The Simon Johnson range of gourmet foods is peppered through Delis all over Sydney. Delightfully…read morethe Castlecrag store brings the entire range together for a exquisite shopping experience for a fanatic foodie. Oils, pastas, sauces, condiments, rice, line the shelves. The goods are either 'Simon Johnson' branded or sourced from around the world which convinces me you are getting the best of the best. I love the Simon Johnson curry sauces, particularly the green curry with eggplant and mushrooms ($5.95, serves 2). The in-store fromagerie is great but best negotiated with a member of staff who know their international cheese.

Another great stop at the Growers Market in the Entertainment Quarter at the old Fox Studios…read more They have an impressive selection of cheeses, with a heavy focus on Italian cheeses. Some Australian and a few from elsewhere in Europe, but lots of Italians. Friendly and helpful service with pitiful small samples to taste, but what can you tell from an ice cold piece of Taleggio anyway? They also have sweets and other food items. Their cinnamon cookies are excellent. I bought some very creamy Brebirousse cheese from Lyon, a sheep's milk brie. It was outstanding - now I'll have to watch to see if I can ever find it again.

I love people who are passionate about what they do and the guys at Ray The Butcher are exactly…read morethat - passionate about meat. They are so knowledgeable about their product and that enthusiasm is infectious - I feel good about the quality of the product I'm buying and inspired when it comes to cooking it. Marinades and spices line the shelves here, and provide extra inspiration. I love the 'spice + oil + meat = :)' rack. By selling the spices in small portions ($1.20 each) it encourages experimentation with cooking. I recently bought the 'lemon, garlic and oregano' which the guys tell me is excellent with lamb - very excited about giving it a try!

A place with such inflated prices as this, you'd expect the meat to be good, or at least not bad:…read morebut bad meat is what's been had, specifically a smelly pork roast. It happens with meat, but I expected more from a place that I'd heard talked-up a lot. These days I skip Ray and head for the guys in Greenwood plaza or even the organic butcher in Big Bear. Helps to be able to find blade roasts, or at least lamb-shanks that aren't rock-solid and crusty with freezer burn...

Super friendly, helpful clerk. Matched me with the perfect blue cheese. Nice variety with a broad…read moreselection. Located in Potts point about six minute walk from Kings Cross Station..

Ok, I'm going to be roughly the hundredth person to testify that this place is amazing--with a few…read morecaveats. The food here is stunning, but it's really the wine and cheese pairings that are the star attraction. Seriously, my first visit was six weeks ago, and I'm still gushing about it. My partner and I took every recommendation the staff offered and did not regret it. However, what you should keep in mind is that this place is tiny, and does not take reservations on Fridays or Saturdays, so you take pot luck on seating and volume. So, for instance, I probably couldn't take my parents here, but if I could convince my partner to spend his next Christmas bonus (oh yeah, this place ain't cheap) roughly 10 months in advance, well I would go back tomorrow. So when you want a really nice meal, but with a slightly inconvenient twist, march right on in and order everything.

As someone who doesn't know much about cheese the staff were very friendly and accommodating and…read morehelpful in recommending some based on my preferences and all were enjoyable. Very laid back atmosphere during the day great place for a coffee too. On the slightly more expensive end for a cheese board I thought but I guess they're specialised and selection is unmatched.

What a find! A charcuterie in the St George area! Whether you need gourmet meat, gourmet sausages,…read moresmall goods, gourmet grocery or a bite for lunch ... it is a one stop wonderland. For lunch we chose the 3 sausages with salad option and the pasta with fresh tomatoes and cheese. It was simply produce at its best - the simplicity of the pasta showed off the fresh and fine ingredients, with the fresh pasta cooked to al dente perfection. The sausages were also amazing combining herbs with succulent mince. Can't wait to go back and venture back here for my small goods purchases.

Pino Tomini-Foresti is passionate about the highest quality sausages. And this led to the…read moreestablishment of Pino's dolce vita, a butcher and fine food shop at President Avenue in Kogarah. People from far off places visit Pino for his quality products. His sausages are of the highest quality and people who know this really appreciate what he does. Hand crafted with pride Pino and his sons,Fabiano and Marco, they offer over hundreds of varieties sausages and salami.They use traditional methods passed on by different generations to Pino and his family. there is also a huge variety of other fine food such as cheese, olive oil, biscuits, Dry pasta, coffee and what not. I happened to taste their Antipasto plate at an Italian friends party and boy it was brilliant. Yes its a bit pricey but trust me its worth it for the quality , the taste and the love and passion that's gone into each one of its products. The Italian particularly love this place . And as Pino puts it - they know the art of manufacturing fine foods. This is the perfect place for a connoisseur of fine food !

Marathon Meat House in Baulkham Hills has got everything including a few smallgoods, such as cheese…read moreand salami. They also have a small selection of deli items such as olives and sundried tomatoes. But whoever designed the shop made space for a wonderful display but they forgot the customers. The counter is so high that I can't be seen by the staff on the other side. I love the choice and quality but I very rarely shop there as I am passed over by other customers and I'm not the only one. All the items are put into a basket for you to take to the cashier but if you're short, just getting the basket over the top of the cabinet can be difficult, especially if the girl serving you is equally challenged. Lovely meat but I can't be bothered taking a tall friend with me.

Great variety and price. I can go in there when I'm not sure what to feed the family and come out…read morewith great ideas and a wholesome family meal at a good price. They have the freshest meats and are always willing to cut up large pieces or dice meat even smaller. They also have a wide selection of already marinated meat or chicken some already on skewers so that's half the job done and cutting down on cooking time. There's a good selection of cheeses and olives etc that I can add on the table that make a difference. I think all the counters at the fish, chicken and meat stores are high, but they have never handed me anything over the counter. It's glass so they see straight through and the staff always take my purchase to the checkout. The staff are always friendly, and willing to help. The bakers delight is just accross from there so I can be in and out with my meat and fresh bread &/or desert in 10 minutes without fighting long ques in the supermarket and trying to figure out if the meat in the plastic is fresh or just red from the light. Great to have a family butcher back in stockland.

Whilst it hasn't been open for very long...maybe a month...I was glad we stumbled in. It is very…read moredifficult to get non supermarket cheese and prosciutto and other delicacies in this area. Arthur Street wouldn't have been my place to look for a deli. It is also part of IGA so there is a supermarket section that claims to match the big supermarket chain on items. Plus, there is also a coffee shop but I didn't try it out. However, there was a reasonable trade being done with the coffee.

I love dropping in at mint fresh IGA for a coffee and a snack however it's always so busy mainly on…read moreweekends, the supermarket area is also convenient to go in and grab a few things without having to coles or woolies. Most of the time there isn't much parking though.