Sydney Eat Street: 10 places to eat at Darling Square
FROM its rugged beginnings as a commercial port, Darling Harbour has evolved to become a thriving area with multiple precincts of work and play, the newest of which is Darling Square with its very own eat street.
Eat Street
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FROM its rugged beginnings as a commercial port, Darling Harbour has evolved to become a thriving area with multiple precincts of work and play, the newest of which is Darling Square with its own eat street along Steam Mill Lane.
Take a tour of the area’s best eateries right here with The Sunday Telegraph’s Eat Street. Are you hungry for more inspiration? Follow us on Instagram.
For a chance to feature your food picture in The Sunday Telegraph, tag #SydneyEatStreet.
MARRICKVILLE PORK ROLL
THE notoriously long queue spilling out from a small spot on Illawarra Rd has stretched beyond its Marrickville location, setting up shop along Sydney’s latest foodie destination, Steam Mill Lane at Darling Square, bringing their famous Vietnamese pork rolls closer to the city.
While this satiating sandwich can be found on most any menu-board in the CBD, it’s their perfect balance of bread, fillings and sauce that has earned them a cult following.
All the ingredients are the exact same as their Marrickville outlet so fans are sure to get the coveted crunchy roll which is soft on the inside but firm enough to hold the generous amounts of meat — particularly a good helping of pate — and crisp fresh vegetables.
Rather than using a generic soy or Maggi based sauce, here you’ll get a housemade blend that has a bit of kick to it but that compliments rather than overpowers the rest of the fillings. Try for yourself, as this is one cult worth lining up to join.
— 16 Steam Mill Lane
BANG BANG IZAKAYA
BEHIND the industrial corrugated iron entrance a world of lights and action awaits, as this nondescript space is turned into the exciting backstreets of Tokyo’s entertainment and shopping district with its eclectic array of izakayas (Japanese pubs), restaurants and street food.
Head chef, Kokubo Yuji’s (ex-Nobu Tokyo) equally diverse menu offers casual favourites such as omelets, sliders and a tower of pepper soy glazed double-fried chicken wings.
Grab a seat at one of the milk crate-based tables or the high-top one under neon signs and red lanterns.
For dinner, food is a bit more traditional with tempura, sushi, sashimi and edamame and is well suited to the vibe of the ground seating and recessed floors behind the curtains at the back.
Or, you could of course enjoy some of their stellar cocktails such as the Citrus Bombard served inside a grapefruit or the party fave Blue Topaz cocktail served in a polished bar butler pump while singing your heart out in their glass enclosed karaoke room.
Throughout you’ll also find clever red and white animated murals with characters cheekily sporting Bruce Lee-styled Asics Tiger sneakers. So much to see and so many flavours to try, you’ll surely be making repeat visits to Bang Bang’s back-alley excitement.
— 14 Steam Mill Lane
IL BACIO
YOU’LL need to be an early riser on Tuesdays to get dibs on this Italian eatery’s popular pistachio muffin.
Practically the size of a saucer, you could savour it throughout the day but one taste and it’ll be gone before you can say “flat white”.
While the decadent baked goods are divine, owner Tina Plessas, knows from years of experience owning CBD cafes that in between those treats, her customers also want more traditional or healthier options, and come lunch time, they want their meals in a hurry which Il Bacio can easily accommodate with their weekday Express Lunch, quick versions of their popular Panini’s, pastas and salads or take your time and order the roast lamb or housemade gnocchi with zucchini flowers.
Come summer and warmer weather, they’ll be extending their dinner service throughout the week, making this a perfect spot to grab a table outside and enjoy one of their wood-fire pizzas or the house specialty, handmade ink spaghetti with prawns, mussels, nduja and roast tomatoes.
As you sit back and watch the world finish off with a dessert of Raspberry crackles, oats, coconut, white chocolate, maple foam.
— Shop 3, 35 Tumbalong Blvd
8BIT
ONCE upon a time when arcades featured the pinging of Pong with square tennis ball (kids, ask your parents) it seemed like video games couldn’t get any better, that forever changed as the 8-bit era brought with it the smoother styling of Mario Brothers.
While it may not be as revolutionary but when beetroot landed on basic burgers, the stacked and packed versions were born.
At 8bit the menu plays homage to those epic transformations with decadent burgers and their namesakes such as the double beef, double cheese, double bacon, pickles, mustard, lettuce, ketchup and 8bit sauce dubbed the Double Dragon, a beat em’ up game from 1987 or the Wonder Boy hot dog with a smoked Frank, bacon, filled onions, cheese sauce and BBQ sauce.
Order up one of their thick milkshake to get that added boost before you try your hand at one of their vintage arcade games.
— 51 Tumbalong Blvd
BELLES HOT CHICKEN
SOME people come back from their travels with a fridge magnet and T-shirt, but for Morgan McGlone, it was a passion for BBQ, particularly the dry rub seasonings from Nashville rather than the ubiquitous sauces.
He found too that it went well with his love of natural wines.
It was an interesting mix, but with help from his partner, Miranda Campbell, they brought all the elements together creating a menu with familiar items such as fried chicken tenders, mac-n-cheese, buckets if wings, but with enough novelty — with names, dishes and drinks — that it peaks interest and conversation.
Here, the fried chicken is covered in batter then dropped in a one of five bowls which each have a different degree of “heat”.
This way the spice is cooked into the chicken rather than poured on top.
Ever keen to experiment and learn more, the team at Belles are also keen n collaborations, such as their recent Ruler of the Roost guest chef series in which Monty Koludrovic (Bondi Beach Public Bar and Icebergs) came in and had a go at Belles’ Chicken sandwich. Stay tuned for more of their southern cooking adventures.
— 7 Steam Mill Lane
MUST TRY
AUTHENTIC PORK GYROS
RETURNING to Australia from his home country of Greece, Kostas Giannakaros took note that the local gyros being sold were made mainly with lamb, something he found peculiar as pork is the dominant meat where is lamb is reserved for Easter.
With that in mind and his extensive experience (this latest shop being the 34th eatery has opened), he sourced the finest pork, trialled and tested many recipes till ultimately coming up with one that suited the Australian palette.
Even so, he still varies the recipe from location to location. Taking note of the office workers nearby, he, along with his daughter Alex, wash the onions five times and minimise the amount of garlic just in case you have those close-up chats or boardroom meetings right after lunch.
— Gyradiko, 18 Steam Mill Lane
MATCHA DESSERTS
WHILE the green-hued drinks and desserts may look cute and clever, many of these trendy concoctions use cheap matcha powder, which can literally leave a bitter taste in your mouth.
Conversely, the vibrant jade-colour and near floral smell from high quality matcha, sources from Japan has a sweeter taste, which is enhanced when cold such as with the soft serve parfaits, delicate cakes and fruity layered drinks yet becomes savoury when heated in lattes and even udon noodle soups.
— Matcha-Ya; 10 Steam Mill Lane
HOMESTYLE SANDWICHES
THE humble lunchbox sandwich gets a loving makeover with high quality ingredients that remind us whey we fell for them in the first place.
Take a pass on the processed meats as here, they slow cook their own and pair it with housemade sauces on organic sourdough bread.
There’s more to be had here such as wraps and bowls, but you know it’s a sandwich that’s caught your eye.
— The Sandwich Shop; 3 Steam Mill Lane
FISHBOWL
THE original poke (POH-keh) bowl of tuna and rice found all around the Hawaiian Islands has given rise to a tasty take on healthy eating.
While fish is the obvious option here you can personalise your bowl by choosing a base, protein and Japanese style vegetables that get tossed in a dressing and topped with something crunchy. So many options, so many days in the year.
— Fishbowl; Darling Drive
BUBBLE TEAS
WE all know you’re not supposed to play with your food or blow bubbles in your drinks, but with something as fun and colourful as these milk foam teas, yoghurt drinks and smoothies topped with jelly pearls, pudding and coconut jelly you’ll forget your manners till the last bubble.
— Gong Cha; 4 Steam Mill Lane