There's a real sweet tooth foodie trail and we're one of the destinations on that trail.
Charles Cameron, owner of Brewtown in Newtown
On weekends, there can be lines 40 people deep outside Charles Cameron's
cafe. He said up to 70 per cent of the clientele were often from an
Asian background, whether they were international students or tourists.
According to Destination New South Wales, food is a huge motivator for
tourists. In the year to March, 3.3 million overseas tourists visited
the state and 90 per cent listed eating out as their most popular
activity.
It's a part of our overseas memory. In the
future when we see a photo of this we can remember what we did when we
were in Australia. So we always take a photo to remember.
Vivienne Fu
Vivienne Fu and Cecilia Jin said going out for brunch was all part of
their Sydney experience because it was not something they could do in
China.
When I was setting up this place I definitely
knew that this was a place that was going to be photographed thousands
of times and I wanted to have little points of interest that would kind
of sing out to them this is a good photo. We had little emblems designed
for the saucers and also got a sign writer to do a nice gold leaf on
the front sign.
Charles Cameron
Many Mandarin speaking foodies have been posting their Sydney dining
experiences on the hugely popular Chinese app WeChat. Steve Zhang is the
director of WeSydney page which has 200,000 followers. He said Chinese
students and travellers were branching out in their eating habits and
social media was helping them break down language barriers.
I've had some Instagrammers who've done some
amazing aerial shots just on smartphones, where everything has been
beautifully choreographed - the placement of their coffee, the placement
of their dishes, their designer watches, their Smith Journal magazines.
Charles Cameron
I want to show off to my friends in China.
Maybe they'll feel jealous and if they come to Sydney they'll also want
me to take them to this place.
While locals dine on fried rice, Thai curries, Mediterranean cuisine and the like, those dishes don't really belong to Australia. They're part of multicultural Australia, but are often claimed by other nations.
Apart from the homegrown kangaroo -- and perhaps the now-American-owned Vegemite -- there must be others.
Some are clichéd, some are obvious, some may surprise.
But Australia's unique culinary history can lay claim to these 40 Australian food items (with a few Sydney-area recommendations on where to get them).
40. Witchetty grubs
The most authentic of bush tucker, the grub is a nutty-flavored bite that has been enjoyed by indigenous Australians for thousands of years.
The wider Australian nation has often struggled with eating it raw, but two facts remain -- it actually tastes good and it belongs to the land.
Associated with Anzac Day on April 25, the biscuit is a crunchy commemoration of the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought in World War I. It's Australian food with a back story.
The Anzac biscuit was made by wives during the war and sent to soldiers, because the basic ingredients (rolled oats, flour, sugar, desiccated coconut, golden syrup, butter, bicarbonate of soda and water) were able to keep for a long time, even on long boat journeys.
Get it: The Colonial Bakery, 4 Ennis Road, Milsons Point, +61 (0)2 9955 3958
38. Macadamia nuts
Native to eastern Australia, the macadamia nut is eaten raw or included in a variety of dishes. From breads to lamb roasts and cakes, this is a versatile nut.
Pick some ‘round Byron Bay during Spring.
37. Emu
Fancy an emu on your plate? They're healthier than they look.Emu actually has a few times the iron content of beef. It’s virtually fat-free and is low in cholesterol.
The Australian native animal works well when smoked and served cold or as a pizza topping.
For a modern gourmet twist, have it in a pie made up of emu meat, smoked emu, feta cheese, red wine, sun-dried tomato, onion and Tasmanian black pepper -- all in a filo-pastry crust.
Get it: The Australian Heritage Hotel, 100 Cumberland St., The Rocks, +61 (0)2 9247 2229
This iconic, cheap Australian food was the staple of road workers and bushies in days gone by.
Originally it was the simplest of recipes. The soda bread is made from wheat flour, water and a pinch of salt, then baked in the coals of a campfire and paired nicely with billy tea or a swig of rum.
Today it can be a little more fancy -- milk and self-raising flour.
Get it: Baker’s Delight, Shop G02, Level 3, The Broadway Shopping Centre, 1-21 Bay St., Sydney, +61 (0)2 9212 7311
35. Pea and ham soup
The perfect hearty winter meal that arguably has British origins, pea and ham soup is a simple offering that has been served up in farmhouse kitchens for decades.
Add sliced frankfurt or smoked sausage to make it even more hearty.
34. Weet-Bix
How many do you eat? This high-fiber breakfast biscuit made from whole-grain wheat has been an Australian food favorite since 1930.
It's smaller, sweeter and more brick-like than the Weetabix that’s found in other countries. Usually has a few Queensland bananas or strawberries or a spoonful of sugar mixed in. And, of course, milk.
Aussie kids are Weet-Bix kids, says the brand's successful advertising jingle. Unless, of course, you're in New Zealand where, funnily enough, New Zealand kids are also Weet-Bix kids.
33. Lamingtons
This tasty cake can be found at most school fairs and is the pride of many a mother's kitchen.The lamington is often referred to as the “National Cake of Australia.” The National Trust of Queensland even named the lamington one of Australia’s favorite icons.
This square-shaped sponge cake is coated in a layer of chocolate icing and desiccated coconut.
It sometimes comes in two halves with a layer of cream or jam in the middle. Found commonly throughout cafes as a perfect accompaniment to tea and coffee, it's also often baked for fundraisers.
Get it: My Little Cupcakes, 62 Ben Boyd Road, Neutral Bay, +61 (0)2 9909 3908
32. Salt and pepper calamari
Quick and easy to make: the squid or calamari is covered in salt-and-pepper batter, then deep-fried.
This pub staple is often served as a snack with a side salad and dipped in sweet chilli sauce.
Get it: Pho 236, 236 King St., Newtown, +61 (0)2 9550 2480
31. Lamb leg roast
Many a wandering son or daughter returns home for Sunday lunch when mum’s cooking a lamb roast.
It's the garlic, rosemary and olive oil that make this piece of meat delicious and tender. It's then served with enough baked potatoes to end any family feud.
Though its origins may be beyond Australian borders, Aussies will proudly say only they know how to put on a good one.
Get it: Victor Churchill, 132 Queen St., Woollahra, +61 (0)2 9328 0402
30. Fish 'n' chips by the beach
If it's wrapped in yesterday's news, it's an Australian version of fish 'n' chips.The sun is out, the water’s crisp and you’re hungry. What to go for?
Australia has some of the best seafood in the world and that means you’re almost guaranteed fresh fish, served with salt and lemon, wrapped in yesterday’s newspaper or white wrapping.
Get it: Doyles on the Beach, 11 Marine Parade, Watsons Bay, +61 (0)2 9337 2007
Found commonly in Australian waters including Sydney Harbour, John Dory is a popular fish variety in local cuisine.
Battered and fried and served with chips, or pan-fried with herbed oil on a bed of mashed potato with salad, this is a versatile, meaty fish and popular Australian food.
Get it: Golden Sheaf Hotel, 429 New South Head Road, Double Bay, +61 (0) 2 9327 5877
28. Iced VoVo
When former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd mentioned Iced VoVo in his 2007 election speech, he single-handedly cemented the biscuit’s place in Australian folklore.
The wheat-flour biscuit with a strip of pink fondant on either side of raspberry jam and sprinkled with coconut is a sweet, soft and crunchy mouthful.
It's made by biscuit company Arnott’s, an Australian food institution itself and now a subsidiary of U.S.-based Campbell Soup Company.
27. Barbecued snags
Snags and tomato sauce is an Australian food staple.Nothing is more Australian than getting friends or family together for a barbecue. And at the heart of any good barbie is a selection of good Australian snags -- from the traditional pork or beef, to those flavored with herbs and spices from around the world.
There’s something homey about a snag in a roll or a slice of bread covered in your favorite sauce, perhaps with some fried onion on top and some spuds on the side.
A sausage sizzle put on outside the local hardware store on Sundays makes a bit of DIY that much more appealing.
Get it: Glenmore Meats, 40-46 Wentworth Park Rd., Glebe, +61 (0)2 9660 3522
26. Balmain bugs
A species of slipper lobster that lives in the shallow waters around Australia, the flattened small-scale fish has no claws and only its tail contains edible meat.
But like a lobster, it's worth the slippery fingers and dining dedication.
Get it: Sydney Fish Market, Bank St., Pyrmont. +61 (0)2 9004 1100
25. Pavlova
Australians will tell you this belongs to the lucky country. Even when laced with kiwifruit.Australia and New Zealand have shared rivalries for years, and the pavlova’s origin is another to add to the list. Both countries claim to have invented the dish in honor of Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova when she visited Australasia in the 1920s.
No evidence conclusively substantiates either claim (unlike Crowded House, Phar Lap and Russell Crowe).
But even if it was finally proven once and for all to hail from New Zealand, Aussies would surely still label it Australian food.
Pavlova is a popular meringue-based dessert that has a crisp crust and a soft, light inside. It's often decorated with whipped cream and fresh fruit and served at celebratory meals.
Get it: Pavlova Pantry, 351 Rocky Point Road, Sans Souci, +61 (0)2 9529 9289
A traditional seafood starter, this one is made up of shelled prawns in mayonnaise and tomato dressing, then served in a glass, sometimes with a lettuce leaf.
It’s famous the world over, but Australia really embraced the prawn cocktail as its own in the 1970s.
It was almost the beginning of fine dining, Aussie style.
Perhaps the most desired Aussie biscuit.Yet another biscuit!
Arnott’s (which produces Tim Tams) say that around 35 million packs are sold each year.
That’s 400 million biscuits at an average of 1.7 packs per Australian.
The much-loved chocolate biscuit is made up of two layers of chocolate-malted biscuit, separated by a light chocolate filling and coated in melted chocolate.
No wonder you can now find them in supermarkets around the world.
They say the show must go on, but it just can’t without a dagwood dog.
For many, when you say dagwood dog you think of the Sydney Royal Easter Show, because this frankfurter on a stick that is battered and deep-fried is found at most carnivals. With tomato sauce on top, of course.
21. Sausage rolls
Found in just about every town in the land. Best with a fair bit of tomato sauce.Sausage meat wrapped in pastry and oven-baked is the lunch of choice for many Australians.
Though many countries appreciate the taste of a good sausage roll, Australia leads the way in modern adaptations of the simple scoff.
Here, culinary influences from around the world have been infused to create unique taste experiences and a genuine Australian food.
Get it: Bourke Street Bakery, 633 Bourke St., Surry Hills,+61 (0)2 9699 1011 More on CNNGo: Best bakeries in Sydney
20. SAO biscuit
Founded as a charity biscuit, it used to be handed out by Salvation Army Officers (thus SAO).
SAO is a light-textured square biscuit that’s made by rolling dough into thin sheets, then cutting it into squares.
It's often used to make a crispy sandwich by smearing on a layer of topping, such as Vegemite and butter.
For generations, the SAO sandwich has then been squeezed to create "worms" that pour out of the holes in the pastry, then eaten.
It's kid’s food as art.
19. Cherry Ripe
Australia’s oldest chocolate bar is still one of its best-sellers.
The Cherry Ripe consists of coconut and cherries smothered in Cadbury’s Old Gold dark chocolate.
18. Chicken parmigiana
Get this Australian food at the local pub.An Italian name, but a bona fide Australian pub classic, the parmigiana started as an eggplant dish in Italy and has since evolved into a chicken schnitzel topped with an Italian-inspired tomato sauce and melted cheese. A perfect marriage.
Sometimes it will also be topped with ham or prosciutto.
Usually comes with a beer on “parma night” at the local pub. Another wonderful union.
Get it: Pyrmont Point Hotel, 59 Harris St., Pyrmont, +61 (0)2 9660 1908
17. Pigs in a blanket
The perfect accompaniment to any roast dinner.
In the United States, the term often refers to hot dogs or sausages wrapped in dough or even a pancake. But in Australia it’s all about wrapping meat in more meat -– a double meat sandwich without bread.
16. Chiko roll
This Australian food icon was inspired by Chinese spring rolls.
The deep-fried snack contains beef (despite its name, there’s no chicken), celery, cabbage, barley, carrot, onion, green beans and spices in a battered tube. Probably some offal, too.
Some brands of chiko roll often contain ingredients that are simply unidentifiable. This adds to the experience.
Chiko rolls are generally eaten on the go and served at local fish 'n' chip shops or by snack vendors at train stations.
15. Spag bol
Sure, this entry will raise some eyebrows and, of course, spaghetti bolognese is a quintessentially Italian dish.
But when made with delicious Aussie beef and mushrooms, spag bol takes on an Australian feel.
The classic Aussie meat pie.You can't tell anyone you're Australian unless you've eaten a meat pie. More than once. The flaky package that contains this guilty pleasure is the epitome of Australian food.
Colloquially referred to as a “dog’s eye,” the ingredients of the parcel have long been debated in Australian cuisine.
It's on the menu at every house party, sporting venue and morning after a big night.
Nowadays, the meat pie has many up-market and gourmet variations, but if you like to keep it reasonably simple have the one with mashed potatoes and gravy.
Get it: Harry’s Cafe de Wheels, Cowper Wharf Road, Woolloomooloo, +61 (0)2 9357 3074
13. Fairy bread
Remember your childhood when nothing could beat a bit of fairy bread?
Sliced white bread is cut into triangles, smeared with butter or margarine and covered inhundreds-and-thousands, which sticks to the bread for a bright and multi-colored treat.
A staple at kids parties. And easy to make, following the oh-so simple instructions above.
12. Seafood pizza
Everyone knows that pizza is Italian. Kind of. For a marinara, mate, come to downtown Sydney.
Smother your pizza with the freshest and tastiest seafood available in Australian waters. Sprinkle on some chilli flakes for a kick (and to bring out the amazing flavors) and don’t forget a glass of beer or chilled chardonnay.
No Australian has ever worked out why Americans use "marinara" to mean tomato sauce.
Get it: Made in Italy, 104 Miller St., Pyrmont, +61 (0)2 9518 8182
11. Crocodile
Eat it before it eats you.Although not unique to Australia, film character Mick Dundee ensured that the crocodile became synonymous with the country.
Although crocodile leather is made into wallets, belts and handbags, its meat is consumed by locals -- though it’s definitely more of a delicacy and not widespread.
Get it: The Australian Heritage Hotel, 100 Cumberland St., The Rocks, +61 (0) 2 9247 2229.
10. Vegemite on toast
Some like the Vegemite loaded on, others just as a light spread, but everybody likes it some way or the other.Happy little vegemites enjoy it for breakfast, lunch and tea, so goes the much-played anthem.
This is as Australian food as it gets.
Although it looks like Britain’s Marmite, locals will tell you Vegemite is very different. And substantially better, more savory than sweet.
Although the ingredients are much debated, the dark brown food paste is made from yeast extract (as opposed to Marmite’s vegetable extract).
Instructions are simple: spread the toast as soon as possible and apply an even spread of vege.
So popular is it, that reports that U.S. Customs had banned the importation of Vegemite caused a furor in Australian media, which urged protests aimed at the White House. The reports turned out to be false and now are something of an urban legend.
9. Vanilla slice
This pastry originated in France, though there it is called mille-feuille, which translates to a “thousand sheets."
In English it’s a vanilla slice, and Australians claim ownership of the vanilla-custard-filled, multi-layered pastry that’s dusted with icing sugar.
The slice can come with many flavoring options. Cream it up.
Like pavlova, New Zealanders also claim the vanilla slice. Although they call it the custard square, which is arguably more accurate.
Aussies have the vanilla slice, Kiwis the custard square. Both winners.
Get it: La Renaissance, 47 Argyle St., The Rocks, +61 (0)2 9241 4878
8. Cheese and bacon roll
Not one for the health enthusiasts, but a favorite among those suffering from the effects of the night before.
The cheese and bacon roll is, quite simply, a bread rolled topped in bacon chunks and cheese. A popular Australian food lunchbox filler.
Get it: Baker’s Delight, Shop G02, Level 3, The Broadway Shopping Centre, 1-21 Bay St., Sydney, +61 (0)2 9212 7311
7. Grilled kangaroo
Are you sure that imported Aussie beef is really beef?Why not eat the national animal? In some areas ‘roos overpopulate the terrain. Plus, the methane-free kangaroo is low in fat.
This is not for lovers of well-done meat as it’s prone to drying out. It’s generally cooked rare to medium, often primarily on one side.
Kangaroo goes well with garlic, pepper, juniper, rosemary and fruity flavors such as plum, red currant and orange.
And no, Australians don’t eat deep-fried koalas.
Get it: I’m Angus Steak House, The Promenade, Cockle Bay Wharf, Sydney 1300 989 989 (in Australia).
Perhaps the most Australian of all fish varieties, Barramundi gets its name from the Aboriginal language meaning “large-scaled river fish.” It's served in restaurants across the country.
Best pan-fried or seared skin-side first (rarely battered or deep fried), it’s often dished up as a fish steak with a herbed oil.
Get it: Pier, 594 New South Head Road, Rose Bay, +61 (0)2 9327 6561
5. Crab sticks
They're called crab sticks, but do they contain any crab?
Crab sticks are an indispensable part of the culture, a dish in which processed, pulverized white fish flesh is shaped and cured to resemble crab leg meat.
And that’s still more crab-like than the deep-fried version from the local chippie.
Get it: Zushi Darlinghurst, 239 Victoria St., Darlinghurst, +61 (0)2 9357 3533
4. Fantales
It's the tales for movie fans that make it famous.A favorite Australian food, the delectable bite-sized treat is made up of chewy caramel coated in milk chocolate.
It's renowned for yellow and blue wrapping scribed with movie trivia, a marketing move that has endeared the treat to DVD groupies and movie goers.
3. Chicken and corn soup
Australia has embraced Chinese food. There’s an abundance of Chinese restaurants dotted throughout every city and town.
Chicken and corn soup is a staple of these menus and it's so good, we call it Australian.
Get it: Saigon Bay, 249 Oxford St., Darlinghurst, +61 (0)29360 3220
2. Green chicken curry pie
Australians love Thai food. They also love pies (a lot). Put a Thai chicken green curry inside a pie casing and you get the Aussie variant of a green curry.
Get it: Harry’s Cafe de Wheels, Cowper Wharf Road, Woolloomooloo, +61 (0) 2 9357 3074.
The beetroot is an additive Australians proudly lay claim to. Far better than pineapple.You can eat burgers all over the world, but nothing is more Australian than slinging a piece of beetroot on top a pattie made with Aussie beef.
That soft bun, all-beef pattie and cheese is simply not properly done without the finishing touch of beetroot.
It's so good that Ronald McDonald tried to jump on the bandwagon with a McOz many years back.
But it's natural home is the local take-away joint or local pub.
Brewtown Newtown on O’Connell Street won the award for this
year’s "most exciting new venue, judged on coffee, food, service and
spirit".
The venue is the creation of Charles Cameron and Simon Triggs, who
transformed the site of the old Berkelouw bookshop into a cafe. The two met
while working at Toby's Estate. Cameron went on to work for Single Origin
Roasters while Triggs launched Gnome in Surry Hills before they found a spot
where they could open a cafe together.
Advertisement
Marrickville’s Cornersmith snagged the eftpos best cafe
award, while best coffee went to Hazel Des Los Reyes of Coffee
Alchemy in Marrickville and Gumption in Sydney's
Strand Arcade for "utmost dedication to the bean".
The editor of the guide, Georgia Waters, says Cornersmith is one of those
cafes "we all wish we had around the corner". "It's a genuine part of its community, swapping produce grown by local
customers in their backyards for jars of pickles," she says. "The menu is
beautifully seasonal, simple and ever-changing, with much of it made from
scratch. And we love their Mecca coffee." As for Brewtown, Waters says it quickly became one of the most talked-about
cafes when it took over the warehouse space.
"They've introduced a lot of really exciting things, from their fantastically
high-tech Steampunk system for brewing filter coffee to their affogato
collaboration with Enmore's Cow and the Moon gelateria in the space upstairs,"
she says. "We can't wait to see what they do next." At the launch at The Atrium in Alexandria, The Golden Cobra
in Botany won best boutique roaster and the Reformatory Caffeine
Lab in Surry Hills was named the best brew bar. Reuben Mardan
of Sample Coffee in Surry Hills was named best barista. Over the past year, a team of 30 reviewers visited more than 300 cafes and
coffee bars across 107 Sydney suburbs. To be published in the guide, the cafe
must have top-notch coffee as well as quality food, service and atmosphere. "Cafes that receive a one-, two- or three-cup award have to be doing
something extra special, whether they’ve got a really beautiful coffee offering
or their menu’s really exceptional - they’ve got to have a distinct personality
or stand out in some way," Waters says. The cafe culture in Sydney is thriving, Waters says, especially in the CBD.
Pablo and Rusty’s has opened its first city cafe and Coffee Alchemy’s second
venue, Gumption. A new flurry of suburban offerings includes Henri Marc in
Penrith and The Tuckshop in Glenhaven. "There’s been great openings all over the city this year so it’s been
exciting to see top-level cafes almost everywhere you go," she says.
Waters says there is also more demand for so-called “third-wave” specialty
coffees such as filter brews, single-origin or single-estate beans that are
often offered alongside a cafe’s house blend. The guide makes particular mention of sweet spots, child-friendly cafes, best
breakfasts and healthy wholefood menus. Tea connoisseurs won’t be disappointed
either, with a special look at the growing list of cafes doing exciting things
with tea. Other winners at the launch included Forest Lodge’s In the
Annex (best small cafe), Devon Cafe in Surry Hills
(best food cafe) and Grind in Cronulla (local hero).
Toby Smith of Toby’s Estate won hall of fame for an enduring
contribution to Sydney cafe culture. Reference:http://www.goodfood.com.au/good-food/collection-1/sydneys-best-coffee-the-2014-good-cafe-guide-awards-20140612-3a0kv.html By: XIAOJING ZHANG(Crystal) ZHXI1D1403
Sunday, 9 August 2015
The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2015: Top trends
What a busy year it's been. Not only have our chefs been hard at work opening - and closing - restaurants, they've also been furiously hands-on reviving techniques from our colonial past. Few are the kitchens where there's not a bit of serious baking, fermenting, curing, smoking, pickling, charcoal grilling and good old-fashioned wood-roasting going on. And diners have been flat-out, too - grazing, sharing, perching, perusing unfamiliar wine and drinks lists. And queuing.
Where once we might have expected entree, main course and dessert, individually plated and served at double-clothed tables, in 2014 we're as comfortable on a counter stool, snacking from shared dishes, exploring everything from craft gins to low-intervention wines, and clamouring - whether online or in a line at the door - for a chance to be part of the action.
Pork jowl at Sixpenny.Photo: Fiona Morris
There's no denying it. The times they are a-changin' in this lively food town. And it's all the better for it.
When is a bar not a bar?
When plans for a glass of wine and a snack evolve into a bottle and a tasting menu, perhaps. That's how many evenings start these days. At Sepia, for example, where the stand-alone sashimi and yakitori menu at the bar allows you so easily to make a meal of it. Then there's the mini version of the Rockpool deg - a series of Phil Wood's smashing snacks, at the bar. And at 10 William St, 121 BC, Ananas, Bar H Dining, Berta, MoVida and oh, so many more. Snacking, grazing and sipping seem to be our preferred method of sustenance this year.
Nathan Sasi at Nomad.Photo: Rob Homer
Drinks are getting crafty
Small-producer wines, biodynamic, organic and natural labels have edged out the big boys, including a swag of edgy imports. And then there are the craft spirits - gins, vodkas and whiskies, many from local distilleries, as well as an ever-longer list of artisan beers and ciders. Meals also come matched with juices, even teas - at Momofuku Seiobo, for example. Now that wine just isn't enough for some, we've created a brand-new award: Best Drinks List. And the winner is.
Giving cheek
Pizza from Da Orazio in Bondi.Photo: Jennifer Soo
Meat, meanwhile, is mighty once more. Especially over a wood-fired grill a la Nomad, presided over by chef Nathan Sasi or in the wood-fired oven at Ester. Chefs are still slow-roasting everything from lamb shoulder to brisket - and ''pulling'' it, of course. But pork belly has finally given way to a new menu rival - pork jowl. Spot this softly braised gelatinous cut on fine-dining menus from Quay to Sixpenny.
Desserts in the vegie patch
Vegetables are definitely sharing the plate love. And none more so than the humble parsnip - seen smoked and roasted and pureed all over town. It's even popping up at the sweet end alongside pepper, carrot and potato. Think parsnip ice-cream with parsnip chips at Four in Hand, and with pear and hazelnut at Racine in Orange; and chocolate with smoked parsnip at Three Blue Ducks.
Seaweeds and succulents
Umami has become standard chef vocabulary as konbu and other seaweeds add proteiny zing to stocks, sauces and, oh joy, simple animal fats. (Thank you, Phil Wood at Rockpool for those konbu-butter chicken wings. And Subo, Newcastle, for chawanmushi with miso-konbu corn and popcorn powder.
And that hit of sea-saltiness? Sea vegetables and succulents are the garnish du jour.
Ancient grains and alternatives have become so everyday they're contemporary. Spelt, quinoa, chia, kammut and amaranth join forces with barley, rice - various species and colours - to add texture and spark across the menu. And let's not forget the crumb - yesterday's soils and powders have turned into crunchy, biscuity rubble, as in Monopole's sardine ceviche with eggplant and rye crumb; or Public Dining Room's calamari with pickled cucumber gel, puffed black rice and soy crumble.
And around the world we go
After several small starts (Momofuku Seiobo's bar menu, for example), Korean has been busily making its mark (Danjee, Kim, Moon Park). The Middle East continues to influence (Yalla Sawa, Pazar, Chic Pea) and every new Italian (lots of 'em, and we're not complaining) is an osteria. Or pizzeria. Welcome, Bondi's Da Orazio and Rosebery's Da Mario, who cover both. Beautifully.
Give us our daily bread. And butter.
If it's not hand-churned products from celebrity butter-man Pepe Saya, your restaurant is making its own set of spreads. From Rockpool's ricotta-y mix to Cafe Paci's sticky-crusted rye loaves and little mound of butter in a glass, fabulous bread-and-butter options are making a bought-in dinner roll and olive oil dipping dish seem soooo 2010.
Sharing and double dipping
We've heard it all year. ''These dishes are designed to share.'' All well and good, but we're also being asked to share our table - with the party that's booked for the second sitting. So we're getting used to turning up at nursery hour (6.30pm) or channelling our inner European at the 8.30pm slot.
