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How you can travel the world without leaving the lower north shore

CREATIVE chefs on the lower north shore are serving some of the best meals in Australia and many diners also have the bonus of harbour views from their tables.

Is your mouth watering yet? A sample of the Ormeggio at The Spit menu.
Is your mouth watering yet? A sample of the Ormeggio at The Spit menu.

WHERE do you want to travel to tonight?

Gourmands can go from the hot, narrow streets of Seville to the cool, wild oceans of New Zealand discovering new flavours.

But they don’t even have pack their suitcase for this trip as the flavours of the world are just an Uber hop away.

Creative chefs on the lower north shore are serving some of the best meals in Australia and many diners also have the bonus of harbour views from their tables.

Diners enjoying lunch at Ormeggia at The Spit.
Diners enjoying lunch at Ormeggia at The Spit.

With such a high standard, selecting the top restaurants is a difficult task but one venue is easily the leader of the field: Ormeggio at The Spit.

Since opening in 2009, it has consistently been applauded for its fine Italian cuisine matched with great wines.

Last year its owners took a risk and introduced a new degustation menu that journeys west across the Mediterranean to Spain. It features a mix of Italian and Spanish ingredients, techniques and traditions — and includes some very Australian produce.

Food with a view: Sails on Lavender Bay.
Food with a view: Sails on Lavender Bay.

Moving north, the classic French style is celebrated at Sails on Lavender Bay. The degustation menu matches Australian and French wines across seven courses including pink snapper, eastern king prawns and Rangers Valley wagyu flank.

If the food wasn’t enough of a draw, the beautiful Sails’ dining room has a view of the harbour bridge.

The dining room at Bistro Moncur, Mosman.
The dining room at Bistro Moncur, Mosman.

France is also celebrated in style at Bistro Moncur, which has become a welcome addition to the restaurant scene in Mosman village. It’s hard to go past the prime fillet steak with sauce bernaise and pure pork sausages with lyonnaise onions. Match with the perfect reds from Beaujolais or Burgundy.

Christian Blair mixes a cocktail at Annata.
Christian Blair mixes a cocktail at Annata.

Among the Crows Nest crowd Annata is the star. The menu includes smoked pork hock with char siu sauce and a New Zealand cured king ora salmon with beetroot, grapefruit and confit yolk. It’s a leap across the world in flavour and the journey is put together beautifully.

Some of the offerings at La Despensa in Neautral Bay.
Some of the offerings at La Despensa in Neautral Bay.

The warm lights of restaurants also brighten busy Military Rd — and two of the highlights along the strip are Barrel Bar & Dining and La Despensa.

At Barrel a team of sommeliers will guide you to the perfect choice for your share plates and cheeses. Across the road at La Despensa the tapas is inspired by bustling alleys of Barcelona.

Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/mosman-daily/how-you-can-travel-the-world-without-leaving-the-lower-north-shore/news-story/59ac64cb230f7983525b4928680bf960