If there’s one thing I love more than travelling, it’s eating. Luckily, I get to do a whole lot of chomping and swallowing as part of my job. In 2024, I’ve had some of the best pies, pasta and pastries of my life, making it seriously tough to pick my absolute standout dish of the year.
One thing that’s stood out in my first year working as a travel writer is just how incredible Australia’s food scene is. When you pair the freshest local produce with the country’s most talented chefs, you’ve got a recipe for pure magic. Our food scene has also stepped up its game when it comes to plant-based eating, which I lean towards, making it no surprise that many of the dishes in my top ten feature vegetables as the hero. Here are the best things I ate in 2024, including five honourable mentions (because picking only ten was just too hard).
Mushroom gnocchi from Rosie in My Midnight Dreams, Hobart
Plump, pillowy and pan-fried to perfection, this mixed mushroom gnocchi makes regular appearances in my midnight dreams. It showcased the best of Tasmania’s local produce, including foraged saffron milk caps and Tunnel Hill oyster mushrooms, along with wild wakame jam made by celebrated chef Analiese Gregory.
Tuna cheeseburger from Saint Peter, Sydney
Like the rest of the world, my colleagues at Time Out Sydney are big fans of Josh Niland and his ‘nose-to-tail’ seafood empire. They hyped up Niland’s tuna cheeseburger – served at both the fancy new bar at Saint Peter and the more laid-back Fish Butchery – and let me tell you, it lived up to every bit of the buzz. Juicy, cheesy and everything you want in a burger (plus a little extra magic). My only regret? Agreeing to share.
Lavender scone from Emu Bay Lavender, Kangaroo Island
I’m an absolute sucker for a scone and the freshly baked, oversized rounds from Kangaroo Island’s only lavender farm are reason enough to visit the island. Served with fragrant housemade lavender jelly, strawberry jam and whipped cream, it was the ultimate morning treat.
Sweet potato pie from Roastbeef and the Frog at the Overflow Estate 1895, Scenic Rim
I’m a total pushover for pastry, and the flaky sweet potato and pumpkin pie from French-inspired brasserie Roastbeef and the Frog takes the crown as the best parcel of buttery goodness I devoured all year. Perhaps the restaurant’s dreamy lakefront setting on a Scenic Rim winery made it taste that much better.
Hokkaido soup curry from Rojiura Curry Samurai, Perth
Curry and noodles are my two go-to comfort foods, so it checks out that this hearty bowl from Australia’s first Hokkaido soup curry restaurant in Perth made my top ten dishes of 2024. Rojiura’s Veggies 17 curry packs a day’s worth of vegetables into one delicious bowl, and had me this close to licking it clean.
Cinnamon gelato from Massimo’s Gelateria, Noosa
Eight years ago, I fell in love with a simple scoop of cinnamon gelato in Noosa. If I’d known it’d be nearly a decade before I could savour it again, I would’ve made it my nightly ritual. Luckily, the chai-like gelato is still on the menu at Massimo’s – and it tasted even better on a 32-degree spring day, paired perfectly in a half-and-half cup with creamy macadamia.
Lemon burrata from the Agrarian Kitchen, New Norfolk
I knew this sprawling farm-to-table restaurant (set in a former mental asylum) would be right up my alley, but I didn’t expect the lemon miso burrata to be the winner from the seasonal eight-course menu I enjoyed here. The fermented lemon gave the creamy housemade burrata a zesty kick, making it dangerously easy to mop up with the Agrarian’s fresh sourdough.
Prawn okonomiyaki from Such and Such, Canberra
I’m very jealous of anyone living in Canberra, given that Such and Such decided to open after my four-year stint in the capital. After hearing rave reviews from friends, my expectations were high and boy, did it deliver. The Japanese-inspired okonomiyaki was a particular highlight with its sweet-savoury tonkatsu sauce, plump prawns and a razzle-dazzle of seeds.
Tomato conchiglie from Māre at La Luna Beach Club, Gold Coast
I’m not usually one to order tomato pasta (I tend to lean towards more adventurous sauces), but the vegetarian pasta from Māre almost had me scraping the plate. With the beach club’s stunning waterfront setting, the seashell-shaped conchiglie was a fitting choice, perfectly paired with vine-ripe tomato sauce, crispy tempura eggplant and creamy dollops of ricotta.
Camp oven damper from Tucker at Flick’s, Darwin
I could’ve easily demolished MasterChef alumnus Daniel Lamble’s woodfired stout damper in one go (had I not been pacing myself for other dishes). But with a generous swipe of cultured butter, I couldn’t resist – and ended up polishing it off later in the night for dessert.
Special mentions:
- Cardamom bun from Under Bakery, Canberra
- Green bean curry with godamba roti from Ella by Minoli, Darwin
- Miso caramel eggplant from Light Years, Byron Bay
- Truffle mushroom agnolotti from the Truffle Farm, Canberra
- Blackened hispo cabbage with pistachio cream from Kōst Bar and Grill, Gold Coast