Saving my best Australia post for last. The FOOD post! I definitely ate my way through Sydney and Melbourne and spent a good chunk of each day on Urbanspoon to map out my foodie plan of attack. Here’s my Top 11 (couldn’t stop at 10) foodie experiences in Oz:
1. Australia knows their coffee, and as a result, I picked up a bit of a cappuccino addiction. Just don’t order a coffee there, you’ll get some funny looks. Ask for a long black. I also realized just how photogenic coffee is!
2. I ate lots of yummy salads with pumpkin. Apparently, pumpkin is big in Oz all year ’round. My kind of place! Plus, it was a nice transition to the pumpkin season that would be awaiting me back home.
3. Real Aussie passionfruit is a magical thing.
4. Tim Tams are also magical but in a totally different way.
5. Sometimes subtle differences in foods would catch me off guard. For example, check out the scallops in my squid ink pasta dish from Jamie’s Italian. Flat as a pancake! Not the jumbos we’re used to.
6. Speaking of pasta, this simple dish of fresh mozzarella, grilled eggplant, basil and fresh tomato sauce with a glass of red was enjoyed sitting at the bar of this super cool restaurant called Bootleg Bar + Italian Food. Bootleg was my fav spot in Sydney.
7. Favorite brekkie & cafe in Sydney was this super cute spot in The Rocks called The Fine Food Store. Their spin on a classic eggs beney might have been better than the real thing. No, it def was. Poached eggs on top of a bed of fresh spinach and bakery bread with a garlic mayo aioli. Yummo! Side note: just found my shot on the cafe’s Pinterest page! Cool!
8. Aussie’s are a bit more adventurous with their food. I’m saying this as a foodie myself. I’m still scarred by the creepy crawly seafood case at Movida Next Door. Yes, I may have jumped when I saw the black lobsters crawling around in there.
9. Best meal recommendation goes to the lovely fellow RD, Kate Scarlata (and Emma Sterling!) for the cracked wheat and freekah salad at Cumulus Inc in Melbourne!
10. The food in this city (Melbourne) > food in Sydney.
11. The best overall meal during my trip to Australia was….Chin Chin in Melb!! The food (asian/indian fusion) was impeccable. The atmosphere super cool. The drinks refreshing. And the company was lovely.
Kingfish sashimi w lime, chili, coconut and thai basil
Spicy corn and coriander fritters w/ chili jam AND dry red curry of soft shell crab w/ snake beans, thai basil and kaffir lime leaf
You know the food is going to be spicy when a “cooling plate” is an option on the menu. We opted for cooling.
Other awesome dishes ordered: chinook salmon wrapped in banana leaf w/coconut red curry, lime & thai basil AND crispy sardines (I had one!) w/ nahm prik pla yang and steamed vegetables. Oh, and dont get me started on dessert! Palm sugar ice cream sundae w/ salted honeycomb and lime syrup AND grilled banana roti bread w/ sweetened condesned milk & cinnamon sugar AND black sticky rice w/ fresh pawpaw, sweetened coconut cream & sesame seeds. ARE YOU DROOLING YET?! I AM.
Have you traveled anywhere recently and had some unique, delicious eats?
Peace, love, and food.
I’m heading to Australia in a few weeks. Your last few posts have gotten me really excited!