Good quality reasonably priced food in Sydney?

LPretaPauper on 29/01/2017 - 10:29

My husband and I just returned from a honeymoon in Europe and were met with high quality produce at a low price everywhere in Italy and France it's seems to be the norm. Now back in Sydney trying to recreate this experience (even with Australian made produce) is quadruple the price.
Where does everyone shop in Sydney for their normal groceries and for gourmet items like cheese and cold meats (prosciutto etc). I would love to support local businesses where feasible and would look at travelling if needed.
So far my tip is IGA Haberfield their fruit is fresh and they have a great select and deli.

I would love to hear people's suggestions of shops, stores and even produce markets etc

Food & Grocery

Comments

shangoz on 29/01/2017 - 10:35

Cheapest still cook at home, either Aldi and Wooolworth plus Coles nearly discount every week but different items, out of home eating might be Thai and Pizza still affordable.
John Kimble on 29/01/2017 - 11:16

Harris Farm and Thomas Dux have a wide cheese and cured meats selection.
- PretaPauper on 29/01/2017 - 11:36
  
  Hi John
  I agree their selection is great but the prices aren't. We did a shop on Friday which cost us $250 for the cheeses and some other bits and this didn't mean the most expensive either. When I compare to the same quality in Italy I am shocked at the difference
  - John Kimble on 29/01/2017 - 11:41
    
    Yeah, prices are pretty exy
    - tonyjzx on 30/01/2017 - 09:36
      
      its because the australian consumer is unsophisticated (to say the least) and your tastes arent
      
      i mean if you're spending $250 on 'cheese' then yeah, that says it all
Baebs on 29/01/2017 - 11:18

+2

I miss Europe, the premium we pay for simple European food here is so exorbitant. Their local restaurants equate to fine dining here >.>
- PretaPauper on 29/01/2017 - 11:37
  
  +1
  
  I agree they have an expectation for their food which means it's the norm. It's sad that we have to pay through the nose for this standard.
- retiredfeline on 29/01/2017 - 17:13
  
  But it cuts both ways; what is normal dining or even street food in Asia would be exotic dining in Europe. Another side of it is that Europe is far more affordable to Aussies than it was decades ago, which says more about the rise of standard/cost of living here than about Europe.
retiredfeline on 29/01/2017 - 11:39

It's true, Aussies pay more for produce than say Italians:

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_countries_resu…

Even more so in Sydney and for deli goods. Hope you're earning more too to make up.
- PretaPauper on 29/01/2017 - 16:43
  
  Thanks for that link it's interesting to compare the 2.
John Kimble on 29/01/2017 - 11:43

Only eaten there so not sure how ext it is, but Encasa appears to sell meats eg Jason too? Or Hudson meats maybe?
momov3 on 29/01/2017 - 12:15

Sydney dwellers can even afford to eat after paying mortgage bills?
mskeggs on 29/01/2017 - 13:13

+5

Consider the inexpensive food you enjoyed in Europe was the local stuff in season.
Our local stuff in season is also very inexpensive, but it is different food. Similarly, if you wanted to eat a diet made up of common Australian produce in Antwerp you would have to pay a lot.

Our local cheeses can be very good (e.g. mersey valley is a great tasty) but we won't have as good a parmesan as you get in Parma! Our local fresh fruit and vegetables are also great, but you need to avoid the big supermarkets who buy based on shelf appeal (presentation and durability over flavour) and try places like the markets or asian grocers.

I think there is also a level of economies of scale and uniform competition. It is not uncommon for an Italian family to eat pasta 5 or 6 times a week, so the marketplace provides strong competition to serve that mainstream taste. But if you tried to prepare a Thai larb in Naples you would struggle to find low cost ingredients, while it would be easy and cheap in Sydney.

The other factor is Australians (like Americans) culturally tend to shop in bulk, often buying a week or fortnight of food at a time, while in Europe a daily stop at the grocers is routine. This tends to favour discounts for large portions (cheese at $6kg) with single serve portions charged at a premium. If a grocer tried this approach in rural France they would be out of business very quickly.
- PretaPauper on 29/01/2017 - 16:47
  
  I definitely agree and it's all relative. We are lucky enough to have great Asian food cheaply and readily available but we have to thank the majority of people that have driven this as an expectation.
  I do think even for in season produce we pay through the nose for items that aren't necessarily the best quality. The cheeses we purchased this Friday were all Australian and unfortunately were not reasonably priced. I am all for paying to support local businesses but I think European food is still very much in the realm of a luxury here, I would love to see it normalised and for retailers to start working on the premise of larger customer base rather than a smaller base with larger profi margins
  - mskeggs on 29/01/2017 - 17:01
    
    +2
    
    Agree on the profit margins.
    There can be some bargains. A post on here in 2015 had Woolworths finest brand parmesan at $2 a wedge, and it was re-wrapped Mantova Grano Padano. We are still using the last of it! The soft cheeses like brie are often marked down close to expiry (when they are at their most flavoursome!) and if you keep a lookout over the next few weeks the imported xmas hams will be marked down to clear.
    But you are right, there is no everyday cheap equivalent, and I have yet to find a local baguette that stands up to those available in every french town.
  - retiredfeline on 29/01/2017 - 17:20
    
    +2
    
    If you compare the average income between Australia and Italy there's part of your answer. Retailers here have to charge more, and not just for imports, to cover their costs of salaries, rent, etc. Then there is the economy of scale; there are more Italians (60M) than Australians (24M).
    
    You want the retailers to target a larger customer base, but let's face it, prosciutto for example is not going to be mainstream fare for more than a minority of Australians, so not enough economy of scale.
Findo on 29/01/2017 - 13:19

Go to your local market
Stewardo on 29/01/2017 - 16:25

+2

Fred's edensor park,
Rodriquez bros Chester hill (Jamon, chorizo)
Ninos fruit barn Bankstown
Lamonica IGA
Rainieri's five dock
Fairfield chase shopping centre
Italian food australia john st lidcombe
Bosley park general store
Ivan's Chester hill
Superbarn outlets
Amatos Leichhardt
Mr liquor outlets
Petersham cellars

There are hundreds more just need to go looking for them. Sydney has amazing multicultural food, good luck.
Some tips:
Stay away from big shopping centres and expensive real estate the further east and the nicer the presentation of the building the price will rise accordingly (massive overheads/wealthy customers)
Look for areas where the areas have a high immigrant population (of nationality who's cuisine you crave), as they buy these products frequently and generally won't pay overs.
Look at products you like label often will say: imported by xyzzy, Sydney Australia, the importer often will have a retail outlet out the front of the warehouse.
- PretaPauper on 29/01/2017 - 16:39
  
  Thank you!
- mskeggs on 29/01/2017 - 17:04
  
  I'll add that for a wide range, Parisi's at Rose Bay is good, but too costly.
  And most suburban fruit markets have some Euro foods. Todarello's in the blue mountains are ok
snook on 30/01/2017 - 13:12

Go to areas where there are ethnic majorities of people for the food you want and then find the local IGA.
They stock what the locals want.

eg, Dulwich Hill IGA is Greek and Portuguese

Good quality reasonably priced food in Sydney?

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