Religious Travelers - Australia - Kosher

Shanah Tovah, all.

Does anyone have any info on where in Australia there is a good selection of kosher restaurants? Also, what about packaged Shabbat meals (or other to-go options) in Sydney?

thanks!

2 places to start:

sydney: http://www.ka.org.au/index.php/Kosher_Establishments/Restaurants_Take-away_and/or_Deli.html

Melbourne: http://www.kosher.org.au/food_outlets.htm

There's another hechsher in Melbourne called Adass Israel but I couldn't find any information about what restaurants they certify.

goodo

Here's one more:

http://www.shamash.org/kosher/

as for SYD anything and everything will be Only in the Bondi Beach area. A 15 min subway ride and then some walking

Nothing whatsoever DownTown. A friend whom we visited at his place of Biz close to the Marriott on the Park, gets his lunch brought to him everyday by his wife

We went into a couple of stores eg Woolworth but found nothing with an O-U, we were hoping we would find some things.Ther was Bagels with the local KA and that was the extent

Havent been to MEL so I cant offer any help , except that MEL is suppose to be a much larger community, so maybe more options

Best option for meal delivery downtown is Lewis' (Curlewis Street in Bondi) and phone is 61-2-9365-5421. But you should also go to Katzy's (also in Bondi) for their great South African style meat pies - and they may also deliver. Phone +61 2 9130 6743.

For Shabbos, I usually stay at the Swiss Grand Hotel in Bondi and there are a few shuls within easy walking distance. The Great Synagogue is downtown and you might be able to get invites for meals. But if you spend Shabbos in Bondi then there is a lovely walk you can do along the coast, southwards to Coogee and Maroubra, or northwards around the peminsula to Rose Bay.

BTW, you have to do the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb - expensive but worth every penny.

The Great Synagogue is downtown and you might be able to get invites for meals.

we stopped in to checkout the Shul and a very nice older woman gave us the rundown.

few if any members still live within walking distance to the Synagogue. They do have services Fri night and Sat, but if its important that there be a Minyan of Shomer Shabbas Men it probably wont happen according to her.

So an invite might come but it mostly will mean riding in a car to the persons home, she said most live towards the Bondi area

Thanks for the tips. We should be OK for our shabbatot -- we are Masorti/Conservative (my wife is a Rabbi (JTS grad)), and she knows her colleagues in MEL & OOL (Gold Coast) who we will probably visit. But finding good meat restaurants is always tough...

If we do SYD instead, there's a Masorti kehillah there too; even though we don't know anyone there, lots of small kehillot are willing to swap shabbat hospitality for a couple of drashot from a visiting rav -- if for no reason other than it's easier to feed 2 extra people than to prepare drashot.;)

I just noticed this announcement, for anyone reading who is interested in a Sydney hotel with a kosher kitchen:

Sydney's only hotel Kosher kitchen opens at Sofitel (http://www.etravelblackboard.com.au/showarticle.asp?id=98320&nav=1)[etravelblackboard PR; Tuesday, 20 October 2009]


Sydney's only hotel Kosher Kitchen has launched at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, successfully meeting the needs of the Jewish community under the supervision of respected Rabbi, Aaron Groner of the Kashurit Authority in Sydney.

Sofitel Sydney Wentworth is currently the only hotel kosher kitchen available in Sydney and its surrounds, allowing the observance and creation of kosher cuisine for small through to larger scale events of up to 600 people.

Sofitel's kosher kitchen and cuisine is expected to be of particular service to those wishing to celebrate and participate in major events including coming of age celebrations like Bar and Bat Mitzvahs and milestones such as weddings, anniversaries and multi-generational family reunions.

Update:

SYD: we stayed downtown (Sheraton on the Park) and Lewis' delivered. The delivery charge was pricey (AUD $55), but the food was good quality, large portions, reasonably priced. Sheraton handled dinner correctly (vis-a-vis heating in foil, for those concerned). Not sure how they would have handled a lunch, though, as we walked to Woolahra & were hosted at the Masorti shul.

MEL: we booked into a place called Quest - East St. Kilda (one of a chain of serviced aparatments that does hotel services too), because there was a kosher restaurant (Kimberly Gardens) onsite listed as doing shabbat meals. WRONG! We went in there on Thursday at 5pm, and asked if they did shabbat meals. They don't - they're closed all day Friday & on shabbat. After some cajoling, they agreed to prepare a to-go package of food (chicken shnitzel, roast veggies & green salad), and deliver it into our hotel room refrigerator before they closed that evening. When we returned (~10pm), the restaurant had closed -- and there was no food. There are lots of other takeout places in the area, but it was VERY disappointing...