The hottest new dining room in Sydney’s CBD which feels like Paris or New York

Brasserie 1930 in the heart of Sydney’s CBD has serious ‘wow factor’, reminiscent of top dining rooms in Paris, London or New York.

Brasserie 1930, 2-4 Farrer Place, Sydney, NSW. Photo: Kristoffer Paulsen/ Supplied

Walking into Brasserie 1930 inside the new Capella Hotel in Sydney’s CBD, you feel you could be anywhere in the world. The stunning marble floors, brass touchpoints, leather banquette seating, mirrors and beautiful light fixtures are reminiscent of top dining rooms in Paris, London or New York.

There is an elegance, a sophistication, an attention to detail – seen across all the hospitality spaces, the rooms and the exceptional art on display – that really elevates the hotel and Brasserie 1930.

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“We really wanted to promote Australian produce and 99 per cent of what we use is Australian – with the exception of caviar”

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“It’s another level of luxury that we really haven’t seen in Sydney for a very long time,” says Nick Hildebrandt, one half of the acclaimed Bentley Restaurant Group, which has partnered with Capella Hotel to deliver Brasserie 1930. “The building is heritage listed and so it has that real European feel to it, and that’s why we are really happy to be a part of it.”

Hildebrandt and the other co-owner of the Bentley Group, chef Brent Savage, have created a French brasserie with an Australian twist for the hotel. “We really wanted to promote Australian produce and 99 per cent of what we use is Australian – with the exception of caviar – and it really fits with the philosophy of the hotel that it is a very Sydney offering,” Hildebrandt explains to WISH.

Flinders Island scallop, brown butter, finger lime. Photo: Kristoffer Paulsen/Supplied

Coal roasted Murray cod, pepperberry butter, chives. Photo: Kristoffer Paulsen/Supplied

This has translated into entrees such as Flinders Island scallops with brown butter and finger lime, Sydney rock oysters from Merimbula, and beef tartare made with beef from Rangers Valley in Northern NSW. There is Eastern Rock Lobster, a whole roasted duck with roasted plum, fennel, spinach and a glazed eschalot – one of Hildebrandt’s favourites – and coal-roasted Murray cod with pepperberry butter on offer for the very luxurious main courses. This is serious dining.

Rangers Valley beef tartare, mustard, caper, eschalot, rye crisp. Photo: Kristoffer Paulsen/Supplied

Dark chocolate mille feuille. Photo: Kristoffer Paulsen/ Supplied

When WISH visited, we chose two of the steak options, the Yarah F1 Wagyu Rump Cap from Queensland and O’Connor’s Bone-in-Sirloin from Gippsland in Victoria. Both melted in the mouth, and adding any of the mustards on offer felt like a crime against the producer and the chef. The desserts were also exceptional, a highlight being the dark chocolate mille feuille with passionfruit sorbet that I entirely demolished by myself before my fellow diners had time to ask for a taste.

Hildebrandt, who is also a sommelier, says the aim of the wine list at Brasserie 1930 was again to highlight Australian wines and spirits. This is expressed perfectly when we choose an Australian sweet wine to accompany the delicious cheeses on the trolley that is wheeled over to our table.

Brasserie 1930 is the fourth venue to be opened by Hildebrandt and Savage, the first being Bentley Restaurant and Bar in 2006, followed by Monopole, Yellow and Cirrus. All have taken out multiple awards for food and wine, and there is no doubt Brasserie 1930 will be will next in line for such acclaim.

“It’s going really well,” says Hildebrandt of the venue, which opened last month. “There is a serious wow factor when you walk into Brasserie 1930 and the hotel because of the grandness of it all, and that always makes people happy right from the start.”