lamington

Oscillate Wildly is fab. I was in Syd on business trips about once a month 2005-2006 (last visit was in autumn'06) and found myself going there once on almost every trip (to the detriment of broadening my knowledge of the Sydney dining scene). There has been a change or two of chefs since it first opened but quality and value has remained fairly constant. There are occasional misses on the menu, but for the most part the menus are interesting and well thought out. Its popularity is justly deserved, both for the food and Ross's concept and management. It's rare to find a small place which does French-Oz dining well - and without pretension. I wish there were more places like this around!

Loved that Julian! Hit the nail on the head.

Thanks Julian. I certainly wish there was more place for honest reviewing of both positive and negative experiences. It was a breath of fresh air for me a few years back when I read some of Jay Rayner's reviews in London (Guardian or Observer) which were much less restrained than what we find in our Australian broadsheets. I think I agree with you on every point you've raised. My concern about the eGullet self-perception thing is perhaps the 'special zone' idea which some here believe in -- I wonder how long the lawyers will stay away from some reviews here. Although it seems Australian foodies have been slow to come to eGullet, we can't live under the misconception that this is a private area (not an opinion I'm attributing to you ). And I'm sure that eGulleteers who are in the industry do self-censor at times because of the danger of jeopardising contacts/commissions/goodwill.

Reviewing and the value of the reviews is always going to be controversial -- we learn to read any professional reviewer's opinions through our parallel experiences, working out whether we feel s/he is reliable. Our opinions may differ. Perhaps Simon Thomsen could have referred to other dining experiences at Summit to at least show the reader whether it's always that bad. Reviewers certainly have some obligation to look beyond a one-off dining experience, but how much can we demand? Most of us would form an opinion from one meal, and if I'd had Thomsen's reported experience at Summit, I wouldn't go back. As a general principle, any service establishment has an obligation to maintain a certain minimum standard and any professional chef/restaurateur or other business owner knows that. If s/he is nonchalant about how much variation there is in customer experience then they deserve a bad review or loss of custom, surely. (Note that I'm not implying this is the case with Summit, not having dined there and not knowing the veracity of Thomsen's reported experience.) It is heartbreaking when anyone with a vision, an investment, suppliers and staff can't make the business survive. The restaurateur, chef, staff, suppliers and reviewers all have responsibility. But it's too easy to blame reviewers. A sloppy review deserves criticism. A negative review based on a genuine experience deserves...? It seems opinions differ on that. (Comments in this thread also contradict the commonly held view in some circles that a good review drives business and a bad review does absolutely nothing - the average punter just keeps on coming. Reviewers are a favourite whipping boy in the restaurant industry, but I don't know how much most negative reviews really affect the bottomline - perhaps others can comment from the inside? Judd?) Egullet is good for numerous often detailed reviews, but let's not get too happy with the honesty/no-holds-barred nature of them. I've dined at many places overseas, reviewed by eGulleteers, where my experience did not match that of the reviews. We all approach dining with our own expectations, tolerances and filters. And eGulleteers can be just as caught up in the hype, the status and the moneyed indulgence of excess which shapes professional reviews or indeed shapes the average punter. Blog reviews are no different. We can be attracted to their 'everyman' honesty, but it doesn't make them any more reliable. An example: I won't dine again at Longrain Sydney because it was unbearably noisy, and impossible to communicate across those attractive, stupidly wide benches. The dishes I had were quite nice, but not perfect. One item was a shameless profit-earner, another was delightful and worth the relatively high price. In my opinion. Other diners seem to find Longrain wonderful in all personally-relevant respects and return there again and again. I am not a professional reviewer, though I did do some insignificant stuff a few years ago. It taught me to approach guides with considerable scepticism, as I watched my experiences turned into meaningless (or misleading) fluff by the editorial filter.

As always and everywhere, a lot of the 'classic' places have reputation and perhaps atmosphere, but the food... * I think Nudel Bar is overrated - it is easy to come away having eaten a large but not particularly remarkable meal. The cakes, however, are often great - worth remembering as it's very hard to find good cake in the CBD! * Pellegrini's is atmosphere. The food is unremarkable (actually, never tried the cakes ), while the coffee is ok. The decaf was horrendous (one tasting). * Degraves Espresso Bar - sigh. Ok coffee. Overrated panini. Noisy. Perhaps the modern Pellegrini's - more in-reputation/location than anything else.

I almost dropped my shopping basket this morning. Safeway (Moonee Ponds, Melbourne) is stocking Tipo 00 flour! At the fairly common price of about $2.50/kg.

I've been back a few weeks now, so I should add a few comments about the trip, as they might come in handy for others. We had a bit of dining bad luck along the way, finding it hard to combine heavy sightseeing and lots of travelling with the brief lunch hours of many restaurants. We missed out on l'Angolo di Divino in Taormina, arriving 5 mins after lunch ended -- rather difficult to find map/people who knew it and the turismo was closed. Similarly, missed out on a recommended place on Lipari. The highpoints were two dinners in Modica - one at A putia ro vinu, where we couldn't understand a word of what the old gentlemen said, but ended up with a five(?) course tourist menu which was great and less than EUR30 for two. Hearty. Tasty. A very warm place (unlike so many other dining establishments in Sicily), with smiles and bonhomie. The other really good meal was at the other end of the scale. We were advised by our hotellier (Hotel Relais Modica) that Fattoria delle Torri was good, but the price-quality relationship was less good than Ristorante Torre d'Oriente, so we visited the latter. Delightful food, and a beautiful setting overlooking the eastern end of Modica. Less impressive were meals at La Foglia in Siracusa - very popular with tourists and somewhat eclectic. We found the menu rather pricey for many of the dishes being served and service was slow and unwelcoming. However, my companion did say his calamari were the best he'd ever tasted. Don Serafino in Ragusa was a lunch destination on a very hot afternoon. Alas, the service was very stuffy and the dishes we chose either poorly balanced (tagliatelle/lamb/calamint/nero d'avola) or a little underwhelming (a lasagne with cocoa pasta, and I can't remember the rest at rather high prices). The setting is lovely, however. After many days with far less vegetable matter than we were used to, we sought somewhere with a good antipasti selection in Siracusa. Alas, the recommendation from B&B owner and some other tourists - La Terrazza - was very wide of the mark. Yes, the antipasti selection was broad - and mediocre. The place was little better than a tourist trap:( Pizzas were passable. Rather abbreviated comments, sorry, but I thought it better to write something than forget completely!

That would be Cuisine World. Further up towards the Queen Victoria Markets is London and American Stores. Service at both can be less than friendly at times, but the latter seems less snooty. There's also Chef's Hat (http://www.chefshat.com.au/ in South Melbourne. I think there's another supplier in South Melbourne and one on Nicholson Street in Carlton/Brunswick. But my favourite place is the cookware shop in the Queen Vic Markets: one of the permanent shops in "F shed" (the lane of fixed shops with a mix of clothing, hardware, hot food and things), towards the Peel Street end of the lane.

This forum mostly avoids cheap Sydney-Melbourne jibes, so as your first post you probably don't need to contribute one, eh? This particular thread is, after all, specifically asking about Sydney shops.

All that's required for Iberico is compliance with curing times stipulated by FSANZ and someone willing to spend the money for that compliance and verification at source. Foie gras unpasteurised? Not a chance, if I understand current food policy correctly.

Thanks for your comments so far folks... keep 'em coming! Campofiorin: while Geneviève de Grandbois might be a 'no brainer', what makes it that way? Remember, I'm after very special or unique things rather than just an outstanding chocolatier.

Thanks everyone for your helpful and interesting comments and suggestions. (I'll be in 92108, dockhl.) I look forward to trying one or more of these while I'm over:)

I've only twice drunk Zinfandel, both cheap exported exemplars -- one was bigger than ben hur in the berry department, but a pleasant experience once one got over the shock. The other tasted like undiluted raisin juice. Blurk. Heading to San Diego next week for a few days and would love the opportunity to pick up one or two useful examples of "classic" (or contrasting) exemplars. What do people think it *should* be? I accept that zinf is not to everyone's taste, but i want to see where this curiosity will lead me. * Price tag would have to be below about $25, rather less if I'm looking at multiple bottles -- I'll most likely be drinking this alone or with undiscerning drinkers (I wouldn't call myself discerning either, but am attempting some self-education ), AND I have no idea of what food will be around, so best to assume no accompaniment * Needs to be readily obtainable in San Diego Thanks in advance:)

hey all sweet and creamy people:) I'm heading to Montréal in a week's time on a virgin visit, spending four days (Sun-Weds) there. My interest is sweet things (chocolate, pastries, gateaux, glaces) which are realllllly special in Mtl. What is almost unique to or exceptionally executed in Mtl? I'm praying I'll make it to Havre aux Glaces at JTM, but my host groaned at the thought of trekking to JTM on public transport -- he lives in Anjou-Montréal (apparently "miles away" from JTM)... we'll see which stubborn person wins that one. I am also NOT looking for good versions of stuff I can get in Paris or Sicily (both later destinations on this journey), but things which really are special to Mtl/Québec. I'm on a bit of a budget so I live in fear of chocolatiers, but maybe you can persuade me to open the changepurse. I've read mention of truffles from un,deux,trois,chocolat... and a change of location? And what about those pecan caramels from Les Chocolats de Chloé -- are they really special? And the brownies from Olive and Gourmando sound intriguing, but perhaps not world-shatteringly special? What more more more...?

If my memory serves me, Alla Wolf-Tasker might have been one of the people at a Melbourne Food and Wine Festival 2004 discussion event who harped on about the impost of GST (but it might have been one of the other prominent debateurs). At the time it really felt like restaurateurs crying about spilt milk -- GST was, after all, hardly new by Autumn 2004.

I'm not sure exactly what sort of chillies you're after Adam, but you can certainly buy some types of fresh jalapeño, and habaneros are occasionally to be found. Other fresh chillies widely available are of course some of those used by various non-American cuisines.

... and it's bloody great. Just sometimes life takes one too far from Hunter Arcade...

Does anyone know the opening hours of the great Malaysian place in the Hunter Arcade? Is it open into the early evening on weekdays or on Saturdays at lunch time? I've only ever been through the arcade around lunchtime.

Checked today -- Safeway Moonee Ponds has large black olives in fairly good condition for $6.98/kg.

I was surprised to see black olives available at my Safeway last week -- and yes I do mean off-the-tree, rather than ready-to-eat. I think the price was around $5/kg, but i didn't look too hard.

Call me a cynic, but I wasn't really surprised about the bits-of-carcass which are found in pies. Just think 'sausages' and you have to accept that turning a blind eye is necessary with processed meat products. The last time I remember pies coming under intense scrutiny was in the early 80s... and then the horrors were bits of rat and rat droppings. Somehow snout and lung sound more appetising;)

I forgot that we might need a glossary to cover the regional differences too! So what's with bucatini? I used to hate what we called tubular spaghetti when i was a teenager. You think i should try it again? LOL.

I haven't found a previous thread about this, so what pasta shapes do you like and why? I'm sure we must have both logical preferences and aesthetic predelictions:) I must admit I'm very much a no.1 spaghetti guy. But recently I returned to tagliatelle, finally overcoming the 1980s trauma of too many carbonaras So who likes what? Penne because they're holey, farfalle cos they're pretty, orrechiette cos they take a sauce well... and more...?

Can't recall seeing maraschino cherries at a supermarket in recent history. I think you're looking at niche or bottle shops.

Very kind of you mizducky:)) I've PMed you.