‘The best food of my life’: eating at some of Sydney’s newest eateries

Confession time: I’ve never really been a big fan of Sydney.

Yes, she looks nice, but I’ve always found Australia’s largest city a little brash and ‘Look at moi’, the bossier older sibling of Melbourne’s more cultured middle child and Brisbane’s laid-back younger surfer brother.

But on a recent cursory visit, I had to adjust those preconceptions. Mainly because I ate possibly the best food of my life. And he did at some of Sydney’s newest eateries.

Let’s face it, it’s hard not to get excited about a city where the smell of barbecue is in the air and smart people are doing smart things with local produce. There is literally never a bad time to visit Sydney and a slew of new and new eateries makes it even stronger to park those preconceptions and discover this city through its food.

Brook Sabin

From cheeseburger dumplings to giant soufflé pancakes, there are dishes worth crossing the Tasman for.

love.vis

I’m in a cockatoo staring contest and neither of us want to lose.

I’m sitting on the deck of the acclaimed seafood restaurant love.fish and the cheeky bird sits at the end of my table, one eye on me, the other on my plate.

But who can blame him/her? The eatery’s newest outpost specializing in Australian seafood is right on the waterfront at Barangaroo. Here you will eat fish that is so fresh that it was taken from the sea only a few hours ago.

The cockatoo obviously has taste, because today I’m ditching Mooloolaba albacore tuna crudo, grilled Clarence River octopus draped in chickpeas and tahini and, for that matter, a banana blossom and kūmara curry that tastes way better than it looks .

And kudos to the chef for what must be the best use of Brussels sprouts ever – deep fried with caramelized carrot and black beans.

The deck is the best place to enjoy the sun, see the city and eat delicious food. Watch out for hungry cockies.

LOAM at Ace Hotel, Sydney

Don’t be fooled by the hipsters – the people behind this place know their way around both good accommodation and good food.

Opened in mid-May, the Ace Hotel Sydney is the first outpost in the southern hemisphere of the uber-cool American Ace Hotel group.

Not only are there 250 rooms, equipped with guitars, in-room vinyl collections and so much good taste that it’s almost impossible to move around, there’s also the LOAM restaurant on the ground floor, the sister of the eatery at the Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles.

As you might expect, the words ‘sustainable’ and ‘organic’ appear regularly on the menu. But if the clean veggies (avocado, green beans, broccolini, miso, tahini, and spiced seed crunch topped with a ginger dressing) are too healthy for you, there’s also a slice of grass-fed sirloin steak.

Did we mention dessert? If the dome of chocolate mousse or the delicious basque vanilla cheesecake doesn’t grab you, you may want to have someone check to see if your taste buds are still functioning.

Luke’s Kitchen in Kimpton Sydney

Few ingredients don’t taste better smothered in chocolate. It’s a concept that renowned Australian chef Luke Mangan has taken to heart at his signature eatery, Luke’s Kitchen, one of four in the brand-new Kimpton Sydney, the US hotel chain’s first Down Under outpost.

Mangan’s eponymous eatery isn’t all about gooey chocolate desserts (although, in my book, that’s reason enough to visit). Instead, he makes the most of local seafood such as trout and oysters, along with beef and lamb, giving them the classic but with a cool twist treatment.

If I were you, I’d leave room for the chocolate cake, which comes with poached peaches and vanilla ice cream, the kind of dessert that sounds simple but is elevated in the hands of a culinary wizard to something you’ll think about for ages. .

Gowings at QT Sydney

What is it with Sydney and hotel restaurants? Once upon a time, hotel restaurants where you ate when nothing else was around or open. But then a bright spark changed all that and now they are some of the hottest eateries in town.

Gowings isn’t strictly new, but a ‘redesigned’ wand has recently been swept over it. While the menu was once based on a European brasserie, it has now changed from the Atlantic and is a New York-inspired steakhouse (with some Little Italy influences for good measure).

British chef Sean Connolly is all about local Aussie ingredients, from Fremantle octopus (carpaccio style) to Abrolhos Island scallops and Mooloolaba key crab, which turns up in a delicious linguini. And because it’s an upscale steakhouse, there’s also a range of grain-fed meats and Wagyu eye fillet.

Other Notable Mentions

There’s only so much a girl can eat in one visit. But other new Sydney eateries I hope to visit next time include Topikós Dining Room & Bar, a new Greek restaurant in Bondi that opened in April; MuMu, a Southeast Asian street food eatery on George Street; and Ploos, which brings South Aegean cuisine to The Rocks.

Staying safe: For the latest Australia travel requirements, see: australia.gov.au/international-travel. For rules on returning to New Zealand, see: covid19.govt.nz/international-travel

Carbon Count: Flying causes CO2 emissions. To reduce your impact, consider other modes of travel, merge your trips and when to fly, consider offsetting the emissions.

The writer was hosted by Tourism Australia.