Online Travel Vietnam: You don't have to go to North Africa or the Middle East to find the exotic flavors of the Med. In fact, you don't even have to leave Sydney.
Immigrants with great recipes and an abundance of fresh local produce have helped Sydney evolve into a hub for great Mediterranean dishes.
Herewith, five of the highlights.
Grilled bull horn pepper at Georges Mediterranean Bar & Grill
On the promenade at King Street Wharf, Georges Mediterranean Bar & Grill might be misinterpreted as a tourist trap. It original Greek-style food has a tendency to be overshadowed by the restaurant's views of Darling Harbour.
The grilled bull horn pepper ($10.50), however, keeps diners' attention fixed on the meal in front of them. The dish comes on a hot plate, filled to the oozing brim with kefalotypi cheese.
The tasty seared scallops with fennel and confit tomato salsa ($18.50) is another signature dish.
The list of Greek wines is extensive.
Georges Mediterranean Bar & Grill, 17 Lime St., King Street Wharf, Darling Harbour, tel. +61 (0)2 9295 5066
Open daily, lunch and dinner
Zarzuela de Marisco at Spanish Tapas Restaurant
On Glebe Point Road, Spanish Tapas Restaurant has a terra-cotta façade, and the Zarzuela de Marisco ($55 for two, $90 for four) comes out a similar color.
This famed paella medley of seafood and fish, cooked in tomato and white wine sauce is the restaurant's flagship dish. It's worth the 30-minute wait.
Fridays and Saturdays there's live flamenco dancing to add to the atmosphere.
The food is the stuff Spanish dreams are made of -- not so much the flamenco dancers.
Spanish Tapas Restaurant, 26 Glebe Point Road, Glebe; tel. +61 (0)2 9571 9005,
Open daily from 5.30 p.m; Friday, noon-3 p.m. and from 5:30 p.m.
Braised duck leg with prunes at Café Mint
For those tired of confining their duck intake to Chinese cuisine, Café Mint offers a Moroccan alternative.
Braised with carrots and prunes, the meat on the braised duck leg with prunes ($26.50) falls off the bone. It comes with spiced lentils and a shaved fennel salad.
Paired with a strong Merlot, it makes for a memorable meal.
This tiny restaurant is popular with the BYO crowd that come to glam up their night amid a North African-boutique decor that blends bamboo with contemporary artwork.
Café Mint, 579 Crown St., Surry Hills; tel. +61 (0)2 9319 0848
Open Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. for breakfast and lunch; Saturday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; Tuesday-Wednesday 6-9:30 p.m; Thursday-Saturday, 6-10 p.m.; closed 3-6 p.m.
Pan-fried haloumi at Cantina Bar & Grill
Word has spread about the small, dimly lit Cantina Bar & Grill on bustling Oxford Street, so unless you enjoy long waits, you'd do best to try it out on a weeknight.
The menu here offers a lively choice of Spanish, Moroccan and Portuguese fusion.
The delicate pan-fried haloumi ($8) gets top marks. Non-greasy and served with delicious char-grilled, marinated red pepper and lemon, it's as good as hot cheese can get.
The air-dried Wagyu beef with a soft poached egg and shaved manchego cheese ($20) is also good for those who like their meat strong, wild and practically still alive.
Cantina Bar & Grill, 245 Oxford St., Darlinghurst, 2010; tel. +61 (0)2 9357 3003
Open Monday-Saturday, 6 p.m.-2 a.m.; Sunday, 6 p.m.-midnight
Meat banquet at Emma's On Liberty
Middle Eastern countries may argue as to the origins of some of the foods, but who cares when it's perfected in Sydney's inner west at Emma's on Liberty?
The meat banquet ($40) offers chicken and lamb skewers, falafel, hummus, tabouli, ladies fingers and coriander potatoes, among other small items. Other highlights are the rose water Turkish delight and outstandingly smooth babaganoush.
You might be deaf and cramped by the time you leave -- expect tpo be packed in close to other diners -- but the food is worth the discomfort at Emma's On Liberty.
Emma's on Liberty, 59 Liberty St., Enmore; tel. +61 (0)2 9550 3458
Open, Tuesday-Saturday, 6-11 p.m.
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