The Most Memorable Things We Ate in Australia in 2017
The standout dishes we're still thinking about — even months down the track.
This year, as we are wont to do, we ate a lot of meals. We ate mussels and Mexican in Sydney, sushi and salted caramel in Melbourne and fried chicken and Frankenstein foods in Brisbane, as well as some excellent meals on our travels. But, when it comes down to it, at the end of 12 months of noshing, there are only a few truly memorable meals that spring to mind immediately — the ones that were so good, we gushed about them for the next three weeks and nagged our partners/colleagues/friends to return with us ASAP. Here are the dishes burned into our taste memory — if their respective eateries still list them on the menu, book a table immediately.
ROUGAMO (CHINESE BURGER) AT XI'AN BIANG BIANG, SYDNEY
What if I told you one of Sydney's most memorable burger experiences can be found at a Chinese restaurant in Haymarket? That's right, this year Xi'an Biang Biang introduced us to 'rougamo', aka the world's oldest 'hamburger'. Originating in the Shaanxi province of China, this ancient meat sanga is made from a flaky pastry pocket stuffed with juicy pork shreds. It's soft. It's crunchy. It's everything. Expect warm fatty juices to run down your arm and awkward stares from strangers when you go to lick it off. Let's just say, we can see why it caught on. — Erina Starkey, Sydney food and drink reviewer
KANGAROO AND CROCODILE, CALYPSO DREAMS AT MOMOFUKU SEIBO, SYDNEY
Puffed kangaroo tendon and crocodile soup aren't things you'll usually see at Seiobo. But neither is Jock Zonfrillo. The native-ingredient wizard, from Adelaide's Orana, helmed the kitchen alongside head chef Paul Carmichael for one night in October, dishing up creative Caribbean dishes with Australian twists. The night began with the above — the broth was rich, the puffed tendon light and tangy — and ended with a dessert of buttermilk and eucalyptus. If you see this elusive pair on a lineup together anytime in the future, I recommend you make a reservation, tout de suite. — Samantha Teague, editorial manager
TEA SANDWICH AT AFRICOLA, ADELAIDE
I had dreams about this sandwich on the night after I first tried it. It's a simple yet exceedingly delicious creation: crispy roasted chicken skin on crustless white bread with flat-leaf parsley and a generous lick of chilli mayonnaise. Served with a dish of hot drippings from Africola's signature peri peri chicken (usually spiked with Bourbon if chef Duncan Welgemoed is lingering behind the bar), no less. It's the ultimate hangover cure, which they need to start packaging up and shipping around the country. — Samantha Payne, Sydney contributor
WAFFLE-COATED SATED CARAMEL ICE CREAM AT ANNAM, MELBOURNE
Salted caramel remained as popular as ever this year and new Vietnamese restaurant Annam was all over it. When I visited in November I revelled in a glorious six courses finished with an an epic waffle and coconut-battered deep-fried ice cream, drizzled in salted caramel sauce. Achieving that moreish balance between salty and sweet this was the perfect way to finish the feast — the modern twist on a Chinese restaurant favourite has easily been one of my fave dishes of 2017. — Ashleigh Whitehill, Melbourne contributor
SCALLOP, HAM AND PEAS AT SASAKI, SYDNEY
This is what happens when Yu Sasaki recreates pea and ham soup. The head chef and owner of our best new Sydney restaurant of 2017 used prosciutto jelly, scallops and pea shoots to create an Instagram-friendly, edible yin yang symbol that transported its eaters to snotty childhood winters. The restaurant's menu changes frequently, so this is no longer on offer, but there are many other next-level dishes — like the Japanese Madeleines — to enjoy. — Samantha Teague
CHICKEN PARMA SPRING ROLLS AT LITTLE BIG HOUSE, BRISBANE
Of all of the culinary hybrids cooked up by foodie Dr Frankensteins, Little Big House's might be the most unexpected: chicken parma spring rolls. They're also one of the tastiest, from the oh-so-crispy pastry to the succulent sauced-filled filling. And to think we've all been eating them separately for all of these years. — Sarah Ward, weekend editor
KINGFISH SAN CHOY BAU AT ESTER, SYDNEY
Most Ester regulars will be familiar with its famed kingfish and mandarin dish, but if you're lucky enough to see kingfish san choy bau on the menu, order it immediately. A recurring special on the menu, the Ester team basically pick the flesh off the roasted kingfish head (which would have gone into the bin otherwise) and then roll it up in a lettuce head with mint, cress and delicious spicy sambals. — Tahlia Phillips, business director
SMOKED MUSSELS AT DEAR SAINTE ÉLOISE, SYDNEY
As overall winner of Concrete Playground's best new Sydney bar of 2017, it's no surprise I indulged in one of my favourite meals sitting at the long copper bar of Dear Sainte Eloise. The dish that, for me, carries the succinct menu selection is the smoked mussels on toast ($14). Like bruschetta from the sea, the briny broth is slurpable and the mussels are plump and succulent. The combination of crunchy carrots and fresh parsley with the shellfish is supremely well-balanced — much like Dear Sainte Éloise itself. Pair it with a expertly recommended glass of white from the extensive 350 plus wine list and you'll know exactly why this laneway spot has quickly secured a place in sydney food-loving hearts. — Marissa Ciampi, Sydney contributor
PORK BELLY SALAD AT AGRARIAN KITCHEN, HOBART
They say you don't win friends with salad but when the salad in question has chargrilled pork belly and a perfectly poached egg, which, when broken, runs through the freshest mixed leaves I've ever eaten, you might want to rethink that statement. Everything the Agrarian Kitchen uses on their menu comes from their on-site garden and farm giving the food this incredible energy and life to it. A must-visit if you're in Tassie. — Samantha Payne
HUITLACOCHE AT CHULA, SYDNEY
Fungus fans, this one's for you. Potts Point eatery Chula is dishing up a superb "Mexican pizza" called the tlayuda de huitlacoche. This intriguing dish sees a crispy tortilla base topped with refried beans, Oaxacan cheese and blistery black clumps of corn smut (yep, smut). Both a disease and a delicacy, this unusual Mexican ingredient reveals pungent earthy flavours with a funky kick of blue cheesiness. If you like truffle, you need to give huitlacoche a try. — Erina Starkey
PANI PURI AT TONKA, MELBOURNE
By no means a new dish, but my first pani puri experience — and it delivered becoming something I continued to chase throughout 2017. Tonka's fragrant, slightly warm aromatic water is addictive poured into those crispy parcels filled with potato, mung bean, tamarind chutney and dates. — Quinn Connors, partnerships editor
GLUTEN-FREE LAMB RAGU PAPPARDELLE AT KINDRED, SYDNEY
Back when I was diagnosed as coeliac in the early 2000s I used to eat rice cakes and tiny pieces of toasted gluten-free bread and think that this was my life now. Slowly, it got better; restaurants started to bring in sans-gluten supermarket spaghetti as an alternative and stopped serving burgers in lettuce cups (mostly), but we still hadn't hit the gluten-free golden age. So I personally don't think it was overdramatic to shed a tear when this bowl of pappardelle was placed in front of me at Kindred — not only was it GF, but the Cleveland Street restaurant makes it fresh in-house, just the same as its regular pastas and breads. It was a special pasta moment and I have returned to Kindred multiple times to relive it. — Lauren Vadnjal, deputy editor
PORK BELLY CONGEE AT EITHER OR, SYDNEY
Well thought out in design, drinks and food, Either Or serves a menu of Asian-inspired breakfast favourites. The pork belly adobo congee is a clear winner, featuring umami flavours and served with mushrooms, micro greens and a poached egg on top. — Quinn Connors
CHOCOLATE SOUR CREAM LAYER CAKE AT BEATRIX, MELBOURNE
When things get tough, eat cake. The best way to eat a takeaway slice of Nat Paull's infamous Beatrix chocolate sour cream layer cake is straight out of the box on the walk back to North Melbourne Station. It's an old favourite of mine that never, ever disappoints — the buttercream frosting is cloud-like in texture and moreish at the same time, while the dried raspberry crumble on top finishes off with a sharp, sweet aftertaste. — Nathania Gilson, Melbourne contributor
VEGAN PATATE PIZZA AT GIGI'S, SYDNEY
While Sydney's New York-style pizza scene is somewhat dwindling, rising from the ashes of the woodfire is a healthy crop of simpler pizza restaurants using fewer (but better) ingredients. Newtown's Gigi's has gone one step further and is making fully vegan Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana-certified pizzas in traditional Neapolitan style. Physical restraints would be required to hold me back from finishing the patate pizza with thin-sliced roasted potato, garlic, rosemary and black truffle pâté. Pair it with a natural wine and Gigi's rocket, radicchio, apple, pistachio and cinnamon salad. Plus, you can feel good about supporting the plant based ethical eating movement over pizza and wine. — Kitti Smallbone, Sydney photographer
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