WHENEVER JetMoney's in a place where there's a dearth of fine-dining alternatives, as is the case up here at Lake Tahoe, we can't help but long for some of the great places to eat in our beautiful harbour-city home, Sydney.
Here are JetMoney's top-five Sydney restaurants, presented in alphabetic order:
Buon Ricordo: This is a must-visit for anyone who enjoys traditional Italian fare done to perfection. Colourful chef Armando Percuoco hasn't dropped his game despite being in business for more than 25 years. His famous fettuccine al tartufo (table-served fettuccine with cream and parmesan topped with truffled egg) is a not-to-be-missed preparation that is best shared by two people as a starter or eaten by one as a main, given its richness. If you take the latter option, start out with the fagottini di carne - lush house-made sausages bound with parmesan and truffled egg topped with a lemon extra virgin olive oil - another JetMoney favourite. The list of secondi piatti is replete with such a tantalising range of fresh seafood, meats and birds that one is hard-pressed to make a decision. I love menus like that.
Catalina Restaurant: This has become an almost daily haunt whenever JetMoney is in town because of its harbour-side position as well as its relaxed and elegant surrounds. The food is fabulous, too. Chef Paul McMahon, who took over the kitchen early last year after a long stint as 2IC, keeps the darlings of Sydney society, politics, fashion and gossip coming back for more with the depth and resonance of his menu which also holds fast to some perennial favourites. JetMoney rarely skips starting with a plate of natural Sydney Rock Oysters, which are supplied by the finest growers in the State and accurately billed as the best in town. They are shucked to order, and a half dozen is never enough. Catalina’s menu is heavily weighted towards seafood, which seems intuitive given its waterfront position and the availability of such an incredible array of seafare. At least it’s always beautifully prepared, which isn’t always the case in Sydney restaurants.
Icebergs Dining Room and Bar: The thing that keeps us going back to this place, really, is the view. It's iconic Australia if you get a window seat overlooking the stretch of Bondi Beach. There are some really yummy things on the modern Italian menu - like the lumache pasta with broccoli, garlic, anchovy and chilli, and some of the seafood. But things can be a bit hit and miss. The terrific white-clad staff and a decent wine list - and that glorious view - help make summer lunches extend well into the afternoon.
Longrain Restaurant and Bar: A more relaxed, communal-table affair, Longrain has won itself a permanent place on JetMoney's lunch card not just because it's one of the few places open on Mondays. Its lively, modern take on Thai cuisine has been consistently delicious, and is a no-brainer stop for those who don't like to risk facing a sub-par experience. Try the betel leaf topped with smoked trout, chilli, garlic, galangal and trout roe, the salt and pepper squid, the Mussaman curry of waghu beef cheek, or something fresh from the tank. The fast-paced service and energetic crowds (you often have to speak loudly to be heard) add to an ambiance which, by night, attracts the "beautiful people" to its racy bar scene. Beware, however, Longrain's legendary stick drink, the caprioska. It's still one of the best in town, and as lethal as ever.
Rockpool: If you want a dining experience akin to a Michelin three-star effort, this is the place to go. Chef Neil Perry tirelessly seeks to bring out the best of seasonal produce and presents the results in a menu format unique to Australia but more common in France. An increasingly impressive global wine list complements the five- to nine-course tasting menus which can be mixed and matched to enable diners to sample more of the refined dishes coming out of the kitchen, but in smaller portions. This not only showcases Perry's brilliance but also leaves diners sated yet not uncomfortable. Highlights on the current menu are too numerous to list, but JetMoney would never miss the abalone salad with mussels, clams, tea-smoked oysters and noodles. The lobster wonton is magnificent, too. But the best thing ever is the Perry's date tart, which has well-deserved legendary status. It still rates as my favourite dessert in the world. So far, nothing else has even come close.
To end, here are some JetMoney thoughts on other Sydney restaurants that local food writers rate as among the city's best.
Tetsuyas is constantly billed as one of not only Sydney's, but also the southern hemisphere's, finest Japanese restaurants. It's true that it and Rockpool are the only two Australian joints to rate a mention in the annual Top 50 Restaurant list out of the UK each year. But Tetsuya's menu hasn't changed forever. A bit of variety wouldn't go astray.
Marque Restaurant is a myth. Its French-inspired cuisine is too heavy on funky foam and is composed of too many ingredients - a combination that make for a dining experience as confused as JetMoney has seen Marque's wine service to be. Worst, though, is that it's difficult to find something that sounds remotely palatable amongst the listed offerings. I hate menus like that.
Claudes comes close to making it into the top-five, but can be a tad stuffy and overwhelming.
Guillaume at Bennelong, while promising, really struggles to deliver consistently well because of the demands of the waves of the theatre set from the Sydney Opera House in which it's housed.
Ditto with Aria down the road in The Toaster (a hideous building that blights the views at Cirqular Quay). Don't bother using it as a post-theatre supper venue. The food at that hour has a suspiciously mass-produced-ahead-of-time quality that can be bland and pasty, as I found with a luke-warm gnocci dish I left unfinished last time I was there.
Comments