Sydney Eat Street: Get a taste of Darlinghurst’s dining scene
Darlinghurst isn’t the biggest suburb but it certainly punches above its weight when it comes to wonderful places to eat — and here’s just a taster.
Darlinghurst isn’t the biggest suburb but it certainly punches above its weight when it comes to wonderful places to eat — and here’s just a taster.
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. #SydneyEatStreet
JACK & KNIFE
The menu is a reflection of Canadian co-owner Christopher Shannon and his wife Leesa’s travels across four continents — Peruvian kingfish, French duck confit, Japanese dashi butter on the flat iron beef steak and the gin-cured salmon of Canada.
“When I was a kid I always had a jackknife in my pocket,” he says, adding that growing up in Canada, venison jerky was popular.
“It was quite tough, so you’d cut bites off with your knife. The whole concept is that we share our best moments over food.”
One of Jack & Knife’s true crowd-pleasers is the beef tartare served on petite cheese toasties.
“People will come in and order it as an entree, then another as a main. One guy even passed on dessert and opted for another portion instead.”
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The ginormous crispy-skin roast pork knuckle with whiskey-infused mustard is also a fan favourite. It requires 24-hour notice but serves two and comes with, purple sauerkraut, stout battered onion rings, cracked pepper mayo and roasted root vegetables.
Follow that up with a decadent Tim Tam dessert — an obvious nod to his Australian journey. “What I’m trying to do is just make dinner,” he added.
“I want them to come for the food and wine but stay for the experience.
— 76 Stanley St
BON VIN
Bon Vin is certainly one of Sydney’s hidden gems. Actually, that’s meant quite literally as there is no street-front signage and the only entrance is around the corner off the back laneway.
It’s worth the hunt though, and your first tell is the floor to ceiling racks of wine bottles that run the length of the entry-way and continue into the intimate dining room.
There’s a happy buzz about the place with regulars popping in for a full meal or just a shared plate of the chicken liver parfait and a Lillet Blanc aperitif along with out-of-town diners who’ve made the trek for a special occasion.
“We started off with the intention of creating a neighbourhood eatery so never envisioned we’d become a destination restaurant,” executive chef and director Lisa Nicholson says.
It’s hardly surprising though as the menu features generous portions of French classics including a slow cooked-lamb pie, beef filet tenderloin and vegetarian gnocchi with shiitake mushrooms.
The signature dishes are really quite technical, such as with the duck main course, which has three elements to it: seared duck breast, confit duck leg and a porcini duck sausage.
Bon Vin is a trove of culinary treasures and well worth the hunt.
— 82 Stanley St
MADAME SHANGHAI
The unique glitz and glamour of the 1930s that blended traditional Chinese elements with Westernised styles led to Old Shanghai being dubbed the Paris of the East, and this elegantly eclectic venue pays homage to that French influence.
Located off College St, it’s barely noticeable being on the ground floor of a residential building with merely a bronze plaque denoting its existence.
“Every day we have people come in and say, ‘Wow, I never knew this was here’,” restaurant manager Darrien Vallar says.
Divided into sections — all somewhat reflective of the art deco architecture and decor of 20th century Shanghai — the main dining area is ornate with dark brown furnishing and sapphire blue curtains framing mirrors with gold detailing.
Toward the bar area, an open kitchen, adorned with jade coloured tiles runs the length of the space which also spills out onto terrace seating.
It’s not a place you’d go for stereotypical Chinese food with squeeze bottles of chilli sauce on the side.
Here, the dishes are influenced by China’s many different regions, with their flavours enhanced by charcoal grilling and the use of subtler herbs and spices such as the lamb cutlets prepared with saltbush and cumin.
Madame Shanghai has quite the local following. Regular diners appreciate the consistently excellent food and service that comes from having the same chefs and staff that have been there since day dot.
“If you have that experience once, you’ll have the same experience again the next time,”
Darrien says, adding that because of this trust, they’re also likely to try whatever specials the chef puts forth such as with the winter menu with a few heartier options including pork hock and one that even tips its hat to France, a delectable oxtail pie.
Of course, there’s no bucking tradition, and the meal wouldn’t be complete without an order of any variety of their famous dumplings.
— 18 College St; lotusdining.com.au
MR CRACKLES
Call a truce on those Sunday Roast fisticuffs for the coveted crackling as Sam Horowitz and Carlos Justo, former chefs from Walsh Bay’s The Wharf restaurant, have a peacekeeping solution on offer with their takeaway shop on Oxford St, Mr Crackles.
It’s no small feat though as creating their crackling is a three-day process but it’s worth wait (only figuratively, of course) when you try their Crackles Classic, a crisped skinned slow roast five-spiced pork belly served with Vietnamese salad in a roll.
Following their flagship item, they went on to create variations suited to every taste and cuisine including the Char Sui Bun, a Hong Kong-style honey BBQ pork on a bun; or the sticky BBQ pork roll, with smoky BBQ sauce, ranch salad and onion rings on a soft bun.
There’s also the Bogan Fries — French fries topped with cheese, gravy and crispy pork belly.
You can swap bread for greens and have salad topped with, you guessed it, crispy pork belly.
Oh, you can also buy crackling on its own — either as a small serving or single piece the size of a serving platter. Is there really anything better?
— 155 Oxford St; mrcrackles.com.au
LOVE, TILLY DEVINE
The infamous Darlinghurst brothel owner and formidable crime boss Tilly Devine may be the namesake of this back-alley wine bar, but the decadence and debauchery that followed her has been traded up for “a 330-strong wine list and simple, high-quality food”.
Love, Tilly Devine co-owner and sommelier, Matthew Swieboda, explains the original concept going back to nine years ago when they first opened.
“There was almost nowhere to get a good glass of wine outside of two and three-hat restaurants. And to go to them typically meant spending huge amounts of money,” he says.
What they came up with was is now a beloved space that although small in size, puts out share plates with plenty of flavours alongside Australian wines that come with their own stories.
The menu overseen by head chef Caelan O’Rourke has about a dozen offerings that are perpetually changing but you can expect thing such as chargrilled Spanish mackerel, a selection of cheeses and Bronte’s own, Iggy’s Bread.
For something sweeter, try the soft chocolate, caramelised pumpkin seeds with what Matt suggests is an aged Rutherglen Topaque from Victoria’s Chambers Rosewood Winery or for something younger, the Simão & Co Vintage Fortified, also from Rutherglen.
Whatever you choose though, try and snag a seat at the high bench along the front window and let the stories unfold.
— 91 Crown Lane; lovetillydevine.com
MUST TRY
RAMEN
Head down to this tiny spot during dinner service and odds are there’ll be no soup for you.
Don’t take it personally though as their cult-worthy ramen choices are only available for lunch Wednesday through Sunday, and dinner on Sunday and Monday.
The other nights, it’s all about yakitori. It’s worth up-ending your calendar even though there are only five choices on the menu — fat soy with pork cha-shu; fish salt with pork cha-shu, prawn and John Dory wonton; yuzu scallop with Hokkaido scallop and prawn & John Dory wonton black fungus); chilli coriander poached chicken or the vegan option with a tomato dashi broth.
— Chaco Bar, 238 Crown St; chacobar.com.au
MAPLE BACON BURGERS
You’ll want to take all the credit when you introduce your friends to the mouth-watering burger, Blame Canada.
Made with a tender beef pattie, American cheese, maple bacon, maple aioli and poutine on a BL milk bun, it’s the best thing you’ve ever tasted … that is till you bite into the Flame Canada with maple glazed bacon, chilli maple aioli, jalapeños and habanero poutine on a BL chilli milk bun.
Then of course there is their weekly special, but you get the point.
— BL Burgers, 1/151 Oxford St; blburgers.com.au
MOZZARELLA CHEESE PLATE
Cheese, glorious cheese. This rustic chic eatery is a veritable shrine to the Pecorino Romano cheese wheel, which besides being a glorious addition to any dish, it also brings with it a bit of show with Cacio e Pepe in which hot paste, salt, pepper, olive oil and parsley are twirled and stirred inside the hollowed cheese wheel and served at your table.
For those looking to spread their caloric intake beyond one dish, the mozzarella is the true winner along with some prosciutto or eggplant with pecorino cheese of course.
— Buffalo Dining Club, 116 Surrey St; buffalodiningclub.com.au
COFFEE AND CANNOLI
Over the decades the streets of Darlinghurst have changed from Little Italy to hipster-central, but through it all, the love of coffee has never waivered.
For 50 plus years, the front tables have been filled with young and, well, less young sipping espresso, savouring cannolis and generally just watching the world go by … anytime between 6am and midnight.
— Bill & Toni’s, 72-27 Stanley St
‘I like big buns’: Wacky burgers with a difference
Parramatta’s very own Eat Street is as exciting and diverse as the city itself. Take BL Burgers for example, which brought its premium burgers — including the Blame Canada, Blame Indian and Mac Daddy burgers — to western Sydney.
Revealed: Darling Quarter’s best restaurants and cafes
A stone’s throw from the CBD and bookended by the Chinese Garden of Friendship and Cockle Bay, the established precinct of Darling Quarter offers a variety of restaurants all diners can enjoy.