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Sydney's dining scene is as sunny and cosmopolitan as the city itself, and there are diverse and exotic culinary adventures to suit every appetite. Mod Oz (modern-Australian) cooking flourishes, fueled by local produce and guided by Mediterranean and Asian techniques. Look for such innovations as tuna tartare with flying-fish ro
Sydney's dining scene is as sunny and cosmopolitan as the city itself, and there are diverse and exotic culinary adventures to suit every appetite. Mod Oz (modern-Australian) cooking flourishes, fueled by local produce and guided by Mediterranean and Asian techniques. L
Sydney's dining scene is as sunny and cosmopolitan as the city itself, and there are diverse and exotic culinary adventu
Sydney's dining scene is as sunny and cosmopolitan as the city itself, and there are diverse and exotic culinary adventures to suit every appetite. Mod Oz (modern-Australian) cooking flourishes, fueled by local produce and guided by Mediterranean and Asian techniques. Look for such innovations as tuna tartare with flying-fish roe and wasabi; emu prosciutto; five-spice duck; shiitake mushroom pie; and sweet turmeric barramundi curry. A meal at Tetsuya's or Rockpool constitutes a crash course in this dazzling culinary language. A visit to the city's fish markets at Pyrmont, five minutes from the city center, will also tell you much about Sydney's diet. Look for rudderfish, barramundi, blue-eye, kingfish, John Dory, ocean perch, and parrot fish, as well as Yamba prawns, Balmain and Moreton Bay bugs (shovel-nose lobsters), sweet Sydney rock oysters, mud crab, spanner crab, yabbies (small freshwater crayfish), and marrons (freshwater lobsters).
There are many expensive and indulgent restaurants in the city center, but the real dining scene is in the inner city, eastern suburbs, and inner-western suburbs of Leichhardt and Balmain. Neighborhoods like Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, Paddington, and beachside suburb Bondi are dining destinations in themselves. Plus, you're more likely to find a restaurant that will serve on a Sunday night in one of these places than in the central business district (the city center)—which can become a bit of a ghost town after offices close during the week. Circular Quay and The Rocks are always lively, and the Overseas Passenger Terminal (on the opposite side of the harbor from the Opera House) has several top-notch restaurants with stellar views.
A meal at Rockpool is a crash course in what Mod Oz cooking is all about, conducted in a glamorous, long dining room with a catwalk-like ramp. Chefs Neil Perry and Corey Costelloe weave Thai, Chinese, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern influences into their repertoire with effortless flair and originality. The menu is extensive, with caviar from around the world to start. The Wagyu beef is butchered on-site, with the premium oyster blade cut costing A$125; the spanner crab with semolina noodles is equally satisfying. Don't miss the date tart for dessert—it's been a Rockpool favorite since 1984.
11 Bridge St., Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia
It's worth getting on the waiting list—there's always a waiting list—to sample the unique blend of Western and Japanese-French flavors crafted by Sydney's most applauded chef, Tetsuya Wakuda. The serene, expansive dining room's unobtrusive Japanese aesthetic leaves the food as the true highlight. Confit of ocean trout served with unpasteurized ocean-trout roe is a signature item on the set 11-course degustation menu, while other dishes may include New Zealand Scampi with chicken liver parfait, or roasted breast of quail with quail leg rillettes. Views of a Japanese garden—complete with bonsai and a waterfall—make this place feel miles from the city center. It's open for dinner from Tuesday to Saturday, and lunch on Saturday only.
529 Kent St., Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia
It's hidden behind huge black doors in one of the city's historic sandstone buildings, but once you're inside you'd swear you were in Paris. Dark-wood paneling, black-and-white photographs, and mirrors bearing the day's specials in flowing script lend a bistro feel. The fare is predominately Italian with a sprinkling of French and Mod Oz dishes. Being in the heart of the city, it's also popular at breakfast where the delicious crab omelet makes an exotic start to the work day. At dinner you can't go wrong with the pan-grilled John Dory with Jerusalem artichoke. A pre- or postmeal drink in the marble-lined, chandeliered Bambini Wine Room is a must.
185 Elizabeth St., Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia
This elegant, pillared dining room is the perfect setting for showing off chef Peter Doyle's modern, light touch with Mod Oz cuisine. Menu highlights include the prawn tartare and the aged pork loin with rhubarb, mostarda, and cabbage. Finish off with a dessert of intriguing tastes—Earl Grey ice cream with blood orange citrus curd doughnuts and blood orange sorbet. There's also a four-course chef's menu (A$160) and various two-, three-, and four-course lunch options, but no à la carte menu.
252 George St., Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia
Started as a specialty coffee creator, Pablo & Rusty opened a sit-down café back in 2010 and it has been a popular spot for coffee meetups ever since. The interiors are stylish and hip, there are single-origin espressos and sophisticated breakfasts and lunches. There's also outdoor seating.
161 Castlereagh St., Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia
This French restaurant oozes old-school glamour, with live jazz playing each night as diners tuck into traditional French fare, like soufflé and beef tartare. There are five rooms that make up this classy eatery, which include two bars serving classic cocktails, two dining rooms, and an old-school theater where classes and workshops are held.
The Basement of 15 Blight St., Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
The culinary focus of this chic basement eatery—another of the restaurants owned by Neil Perry of Rockpool fame—is regional China. There are dishes from far-flung Yunnan, Hunan, and Sichuan provinces, and as the names suggests, they all have a kick. The food is meant to be shared, so pass around the ginger shallot crab, the pork belly, or the extra spicy hot and numbing crispy duck. It's a busy, trendy eatery (down a somewhat steep flight of stairs), so if you have to wait at the bar for a table, grab a cocktail and a spicy pork bun and take in the opium den ambience. Cocktails are named after the Chinese Zodiac; if you're born in the Year of the Dragon you might like to sip on a refreshing mix of lemongrass and rose soda, citrus, and Tanqueray gin.
10 Bligh St., Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia
This hidden gem is the city offering of the popular Grounds of Alexandria, a dog- and kid-friendly eatery with a on-site urban farm that's found just outside of the city. This French-style café is less country rustic and more city slick. It's all low lighting, vintage interiors, with soft velvet seating and intimate booths. And the menu edges toward Parisian-bistro influence, with its croque monsieur a favorite dish. There's outstanding coffee, fresh juices, and breakfast and lunch cocktails. The service is always exceptional.
500 George St., Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia
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