Oscillate Wildly

Sydney should clone Karl Firla, a chef who quietly offers great value dining without the city’s usual celebrity flashiness. At the Paris end of Newtown, his eight-course degustation is a masterclass in bistronomy: the French movement that combines high-end cuisine with more casual surrounds. This small room has been smartened to a crisp, white finish but the bistro touches, including the checked tiled floor, remain, while service and wine under sommelier James Sexton are polished. Firla’s parade of small joys, each one described in just a few ingredients, deliver elegantly composed, playful and intelligent pleasure, such as a ‘polenta’ of creamed corn with parmesan; lusciously glazed chicken wings with baby onions and orange-flavoured carrot; lightly spiced shaved abalone and cuttlefish with coconut; and the tangy signature dessert of beetroot, rose and rhubarb. Oscillate Wildly enjoys a cult following. Join the cult.

And … Go the $75 matching wines to let James Sexton show how much he loves his job.

THE LOW-DOWN
Vibe Date night for serious foodies. 
Best bit The value for money.
Worst bit Getting a booking.