bills

Sitting in the original bills, with the sun sneaking across the blond wood and white walls, it feels as if winter could never blight this cheery diner, though there is ample evidence of the seasons in a regularly changing blackboard menu. After two decades, bills can legitimately lay claim to some of Sydney's classic cafe dishes, including the heavenly ricotta hotcakes, the more-ish sweetcorn fritters with roasted tomatoes and bacon, and the near-legendary rich, creamy scrambled eggs. Less iconic, but just as successful, is semolina-crusted calamari with lemon, parsley, green beans and fennel. An admittedly punchy pasta dish of prawn, rocket and lemon fettuccine felt a little heavy-handed, but a parmesan-crumbed, free-range chicken schnitzel is fresh and crisp, although a Thai-style salad (spicy slaw) seemed a little incongruous. A housemade special of banana cake is a fitting finish to a must-do Sydney experience that's right up there with the Bridge Climb. Also at Surry Hills & Woollahra