Terry Durack, Independent on Sunday reviewer

[andrew_j_craig]

A highly ubiquitous gastro couple, Terry Durack and Jill Dupleix, food critic and cookery writer, respectively, for the Sydney Morning Herald, parted these shores 2 years ago for London. Terry's now writing for the Independent on Sunday, Jill for the Times. I've only been able to track down a few of Terry's reviews on the Independent on Sunday website. His writing style hasn't changed - self referential, excessively adjectival, loves to name the designer of the chair he sat in. His personal website http://www.terrydurack.com automatically redirects to that of his wife http://www.jilldupleix.com.

What do London readers make of him? How does he cut it against the more established writers like Giles Coren, Fay Maschler, Matthew Fort and AA Gill?

[Tonyfinch]

I have no particular opinion of Terry Durack but I notice he reviews one restaurant per week (even if he maybe goes to more) like Gill and Fort and Jay.

My question is this? Is writing about one restaurant per week regarded by newspaper editors as a full time job and paid a full time salary? It's not a facetious question. I would really like to know.

[Jon Tseng]

Personally I'm a big fan; I think he's one of the outstanding food writers, certainly amongst the British press. In particular the fact that he comes from the foodie end of the spectrum shines through in how he writes and the store of knowledge he draws on. Contrast that with the AA Gills of this world whose main aim appears to be to show the world how clever they are not...

I'd highlight the piece below; a little old but still one of the most perceptive articles I've seen about restaurant cooking in recent years:

What's Cooking?

cheerio

J

[jayrayner]

My question is this? Is writing about one restaurant per week regarded by newspaper editors as a full time job and paid a full time salary? It's not a facetious question. I would really like to know.

No, it isn't. I write on a whole bunch of other things, plus I do books. Matthew is the food and drink editor of the guardian, overseeing the content of those pages in the mag whgile also working on his own projects. Gill has at least two other columns. Matthew Norman has nine other columns or something like that... and so on. I suspect that Fay has the closest thing to a single job reviewing restaurnats, but then she does two or three a week. I'm also 98% certain that all of us non-staff in some form or another be it contrcat or totally freelance.

[JJS]

Personally I agree with John. I think he knows what he is talking about and I would be much more prepared to trust his judgement then Gill or Maschler. He is a little self-centred and pompous but he knows what he is talking about and he sticks to what is in important in a restaurant: the food, the service, the prices and the atmosphere (unlike Gill). He can be irritating for sure but I think he knows his stuff.

[Gavin Jones]

I like Durack's writing too - much less Jill Dupleix's.

[Simon Majumdar]

Dupleix's writing is extra ordinarily irritating. Very smug.

Many moons ago, Weidenfeld & Nicolson did a series of 20 mini cookery books called The Masterchefs. each comprised 10 recipes on a different category from one chef. There were some great people on the list including Rick Stein and Alastair Littlle and others. Dupleix did one on Pacific Rim cooking ( I think ) Not only was it not a very good book, it sold very badly.

Durack is fine. Pompous, opinionated and self referencing ( as someone already mentioned ) all qualities to be admired in a man.

S

[Jon Tseng]

Pompous, opinionated and self referencing

we should get him to join us on this board!

[Vanessa]

Terry Durack is always a good read, so what if he knows it, and I have always liked his kind of physical relationship with food. And in my book anyone who can blithely work in the public eye with a surname which means 'idiot' in Russian has to be admired. Whereas Jill Dupleix has never had anything to say to me - mostly plagiarism of current fads.

I'm inspired to go out and get his Noodle book which I've been meaning to acquire for ages.

[Tonyfinch]

And in my book anyone who can blithely work in the public eye with a surname which means 'idiot' in Russian has to be admired.

Maybe he doesn't know. I bet he'd change his name if it was Terry Schmuk.

[tony h]

No, it isn't. I write on a whole bunch of other things, plus I do books. Matthew is the food and drink editor of the guardian, overseeing the content of those pages in the mag whgile also working on his own projects. Gill has at least two other columns. Matthew Norman has nine other columns or something like that... and so on. I suspect that Fay has the closest thing to a single job reviewing restaurnats, but then she does two or three a week. I'm also 98% certain that all of us non-staff in some form or another be it contrcat or totally freelance.

whgile ... restaurnats ... contrcat

its true - you really do work at the guardian

[jayrayner]

starting paying me to post and you'll get the cleanest copy in the land; until then, it's the friday afternoon knock offs for you.

[Matthew Grant]

starting paying me to post

?