The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2015: Where to eat now
From best value dining to top spots for pasta, sushi and a meat fix, here are some of the Good Food Guide reviewers dining highlights of the year.
Most exciting desserts
● Black sesame, coconut, puffed rice, black sugar, piel de sapo - the Bridge Room, City
● Blueberry granita with white pepper parfait and pinenut brittle - Pinbone, Woollahra
● Banana ice-cream sandwich, macadamia and blueberries - Yellow, Potts Point
● Pumpkin pie with Jack Daniel's ice-cream - Hartsyard, Enmore
● Chocolate, honeycomb and vanilla sphere - Gastro Park, Kings Cross
● Chocolate naan - Aki, Woolloomooloo
● Golden egg - Sepia, City
● Vanilla panna cotta with fresh pomegranate, pomegranate molasses and lavender honey - Roberts Circa 1876, Hunter Valley
Sushi
● Sushi from Naoki Fukizawa, at Fish Face, Double Bay
● 'Unique nigiri' at Azuma, City
● Seared nigiri, At Restaurant, Crows Nest
● Fresh snapper sashimi with citrus and slender nigirizushi at sushi e, City
Pasta
● Wholemeal tagliatelle with rabbit - Baccomatto, Surry Hills
● Truffled egg pasta - Buon Ricordo, Paddington
● Anything from Nino Zoccali - Restaurant Pendolino
● Stefano Manfredi's pappardelle with venison ragu - Manfredi at Bells, Killcare
Meaty moments
● Pork ribs with tamarind sauce - Khao Pla, Chatswood
● Seared venison, parsnip puree, parsnip fondant, roasted beetroot with dark chocolate jus, toasted walnut crumbs - Ashcrofts, Blackheath
● Amazing angus from the restaurant's own farm - Graze, Willow Tree
Best business lunches
● Bistrode CBD; Gowings Bar & Grill; Rockpool Bar & Grill; the Bridge Room; Rockpool
Best value dining
● Friday set menu ($35) at the Devonshire
● Dinner at the Fish Shop
● Cafe Paci's $85 tasting menu, East Sydney
● Yia Yia's table ($55) at Alpha, City
● Khao Pla for authentic Thai in Chatswood
● Roti canai at Mamak, Haymarket
● Kepos St Kitchen's group menu - masses of food, BYO, always gorgeous, Redfern
● Alfie and Hetty's dishes for two, Glebe
Best playlists
● Marque; Momofuku
● Cafe Sopra - compiled by Birdland
● Vasco's, Cleveland Street: crazy Italian rockers behind the bar joining in on percussion, punchy cocktails
● Anywhere with Miles and Coltrane: that's everywhere
Best bread and butter
● Kitchen by Mike's house-baked bread with Pepe Saya butter
● Loaves from Arras (Too)
● Sourdough at Restaurant Botanica, which uses a 150-year-old starter recipe
● Cafe Paci and Rockpool Bar & Grill (as above)
Local heroes
● Giro Osteria, Cronulla
● Da Mario, Rosebery
● Niji, Kingsford
● Yalla Sawa, Cronulla
Best private dining rooms
● Aria; Buon Ricordo; Mr Wong; Pendolino; Sake
● The Sydney Suite (Penthouse 4th floor) at Park Hyatt, Sydney - used by arrangement as a private dining room when Beyonce and others are not in town.
The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2015 will be available for $10 with The Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday, September 6 from participating newsagents, while stocks last. It can also be purchased in selected bookshops and online at smhshop.com.au for $24.99.
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