Sydney - Quay

It's hard to imagine anything dwarfing the Sydney skyline, but that is exactly what Quay's food does. Directly across the Harbour from the Opera House, the restaurant offers stunning city views that are hard to ignore. Until the first course arrives.

Quay's signature menu was a bit intimidating. I was skeptical about dishes like sea pearls made of sashimi tuna, aquaculture caviar, sea scallop, smoked eel, octopus mud crab, abalone. The only thing I knew about sea pearls was that they had a frou frou name, and the combination of raw fish would either be amazing or terrible. I was relieved that they looked appetizing and was astonished by how good they tasted. The texture was just right, and the flavor combinations were clever.

It only got better from there. The best dish of the night was dessert. It was an ambitious mousse that skillfully combined eight different kinds of chocolate. The subtle differences of the chocolates melded together into the most divine dessert I have ever had.

By far, Quay was my favorite restaurant of the trip. Chef Peter Gilmore created imaginative dishes, setting the bar high and never disappointing.