Sydney Favourites

Review: Lucio Pizzeria celebrate “Australia’s Best Pizza” win (Sydney)

Walking away with the title of best pizza in Australia is nothing to be taken lightly. That’s exactly what Lucio De Falco did at this year’s authoritative World Pizza Championships, snatching the title from the usual suspects and bringing it home to his two Sydney restaurants, Darlinghurst’s acclaimed Lucio and its more recently opened Zetland…

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Review: Catalina has some new tricks but their signatures remain the highlight (Sydney)

We don’t all have the funds to be regulars over at storied Rose Bay restaurant Catalina, but while many may keep this as an occasional indulgence, it’s always well worth seeing how this dining institution is constantly evolving thanks to their unwavering commitment to change. Like most seasonally-focused restaurants, Catalina switches up their signatures with…

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Review: Waterloo’s Allegra Dining is a hidden gem worth digging for (Sydney)

Sydney’s food blogger community has been raving about Waterloo’s Allegra Dining for quite some time and it seems, in this particular case, it’s perfectly fine to buy into the hype. Tucked away at the far end of the breezy courtyard of 18 Danks Street, which also hosts Kepos & Co and a bunch of showrooms,…

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Review: Catalina is summer-ready with one of their best seasonal menus yet (Sydney)

With the illustrious glow constantly surrounding Rose Bay dining institution Catalina, complacency would be understandable – unacceptable, but understandable. There’s no time to rest on ones laurels here though, a restaurant where the team know that it’s much than a sparkling harbourside location that keeps people coming back for more, adding to an enviable list…

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Rosebery’s Da Mario: still one of the best pizzerias in Sydney

Two years on and food lovers across Sydney are still reeling over the closure of Surry Hills’ treasured Pizza Mario. The highly celebrated pizzeria was long-established as one of the very best this city has ever seen, and its unfortunate closure in 2015 was a huge hit to the otherwise rich and consistent Italian dining…

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Proud and powerful: Machiavelli Ristorante is still one of Sydney’s finest Italian restaurants

It seems the 2016 arrival of a spin-off restaurant, imposing Rushcutters Bay warehouse restaurant Bar Machiavelli, has sparked a new flame under Sydney’s long-standing Machiavelli Ristorante, a stalwart dining destination that has been standing since 1988. There’s a real “if these walls could talk” kind of history behind this famed Italian restaurant, a sprawling space…

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Review: Rocker is an essential new dining spot for North Bondi (Sydney)

North Bondi was chosen as the location for Rocker, a high-profile new opening from Sweet & Chilli’s Cam Northway and the always-excellent Darren Robertson, best known for being one of the driving forces behind Three Blue Ducks as well as his new stint on My Kitchen Rules. Reputation is nothing without execution though, and fortunately…

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Review: Darlinghurst’s Lucky Suzie brings modern Malaysian to a whole new level (Sydney)

Darlinghurst’s Lucky Suzie is one of the area’s best kept secrets; there’s no doubting that. What chef Zachary Tan (widely known for Devon Cafe) has worked up in his experimental modern Malaysian kitchen is a consistent burst of big traditional flavours mixed into modern, eye-catching dishes with a menu that seems to be changing regularly….

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Review: Efendy remains at the forefront of contemporary Turkish cuisine – Balmain (Sydney)

We’re seated outside at Efendy in Balmain on a beautiful sunny Sunday. The courtyard has a casual atmosphere that’s friendly and inviting, extending through to the contemporary Turkish food. There’s nothing too fussy going on with everything we order, just authentic and bold flavours. With a new focus on charcoal grilling, chef Somer Sivrioglu was inspired by…

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Review: 12-Micron is a stunning new entry on The Streets of Barangaroo (Sydney)

What is Australian cuisine, and in particular, modern Australian cuisine? At 12-Micron, this means creating a space that showcases the very best this country has to offer, from the cuisine to the interior, from the produce to the plates they ultimately sit on. This is what Barangaroo’s latest stands for right down to its namesake,…

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Belly Bao embrace the baoger with new flavours and weekly specials (Sydney)

If you know your burgers in Sydney then you know Belly Bao. It’s not a dedicated burger joint like Guilty or BL Burgers, but for quite some time now they’ve quietly been making one of the best on the scene. Every Thursday they offer a special simply titled “The Baoger”, a beef patty with melted…

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Review: Pasta and cocktails steal the show at Bar Machiavelli – Rushcutters Bay (Sydney)

Sydney’s legendary Machiavelli Ristorante has been standing proud for over 27 years now, a mature, powerful presence for classic Italian, and a shining example of an endearing dining institution. Some may have noticed that the business has been slowly expanding in these past few years, some recent openings being the streamlined Mach2 in Sydney Airport,…

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Review: Gojima’s crispy rice burgers taste like another win for Chase Kojima (Sydney)

Just when you thought Sydney’s overcrowded burger scene couldn’t get any bigger, renowned Japanese chef Chase Kojima, who is responsible to the Sydney’s highly regarded Sokyo and Gold Coast’s equally superb Kojima, has officially thrown his reliable hat in the ring and purposely hit left of centre. Kojima has gone for bun-less burgers, but you’d…

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Review: The Butler’s new head chef makes some welcome changes – Potts Point (Sydney)

Newly appointed Head Chef George Fowler ha brought a sharp focus on seasonal and sustainably sourced produce to make some changes at Potts Point favourite The Butler. Now with a team that also includes Danish-born Executive Chef Kasper Christensen (ex-Quay) and regular foraging sessions with forager and chef Elijah Holland (who worked with Kasper at…

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Review: Devon Cafe brings their award winning food to Barangaroo (Sydney)

A few years ago, Surry Hills’ much awarded Devon Cafe expanded to include a spin-off a few suburbs over, gifting Waterloo Devon on Danks, an enormously popular venture that allowed for some bigger turns into the flavour-rich world of Asian fusion. As an essential brunch destination, the cafe dominated Danks street right up until it…

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Review: Luis Tans – Bondi (Sydney)

Tucked just off Campbell Parade is where you’ll find The House of Luis Tans (Luis Tans for short), shaped into a space that formerly hosted contemporary Japanese spot PaperPlanes, ditching the Asian pop art for a mature dip into Peruvian chic, a stylish 70’s pastiche helped by vintage posters and stripes of colour. The restaurant…

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Review: Juicy Lucy Diner – Surry Hills (Sydney)

When the team from Sugarcane opened their fiery red and orange homage to vintage tuck shops, Juicy Lucy, success seemed slow but steady. Word of mouth helped get the thing off the ground, seeing as it was on one of the more neglected strips of Surry Hills, but once it took off Juicy Lucy became…

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Review: Butcher & Farmer – Tramsheds Harold Park, Forest Lodge (Sydney)

I would imagine all of the tenants in Tramsheds Harold Park are fairly happy right now. Head along on any given the day and the diverse European inspired food hall is packed full of life, welcoming the hungry as they have their pick of the litter between the likes of Gelato Messina and Belles Hot…

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Review: Nour – Surry Hills (Sydney)

Going from owning and operating Cuckoo Callay, one of Newtown’s most beloved and youthful cafes, to running what is now a hatted restaurant in Surry Hills may seem like a huge leap for young restaurateurs Ibby Moubadder and Eleanor Harris, but it’d certainly come as no surprise to anyone who enters Nour. As soon as…

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Review: Bouche on Bridge – CBD (Sydney)

Ex-Rockpool, ex-Marque chef Harry Stockdale-Powell and his business partner Emma Darrouzet have recently added a charming restaurant and bar, Bouche on Bridge to Sydney’s busy Bridge Street, a destination strip that’s no stranger to both high end and casual dining with some of the CBD’s best restaurants either lining the road or standing nearby. It’d…

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Review: Indu (Spring Menu 2016) – CBD (Sydney)

As they approach the one-year anniversary, the kitchen at inspired subterranean restaurant Indu have re-worked parts of their menu, just slightly changing things around with a few additions here and there as we dive deeper into spring and prepare for summer. Sam Prince’s unique Indian dining experience has built quite the reputation since opening; its…

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Pub Life Kitchen’s Jovan Curic opens Superior Burger in Western Sydney

For a few months now rumours have been flaring that one of the undisputed champions of Sydney’s brimming burger scene, Jovan Curic, will be opening up a new joint in Western Sydney; turns out they were true. The mastermind behind almost every burger aficionado’s reference point, Pub Life Kitchen, has went and gifted the Western…

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Review: Barzaari – Marrickville (Sydney)

I sometimes wonder what it would have been like walking into a restaurant like Quay or Rockpool for the first time, back when they first opened. Would diners get that instant feeling of longevity, the kind that says to you “yeah, this is something special, this is going to be here for the long run”?…

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Review: Sugarcane – Coogee (Sydney)

After years of standing tall as a Surry Hills favourite, Sugarcane has uprooted and opened as a beachside retreat in Coogee. Chef Milan Strbac realised the sea change earlier this year, bringing the sunny suburb his energetic, Asian menu but kicking things up a bit, complementing Milan’s Thai-heavy style with other South East Asian cuisines,…

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Review: Four in Hand by Guillaume – Paddington (Sydney)

Few chefs in Australia command the type of ohhs and ahhs that regularly surround Guillaume Brahimi and everything he does. The man has not only become synonymous with the type of culinary mastery one would find at his eponymous fine-dining restaurant in Paddington, but proven his versatility over recent years with his more accessible Bistro…

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Review: Tequila Mockingbird – Paddington (Sydney)

Paddington’s famed Five Ways intersection has welcomed a new tenant with Tequila Mockingbird, a contemporary Latin American restaurant and bar that’s been gaining some serious traction with locals and visitors since opening a bit over a month ago. Co-owner Michael Fegent (ex-Sake) and Executive Chef Regan Porteous (Riley Street Garage) sit at the head of…

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Review: Kittyhawk – CBD (Sydney)

It wasn’t hard to guess that the team behind Lobo Plantation would give Sydney one of it’s very best openings of 2016 – and that’s saying a lot, it’s been a huge year for food and drink around town – but what is surprising is the loose theme surrounding this new venture, Kittyhawk. The bar…

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Review: Norsk Dor – CBD (Sydney)

Mystery surrounds CBD restaurant Norsk Dor, a unique Scandinavian venture from a team that has up until now been best known for their work behind small bar Uncle Ming’s. If it wasn’t for the modest signage and menu standing outside on Pitt Street, it’d be difficult to discern what the street level entrance actually leads…

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Review: The Resident – Darlinghurst (Sydney)

From the people who brought us Lotus Dining, The Resident is a different beast, bringing Mediterranean flavours and Australian ingredients to life. Overlooking Hyde Park, the restaurant is helmed by Pablo Tordesillas, formerly of Brisbane restaurant Ortiga. Drawing on his history growing up in Spain, Tordesillas unites the traditional and contemporary on The Resident’s dinner menu. Designed…

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Review: Cuckoo Callay (Winter Menu 2016) – Newtown (Sydney)

Cuckoo Callay may be best known for their annual Bacon Festival Menu, but this chirpy Newtown café deserves a closer look at their ever-changing all day menu, which has recently been overhauled for the winter season. We’re not talking about one or two additional dishes either; the owners regularly experiment with massive, inventive combinations that…

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