August 5th, 2013 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Favourites, Restaurants | 1 Comment »
Here’s the quick version: Ester is a new restaurant in Chippendale, backed by the guys behind Vini, Berta and 121BC. It’s run by Mat Lindsay, and before you go in, you suspect it’ll end up with a high scorecard. After all, this chef used to be at 121BC (Kristen Allan raved about his food at […]
May 29th, 2013 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Favourites, Restaurants | 2 Comments »
Here’s how to escape to the country without arguing over maps, stockpiling snacks for the road trip or overthinking which songs should be played through the car speakers. Farmhouse Kings Cross in Rushcutter’s Bay is a shortcut to rural charm that’ll save you on travel time, keep you extremely well fed and, in fact, has […]
April 29th, 2013 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Favourites, Restaurants | 3 Comments »
Adding to the outbreak of great new places in the Newtown/Enmore area is Osteria di Russo & Russo, which just opened on Enmore Road. The laziest of glances would suggest that it’s just another Italian restaurant, but this establishment is full of take-you-by-surprise qualities. The endearingly old-school interiors have a time-warp feel, but the menu […]
April 15th, 2013 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Bars, Favourites | 12 Comments »
Mary’s in Newtown has had many former lives – it’s been a Greek sporting club, a women’s sanctuary, a Masonic hall and an STD clinic. Now, it’s one of the best new bars in Sydney. The creative DNA of Mary’s is impressive: it’s run by Jake Smyth of Bodega and Kenny Graham of Porteno. Helping […]
February 23rd, 2013 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Cafes, Favourites | 4 Comments »
Brickfields, the new cafe-and-bakery-in-one in Chippendale, is full of things to like. There’s the “Dranks” selection, which includes Lebonade ($4) and home-made sodas (the Peach one is lovely and lush), and your beverage comes in a half-litre carafe, which you get to splash out into tumblers. It’s both classy and fun – no wonder the […]
October 9th, 2012 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Favourites, Restaurants | 3 Comments »
You no longer need a boarding pass (or tolerance of long bus trips) to get into MoVida. The well-regarded Melbourne institution has just opened its first NSW outpost in Surry Hills. And while it’s less than a week old, MoVida Sydney arrives with a robust, in-built fan base – the type that will excitedly single […]
June 11th, 2012 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Favourites, Restaurants | 7 Comments »
The old Gourmet Viking site in Newtown has been regenerated into Hartsyard, a brilliant new restaurant run by Gregory Llewellyn and Naomi Hart. The couple score “A for effort” on many fronts: for making their own cocktail syrups, coaxing heirloom vegetables and intriguing herbs from their own greenhouse/garden and ingeniously constructing bar shelves from plumbing […]
March 26th, 2012 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Favourites, Restaurants | 3 Comments »
Sixpenny in Stanmore may be named after faded currency, but this new restaurant has plenty of sparkle and worth. It’s the long-awaited venture for Daniel Puskas and James Parry, the brilliant prize-winning chefs who last created course-by-course magic together at Oscillate Wildly. They’ve been wanting to open their own establishment since they left that fine […]
November 22nd, 2011 | by Lee Tran Lam | published in Favourites, Restaurants | 16 Comments »
There was megawatt hype surrounding Momofuku Seiobo before it even opened a few weeks ago, and the restaurant didn’t so much quietly launch as blast off. With supercharged interest in David Chang’s new Sydney venture – his first outside his New York empire – every minor move and detail was reported on before diners even […]