Sydney Eat Street: 10 places to try in Waverley
WITH Bondi and Bronte on either side, Waverley can often be overlooked, but with new eateries sprouting up now’s the perfect time to savour a taste.
Eat Street
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WITH Bondi and Bronte on either side, Waverley can often be overlooked, but with new eateries sprouting up now’s the perfect time to savour a taste.
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 when you post a favourite food dish on Instagram.
BRONTE ROAD BISTRO
IT’S chilly outside, but step past a small cluster of shrubbery and therein lies a lovely little oasis that celebrates the essence of summer all year round.
The pale wood furniture, wall-length windows and glass doors give it the feeling of an expansive veranda, lined with tables ready to welcome guests for a shared meal.
That is where chef/co-owner Matt Barnett comes in, preparing French bistro-inspired classics such as his famous steak frites with cafe de Paris butter or the steak tartare, an entree presented with ground raw beef, a runny egg and small helpings of capers, shallots, cornichons and parsley which diners then mix together to taste.
It’s a bit interactive which speaks to Mr Barnett’s vision of a bistro itself — a place where the food is superseded only by the night’s conversation.
Additionally, on Wednesdays, once a month Mr Barnett prepares meat on a spit, part of a two course meal where guests are welcome to sit out by the pit, enjoy a glass of wine before dinner and of course, have a good chat.
It’ll be tough but try to save room for dessert, a chocolate delice with peanut brittle and his addictive salted caramel ice cream. Perfect for sharing, which after all makes for a perfect evening.
— 282 Bronte Rd
BELLAGIO CAFE
WHEN life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Good advice when it’s obvious, but not quite as easy when all you have are chickpeas.
That is except for Bellagio Cafe’s co-owner, Corinna Kovner who refers to her mother as the “pastry whisper” as she could make a wholesome tart with even the most random ingredients.
It’s that approach which Kovner and Felix Clark have applied to both their menu and cafe in general.
Starting off 15 years ago as a fine-dining restaurant, Bellagio Cafe has evolved into a casual spot where they can engage in what Ms Kovner calls “experimental cooking”, such as taking her mother’s love for Sri Lankan food as inspiration and creating the Breakfast Salad with green lentil and seams falafels and a curried coconut, all plant based unless you feel like adding bacon for an extra $5.
“We like to have an honest dialogue with our customers,” Ms Kovner says, adding that it’s important that people are able to see “authenticity” in their ethos.
So, yes, they make healthy foods, but there’s always room for experimentation.
— 285 Bronte Rd
NALINI’S
BANK balance. Work-Life Balance. Balanced budget. You think you may have heard them all, but wait there’s more and this one comes with ice-cream. Technically, a vegan nut-based ice cream, but either way, it’s delicious.
For Nalini and Vidya Raman — the mother-daughter team behind Nalini’s Wholesome Foods in Bondi Junction and the newer and larger Nalini’s in Waverley — and it’s a palatable derivative of Ayurveda a holistic healing science that among many other things, focuses on the healing powers of food.
Before you even start envisioning rice bowls with grass cuttings, try the dosa wraps, such as the Indian falafel wrap with tabouli, hummus and spices or the Masala wrap with spiced potatoes, apple slices, curry kraut and chilli date tamarind sauce, or just start easy with a spiced hot chocolate.
When you’re ready for the next level, there’s the 6 Tastes Ayurveda Thali, a platter with small amounts of food that when eaten together provide the six tastes (sweet, sour, bitter, salty, pungent and astringent) for — here comes that word again — a balanced belly.
“It’s all quite simple and when you really think about it, it makes sense,” Vidya says.
The opening of the Waverley spot has given them much more space, not only to prepare the food for the Bondi Junction spot and the vegan ice cream for Chacha’s in Bondi but also plenty of room for Nalini to teach cooking classes for those looking to prepare similar foods at home.
— 263 Bronte Rd
RUBY’S DINER
THERE is so much personality in this neighbourhood cafe, yet rather than being overt and aggressive, the duck egg blue walls paired with a whimsical seaside theme, make it quite welcoming.
As does the personable staff, the smell of roasted coffee beans and the stacks of jazz, reggae and other vinyls being played on the turntable behind the counter.
It’s eclectic but in an orchestrated way, including the breakfast and lunch menu where you’ll find a raw breakfast salad right beneath the BLA-TACO, scrambled eggs, bacon, avo and coriander sauce and spinach in a blue corn tortilla.
Try it alongside one of their smoothies, such as the Purple Haze, a blended concoction with banana, mango, chia seeds, dates, blueberries and hemp milk or get caffeinated with a perfectly made Single-O coffee, a brand that co-owner and stellar barista, Ed Nevlin has been using since day one.
As you sip on your flat white you’ll have plenty of time to ponder the large mural of a treasure map, dotted with landmarks in the middle of which are two swallows — a nod to the tattoos of sailors of the 1800s — holding a ribbon banner with the words Ruby’s Diner.
Ask Mr Nevlin for the story behind it all, and he’ll tell you that Ruby is his daughter’s name but besides that, he and wife Emma Knowles gave free reign to Steve Smith, the artist behind Ed’s own tattoos, to paint whatever he wanted.
Odds are, they’re not going to give up the wall’s secrets anytime soon, so take a second look and choose your own adventure.
— Shop 1 & 2/173-174 Bronte Rd
VACANZA PIZZERIA
IT’LL be amore at first bite when you taste the many flavours of Southern-Italian cooking that Vacanza’s chef and co-owner, Nick Gilbert experienced while living in Italy where he also learned the art of pizza making.
“I turned my passion into my business,” says Mr Gilbert, who’s been serving the traditional thin crusted creations since 2010 upon returning to Sydney.
Fresh produce is the foundation of the menu, with herbs, and of course, tomatoes taking top billing, particularly with the signature pizza, the “Brandi” Bufalina Margherita.
The simple layers of tomatoes, bufala mozzarella and fresh basil are a perfect example of the Italian cooking ethos of “less is more”.
For something a bit richer, try the “Il Capitano”, a combination of truffle oil, goats cheese, skis roasted mushroom and pork & fennel sausage. Be prepared to fall in love.
— 261 Bronte Rd
MUST TRY
WHIPPED “CHEESE” CAKE
TRAVELLING the world as both a chef and explorer, Amanda Gale, found one thing to hold true — “the cornerstone of good food is the produce and its source”.
What she does with it is influenced by the many fragrances, flavours and even practices she’s come across along the way, such as the rose scented whipped cheese cake with peach, pistachios.
— Pheast; 302 Bronte Rd
CLEVER CUPCAKES AND CAKES
IT’s been 15 years since Carissa Lake first started selling her cupcakes at the Entertainment Quarter markets, where she developed a following for her light and fluffy butter icing as well as the confidence to pioneer Sydney’s cupcake business.
Since then, Ms Lake has added to her portfolio with bespoke orders that are both creative and oh so delicious.
— The Cupcake Princess; 48a Albion St
OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL
BEER and conversation continue to flow freely here, much as it did when former convict and later council member, William Newland built it in 1857 where it served as a bar as well a space for council meetings.
While politics may creep into conversation, you’re more likely to hear people discussing the hotel’s calendar of events, craft beers and award-winning seasonal menu.
— Charing Cross Hotel; 81 Carrington Rd
BEEF PHO
LOOKING for a sea-change, Vi and Richard Dang packed up their restaurant and moved … up the road from Bronte to Charing Cross.
That was 17 years ago and since then they’ve become a popular spot for locals after Vietnamese food, particularly the beef pho, and in a friendly neighbourhood spot.
— Uyên Vietnamese Restaurant; 27 Albion St
SCOTCH FILLET
AFTER an evening in the Hood you’ll be thinking about a move to Waverley, just so you could make this your local.
In addition to having a rotation of 12 craft beers, they’ve taken pub grub to the next level including the classic meat and veg, only here, it’s a scotch fillet from award-winning beef producer, Jack’s Creek (World’s Best Steak in 2015 and 2016) or opt for seafood with Kingfish ceviche followed by grilled barramundi. All that and healthy dose of live music.
— Robin Hood Hotel; 203 Bronte Rd