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Thermidor Oyster Bar & Brasserie

Breezy harbourside bistro with seafood to the fore.

Grilled lobster thermidor.
1 / 2Grilled lobster thermidor.Megann Evans
The dining room opens up to the Hunter River.
2 / 2The dining room opens up to the Hunter River. Supplied

Critics' Pick

Seafood$$

Few things could improve a stroll along Newcastle’s Honeysuckle promenade more than a chilled Hunter semillon and buttery Balmain bugs (or Bloody Mary spiked oysters, perhaps) at this polished yet relaxed waterfront bistro.

You can’t miss the chic glass-cubed structure, with bifold doors opening out to invite you and that harbour view into the airy space set with rattan cafe chairs.

The made for-sharing menu skews coastal, with a pristine raw seafood bar married to a touch of European bistro. Start with a thick tentacle of blackened Bermagui octopus on a bed of creamy skordalia spiked with lime leaf XO, or juicy lamb ribs that slip off the bone into sweet-sour agrodolce.

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Spit-roasted chicken is doused in piri-piri with picture-perfect shoestring fries, and the lobster Thermidor comes via Port Stephens, grilled half or whole and bedded on bisque-y bucatini. Stay for a Campari or granita, or walk it off by the waves.

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Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/goodfood/nsw-good-food-guide/thermidor-oyster-bar-and-brasserie-20240207-p5f38d.html