Manly Wharf to get two new restaurants

Chef spotting on the Manly ferry got a little more interesting in recent weeks. With $9 million being spent on a second floor addition to Manly Wharf that'll see two new rooftop restaurants join a waterfront eating precinct already boasting Hugos Manly and Merivale's Papi Chulo, a parade of interstate and local food operators have toured the site. Manly foodies were excited to spot and report back Neil Perry and Iceberg's Maurice Terzini were among the throng to tour the site.

The Blue Mountains has plenty of natural beauty and upmarket dining, what it doesn't have is a rich vein of Asian food. Rumours of a new, purpose-built restaurant out by the pool – in Lilianfels' lush gardens – are on the money. Ralf Bruegger, group general manager The Escarpment Group, confirmed building will start in January, with the yet-to-be-named restaurant opening midyear. "It will have an Asian influence. There isn't much of it up here," he adds.