What’s that I hear you ask? Top 100 restaurants in Canberra? Yes – not only one, but TWO on the current list, meaning this little gourmet traveller had to pack a bag and head to Australia’s capital city. Aubergine in Griffith was my first stop. Chef Ben Willis and wife Andrea Read more
“I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand
Walkin’ through the streets of Soho in the rain
He was lookin’ for the place called Lee Ho Fooks
Gonna get a big dish of beef chow mein”
Recognise those lyrics from the Warren Zevon song, ‘Werewolves of London’? Well these days Read more
Ezard opened at the Adelphi hotel in Flinders Lane in 1999. People fell in love with Teage Ezard’s Asian-influenced contemporary food. The first time I ate here was around twelve years ago and I had mixed feelings about it – I found some of the flavours in some of the dishes a little Read more
Kappo is a relative newcomer to Melbourne. It’s at 1 Flinders Lane – I’d been a couple of times before when it was Verge. Kappo is by the same team as Izakaya Den, former Melbourne Top 100. When you finally work out where the front door is, you walk down a dark hallway to a sleek, stylish Read more
I’ve had quite a few degustations in my gastronomic travels, and most of them have been excellent, but there’s excellent and then there’s memorable. And in the truly memorable category, there’s only a small number – and this is one of those. Up there with Brae, Momofuku Seiobo, Orana Read more
Given that the Australian Gourmet Traveller 2016 Top 100 list was released last week, I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on my Top 100 Quest for 2015. And what a year it was – a year of travelling and dining that culminated in my story being published in the current (September) edition of the Gourmet Traveller magazine, and an invitation to the Gourmet Traveller National Restaurant Awards night where Read more
Restaurant Amusé opened in 2007 and it’s remained on the Gourmet Traveller Top 100 list for some years now so it was time I finally went. As you pull up outside, you wonder if you’re in the right place. It looks like a suburban house, and it’s only when you look closer that you see the ‘Restaurant Amusé’ wording to the left of the front door. And yes, it is ‘homey’ – owners Hadleigh and Carolynne Troy used to actually live on the premises and they wanted a restaurant where people felt like they were a guest Read more
Some months ago, a friend and I embarked on a Top 100 tour of regional Victoria. After going to four fantastic restaurants in a row and having some of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had, I was wondering how good Lake House could possibly be – it was the last destination of the trip, and maybe I’d had too much good food within too short a time (is there such a problem?). I thought Read more
I’ve been to Mark Best’s Marque in Surry Hills and Pei Modern in Melbourne and had great experiences, so it was a no brainer to book myself into his latest restaurant in Sydney. You’ll find it across the foyer of the Four Seasons Hotel, a very cool and modern fit out. It’s a large space and I like the use of black paint. It was lunch time and there was a good vibe about the place. The service Read more
As you’re walking up the stairs to an unmarked door, you start to wonder if you’re in the right place. With its lack of door signage and flaking paint, it’s not the usual entrance to a restaurant that’s made the Gourmet Traveller Top 100 list. Walking in, you find yourself in a sparse, industrial space featuring grey, grey and more grey. There’s an impressive feature Read more
Jacqui's Food Fetish 