MEATMAIDEN

The truth-in-advertising award goes to Meatmaiden, a place where vegetarians might fear to tread. The sleek basement space tucked under Georges department store is a little hard to find but follow your nose. The custom-built smoker, fuelled by Blue Mountains ironbark, adds its lick of delight to everything, including beef brisket that’s been cooked low and slow, pork ribs with finger-lickin’ chilli caramel and the deliciously burnt ends for the 99 per cent of people who think they’re too good to waste. Aimed at the city suit crowd, this is the place to posh up your mac’n’cheese with a medallion of lobster and a wink of shellfish oil or enjoy the flavour-enhancing effects of smoke on everything from the coleslaw to the Old Fashioned cocktail.