What are the best restaurants in the following places? Looking for real quality places.......any suggestions?<BR><BR>CAIRNS<BR>SURFERS PARADISE<BR>SYDNEY

For Sydney, look at:<BR><BR>http://sydney.citysearch.com.au/section/food_wine/<BR><BR>I've found their thumbs up recommendations to be great.

Go to TuckerParadise.com.au, a Sydney’s Restaurants Guide where people can vote, have their say and read what other restaurants-goers truly think about 1000 restaurants in Sydney and NSW. <BR>http://www.tuckerparadise.com.au<BR><BR><BR>

Just thought that I would tell you that the best restaurant in the Surfers Paradise area in actually on Tamborine Mountain ( yes Bruce, shock horror not us again) where Chef Jacques Restaurant has just won the " Australian BYO Restaurant of the Year" award. It is a French Restaurant and the food is fabulous - and I am going there tomorrow night -yippee!<BR>However there are very very many lovely Restaurants in Surfers and one that springs to mind is Omeros Bros (sp?) which is on the spit and is a sea-food restaurant which has won many awards. <BR>I personally love to go to George's Paragon Restaurant at Sanctuary Cove for lunch because not only is it 1/2 price but the food is lovely ( not award winning) but lovely all the same and I like Sanctuary Cove.

Just returned from Sydney-Quay East on Circular Quay is great-try the prawns in black bean sauce! Also the soups and fried rice. Also loved the Waterfront at the end of the Rocks. They have great lobster bisque and flame grilled prawns in lemongrass and coriander that are HUGE!<BR>Karol

Doyle's Seafood at Watson's Bay is often praised by people who contribute to this forum... have never eaten there myself, but I know the ferry ride to get there is half the fun. Sydney has a lot of "trendy" restaurants around the Rocks area, and you will surely be around that area a lot. For a more diverse cuisine, you may need to hop a bus and get away from the tourist areas. Newtown is full of great eateries... about fifteen minutes by bus from the city, and I hear lots of raves about the African restaurants there. Not too far away, but on another bus route, is Leichhardt (Norton St and Parramatta Rd) which is Little Italy. If you like Italian, there are any number of restaurants there which are frequented by the Italian community. Many are budget, but when you said "quality", I presume you meant the food, not the luxurious surroundings... if, however, swank is more your fancy, try the revolving restaurant at Centrepoint Tower or the Bennelong at the Opera House.