Sydney Eat Street: Warm up in winter with tasty dishes around Sydney
With another month of chilly weather ahead of us, it’s the perfect time to tuck into some of the city’s favourite winter dishes.
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It’s the final month of winter so what better way to enjoy it than with some hearty meals? Sydney Eat Street has put together a list of some of the best dishes to enjoy during the last days of winter.
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
BARANGAROO HOUSE
There’s a chill in the air but things have really been heating up along the harbour in Barangaroo. Running through August, the tri-level drinking and dining destination, Barangaroo House, has embraced its colder side as a winter wonderland complete with pop-up igloos at Smoke, their sophisticated rooftop bar.
Rekindle your love of cocktails with Belvedere Vodka spiced martinis at House Bar on the ground level or head to Bea, Barangaroo House’s restaurant for wood-fired dishes and Bea-tinis; mini-versions of the winter drink offerings.
For those after an epically chill experience, head straight up to the terrace where you’ll find an abundance of fluffy pillow and faux-furry blankets covering chairs and benches as well as the coveted glam igloos.
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Book out one of these stand-alone domes for up to 12 people then settle in for drinks and nibbles or for something truly fun and fabulous, indulge in Smoke’s Signature Cheese Fondue, a pot of melted cheese served with bowls of dunkable bites of pork and fennel sausage, lamb and rosemary sausage, breads and fruit or for a sweeter version, opt for the chocolate fountain and its accompanying sides of churros, marshmallows, cakes, strawberries, and other fruit.
— 35 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo; barangaroohouse.com.au
ARIA
You can take the chef out of the country but you can’t take the country of the chef. So while Joel Bickford may have taken the helm at Aria, one of Australia’s finest dining destinations, his culinary heart remains regional.
With 25 years of experience and an innate appreciation for truly farm-fresh fare, he captures the honesty of seasonal ingredients in dishes such as the quail and suet pudding.
“It’s packed with flavour and is perfect for winter. Slow-cooked quail ragout in suet pastry steamed and then baked until golden,” he says.
Added to that is a spiced enoki mushroom, homemade mushroom ketchup which Joel notes is “rich, more-ish and, let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a pie”.
— 1 Macquarie St, Sydney; ariasydney.com.au
NOMAD
While the colder mornings and early nights may have many staying closer to home, this plays perfectly to this inner-city cellar door’s own ethos of sourcing local and seasonal produce for the dishes on the Mediterranean inspired menu.
For dead chef Jacqui Challinor, a headliner during the winter months is the glorious fungi in all its many forms.
“My favourite dish on the winter menu is the smoked mushroom and bone marrow empanada, made even better with a healthy shaving of fresh black truffle,” Jacqui says.
“We slowly cook the mushrooms out over the fire so they develop a beautiful, subtle smokiness, then mix them with bone marrow and fresh herbs, wrap them up and bake them in the wood fired oven. So good.”
Follow that up with the wood-roasted lamb neck and cauliflower gratin, along with a glass of wine from their all-Australian list.
For a truly nomadic culinary experience, on Monday, August 12, to support UNICEF Australia’s Syria Crisis Appeal, Jacqui will be collaborating with a number of renowned chefs including Julie Niland (Saint Peter); Jaci Koludrovic (Icebergs Group); Palisa Anderson (Chat Thai, Boon Luck Farm); and Sarah Knights (Automata) to create a four-course menu that incorporates Syrian-influence on their signature dishes along with matching wines.
Plenty of delicious reasons to stay indoors.
— 16 Foster St, Surry Hills; nomadwine.com.au
BARZAARI CHIPPENDALE
It’s hard to resist the mouth-watering smell of a roast chook and as chef and co-owner Darryl Martin of Barzaari points out that with over a million tonnes of chicken consumed annually in Australia, few of us do indeed take a pass.
But what makes the difference between a decent feed and memorable meals starts with quality poultry — for Barzaari and its eastern Mediterranean-inspired menu, that’s Bannockburn free-range chickens complemented by seasonal ingredients such as the Jerusalem artichoke.
“Once a rarity, only popping up on the menus of restaurants, it’s now a winter staple across Australia,” Darryl saysm noting its versatility.
“We cook it in a few different ways …. in a little burnt caramel … resulting in a tender artichoke, with a bitter sweet caramelised shell.”
From there, Darryl explains, they can be cooked down to tashi (tahini,) a dip “smooth like hummus, earthy, sweet & nutty tones”.
To accompany the chicken is some purslane, an Eastern Mediterranean succulent that grows year-round.
“For this dish we simply steep it in good quality vinegar, a little aniseed and salt, olive oil,” Darryl says.
“It’s the perfect finish for this favourite winter dish.”
— 3 Kensington St, Chippendale; barzaari-chippendale.com.au
BARTOLO
Memories are made around the table and at this Italian eatery that for 23 years was home to Bills, owner Jared Merlino has reached back even further, honouring his great-grandfather Bartolo, who emigrated from the small Sicilian town of Lipari in 1910 and his grandmother Mary whose recipes helped inspire head chef Teofilo Nobrega’s (Fratelli Paradiso), Northern Italian centric menu.
Staying true to family tradition, every Wednesday it’s time for Ragu and Barolo where for $49 guests can enjoy focaccia, a carafe of Barolo between two people and housemade pasta with a seasonal ragu which at the moment is a rich pork belly, tomato and pecorino cheese sauce over housemade rigatoni.
Following on from the Italian ritual of all day dining, Bartolo serves as an espresso bar from morning until midday and then opens its menu from 12pm to midnight (10pm on Sunday) with brunch from 9am-3pm on weekends, where you’ll want to be sure to grab one of the outdoor tables — they’re perfect for coffee or cocktails and prime seating for the always adorable parade of puppies.
— 359 Crown St, Surry Hills; bartolosydney.com.au
MUST TRY
PORTUGUESE FISH STEW
The steam coming from beneath the lid of this copper clam-shaped pot (cataplana) foretells of a hearty traditional Portuguese fish stew, which chef and co-owner Manny Paraiso states as his winter favourite.
“It’s a one pot dish that consists of a caldereta broth which is full of flavours, big chunks of fresh seafood and crusty bread to soak up the rest of the soup.”
— Fich; 3/98-106 Audley St, Petersham; fichpetersham.com
RAMEN
Cold weather calls for soup, and the bigger the bowl the better. For a true belly-filler go for a hefty helping of ramen noodles at this eclectic and hugely popular eatery.
There are only five options 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 and John Dory wonton black fungus; chilli coriander poached chicken or the vegan option with a tomato dashi broth — but each one is worth a return visit.
— Chaco Bar; 238 Crown St, Darlinghurst; chacobar.com.au
SLOW-BRAISED LAMB
Celebrating the season’s bounty is the foundation of Rachel Jelley’s first bricks and mortar venture and here she puts a particular focus on locally sourced, organic and pasture-raised produce.
For winter, Rachel has created a menu of comforting and nutritious dishes including her slow-braised lamb with bay, thyme, rosemary and barley.
— Hearth & Soul, 528-528A King St, Newtown; hearthandsoul.com.au
CAMPFIRE ESPRESSO MARTINI
Pull up a seat as the stories will start to flow once this campfire gets going.
You’ll warm to this winter take on the Hacienda’s already popular espresso martini, with its marshmallow-infused vodka, Kahlua, coffee, marshmallow syrup and of course, topped with a toast marshmallow.
— Hacienda; Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour, Level 3, 61 Macquarie St, Sydney; haciendasydney.com.au
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