REVIEW Chickens and children are as much part of the experience as the food here: there’s a playground for kids, while cows, pigs and chooks are star attractions at The Farm, the restaurant’s grand agricultural, ecological and educational project. Embraced by locals and mobbed by visitors, things can get chaotic, but the floor staff keep […]

REVIEW Sokyo is different things to different diners. The name fuses Sydney and Tokyo, and for the most part it’s a blazing Harajuku swirl of boisterous flavours. You might start with the kingfish ceviche topped with slivers of potato and a hint of chilli, or be tempted by the tuna on a hot, crunchy rice […]

REVIEW There’s bustle without the hustle, bite without the skite – Red Lantern manages to be streetwise and sophisticated at the same time. Hoist a Hoi An Julep while contemplating the extensive French and Australian wine list and the Indochine idyll, long marble tables, padded banquettes and Vietnamese bric-à-brac. The entrées are where the true […]

REVIEW The name translates as “people” and Popolo is a crowd-pleasing affair. Adoring locals, faithful families and the Zegna set all converge here for its exceptional southern Italian food. The pop in Popolo comes courtesy of Naomi Lowry; her cooking is by turns sophisticated, homespun and transporting. Pasta is a highlight, not least malloreddus with […]

REVIEW We’d call it a quiet achiever if the music wasn’t rocking quite so hard. Izakaya Fujiyama is one of Sydney’s top destinations for Japanese snacks and possibly its best for sake. There’s a world of sake on offer and most of the waitstaff can follow even the vaguest instruction (“I want something to cool […]

REVIEW Named after the gardens it graces, this restaurant has a Hamptons-meets-the-Highlands look that resembles a busy conservatory. Soumak rugs and the open kitchen framed by jars of preserved vegetable jars set the curated-homely tone for Matt Moran’s tribute to garden-to-plate dining. Yes, you’ll see  lamb from the Moran family farm, plus a seasonal map […]

REVIEW Chat Thai is at a location near you. Some take bookings, some don’t. The service is efficient, and attentive. The menus are big and embrace many regions, all done well, while the food is fresh and fast. Ordering the pad Thai here is no cop-out: rich, balanced and satisfying, it’s the go-to noodle dish. […]

REVIEW It’s such a pleasure to wander through the unassuming downstairs café to discover this wonderful restaurant. The room is similarly low-key and the service understated, placing the focus firmly on the food. Chefs Karl and Katrina Kanetani, whose résumés include Est, Quay and Tetsuya’s, present an impressive seven-course dégustation that draws heavily on local […]

REVIEW This is, hands down, the best place to break bread in Newcastle. You wouldn’t know it by looking at the restaurant’s unassuming shopfront, but Subo is a gem. And the bread you’re breaking is local Baked Uprising sourdough with butter, caramelised garlic and chive salt. It’s so good you’ll want seconds, but hey, there’s […]

REVIEW The heritage building is key to Circa’s charm, and its tiny lounge is the place to sit and have dessert as you contemplate history – apple pie ice-cream with granola-style toffee crumb, say, with a Hunter Valley sticky to draw out the apple flavour. The food at Circa is diligently sourced from its kitchen […]

REVIEW Chef Douglas Elder’s penchant for gels, crumbs and creative plating will impress out-of-towners seeking an affordable taste of fine dining in an approachable, family-friendly space. And at $96 for three courses and matching wines, it really is affordable. Lightly battered quail with rich terrine, yuzu mayonnaise, tangy apple kimchi and slaw is an upmarket […]

REVIEW Melbourne has a thing for comfortable Italian, and this self-assured laneway trattoria knows how to deliver the staples. Butter comes in foil, pasta is handmade and the Collins Street suits soak it all up like a wedge of ciabatta in a pool of Nap sauce. Evenings draw a diverse crowd – it’s also the […]

REVIEW Overlooking the tree-lined Fawkner Park, Bistro Gitan occupies a particularly blessed quadrant of South Yarra where nothing, it seems, could go wrong. Here, little does. The pearls-and-polo set comfortably take to their bentwood chairs and glasses of Perrier-Jouët from the French-accented wine list before entrusting themselves to the Reymond family’s famed hospitality, albeit in […]

REVIEW It’s within cooee of Queen Street Mall, but this laneway bolthole feels coolly out of step with it. Moodily lit with an industrial-chic interior featuring brick, leather hides and brass, there are nooks aplenty to dally in, including a quirky courtyard behind. Even the wine list is character-filled – a “reserve, vintage and obscure” […]

REVIEW If you’re not averse to ants with your salmon or roasted mealworm clinging to stir-fried water spinach, you’ll get plenty of love at Public: big flavours, adventurous pairings and seriously good cooking are top of the menu. An emu tartare with cured egg yolk, served atop lavosh, stands out for its unique taste and […]

REVIEW Double-dressed tables. Fussy compositions on big plates. A chef that loves playing with guests’ food: team Petite Mort evidently missed – or ignored – the memo about contemporary restaurant trends. But for those unmoved by the zeitgeist (no bookings, communal tables, venues that lean more bar than dining room), this bare-brick diner in leafy […]

REVIEW Diners and drinkers are in confident hands at this buzzy wine bar and bistro. The wood-fired grill keeps regulars happy, offal lovers are cheered by the menu, and the wine list is ever evolving, with sherries currently in favour. Downstairs is all high tables and bar stools, timber walls and industrial heritage. Upstairs has […]

With the opening of Red Lantern on Riley from co-owners Luke Nguyen and Mark Jensen, Sydney’s modern Vietnamese dining scene just got a whole lot brighter, writes Pat Nourse.

Old-school fine dining of the truffle-shaving-at-the-table variety may be making a comeback if Albert Park’s reinvigorated The Point is anything to go by, writes Michael Harden.

Sydney’s hottest new diner, Popolo, in Rushcutters Bay, is Italian food by and for the people – and the people are loving it, writes Pat Nourse.

Restaurateur Paul Mathis is back, and his latest Japanese venture is the real deal, albeit one that’s as much Melbourne as it is Tokyo. Michael Harden visits Akachochin.

At the Estelle, two chefs with disparate talents defy expectations of boho Northcote to deliver a dégustation that’s skilful, generous and unpretentious, writes Michael Harden.

Colin Fassnidge, the poet of pork, is one of the most interesting talents cooking in Sydney today, writes Pat Nourse, who visits 4Fourteen and asks: is that a slice of snout?

The Fish Shop is about seafood made fun and accessible via a mash-up of Aussie milk-bar and British chippy tropes, with a dash of Americana to season it, writes Pat Nourse.

Forget the intercity rivalry, writes Michael Harden. In Pei Modern, Sydney chef Mark Best has brought something unique and original to Melbourne’s buzzing food scene.

It’s in Stanmore. It’s tiny. It’s dégustation-only. It’s Sixpenny, the most ambitious restaurant to have opened in Sydney this year. Pat Nourse recommends adding it to your must-eat list.

From the robata grill to the do-it-yourself taco, Circa – the flagship restaurant of the Prince of Wales Hotel – has been reincarnated as a space that’s completely on-trend.

Joseph Vargetto has taken his Sicilian heritage and years of restaurant experience, added some modern inspiration and come up trumps at Mister Bianco, writes Michael Harden.

Philippa Sibley’s restrained, flavour-packed dishes run the gamut from breakfast to nightcap at her new digs, a former bank building rebranded as Albert St Food & Wine.

This will be the year of small things done well, writes Pat Nourse, and both Wilbur’s Place and Reuben Hills are on trend.

Fish heads, pork belly and kara-age – when it comes to authentic Japanese bar food (and Japanese booze), Izakaya Fujiyama is the real deal, writes Pat Nourse.

Bistro Gitan, a restaurant with the Reymond family name behind it, has a French-accented menu, a playful gypsy spirit and loads of charm, writes Michael Harden.

Buenos Aires has arrived in Melbourne: San Telmo is an authentic Argentine treat, writes Michael Harden.

The new incarnation of Restaurant Arras is bright, bold, and endearingly goofy, writes Pat Nourse.

Pat Nourse tries his luck at the tables of Momofuku, Black and Balla, the real high rollers of The Star.

Lupino, the new diner from a winning duo, is familiar in the best possible way, writes Michael Harden.

It’s modern, it’s different and it’s assured: Ross Lusted’s The Bridge Room is one of the most interesting restaurants to have opened in Sydney this year, writes Pat Nourse.