Sydney, Canberra and Alice Springs
I will be traveling to Australia the first week of February. 2 nights in Sydney at the Vibe Hotel (North Sydney), 3 nights at the Hotel Realm in Canberra, and 2 nights in Alice Springs at the Crowne Plaza. I would appreciate dinner recommendations near each of the hotels. I will have a rental car in both Canberra and Alice Springs, but would prefer options within walking distance in both Sydney and Canberra.
Not looking for gourment dining, just good food at reasonable prices. Seafood and Thai are preferred, but I enjoy all cuisines.
Thanks in advance!
By Philber
on Jan 13, 2012 02:26 PM
View »
If cheap and close is all you're after, there's a bunch of cheap little thai places around Milson's Point (just below N. Sydney), but I don't think any are above average.
If you want something chow-worthy, you'll need to take the train over the bridge into the CBD (city centre). The top recommendation for Thai in Sydney is usually Spice I Am on the edge of Surry Hills (get off at Town Hall or Central and walk to 90 Wentworth Ave. from there). Be prepared to wait in a queue for at least 20 minutes, because it's tiny and very popular. There's also a bunch of other places that rate well among people who appreciate a really authentic Thai cooking style. In no particular order,
Thanon Khao San, 413 Pitt Street
Chat Thai, 20 Campbell
Home, 299 Sussex
Saap Thai, 378 Pitt Street
House, 202 Elizabeth Street (close to Spice I Am, and run by the same people, but specialising in Issan fare)
You might also want to consider trying Malaysian food while you are here. It's something Sydney does well, and something you don't find well represented in most US cities (it looks like you might be from NV, based on some of your posts).
Mamak, 15 Goulburn St. (also a location on the North Shore in Chatswood) is great for trying roti and curry.
Malay Chinese, 50-58 Hunter Street has amazing laksa.
Jimmy's Recipe, 500 George also for laksa
Kopitiam, 594 Harris St, Ultimo
Permalink | Reply
Thanks for the recommendations and for doing a bit of research.... Yes, I live in Las Vegas.
I was in Sydney in June and ate at Sailor Thai, but everyone I spoke with after said there were better options; and that the prices we paid were too high. Does Spice I Am have much seating? Just curious because of the 20 minute wait - not bad by Vegas standards!
I hadn't thought of Malaysian food - you're correct not too many places in the US have this cuisine. This is definitely on the list of options!
Permalink | Reply
Spice I Am is small, but their service style is from the school of "you finish, now leave" and people order whilst waiting in the queue. It's quite expensive, but nowhere near Sailors Thai (which is very good, just expensive). Chat Thai has long waits as well at peak times - especially on Mondays when Spice I Am is closed..
Permalink | Reply
Yes, Sailor Thai was very good and we enjoyed the family style dining where we all shared one table. Thank you for the note on ordering from the queue - not done here in the States!
Spice I Am is at the top of the list for Sydney, now on to Canberra and Alice Springs!
Permalink | Reply
A point of clarification. You ate at Sailor Thai Canteen not the restaurant: they are quite different. The Canteen has a big shared table, but the downstairs restaurant is more refined with more sophisticated (better) food. I think the Canteen has lost its way a bit. Thai Town now has better casual food with Spice, House, Chaat etc, and the denstairs restaurant and Longrain deliver upmarket better. So Canteen is a bit lost in the middle. I used to love it, and wish it would rediscover its authenticity.
Also Interesting to see Sydneys thai food get into the Saveur Top 100: http://www.saveur.com/article/kitchen...
Permalink | Reply
You are correct, I just couldn't remember the name of the "Canteen". We found the food to be good at the Canteen; however, it was around $180 US for dinner for two and we didn't splurge! Seemed a bit high for 3 dishes and a few glasses of wine.....
Permalink | Reply
Three dishes each at $27 a dish or three dishes and a quite a few wines at $40 a bottle...? I must admit $180 at the canteen seems high.
Permalink | Reply
We had four glasses of wine; don't recall the price point. We had the green papaya salad with dried shrimp, stir fried prawns with chili sauce and one more entree that doesn't pop to mind. We also had an appetizer of some sort. Still seemed high, but as stated previously we enjoyed the food.
Permalink | Reply
I live in both North Sydney and Canberra. As far as walking distance restaurants from Vibe i would have to recommend Nu's Thai. It is modern thai food and more expensive than other thai restaurants in Sydney but very tasty. As far as Canberra is concerned the Ottoman (turkish) has a good reputation and is in the same suburb as realm.
Permalink | Reply
Thanks for the recommendations. I have never tried Turkish cuisine. Looking forward to it.
Permalink | Reply
Any suggestions for Alice Springs?
Permalink | Reply
That's wishful thinking. See my previous posts on The Alice.
Permalink | Reply
Yikes, doesn't sound promising..... Thanks for the insight.
Permalink | Reply
Actually, its not that bad - but you're not going there for the food, so don't expect anything above pub food. The recommendations you'll find by searching are still current.
Permalink | Reply