The Flip Side Good Food Guide Awards: Casual, cool and winning eating around Sydney

Last week's Good Food Guide Awards hero the rock stars of the hospitality scene. But there is still so much excellence to celebrate.

Here we bring you another serving of our favourite eating and drinking experiences in Sydney.

EXTENSIVE USE OF NEGRONI AWARD

Bar Conte

Sydney has well and truly entered its negroni decade, an obsession culminating in an entire bar devoted to the classic Italian aperitivo. Pop under the smart green-and-white striped awnings into the sweet little Surry Hills corner cottage that is Bar Conte, and revel in a list of 20 different negronis. Chef Steven De Vecchi serves up a selection of Italian small plates (negroni salame!) to pit against owner Raffaele Lombard's Negroski of Campari, Antica Formula vermouth and Belvedere, or perfect Boulevardier. barconte.com.au – Terry Durack

BEST OFF-MENU ITEM AWARD

Gildas

You won't find it on the 10-strong list of small plates, but ask politely and you may score what might just be the best thing going at Lennox Hastie's newish Basque-inspired tapas bar, Gildas. His take on the Spanish tortilla is a wonder: a tender omelette the size of a bread plate, gently caramelised on the outside and cooked till just-runny within, mined with jamon offcuts to dial up the intensity. On top? Spears of peak-season white asparagus, perhaps, with more than a few spoonfuls of bright orange roe. Glorious. gildas.com.au – Matty Hirsch

MOST ADDICTIVE ENTREE AWARD

Ho Jiak

Sure, it is hard to look past those incredible "laksa bombs" and the flawless wagyu beef satay when you open the gigantic menu at Ho Jiak's Town Hall digs. But persist, because the salt-and-pepper tofu skins are as good if not better – a sleeper hit if there were ever one. The strips of beancurd are immaculately seasoned, fried to an airy crispness and perfumed to the high heavens with lemongrass and makrut lime. Stopping at one bowl will prove futile, so call for two and chase them with an ice-cold beer. hojiak.com.au – MH

THE STILL-GOT-IT AWARD

Spice Temple

It feels like somewhere, somehow we forgot how good Spice Temple actually is. Where attention has gone to the other venues that used to be under Neil Perry's watch (and in fact Perry's new venture, Margaret), Andy Evans has now been helming this subterranean CBD restaurant for 13 years, and the food is more polished than ever. What's more, it continues to walk a line that puts Australian-Chinese classics (see the chow mein) alongside dishes that aren't so common in Sydney, drawn from Yunnan, Hunan or Sichuan. It's not exactly cheap, but huge main courses make it surprisingly affordable, and the flathead drowning in heaven-facing chillies still hits just as hard. spicetemple.com.au – David Matthews

BEST HANGOVER CURE AWARD

Sang

To buck the effects of a night on the tiles, some folks turn to greasy foods or the hair of the dog. Others look to miracle patches, mystery powders and magic tablets. What more people should do is pull up a pew at pint-sized Sang in Surry Hills for a hotpot of the bubbling, lava-red kimchi jjigae served only at lunch with a few sides and rice. Whether the stew's healing powers stem from its fermented funk or menacing heat is unclear, but what's certain is you'll walk away feeling like a million bucks – and have spent only 20. sangbymabasa.com.au – MH

THE POST-BILLS SCRAMBLED EGG AWARD

Bar Pina

There was a time you could walk down Llankelly Lane in Potts Point unimpeded. Then Room Ten's Andrew Hardjasudarma and Yuvi Thu opened Bar Pina, and the little Potts Point laneway turned into a party, with people hanging about waiting for a table. What many of them are waiting for are Pina's amazing scrambled eggs, arranged in lush concentric circles like the elevations of a topographic map. There's care here in spades, and so many dishes they can't take off the menu (tuna sandwich, matcha float, wagyu pastrami bagel) but few people realise the seasonal variations (perfect asparagus in early summer) – and the scram – are the real highlights. instagram.com/pinapottspoint – TD

THE FRIENDS AWARD: BEST BOOTHS FOR GROUPS AWARD

Aalia

Booths are bigger than ever – and we mean for bigger groups. When Ibby Moubadder and the Esca group opened Aalia in March, it took some time for people to work out where they wanted to sit. Under architect Matt Darwon's curved timber "mushrooms" in the bar, or out on the terrace of 25 Martin Place? When they see the huge elliptical leather banquettes in front of the kitchen, it's game over. They're like conversation pits, without the pits, perfect for six of your closest. Just goes to show, you can't have too many friends. aaliarestaurant.com – TD

BEST LUNCH TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Kabul Social

Deep in the labyrinthine approaches to Wynyard station under Margaret Street is a small food outlet called Kabul Social, set up as a "Plate It Forward" initiative by Colombo Social's Shaun Christie-David. The Afghan food prepared by head chef Roya, "head of bread" Yakut and their team of asylum seekers, is nourishing, filling and very good value. Go for the mantu dumplings in tomato and lentil sauce with Afghani mint yoghurt ($14.50), or a huge roll of freshly baked Afghani bread chockers with lamb patties (chapli kebab), fries, salad, cabbage and pickles ($17). And the price you pay for one meal creates two more – one sent to someone who needs it in Sydney and another to a family in Afghanistan. kabulsocial.com – Jill Dupleix​

THE NEVER-THOUGHT-WE'D-SEE-THE-DAY AWARD

Bar Louise

If anyone can elevate sangria – that sickly sweet and fruity headache-inducing Spanish punch – into something deliciously respectable, the Porteno group's Bar Louise can. And guess what? They do it simply by using fresh, high-quality ingredients. "The orange juice is cold-pressed and organic, the liqueur is Grand Marnier, and we use raspberries, blueberries and the citrus wheels left over from the previous night's prep to reduce wastage," says co-founder Elvis Abrahanowicz, who did a great deal of sampling with Mikey Nicolian before settling on the right blend. Turns out if you make sangria with decent wine and serve it over ice in hand-painted earthenware, it's fabulous. Who knew? barlouise.com.au – JD

BEST NAPKIN RING AWARD

The Charles Grand Brasserie & Bar

There are not enough nominees forthis award. OK, there is only one. But it's good to see that the serviette ring is back, as The Charles Grand Brasserie & Bar runs rings around the trend towards all things casual with a return to three-star Michelin formality. Sauces come in silver jugs on salvers, fries also. Desserts arrive by the trolley load, cocktails by the tray, and linen serviettes are rolled into gleaming pewter napkin rings that make every meal an occasion. Heaven. thecharles.sydney – JD

THE TINIEST TOAST AWARD

Maydanoz

It's gone in a few bites, but the cilbir is an outsized highlight at Maydanoz in the CBD. This dish hailing from the 15th century began as poached eggs enjoyed by Ottoman sultans and evolved into Turkish eggs with yoghurt and chilli flakes. Today, at restaurateur Somer Sivrioglu's tribute to the Aegean coastline, executive chef Arman Uz zaps it down to mini eggs on toast. Imagine a glorified crouton, stretched into landscape format, blanketed with garlicky, smoked labne. On top? Poached quail eggs, a sprinkle of Marash pepper and, most aptly, Maydanoz's signature ingredient (the restaurant's name is Turkish for parsley). maydanoz.com.au – Lee Tran Lam

OUTSTANDING SATURDAY AWARD

Ante

Big in Melbourne, Saturday lunch has been slow to take off in Sydney. When it does happen, though, it's special. At Ante in Newtown, Matt Young's vinyl jazz, Japanese sake and Jemma Whiteman's elevated snack wizardry all come together as one harmonious whole. There's a special magic in being there before Saturday fully takes off, as the sun slants against the warm wooden bar, and Red Garland's Groovy or Dizzy Gillespie's Samba washes over an umami-stacked prawn casarecce and a glass of chilled junmai sake. ante.bar – TD

BEST PIZZA THAT'S NOT A PIZZA

Kiln

It starts with deseeded heirloom tomatoes: the flesh dehydrated until it's crinkly and supercharged with flavour – the umami levels dialled all the way up. The seeds are blitzed into a juice that refreshes the puckered tomato. Mitch Orr serves it in a pastry shell with shio kombu gel, a whipped ricotta flourish, and fried basil on top. You'll find this tomato tart at Kiln, Surry Hills, Good Food Guide's Best New Restaurant. Maybe it's "just" tomato, cheese and basil on a dough-like base. But it's also wildly delicious and inspired. If the Jetsons had pizza, it'd probably taste like this. kilnsydney.com – LTL

DISH WITH THE BEST SOUND EFFECT AWARD

Ren Ishii

Scan the menu at Ren Ishii in Ramsgate and you'll find "twice-cooked crisp and creamy cubed potatoes". They resemble mini stacks of potato galette with thinly pressed layers: so many potato slivers are banked into each serve that chef Luke Phillips loses count (there are at least 30 levels of potato, he reckons). Thanks to how they're steamed, set, hammered together and deep-fried, they generate such a crackly, ultra-loud crunch when you bite into them. This sound effect made our table neighbours reconsider their decision not to order this dish and these mille-feuille-like potato cubes hit their plates soon after. renishii.com.au – LTL

BEST PLACE TO SIT FROM MORNING 'TIL NIGHT AWARD

The Shop & Wine Bar

Not many places lay claim to a dynamite brekkie bowl for $19.50, comprising cauliflower rice, shredded zucchini, pickled cabbage, halloumi, a poached egg and half an avo. Even fewer follow it up with a lunch menu of stellar salads and sandwiches, including a ripper BLT. And fewer still transition seamlessly to wine-bar mode come nightfall, offering a tight selection of drops from lo-fi Australian makers and solid antipasti to go alongside. That's exactly what makes any visit to Bondi veteran The Shop & Wine Bar such a joy; it's a lesson in the art of all-day drinking and dining done right. theshopandwinebar.com.au – DM

THE MOST SLURPABLE NOODLES AWARD

Yunn

Yunnanese restaurants are rare in Sydney and at Yunn in the CBD, owner Wing Yang stands out further by presenting this regional Chinese cuisine with a local brunch-like remix. Her cold rice noodles rule, particularly on a hot day. There's a bibimbap-like sprawl of carrot and other vegetables fanned throughout the bowl. Mix everything through the vinegar dressing, pea jelly, chilli oil, herbs and pickled vegetables imported from Yunnan and you'll revel in the slurpy tang of these bracing ingredients as they tangle together like ribbons. The buzz lingers long after you detect the sting of chilli on your lips. – LTL

BEST TABLECLOTHS (TO STAIN) AWARD

Ho Jiak Town Hall

Ho Jiak Town Hall comes with elaborate cocktails, cheeky staff and chef Junda Khoo's own inimitable Malaysian cookery, but upstairs it's the tablecloths that catch the eye as much as they catch the spills from a banquet menu shared among friends. Staff divvy up shared plates with care, but if you're not splashing buttery sauce from a bowl of Sarawak black pepper pipis on egg noodles all over the linen, you're doing it wrong. hojiak.com.au/townhall – DM

BEST CHEF AT THE WHEEL

Nathan Sasi and Morgan McGlone, Bar Copains

All the food on the table at Bar Copains in Surry Hills (opening December 8) will be made by hand. That's a given for chefs Nathan Sasi and Morgan McGlone, who were drawn to open a business together by their shared love of natural wine and artisanal food. But take note also of the plates, bowls and jugs on the table, made by McGlone, who crafts ceramics under his own brand, Ryo's Pottery, named for his son, Ryo. (Select pieces available from drnks.com). "Chefs know all about the pressure of hands, the touch and feel when working with fish or meat," he says. "They can feel the clay, and manipulate it instinctively." He particularly loves making teapots. "I've probably made 300 teapots," he says, "but I am only happy with three of them!" barcopains.com – JD

ELECTRIC DREAMS AWARD

A small band of climate-conscious chefs is calling time on gas in restaurant kitchens. Palisa Anderson of Chat Thai, Neil Perry of Margaret and Darren Robertson of Three Blue Ducks are part of a new global coalition of chefs and experts from public health, climate, aid and development that aims to replace gas with electricity in the form of induction cooktops. "Electricity is just cleaner, more efficient and definitely more beneficial for the environment," says Perry. Their plan is to fund the phasing-out of gas from restaurants and domestic kitchens in order to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and create cooler, cleaner working environments. With one of his children an asthma sufferer, chef Darren Robertson is increasingly aware of the health impacts of using gas in kitchens, citing a recent report that estimated cooking with gas to be responsible for up to 12 per cent of the childhood asthma burden in Australia. "Chefs aren't very good at looking after themselves but it's important to create a safe workspace for your staff and your family," he says. – ​JD

The Good Food Guide 2023 magazine is on sale now for $9.95 at newsagents, supermarkets and thestore.com.au.

• Catch up on all the winners and hats at the Good Food Guide Awards