ASIAN

Wong’s Barbeque Pty Ltd
37 Ultimo St Haymarket NSW 2000
ph: (02) 9211 3359
For the best ever take away peking duck, BBQ pork, or chicken. They even have frozen pancakes if you’re not in the mood to make your own 

BAKERY

Bourke St Bakery
633 Bourke St
Surry Hills
+61 2 9699 1001
or 472/474 Gardners Rd Alexandria
or 130 Broadway Sydney
From my very first visit to Bourke St I’ve been in love. Their sourdough, their mr potato bread, their ginger brulee tarts. It’a all good and so far I’ve managed to avoid tasting their lamb and harissa sausage rolls because if they’re een half as good as they sound I would have a serious waist-line destroying addiction on my hands. Ohh and I was tempted not to include them so as not to expand the queue on a saturday morning but at least it gives me plenty of time to make up my mind.

Grandma Moses
Old South Head Rd (near Bay Swiss)
Rose Bay
9371 0874
A jewish grocery store that does the best bagels in Sydney (not that there’s much competition)

Glick’s
173 Bondi Rd
Bondi. Also recommended for their bagels by my friend Sam.
http://glicks.metroseek.com.au/profile.html

Brasserie Bread
1737 Botany Rd
Banksmeadow
+61 2 9666 6845
http://www.brasseriebread.com.au
While the cafe is a little disappointing there’s lots to love about the Brasserie Bread range. They also usually have a stall in the food hall downstairs at Westfield Eastgardens.

Haberfield Bakery
153 Ramsay St
Haberfield
+61 2 9797 7715
For years I’ve been reading about how great the bread is from Haberfield bakery without really taking it in. Then I sampled some of their wares at a divine dinner at Tetsuyas and it finally sunk in. The good thing is that now that I work in the west it’s actually on my way home and not only is their ciabatta the best in Sydney, it’s really inexpensive.

La Tartine
Nick et Laurence Anthony
Unit 2 RMB 3985 Wisemans Ferry Road
SOMERSBY
+61 2 4340 0299
These guys make the absolutely best fruit bread, think whole almonds, apricots and figs in a sourdough loaf. Toasted with some good unsalted butter it’s the breakfast of champions. While they don’t have a retail store in Sydney, there is always a stand at the Grower’s Market in Pyrmont and they also supply Deli Cucina in Edgecliff and Queen St Deli in Woollahra.
BUTCHERS

Vic’s Meats
10 Merchant St
Mascot NSW
+61 2 9317 6900
http://www.vicsmeat.com.au
Vics are more of a wholesaler but they also supply the public. Best to either phone in your order or do it online and then pick up yourself. Excellent quality at reasonable prices and a great source of more obscure meat cuts and poultry.

Sam the Butcher
129 Bondi Rd
Bondi
+61 2 9389 1420
These guys specialise in organic meat and do a great job of providing quality at reasonable prices.

AC Butchery
174 Marion St Leichhardt
or 22 Plumer Rd, Rose Bay
Italian style, AC Butchery sausages are my alltime favourite. Luckily they stock Fratelli Fresh so you don’t need to make the treck to Leichhardt or Rose Bay.

Peters Meats
Shop 20, 235 New South Head Road
Edgecliff
+61 2 9327 7762
http://petersmeats.com.au
All this time I’ve been shopping at Edgecliff thinking that Peter’s was just a small local guy, then I do some research and it turns out Peter is something of a meat mogul with stores across Sydney and country NSW. Check out their website for all the locations.

DELI

Deli Cucina
Shop 18, 235 New South Head Road
Edgecliff  NSW  2027
(02) 9328 0399
decucina@tpg.com.au
Deli Cucina is my convenient local deli managed by my dear friend Rhys, whose encyclopaedic knowledge of all things food, particularly those at the more ‘luxe’ end of the spectrum (caviar on my pearl spoon anyone?) only just surpasses his pechant for clothing from the likes of Gucci and Hermes. And while it isn’t exactly inexpensive, their cheese range rivals the best in Sydney and I happen to know on good authority that they have access to white truffles all the way from Italy as well as local beauties when in season.

Blackwattle Deli
Shop 8a
Sydney Fish Market
Bank St
Pyrmont
Conveniently located at the fish markets this is certainly the place for the best chorizo in Sydney not to mention their selection of other salumi, including Barossan metwurst and a cheese selection that can make a girl feel weak at the knees.

Queen St Deli
142 Queen St
Woollahra
+61 2 9328 7121
I used to go here mostly to get La Tartine bread but they also have a great, if not exactly inexpensive range

FISH

Claudio’s Quality Seafoods
Sydney Fish Markets
Bank St
Pyrmont
The best place for all your seafood needs with the exception of scallops -am yet to find fresh ones here. But the rest of their range easily surpasses the rest of the fish market offerings for quality and value.

The One That Got Away
163 Bondi Rd
Bondi
+61 2 9389 4227
Great for takeaway fish & chips on your way home from a hard day at the beach, this inventively named fishery also does a fair range of fresh seafood including sashimi grade tuna & salmon. One of the few places I know that sells deboned sardine fillets.

The Maroubra Fish Market
Pacific Square
Anzac Parade
Maroubra Junction
Great range of whole fish and fillets.

GROCERS: GREEN & OTHERWISE

Fratelli Fresh
7 Danks St
Waterloo
+61 2 9699 3110
My all time favourite for fruit & veg along with Italian grocery items. We’re talking olive oil, tinned tomatoes, pasta, capers and anchovies and now white anchovies….yumm

Norton St Grocer
Westfield Bondi Junction
and 51 Norton St
Leichhardt
While their fruit and veg are solid with some interesting seasonal produce, they are a great place to stock up on hard to find grocery items like pommegranate molasses, puy lentil and squid ink. The deli section is very reasonably priced with one of the best olive selections in Sydney.

Harris Farm Markets
Shop 5, 251-283 New South Head Road

Edgecliff
+61 2 9328 7782
http://www.harrisfarm.com.au
They actually have stores all over Sydney, so have a look at the website to locate your closest. If I can’t get to Fratelli, I tend to get my fruit & veg from Harris farm. They also have a store located in Nth Strathfield conveniently close to my office which has a great deli as well.

SPICES

Herbies Spices
745 Darling St
Rozelle, NSW 2039
+61 2 9555 6035
www.herbies.com.au
 I’ve been a big fan of Herbie for years but after meeting the man himself am a true believer. Apart from being a lovely person, Ian is more than passionate about spices and has gone as far as labelling himself as ‘obsessive’. If you’re after spice in Oz you can’t go past Herbie’s and their mail order service makes them accessable everywhere. For those of you in Sydney their evening spice classes are well worth a look in.

WINE

Ultimo Wine Centre<99 Jones St
Ultimo
+61 2 9211 2380
Without a doubt the boys at Ultimo are your best bet for imported wine at all price points especially stuff from the old world. They also have the best free Champagne tasting the first week of Dec (yeah I missed it this year too....damn). Oh and not only are their staff extremely knowledgeable but one or two of them are very easy on the eye ladies.

Kemeny's
137-147 Bondi Rd
Bondi
ph 13 8881
http://www.kemenys.com.au/
A Sydney institution and great place for interesting booze that doesn't break the bank as well as some very reasonable by the mixed case prices for Champagne, especially Veuve. Their food section makes for one stop shopping and you’ve just gotta love the old school charm of their ‘car service’.

The Vine Press
11 Wycombe Rd
Neutral Bay NSW 2089
+61 2 9909 1737
http://www.thevinepress.com/
Run by my good mate Rhys-never-a-dull-moment-Connery, the vine press is a great little website offering interesting Aussie wines from small producers at very reasonable  prices.