Restaurant

[tcad1]

In 1996 we were in Sydney for several days and enjoyed it a great deal. Near the Rocks at the pier there was a sign that advertised a restaurant and a boat that would take you to it from that locations. We always wanted to go but were unable to do so. We will be back next year and would like to have dinner at the restaurant. Does anyone know the name of the place or what we are talking about?

 

Thanks!

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Does anyone know the name of the place or what we are talking about?

 

 

I think you may be asking about Doyles Seafood Restaurant.The main one is at Watsons Bay,to which you can travel by ferry,and they have another one on the Wharf at the Circular Quay Cruise Terminal.

Here is a link to their web site

 

http://www.doyles.com.au/

[stebul]

It was likely Doyles. I was there in 1994 and they had a boat that offered that service to Watson's Bay. This was right after the "and they don't take American Express" commercials were on here in the US. We took the Ferry from Circular Quay to Watson's Bay and ate at Doyle's, but I can't say it was anything special. We had better meals everywhere else we ate in Sydney for about half the price. Our thought was they were riding on the coattails of the TV commercial. Of course, that was 11+ years ago.

 

If you are looking for a boat ride on the harbor, take the public ferry to Manly Beach or Tauranga Zoo. If you are looking for a good meal, we walked through The Rocks, Chinatown and Darlinghurst when we got hungry, took our chances with what looked good, and were always very happy.

[tcad1]

Some good information.

 

Thanks for helping. Looking forward to returning down under next winter.

[Jane110]

It was likely Doyles. I was there in 1994 and they had a boat that offered that service to Watson's Bay. This was right after the "and they don't take American Express" commercials were on here in the US. We took the Ferry from Circular Quay to Watson's Bay and ate at Doyle's, but I can't say it was anything special. We had better meals everywhere else we ate in Sydney for about half the price. Our thought was they were riding on the coattails of the TV commercial. Of course, that was 11+ years ago.

 

If you are looking for a boat ride on the harbor, take the public ferry to Manly Beach or Tauranga Zoo. If you are looking for a good meal, we walked through The Rocks, Chinatown and Darlinghurst when we got hungry, took our chances with what looked good, and were always very happy.

 

I agree. Sydney has some of the best restaurants in the world and Doyles isn't one of them!

[Globaliser]

I agree. Sydney has some of the best restaurants in the world and Doyles isn't one of them!

Although Doyle's at the Quay, which is on the ground floor at the northern (Harbour Bridge) end of the International Passenger Terminal, does have the most spectacular location and view, if - and this is a big if on this board! - there is no ship docked at the IPT that day. It is pricier than the Watsons Bay restaurant, as you would expect, but on a warm sunny day when you can sit out in the breeze and watch the bridge, the Opera House and all the activity on the harbour ...

[Jane110]

The OP wants dinner with a view and there are many places in the Sydney harbour for that, at all price ranges.

Doyle's, IMO, is existing on longetivity and the fact that it's listed in all the tour guides, not because it's good. It's not terrible, but the food in Sydney is so incredible, why settle for "not terrible"?

 

Just the opinion of an Aussie cuisine lover.

 

Jane

[turtlemichael]

Although it may be drawing a slightly long bow, I had a meal last year at Sardi's in your city and I certainly didn't go for the food! Doyles is a bit of an icon and if you go expecting a pleasant evening but not great food, then you wont be disappointed.

[boards]

Would you please name a few of the restaurants other than Doyles, that any of you like. We will be there in Dec. of 2006. Still have time to plan and would like to start now.

[Jane110]

Boards,

 

If you're really a "foodie" and would like one "over the top" dining experience in Sydney, then Tetsuya's would be the place. It's a fusion of japanese/french/aussie cooking. It's been voted the #1 restaurant in Australia for many years in a row.

 

I'm a huge fan of Mod-Oz cuisine (modern aussie fusion) and some of my favorite places are RockPools, Bistro Mars and Salt. MG Garage has wonderful aussie/medit cuisine and you're sitting in an MG showroom too.

 

For a very casual pub meal I like Paddington's on Oxford Street and Phillips Foote on Georges Street. Sydney has some great thai food and Sailor Thai is excellent.

 

For a pricey high-end dining experience in a gorgeous Aborigine inspired decor w/ a fabulous view, eat at Bennelongs in the Opera House.

 

A "Don't Miss" experience is Harry's Cafe de Wheels. That's a now-permanent truck parked by the docks that makes and sells pie's. Wonderful quick lunch or snack. Any cab driver will know where to go. It's open til the wee hours.

 

I'll be back in Australia in Feb. so if you remember, ask me again after my trip. Maybe I'll have some new places to suggest!

 

Jane

[boards]

Thank you, I will for sure be back. We probably fall in the catergory of the casual diner. So will be looking to not stray too far from normal foods. I want to try different foods, to a limit that is, but my wife doesn't, so we will have a problem no doubt. I watched a travel programme recently on Melbourne, and I am a little concerned.

[Jane110]

Thank you, I will for sure be back. We probably fall in the catergory of the casual diner. So will be looking to not stray too far from normal foods. I want to try different foods, to a limit that is, but my wife doesn't, so we will have a problem no doubt. I watched a travel programme recently on Melbourne, and I am a little concerned.

 

Australia is for the most part, a casual country. The dress code at most upscale restaurants is "smart casual". Very few places require a jacket or tie.

 

I don't know what you consider "normal" foods. Are you perhaps refering to the "strange" parts of the animal that many europeans use - tripe, pigs snout, etc? Aussie's generally don't use these parts of the animal so there's not a lot of unreccognized animal parts that will be put before you. However, they do have incredible seafood and fish varieties that can't be found here, like barramundi fish and coral trout and then shell fish like Morton Bay Bugs and Yabbies which don't differ so much than our shrimp and lobster. Of course, they have wonderful lamb too. They do grow some of the best vegetables and most unusual fruits I've ever had.

 

Melbourne, IMO, is even a more exciting food scene that Sydney. If you're planning on going there, then I'd be happy to recommend some of my favorite places there as well. What are your food concerns for that city?

 

There are plenty of pie shops, and sandwich places, but it seems a shame to travel half way around the world to the hotbed of the most exciting cuisine in the world is being produced and exisit on pizza. But, whatever makes you happy, you'll find it.

 

Jane

[cathi]

O.K. for all of us ignoramouses out there, what in the world is a "pie" shop? I'm thinking it is very different than our version of pie, ie. apple pie. Is it a snack or a meal?

[boards]

Thank you again Jane110. It is hard to describe what we will want to eat and I can assure you it is not pizza. We have of late (due to dieting) grown to like fish, but what we don't want is to have the fish brought to us with the head on. That happened to us in Mexico and we couldn't eat it, sent it back to have the head removed. We want to try your food, but we will want to know what it is and if it is like you suggested (parts of an animal) we may just have to resort to pizza. We are interested to know about the "pie shop". My wife was to England and enjoyed some steak pie that they had there. Is that about what your suggesting?

[Jane110]

O.K. for all of us ignoramouses out there, what in the world is a "pie" shop? I'm thinking it is very different than our version of pie, ie. apple pie. Is it a snack or a meal?

 

Sorry, didn't mean to confuse. An Aussie pie comes from it's british heritage..as in a meat pie. It's often made with beef or lamb inside pie pastry. It's not cut slice like we have here from fruit pies, but rather each one is baked in it's own individual tin. The closest "relative" we have here would be a "pot pie"....as in chicken pot pie, beef pot pie.

 

Pie is sort of the national heritage dish of Australia in the same way we associate fish 'n chips with the UK. In Oz, pies are sold everywhere we might have hot dogs in the US - ball games, zoo's, parks, etc.

 

Casual restaurants will have pie on the menu and it's traditionally served with "mushy" peas, "pie and peas", and it's often then covered in gravy. Harry's Cafe de Wheels only sells pies but has quite a few variety's.....but none of them would have fruit or be eaten for dessert.

 

New Zealand also has a lot of pies - probably even more than Australia since it's food is even more closely tied to Britain's.

 

Jane

[Jane110]

Thank you again Jane110. It is hard to describe what we will want to eat and I can assure you it is not pizza. We have of late (due to dieting) grown to like fish, but what we don't want is to have the fish brought to us with the head on. That happened to us in Mexico and we couldn't eat it, sent it back to have the head removed. We want to try your food, but we will want to know what it is and if it is like you suggested (parts of an animal) we may just have to resort to pizza. We are interested to know about the "pie shop". My wife was to England and enjoyed some steak pie that they had there. Is that about what your suggesting?

 

I said that the Aussies *don't* tend the use the "odd" pars of the animals that I've seen served in Europe but that we don't generally eat in the US.

 

As for the fish, Coral Trout and Barramundi are the 2 you'll see most and since they are large fish, you'll get a filet slice (like you would get a salmon filet here). Bugs and yabbies are small crustaceons so you'll have to take them out of the shell yourself. You won't get served a whole fish w/ it's head on unless the menu specifies it ("whole grilled fish") and then , that's usually in the asian restaurants.

 

Since they speak english, you won't have any language barriers and can ask all the questions you like. There are a few word differences, but any guide book will point them out...... chicken is "chook", arrugula is "rocket", "short black" is espresso, etc. A Milk Bar is a convenience store like a bodega or a 7/11.

 

Some small differences in Aussie/American eating: Here in the US we use the word "entree" incorrectly, the word entree means to start and should be the first course not the main. In Oz, they use the word correctly and so "entree" is your appetizer and the main course is called "Main". Aussies don't eat salad before their meal, it's eaten as a side dish or afterwards. If you're going to want bread, you have to ask for it unless it's a place accustomed to americans.

 

Many Australian restaurants allow you to BYOB and tipping is pretty non-existant.

 

Yes, a pie is close to it's british cousin. See my other post about pie's.

 

Jane

[boards]

Sorry for the double post

[boards]

Sounds like I have said something I shouldn't have regarding the kind of food that would be served in their country and I apologize for having offended you.

[Jane110]

Sounds like I have said something I shouldn't have regarding the kind of food that would be served in their country and I apologize for having offended you.

 

 

No, no no. You didn't offend me at all! I was just clarifying what I believed to be a miscommunication between us. I said that the Aussies typically DON'T serve some of the more "unusual" parts of the animal that is often served in Europe and your response to that was..........

 

"We want to try your food, but we will want to know what it is and if it is like you suggested (parts of an animal) we may just have to resort to pizza"

 

which led me to believe that you misunderstood me. So I was just clearing things up in the message after that. Goodness, certainly no offense.

 

Just wanted you to look forward to trying some great aussie cuisine without worrying about strange "innards" showing up on your plate! LOL!!!

 

Jane

[Jane110]

Although it may be drawing a slightly long bow, I had a meal last year at Sardi's in your city and I certainly didn't go for the food! Doyles is a bit of an icon and if you go expecting a pleasant evening but not great food, then you wont be disappointed.

 

I understand.

 

Where in Queensland are you? ANywhere near Port Douglas? They certainly have some fine restaurants there! Our favorites are Nautilus, 4FISH and Salsa.

 

Jane

[Globaliser]

Jane seems to have this all under control, so there's little for me to add. But just a handful of suggestions and point:-

 

AFAIK, MG Garage has now closed. I remembered reading about this the last time I was in Sydney, and this article seems to confirm that, and says that a restaurant called XO has moved in.

 

There's a restaurant upstairs from the Circular Quay branch of Doyle's called Quay. The food is quite good, but the view of the Opera House is the real draw. Quite pricey, but probably worth it for the wow factor. There are now a number of other restaurants in the International Passenger Terminal, but I haven't tried any of them yet; most of them look young, trendy and noisy.

 

For restaurants with views, you might also try Aqua Dining. You'd need to get a train over the bridge to Milsons Point - or you could just walk over the bridge, of course! Two other suggestions for good restaurants with views: Altitude (at the Shangri-La Hotel) and 41, although both of these may be a little more formal than boards would like.

 

One other casual dining place which may be interesting is Bistro Moncur, in the Woollahra Hotel on Queen Street. This isn't far from the centre of town, and I think has been consistently well-received since it opened. Although it's been a few years since I last went, I always liked it there. They don't take reservations: Either go early, or go with the expectation that you'll have time for a leisurely pre-dinner drink. (Another Aussie note: This is a "hotel" in the sense of a "pub" - although "pub" is hardly a appropriate way to describe this very pleasant establishment. Many Aussie pubs are traditionally called hotels because of licensing restrictions in days gone by.)

[boards]

Thanks again Jane, my wife is looking forward to this trip, she has been trying to convince me to go there for a number of years. I know there is so much of interest, it is going to be a problem trying to determine just what to take it in the short period of time we will have there. We will be on the Statendam for a 14 day cruise which will give us a look at both NZ and Australia with an additional short week in Australia. We have lots of preparation (enjoyable) to do to prepare for it.

[Jane110]

Globaliser,

 

Thanks for the update on MG Garage and thanks for the links to the magazine articles. I'm in the process of making plans for our 6th trip to Australia in February and like to have some dining plans mapped out before I get there. I"ve already noted some very interesting finds in both Sydney and Melbourne and found a "Best" list that covers all of Oz. We'll be visiting Perth for the first time and see some nice choices for that area.

In Sydney, we usually stay at the 4 Seasons (fka The Regent) which is right next to the Shangrila, so I'll check out the places there. I tend to stay away from hotel restaurants, although Kables in the 4 Seasons is very good.

I love the buzz of the Sydney dining scene, though I actually prefer the Melbourne dining scene better, it's a little more mellow.

 

 

Boards,

 

I'm glad you're spending some post-cruise days in Oz. I hope you'll be getting to Melbourne which is my favorite city.

NZ is spectacularly beautiful and I hope some of your cruise shore excursions bring you to places like Rotorua and Napier. IMO, the food in NZ is quite disappointing and our best meals were in the ethnic restaurants where we found some very good thai and indian meals.

 

Happy Travels!

Jane

[turtlemichael]

Jane et al

 

I regard myself as a bit of a foodie and will happily give some advice if anyone expressess interest on what I think are worthwhile places in Sydney, Brisbane and to a lesser extent Melbourne and certainly Port Douglas/Cairns. It's so much a personal preference. I'm in LA for a few days will do it next week! Eating at Luques tomorrow night if anyone knows the LA one.

 

All the best from la lal land.

[Jane110]

Jane et al

 

I regard myself as a bit of a foodie and will happily give some advice if anyone expressess interest on what I think are worthwhile places in Sydney, Brisbane and to a lesser extent Melbourne and certainly Port Douglas/Cairns. It's so much a personal preference. I'm in LA for a few days will do it next week! Eating at Luques tomorrow night if anyone knows the LA one.

 

All the best from la lal land.

 

Turtlemichael,

 

I'd love some recommendations from you. No rush as my trip isn't until February.

I'd love some Sydney and Melbourne recommendations. I've already listed some of my Sydney faves in a prior post.

 

In Melbourne I just love MoMo's and Ezard at Adelphi is also great. I also like the Richmond Hill Larder for lunch. I've also been to Donovans and Flower Drum. I hear there's a new place in the Windsor Hotel that supposed to be good (though I don't recall the name).

 

In Queensland, we stay at Silky Oaks Lodge in Mossman and get to Port Douglas, and would like your recommendations there.

 

I'm not familar w/ Lucques in LA. Should I be? I'll be in LA in the next few months, so I'd love to hear about it.

 

THanks,

Jane