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Teriyaki
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Everyone loves Teriyaki, it is a style of cooking literally meaning glaze and grill. The shiny sauce is used to coat meats, fish and vegetables and can be found on every Japanese menu around the country. Some restaurants make their own sauce from passed down family recipes making the experience unique and special. Teriyaki chicken is a common filling for sushi, while a simple piece of Teriyaki Salmon can make a memorable meal.
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Japanese
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Sushi
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Sushi is the ‘vinegared rice’ used to stuff the rolls and a variety of other ingrediants such as raw fish with nori seaweed, avocado and cucumber or chicken teriyaki. They are served with spicy wasabi and soy sauce to give them a kick!
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Japanese
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French Onion Soup
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Soft and delicious caramelized onions are steeped in a beautiful broth, laced with cognac and white wine, a truly warming soup that is good at any time of the year. A crouton of bread with cheese melted on the top (usually gruyere) is placed in the middle of the bowl and eaten with the soup, dunked in so that the cheese oozes all the way through the soup!
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French
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Tapas
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Tapas has had a rapid rise in popularity over the last 5 years due to the sociability of eating in groups in a casual way. Lots of small dishes are provided as ‘taster’ type delights, consisting of food such as ham and cheese croquettes (croquetas), garlic prawns (gambas ajillo), patatas bravas (spiced potato, garlic and tomato baked dish), tortilla (Spanish omelette) and many others. Usually eaten with a good bottle of Spanish wine.
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Spanish
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Chorizo
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A spicy hard sausage that is used in many dishes, or served on its own as part of a tapas. When fried, the deep red colour seeps into the pan (the colour comes from the smoked paprika from which the sausage is made). Can be served sliced in baguettes or included in other dishes, including potato dishes, it adds a different texture and warmth to whichever meal you have.
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Spanish
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Spaghetti and Meatballs
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Traditional Italian dish, with meatballs made of minced pork and beef, herbs and minced onion and garlic, and served in a rich thick tomato based ragu sauce. Can be served sometimes with shredded fresh basil or oregano and shavings of parmesan. As with carbonara, it tends to be served with garlic bread and side salad.
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Italian
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Rillette
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Rillettes are the perfect party food, great for a mid week lunch and fabulous as something to share as part of a meal. Rillettes are made by simmering meats (usually pork, duck or rabbit) for a long time until they are mouth meltingly tender and then mixed into a rich paste. Served with crusty French bread rillettes can also be made from fish such as salmon, trout or smoked fish. We also found a vegetable rillettes made from eggplant and olive - not traditional but an alternative.
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French
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Bouillabaisse
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A rich and deep fish stew made from virtually any fish that you can find, originally made by the Breton and Normandy fisherman at the end of a days’ catch. The fish, heads and tails, are thrown into a huge steaming pot with saffron, garlic, tomatoes, herbs, peppers, celery, you name it. Any amount of fish and shellfish are used, but traditionally the rule is no less than five fish! Served as a steaming bowl with a rouille (a garlic style mayonnaise) and crusty French bread or baguettes.
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French
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Gazpacho
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A summery cold soup, very traditional but also made in several different ways in restaurants. The base of the soup is tomato and pepper which as been blitzed from raw, and with the addition of cucumber, onions, tarragon and garlic. A dish of diced cucumber, capsicum and avocado in salsa-style is served to the side to sprinkle over your soup, along with garlic croutons. A very delicious appetiser
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Spanish
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Lamb cutlets with garlic and rosemary
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Usually on every Italian menu, small trimmed lamb chops or cutlets are served steeped in fresh rosemary and garlic and pan fried or grilled. Served with sauté potatoes and vegetables, it is a hearty plate of food and delicious flavours. Tender pink lamb is enhanced by the earthy rosemary and garlic.
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Italian
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Minestrone Soup
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The classic and renowned Italian soup, comprising small pasta shapes, a rich chicken stock and finely diced vegetables such as celery, onions, tomatoes, carrots beans and herbs. Created in Ancient Roman times this soup is now served in many different ways, some finely and others much more chunky and hearty. A sprinkling of parmesan and a good basket of bread makes this really filling.
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Italian
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Napoletana pasta sauce
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An amazing vegetarian italian option. Crushed tomato, onion, garlic, basil and parmesan. Sounds simple but bursting with lots of flavour.
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Italian
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Osso Buco
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A dish invented in Ancient Roman Times and perfected over the years to a more sophisticated Italian meal, consisting of cross-cut veal shanks, braised in red wine, onions, celery and carrots and served with a gremolata on the top (optional).
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Italian
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Bruschetta
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Delicious slices of bread, rubbed with garlic and tomato and seasoned before grilling. Various toppings are served, the most popular being diced tomatoes and red onion with finely chopped garlic and basil. Can also be served with a pesto topping, and sometimes with roasted aubergine and mushrooms. Usually a starter, but can be purchased as a main course.
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Italian
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Boeuf Bourguignon
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Another classic French dish very hearty and wholesome. A rich red wine sauce with tender braised beef, carrots, onions and cubes of bacon or pancetta really fills you up. The addition of herbs and garlic brings out the flavour of the meat to perfection. Crusty French bread is served with the meal to mop up the juices!
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French
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Pate de Campagne
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Another rustic French dish, originated by farmers wives, particularly in the North of France made by using up any meat that was available, along with herbs, garlic and sometimes brandy or cognac. Usually rough cut and cooked in a terrine in the oven, served as a starter with bread and cornichons (gherkins)
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French
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Spanish Omelette
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There are many varieties of the spanish omelette but the true variation only consists of eggs with potato and onions with a hint of garlic. Nowadays restaurants also serve them with capsicum and they are frequently part of a tapas platter. Usually sliced into wedges and served with bread, the Spanish often make this dish into a sandwich!
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Spanish
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Paella
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Paella is served in huge circular pans, set in the middle of the table for sharing. Originating in Valencia in the l9th Century, when it was essentially a rice dish with vegetables and seafood or meat, most paellas are now mixed and include chicken, squid, vegetables, rice, saffron and white wine, with heaps of garlic! The rice is often left to ‘crisp’ up on the base of the pan and needs scraping to remove – very delicious.
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Spanish
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Lamb
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‘Chuletillas de Cordero – beautiful little tender lamb chops are cooked with a garlic and salt crust. Can be served as a tapas hot or cold, but usually served with a side dish of crispy potato cubes, marinated in herbs and garlic and fried. Very tasty.
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Spanish
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Chianti
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In rustic Italian restaurants, you can still see empty bottles of Chianti grouped together and hanging around the bar or ceiling! Old Chianti bottles used to be covered in a basket weave, and often used to house a candle on your table, so that the wax dripped down the outside of the bottle! The wine itself is red and relatively light in comparison to heavier Italian wines such as Barolo. Chianti is produced primarily in the beautiful region of Tuscany, and is eminently drinkable!
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Italian
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Soave
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Another popular wine, this white wine is produced in the Veneto region of Italy, around the city of Verona, home to many Shakespeare plays! It is comparatively dry and was once the ‘in’ drink in the 1970’s but was overtaken by Pinot Grigiot towards the 1980’s
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Italian
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Peroni
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The most popular of beers served in Italian restaurants, it is not the cheapest one around but still sells more than any other. 5% alcohol, a slightly ‘hoppy’ taste but very refreshing when served in iced cold frosted glasses.
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Italian
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Kir Royale
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Champagne based cocktail, with a touch of blackcurrant cordial. A kir is simply made with white wine and cordial, but the royale is always made with champagne. Usually served in a fluted champagne glass using house champagne. A great deal of champagnes come from the town of Rheims, where many large and well-known ‘houses’ are situated.
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French
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Chablis
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A classic French white wine from the northern part of the burgundy region, made primarily from the chardonnay grape. A very clean white wine but with a deeper flavour than Sauvignons, almost ‘flinty’ and with very little oaking apparent. Moderately priced, it vies for attention with Pouilly Fume and Pouilly Fuisse which are also very popular but tend to be slightly more expensive
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French
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Sangria
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This is a lovely refreshing ‘punch’ style drink, served in big pitchers or jugs and set on the table for everyone to share. Alcohol content varies, as some restaurants make it the traditional way with red wine, chopped fruit and brandy, while others make it a cooler, longer drink with red wine and soda or lemonade, but still with copious amount of fruit. Called Sangria due to its deep red colour (sangria means ‘blood’ in Spanish) it is served in restaurants and pubs in Australia in the summer months, with lots of ice. Fruit often includes apples, oranges, melon, pears and nectarines, more or less any fruit available.
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Spanish
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Naranja
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The Spanish are very proud of their oranges, so much so that they make a big thing out of serving fresh juice ‘presse’ style, which means the oranges are freshly pressed only when the drink is ordered. The oranges tend to be very sweet and are often used in cocktail style beverages, particularly with a touch of Grenadine and a green liquer such as crème de menthe or Chartreuse. Whichever way, the drink is a kick of sunshine.
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Spanish
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Rioja Wine
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The most prolific Spanish wine served, Rioja is popular with red wine drinkers, whether amateurs or connoisseurs. Deep and fruity from the Rioja region of Spain, it comes in many varieties, but a good example should be smooth and velvety. Varies in price, but a good one can be purchased at a relatively cheap price.
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Spanish
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Sake
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Sake is a Japanese fermented rice drink, usually served warm and frequently called ‘rice wine’. It is served in small china bottles or in small ‘cup’ style vessels in very small quantities! An acquired taste and quite pungent!
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Sushi, Japanese
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