One of America's biggest-selling newspapers has declared that Sydney is the best place on Earth to eat.
In a long review that should have mouth-watering Californians invading the harbour city and filling its restaurants, The Los Angeles Times raved to its 3.5 million readers about Sydney's restaurants and chefs.
"Oz at the head of the table," the headline read on the front page of the LA Times' well-read travel section.
The review was the latest in a series by the newspaper's critics and columnists who were asked to "review the best places on Earth to pursue their particular passions".
In past editions, LA Times film critic Kenneth Turan chose Paris as the world's best city to watch a movie, fashion writer Booth Moore picked Milan as the greatest place to shop and music critic Robert Hilburn anointed London as the best rock scene.
LA Times food critic S Irene Virbila selected Sydney as the number one place to eat.
"When The Times asked me where I'd most like to go to eat in the world, I zeroed in on Sydney," Virbila wrote.
The critic's three-page story praised many of Sydney's top restaurants, including Sailor's Thai, bill's, Icebergs on Bondi Beach, Sean's Panorama, Longrain, The Book Kitchen, Marque Restaurant, Billy Kwong, Spice I Am, Pier, Fish Face, Tetsuya's and The Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay.
Virbila also noted how Sydney restaurants with great harbour or ocean views, such as Icebergs, avoided being "tourist traps" where the quality of the food failed to match the views.
"Not only are those restaurants-with-a-view astonishing - by rights, they needn't be very good at all - but Sydney also has enticing candidates of nearly every ilk, including high-concept French, serious seafood houses, contemporary Asian and cafes that serve breakfast with such sunny optimism you feel nothing can go wrong again. Ever." she wrote.
The critic also pondered why Australian chefs were so good.
"In the States, Australian food is construed as fusion," Virbila wrote.
"Far from it. Young American chefs love to take a taste from here, another from there and mix it up into one big Asian stew, often without knowing much about the cuisines they're fusing.
"Australian chefs tend to keep it pure and cook Thai or Chinese or Vietnamese with a logic and integrity that are impressive.
"I'm convinced it's because many of them grew up on the Asian food found in the cities.
"Australia is so far from everything that it has become a rite of passage to go travelling, not just for a couple of weeks but often for a couple of years, staying abroad to work and learn.
"The best Australian chefs have caught the soul of a cuisine, so whatever they cook rings true."
Along with the outstanding review, the LA Times also listed information about the airlines that fly to Australia as well as maps of Sydney pinpointing the location of the restaurants and their phone numbers.
With 3.5 million readers of the LA Times, that is a lot of potential business for the city.
"Nobody does the sexy, beachy restaurant better," Virbila wrote.
"Funny thing is, Sydney seems to do practically every other genre spectacularly well too. So much so that this city of 3 million has become a mecca of sorts for anybody serious enough about food to get on a plane and fly 16 hours to get here."
