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Bills cafe
433 Liverpool Street Darlinghurst Tel 02 9360 9631.
My favourite casual, sunny breakfast and lunch corner of Sydney. Start
the day with ricotta hotcakes with honeycomb butter or Australia's
best scrambled eggs and great coffee, or lunch on sweetcorn fritters
or goat cheese, lentils and beetroot salad. BYO ( Bring your own wine)
and no bookings. Worse, there's a queue on Saturday mornings for the
big communal table - but it's worth it. Cheap.
Rockpool
107 George Street, The Rocks Tel 02 9252 1888
The most Sydney of all Sydney restaurants, and the birthplace of modern
Australian cooking, Rockpool is a glamorous big night out, with friendly
young staff, terrific Australian wines, and lovely, interesting food.
Chef Neil Perry and Khan Danis often feature - with respect - a Thai
curry paste or an Indian bread teamed with the best of Australian
beef, lamb and seafood. Start with oysters or the blue swimmer crab
omelette, and finish with the famous date and custard tart. Expensive.
Longrain
85 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills Tel 02 9280 2888
Tucked away in inner suburban Surry Hills, Longrain is a hidden treasure
- one very happening cocktail bar to the left, and one long, beautiful,
almost feudal wooden table in the dining room to the right, continuously
lined with bowls and platters of the freshest, zingiest, tangiest
Thai salads and curries from star chef Martin Boetz. Drink Huia Gewurztraminer
from New Zealand - it goes beautifully with the Thai flavours and
freshness. Moderate.
Hugo's
70 Campbell Parade, Bondi 02 9300 0900
You can't get much more Sydney than this. On a curve above the famous
Bondi Beach, Hugo's windows are open to the ocean winds. Start with
fresh oysters and cocktails, and dine beautifully on Peter Evans'
modern Australian cooking, imaginatively put together without any
fuss or bother. Staff are sweet, and the passers-by are worth watching
as they stagger up from the surf in peel-off rubber suits and bikinis.
Moderate/Expensive.
Guillaume at Bennelong
Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Tel 02 9241 1999
Guillaume at Bennelong is a wonderful Sydney experience. Sit under the soaring ribs of Joern
Utzon' s magnificent Opera House structure, and dine in civilised
fashion on Guillaume Brahimi's attractive, and intelligent French-based
cooking. This is summed-up best by the basil-infused tuna with mustard
seed and soy vinaigrette, and Kangaroo Island chicken with chinese
cabbage, crumbed foie gras and truffle jus. Expensive.
Salt
229 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst Tel 02 9332 2566
This is cool, youthful Sydney, with interesting, grown-up food from
chef Luke Mangan, a hide-away bar to the rear, and an on-view bar
at the front. Start with a perfect quail egg in celery salt, go on
to great Australian produce, sensitively handled with a light, modern
hand. Stay the night - the restaurant is housed in The Kirketon, Sydney's
best boutique hotel. Expensive.
Also recommended:
Tetsuya's, City
The Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay, Pyrmont
Quay, City
Marque, Surry Hills
Sailor's Thai, The Rocks
Sean's Panaroma, Bondi
Icebergs at Bondi Beach
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Neil Perry
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