[Dunk]

Hello everyone,

I will be travelling to Australia in november (Sydney, Melbourne, Cairnes) and was wondering if anybody had any suggestions on some great places to eat. Unfortunately I don't know a lot about australian cuisine and don't know if there is anything in particular I should try. Has anybody been there recently or know of any places that are a "must try?" Any suggestions would be awesome. Thank you.

Dunk

[lamington]

Where to go depends a bit on your own tastes too... There are some excellent modern fine-dining places in both Melbourne and Sydney (don't know about Cairns, I'm afraid), but also many less fancy establishments serving outstanding food.

Dining out never (?) costs as much in Aus as in the US for comparable or better fare and ambience. Sydney is perhaps best known for modern Pacific fusion cooking, while Melbourne tends to be more modern traditional, with strong interest in Mediterranean food (though there are excellent restaurants from a number of Asian cuisines as well).

I'd suggest picking up a 'good food guide' on arrival in each major city and looking at what takes your fancy. There are very very few places that would require a booking more than 24 hours in advance.

Happy to answer any follow-up questions.

[Dunk]

lamington, thanks for the advice on the food guide -- that should help a lot. I like all cuisines and am not limiting my options by budget (yet, anyways ). I guess what I'm asking is if there are any restaurants in particular that are very famous or well known for great cuisine that I shouldn't leave without going to.

Also, since I am a pastry cook, what I'd also really like is some great places for desserts. I would love to see what the Australian dessert world is like!!!!!! Any suggestions for the melbourne area?

thanks again
dunk

[lamington]

hmmmm... yes there will be a few places you won't want to miss... the good food guides mentioned always talk about who has improved and who has slipped, and it's that sort of discussion which will probably help you work out what is going to be interesting for you among the top-performing chefs/establishments. I rarely do fine-dining, quite simply for budgetary reasons, but if you send an email to me (via profile) I will try to follow up some suggestions for you.

Desserts is much harder! French patisserie, for instance, is very thin on the ground here (many tears have I wept)... I'll try to find some restos with a good reputation for their desserts.

[Chefkell]

Rockpool...very famous Aussie chef Neil perry. He has a nother in Darling Harbour called "Wokpool" great noodle shop and less $$. If you go there ask for the soft fried egg with chili caramel...dazzling.

Forty One...Dietmar and Wendy Sawyere. Very on top of the game and a great view as well.

Tetsuya's...Chef Tetsuya Wakado. Amazing asian inspired cuisine.

Cicada...Chef Peter Doyle is an Icon in Sydney food.

These are just a few...there are plenty of lesser known gems! Good luck and have fun!

[Newbie Cook]

I have stumbled on a site about the resaruants in Sydney and Melbourne.

They give a breif description of every resaraunt and a picture aswell

http://www.entertainmentpublications...halloffame.asp

Enjoy