Do you remember the episode of Kath & Kim where Kath and Kel go on their honeymoon but don’t leave the airport? Well as a travelling and airport enthusiast, I kind of understood it. For most, going to the airport signals the onset of something exciting. Some airports are of course better than others – some are a delight whilst others are disappointing. Singapore’s Changi has a movie theatre and conducts airport tours. Conversely, flying into LAX is surprisingly disappointing. For the number of people and flights that pass through, there is scarcely anything to buy or services to enjoy.
Sydney Airport is of course the one that I visit most. Two years ago, there was a redevelopment of the airport and with it came a roll-out of eateries and new shops both on the “land” side (i.e. before you go through customs) and the “air” side after. Who spends more? People on the “land” side or the “air” side? Apparently there are more people that visit the land side establishments but the spend on the air side is higher as people have cleared customs and are more relaxed
The question on everyone’s lips? Why is airport food so expensive? Well there are a couple of reasons – there is a captive audience so retailers know that but also the rents are also high at the airport. However, there was a recent push to ask eateries and shops to keep items at a certain cost in order to add value to the customer.
Danks Street Depot- Land Side, International Terminal
There are several operators that help set up the outlets in the airport and SSP (Select Service Partners) is one of them. They have partnered with Sydney chef Jared Ingersoll to bring Danks Street Depot to the land side of the airport. It sits smack bang in the centre of departures and a bright yellow sign announces it’s location. It has a large seating area and service is at the counter.
The Danks Street Depot menu is similar to the cafe in Redfern but there are some differences to the menu and a couple of items are exclusive to the airport cafe like the steak sandwich and spaghetti picante. Some of the prices aren’t too bad however a comparison of the prices of the Reuben sandwich shows a $8.50 difference and the chicken sandwich a $5.50 difference. However, the sandwiches here automatically come with a small serve of hot chips whereas at the cafe they are ordered separately at $8 for a larger size. The most popular items are the two poached egg and bacon combo which is two biodynamic eggs, Schultz free range bacon, herbed tomato with brasserie bread sourdough toast plus a coffee for $19.50.
As this was Ingersoll’s first foray into airport retailing, there was concern that his vision and values (sustainability and artisan, house made products) would not be adhered to but everything, including the chicken for the chicken sandwiches is roasted on the premises. The mayonnaise is made here and they ship in as little pre-made as possible.
Reuben sandwich $24.50 (bowl of chips given separately)
The Reuben is a toasted sandwich with toasted Brasserie Bread rustic loaf . Inside it’s filled with corned Wagyu beef braised in balsamic sugar and spices, a layer of sauerkraut and Heidi tilsit cheese and seeded mustard. The beef is tender and the tangyness from the sauerkraut balances the richness of the wagyu and the nutty cheese well. Then hand cut chips are cut every day on the premises and come piping hot with a light crunchiness on the outside and a soft, fluffiness on the inside.
Chicken sandwich $23.50 (bowl of chips given separately)
Even though the Reuben is the more well known, I slightly preferred the chicken and corn sandwich with rocket and house made mayonnaise. I must admit that I have seen pictures of these sandwiches looking much more come hither with the gooey insides oozing out almost onto the plate.
Coffee $4.50
The coffee here is excellent. All Danks Street Depot staff and all staff working at the SSP eateries must spend time at the original restaurant in order to be trained up to the restaurant’s standards.
Cookie $4
When they bring us the cookie they explain that the cookies aren’t always this size (which quite frankly I think is fabulous as they’re gigantic). As someone that has OCD and likes even distribution of chunks this is excellent with even chocolate chip dispersal. And I think that if I brought this on a plane I could while away at least 30 minutes just nibbling away at this cookie.
Orange & almond cake $6
The orange and almond cake is warm and with a soft, sweet interior fragrant in orange with a slightly sandy texture from the almond meal. There are flaked almonds on top and a dusting of icing sugar to give it added sweetness.
China Grand-Air Side, International Terminal
The last time Mr NQN and I went through the airport I tried to get him to have some yum cha with me sadly to no avail. Yum Cha on the air side’s China Grand isn’t of the trolley variety, you order it from the menu and they bring it out to you.
Prawn dumplings $9.90
Yum cha here is pricier than that in the city or suburbs. For a steamer basket full of dumplings, expect to pay $9.90 for the dumplings. The prawn dumplings however are good and like many places here, they do yum cha for eat in or takeaway. Many retailers have found that with the number of discount airlines, many people are opting to buy the food from the airport and carry it on the flight rather than eat the food on the plane.
Xiao long bao $9.90
The xiao long bao are also good with a light, fluffy pork filling and a filling of soup broth.
China Grand special fried rice with fish roe and seafood $29.80
Although it looked quite different from the picture on the menu, the fried rice with plenty of prawns and sliced scallops was a favourite. I’ve never had fish roe in fried rice before and these tiny little balls impart a lovely popping texture to the rice.
Stir fried seafood in XO Sauce $30.80
There were plenty of prawns, squid and scallops in the stir fried seafood as well as snow peas. It came with a rich sauce perfect for the rice but not a lot of XO in the sauce. And a little bonus is that they will no blink an eyelid if you ask to take the remainder of your dinner away!
Caviar House & Prunier-Air Side, International Terminal
Ever wanted to spot a celebrity? If you don’t have access to the first class lounge, the next best place to find them is perched on one of the bar stools at Caviar House & Prunier. Apparently celebs loves champagne, black truffle vodka and caviar-who knew right? Jamiroquai, Ronan Keating, footballers and the Top Gear presenters have all escaped the first and business class lounges and propped themselves up at the bar – and apparently the stools that are to the right hand side which affords them a little obscurity are the most popular.
Caviar House & Prunier is the first branch of the European brand in Australia. Caviar here ranges from $152 for 30 grams /1 oz or $240 for 50 grams or 1.7 ozs. and is packaged up so that it can last a long haul flight to Europe. They go through 2.5 kilos of caviar a month here.
Marylin $46
They have their own brand of champagne and vodka and pair a glass or shot of each with a 10g serve of caviar. There are two types of caviar, Malassol which is a mild, caviar which has hazelnut overtones and there is the Saint James which is a stronger caviar and more of a connoisseur’s choice as it is saltier, bolder and fishier in flavour. The champagne goes wonderfully with the caviar and I can definitely see people knocking back caviar and then champagne and then missing their flight!
Zakuska rasputin $35
Most caviar enthusiasts would know that you always serve caviar on a mother of pearl spoon and not a metallic one as this affects the flavour of caviar. And how do you traditionally eat caviar? Well you deposit the caviar on the back of your hand between your thumb and index finger. Let it warm a little, it shouldn’t be fridge cold but it also should be colder than your hand, and then eat it from your hand! And the vodka has a really sweet aroma to it, I didn’t try it as I get drunk on the breath of a inebriated gnat but the zakuska rasputin is said to be the best way to enjoy caviar.
Bambini Wine Bar-Air Side, International Terminal
I’ve walked past Bambini Wine Bar at Sydney Airport countless times without actually realising that it was a Bambini wine bar as the signage, a single “B”, is very subtle. It’s a popular stop for cocktails as they’re reasonably priced, the banquettes comfortable and the music is from the iPod collection of Bambini’s owners Angela and Michael Potts.
Espresso Martini $16
The pick of the drinks are the martinis, especially the espresso martini which is smooth and gorgeous. It has vodka, kahlua and a shot of espresso in it.
French Martini $16
The French martini is a new one to me and it has pineapple juice, Chambord (black raspberry liqueur which I adore), vodka and a squeeze of lime in it. It is sweet, refreshing and very drinkable. And in terms of value, it must be noted that Bambini’s cocktail prices are reasonable matching the price of their city counterparts.
The focus is on drinks although there is a food menu with the lobster linguine being a popular item. Have you ever wondered what doesn’t work at an airport? Items like steak tartare are a no-no, people just don’t want to take the perceived risk of having a steak tartare before a flight. However an exception to this is sushi which sells very well. Also super high end or degustation food doesn’t work at the airport as people just aren’t interested in it. In fact out of SSP’s six eateries the one that does the most sales is Prego’s as it is a family oriented place with pizzas and Italian food. In last year’s December 2011 peak period they sold 17,444 food items not including coffee and drinks.
Also, people just aren’t interested in elaborate dessert or sweets. In fact we had a difficult time finding a cake for afternoon tea one day. Items like muffins are everywhere as they’re quick to grab and go but a slice of cake proves more difficult to find.
Air Side, Domestic Terminal 2
At the domestic terminal, at T2, the newly opened Brasserie Bread has a eat in and take away section and you can also grab full sized loaves to take with you or take home depending on your direction. Items like an almond croissant will set you back $5.40 while their famous sourdough pancakes with honeycomb cream and berries $15.50.
I always seem to leave from terminal 3 but when I finally flew out of terminal 2, I stopped by to buy a slow cooked pork with chimmichurri sauce on schiacciatta for $13.50. It is enormous and filling, perhaps large enough to feed two and replete with meat filling, and it is markedly better than what I was offered on the plane. The man sitting next to me with his bag of lollies was looking upon it enviously.
Slow cooked pork on schiacciatta $13.50
And if you’re wanting something small and sweet to take with you that might be easier to eat, there is also the Brasserie Bread almond croissant and apricot tart. The almond croissant is filled with an almond paste and is buttery and multi layered which is just how I love croissants. The apricot tart is filled with a similar almond frangipane and moist apricot halves with a crumbly buttery shell.
Almond croissant $5.40 (Brasserie Bread), tiramisu cake (Toby’s Estate) and apricot tart (Brasserie Bread)
Right next to Brasserie Bread is Toby’s Estate to the right and Bistro 2020 to the left. All three places are owned by the same company and they license the Brasserie Bread and Toby’s Estate brands. The tiramisu cake in the picture above is sold at Toby’s Estate and is made by Noga’s in Bondi. It’s not bad although it’s not as boozy or has as much coffee as I prefer.
Mini Mars cheese tart $6.95
However, when you put a mini Mars bar cheese tart on offer, then all bets are off. Also made by Noga’s and sold at the Toby’s Estate stand, the small tart has a light cheesecake filling topped with luscious caramel, chocolate and a slice of Mars Bar. It’s as if two of your favourite sweets were merged together. Although I didn’t love the chocolate coated shell as much as the filling, this was worth stopping for.
Mezze platter $16
The food at Bistro Bar 2020 is more substantial and offers a range of pasta, burgers and salads. We started with the mezze platter which had olives, hummus, rosemary feta, pickles, prosciutto wrapped salad leaves, fried chorizo and toasted bread. The sweet pickles and prosciutto wrapped leaves were my favourite.
Marinated Lamb salad $29.50
The lamb salad has a generous amount of tender lamb pieces on a bed of green leaves, roasted capsicum, eggplant and pine nuts. There’s also a sweet tanginess from the raspberry vinaigrette dressing.
Wagyu beef burger $20
I was tossing up between the beef burger or the chicken burger with sweet corn and Amanda made the decision easy: beef burger on brioche. The wagyu patty sits on a slice of unmelted provolone cheese at the bottom with some salad, a grilled field mushroom and a strong peppercorn sauce and I would have preferred the cheese melted and whilst the peppercorn sauce was a nice retro steakhouse touch, it does tend to overwhelm. The wedges are nice and look to be hand cut and I would have also loved a bit of sauce to go with those. Amanda finds the buttery sweet brioche a bit too much like cake but I actually quite like the sweetness to balance the strong peppercorn sauce.
King prawn liguine $24
Given a choice of linguine or risotto, we chose linguine. There is a good amount of prawns in this (although I didn’t count them as I was sharing with two other people 
) and they were nicely cooked with a succulent texture. There was a little asparagus, wilted rocket and spinach, peas, fresh tomato and a nice amount of chilli.
Of course with any of these establishments, there are the ever popular fast food restaurants and options to suit but I’m interested Dear Reader, when you fly, do you eat at the airport or do you wait for the food on the plane? And which airport impresses you the most?
NQN was a guest of Sydney Airport while some of the meals in today’s post were paid for independently while travelling.
Sydney Airport
www.sydneyairport.com.au
If you enjoyed this post, why not share it with your friends?
What is NQN up to now?
NQN on Facebook
RSS
47 Comments | Add your own
I love that you found foodspiration even in the airport! I’m loving that cookie + pic of that gentleman at the table =)
What a wonderful selection. I’ve noticed that Pearson International Airport (Toronto’s big international airport) also offers better food choices than they used to (disgusting burgers and fries at ridiculous prices). I was however disappointed in the food selection at Charles de Gaulle this past September.
Hope you have a great weekend.
I have to say that when I travel, I prefer a light meal, usually a salad or soup or sushi. I don’t like to fly with a heavy belly. But lately, we have taken to eating at the airport instead of the crap they serve in steerage class on the plane.
I hope you tried these lovely dishes on different trips, that would be a lot of food to consume in one sitting!
Fish roe in fried rice? Methink Kath and Kel wouldn’t have been as keen on that. Although, perhaps, it might have inspired Kel to make a Fish Roe Gourmet Sausage
Wow, my airport sucks compared to Sydney for food options. but most of the main dishes have a terrifying price tag! I would go for the poached egg and bacon combo though.Ok and the caviar and fancy stuff lol
yes! I love your airline posts and this one is so appropriate as I’m flying international next week! I only just commented on your Emirates meal post yesterday night, how funny is that.
These look good. I wish I could but with terrible air sickness it’s not a good idea
Thanks for this. I’ll be in Sydney in about 2 weeks time so I’ll know what to eat! I can’t believe I’m finally going to Australia -your blog will be my guide as to what to eat where
Talk about a nice airport…I’d say it is one of the best looking at the food choices that are available.
That was fun. But even with all the great ingredients, it would pain me to spend almost $25 for a sandwich anywhere. Just does’t feel right…There are several airports where I look forward to eating something, notably seafood and barbecue. But I am always on the lookout wherever I am for good food–and where better than when captive in an airport?
Hi Victoria! I agree, $25 for a sandwich is expensive indeed!
Dear Lorraine,
The ridiculous prices like that $42 teaspoon of caviar is the perfect excuse for me to load up on a Big Mac or a KFC 3-piece feed
Hi Chopin! The caviar is very expensive but I think there are so many other options to go for rather than a Big Mac or KFC
Well, for me anyway 
Depends the time of my flight, but I usually eat before going on the flight. I’m not one for in flight meals usually- especially the economy ones
I guess when I go to Europe next year I’ll have to suck it up and eat though! If only they were business/first class tickets haha! I’m sure that’d make eating easier 
I love how you travel enough to be able to give a little tour of the available eateries at the airport!
Don’t forget, all these establishments would also be paying Sydney Airport (ie Macquarie Bank)a cut of their takings. Would be interesting to know how much that’s adding to the bill…
Barcelona airport is fantastic, but sadly not much is open on a Sunday!
I eat at the airport mostly to pass time
otherwise I like to shop and that gets very expensive! First trip overseas I was so excited I spent a ridiculous amount in a very short space of time, hubby never leaves me alone at airports to shop any more!:)
Great post! I’ve always wanted to know what the Chinese on the airside was like. It’s so expensive.
What a great idea to review some of the airport eateries. By the looks of some of this food, travelers might be well advised to by their snacks in the airport and have them boxed up for the flight!
A most interesting read as it concerns ‘my’ home airport! However, in all my years of around the world travel I have yet to buy one bite of food at any airport and I doubt my behaviour will change
! You eat at home/hotel/friend’s before and then are served far too much on the plane . . . and the prices!!! OK, liked the look of the mezze plate 
!
I love the great multicultural food offerings at most international airports. Enjoying sumptuous meals (from warm Asian tim sums to cool French croissants), watching the world fly by, perfect creature comforts while waiting for my flight overseas.
I lave airports too Lorraine! I could live there like Tom Hanks in the movie The Terminal, although probably cheaper not too!
I agree – what a great idea to review the airports. Can you include places with massage / spa in another blog ?
I’m happy with any airport that doesn’t have a security officer blow cigar-smoke into my passport – Canary Islands circa 2000.
I’m quite tickled with Adelaide’s Airport refurb. I’m a fan of plane watching and think it’s a fantastic layout with wide window horizons, whereas most airports in Oz are boxed in warehouses.
And of course I find Honolulu airport just so divine – open air, palm trees and some of the easiest-going and happiest staff anywhere. I cry every time I leave. During 9/11 a female machine-gun carrying defence staffer walked by our exhausted and in-shock line of ticketless vagabonds asking “How you doing folks ?”. Keeping it real with the typical aloha spirit.
Please do a food journey of Melbourne Airport!
I need a review of Cafe Vue at the airport before I fly international in Feb (my first ever overseas flight…and I’m 30!)
If I’m flying first or business, then I wait or snack in the lounge but I’d bring my food if I was flying in the back, for sure.
So many to choose from indeed! Who’d waste time and money on Maccas with all this too choose from?
Plane food is so often disappointing, I’d rather full up on good stuff before hand, and just nibble on the plane if I feel like it
This is one of the greatest ideas for leaving a lasting impression on visitors or providing locals with perennial favourites while traveling. Though I have to admit its hard to go past free Neil Perry inspired fare at the Qantas club…
Great post, really interesting read! I don’t often eat too much at the airport. If I’m going on a long flight, I’ll pack snack bars to take with me. I always buy my bottle of water prior, though! Singapore Äirport is my favourite airport, isn’t LAX just terrible! For the amount of people that go through there, I was greatly surprised with the lack of shops and services in there!
My dad and I are airport hounds we always sniff all around the eateries to avoid plane eating – gotta love Sydney
Cheers
CCU
My reaction when I saw those prices -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_xw_QcdohY
I keep hearing how LAX is the worst airport in the world – not only for how there is nothing to buy but also because of the length of the queues. I was at Sydney airport recently and was asked to fill out a survey of what I thought. I told them I thought it was a great airport apart from the poor value for money – the food and drinks are ridiculously overpriced and rents should be lowered to prevent this xx
It’s nice when airport offers nice food.. one of the airports which I like is Singapore. They’ve got good ramen there and some other interesting seafood restaurants too.
Excellent food resource for Sydney’s airport, I’m sure my sister will appreciate this when she starts her new life in Australia in a couple of days!
This all looks lovely, and I don’t mind spending money on food, but…I’m a Sydneysider living in Europe, so if I’m flying from Sydney Airport it’s because I’m heading back from a visit home. My family generally drive me to the airport (Mum and Dad always come, my sister if she’s in town too), then I check in early, and we have a family snack before I go through security – it’s a tradition. So imagine $20 burgers, $25 sandwiches or $30 salads for four, plus drinks, plus a dessert or two to share, as well as the parking for a two-hour stay, and you end up with a total that’s simply unaffordable. The ordinary chains aren’t gourmet, and I’m not arguing that the food is fantastic, but at least four ordinary people can munch on something together and feel full, which wouldn’t happen if four people had to share one sandwich.
(I’m lucky in any case that my father makes his own corned beef, and I always take a few sandwiches from home on the plane. Yum.)
I suspect airport planners don’t really consider the ordinary people using them, though – the crowd who have to scrimp to buy an economic ticket home once a year, or the people saying goodbye who can’t afford to fly at all aren’t going to drop thousands in shopping and eating, so we don’t really matter.
(That sounds rather bitter, and I didn’t intend it that way – the post is fascinating, and the food looks great, but the price grates, because you’re a captive audience most of the time.)
“…come hither sandwich”, snort, snerkle, I know EXACTLY what you mean, those two pieces of bread and stuff are just calling out to me!
Wow! I am obviously not finding the right eating spots at the airport, I seem to only find fast food stuff!! I will look a little harder on Monday
Some nice looking food indeed, but the prices are quite often disgusting. $25 for a sandwich? Who are you kidding? $5 for a croissant? Even the most exalted bakeries in Paris charge way less than that. I’ll stick to the ordinary fare at the lounges, or else just bring a sandwich from home.
I was recently at Sydney airport enroute to Canada and I convinced my husband to have yum cha, well I wished I hadn’t, it was discusting, the prawn dumplings didn’t even fast like prawn and the atmosphere is lifeless. We should have gone to the Japanese next door which we have been to before and was delicious. Sydney airport is amazing now after the refit
I am always far too nervous to even notice food on offer at the airport!
Loved this post
I love traveling and also been interested at the food at the airports.
But having said that… I usually don’t eat at the airport unless I have to as I find the food to be a little bit overpriced…but that Rueben sandwich does look yummy and the marsbar tart
So happy you did this post because I will know where to eat next time I come to Sydney!
I can’t take my mind off the mini Mars bar cheese tart …
Amazing that such food is on offer at an Airport!
I really despise paying airport prices for food so I very rarely eat there. I sometimes pack snacks or wait to for the plane. Although, if they had a Brasserie breads in the Brisbane airport I might think differently.
Love this post, please do more airports. It depends who I’m flying with as to how much I eat before the plane but don’t overdo it due to the prices as I’d rather save my money for the trip. AKL International is a good one too so will happily transit there to North America. Love Changi too but think it’s hilarious that the Butterfly enclosure is opposite a smoking room – such opposites!I can’t believe people go in there, so gross!!
Great idea on doing an airport food post. I’m sure you have given inspiration to someone out there who’s hungry at Sydney airport.
That’s one of the things I absolutely love about reading food blogs – previously, if I look at a street, a suburb, a food court, I’d just see unspectacular neon signs of menus and shopfronts but it is food blogs that make individual restaurants or particular dishes jump out at you.
I’ve eaten at Hong Kong airport a few times due to stopovers there – I think I just generally go for the local specialties – like roast duck egg noodles kind of thing. As a lot of the comments above have mentioned, airport food is overpriced and usually not as good as outside in the real world but I always figured, can’t go too horribly wrong if you eat the local specialties right? If I was hungry at an airport in Thailand, I’d probably go for pad siew w/ chicken for example – I’ve found pretty much every single Thai restaurant can do that one well and it never seems to go horribly wrong.
Danks Street Depot coffee and pastries are fantastic. I visited the one near Sydney City Toyota. It’s unfortunate when I get served bad coffee so I try to remember the places where the coffee is good.
What on Earth? Good food at an airport? And I never knew about the caviar champagne bar!
I might just have to go earlier for my next flight so I can have a good explore around some of these places!
I’m a bit late on this one, but I have to say I am now preferring to eat in the restaurants in the airports instead of just going to the lounge! The faves on my list at the moment are Movida & Cafe Vue which are at Melb International Airport once you pass through customs. Absolutely delicious and a lovely little treat to get you into the holiday mode. I treated myself to Movida croquettes before flying to London a couple of weeks ago! Sent a photo to my hubby who was very jealous! I think Melbourne & Sydney rate up there as some of the best airports for food, Hong Kong, LA even Heathrow are not anywhere near as good! We are pretty lucky really!
Post a Comment