It’s time to spill the Marmite: in November, I’m headed Down Under to Perth, Australia to be a featured speaker at the Eat, Drink, Blog conference. Then, for three nights, I’m skipping over to Sydney (I just booked my hotel) because I figured I should see it before heading back across the ocean. Am I excited? Oh yes, very much so. At some point, I’ll pick your collective brains for restaurant/sightseeing suggestions, but as for right now, just wanted to share this exciting news. G’day!
Lucky You!!! I visited Australia and New Zealand four years ago. Spend a week in Perth with family and another 3 weeks touring. Awesome country!!! Awesome Food!!! Have fun
Yay! Sounds exciting! Can’t wait to see the posts. :)
Adam, you mean spill the Vegemite mate – Marmite is a poor UK imitation. Def recommend (in Sydney) Sepia, Sean’s Panorama,better still, get yourself a copy of the new SMH (daily newspaper) Good Food Guide – and don’t stop eating!
Sepia is awesome!! Went there last November and it is definitely memorable!
if you venture to the eastern beaches while in sydney (they are the most beautiful!) — be sure to grab a meal at a fish called coogee in coogee beach :)
Very excited to hear you speak at Eat Drink Blog. Oh – and wait till you try Vegemite!
Very disappointed – Melbourne is the foodie capital in Australia!
There’s some delicious food here in Perth :) I hope you enjoy!
Welcome mate! I came to your blog a few years ago seeking to satiate withdrawal from North America. It is great to know that you’ll sample Australia, and of course vegemite!
Marmite is the preferred disgusting yeast extract in NZ, Aussies prefer Vegemite. And you’d be missing the best part of this part of the world by skipping NZ!
Good on ya, mate! :) You’re in for a treat, and Matt is such a good host.
If you’re interested, here’s my post about my visit to Perth a few years ago, listing some of my favorite experiences and the goodies I brought back: http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2008/03/what_i_brought_back_from_oz.php
Perth? Boo.
Sydney? Yay!
My favourite fine dining in Sydney is Tetsuyas, you’ll kick yourself for ever missing it.
The more known Sydney dining experience is a restaurant called Aria, although a bit pricy and overrated nowadays, it has a killer view. If you’re looking to splurge completely, a restaurant called “Bennelong” in the Opera House is absolutely amazing.
For less ritzy, there’s a plethora of options.
The Sydney Fish Market is one of the best in the world and you’ll get an amazing seafood feed there. And you’ll be able to stroll through the lovely (in most areas) suburb of Pyrmont afterwards. For a more inner city option I enjoy “Blue Fish” but it’s not any different to the other seafood options in the area, it’s hard to go wrong.
The suburbs that are currently ‘in’ with the young, hipster crowd are Surry Hills and Newtown. You won’t be able to walk 10 paces without stumbling upon some hole in the wall that unexpectedly makes an amazing [insert food item here].
Jamie Oliver has a great Italian restaurant in the city (aptly named “Jamie’s Italian”) that’s perfect for an informal, impromptu lunch.
But if you do nothing else, take yourself to Zumbo Patisserie in the Star (the main casino in the city). One of Australia’s food darlings, Adriano Zumbo’s desserts will make you weep with joy. Macrons are his signature, but I prefer his more substantial offerings.
Oh, and don’t forget that tipping isn’t really a culture here as waiters get quite decent pay, so don’t feel obliged.
And if you’re still stuck, maybe some fellow fans would be happy to take you on a Sydney food tour, seeing as there’s still so many things I could list!
I’m so thrilled you’re coming along to speak at the conference!! In fact, when my girlfriends & I heard you would be one of the speakers, it was the final push we needed to book our tickets for the five hour flight from Sydney to Perth :) You’ll find no shortage of things to see and places to eat in Sydney, and if you can’t decide, we can help!
For Coffe in Sydney I have One Word. Campos.
November is approaching so it’s time for me to give you my recommendations for Sydney. In Sydney it’s all about great breakfasts and great coffee. It caters to early risers so you’ll find cafés open quite early compared to say many places in NYC. I think I might cry if you don’t go to bills restaurant in darlinghurst for breakfast. Avoid the crowds and go mid-week. Order the ricotta hotcakes with honeycomb butter and force someone else to order the sweet corn fritters with roast tomato and bacon so you can sample both! Those are my two favorite dishes. You might already know about bill granger as he is (was?) on the cooking channel in the US. No. I don’t work for him, I just love his food :)
I know this sounds random but if you’re in the mood for some comfort food head over to Una’s (around the corner) for a chicken jaeger schnitzel. Those are two places in Sydney that I miss A LOT!
P.S. Darlinghurst is a great inner city neighborhood worth checking out. P.P.S for more touristy stuff you definitely want to do a bondi to bronte walk. It’s a lovely coastal walk and not very demanding. A coffee/breakfast/lunch at treo Bondi beach is a great place to hang out. Lovely view of the beach if you’re seated near the front. That’s all I can think of right now. Enjoy and let me know what you thought of bills if you do make it :)
Thanks for these recs! Funny enough, I spoke to my friend from Sydney today and he gave similar suggestions. Can’t wait for November 2nd!
Adam – you should check out Malaya in Sydney. It’s got a long history and by far and away may be the best Malaysian food I’ve ever had!