Restaurants in Australia
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A
Brunetti
Bustling from dawn to midnight, Brunetti is a mini-Roman empire. It’s famous for its coffee, granitas and authentic pasticceria (pastries). Bain-marie meals can be on the stodgy side (and sometimes that’s just what the locals want) but the toasted tremezzini always please.
reviewed
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Enzo's on the Beach
A shabby-chic outdoor cafe with a superb beachfront location where you can dine on focaccias, wraps, healthy salads and light meals or just sip a coffee and wallow in the perfect ocean views. Active sorts can hire kayaks, surf skis and paddleboards or learn kitesurfing.
reviewed
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B
Babka Bakery Cafe
Russian flavours infuse the lovingly prepared breakfast and lunch dishes, and the heady aroma of cinnamon and freshly baked bread makes even just a coffee worth queuing for. Cakes are notable and can be taken away whole.
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C
Three Monkeys Coffee House
A family business for 14 years, Three Monkeys serves it up supersized – piping hot coffee and spicy chai come in soup bowls. Hide away in the cosy den, or wolf down your chocolate cake on the bench outside.
reviewed
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D
Spice I Am
Once the preserve of expat Thais wanting a taste of home, this little red-hot chilli pepper now has queues out the door. No wonder, as everything we’ve tried from the 70-plus affordable dishes on the menu is superfragrant and superspicy. BYO and no corkage!
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E
Moroccan Soup Bar
Prepare to queue before being seated by stern Hana, who will then go through the menu verbally. Best bet is the banquet, which, for three courses, is tremendous value. The sublime chickpea bake has locals queuing with their own pots and containers to nab some to take away. It's an alcohol-free zone, but (shhh) there's a cute bar next door. From Fitzroy, continue north along Brunswick St and cross Alexander Pde. It's on your left past the bowling club.
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F
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G
Hanuman
Ask most locals about fine dining in Darwin and they'll usually mention Hanuman. Sophisticated but not stuffy or pretentious (you can wear a T-shirt), enticing aromas of innovative Indian and Thai Nonya dishes waft from the kitchen to the stylish open dining room and deck. The signature dish is oysters bathed in lemon grass, chilli and coriander, or the meen mooli (reef fish in coconut and curry leaves) but the menu is broad, with exotic vegetarian choices and banquets available. Killer cocktails, too.
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H
Quay
Quay is shamelessly guilty of breaking the rule that good views make for bad food. Peter Gilmore may be one of Sydney’s younger celeb chefs, but Quay’s exquisite menu proves he’s at the top of his game (doubters should try the crispy-skin Murray cod with shiitake). And the view? Like dining in a postcard. Bookings essential.
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I
Bodhi
Bodhi scores highly for its cool design and leafy position. Quick-fire waiters bounce off stainless-steel minimalism inside and slatted wooden tables and umbrellas outside. Swim at the pool next door before daily yum cha (10am to 4pm), a relaxed and value-for-money affair. The barbecue buns rule.
reviewed
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J
Fatboy’s Café
The $4 breakfast at Fatboy’s is legendary: eggs, bacon, sausage, tomato and toast served any time (add just $1 after 5pm). It’s easily the best value hangover cure in town and it’s located smack bang in the action in the Brunswick St Mall.
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K
Twisted Sista
Bounteous baked goods include huge muffins, cheesy casseroles and overstuffed sandwiches on beautiful bread. Outdoor tables add to the slightly happy hungover vibe.
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L
Camy Shanghai Dumpling Restaurant
There's nothing fancy here; pour your own plastic cup of overboiled tea from the urn, then try a variety of dumplings with some greens. Put up with the dismal service and you've found one of the last places in town you can fill up for under $10.
reviewed
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M
Don Don
A Japanese eatery, Don Don, serves great bentō (boxed lunches).
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N
Mures
Mures is the name in Hobart seafood with its own fishing fleet serving this restaurant as well as local markets. On the ground level is the fishmonger, a sushi bar, an ice-cream parlour and the hectic, family-focused bistro Lower Deck (mains $7 to $13), serving fish and chips and salmon burgers to the masses. The Upper Deck (mains $20 to $28) is a sassier affair, with expansive dockside views and à la carte seafood dishes.
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O
Cornucopia Museum Café
Appended to the museum and gallery, this café makes for a good stop while you're in the 'hood. Maybe share a trio of dips, commenting on how good a dip would be, while overlooking Vestey's Beach. Try a salad or pasta special, remarking on how special that collection of artwork you've just walked around is. It's also good for a late breakfast, for the children and for meaty mains.
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Bills
Sydney adores Bill Granger (aka Mr Scrambled Egg) and his original sunny eatery with its newspaper-strewn communal table. Dishes such as sweet-corn fritters served with roast tomato, spinach and bacon are equally adorable. Can’t get a seat? Head for bills in Surry Hills or Woollahra.
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Q
Stokehouse
Two-faced Stokehouse makes the most of its beachfront position, cleverly catering to families and drop-ins downstairs, and turning on its best in the light, bright and newly renovated room upstairs for fine diners. It's a fixture on the Melbourne dining scene and known for its seafood, service and the bay views on offer. Book for upstairs – though there can also be a wait downstairs.
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R
Dickson Asian Noodle House
This perennially popular Laotian and Thai cafe is usually booked up towards the end of the week, though thankfully there's always takeaway. Within minutes of ordering, eat your fill of wok-fried, Hokkien-style or soup-laden noodles. Pick of the menu is the addictive combination laksa.
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S
Lentil as Anything
Choosing from the always-organic, no-meat menu is easy. Deciding what to pay can be hard. This unique not-for-profit operation provides training and educational opportunities for marginalised people, as well as tasty, if not particularly notable, vegetarian food. They also have a branch at the Abbotsford Convent and in Footscray.
reviewed
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Mansfield Hotel
The flashiest of Mansfield’s pubs has a huge dining room and extensive, innovative bistro menu to go with it. Pull up a couch by the fireplace in winter or eat out in the sunny beer terrace in summer.
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Amalfi Pizzeria Ristorante
What a classic! Authentic pizza and pasta with bentwood chairs, terrazzo floors, red-and-white checked tablecloths, sleep- defeating coffee and imagined Mafioso mutterings in the back room.
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Aria
Aria is a star in Sydney’s fine-dining firmament, an award-winning combination of chef Matthew Moran’s stellar dishes, awesome Opera House views ( is there a cooler building?) and faultless service. The mouth-watering lamb rack is hard to overlook. Pre- and after-theatre supper menu available. Reservations essential.
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V
Italian Waiters Club
Down a laneway and up some stairs, the inside of the Italian Waiters Club will make you feel like you stepped into another era. Opened in 1947, it still bears '50s drapes, wood panelling and Laminex tables. Once only for Italian and Spanish waiters to unwind after work over a game of scopa (a card game) and a glass of wine, now everyone from suits to students is allowed in for hearty plates of red-sauce pasta and the regularly changing roster of specials.
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W
MoVida
Movida is nestled in a cobbled laneway emblazoned with one of the world's densest collections of street art; it doesn't get much more Melbourne than this. Line up along the bar, cluster around little window tables or, if you've booked, take a table in the dining area. Movida Next Door is the perfect place for a pre-show beer and tapas, while way in the lawyer-end of town is larger Movida Aqui, with its lovely terrace.
reviewed
