Sydney Food

by Bill Granger

Whether or not you've visited Bill Granger's restaurants or even Sydney itself, this book cannot help but evoke images of a sunny city where urban hustle and bustle meets beautiful beaches. Though proud for not taking themselves too seriously, Aussies, in Sydney in particular, reserve considerable reverence for their food. Bill Granger is the owner of three Sydney restaurants and Sydney Food brings his famous flavours across the globe and into the your home in a stunning collection of recipes. Bill starts by illustrating the rich abundance of ingredients available. In Sydney, home cooks and restaurateurs alike are spoilt for choice between the fish markets, incredible Thai and Vietnamese greengrocers, Italian delis, gourmet food halls, even the CBD fruit barrows. The recipes themselves are divided into Breakfasts, Lunches and Dinners. Unusually perhaps, it is the section of Breakfasts that's really enticing, demonstrating the varying European influences that affect this city's eating habits. Waking to blinding sunshine requires bold, fortifying flavours on the breakfast table. Recipes like Banana Maple Porridge with Buttered Apples, French Toast stuffed with Peaches, Toasted Coconut Waffles with Fresh Mango and Palm Syrup set the tone for a lazy weekend on the beach. The Lunch section is comprised of some of the most popular dishes from Bill's menus. These are largely restaurant classics but always with a twist, spring onion pancakes replacing the more conventional blinis with gravalax.The multicultural mix doesn't abate in the Dinner section that moves from Asia to Italy, Grilled Beef with Blackbean to Parmesan Veal Schnitzel. The quintessentially Aussie offering comes in the (naturally barbecued) form of Barramundi with Fresh Herb Relish. The Australian inclination for reinvention is nowhere more apparent or more appealing than on their restaurant menus. Combining such an incredible range of ingredients, a rich cultural mix, a lack of pretension and an innate desire to do things "their way" has given the food of Sydney a worldwide reputation. Anyone who even glances at the recipes in this brilliant book will immediately understand why.--Rachel O'Connor

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Australia

Paperback

First published August 1, 2000

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Bill Granger was a self-taught cook, restaurateur and food writer, based in his native Australia, but also working internationally.

He was recognised in January 2023 with a Medal of the Order of Australia in recognition of his contribution to tourism and hospitality.

Reviews

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has all of Bill's best breakfast/brunches.
- Sweetcorn fritters with roast tomato and bacon
- Ricotta hotcakes with honeycomb butter
- Pan-toasted sandwich with tomato and fontina
-Lemon souffle cakes
-Coconut Bread
There are some great tips on how to lift a simple brunch into something a bit more special (like marinating the onions for the Pan toasted sandwich in garlic and olive oil for a couple of hours first.

Some great ideas when you are having friends over for breakfast/brunch

[Louise (A Strong Belief in Wicker) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The original cookbook that started the whole Bill phenomenon way back in 2000. Flicking through again I think i've only made recipes from the breakfast section. Although I really am quite devoted to his banana maple porridge recipe- I've got a pot on the stove right now actually! There really are plenty of other tempting options to try- Goats Curd and Lentil Salad with Roasted Beetroot (I actually had a version of this in my favourite cafe in Wellington NZ last year, I wonder if it was inspired by bill's recipe?), coconut rice pudding with papaya and lime, and I can't remember if I did get around to trying his recipe for sweetcorn fritters. Some inspiration for this weekend perhaps?

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

After living in Sydney for a year. I had to purchase this book as a momento. Have tried many recipes and non have failed to please. Excellent book.

[Darren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting style change for a food book as it looks at typical food that one might find in Sydney, Australia through the eyes of a famous chef and restauranteur, considering the fusion between different local food cultures, local produce and developing trends in the hip, ever-changing environment that many call Australia's real capital city.

Plus an additional benefit is that you get a lot of recipes that you can try for yourself, no matter how far you are geographically from Sydney. The reader is given a good overview and primer into some of the things that have made Sydney cuisine tick, such as the importance of freshly available produce, seafood, Asian and Italian migratory influences and the general Australian can do, joie de vivre.

Make no mistake, this is not some out-of-reach cultural reference that inadvertently assumes that you need to spend half a day fussing to make what appears to be a simple dish and then that is only achievable if you have a professional kitchen brigade and many Michelin stars on the sideboard. It is instead a rather practical, encouraging work that is split into breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Everything starts well with what seems to be an overly simplistic dish - ricotta hotcakes with honeycomb butter - yet when you start to put this book knowledge into practice you can see how the KISS (keep it simple and sweet) approach works well here. Taste need not be related to complexity, often it can be quite the reverse.

Despite this book's age, it still looks as fresh and as relevant as the day it was released and a look online shows that it continues to be in demand and does not inhabit the online "bargain basement" of booksellers. Many modern day authors would be honoured to see such a price point being charged over a decade after publication! 99%-plus of this book remains as relevant and valid today as the day the book was published.

Accompanied by many impressive, yet matter-of-fact photographs of both the surrounding culture and the dishes in question - the recipes themselves are perfectly formed in the style that you would expect them to be. All the information is at hand so all you really need to do is get cooking. Give this book the chance and it is a fair certainty you will get cooking and, if you think that Australian food is mostly a snag on the barbie (a sausage on the barbecue) prepare to be pleasantly surprised.

Sydney Food, written by Bill Granger and published by Murdoch Books. ISBN 0864119917, 192 pages. Typical price: GBP10. YYYY.

This is a RETROspective review of a previously-published book that, whilst not new on the market, is still available and the review has been made of the book as it stands today.



// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything in this book sounds delicious amnd it brings back memories of great cafe lunches in Sydney.

[Gillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bill makes me want to eat - oh yes, and cook as well!