Previous SlideNext Slide

Chef Jemma Whiteman’s casarecce with kanzuri, prawn and clementine is, quite simply, wonderful. Al dente pasta tossed through a glorious buttery sauce, enlivened by fermented chilli paste and invigorated by citrus. Gadzooks.

Ante, modelled on Japan’s jazz-focused listening bars, is all about this kind of clever, disarming cooking, plus artisan sake imported by co-owner Matt Young.

Plus music. So much music. See the hundreds of vinyl records behind the long wooden, mood-lit counter; hear trumpet player Kazufumi Kodama, Detroit hip-hop and no end of Afrobeat.

Other hits include the reassuring texture of fried potato mochi with “everything bagel” sprinkles; grilled mackerel with buttermilk and hazelnut butter; and the delicious juxtaposition of pineapple granita against sake-lees ice-cream.

Young’s smashable yuzu margaritas are a modern classic, too, while switched-on service by career hospitality staff cements Ante as an essential Sydney experience.