the magic of her comedy.
DANCE COMPANY: Tao Dance Theater. I stumbled on this video of the Beijing-based Tao Dance Theater performing at the opening of the Shenzhen Bay Culture Square recently, and since then, I’ve watched it… maybe 17 more times, give or take. As someone who often mistakes my left side for my right, I look at every single dancer with total admiration. This dance company is so fluid, precise, and beautiful.
FILM: Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears). A gorgeous, gorgeous film about family grieving and queer longing, and the first Marathi-language film to premiere at Sundance. The story follows Anand, who returns to his rural Indian hometown following his father’s death. In the midst of mourning, he rekindles a romantic connection with his childhood friend Balya. It’s so tender and layered, and one of those stories you hope the world treats gently.
Thank you so much for reading my newsletter, and hope you enjoyed it! If there’s anything you loved or didn’t quite connect with, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Your feedback is truly appreciated and will help me make this a more enjoyable read for you!
Until next time, Laura x