Sydney

Café Nice has stayed true to its Provençal brief, but a talented new chef has made this sunny slice of the south shine all the brighter, writes Pat Nourse.

Panache could be a watchword for Bang, Surry Hills’ first foray into Bengali dining, but good cooking carries the day, writes Pat Nourse.

A new home and new partners make Billy Kwong as good as it ever was but more so, writes Pat Nourse, and the boss is in her element.

What happens when an Italian chef turns to the East for inspiration? Asian-Italian dining at its knockout finest, that’s what, writes Pat Nourse.

Mitch Orr’s border-crossing cuisine combined with front-of-house charm make inner-east newcomer Acme easy to like, writes Pat Nourse.

Chef Luke Powell has trained his exacting skills on platters of wood-fired goodness at LP’s Quality Meats, writes Pat Nourse. Bring a posse.

Guillaume Brahimi’s move from the Opera House hasn’t taken the wind out of his sails and his clientele have much to sing about, writes Pat Nourse.

REVIEW “This restaurant is very Italian,” says our very Italian waiter. So Italian, in fact, that she accidentally announces the price of one of the dishes in euros. It all adds to the charm of this offshoot of star chef Alessandro Pavoni’s more formal Ormeggio. Via Alta means “high street” (check the address), and here […]

REVIEW “Sagra” is Italian for festival, and owner-chef Nigel Ward ensures that every day is a celebration of flavour. An easy-going atmosphere encourages grazing, and the kitchen puts its focus on carefully sourced produce rather than overwrought technique. Surrender to zucchini flowers stuffed with grated zucchini, pecorino, mint and honey. Or, better still, fresh figs, […]

REVIEW It’s right on the water, it’s infectious fun, and it serves top-notch food and drinks. What’s not to like? Attention to detail can waver (you might want to bring your own packet of Wet Ones, for instance), and it may be a little too casual for real comfort in some areas, but the boisterous […]

REVIEW You’d swear the owners of One Penny Red opened a restaurant just so they could put a wine list together. Ask a question about an organic or biodynamic bottle on their 16-page list and an owner will sprint out and convince you to spend double what you’d planned to drop in a restaurant that […]

REVIEW This is the local Italian that you wish was around the corner – buzzy, fast and fun. We’re here for the pizza. It’s good. Very good. Thin, blistered crust, classic Neapolitan style judiciously topped with quality ingredients. The Diavola, for example, eschews the standard sliced salami for splashes of hot ‘nduja floating on tomato […]

REVIEW Even if you don’t book a seaplane, or arrive by yacht, the trek needed to reach this secluded Hawkesbury River boatshed turned historic restaurant reaps unexpected rewards. Where else can one savour pitch-perfect entrées such as figs served with burrata and pea juice, or Moreton Bay bugs napped with lemon hollandaise, under the gaze […]

REVIEW The words “charcoal chicken, sesame yoghurt” don’t really scream izakaya, but this is Cho Cho San, that charcoal is binchotan and the chicken in question – flesh juicy, skin crackled – is rounded out with pickled ginger and splashes of soy. Sit at the concrete bar with a mix of inner-city types and locals, […]

REVIEW There are few more magical approaches to a restaurant in Australia than the short, sweet ride across the Hawkesbury to berth at this river-locked landmark. As the water laps and sucks at the stones beneath the louvred windows running the length of the long, airy room, diners poke and prod at the small arrangements […]

REVIEW Alpha is a modern sort of Greek restaurant, make no mistake, but the Hellenic references in the look (not least the formidable fresco-andcolumns touches) make it very clear which end of the Med you’re visiting. Though staff stumble a little, the greetings are warm and there’s cheer  when hot pita and taramasalata hit the […]

Potts Point newcomer Cho Cho San is no paint-by-numbers creation, but rather a free-form rendition of hip Nippon dining, writes Pat Nourse.