Restaurant Recommendations
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@kruse said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@voodoo said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@jc said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@snowy said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@jc said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@snowy Myself and Mrs JC stayed at Huka about 2 years ago, in the Pye Cottage. Really nice but the butler service made me really uncomfortable. Good food though, as you say.
Didn't do the butler service thing, and yes I get that it would be a bit weird but fantastic food, as is Blanket Bay.
We have designed our house around Pye cottage. One of the Huka chef's to go with it would be nice.
I was a bit unnerved by getting up in the morning and there's someone else in the house. We couldn't just schlep through to the kitchen in PJs like we would have done if we were on our own. I get that that's our hangup, not their expectation. Maybe billionaires are used to ignoring staff... @Hooroo , that true?
Yeah, we had 4x staff during our 3mths in Bali last year. Beautiful people, and awesome to provide employment for them, but we HATED having people around the whole time. Ended up making them stay home on Sundays (fully paid) so we could at least have 1 day where we had the house to ourselves.
1st world problems!
Jesus - I was looking at a 2 or 3 week motorbike trip around Sri Lanka a few years back - contacted the company about a scheduled group ride they had - and they responded that they hadn't had any interest, but that they'd give me a guide for just me, for the same trip, for the same price.
I could not even handle the idea of that - one person being "mine" for that period.
Fuck. That.Faaarrrrkkk that!
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@nta said in Restaurant Recommendations:
Restaurants? Aria in Sydney is alright. The mashed potato is fucking awesome - like eating a cloud. There's other stuff as well...
The view is alright. Wedding anniversary 2015.
Fancy-fucking-pants!!!
I have a 1-hat palate for food. Do not give me foam or minuscule portions or artistic presentation in lieu of a decent meal.
Fresh food, great flavours, good portions. Pair with good wine, and I'm very happy.
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@nta said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@voodoo gotta do piston wristed gibbon restaurants every now and then. Sydney is not short of good eats as anyone would expect.
It's been about 3 years now since eaten in Sydney, but I always found in Australia, that as the prices went up, the value really went down. I've probably eaten in about 10 places in Sydney, and north of 50 in Australia, and that theory has been rock solid correct all the way through. Posh places with great views, the food was distinctly average. Local high street restaurants were simply superb.
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@majorrage said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@nta said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@voodoo gotta do piston wristed gibbon restaurants every now and then. Sydney is not short of good eats as anyone would expect.
It's been about 3 years now since eaten in Sydney, but I always found in Australia, that as the prices went up, the value really went down. I've probably eaten in about 10 places in Sydney, and north of 50 in Australia, and that theory has been rock solid correct all the way through. Posh places with great views, the food was distinctly average. Local high street restaurants were simply superb.
Crown Street.
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@majorrage said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@nta said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@voodoo gotta do piston wristed gibbon restaurants every now and then. Sydney is not short of good eats as anyone would expect.
It's been about 3 years now since eaten in Sydney, but I always found in Australia, that as the prices went up, the value really went down. I've probably eaten in about 10 places in Sydney, and north of 50 in Australia, and that theory has been rock solid correct all the way through. Posh places with great views, the food was distinctly average. Local high street restaurants were simply superb.
Think it is more of a plateau - there is a point at which the high price simply can't be justified, because food can't get that good. You're paying for real estate, which is hideously expensive in Sydney, not the grub.
One of the best meals in terms of value for money I ever had was here: https://goo.gl/maps/iQQgNUbanXmvqTBC8
Heading north with the family to see my Mum in nowheresville, QLD. I'd driven past this little town on the highway just to the east, but was in an exploratory mood. Mrs TA and kids not thrilled with the detour as we'd already been in the car a few hours after a full day before.
After the meal, everyone was happy we'd stopped rather than just grabbing Maccas. The steak sandwich was fucking amazing.
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@nta said in Restaurant Recommendations:
You're paying for real estate, which is hideously expensive in Sydney, not the grub.
I had the same thought in Hong Kong but applied it more to bars and pubs. The beer was basically free, you were paying for where you were sitting. Renting by the hour, so to speak. Given that I could look out the window from home and admire the harbour, etc, I tended to drink in windowless basement type places which seems appropriate for my rep around here.
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@snowy I can see it now... pilot cap sat back on your head - because it can't sit on the bar due to the filth of spilled beer. You throw back another shot of whatever passes for single-malt in such a seedy joint, slam the glass onto the worn timber, and in a jaded voice, grunt "Another!"
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@snowy said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@nta said in Restaurant Recommendations:
You're paying for real estate, which is hideously expensive in Sydney, not the grub.
I had the same thought in Hong Kong but applied it more to bars and pubs. The beer was basically free, you were paying for where you were sitting. Renting by the hour, so to speak. Given that I could look out the window from home and admire the harbour, etc, I tended to drink in windowless basement type places which seems appropriate for my rep around here.
Yeah, those underground places in HK .... usually you’re paying for something else.
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@majorrage said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@snowy said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@nta said in Restaurant Recommendations:
You're paying for real estate, which is hideously expensive in Sydney, not the grub.
I had the same thought in Hong Kong but applied it more to bars and pubs. The beer was basically free, you were paying for where you were sitting. Renting by the hour, so to speak. Given that I could look out the window from home and admire the harbour, etc, I tended to drink in windowless basement type places which seems appropriate for my rep around here.
Yeah, those underground places in HK .... usually you’re paying for something else.
Now that I think about it there were an awful lot of them.
It was the above ground places that seemed to have the added "attractions". The Captain's bar at the Mandarin Oriental always seemed to have a disproportionate number of friendly Russian ladies for example. I was informed of this fact by my wife, not from personal experience of course.
And we / I have managed to bring a restaurant thread down to hooker level. The lodge is nice though, they just spelt it wrong.
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@snowy said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@majorrage said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@snowy said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@nta said in Restaurant Recommendations:
You're paying for real estate, which is hideously expensive in Sydney, not the grub.
I had the same thought in Hong Kong but applied it more to bars and pubs. The beer was basically free, you were paying for where you were sitting. Renting by the hour, so to speak. Given that I could look out the window from home and admire the harbour, etc, I tended to drink in windowless basement type places which seems appropriate for my rep around here.
Yeah, those underground places in HK .... usually you’re paying for something else.
Now that I think about it there were an awful lot of them.
It was the above ground places that seemed to have the added "attractions". The Captain's bar at the Mandarin Oriental always seemed to have a disproportionate number of friendly Russian ladies for example. I was informed of this fact by my wife, not from personal experience of course.
And we / I have managed to bring a restaurant thread down to hooker level. The lodge is nice though, they just spelt it wrong.
I remember with nostalgia a big Christmas lunch at Mandarin Grill, just before they did away with it in its original form. Must have been around 2006.
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@Hooroo Made it to Culprit last night. Really good. We splashed it on a dozen each of the tempura and raw oyster sides then got the trolley selection. The tempura oysters were the standout of the night. They really now how to put flavours together. Thanks for the recommendation!
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@jc said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@Hooroo Made it to Culprit last night. Really good. We splashed it on a dozen each of the tempura and raw oyster sides then got the trolley selection. The tempura oysters were the standout of the night. They really now how to put flavours together. Thanks for the recommendation!
Brilliant. Glad you enjoyed. We are going back on Saturday night. Can’t wait.
If you’re in Wellington, try Shepard. It is my equal favourite along side Ortega.
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@hooroo said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@jc said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@Hooroo Made it to Culprit last night. Really good. We splashed it on a dozen each of the tempura and raw oyster sides then got the trolley selection. The tempura oysters were the standout of the night. They really now how to put flavours together. Thanks for the recommendation!
Brilliant. Glad you enjoyed. We are going back on Saturday night. Can’t wait.
If you’re in Wellington, try Shepard. It is my equal favourite along side Ortega.
Will keep Shepherd in mind. Just had a look at the menu and it reminded me a bit of my favourite London restaurant Scully.
There were a couple of dishes that sounded very similar but with more 'standard' versions of ingredients. Prices certainly reflected that.https://www.shepherdrestaurant.co.nz/menu
https://www.scullyrestaurant.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Scully_Food_Menu-1.pdf -
@crucial said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@hooroo said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@jc said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@Hooroo Made it to Culprit last night. Really good. We splashed it on a dozen each of the tempura and raw oyster sides then got the trolley selection. The tempura oysters were the standout of the night. They really now how to put flavours together. Thanks for the recommendation!
Brilliant. Glad you enjoyed. We are going back on Saturday night. Can’t wait.
If you’re in Wellington, try Shepard. It is my equal favourite along side Ortega.
Will keep Shepherd in mind. Just had a look at the menu and it reminded me a bit of my favourite London restaurant Scully.
There were a couple of dishes that sounded very similar but with more 'standard' versions of ingredients. Prices certainly reflected that.https://www.shepherdrestaurant.co.nz/menu
https://www.scullyrestaurant.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Scully_Food_Menu-1.pdfGive it a crack. It’s worth it. Again, we sat at the kitchen bar and it was fascinating to me. (I imagine it wouldn’t excite you as much given your culinary past)
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@hooroo said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@crucial said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@hooroo said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@jc said in Restaurant Recommendations:
@Hooroo Made it to Culprit last night. Really good. We splashed it on a dozen each of the tempura and raw oyster sides then got the trolley selection. The tempura oysters were the standout of the night. They really now how to put flavours together. Thanks for the recommendation!
Brilliant. Glad you enjoyed. We are going back on Saturday night. Can’t wait.
If you’re in Wellington, try Shepard. It is my equal favourite along side Ortega.
Will keep Shepherd in mind. Just had a look at the menu and it reminded me a bit of my favourite London restaurant Scully.
There were a couple of dishes that sounded very similar but with more 'standard' versions of ingredients. Prices certainly reflected that.https://www.shepherdrestaurant.co.nz/menu
https://www.scullyrestaurant.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Scully_Food_Menu-1.pdfGive it a crack. It’s worth it. Again, we sat at the kitchen bar and it was fascinating to me. (I imagine it wouldn’t excite you as much given your culinary past)
Not at all. We used to sit at the kitchen at Scully as well. You get introduced to the chefs and chat with them. Apart from asking detail about the odd ingredient or what had been done to it (if you look at the menu you will understand) we usually just had 'normal' conversation.
The Barbary (Neal's Yard) was completely set around the kitchen as is Barrafina (although they work on a small plates type setup so more like a cross between Tapas and a Restaurant) -
i love watching a commercial kitchen. Sat next to an open one in St Kilda a couple of years back. I was fascinated by their hot plate. Over actual coals, on a pully system so they moved it up and down depending on what they were cooking. It was awesome.
Fucking great meal too from memory (i also drank a skinfull)
