Gracing the harbour foreshore along the Hungry Mile, where shipmakers and stevedores made their craft along the wharfs in days gone by, the Barangaroo precinct in Sydney is a development in development. At the end of the precinct, adjunct to Walsh Bay & Millers Point, sits Hotel Palisades. Once an ugly duckling, this establishment has…
Category: Australian
North Bondi Fish, Bondi
Winter in Sydney can be spectacular. On a sunny Saturday, we lunched by the beachfront at North Bondi Fish, formally the home of the now defunct North Bondi Italian. This is the newest venture of the entrepreneurial Australian chef, Matt Moran. We were seated perfectly, by the floor to ceiling glass windows overlooking the beach at North Bondi with…
Mary’s, Newtown
Bloody Mary’s. That’s what we started with, but no ordinary Bloody Mary. This one was topped with a cheese slice, strip of bacon and half of a little white onion. Quite possibly a meal in itself, the flavour was unbelievable good; nay sensational. Almost burger like. Though, not content with this as a nightcap, after…
Rick Stein at Bannisters, Mollymook
A magnificent prospect welcomes you on arrival to Rick Stein at Bannisters. Sapphire blue waters and white sands of Mollymook, a slice of heaven, to be sure. The region is pristine seaside Australia at its very best and it’s so easy to become completely enraptured with the place. All within a very easy 3 hour…
Cafe Paci, Darlinghurst
What’s all the buzz around pop up Cafe Paci? Well for starters, it’s not what comes to mind when you think of a cafe. It seemed everyone I know had been talking about it. The site is the old Cafe Pacifico, a tequila taqueria where I had spent the occasional night on the tiles (and tables). The…
Nomad Restaurant, Surry Hills, Sydney
After a failed attempt at a walk-in (no reservation) dinner at Nomad, I was particularly taken with the glassed-in hanging charcuterie display of smoked & cured carnivorous goodness and knew for my own sake, that I needed to get back there real soon to sample, so I swiftly took matters into my own hands, jumping…
Gladioli, Inverleigh
Despite its proximity to Geelong, Inverleigh places you well and truly “in the sticks”. Inverleigh is a regional town in Victoria, about 30 minutes from the hub of Geelong (or G-Town, as I call it) and a good hour at least from Melbourne proper. Driving to Inverleigh on a sunny winter Sunday started me questioning why must I plan…
The Bridge Room, Sydney
For a city crowning the most beautiful harbour in the world, it is a tough gig finding really great seafood in restaurants. Even specialised seafood restaurants fail at delivering an outstanding experience. Overcooking fish, undercooking fish, overpricing miniscule scallops and overcomplicating their creations. After a sojourn in New York, where I encountered fresh, delicious seafood,…
Icebergs Dining Room & Bar, Sydney
The occasion for our lunch was a farewell to Sydney for a lovely friend, moving to Melbourne. So we wanted to go somewhere appropriate. A place we could be Ladies who Lunch, frock up and delight in the very best that Sydney has to offer. World renowned for its beach, Bondi is a haven for…
Marque Restaurant, Sydney
One of Sydney’s most recognised restaurants had never been at the top of my “must try” list. I’d read a lot of hype about Marque over the years, yet anyone I know that had eaten there, didn’t ever rave about it, despite it being named Gourmet Traveller’s 2012 Restaurant of the Year. I got the…
Sake Restaurant & Bar, Sydney
Sake Restaurant & Bar 12 Argyle Street, The Rocks Sydney NSW 2000 http://www.sakerestaurant.com.au Back in Sydney and with babysitters on tap I was keen to have a rare night out and catch up with my girlfriend (and guest GB blogger) Jacqueline. So on a balmy summer eve we drove into The Rocks, parked just before…
Our favourite ELEVEN of 2011
2011 – What an indulgent year of eating!! Not only did one half of Gourmet Belly literally *pop* (Freya is her name), we really pushed the boat out this year in terms of fine dining, travelling across continents just to experience some of the San Pellegrino top restaurants of the world. We had an incredible 5 hour lunch at Noma in Copenhagen (ranked…
Gourmet Belly 