Sydney Eat Street: Where to enjoy a post-lockdown feast
After months indoors, sitting down for a meal at a restaurant is exhilarating — not just for patrons but for the thousands of business owners, chefs, kitchen hands and wait staff as well.
Eat Street
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Applejack Hospitality Group
Restaurateurs Hamish Watts and Ben Carroll have decided to go big and not go home.
As the owners and of boutique hospitality group Applejack Hospitality (Bopp + Tone, The Botanist, The Butler, SoCal Neutral Bay, Tap Rooms, and Forrester’s), the pair are excited to be back.
“After having to put all of our venues back into hibernation a second time, we’re just so excited to bring people together to share moments and make memories once again, which is the ethos of our company,” Ben says.
“With our ‘Welcome Back’ giveaway, we wanted to treat our valued customers with something a bit special and celebrate the reopening of hospitality.”
Applejack is giving away $3000 worth of diner vouchers across all six of their restaurants. There are six $500 vouchers up for grabs to splash out at any of their truly unique venues: SoCal Neutral Bay is full of laid-back Southern California beach vibes with a rooftop terrace for tacos and margaritas. Bopp & Tone is a CBD restaurant and bar with a Mediterranean inspired menu featuring dishes cooked on the in-house wood grill or charcoal oven.
Endeavour Tap Rooms is a brewery and smokehouse right in the middle of The Rocks. The Butler in Potts Point boasts a panoramic view of the Sydney skyline with a menu inspired by Ibero-American cuisine — plus an extensive wine and cocktail list.
To have a crack at winning a $500 voucher, head to applejackhospitality.com.au or download the Applejack app to double your chances of winning.
The competition closes November 12, 2021. In the meantime, tacos and tequila in the afternoon sun sounds like a million bucks.
Casual Dining at The Star
Now, this is a shot in the arm. At The Star, select restaurants are taking 70 per cent off dine-in food bills to celebrate NSW reaching the magical 70 per cent double vaccination threshold.
The deal runs every Monday from 11am to 5pm until the end of October. Your options are Fat Noodle restaurant, 24/7 Sports Bar and Food Quarter, each with its own unique offering.
At Fat Noodle, the creation of chef, restaurateur, and television host Luke Nguyen, take your tastebuds on a journey with dishes inspired by Asia’s hawker stalls and street food scenes, such as fresh Vietnamese prawn spring rolls, pho with Angus beef sirloin, brisket and rice noodles, Malaysian chicken laksa and Singaporean Hainanese chicken rice.
The 24/7 Sports Bar features all the pub classics while the Food Quarter serves Western and Asian food, essentially everything from Chicken schnitzels, pizza, burgers, and sandwiches, to curries, Hokkien noodles and even housemade desserts.
With so many choices and 70 per cent off, everyone’s a winner.
— 80 Pyrmont Rd, Pyrmont; star.com.au/Sydney/
Super Dish
Co-owner Kenny Tran is more than ready for his Cabramatta restaurant to be full of diners.
“We kicked off ‘Freedom Week’ by offering a 10 per cent discount to groups of four or more, dining in our restaurant throughout October,” he says.
That’s quite a treat for those who are already huge fans of Hong Kong Cantonese-style food.
“We only use local fresh seafood and seasonal produce. Our dishes are prepared with a lot of love and care to produce a consistent taste every time,” Kenny says.
“Many of our customers treat us like their personal kitchen because the taste is always consistent and, of course, affordable price.”
It’s not just customers who are keen to get back in.
“We can’t wait, and our team is very excited about coming back to fully dine-in operation mode. I can feel the positivity in the air among our neighbouring retailers,” Kenny says.
Super Dish has been a part of the Cabramatta community since 2007, building up quite the following for their congee, dim sum, and seafood dishes, particularly their salt & pepper mud crab and lobster with ginger and shallots.
While much of their menu was available for takeaway during lockdown, there’s nothing like having it brought piping hot to your table. Dine both indoors and out for brunch, lunch, dinner and late-night meals.
— Shop 17-19, 1 Hughes St, Cabramatta; facebook.com/superdishcabra
Milky Lane
Kevin Bacon is a shining star at Milky Lane. No, not that Kevin Bacon of Footloose infamy, but the burger, The Kevin Bacon — a tower of double wagyu patties, double American cheese, and double crispy maple-smoked bacon.
For those with a joy of dad jokes, it’s almost a must-have off the menu. Milky Lane is known for its OTT burgers, shakes, cocktails … and pumping old skool hip hop. (There are even wall-length murals paying homage to hip-hop legends).
Kev’s got some competition, though, now that lockdown is over, as the already popular menu has gained 12 additional items: three new burgers including the Big Poppa, a double smashed pattie, doubled American cheese, pulled brisket braised in ML BBQ sauce, crispy maple smoked bacon, mozzarella pattie, diced onions, housemade crispy onion rings, bacconnaise for $26; two new desserts: deep-fried Snickers and a Caramilk and Biscoff Cookie Skillet; three equally decadent cocktails, including some throwbacks to the 70s and 80s with a Hubba Bubba bubblegum and grape Fanta cocktail; plus three more loaded shakes as well as colossal side-serves of potato gems, deep-fried cheese curds, shredded Mexican cheese, liquid cheese, crispy diced chorizo and diced jalapeños $14.
For a full-on experience, head to Parramatta, home to their largest outlet, which puts out 1000+ burgers a day — and it has arcade games. Or, if you prefer to sit outside, their original location in Crows News has plenty of seating, as do the outlets in Gregory Hills and Terrigal.
WHAT’S FRESH
The Blue Door
You can ditch the mask and scoot in a little closer at The Blue Door, an intimate 24-seater restaurant from award-winning chef Dylan Cashman and owner of hatted Gold Coast restaurant, The Blue Door on 5th.
With a pedigree that boasts some of Australia’s best kitchens and Michelin Star restaurants in Germany and London, Cashman is pairing his wealth of experience with his passion for supporting local producers that embrace sustainable practices.
In addition to a menu based on market-fresh produce, he also abides by a nose-to-tail approach, liaising directly with farmers to purchase a whole animal to ensure that nothing goes to waste and that the entire menu changes every week.
All these attributes are sure to get diners talking and to keep the conversation flowing, The Blue Door also has an impressive wine list that highlights regional NSW vintners as well as a “Secret Sips” menu which reveals hidden vintage Champagnes and an array of international wines.
The Blue Door is open for business from Thursday, October 20.
— Shop 8/38 Waterloo St, Surry Hills; thebluedoorsurryhills.com.au
THE ROCKS
The cobblestone laneways of this historic precinct have been ghostly quiet the past 18 months, but the shroud of lockdown has been lifted and it’s high time to revisit an old familiar.
Alfresco Dining
To welcome everyone back for a visit, The Rocks has rolled out the red carpet, or more precisely laid out green grass, surrounded it with a white picket fence and transforming the stretch of George St that runs from Fortune of War (one of Sydney’s oldest pubs) to Argyle St, into an expansive alfresco dining area with live music.
The Rocks Market
Many of Sydney’s popular eateries started their businesses with a stall at The Rocks Market, such as Mr Bao (fluffy BBQ-pork buns), THICC Cookies (palm-sized chocolate chip cookies) and Firepop (grilled premium Aussie meats, including Wagyu skewers). So, while tourists are on the hunt for gifts, locals come for something to eat – from corn-on-the-cob to artisan chocolates, meat pies to marinated lamb; there’s a world of food to be had at The Rocks Markets.
Eat and Drink in The Rocks
If it’s been a while since you dined in The Rocks, you’re in for a surprise as there are now over 50 places to eat, drink and be merry. Yes, there are still pubs that serve just Aussie classics, but other options have been added to The Rock’s dining scene, including Japanese fusion at Saké, high tea at The Tea Cosy, modern Middle Eastern at Tayim and fine-dining at William Blue, as well as Tap Rooms brewery, Hickson House Distilling Co and dozens of bars with night-time entertainment.
Bopp & Tone
The dark wood furniture, velvet booths and jewel-toned fabrics speak of understated elegance, but lively chatter and the Mediterranean-inspired menu prepared mainly on a wood-fire grill or in a charcoal oven give this CBD restaurant and bar a more casual air, making it perfect for business lunches, after-work-drinks or just a fabulous dinner.
— 60 Carrington St, Sydney; boppandtone.com.au
Forrester’s
A stalwart of the Surry Hills pub scene, Forrester’s has been given a well-deserved refresh: staying true to the building’s original design, adding an eclectic mix of beer and wine, and raising the bar on Aussie classics.
— 336 Riley St, Surry Hills; forresters.com.au
SoCal Neutral Bay
Welcome to Sydney’s slice of Southern California, where you can get your fill of The Golden State’s take on Mexican street food and warm weather cocktails. Grab the crew for some beach vibes, Cali tacos and tequila cocktails all around.
— 1 Young St, Neutral Bay; socalsydney.com.au
Tap Rooms
Located in a heritage-listed building in The Rocks, Tap Rooms is also a working brewery that serves the house-brew, pours NSW regional wines from a keg and has an expansive menu that features house-smoked meat and seafood.
— 39-43 Argyle St, The Rocks; taprooms.com.au
The Botanist
In the spirit of Victorian explorers who not only found adventure as they travelled the globe but also exotic spices and exciting cuisines, this restaurant and bar situated along a leafy Kirribilli street offers a seasonal Mediterranean-inspired menu and a creative cocktail list that includes, of course, a well-poured Botanist gin.
— 17 Willoughby St, Kirribilli
The Butler
An unobtrusive entrance off a quiet neighbourhood street opens to reveal an expansive sun-drenched restaurant with a sizeable terrace that boasts a magnificent view of the Sydney skyline. Equally impressive is the Ibero-American cuisine complemented by an extensive wine and cocktail list.
— 123 Victoria St, Potts Point; butlersydney.com.au
LAWN BOWLS
The weather is warming up, so that means it’s time to go outside, kick off your shoes … and go bowling.
Leichhardt Bowling and Recreation Club is your go-to for a family-friendly community-centric club that ticks all the boxes – live music, cold beer, and Leo’s Bistro’s famous lamb ribs – locally sourced, grass-fed, 500g BBQ lamb ribs seasoned with house-made dry rub, served with charcoal corn, fresh coleslaw, and crunchy steak fries.
— 88-92 Piper St, Leichhardt; leichhardtbowlingclub.com.au
The Greens North Sydney
Once you’ve seen the majestic view over Sydney Harbour, shared cocktails from a hollowed-out watermelon and checked out Head Chef Adam Turnbull’s impressive menu at the adjoining restaurant, you’ll never think of lawn bowls the same way again. So once finished the game and wiped off the dirt, take a seat at an umbrella-covered picnic table out on the wide wooden deck and enjoy one of Chef Turnbull’s refined Aussie classics.
— 50 Ridges St, North Sydney; thegreensnorthsydney.com.au
Winter warmers to celebrate the season
Everyone is happy to see the sun peeking through the clouds, but winter’s not all bad. Bid farewell to the colder days with one last hurrah of warming fare.
Sniffing out Sydney’s best truffle desserts
Save the best for last. As truffle season comes to a close, be sure to indulge in some sweet treats featuring the annual earthy gem.