Sydney's a city with a vibrant food culture. It's not all-over-the-place like
Melbourne or parochial like most of the rest of Australia, but unique and interesting: a marriage of Australian and standard Western tastes to innovations from Eastern cooking. The style is probably best described as fusion at its worst, the unwelcome intrusion of ingredients like star anise and lemongrass into dishes that don't suit them, but at its best a seamless combination of Western ingredients and Eastern-style preparation. With that in mind, let's talk about the three best restaurants in Sydney, starting with:
Rockpool
Rockpool is a Sydney icon that specializes in exciting and inventive dishes rather than grand courses. The d้cor is all green carpet and steel very stylish with the bar and kitchen prominently on display. Looking at the name, you can probably guess what kind of food Rockpool offers: seafood, and lots of it. From abalone to fresh fish, Rockpool won't disappoint even the most judgemental lover of seafood.
Abalone, drunken pigeon, truffle and potato salad.
Now, as with most excellent restaurants, Rockpool is pretty expensive - $175 or $150 per person, depending on whether you go for the chef's tasting menu or the set-price menu. The wine is extra, of course. If seafood is your thing (or if you're filthy rich) then definitely go for it. You'll need to book in advance, though. If you prefer other styles of food, then give Rockpool a miss and try...
QuayAccording to the San Pellegrino 100 Best Restaurants in the World list,
Quay is the best restaurant in Australia. While that statement might be controversial after all, there are many excellent restaurants in both Sydney and
Melbourne Quay is undoubtedly worth your time. Situated on top of the cruise-ship terminal, Quay seems to have been designed to get the absolute best view of Sydney. Seriously, it's that good you can see Sydney Harbour, the famous Bridge and the Opera House from your table. (Fun game: you can spot the tourists easily, as they're the ones staring out the window instead of at their meal.)
Half this stuff isn't food and it still looks amazing.
The food is excellent, too: the texture, presentation and taste of the dishes works extremely well together. Try the famous Guava and Custard Apple Snow Egg for dessert. It's hard to describe, but absolutely delicious. Again, it's costly perhaps more expensive than Rockpool but definitely worth going for a birthday or other celebration.
Tetsuya'sIn 2007,
Tetsuya's was named the fifth-best restaurant in the world according to Restaurant Magazine. It's hard to argue that it doesn't deserve it every dish the head chef, Tetsuya Wakuda, puts out is frankly stellar. If you're eating here, definitely choose the wine-matching option: you'll get to sample a wine for each of the ten courses, several of them made specifically to go with the dishes you're eating.
Tetsuya Wakuda, the man behind it all.
Sydney's fusion attitude towards food is very clear in the menu, especially in the signature dish: a Tasmanian ocean trout confit with a konbu seaweed crust, lying on a bed of fennel and daikon. It blends the very Australian taste of Tasmanian trout with the Asian flavours of seaweed and daikon a dish not to be missed. $185 will get you a ten-course degustation menu, but with wine options and other expenses the bill can easily exceed $300 per person. Book four weeks in advance and re-confirm a few days before your booking if you want to get a table here.
These are just one person's picks for the best restaurants in Sydney. Besides these, Assiette is excellent, as is the Italian-style Lucios and the French-style Marque. If you know a restaurant in Sydney that you think beats any of these, share it in the comments we'd love to hear from you.
