noelb's Profile
Ubud fine dining/ Mosaic
Hi
dinner at Mosaic last night, the discovery menu.
Emphasis on local ingredients /flavours. Purportedly 6 courses , more like 8 or 9 with bits and pieces.
5 of the 6 courses formidably good...inventive takes on the local flavours , varying from the delicate to the robust, beautiful presentation , excellent service.
With a bottle of Billecart Salmon ( great wine list, by the bye) around $400 AUD. Ruinous by local standards, a steal by Australian/US/ French comparators of similar quality...
Highly recommended.
At a far more basic level, but just as much fun in its own way , the suckling pig at Ibu Oka , opposite the Royal Palace, is a quintessentially porky experience not to be missed. ($20 for two with beers)
Would welcome suggestions for the next couple of days..comfortable at any point between the above two brackets.
Coffee/breakfast in Perth CBD
thanks to all chow hounds who replied, very helpful.
seriously good coffee at velvet , pedestrian food..as you predicted.rather offhand service, but I was there just after6:30 am opening(attending a conference with those drafted breakfast sessions) so maybe service with a smile is an unreasonable ask.
took friends to must for dinner , food a little patchy( twice cooked lobster souffle with a bisque sauce read better than it ate), but mains were excellent ,great
wine list and competent service.
nam Thai alone for dinner last night, so so soft shell crab, an excellent duck curry.
a glass of Victorian Shiraz proffered was corked, replaced without demur from a fresh and lovely bottle.
service patchy..highly professional from some, amateurish at best from junior( I imagine casual ) staff.
contemplating middle eastern for a change of pace tonight, but hard pressed to find anything looking tempting.
Where are the best message boards about Australian Dining Options for folks like us - chowhoundish types?
Sorry , Seans Panorama is correct..still loveable
Coffee/breakfast in Perth CBD
Nedina Grand , mount bay rd.. but happy to take a cab for the right spot!
Coffee/breakfast in Perth CBD
In perth next week for a conference . So far booked Must and Nam Thai for 2 of 4 available dinners.
Additional suggestions welcomed..catholic tastes.
Crucial , however , is coffe for breakfast.
Good food as well would be nice , and freshly squeezed OJ even better , but the coffee hit is essential.
Where are the best message boards about Australian Dining Options for folks like us - chowhoundish types?
Hi
I live in Melbourne but was in Sydney a few weeks ago..second the recommendation for pendolino..excellent italiian in a lovely old Victorian arcade..and Kylie Kong is noisy but reliably very good modern asian food.
MsG is funky , with a young crowd and interesting modern asian food.
Seans Pavilion is a bit of a cab ride from the CBD , but near a glorious pre dinner walk along the cliffs, from Bondi (the archtypal autralian beach) to coogee .and IMO the foods is outstanding..honest and crafstsmanlike.
Are you going to melbourne? happy to make some local suggestions.
I am going to San Francisco This weekend? any great chow ideas
We ate at the Cafe Bella Venezia this evening, based on this recommendation. The food is honest , excellent quality ingredients carefully and authentically prepared.
The decor basic, and the service a bit slow and gruff.
Since we eat out principally for the food , it was an unexpectedly excellent experience, especially at the price point, which is absurdly modest for the food quality and the position.
Thanks for the recommendation, great place!
Help with a chinese restaurant
Hmmm..doesn't sound as though its as good now as i recall it from previuos visits
?alternatives you would recommend..we're Australian , widely eaten in SE asia with a predilection especially for Hawker style (singapore, KL, HK) and northern chinese food
hanks
Help with a chinese restaurant
Hi
Visiting SF for 4 days , last here about 10 and 15 years ago.
On both those occasions we ate at a little "hole in the wall" Chinese restaurant, on the periphery of Chinatown if I recall correctly. Extremely busy with a substantial queue outside the door, very crowded and doing great food with many of the recipes using Tsing Tao beer as a base ingredient.
Is it still in business? If so , if anybody recognizes it from my admittedly vague description, is it still good and could I get an address?
Also grateful for other suggestions , especially northern chinese .Eating at Zuni one night , other thoughts also welcome.
Thanks
Noel B
Good Asian near the Pan Pacific hotel
Hi
we are passing through Vancouver tomorrow , sadly only for a day. We are Australians with a wide experience of great asian food, with catholic tastes.
Have just spent 3 months touring Europe and North America , and seriously starved of good asian food.
Would like recs for a really good Hong Kong style yum cha , and for dinner something at the spicy end , say hawker style malysian/nonya or (if really good) Japanese.Preferably( but not mandatory) near the Pan Pacific, which I gather is on the Bay downtown.
Have heard very good things about Vancouver ethnic food , hope to prove them right!
Thanks in advance
noelb
Advise sought
Hi
Thankyou, this proved to be an excellent bit of advice. The food was excellent if not stellar , the service competent and amusing.
Great wine list and I was bemused and delighted to be confronted by d'Quem by the glass. Sadly , the wine itself ("95) was less than inspiring , and inferior to many "lesser " sauternes I've come across.The accompanying Austrian eiswein in the flight of 3, on the other hand, was remarkable.
Nonetheless, overall a very satisfactory experience.
en passant , we ate at Spice Market last night. We speak from a considerable experience of Asian food , especially the street food of Singapore, Hong Kong , mainland China and Thailand/Vietnam .
Attractive venue , courteous and prompt service (not a universal experience, judging by other posts).
The food was very patchy , some excellent, but the balance of flavours , especially the sour/sweet/salt/hot balance sought after in Thai food ,was often astray.
They wouldn't survive long in a city with a serious asian food culture.
Advise sought
Hi
we are in Manhattan for 4 days , have a reservation at Peasant one night.
We like high end food of almost any origin , decor and (to a lesser extent ) service inconsequential.
Cant get a booking at Per Se (there's a surprise) but would like to try a serious Manhattan restaurant, at the end of a 3 month tour of Europe with some wonderful (and, of course , some truly terrible ) food.
Any suggestions ? Lunch or dinner would be OK , $ not a significant issue.
Extended trip through France
Should add that we also ate at La Regalade near Port D'Orlean , acceptable but not as good to our taste as Cez Ami Jean
Extended trip through France
Hi
we have just completed an extended European trip , and thought it might be worth posting our food experiences of the french portion (a veil is best drawn queitly over the rest..Croatia, Romania, Czech Republic, Berlin .Budapest better,but not great.
In Paris we ate at Helene Darrozze , and were somewhat disappointed. Excellent meal at Chez Ami Jean .Just out of Grenoble we had a stellar meal at La Tour des Sens .. the meal of the trip.
In Avinon, Christian Etienne was good but not spectacular. We had a delightful meal at L'Isle de Sonnante , however , and another very good one in Villeneuve just outside Avignon at L'Estaminet..highly recommended.
Finally , in Lyon we loved the overall experience at Bouchon Le Garet , although the food was a little patchy.
Apart from La Tour Des Sens and Helene Darroze , all the above were gleaned from the Chowhound boards and we thank ever contributor for their help.
Visiting Qubec city
Hi
Visiting QC from Australia for the first time , for 4 days. Is there anywhere doing good cajun style/influenced food.?
Also grateful for recs for seriously good coffee /breakfast spots , and for ethnic food..have been traveling in France and now Canada for 10 weeks, getting a little fatigued with foie gras!
Ate at Chasse et peche last night ..excellent food and service.
Thanks in advance
Provence cooking schools and restaurants
We are in Avignon at present , delightful meal with good service a L'Isle Sonnante , about E 100 for two with wine, modern & subtle food, the only (relative) disappointment was a less than stellar cheese plate.
In Villeneuve, within easy walking distance of central Avignon, we ate similarly good food at L'estaminet. This time formidable cheese , charming small restaurant and sevice.
Lunch tomorrow at Christian Etienne , will follow up
