Home Thai Restaurant | Sussex Street, Sydney | 9

Thai food is an institution in Australia. In Nick Earls’ book Zigzag Street (which now seems ubiquitous across Brisbane high school reading lists) the “usual order for Hiller” comprised of chicken satay, panag nua and large ice. I would have to agree with the order for Hiller- nothing beats a good lounge around sort of takeaway dinner than a tasty Thai curry.

Recently, rafts of new Thai restaurants seem to be testing the Australian palate. On the recent trip to Sydney, Home could not be avoided. The default dining partner and I needed a quick and cheerful bite before a show and Home came highly recommended.

Marigold | George Street, Sydney | 6.5

In our world which is Brisbane, we can heap our food scene with much praise, and rightly so. In the last few years cuisine options have expanded, and Melbourne-esque laneway bars have emerged. However, when compared with our southern brethren, Brisbane is still a long-way off. Perhaps it was precisely for these very reasons that despite my recent whirlwind trip to Sydney, I still feel that I packed on kilos. Or perhaps, it is the family phenomenon where we seem to most often bond over food.

One obligatory meal commitment is the lunch time yum cha. The only problem is that this is a somewhat ubiquitous tradition! Sydney Chinese restaurateurs have cottoned onto this, and as a testament to their entrepreneurship, supply satisfies demand. Marigold Chinese Restaurant was cavernous, and sprawled over two stories. Here, finding a table for ten was no problem. The issue was logistical - getting up to the restaurant via three small elevators!