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Sepia

Warm and inviting: the dining room at Sepia.
Warm and inviting: the dining room at Sepia.Kate Geraghty

Good Food hatGood Food hatGood Food hat18.5/20

Contemporary$$$

There’s nothing faded about Sepia. The flash of flavours may seem unlikely at first against the smart but sombre timbers and toned-down interiors. But playful (and expert) flirting with dimension, texture and palettes is what chef Martin Benn is about – highly contemporary, Japanese influenced, original. Three ways with sushi nigiri comes matched with three just-asexquisite savoury jellies; wagyu beef with chestnut mushroom cream is served with a crunchy pile of konbu comb and fried potato – a combo that tastes deliciously like miniature salt-and-vinegar chips. An unusual four-part harmony of tapioca crisp, kuzu, goat’s cheese and sake makes for one of many tastebud-dazzling vegetarian dishes. The extraordinary wine knowledge of sommelier Rodney Setter is unmissable, as are desserts such as yuzu and white-chocolate icecream with its bouquet-catch of violet and rose flavours.

Wine: Impressive around-the-world trip of vineyards, with stops in unexpected places (such as China and Japan); 26 by the glass

And…look out for tea degustation events.

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