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Sunday roasts: Five of Sydney's best

Callan Boys
Callan Boys

Annandale's Booth St Bistro has a rotating roast menu.
Annandale's Booth St Bistro has a rotating roast menu.Brianne Makin

Who doesn't love the idea of meat slowly roasting on a chilly Sunday arvo? Heady scents of garlic and rosemary crackling through the house, a bottle of red in the decanter, and gravy collecting its thoughts on the stove.

The only thing better than cooking a roast is eating one. For time-poor souls keen to cut out the middleman, here are five Sunday specials around Sydney.

The Neighbourhood

A roast to share at Centennial Parklands Dining.
A roast to share at Centennial Parklands Dining.Supplied
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This small bar is the official home of the dance-music-loving Bondi Radio, with artists often broadcasting live from the venue. From 3pm you can get a half chook with peas, beans, roast potato, pumpkin and Yorkshire pud. The chicken falls straight from the bone and there's enough gravy to sink a boat. A bargain at $20. And vegetarians aren't forgotten – the Neighbourhood does a cranberry and pistachio-laced nut-roast on Sundays, too.

143 Curlewis St, Bondi Beach, 9365 2872, Sun 9am-10pm.

Booth St Bistro

This local-fave bistro keeps chugging along with poise and modesty over in the west. There are polished floorboards, crisp linen and a menu of European classics. Owner-chef Wayne Borgese-Coom rotates the $26 roast special each week of the year – pork rack one week, maybe duck the next. It's served with jus and veg on a handsome wooden chopping board. Booth St Bistro has a fine selection of pinot noir, and on Sundays they'll let you BYO for $10 a bottle. Huzzah!

127 Booth St, Annandale, 9660 6652, Sun 11.30am-3pm, 6-10pm.

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Four in Hand Hotel

Sunday roast at the Four is something of a Paddington institution. Canterbury-jerseyed rugby fans and too-attractive-to-be-in-a-pub locals fill the bar area on Sundays and wash the $28 roast down with Paddo Ale (from WA, not around the corner) and Monteith's cider. The pork belly is a treat and comes with roast parsnip, carrot, apple sauce and celeriac remoulade.

105 Sutherland St, Paddington, 9326 2254, Sun 12pm-10pm.

The Oaks

Yes, you can still overcook your own steak under the Faraway Tree in The Oaks courtyard. For something less labour-intensive, beef, pork and occasionally lamb are offered as a roast special. It's $25 and the kind of thing you'd expect to be served at a Scottish Highlands hotel on Christmas Day. This isn't a bad thing. The lamb is pink, the gravy dark, and the potatoes have a lovely smack of garlic.

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118 Military Rd, Neutral Bay, 9953 5515, Sun 12pm-12am.

Centennial Parklands Dining

Centennial Parklands restaurant has floor-to-ceiling windows that look over the endless acres of “the people's park”. It's the perfect place to nestle on a misty winter's day. Between midday and 3pm on Sundays, diners can partake in a $65 “chef's special” roast that serves three to four people. The type of meat rotates weekly and shares the board with dutch carrots and roast spuds.

Grand Drive, Centennial Park, 9380 9350, Sun 7am-5pm.

MoVida

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The MoVida Sydney team are holding a luncheon mini-series to celebrate Sunday roast culture. It kicks off on Sunday, June 8 with Flinders Island lamb roast for $65 per person. It is three courses and includes tapas and beer or Spanish wine on arrival. July 20 is "Mejillones y Movida" with a four-course Spring Bay mussel meal for $50 and August 8 is the suckling pigs turn to shine in the "Asado del Domingo" lunch for $80. Head over with the family for an afternoon of sherry, syrah, and slow-roasted meat.

50 Holt St, Surry Hills, 02 8964 7642, Sun from 12pm, bookings essential.

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Callan BoysCallan Boys is editor of SMH Good Food Guide, restaurant critic for Good Weekend and Good Food writer.

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