• Where the Melbourne reviewers are warming their cockles

With the Good Food Guide returning this year with its hats and scores, our 30 reviewers will embark on their winter quest to review some 300 restaurants in NSW.

But moments when they're off duty provide opportunities to seek brilliant food and wine as protection against the cold.

Whether they are warmed by glowing fires and cosy rooms or heated from within by chilli-laden noodles and punchy cocktails, these are the places our reviewers are drawn to when their pens (or more often, phones) are down and their own money is at stake.

Chaco Ramen

Is there a better way to combat a low mercury reading than a bowl of invigorating poached chicken, chilli and coriander ramen, finished with both Sichuan and sansho pepper? At the new-ish Bondi Beach outpost of Chaco Ramen, Fukuoka-born chef Keita Abe offers up an education in the fine art of what is arguably Japan's most revered noodle soup, rounded out with first-rate yakitori and very fine dumplings stuffed with John Dory and prawns. Not only will a small pot of malty hojicha tea keep you nice and toasty, but it'll help you digest, too – Matty Hirsch

11 O'Brien Street, Bondi Beach, 02 9130 4499, chacoramen.com.au

Lobby Bar, The Ace Hotel

Apart from my own bed, the place I'd be happy to hang all winter long is the Lobby Bar of the new Ace Hotel in Surry Hills, the first Ace to open in the southern hemisphere (sorry, New Zealand!). Those '70s-groove crushed leather sunken lounges are calling for me to curl up with a well-crafted native Australian negroni, the cocktail equivalent of hugging a hot water bottle. And maybe a spicy salami toastie with some blistered shishito peppers? Sydney's Flack Studios have transformed the old brick factory into an earthy, textured, warm, organic space filled with edgy Australian art pieces and rawhide lampshades that glow like coals. There are well-designed bedrooms upstairs for sleeping, but damn, that lounge is looking good – Jill Dupleix

47-53 Wentworth Avenue, Sydney, acehotel.com/sydney

Jacoby's Tiki Bar

On rainy winter nights, when the Enmore Road pavers become dangerously slippery, stopping by Jacoby's is practically a safety measure. Step through the big red door, climb onto a bar stool and cosy up to some seriously warming drinks and hospitality. The cocktails are, as you'd hope, excellent, but even better is the unstuffy friendliness of the crew, happy to mix a house rum-based Old Fashioned to your taste, or just pull you a beer if that's your preference. Add some muted lighting, kitschy decor and a snack delivered to the bar from Epic Pizza up the road and there's really no reason to risk going back outside – Daniel Findlay

154 Enmore Road, Enmore, jacobys-tiki-bar.com

Rising Sun Workshop

Turning off the bustling King Street strip to duck into RSW is pure comfort. Part motorcycle workshop-part eatery, this welcoming community hub serves up Single O coffee, natural wines and Japanese fare with an Aussie cafe vibe, and service always comes with a smile. The lunchtime ramen is the ideal winter salve: the sombre-sounding The Darkness brings joy, with its rich soy, miso and pork-bone broth brimming with slippery shiitake, free-range chicken, onsen egg and coils of egg noodle. Upstairs in the loft is just as cosy as the service – add all-local tinnies or a cocktail and settle in for the night – Pru Engel

1C Whateley Street, Newtown, 02 9550 3891, risingsunworkshop.com

Restaurant Hubert

As soon as the temperature hits 12 degrees I think I'll go down the spiral staircase to Restaurant Hubert and not come up again until spring. The concept of hibernation has a lot going for it when you're ensconced in a wood-panelled basement dining room lined with bottles of red wine. Especially with live jazz, a pastis and soda in hand that tastes like white licorice, and over-the-top French bistro classics from chef Alexis Besseau that run from onion tarte tatin to gateau au chocolat. And did I mention the walls are lined with bottles of red wine? – Jill Dupleix

15 Bligh Street, Sydney, 02 9232 0881, restauranthubert.com

Sáng by Mabasa

If winter is about holing up, then you can do a lot worse than at Sáng by Mabasa. The tight dimensions and open kitchen keep things snug, but it's the family ties that bring the real warmth, with owner Kenny Yong Soo Son's mum and dad running the kitchen. Order the kimchi-jjigae at lunch for that same comforting feeling you might get from your own parents' cooking, only stronger. Served in a scalding claypot, stir-fried kimchi adds depth and spice to a steaming anchovy and kelp broth, while soft tofu brings nourishment. Spooned over rice, it's about as warm and fuzzy as a single dish gets. With daily specials, though, why stop there? – David Matthews

98 Fitzroy Street, Surry Hills, 02 9331 5175

Banh Xeo Bar

It's not exactly what you'd call cosy. When you're thinking about keeping warm on a chilly winter's day, you're not thinking about a big, airy, food court in a warehouse. But with a sweet-smelling bowl of bun bo hue (beef noodle soup) layered with brisket in front of you – and inside you – it's plenty warm. Add a platter of pig's head croquettes for a ridiculously crunchy, gooey, squishy, fatty mind-bend of an experience. In the heart of The Cannery in Rosebery, Ben Sinfield and Tania Ho's contemporary Vietnamese eatery also turns out a huge turmeric-golden banh xeo rice pancake studded with king prawns, onions and pork that is guaranteed to bring a little sunshine to a grey day – Terry Durack

The Cannery, 61-71 Mentmore Avenue, Rosebery, 02 8542 5259

Ante

Sydney doesn't deliver cold weather with the same intensity as, say, January in Tokyo. The doubly good news is that not only do we miss out on those sub-zero extremes, exquisite sake can still be found here to battle the (so-called) chill. Ante's selection stretches to 60-plus fascinating, exceptional expressions, and while sake is the focal point, there's also a nuanced and playful menu designed to accompany and augment every bottle on premises. Opt for a tailored flight of three sakes with your meal and don't miss the tagliatelle with fermented shiitake mushrooms. You'll barely notice it's not snowing – Daniel Findlay

146 King Street, Newtown, ante.bar

The Argyle Inn

Sitting in one of the warm dining rooms of this elegantly restored hotel, while snacking on house-made charcuterie on pillowy, warm sourdough syncopated by the erratic pops and crackles of the open fireplace, it's easy to feel miles away from the real world. Bucolic Taralga might be a solid two-and-a-half-hour drive from Sydney, but the Argyle's stately upstairs rooms make it perfect for an overnight winter escape. Settle in for a Saturday lunch of roast chicken and nostalgic pudding, nurse a few glasses of wine sourced nearby and feel the weekend float past – Tristan Lutze

80 Orchard Street, Taralga, 0448 402 008, theargylinn.com.au

Tachinomi YP

A smiling server donning cat ears, just cracked tins of yuzu-imbued lagers, bubbling whisky highballs and a mosaic of photos, coasters and ID cards lining the wall. This small but frenetic spot in Crows Nest calls upon the traditions of Japan's standing-only bars ("tachi" means standing and "nomi" means drinking). While this one has seats, you'll be placed on a long table, from which you can snack on crunchy lotus root chips and elbow your way through a game of Uno, while knocking back a tap-pulled Asahi. The pint-sized bar also possesses a small benchtop cooker, from which warming katsu curries are prepared. It's a snug, jolly and jostling affair, a reflection of Crows Nest's bubbling Japanese community ​– Jordan Kretchmer

Shop 1, 20 Burlington Street, Crows Nest, instagram.com/tachinomiyp

Where's Nick

No matter the season, Where's Nick manages to emanate a certain warmth that most neighbourhood wine bars can only aspire to. Maybe it's the inviting, lived-in atmosphere or the welcoming spirit of the staff. Or maybe it's the accommodating approach to the catalogue of natural wines, which caters to the eager novice as much as the cult fanatic. The chalkboard list of adventurous by-the-glass pours is always a good place to start, along with some anchovy toast or a hash brown snack topped with parmesan cream. But be warned: the urge to pop bottles with reckless abandon is strong – Matty Hirsch

234-236 Marrickville Road, Marrickville, 0481 759 182, wheresnick.com.au

Senpai Ramen

Sometimes skipping the excellent snacks on a ramen bar's menu is one of the hardest parts when dining out for the much-loved noodle soup, but Chase Kojima's clever new Chatswood omakase concept evades this conundrum by offering a parade of bites before serving a bowl of brothy goodness. The warmth of custardy burnt-butter chawanmushi, the playfulness of chicken wings stuffed with prawn meat and more are all served with excellent pacing (not too fast, or too much) before a deeply flavoured, well-portioned ramen to round out the meal – Jordan Kretchmer

Shop G05, 88 Archer Street, Chatswood, senpairamen.com

​Elva

Few things are more comforting than curling up with a bowl of ragu and a glass of red when puffer jacket season arrives. Behind Elva's frosted double doors on Bondi Road is a cosy refuge of leather banquettes and classic Italian plates, like the aforementioned ragu. Made from short rib, it clings onto wonderfully al dente house-made pappardelle and gets an umami shower of smoked scamorza. Order a glass of Abruzzo montepulciano and a slab of pockmarked, pillowy focaccia (is 2022 the year of spongey, olive oil-doused Italian bread?) to really do things right. If you make it regularly to their $27 pasta and vino Tuesdays, the waitstaff will even remember how you like your negronis (Campari-heavy, please) – Mariam Digges

277 Bondi Road, Bondi, elvabondi.com.au

White Moon Bar

Intimate and moody spaces can be hard to find in Sydney. White Moon Bar, the evening incarnation of Newtown cafe Tokyo Lamington, could be lifted from a novel by bestselling Japanese writer Haruki Murakami. The candlelit tables are an antidote to the winter chill. The Japanese-style potato salad is creamy but piquant. The yuzu highball, a mix of Suntory whisky, soda water and yuzu, is refreshing and unfussy. It's a drink that speaks of a place where having a good time is more important than Instagramming it – Neha Kale

277 Australia Street, Newtown, 0404 662 397, whitemoonbar.com

Alberto's Lounge

This plush, moodily lit Italian-inspired establishment tucked behind Liverpool Street is an inner-city gem that belongs to another time, and yet is so thoroughly of the moment. Booth seating means pure cosiness, as plates of kingfish crudo and sliced prosciutto compete for space with your elbows. An extensive wine list, with drops from Italy and Australia, pairs smashingly with homemade strozzapreti. And finish the warm embrace with crisp cannoli to follow. The energy here is just as delicious: humming, bubbling, charismatically clandestine. We're all in on the secret at Alberto's; pull up a seat – Riley Wilson

17-19 Alberta Street, Sydney, swillhouse.com/venues/albertos-lounge/

No Bones

Yes, even in Byron Bay, satisfying vegetarian options can be tricky to find. Not so at No Bones, an elegantly refurbished vegan restaurant that works as hard at punchy flavours as it does on its sustainability ethos. Set just back from Main Beach, it offers a choice between courtyard tables beneath heaters and string lights, or cosy velvet booths in the colourful, brass-trimmed dining room. Their crispy "chick'n'' with chilli miso aioli is a sleight-of-hand trick that tastes intoxicatingly like the real thing, while the tempura banana blossom "fysh'' tacos with slaw and pickled onions lift depressed tastebuds. Come at 5pm for happy hour – there's an all-Australian, all-natural wine list, and possibly Byron's best chilli margy – Nina Karnikowski

11 Fletcher Street, Byron Bay, 0481 148 007, nobonesbyronbay.com.au