It’s Friday evening and I’m sitting in the lounge on the 31^stfloor of the InterContinental Sydney gazing out over the spectacular harbour. The Bridge and Luna Park are just to my left, the Opera House directly in front, and North and South Head to my right. I’ve been invited to join an Ultimately Sydney Gourmet Food Tour which departs from the hotel tomorrow at 10am. Part of the package includes an overnight stay in a standard guest room, full buffet breakfast for two at the hotel’s Café Opera restaurant and two tickets to the private, guided foodie tour. “It’s an enriching way for both visitors and locals looking to explore the city’s internationally-inspired culinary scene,” says David Patt, the hotel’s chief concierge. “Generations of migrations settling in Sydney have created a vibrant blend of international flavours and experiences across the city and often found in the most unassuming places.” Two different tours, running on alternate weeks, are available.  We were lucky to sample a mix of outlets on the Inner West and South Sydney tours,  and I was delighted to discover many new places which I didn’t know existed. Our tour started at The Coffee Roaster, Alexandria, where the beans are roasted on a cushion of heated air which ensures they never burn, a  hi-tech roasting process developed by Michael Sivetz in the U.S. in the 1970s. “We source the finest quality Arabica beans from around the world and work with cafes and restaurants on their blends,” says owner Dan Fitzsimmons. Next stop is Establishment 218, retail outlet for the largest Australian-family owned beef abattoir which sells premium meat direct to the public at wholesale prices.  Opened 18 months ago, it offers customers the opportunity to select their own cuts of beef, with a butcher on hand to slice it to your specifications. Their AAA grade Angus scotch fillet is excellent value. Then it was onto to Raineri Continental Delicatessen in Five Dock (97 Great North Road, Ph. 9713 6886) where Joseph Raineri and family specialise in top quality Italian goods. “Too many cheap and nasty Italian products have been coming to Australia over the past few decades which is why we started importing good quality goods five years ago,” he says. Make sure you try the magnificent milky parmesan from Emilia Romagna; the flavoursome extra virgin olive oil from Sicily; the pecorino with saffron, also from Sicily; and the tasty salami di casa. At Erskineville, we visited Matt Donelan at St Peter’s Brewery where we learnt about his unfiltered, unpasteurised Green Star beer and robust amber ale called Cinnamon Girl, flavoured with a hint of cinnamon. “I started the business in 2000 and wanted to be the local brewery for the area and generate a local identity,” he says. We tasted some of his beers at The Hive Bar, a hip local bar where Donelan’s E’ville Pilsener is served on tap. The tour finished in Surry Hills at the Bamboo Dumpling Room, where  publican Michael Bain has set up a quirky dumpling room at the back of the pub. We sampled a selection of savoury dumplings, followed by his “happy endings”: ice cream dumplings (a nugget of cold ice cream wrapped in a rice noodle),  chocolate dumplings and deep-fried chocolate and caramel spring rolls. It was a happy ending indeed. I was a guest of InterContinental Sydney and Ultimately Sydney Tours. The Gourmet Tour experience includes an overnight stay at InterContinental Sydney, full buffet breakfast for two at the hotel’s Cafe Opera restaurant and two tickets to a private gourmet tour with Ultimately Sydney, from $511 per night.