Celebrate spring at Sydney’s best new eateries
NEED a change of scenery? Mark these new venues on your foodie hit list
Sydney Taste
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IF there’s one thing Sydney doesn’t lack, it’s new restaurants. Venues open all the time, making it hard to keep track of the newest, hottest and latest eateries to add to your list.
And it only ramps up in spring, as people are ready to swap Netflix and the couch for sunshine, rooftop cocktails and al fresco dining.
Here are the newest kids on the block, from those that just threw open their doors to the ones coming in the next few months.
36-38 South Steyne, Manly
The Sails on Lavender Bay team is behind this new opening, a 400-seat venue across three levels, in what was once the Shore Club. The rooftop has bar snacks, cocktails and glorious views, and the ground floor is all about wood-fired pizzas. They opened last week, while the mid-level Grill restaurant is coming next month.
100 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo
Executive chef Daniel Rudolph, ex-Quay head chef, is taking over the old Ete site. Due to open next week, it’s an all-day menu. He’s bringing favourites from the original Wahroonga restaurant, such as the Black Angus flatiron steak and duck parfait, and as well as newer dishes including sashimi kingfish — Hiramasa kingfish, sushi rice, soy beans, cucumber, carrot, sesame, seaweed and ponzu — plus the beef ribs, slow cooked for 12 hours with a honey and barbecue glaze.
182 Campbell Pde, Bondi Beach
Is it possible to welcome warmer weather without a new Bondi opening? This all-day bistro and beach club opened a month ago with Bret Cameron, ex-Harvest Newrybar, at the helm. There’s a focus on Australian native produce, a customised wood-fire grill and a raw bar.
Bondi Pavilion, Bondi Beach
From October 25-December 20, indigenous chef Zach Green is bringing his Darwin restaurant to Sydney. Rather than a carbon copy, he’ll focus on indigenous ingredients and traditions specific to Sydney, such as the green ant cheesecake. It is celebrating indigenous culture through food and with the help of local elders, he will tell stories during service so that guests leave with something more than just full stomachs.
350 Bourke St, Surry Hills
Sydney’s only dedicated rum distillery opened in late August. Colombian head chef Ivan Sanchez is dishing up arepas, South American corn flatbreads stuffed with everything from avocado, herb salad, chimichurri, molasses-braised pork shoulder, achiote chicken and more. Or you can sip on a rum flight or cocktail while watching the next batch of rum being made.
Level 26, 45 Macquarie St, Parramatta
The Speakeasy Group have created a range of too-cool-for-school venues in the inner city, such as Mjolner and Eau de Vie, and now they’re doing the same for the west. Due to open next weekend it’s a lavish rooftop bar which can fit 300 people and it will be
serving all the good stuff — cocktails, champagne, cognac, caviar, cured meats, cheese and oysters.
DON’T TELL AUNTY
414 Bourke St, Surry Hills
There’s not a lot of modern Indian in Sydney, but that will change when Jessi Singh opens his restaurant in early October. The chef behind Babu Ji in Melbourne and New York is bringing his signature “unauthentic Indian” cuisine to Sydney. Expect to see naan pizza, sea urchin biryani and oysters with green mango and lime pickle.
SAINT GEORGE
288 George St, Chippendale
Ex-Becasse head chef James Metcalfe is opening an all-day diner/wine bar in Chippendale in October. You can breakfast on smoked wagyu brisket hash and fried eggs before it turns into an evening wine bar serving dishes such as blue eye trevalla in burnt butter.
ALBERTO
17-19 Alberta St, Sydney
The guys behind retro-French Hubert are taking over the old Berta site and putting their spin on what they’d imagine a ’60s-style, Fellini-inspired enoteca would be. Due to open
in November.
Manly Wharf
Due to open in November, this will be the sixth Sake in the Rockpool Dining Group. Head chef Shoji Toru will keep the favourite dishes its known for but will also add live seafood tanks, an expansive sushi bar and robata counter.
‘Beyond a fire sale’: Criniti’s stores sold for staggering price
Despite its whopping $19 million debt, the remaining Criniti’s stores, including Parramatta and Darling Harbour, have sold for a staggeringly low price in what one broker has described as ‘beyond a fire sale’.
‘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.