Sydney's Diverse Fine Dining Options

The broad scope of Sydney's restaurants, pubs and cafes is a mirror reflection of the city's status as a melting pot of cultural diversity. As one pundit put it, the choices are so wide and culturally varied that they read like an atlas. They range from local Australian cuisine to Italian, European, Asian, Japanese, Mediterranean and more.

Foreign visitors who want to sample traditional Australian fare should take a trip to Harry's Café de Wheels for the best meat pies in the city. The so-called bush-tucker, which features original aboriginal cuisine that includes kangaroo meat, is also available in select venues. Although the Australian government allowed restaurants to serve kangaroo meat starting only in 1993, bush-tucker meals have become a must-taste delight among many foreign visitors.

Since Sydney is a harbour city, seafood is a staple of most restaurants and is served exclusively by many of the leading dining places in town, including Fishface and Five Dock Seafoods Cafe. These places - and many others - always provide a fresh supply of barramundi, snapper, mussels, prawns, calamari and octopus, thanks to the nearby Sydney Fish Market. Of course, Sydney's king of seafoods is the popular Doyles Hotel, the oldest seafood restaurant in town. From its beachside location, Doyles also provides a breath-taking view of Watsons Bay.

The best Italian restaurants in Sydney are Gelbison and Mezzaluna, while some of the best pasta in the city can be found at Norton Street in the Leichhardt inner city, which is also known as Little Italy. There is a strong Italian influence on Sydney's fashionable café society as one can glean from the many cafes on Darlinghurst, Potts Point and Bondi Beach. The hippest spots in town also happen to serve the best coffee and these include Bills, Tropicana, Bar Coluzzi and La Buvette.

Aside from Italy, the Euro influence on cuisine is also evident in the very popular French restaurants Bistro Moncur and Sel et Poivre, while foreigners and locals alike regularly patronize such excellent fine dining venues such as the Greek restaurant Mykonos and the Spanish restaurant Capitan Torres. Meanwhile, the most sumptuous Eastern European cuisine can be sampled at Corner 75.

There are several excellent Asian restaurants that serve the best cuisine from the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, India, Cambodia and Iran. Among the outstanding Asian restaurants are The Malaya, Chinta Ria, Lebanon & Beyond and Blue Elephant.

If it's Japanese food that your heart desires, the most popular places for sushi, sashimi, noodles, tempura and teriyaki are Sushi Suma, Shimbashi, Dragonfly and Raw Bar.

If your plan is to go restaurant hopping in each district, here's a useful general guide that you can follow:

The suburbs in the West host several Cambodian and Turkish restaurants while the suburbs in the South host Greek and Lebanese restaurants. Suburbs in the north host Indian, African and Japanese restaurants while suburbs in the east host Indonesian and European restaurants.

If you want to enjoy a good view while dining, your best options are The Boathouse, Catalina and The Summit. The best vegetarian restaurants are Govinda's and Harvest. The trendiest culinary enclaves are Bayswater Brasserie Restaurant and Hugo's.

World Tour - Ethnically Diverse Neighborhoods of Sydney Offer Culinary Delights

When most people think of the Australia, they think of the iconic Sydney Opera House, or perhaps the Harbour Bridge or even cuddly koalas and kangaroos. But in addition to beautiful buildings, landscape and an abundance of unique wildlife and plants, Sydney offers a variety of international cuisine that has caused even some of the world's best chefs to take off their chef coats and see what is happening in the ethnically diverse kitchens down under.

In the inner west neighborhood of Haberfield, known for its great Italian patisseries and restaurants, locals and visitors arrive early in the morning for some of the best coffee and croissants in the city. It is not uncommon to arrive early just as the baker is wiping off his chef pants and serving the morning's first batch of almond croissants. Combine the flaky pastry with a flat white and locals and tourists alike are ready to start the day. By dinnertime, the smell of pizzas and homemade pasta begin to permeate the air. In warmer months, many restaurant patrons chose a table outside on busy Ramsay Street, the city's most famous street for a good Italian meal. Most restaurants are BYO, so guests can opt to bring their favorite wine to accompany the meal.

In nearby Ashfield, Chinese food reigns supreme. You might not be able to read the menu or correctly pronounce the name on the chef jacket, but this friendly, laidback neighborhood offers everything from Northern Beijing-style cuisine to staples such as dumplings and duck. Try the shallot pancakes, garlic green beans and salt and pepper prawns for an evening to remember. Ashfield represents another colorful Sydney neighborhood where you can eat and feel like a local.

The Sydney suburb of Marrrickville is known for its strong Vietnamese influence. There is not a better way to battle a cool Sydney day than by warming up with a hot bowl of Pho. This is a traditional raw beef and noodle soup served with lemon wedges, chili, mint and bean sprouts. Patrons can flavor the soup from hot to mild. And after warming up with Pho, you can sample some handmade prawn rice paper rolls to complete your meal. Most of the restaurants in the area are very affordable, which leave more money to explore the other sights and sounds of the city.