Sydney Eat Street: What you can get with your $25 Dine and Discover vouchers
The Dine & Discover NSW vouchers scheme has been extended until the end of the July so if you haven't used them yet, here are some ideas of new places to try.
Eat Street
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If you haven’t used your Dine & Discover NSW vouchers yet, you’re in luck as the promotional period has been extended to July 31. This means you get and extra month to use your $100 worth of Dine & Discover NSW vouchers - two x $25 vouchers for dining, and two x $25 for entertainment and recreation.
For full details, visit Dine and Discover NSW
Take a tour of Sydney’s best eateries right here with The Sunday Telegraph’s Eat Street. Are you hungry for more inspiration? Follow us on Instagram or Twitter. #SydneyEatStreet
Four Pillars Laboratory
Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, Four Pillars Laboratory is right up there with the best of them but while they’re revered for their award-winning juniper-based spirit, when you use your $25 Dine NSW voucher, it’s cheese, meat and marmalade that gets top billing.
“When we heard about the $25 voucher and that you had to use it all in one go, we obviously wanted to pass on that value to customers and get them excited to get back out again. We thought it was an opportunity to give our guests the best value possible and have plenty of their own dollars left to enjoy what we’re really about!” said venue manager, Gabriel Hepworth, adding it’s great to be able to welcome everybody in with a little bonus food on the government.”
Four Pillars’ retail shop may be at street level, but the magic really happens upstairs, where you’ll find a bespoke 70-litre copper-still taking pride of place amid the polished concrete floors and cobalt bar. As no visit to Four Pillars Laboratory is complete without a cocktail, it’s only fitting that the Triple cream brie from Tarago River and Saucisson Sec from Pino’s Dolce Vita Butcher in Kogarah was selected as they pair perfectly with Creative Drinks Director, James Irvine’s Negroni.
Alongside the cheese, you’ll also get a generous helping of Four Pillars Orange Marmalade, a signature product made using the oranges left over from the distillation of their Rare Dry Gin.
-410 Crown St, Surry Hills; fourpillarsgin.com.au
Taste Cultural Food Tours
While that suitcase remains buried in the back of the closet, your quest for culinary adventure is just around the corner, thanks to Taste Cultural Food Tours and their guided excursions to a number of Sydney’s multicultural suburbs including Cabramatta (Taste of Vietnam), Bankstown (Taste of Greece, Lebanon and Vietnam) and Chatswood (Taste of Asia).
Led by knowledgeable locals, not only will you get to sample a wide variety of authentic food and drinks, you’ll also be regaled with stories of history and culture along the way.
"The tours have been more popular than ever," says Lesley Unsworth, CEO of Taste Cultural Food Tours, noting that the regular customers who used to book one or two tours a month, are upping that to three and four times a month, and bringing along their friends.
“People are really missing overseas travel, and our tours offer both that food and travel aspect. Plus, it’s a perfect way for foodies to use all their vouchers,” she says, explaining the ‘Discover’ vouchers can be used towards the tour and you can use your ‘Dine’ vouchers to revisit your favourite places.
Dinner and a Show
When it comes to dinner and a show, you needn’t settle for food-courts and a movie when you can spend your Dine & Discover NSW vouchers at the iconic Sydney Opera House.
With six different venues residing under the sails and five dining outlets nearby, you could catch a comedy show and casual fare at Opera Kitchen or delight in a classical music concert followed by dessert at the world-renowned restaurant, Bennelong.
You can even use your ‘Discover” voucher to get 60% off the Opera House Architectural Tour. Your options are almost as numerous as the tiles on the towering sails. Almost.
Bakeries
Some people learned to knit during the lockdown, others focused on home repairs, but one pastime dominated them all - baking bread. Now that we’re able to venture out, that time-consuming process has lost its allure, but it did give us a new appreciation for handmade baked goods and with that came a quest to find the best bakers around.
Fortunately, Sydney has plenty of places that hit the mark, and when you take a moment to sit down and grab a bite, you can use your $25 'Dine voucher. Head to Bourke Street Bakery for loaded sausage rolls, meat pies, or the soup-of-the-day with a slice of sourdough bread, made from the legendary 23-year-old starter, “George”.
At Sonoma Baking Co, you’ll find loaves of sourdough bread akin to that made in San Francisco, along with a country NSW approach to rustic cafe fare. Or head to Bake Bar and start with the Shakshuka, then finish off with the Nutella brioche. No matter how you slice it (yes, I said it), you can’t beat freshly baked bread.
-Bourkestreetbakery.com.au; Sonoma.com.au; Bakebar.com.au
Coffee
Coffee. It may not be the actual nectar of the gods, but it should be as how else are mere mortals supposed to make it through the workweek? Though there once a time when anything caffeinated would do, we’ve grown a bit more particular, actually, quite a bit more particular, with our cup of joe.
Fortunately, Sydney has an abundance of coffee roasters willing to do the gods’ work and, for grateful followers, a number of them are accepting the $25 ‘Dine’ vouchers in their respective cafes.
In a quest for caffeinated perfection, try ASLAN Coffee Roaster (St Peters and The Rocks), which started off by showcasing the bold flavours of coffee beans originating from the various regions of the Indonesian Archipelago, or Haven Specialty Coffee, where co-owner Herman Chiu, not only loves making it, but he also loves talking about it and teaching it, as well as Brew Ha Ha, where a passion for coffee led to a career change that forever changed Lilyfield’s Java scene.
ASLAN Coffee: St Peters and The Rocks; - Haven Specialty Coffee: Haymarket and Roseberry; Brew Ha Ha Coffee Roasters, 360 Catherine St, Lilyfield
Burgers
Burgers and beer. Everyone has their favourite place, but with the $25 ‘Dine’ voucher, here’s your chance to branch out and give someone else a go. It, of course, depends on your well-honed palette. For those who stay true to the classics, Burger Head is a must-try. Founded by fine-dining chefs on the quest for an after-hours feed without the fuss, you’ll get large, premium meat patties topped with caramelised onions and a special season sauce.
At Ume Burger, the options are pretty premium with the iconic Double Ume Burger with wagyu mince sauce, truss tomato, onion, mayo and American cheese topped off with bacon or others with a Japanese influence such as the pork katsu, prawn katsu or vegetable fritter burger.
Or there’s BL Burger with its towering burgers that, unlike some other OTT concoctions, taste as good as they look and boy oh boy, does the “Blame Canada” burger made with a tender beef patty, American cheese, maple bacon, maple aioli and poutine on a BL milk bun, look good.
- Burger Head, 17/98 Henry St, Penrith and Burger Head Food Truck; Ume Burger, Surry Hills and Barangaroo; BL Burgers, Parramatta and Darlinghurst
CAVALLINO RISTORANTE PIZZERIA
The only thing better than pizza is free pizza, which is pretty much the case when you redeem Dine NSW voucher at Cavallino on a Wednesday night when that $25 voucher will get you any pizza (including seafood) and a glass of wine, which usually goes for $40).
“The concept of Dine & Discover has been a little misunderstood so far... so we’d like to allow people to enjoy it in its complete value in one sitting. Only one voucher can be used in one group, so you can keep coming back for $25 pizza and wine night," Cavallino’s general manager, Roberto Dessanti said.
- 1 Yulong Ave, Terrey Hills; cavallino.com.au
CHAMPAINTING
Everything is better with bubbles, or at least it may seem better after a glass or two, and that’s part of the allure at Champainting - not to mention, you can also use your $25 Dine & Discover NSW 'Discover' voucher.
From the people behind Cork & Canvas off Oxford St, these popular guided group painting sessions are also BYO, and a favourite for groups of friends, partners or even hen’s nights.
Champainting by Cork and Canvas takes it to the next level though with their lux new venue. So, gather the crew. bring some bubbles and, allow your inner artisan to emerge. Or not. (For full details, visit corkandcanvas.com.au)
-106 Oxford St, Darlinghurst; corkandcanvas.com.au
* How to access your Dine & Discover vouchers: All adults over 18 can apply for four vouchers worth $25 each — two Dine and two Discover. The Dine vouchers are for use at any restaurant, cafe, pub or bar that is registered as COVID Safe with Service NSW.
Access the Service NSW app or website and create an account (you will need two forms of ID to apply).
Once you’re approved you’ll receive the vouchers in your email inbox, but you can also find them in the app with QR codes for the business to scan.
The vouchers are for dining in, so can’t be used for takeaway or delivery, and while they can be used for food at pubs, you can’t use the vouchers for alcohol or for gambling.
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