Dishes and destinations

The Gourmet Traveller team share where they’ve been and what they’re eating.

Lion Sands River Lodge, South Africa

It’s been an unforgettable experience to return to the African bush, with lions calling in the distance, elephants rummaging for breakfast in the nearby thicket and the beautiful Sabi River as a backdrop. The place has an unbelievable warmth thanks to those who call this place home.

Lauren de Sousa, art director

The Mysa Motel, Gold Coast, Qld

Part of the thrillingly great trend of breathing new life into 1950s and ’60s-era motels, The Mysa Motel, is a tiny seven-room cutie in Palm Beach that blends light-filled rooms in gelato colours with terrazzo floors and spacious bathrooms, plus a magnificent kidney-shaped magnesium pool. Assemble your besties and have the whole place to yourself.

Michael Harden, Vic state editor

Mummucc’, Perth

Laksa, I’m pretty certain, isn’t a traditional Italian dish. Yet somehow, this thrilling plate of sopressa and prawn tortellini sauced with sea urchin butter suggests Asian soup noodles and la cucina vera have more in common than one might think.

6/46-56 Grantham St, Wembley, WA

Max Veenhuyzen, WA state editor

Oncore, Sydney

Four months after her fine-diner opened, Michelin-starred chef Clare Smyth was finally able to make the journey from London to Sydney to check out this view for herself and put the team through its paces. Of course, they passed with flying colours, executing every dish with flawless precision. Crown Sydney, Barangaroo, NSW

Joanna Hunkin, editor

Lulu’s Char Koay Teow, Melbourne

The crunch of fried lard, smoky charred noodles, and sweet, juicy prawns. There are no gimmicks here, just great Penang-style char koay teow at this Hardware Lane hotspot. Sydney, get ready as a Lulu’s CKT is coming to you very soon. 27-31 Hardware Ln, Melbourne, Vic

Jordan Kretchmer, writer