Restaurants in Australia & New Zealand

We were thinking last night that we should run down all the great restaurants we've been to while on holiday.  Just in case we come back or if you ever visit, you know where to go.  Some of these are casual and some are a little more nice, but there is a good mix.  We've learned to never ask for the "dives" here - they send you to Burger King.  Our idea of casual is VERY different than their's.  What we would think is a nice more upscale restaurant, is casual to the Aussie's.  In New Zealand, almost everything is "casual."  Even though the atmosphere of the restaurants are extremely nice, the people are laid-back wearing their fleece jackets and birkenstocks!

Port Douglas:
Finz - http://www.finzportdouglas.com/
Seafood
Open Air Restaurant/no AC
We highly reccomend the baked macadamia nut barramundi, it is excellent!
Casual

Mango Jam - http://www.mangojam.com.au/
Australian, family restaurant
Nice Patio/AC inside
Pizza is amazing - check out the "veg out."  Fish & chips are also very good.  They also have mango daquiries during happy hour!!!
Casual

Tortilla's Cucina -
Mexican
Patio/take away counter, very small
HUGE portions, 1 taco is enough, maybe even too much after the salsa/chips (which you have to pay for), Margaritas here are not recommneded, too much syrup, not enough tequila.  Guac is spicy
Casual

Hog's Breath - http://www.hogsbreath.com.au/
Steak/Ribs
At the harbour boardwalk.  They have an outside patio that overlooks the marina, nice view.  Jeff and I will differ on this one, it reminded me of a Joe's Crab Shack or some bad chain in the states, I wasn't a fan.
Casual

Sydney:

Young Alfred - http://www.youngalfred.com.au/
Italian
Nice Patio/AC inside, located in the famous Custom House. 
Great pizza, try the "Betty" which is made with 100% organic stone ground flour, zucchini flowers, olives, and ricotta cheese.  EXCELLENT.  The basked eggplant appetizer is also a must.  Good wine list.
More upscale.  Trendy, but not too expensive (for Australia).

Wildfire - http://www.wildfiresydney.com/
Steak & Seafood (Churasso style)
Beautiful Atmosphere, sits right at Circular Quay overlooking the Opera House.  If the "WORLD" is in port, your view will be obstructed.
Great churasso style food.  The rub on the meats was really great, not too salty, but definitely had a great flavor.  Jeff says better than any other Brazilian steakhouse in Chicago!  Great wine list.
More upscale.  Very trendy, expensive.

Amaroma - http://www.amoroma.com.au/
Italian
Indoor/AC
Casual, tuscany style setting
Food was casual, everyday.  Great wine recommendation by management (who is great).  Tiramisu is made with a nut crust, very different, but good.
Casual.

Pony - http://www.ponydining.com.au/
Australian Fusion
Indoor and Outdoor Seating.  Patio heaters for chilly nights with communal seating.
AWESOME FOOD - this was our favorite by far.  You have to get the following:
Grilled Chorizo, BBQ Chicken Skewers with Cajun Salsa and Creme Fraiche, Kurabuta Pork Shoulder.....we still dream of this dinner.
Trendy

Fish at the Rocks - http://www.fishattherocks.com.au/
Seafood
Indoor Seating
20 year old restaurat located in the rocks.  Quant home-like setting.  Excellent Barbeque Moreton Bay bugs, definitely a must have.  Sit down stairs for a cooler experience (literally, AC is not too strong)

Il Putino -
Bondi Beach
Italian
Outdoor Seating only
This place looks totally crappy from the outside, almost didn't stop; however, the food is excellent.  We had the BEST pesto pasta that we've ever had here.  Literally, it was so good we wanted more!  They make their own pasta here, so the pasta is fresh and cooked al dente.  We HIGHLY recommend this place.  There really isn't much atmosphere, since you sit outside, but it's in Bondi, which is already a cool and hipster place to be!

Christchurch:

Keo Thai -
Thai
Indoor Seating/Garden - indoor atmosphere is blah. 
Both NZ and Australia have a huge Asian population and many of their restaurants are influenced by asian cuisine.  Considering this, we decided to try thai food in Christchurch.  We went to the first Thai restaurant established in Christchurch NZ.  Unfortunately the service was so terrible, that it also altered our opinions on the food.  It was so terrible that our meal was free....not recommended.

Fox Glacier:

Cook Saddle Saloon & Cafe -
American Style Saloon - All Kinds of Food
Indoor/Outdoor Seating - great to sit by the fireplace on a cold day.
AMAZING Chicken Wings!!!!  Atmosphere is a plus, very cozy and friendly atmosphere.

Lake Matheson Cafe - http://www.lakematheson.com/pages/8/cafe.htm
Steak/Seafood
Go here for the beautiful walk to Lake Matheson or the views of Mt Cook.  Food is not so great, but the staff is very friendly.  Dessert looked great - blackberry and blueberry molten chocolate cake. 

Haast:
Hard Antler Bar and Restaurant -
Everyday food/pub
GREAT fish n chips, plus a great salad bar with peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, chips, salad, and cole slaw.  They had the BEST cole slaw ever!!!!
Queenstown:

Fergberger - http://www.fergburger.com/fullscreen.html
Burger Joint (they also have lamb, chicken, tofu, fish burgers)
Take Away, a few seats on the front sidewalk and inside, but meant to take away and eat elsewhere
Jeff gave this place an A+++++, he was in love, and wanted to eat here everyday...wait we almost did. LOL!  Great burger, the meat is all organic and grain fed.  Chicken is free range and is also quite good.  Highly recommended, but if you go here you will know this, the line is always long.  Grab a Speights pint to go along with your burger and maybe some garlic alioli for your fries!

Seafood Boarwalk - http://www.boardwalk.net.nz/
Seafood
Indoor/AC, located inside Steamer's Wharf.  Great view of the Remarkables Mountain Chain, the lake and Queenstown bay.  This restaurant has a 5 star review.  We did not find it worthy of this review.  The staff and the seating was great, but the rock lobster seemed to be a little fishy and the steak was tough.  Maybe it was just a bad cut of meat/lobster, so give it a try.  It has received great ratings and awards from all over NZ. 
Upscale, pricey
Gibbston Valley Wines - http://www.gvcheese.co.nz/index.htm & http://www.gvwines.co.nz/
Winery/Restaurant/Cheese Shop
Indoor/Outdoor Garden Seating.  Absolutely beautiful!!!
We had the most amazing time here.  Definitely go to the cheese shop and order a cheese plate and a few glasses of pinot.  Sit outside in the vineyard, if weather permits.  We recommend the Kawarau Blue, Garlic and Chive Gouda, and Wakatipu White Brie.  It also comes with a tasty pesto sauce for dipping...YUM!  Beautiful setting, great wine, yummy cheese!!!

Vudo Cafe - http://www.vudu.co.nz/
Cafe/Breakfast
Indoor/Outdoor Seating
Famous breakfast spot, AWESOME FOOD!  Eggs Benedict on crispy sour dough and blackberry/blueberry/lemon pancakes are to die for!  A spot you cannot pass up!!!!

Brazz on the Green - http://www.queenstown-nz.co.nz/information/product/?product=brazz-on-the-green
Contemporary/Modern
Indoor/Outdoor modern seating
We didn't have dinner here, just a few aps.  Chicken wings and spin/art dip are really great!
Fun, hip setting.  Sit and watch people on the green

Bella Cucina - http://www.bellacucina.co.nz/
Italian
Indoor Seating, very quant, but small inside.
Good, but everyday pasta and pizza.  A nice place to go when you're feeling low key and want something simple.  Good spaghetti with lemon/oil/chili sauce!
Casual.

Day 16 - Sydney, Australia

Today was our last day in Sydney and the last full day of our Holiday.  We are sad, but ready to get home. 

We spent the day exploring the parts of Sydney that we missed when we were here the first time.  We got a closer look at the Sydney Opera House.  I know this may be bad to say, but we don't find this to be a very attractive building.  Don't get me wrong, its design is cool and hip, it just doesn't have the old-world history that most opera houses have.  This is probably because it was built in 1957.  The best thing it has going for it, is the beautiful Sydney Harbor backdrop.  Although, it is interesting that when it was built it was built to be self cleaning.  The patterned tiles are never dirty because they clean themselves!  They were also made so that they can glow at night.  Very modern, unique, and it was listed as a World Heritage site in 2007, saying "…it stands by itself as one of the indisputable masterpieces of human creativity, not only in the 20th century but in the history of humankind.”

After the Opera House, we packed a bag for Bondi Beach.  Since we had already visited Manly, we wanted to be able to compare the two.  We just loved Bondi - full of shops, cafe's, outdoor markets with clothing, jewelry, hats, art.  It was so much fun!  Bondi Beach is about one km long and receives many visitors throughout the year. Surf Life Saving Australia has given different hazard ratings to Bondi Beach.  While the northern end has been rated a gentle 4 (with 10 as the most hazardous), the southern side is rated as a 7 due to a famous rip current known as the "Backpackers' Express" because of its proximity to the bus stop, and the unwillingness of tourists to walk the length of the beach to safer swimming. The south end of the beach is generally reserved for surfboard riding. Yellow and red flags define safe swimming areas, and visitors are advised to swim between them.  The surfers were definitely out yesterday!

Along the main drag there are a lot of outdoor cafe's.  We had a seat at Il Putino.  It looked like a total dive, but ended up being one of the best meals we've had on vacation!  We love BONDI!!!!!!  Bondi is a little more hip thant Manly and has more to offer; however, Manly is much more beautiful, known as the most beautiful coastline in Sydney.  I guess it would depend on what you are wanting to do because both beaches are spectactular!

We have a half day in Sydney tomorrow (Monday) and then we are catching the 3PM to Sanfrancisco.  We should be home around midnight CST.  It's going to be a long day, but so worth it.

XOXO
J&J

Day 15 - Queenstown, NZ AM & Sydney, Australia PM

Hi there - Yesterday wasn't too eventful, we had to travel from Queenstown to Christchurch back to Sydney.  Although the day did start off with a fire drill, literally.  Someone in our hotel hung their shirt from the fire detector, which then set the alarm off at 6:30AM!  It was kind of funny to see everyone come out, some in robes, others in boxer shorts, some in the party dresses they wore the night before, LOL. 

After a quick and FREE breakfast (the hotel felt badly about the alarm) we made our way to the airport.  After a few flights, we arrived beautiful Sydney around 4PM.  We decided to stay at the Shangri-La for this leg of the trip.  It's really nice.  There is a Japanese Garden, nice shops, and has a very well known bar on the top floor.  The view may also be better than when we were at the Four Seasons.

Since the day was almost gone, but it was Saturday night, we decided to check out a restaurant that our tour guide, Les, recommended last time we were here - Fish on the Rocks.  IT WAS DELICIOUS!!!  Guess what I ordered.......BUGS!  Yes, bugs.  LOL, they are not the "bugs" you and are I are thinking about.  They look similar to the crawfish back home.  Everyone just calls them bugs, which is so disgusting!!!  The Moreton Bay bug, also known as the Bay lobster, is a species of lobster found throughout the waters of Australia's north coast. It is served as a delicacy (similar to lobster) in many restaurants in Queensland and wider Australia.  They are nasty looking crustaceans, but they are sweet like crab (even sweeter) and firm like lobster.  Jeff thinks he likes them even more than both of those!  They served mine barbecued (which just means grilled) with sweet chili sauce and a lime vinegar sauce.  Aussies love their sauces!

After dinner we headed over to Darling Harbor.  It was rocking with people out for Saturday night.  We had a few cocktails at Watershed and then headed back to our hotel, as we wanted to check out this bar that everyone keeps talking about.  So we went up to the 35the floor of our hotel and when the elevator doors opened, it was like we were stepping into a new hotel.  Blu Bar on 36 is a well known icon in Sydney because of its design and uninterrupted panoramic views of Sydney's harbour.  The design is very sleek and trendy, with cool blue lights and white bar stools.  It was so packed that you had to put your name in to sit down!  It was fun, but we were tired, so after an hour or so we retired early....

Today, if the weather cooperates, we plan on hitting Bondi Beach and maybe later getting a closer look at the Opera House.  The weather is very strange here and the rain seems to be following us, so hopefully it passes and we can have a nice day at the beach.  I will report back with details...LOL.

We hope that you 2010 is off to a good start!

XOXO
J&J 

Day 14 - Queenstown, New Zealand

Happy New Year all!  We rang in the New Year in Queenstown last night, with a huge street party!  The weirdest thing for us is that it doesn't get dark here until 10:30PM.  Very strange to see people bar crawling during what seemed like the day.  Sun comes up around 4:30, so the days are very long here.  People were CRAZY here, yelling, screaming, dancing in the streets.  We sat at an Irish pub for most of the night, then ventured out to the street for the countdown.  It was a blast!  We didn't stay out to late because today was my big BUNGY day!!!!  Now that I've done it, I'm allowed to write about it, right?  LOL. 

We started the New Year's Day right, look at those blackberry and blueberry/lemon pancakes Jeff had for breakfast, they were the best pancakes I've ever had!!!

Now on to the bungy....IT WAS AWESOME!!!!  I won't say I wasn't scared, who wouldn't be?  I was juming off the Kawarau Bridge, which is 141 feet in the air over a steaming river!  Standing next to me was a kid who was 12 years old, bungy jumping with his dad.  He made me feel a little bit better, if a 12 year old can do it, I can do it!  The oldest person to bungy here was 94!!!!  I figured since it is the Adventure Capital of the World AND my Skydive was cancelled the day before, why the heck not?  Queenstown, AJ Hackett, is the founder of bungy and his first jump was off this very bridge, very cool.  I got a DVD and tons of photos.  Here are a few.  Bucket list CHECK and phew, I survived...LOL.

The rest of the day we walked around, had lunch outside, and sat in the Village green soaking up the sun.  It was a beautiful day today, very different than yesterday! 

We also took the Skyline Gondola up to the peak of Queenstown.  Very cool ride, you overlook the entire city and as far as Frankton Bay.  Lake Wakatipu is just beautiful, clear blue.  It's over 3 miles wide and 1310 feet deep, putting the lake floor below sea level!  It also rises and falls up to 12 cm every 5 minutes!

We just love this town, so laid back and has such a great vibe.  It has a small town feel, but has enough to keep everyone occupied.  No one wears heals or dresses to fancy, almost everyone walks around in yoga pants, running shoes, and fleeces....we love it.

We are off to Sydney tomorrow.  We have 3 days there and then back to reality.  Our to-do list for Sydney is already long (since we've already been there, we know what we missed).  It's been a great time in NZ, we are sad to leave this beautiful country.  The fact that only 4.4 million people live in this country and that over 75% of it is untouched, is remarkable.  I encourage anyone that can get out here to visit and experience the Kiwi lifestyle (that's what the locals say - it's their national bird and so cute).

Till tomorrow.

J&J 

Day 13 - Queenstown, New Zealand

Happy New Year!!!  We will be ringing in 2010 in less than 7 hours!  We will be the first ones in the world to ring it in!  They have a huge party on the village green here in Queenstown, with food, drinks and fireworks! 

Today was a light day so far.  I had planned to skydive with NZ Skydive this morning, got up at 8:30 for a 9:30 jump, travelled an hour out on Gorge road to the small skydive field.  I was one person behind when they cancelled the jumps for the day!!!  One girl actually went up and they brought her back down!  UGH.  Funny, the same people that we climbed the glacier with, were on my skydive coach!  Small world here in NZ.  The cloud base was just too low today to jump, the plane was only able to get to 7000 feet and we were jumping at 12000 feet today.  They can't drop you above the clouds, obviously, as they need to see where they are dropping you so that you don't land on the Remarkables mountain chain or in the lake!  I was so ready, had my suit and my gear all on....such a disappointment!  It has been rather cloudy here, so doing it tomorrow will probably not happen either.  Too bad, it could have been a check off that bucket list!  (no need for comments from the peanut gallery here...MOM, xoxo)

Once I returned to the hotel, I met Jeff for lunch.  The whole town is booked up - spas, restaurants, activities, etc.  We tried to get into the spa, but it was full, so we are taking a 10 minute drive out to Arthur's Pass to visit Onsen Hot Pools.  The pools are housed in private cedar-lined bathing rooms, each complete with shower, changing area, and mountain views. A unique feature of Onsen Hot Pools are the retractable picture windows: you can convert your pool room from indoor to outdoor and back again at the touch of a button!  We are pretty excited about this, as it's been rather cold here today, probably in the mid 50's and windy! 

Tonight we will probably just grab some food from a vendor and take part in the bar hopping and fireworks!  It will be cool to ring this in 19 hour ahead of the US!!!

Have a great New Years Eve!  It's been a great 2009, let's make 2010 even better!  We have so many things to look forward to (Jax Brown in Feb 2010)!!!

XOXO

J&J

Day 12 - Queenstown, New Zealand

It was rainy for the first half of the day today.  So we walked the town and looked at the shops, then switched gears and headed out to Gibbston Valley, which is New Zealan's leading wine region.  This region is famous for its Pinot Noir and has an underground wine cave.  The wine cave is lined with barrels of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay still reaching their prime.

With a constant humidity and temperature around 14 degrees Celcius the cave provides a perfect haven for the maturing of these wines as well as providing a unique atmosphere for wine tasting!  This was definitely a cool experience.  After we tasted the wines, we headed over to the "cheesey shop."  We had the shop put together a cheese board for us, 3 cheeses, cherries, pesto sauce, apricots, etc.  It was so fun, I loved it.

On our drive back, we stopped to watch people jumping at AJ Hacket Bungy. This is the famous bungy spot, where it all happened!  The world's first bungy, which is probably why they call Queenstown the adventure spot of the world. 

We finished the night with a great dinner at Seafood Boardwalk, which overlooks Lake Wakatipu and Queenstown Bay.  Dinner was great and we walked the bar area afterwards.  There is an ice bar here called 5 degrees.  It is literally made out of ice!  They give you parkas and warm gloves/socks before you go in!  We didn't do it, but there are windows that you look through at the pub that sits next to it.  VERY COOL, definitely something you would see on the Travel Channel!

Sorry for the late blog, I was just too tired to post last night.

Till the next,
Jenn

Day 11 - Fox Glacier, South Westland New Zealand

Today we conquered Fox Glacier!  It is a great feeling of achievement, especially because it was NOT EASY!!!  This was definitely a work out!  The weather was very nice at the base; however, it changed to mist and cold once we got to ice.  Crazy how it went from the mid 80s to under 60 in less than an hour!  We literally were sweating from our hike up through the rainforest, wearing a tank top and shorts.  When we got to the Glacier, it was 3 layers of fleece, hats, and gloves.  In all, the hike was 4 hours. 

90 minutes of our hike was going up over 700 steps through the rainforest.  This was definitely the hardest part of the day, but so rewarding once we made it out onto the ice.  The Glacier was magnificent, I cannot even describe this experience.  Hiking on a HUGE Glacier, bigger than Christchurch!  You know us, it's all about the experiences.  We could not have passed up this opportunity to climb one of the most magnificent glaciers in the world!  (the other one closest in size is located in Franz Joseph, just up the road from here and in Patagonia Argentina)

It took us rougly 5 hours driving to get South to Queenstown, we are dead tired.  The drive was beautiful, passing through small towns every hour or so.  The land is untouched here, literally you could drive hours before seeing another human being.  There are no large conglomerate hotels, restaurants, ect.  You are mostly passing backpacking camps and scenic rest stops. 

The best part of the drive was the 2nd half, winding through the Young Range of the Southern Alps, which had two BEAUTIFUL clear blue lakes - Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea.  They are HUGE, you could mistake them for the ocean if you didn't know better.  The Southern Alps run right up agains the creek beds, making it a picturesque sight.  It almost looks fake. 

We checked into the Sofitel around 10PM tonight and plan to have a nice, long rest before our day starts tomorrow.  The hotel is just beautiful, wait till you see the views from our room.  Check picasa tomorrow. 

We don't have much planned, just dinner reservations, so we will have plenty of time to explore and see what Queenstown has to offer.  So far, so good.  Queenstown looks like a cool place, reminds us of Aspen or Vail Colorado. 

 

Good night my loyal readers...he he he.

Jenn