Sydney

The only problem with Café Paci is that it’s here for a good time, not a long time, writes Pat Nourse. Get set to taste some of the most original food in town.

REVIEW Once part of a store for Sydney’s dapper gentlemen, this dark room has a men’s club feel, only with rather more buzz and relaxed but efficient service. The wine list is easy to navigate and offers a mix of local and international drops, with plenty of finds under $100 and lots to like by […]

REVIEW With its high-wire act of empty birdcages, China Lane looks at first like the setting for an arthouse film. Inside, the dreamscape continues: is this 1930s Shanghai peopled with coolly confidentMad Menextras? The suited-up lunchers are here for the smart Asian eats and great-value drinks. Duck pancakes, pork sang choi bau, and salt and […]

Oscillate Wildly’s vibrant food and pace are a winning antidote to dégustation fatigue, writes Pat Nourse, and its tasting menu offers exceptional value to boot.

Seven years at Four in Hand have done little to stem the creative juices of head chef Colin Fassnidge – in fact, writes Pat Nourse, his evolving style continually renders excellence.

With Italian fare as its point of reference, Osteria di Russo & Russo aims high, shoots to thrill and admirably blazes a fresh trail for its neighbourhood, writes Pat Nourse.

The list of niche wines at 10 William Street is among the best around. And now chef Dan Pepperell’s amped-up Italian menu is as deeply felt as the vinous offering, writes Pat Nourse.

Kings Cross landmark The Bourbon has been reborn in a more sophisticated form that conjures the spirit of New Orleans with a riff on the city’s cuisine, writes Pat Nourse.

A restaurant for the masses? No. The same idiosyncrasy that defined the Bentley – with a touch of marketing savvy – is key to the success of wine bar Monopole, writes Pat Nourse.

Under new chef David Lovett, Uccello is serving faithful renditions of Italian cuisine against a poolside setting that brings something of a bunga bunga vibe, writes Pat Nourse.

If you go down to The Woods today, you’ll find the Four Seasons has recaptured its culinary mojo thanks to an infusion of new blood from a surprising quarter, writes Pat Nourse.

The reincarnation of Rose Bay’s Pier restaurant as The Sailors Club has brought buzz to the space, along with good casual eats and sunny designer accents, writes Pat Nourse.

With a big menu, big venue and big-name development, the expectations for Robert Marchetti at Gowings Bar & Grill, writes Pat Nourse, aren’t small.

The latest venture from the Hemmes family is their most ambitious yet, writes Pat Nourse, a grand 240-seater that’s a love letter to the great Cantonese restaurants of Hong Kong.

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. […]

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

REVIEW Is it a bar with good food or a restaurant with a good bar? You’ll ponder this question as you arrive at Bar H, its welcoming lights glowing on a Surry Hills corner, empty wine bottles lining the window sills and the happy buzz of a hip crowd drifting onto the street. Upstairs is […]

REVIEW This is Sydney’s little black dress of dining. Almost 20 years on, Bambini Trust still attracts a mix of corporate executives, legal eagles and magazine editors who flock here for a heart-starting ristretto at breakfast, or hearty Italian-inspired fare at lunch and dinner. The restaurant, set in an historic building opposite Hyde Park, spans […]

REVIEW Much of the Ms G’s allure can be summed up in the cheeseburger spring rolls: they make a burger filling and stick it in a spring roll. It’s a fairly silly idea but, rather than merely being tossed off as click-bait, is redeemed by the fact that these guys care about what they cook, […]

REVIEW They’re not afraid of smoke and mirrors at Gastro Park. The smoke may nearly be literal, too, in the case of the liquid-nitrogen fog streaming from a shell loaded with a bright scallop and pomegranate ceviche. The room is bistro-like, and the service low-key, but the food doesn’t want for ambition. The restaurant is […]

REVIEW It’s easy to miss The Devonshire from the street, but step inside and you’ll find a jewel box of a restaurant, decked out with crisp white tablecloths and a swarm of gilt-edged mirrors. The room isn’t huge but the comfort level is high, service is affable, and a short, eclectic wine list covers the […]