Creamed corn and roast chook? A salad of just-picked squash and flash-fried besan flour-dusted blue swimmer crab? Hunks of handmade nougat for dessert? With his kitchen garden ethos and artful, seasonal simplicity, Sean Moran’s modest surfside bolthole has been firmly on trend for more than 20 years. The North Bondi Surf Club opposite may have had a flash makeover (prettier than the brown hulk original? We’re not sure) but Sean’s remains unaltered by fad or fashion. And we love it as it is. It’s a sheer joy to rediscover the sparkle of great ingredients cooked with old-fashioned care - from dumpling-sized ravioli filled with beetroot to gently gamey slices of roast hogget (year-old lamb) on eggplant puree with cherry tomatoes. The blackboard menu changes daily, the wine list is thoughtfully compiled, service is seasoned and convivial. Sean’s is as iconic as the beach beyond.

And ... There’s a second restaurant, at Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens.

THE LOW-DOWN
Vibe Seaside casual, seasonally simple.
Best bit The more things change? Sean’s doesn’t.
Worst bit Waiting for a table.