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David Matthews

David Matthews

David Matthews

David Matthews is a food writer and editor, and co-editor of The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2025.

Chef Stella Roditis.
14.5/20

It’s not all over Insta (yet), but this unpretentious city diner deserves your immediate attention

The small team at Clarence and V is all about minimum fuss and maximum flavour, says our critic.

  • David Matthews
Rocket Kulfi , Chulho.

10 years ago this Sydney suburb was dead. Now it’s brimming with brilliant Indian eateries

From samosa chaat to all manner of sweets, we’ve rounded up the best Indian food on the east side of Parramatta.

  • David Matthews
Wood-fired fennel, spinach, chicory and ricotta pie.
Good Food hat15.5/20

A restaurant for the share-plate generation: Bessie’s clocks up a second hat for the Bar Copains team

The Surry Hills hotspot is all about snacks, fizzy wine and a wood-fired pie.

  • David Matthews
Owner/chef Helen Hung with Stanley Ho and Eva Ho.
14/20

At $17, ‘number eight’ at this retro food court gets you one of Sydney’s best value lunches

But you’ll need to arrive early to join local workers, grandmas and retirees who jostle for soups, noodles and this deceptively complex dish.

  • David Matthews
Kidman dry-aged sirloin on the bone, with coal-roasted greens, fried onion and black garlic.
Good Food hatGood Food hat16.5/20

Does Sydney need another luxury grill restaurant? No, but this one dazzles

The Grill isn’t for everyone, it’s expensive and grand, but it’s the kind of ambitious opening that makes big cities feel international.

  • David Matthews
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Go Go Yaki at Burwood’s Chinatown hub.

Pineapple buns and perfect tofu: The Good Food guide to Sydney’s ‘second Chinatown’

Burwood Road is increasingly becoming the go-to destination for dumplings, skewers and free noodle refills.

  • David Matthews
Island Radio, Redfern.
14.5/20

Deep-flavoured sambals and satay: Our critic’s verdict on the tropical disco of Island Radio

Does the first restaurant to open in Redfern’s new $500 million Wunderlich Lane precinct live up to the hype?

  • David Matthews
Catalina restaurant manager James McMahon and his mother, restaurant director Judy McMahon.

Staying power: Longstanding Sydney restaurateurs share the secrets to their success

The Good Food Guide turns 40 this year, and these iconic restaurants are celebrating anniversaries of their own.

  • David Matthews
The team at new hatted Windsor restaurant Cricca.

It’s the first time these western Sydney suburbs scored a Good Food Guide hat

A trend has emerged in the 2025 Guide: the geography of Sydney’s hats is beginning to shift.

  • David Matthews
Luke Bourke in the Rockpool Bar and Grill kitchen.

The Good Food Guide Young Chef of the Year sets sights on western Sydney

Good Food Guide young chef of the year Luke Bourke is focused on western Sydney, where he can explore his heritage and mentor other young Indigenous chefs.

  • David Matthews and Callan Boys

Original URL: https://www.watoday.com.au/goodfood/by/david-matthews-h29n1i