PCL

Okay, couple of things to contend with. Sydney has shit staff but they manage. I think Melbourne will cope just fine. And it's not fine dining in my opinion, it's event dining. They want vivacious attractive people in those places, check Sydney. And as for offering what we don't already enjoy here, it's down to variety and the open market once again no? I mean, you can't say no more new restaurants full stop because we already have so much. That would be prejudicial. So it follows that it's okay for sydney people to come down.

Personally, I'm looking forward to the bun fight

It's an open market. Competition can only be good for Melbourne. Keep the old guard on their toes and then maybe we'll see what they're really made of. Melbourne cannot simply sit on her laurels and declare theoretical superiority. Maurice Terzini went up there and was successful. Why not see it as an exchange programme?

How about this: - saute in oil and butter till crusty brown (high heat on a heavy skillet) - remove to rest under foil - saute chopped shallots and onions (enough to cover the tips) in skillet - deglaze with white wine - cook down - add tips to heat through - serve with a Cab Sauv or a nice juicy-bodied Pinot Noir - forget about the salad

It's called Kanta. An Adelaide Hills Riesling that is made by Egon Muller and I'm curious to try it. But since I'm in Cessnock NSW I haven't found a way to get my hands on it. Won't be able to get to Sydney any time soon and I'm not sure if any shop there would have it anyway. The only place online that seems to sell it was www.winezy.com.au but I didn't really want a whole case.... Wouldn't mind getting my hands on Kreglinger sparkling wine too. ← They don't do mixed dozens? If so, how peculiar... I'll dig around the traps because I am curious. See if I can find a bottle and post it to you.

I'll be the first to put my hand up I think... Welcome to eG foodism. I have no idea what you've just posted, well, not the entirety of it anyway, but I do think that limiting the 'future' of food to just Spain, maybe because of their trendsetting status (although I'm not sure upon what you base this...) Oh I give up! Keep posting!

Didn't see that one.

Should Longrain apply? I mean, they are NOT chinese by a LONG MILE.

Yeah, I know those... one thing is for certain, I'm due for a trip to KL in a couple weeks/start of March... MAKAN TIME again!!!

Playing devil's advocate, the discussion has focused a lot on the roti itself. What about the filling?? I love murtabak, and have always wondered about the filling. As in many cases to do with food, I'm an avid consumer, but I await enlightenment on the details...

This thread feels better now... So, I'll kick off the Melbourne scene in terms of Malaysian Hawker food. In the city, we have the following: Changi Nasi Lemak - Latrobe St, opp. Melbourne Central probably the best nasi lemak in town. Nasi Lemak House - Grattan St, Carlton: Good selection of soup noodles and chinese hawker favourites. They even have cockles in their laksa!!! Target Centre, Bourke St: Grand Asia in the food court. Roast pork, char siu, yong-tow-foo. There are others as well, like Blue Chilli in Fitzroy, Chinta Ria in St Kilda, but then again, we're talking higher end 'jazz inspired' yuppy haunts. Can be fun though in the right circumstances.

This is a direct challenge/dare for Shalmanese... don't know why I"m picking on him, but I am... Dude, can you whiz thru a sydney dining guide and pick out what you think are 'good' chinese restaurants???

Never heard of them, but what's the wine? I'm curious...

Just bumping this back up, in hopes of eliciting some kind of clarity... Isn't the method just described above like a 'par-searing'? I mean, just to crust what would have been normally a difficult part of the steak to crust, namely the edges??

Despite my self-professed connoisseurship of fine wild durian, I do miss durian cakes... ...and Kampar chicken biscuits...

I have heard positive comments about winestar too. My favourite winemaker in the Barossa, Charles Melton, offers an excellent direct from cellar door mail order service. Main Ridge Estate, probably the best Pinot Noir in the country (in my opinion) also offers an excellent mail order service. Not sure about overseas sales though, but google them and have a look!

Which night is it?? If it's Wednesday, no can do... racing...

Can someone in Sydney take a look at the Good Food Guide and list a few notable Chinese restaurant recomendations? I'm not quite sure where pide and the like fit into the pantheon of Chinese cuisine, but if there's going to be some sort of fusion movement rising up, I'm sure we can discuss that should it be the case

your post before mine, #23... i am tickled by directions... but do keep the dialogue going. i'm very interested in the sydney malaysian scene, although to be fair, we need to think about the crux of the matter in this thread... is there a can't miss, fuck off type mean chinese restaurant in sydney??

LOL Bloody funny!

Dim, i've never eaten anything at Melbourne Central since Daimaru disappeared... but will keep your suggestion in mind... too hot today to think about food really, gonna go swimming or something...

how's a bout the address for Istana then??? I'll look up Temasek, and you did spell it correctly!

Spent most of the day sailing to avoid 40 degree oven on shore. Ate cold chicken sandwiches for lunch, and massive home delivered Indian with bone-in goat curry, sensational stuff for a hot evening... And to top it all off, a couple bottles of chardonnay and dry and dry's....

laksa at temasek.. address and details please..... laksa monster here.....

I've always had a feeling that Sydney does better Malaysian-Chinese than Melbourne. This is a sensational thread. My own experience is derived from the best har-mee/nasi lemak/rendang/ipoh hor fun i've ever had in this country, and they are all from a small little place in the Hunter Arcade in the city. If you look hard, you can't miss it. Come in off Pitt St, down the escalator, hard left.