Aliyaan Amlani-Kuji (@aliyaan.ak), A24 Global Ambassador
Autumn 2024 Exchange student from Toronto Metropolitan University
Toronto, Canada
January 26th, 2024, was one of the scariest nights of my entire life. It was the night before I boarded my flight for Sydney and I was frozen in fear, non-stop crying. Little did I know that that flight would change my life forever. Cheesy, I know.
I used to be obsessed with Masterchef Australia. It used to play on my television when I lived in Kuwait and its passion and appreciation for food was unlike any other cooking competition show I had watched. This, along with the culinary influences of my mother and Nani (grandmother), ignited a roaring passion for food within me.
I started a food blog during COVID which allowed me to meet so many chefs, bloggers, and storytellers from around the world and thus, began my desire to tell stories as a career. If it weren’t for @bitesbyaliyaan, I wouldn’t be studying Media Production, and I most definitely wouldn’t be writing this post right now. I’ve always had a desire to visit Australia because of this passion for food — so that I could participate in food culture and check out the food spaces that played such a pivotal role in my upbringing — and I did (more on this later)! I fortunately also had a cousin and a childhood friend who live in Sydney, so that was a plus I guess LOL.
Luckily my parents came to drop me off and settle me in, which was a privilege to say the least. Once they left, the following weeks were rough but also the most memorable. Meeting brand new people every single day was tiring, nerve wracking, but exciting. Exploring a new part of the city daily was confusing yet fascinating. And being an actual adult for the first time was terrifying but made me feel free. Whether that was relaxing and eating pizza at Coogee Beach, living it up at Ivy Thursday, or singing karaoke on the Yura Mudang rooftop, those initial weeks had me on an adrenaline rush.
Funnily, my birthday also happened to land during this period of time. Knowing a total of two people in the entire city, one of which being my forty year old cousin who goes to bed at 9pm, I was unsure how to celebrate. I decided to take myself out on a super fancy dinner date to Aria (VERY expensive, maybe don’t go here if you don’t have a food obsession like I do haha). I was SO anxious. I had never dined solo before, let alone at a two-hatted restaurant owned by a chef I used to watch as a child. It was by far the greatest dining experience I ever had the privilege of experiencing. Following this, being the party animal that I am, I invited every single exchange student who was in our giant Whatsapp group chat (plus my one childhood friend) to the club. Did I know any of them? Barely. Did the majority of them even know it was my birthday when I walked in? Nope. Did I have a crazy lit movie of a night? Absolutely. I was so proud of myself.
As I began to settle, I very slowly started to find my people, familiarize myself with my neighbourhood, and engage in school activities. It was hard, I won’t lie. At times I thought I’d never settle; I’d cry my eyes out at the thought that I would be miserable and alone for the entire semester. Pushing myself to get out of the house, do things, and meet people, was exhausting. But in the end, it was so worth it. I made the closest of friends from every part of the world — I laughed with them, cried with them, partied REAL hard with them, talked trash with them, and I’m so incredibly grateful to have found my family away from family, abroad. And if you’re reading this as an incoming exchangie — you’ll find them too.
It was with these friends that made my travels the greatest experience of my semester. From road-tripping along the Great Ocean Road, to learning how to surf at Seven Mile Beach, hiking to the summit of Cradle Mountain in Tasmania, feeding dolphins in Tin Can Bay, snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, eating the best food in Singapore, relaxing in the paradise that is Bali, or spending too much money shopping in Manila, I had the privilege of experiencing a part of the world I had only dreamed of exploring with the most incredible people. It was surreal. If you have the privilege of doing the same — make the most of it.
Now back to food. As expected, I got to have some of the best food I’ve ever eaten during my semester. Here’s a quick list of some of my Sydney recommendations for ya!
● El-Jannah was my emotional support meal. Charcoal chicken, fries, and the greatest garlic sauce I’ve ever had. I would have it MINIMUM every other week.
● Coogee Pavilion has the BEST margherita pizza.
● Messina Gelato is way better than Anita.
● Kopitiam Café was right across the street from where I lived and has the most hearty, comfort Malaysian food. They are cash only though.
● Mamak and Ho Jiak are also both great for Malaysian.
● Spice Alley is always a good vibe, especially at night, with an endless option for Asian eats. My go-to was always Alex Lee Kitchen’s curry combo.
● Kariton Sorbetes JUST opened as I was leaving Sydney but I tried their Ube ice cream in Melbourne and it was TO DIE FOR.
● Go to The Beresford on a Monday for their half-price pizza special.
● Henrietta’s Chicken if you want El-Jannah but in a fancier setting. They do an all you can eat chicken special now at lunch time. Their Eggplant Fatteh is also to die for.
● Sushi Hub is right next to campus so it is very convenient for a grab-n-go meal and its good quality.
● Butter Boy and Kuki for the most decadent, giant, rich, drool-worthy cookies
● Opera Bar is ALWAYS a good vibe with stellar views and pretty good food.
● Oricco in Marrickville for GREAT Middle Eastern food
● Banana Blossom has delicious and filling salad, rice, and noodle bowls, perfect for a summery day at the beach.
● Jimmy’s Falafel is like a fancier kebab shop. Their falafel and kafta wraps use the freshest and most colourful ingredients.
● We accidentally stumbled upon Ms.G’s, an asian fusion restaurant which was surprisingly really delicious. Their innovative takes on classic asian dishes like their Chilli Oil Burrata, Bone Marrow Fried Rice, and Kingfish Sashimi were beautiful, refined, and elegant.
● Bart Jr. is my favourite restaurant in the whole city, go on a Tuesday for their pasta night or on a Wednesday for their two-course special or literally any other day because their food is SO good. You must get their fried halloumi which is sweet, salty and crispy and literally melts in your mouth
● If you’re looking for a much fancier setting, I’d recommend Apollo in Potts Point for Greek, Fred’s in Paddington, and of course Aria at Circular Quay
On top of all the good food I got to eat, I also got to meet some of my BIGGEST food idols that I’ve looked up to since I was a child. I participated in a pop-up baking class with one of my favourite pastry chefs, Jess Lemon (Masterchef Australia, 2018 & 2020), I attended the Sydney Good Food and Wine Show where I got to meet chocolate queen Kirsten Tibballs (Founder, Savour Chocolate School), legend Khanh Ong (Masterchef Australia 2018 & 2020), the icon Miguel Maestre (Host, Ready Steady Cook), and king of plant-based cooking Simon Toohey (Masterchef Australia 2019 & 2020). Not only did I get to meet them but I have continued to keep in touch with them to work on collaborative projects. Insanity. Never in my wildest dreams would I even be in the same ROOM as some of these people let alone speak to them, learn from them and have the opportunity to work with them.
I look back over the past 6 months and think about how on earth this all happened. I have never cried more than I did on January 26th but I took one leap of faith and it changed my life completely. I also think about how if it weren't for my love of some random cooking show, I would never have been so curious to take that leap in the first place. Masterchef Australia has impacted me like no other show has ever. In a way, that show has unlocked lifelong friends, unreal experiences, independence, self-love, love for the planet, my passion for storytelling, and so much more. And as a storyteller, I want to be able to create media that changes people’s lives, evokes emotion, and shifts perspectives, just like how Masterchef changed mine.
Commentaires