8 replies to this topic

[Rail Paul]

Wine Spectator has a short article on dining in the area

This red promontory has long been a sacred place for the local Anangu people. Now known by its Aboriginal name, Uluru, it protrudes more than 1,000 feet above the relatively flat, arid plains of central Australia.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I dined at Kuniya, the ace restaurant at Sails in the Desert, the resort's five-star hotel. Christian Andrew, the enthusiastic and talented young chef, ......One bite of his roasted kangaroo—cooked rare, with a delicately sweet and gamy character reminiscent of good venison, nicely set off with a pure, intense pan sauce and a wonderfully fresh-tasting celery root salad—and you know you're in good hands. I'm tempted to say the flavors hop off the plate, but actually it's the juicy textures that stamp this as first-rate fare. A silky, supple De Bortoli Pinot Noir 2003 made a smooth match.

Now, it seems, there's good food everywhere. Australia is quickly catching up to the United States as a leader in New World cuisine.

Andrew scored points with me for his spicy quail consommé, with toothsome, free-form ravioli and fresh peas. Tasmanian scallops were sweet and juicy against a white bean puree, served in the shell with a jaunty slice of chorizo and a tangle of coriander cucumber salad.

The restaurant's short wine list has some nice choices. Most everything is available by the glass, including Devil's Lair Chardonnay 2002 and Annie's Lane Riesling 2004, both outstanding.




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[Ron Johnson]

Babies are best left at home however . . .

[mongo_jones]

i've eaten there. however, this was at a time when i focused on enjoying food and not obsessively documenting and describing it. in fact in the month or so i spent in australia i don't think i have too many bad meals. of course, i was lucky to be the guest of a party that was staying at the best hotels and eating at the best restaurants (see second sentence above if you want names of said best places).

[Wilfrid1]

I like the comment that Australia is "catching up".

[Adam]

Cute. Sounds like the reaction of somebody that was expecting the worst and got something reasonable.

What does "promontory" mean in Americanese? To my humble Australian mind it means a headland and this requires are large amounts of water. No so much of this around Uluru.

[Wilfrid1]

Apparently this usage is okay, but I agree that Adam's is more common.

Merriam-Webster:

a : a high point of land or rock projecting into a body of water b : a prominent mass of land overlooking or projecting into a lowland

[Rail Paul]

I'd add that, for me, at least, promontory definitely means a projecting headland. Doesn't necessarily imply water, however.

[g.johnson]

It's clear what he means (or is that just because I've seen pictures) so I have no problem with the usage.

[Adam]

I blame Lewis and Clark. 'Monolith' is a good word for Uluru.

Wilfrid - Webster, pah! Didn't the 'u' out of colour?