Le Parfum du Bonheur: Where to EAT in Sydney

The Mad Hatter: 'Have I gone mad?'

Alice: 'I'm afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are.'

They either get it right or get it salty in Sydney, so after sampling 50 restaurants in the space of a month, here is a list of what I consider the best food in town!

WINNER

China Lane (Angel Place) - hidden in the corner of Angel Place next to the theatre, this was a gem. As you walk down the street, marvel at all the vintage bird cages of different shapes and sizes until you reach China Lane, with the unmistakable decoration of a Chinese restaurant; dark, red and mysterious.

First of all, the service was remarkable. We told them we had to dash off for the Avi Avital concert in the theatre in 45 minutes, and the food was served within five. The food. Where do I begin. The food. It was magical.

We ordered the duck wrap, the pork sang choi bao, the wok-fried tofu with winter vegetables and the crispy pork belly. The lettuce wraps were juicy and crunchy, the pork tossed perfectly; the tofu was like silk, and the sauce, that plum and wine sauce! Mmmmmmmmmmm. The pork belly was the highlight though, highly recommended! We were handed fortune cookies afterwards!

RUNNER-UP

No.1 Martin Place - on the ground floor of this beautiful building (which used to be a post office) is The Bar and Lounge by Westin which served the most exquisite cocktails. I had the best Bellini I've ever had in my life here. The Mediterrean Mezze platter was refreshing, and the accompanying bread was already infused with olive oil in the middle! We especially enjoyed the Pacific oysters with its sweet aftertaste, and if you're up for it, they have a Mad Hatter tea party with a special Drink Me potion available from noon to 6.00pm everyday! Those who frequent here are usually businessmen, and they all seem to know each other with the incessant handshaking everywhere!

BEST VIEW

The Opera Bar (Circular Quay) - overlooking the Sydney Harbour Bridge and The Opera House, this open air bar/restaurant serves the best rocket and fig salad! Also blogged here: http://leparfumdubonheurtravels.blogspot.hk/2014/06/the-opera-house.html

BEST STARTERS

Jamie's Italian (Pitt Street) - My mother has always loved Jamie Oliver, so she was understandably a little peeved at not being able to dine here with me. I don't think it helped the situation when I kept retelling how beautiful their gnocci were: crispy on the outside and a wonderful melty mess on the inside. The crab and avocado on toast was fair, and their handmade pasta had that perfect chewy texture; made and cooked to perfection! As we were inhaling our main course in, we noticed (pretty hard not to with Italian waiters belting out a birthday song) a cake with firework-esque candles going off on top. My friend got a little excited, so I was made to visit the ladies and when I came back, I was apparently pregnant, just graduated, just got engaged, it's my birthday, it's my dog's birthday, and I'm permanently moving to Sydney. We didn't get the candles on our dessert.

BEST MAIN

Le Pelican (Burke Street) - Blogged here: http://leparfumdubonheurtravels.blogspot.hk/2014/06/surry-hills.html

BEST DESSERT

Blackstar (Australia Street) - I love their strawberry and watermelon cake with rose petals on top. LOVE. It's so light and fluffy it really doesn't feel like you've just had dessert, so you order more! They only use fruits that are in season, I was pleasantly surprised when I first bit into the watermelon at the middle, it was so sweet! I would also highly recommend their Joostice juice in a jar, a concoction of cranberries, lemons, carrots and beetroot. One jar is enough to fill your stomach up for 4-5 hours!

OTHER HOTSPOTS