Project Sydney: Food bloggers find appetite for dazzling dish photos

A PAIR of homegrown Sydney foodie bloggers have built a global following of fans drawn to their mouth-watering photos and videos of delicious dishes.

Food bloggers Rita Agoulian and Katherine Gennusa from Lickyourphone celebrate what’s great — and photographable — about eating out in Sydney.

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THEY are Sydney’s homegrown star foodie bloggers, having built a global following of fans drawn to their mouth-watering photos and videos of delicious dishes.

Katherine Gennusa and Rita Agoulian founded the hugely popular @lickyourphone on Instagram just two years ago.

Today local burger joints and famous international food destinations are among those who crave their endorsement — which they share with their 397,000 followers on the social media platform.

Ms Agoulian and Ms Gennusa have raised the profile of Sydney offerings through Lickyourphone.

Ms Gennusa, who has sampled some of the most fantastic food in the city, said Instagram has changed the way we eat.

“People are eating with their eyes and will visit cafes for specific dishes,” she said.

“Owners often say people come in, show them a picture from our account and say, ‘I want to eat that.’

“They are looking for dishes that are Insta-worthy, so chefs and cafe owners formulate­ dishes with that in mind.”

The duo are both ambassadors for The Daily Telegraph’s Project Sydney Best of Sydney food awards, part of our campaign that celebrates and advocates for our growing city.

A spread at Cuppaflower, Waterloo. Picture: Instagram @lickyourphone

Chimichuri, Chatswood. Picture: Instagram @lickyourphone

Margarita pizza from Lucio's, Zetland. Picture: Instagram @jenskitchenaus_mkr

Ube soft serve in an egg waffle. The Dessert Kitchen, Haymarket. Picture: Instagram @lilopeng

“We’re not food critics, we’re just food lovers telling you what we thought was great,” said Ms Gennusa, who grew up in Ryde and Rozelle.

That includes ricotta hotcakes from Cuppa Flower in Waterloo with honeycomb and maple syrup, and Bare Grill’s mac and cheese burger in La Parouse.

“I just really wanted to create a strong focus on community and sharing ideas as well as providing a platform to share other people’s content,” Ms Gennusa said.

“The food landscape has changed in Sydney and while clubs have regulars, they are also trying to draw in a new clientele that’s interested in food.”

Lickyourphone also encourages others to share their food experiences through photos by tagging them and using their hashtags, which are aggregated, shared and celebrated on their feed.

The range of restaurants covered is as diverse as the people posting.

Epping Club’s fine-dining Rawson’s Restaurant has a popular prawn dish with dehydrated butter and “other clubs such as Bankstown and Fairfield are also great”.

“They have a bit of a Vegas vibe because they’ve created different environments for all their venues,” Ms Agoulian said.

“When you’re having pizza at Bankstown, it feels like you’re in an Italian piazza. It’s like walking into a different world.”

Voting in the Best of Sydney food awards closes on Sunday, with the winners to be announced on Thursday.

To vote, go to project-Sydney.com.au

Originally published as Project Sydney: Food bloggers find appetite for dazzling dish photos