El Presidente Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Maybe it is an Australian malaise. Once upon a time in the land of Oz, going to dinner at a decent restaurant...3 courses and a bottle of wine would work out to $70 a head. Today there is little escape from $125 -$150 a head at any of the say top 30 restaurants in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne or Perth. The food is generally always good but Pork belly, beef cheeks, cervice abounds in different formats. The higher the price...the less quantity the food ....but by God the plate looks pretty with all those little garnishes!!!! Since when was filled mushroom or meat ball tapas deserving of $18 a plate? We have lost the plot in this country. Breakfasts are now $20 for a "big Breakfast" of eggs, bacon, a piece of sourdough and a side of mushrooms. Is it the same in your neck of the woods? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadianbeaver Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 OK I am getting in on this one early. First of all you have to understand Matthew's family, unlike mine, can talk about fruit and vegetables the way we talk about cigars, so a restaurant meal gets inspected before, during and after, at any price. If a 50 cent bagel sucks, I will never hear the end of it. However, a great restaurant, with great wine and attentive, knowledgeable service, will certainly be worth paying for. What we have come to find in Toronto is that many of these kinds of restaurants can come in at a manageable price. One such deal is a famous steakhouse, Morton's. They have a deal that is not on the menu. It is called their "internet deal". For $75 pp, you get an app, main and dessert. Don't get me wrong. There are plenty of places we can spend hundreds pp. But with some good detective work and referrals from friends, we usually do ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rob Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 The missus and I splurged and decided to eat at Matt Moran's Aria restaurant in Sydney a couple of weeks ago. $450 for the 2 of us.... Food was what I would call average. Nothing except the service made me feel I was eating in a high end joint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptrthgr8 Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 I don't think the price of the meal necessarily means anything. A few weekends ago my wife and I along with one of our friends pulled an all day stint at a local pub (Tavern United at the CanadInn in Grand Forks for those who know the area). Started there at 11am, left a little after 7pm. It's one of the higher end pubs in town. Lots of beer, lots if apps and a full meal, and too many shots to count. The wife and I spent $200 including the tip. Service was awesome. Food was great. Booze was tasty and did the job. I'd rather do something like that than spend as much for a single dinky fancy pants meal at some stuffy joint that is more about the sizzle than the substance. Cheers, Greg Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Presidente Posted March 18, 2013 Author Share Posted March 18, 2013 The missus and I splurged and decided to eat at Matt Moran's Aria restaurant in Sydney a couple of weeks ago. $450 for the 2 of us.... Food was what I would call average. Nothing except the service made me feel I was eating in a high end joint. Rob, we were at Aria Brisbane a month ago. 11 of us. took it easy on the wine. $2500 price tag of which they included a tip of $180 in the final bill. Food was good. Nothing special. You come away feeling used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OZCUBAN Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Lets face it ,it's not just food that we get ripped off on over here ,even tough Rob is totally correct on this one ,what we pay for a reasonable meal here is outrageous ,even more so so here in the west ,maybe it's our isolation or lack of serious competition ,not sure exactly . Even things like digital downloads,an album on the iTunes US is say $12.99 for the same album here $19.99 WTF it is a digital download And from what I can see this price gouging seems to extend to most goods and services Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayceskinner Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Rob, we were at Aria Brisbane a month ago. 11 of us. took it easy on the wine. $2500 price tag of which they included a tip of $180 in the final bill. Food was good. Nothing special. You come away feeling used. $180 TIP!!! That's highway robbery. I would go absolutely nuts if I ever saw that on a bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayceskinner Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Even things like digital downloads,an album on the iTunes US is say $12.99 for the same album here $19.99 WTF it is a digital download The ACCC is actually conducting an investigation into Apple and Microsoft for this exact reason. There is no shipping of products and we are just about on par to the American dollar so there should be minimal difference in prices yet we are still getting ripped a new one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadianbeaver Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 $180 TIP!!! That's highway robbery. I would go absolutely nuts if I ever saw that on a bill. Not sure what you consider fair but that is less than 10%. And if there is a party of 6 or more, most menus say it will be added to your bill. Cheap since probably more than one waiter had to help you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutton Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Tipping is not a common practice everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rckymtn22 Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Currently in Nusa Lembongan were my buddy and I went out for supper to a hole in the wall Thai place. Total 84000 rupia, we had 2 coke, bottle of water and each had chicken cashew with rice. Big servings, stuffed afterwards and very tasty. Roughly worked out to $9! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OZCUBAN Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 The ACCC is actually conducting an investigation into Apple and Microsoft for this exact reason. There is no shipping of products and we are just about on par to the American dollar so there should be minimal difference in prices yet we are still getting ripped a new one. Exactly JayC well said Also the A.T.O is also putting them under the microscope for dodgy tax practices all well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OZCUBAN Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Tipping is not general practice in OZ I normally tip only for good service /food and attention to detail I don't see to much of these ideals nowadays Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadianbeaver Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 I see. In that case it was a lot of chutzpah on their part then! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duxnutz Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Going out to dinner is out of control here in Sydney. Walked by a place the other day that was serving 3 tacos for $26 with Tecate' for $8 a can. Fark me Greco Roman style. Can't even get a corn tortilla most joints. El Prez, I see you frequent Potts Point a bit. Ever eaten down at the wharf in Woolomoloo? Ate at Ottos few weeks back for a work function for my wife. Food, service et al great but was still so hungry that thank goodness Harry's Cafe De Wheels was still open for a chilli dog! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt45 Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Quite a bit of area for discussion.... One thing I've found is that what used to be considered "peasant fare" - shanks, cheeks, etc - are now the "in" foods. Then there are, as you put it, top rated restaurants. Some truly earn it and maintain it - some not as much. Sometimes you pay for location......... Regardless, dining out continues to be more and more expensive no matter the tier. Read "Get Jiro" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangolf18 Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Top 10 restaurants in the Bay Area--usually around $140 a person for dinner without wine (La Folie, The French Laundry, Masa's, Boulevard). Really good places are about $60-$80 a person, sometimes less if you eat during 5pm-7pm. There are so many good value restaurants in the SF Bay Area that it doesn't make sense spending $50+ per person. In fact, we have some of the best Asian food (Thai, Burmese, Schezuan, Vietnamese, etc)...$15-$30 a person. Nothing beats however a deal my friends and I got in high school at a really good Chinese restaurant. Soda, rice, sweet and sour soup and a main course for $3.55 (now's it's like $7). Still a killer deal. With the appreciation of the Aussie dollar over the last 5 years, perhaps that explains why dining is so expensive. I mean wasn't the Aussie dollar like $.60 not too long ago? Not it's stronger than the dollar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanhan Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Lived in Melbourne for near on a decade, still go back once a year and I could mention quite a few restaurants within the top 30 where you could have a good feed for less than 100 a head. Top 10 I would say you are correct (excluding the prix fixe options), but top 30 I disagree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khomeinist Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Houston has a ridiculously good cheap dining scene. Venezuelan, Columbian, Cuban, Vietnamese, Cajun, Dominican, etc etc. At some of the Monterrey-style Mexican joints, you can eat all that trendy offal stuff for under 10 bucks and get stuffed. I generally avoid high-end dining except for business and anniversaries. My wife and I like to cook and don't dig the trendy scene. Feeling used is a good way to put it. Maybe I have seen too many of those 'celebrity chef saves your restaurant' shows where they break down all the trends and profit-makers. I love supporting businesses that I respect. I hate giving money to cynical cash generating operations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cachiocca Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Interesting. Living in a small rural mountain area in Colorado with only a dozen or so restaurants to choose from. Couple of apps with a couple bottles of wine runs $150. Much more 30-40 mins up valley in the resort areas. Wife used to be a restaurant manager/bartender/waitress so 15% tip is minimum, but usually 20% or more. Dollar a beer during happy hour is SOP. Mostly eat, drink, and smoke at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gigabyte056 Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 I alternate between the UK and Switzerland. In the UK a good meal will cost roughly $55 not including wine, top restaurant will go upwards of $100. Switzerland, good meal around $75, top restaurant expect to pay 130-150. Israel on the other hand is much cheaper, good meal will be around 25-40 including a glass of the house wine, top place will be around $75. I don't go out much when home as we prefer to eat in (I like the chef much better at our place) but when we do it is on par to what the local salaries are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayceskinner Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Tipping is not general practice in OZ I normally tip only for good service /food and attention to detail I don't see to much of these ideals nowadays x2. Exactly right. I just find it very cheeky to force a tip on the bill, god forbid asking if a tip would like to be left for the excellent service/food. I have and will continue to tip hospitable staff, excellent service and great food but wouldn't stand for finding a hidden tip on the bill when ready to leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZinZan Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Australia is ridiculously expensive for a meal i find it more expensive than the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PigFish Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 I am over eating out. As restaurant dining came into vogue, I lost interest in it. Lady Piggy is a great cook and for people on a budget we eat pretty well still. Lord knows you don't get my girth by starving! I am the master at stocking up when things are cheap. I bought prime tri-tip the other day at $4.79/lb. Not bad for prime beef. Why would I go out to dinner when I can eat prime beef at home? I don't have to tip Lady Piggy at all, just do a little clean up and she can consume the whole bottle of wine and not have to worry about driving... or even falling out of her chair! I am terribly un-hip, I admit it! Frankly if I cannot light up, nor get a meal better than I can cook for myself, screw going to dinner! I have a dishwasher that works for me at home. I call him Mr. Bosch... -the Pig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mazolaman Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Maybe it is an Australian malaise. Once upon a time in the land of Oz, going to dinner at a decent restaurant...3 courses and a bottle of wine would work out to $70 a head. Today there is little escape from $125 -$150 a head at any of the say top 30 restaurants in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne or Perth. The food is generally always good but Pork belly, beef cheeks, cervice abounds in different formats. The higher the price...the less quantity the food ....but by God the plate looks pretty with all those little garnishes!!!! Since when was filled mushroom or meat ball tapas deserving of $18 a plate? We have lost the plot in this country. Breakfasts are now $20 for a "big Breakfast" of eggs, bacon, a piece of sourdough and a side of mushrooms. Is it the same in your neck of the woods? Yes and no. In london,yes. My wife has a penchant for fine dining..well the ambiance of it anyway. So i've been give small food on big plates many times....sent food back in one high end restaraunt, and only been really impressed with Langhans and the Ivy. Not to mention re-heated Lasagne at £14 a go...... However..here up north, away from the big lights, you can still get a decent meal at much less money! Yipee. And not a jus or stack of chips in sight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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