FARE ENOUGH
While Sydney has never been short on great restaurants, the latest wave-making openings have seriously upped the city’s culinary credentials. Restaurant Hubert The first Frenchified project from Sydney’s favorite bar boys (behind whisky lounge Baxter Inn and small bar Shady Pines Saloon), Hubert comes with style to spare. Through an unassuming entrance and down two flights of winding stairs, the glam, candle-lit dining room is all wood-paneled walls and gilded art. The menu doesn’t deviate from the Gallic theme: think steak tartare with a pile of crunchy shoestring fries, or rabbit rillettes topped with Melba toast. Arrive early, as bookings are only accepted for groups of six or more; if you don’t get a table, there are two low-lit bars to sip classic cocktails while you wait. restauranthubert.com Acre The concept of farm-to-table dining is taken up a notch at Acre thanks to a savvy horticultural team and forward-thinking chef. The space that once housed the Camperdown Bowling Club is now a full urban farm and 350-seat restaurant, together known as Camperdown Commons, where chef Gareth Howard sources much of his produce from neighboring fields— everything from edible flowers for cocktails to greens for the leaf salad. Needless to say, the menu changes constantly but what you are guaranteed is sustainably sourced proteins, super-fresh vegetables, and beautiful presentation. acreeatery.com.au Yellow While not strictly new, Yellow totally transformed its dinner menu by going all-vegetarian earlier this year—and fine dining, to boot. Don’t leave without trying the fermented Mexican cucumbers that burst like grapes and taste like apples, or the pretty-as-a-picture pea mousse with pickled daikon and toasted buttermilk. yellowsydney.com.au Fred’s Having spent time working with Alice Waters at California’s Chez Panisse, Danielle Alvarez brings a passion for slow cooking and seasonal ingredients to Fred’s, arguably the Merivale hospitality group’s most ambitions project yet. The chef and her team cook on freestanding Tuscan grills and a custom-made hearth, ensuring that thought and creativity go into every dish. In the dining room, designed like the farmhourse of a French château, snappy staff serve up soulful dishes such as rabbit cavatelli and lamb leg à la ficelle with laver bread, broad beans, and mint. merivale.com.au Long Chim Chef David Thompson’s first venture in Sydney since he moved to London in 2000 to open his (now defunct) Michelin-starred Thai eatery Nahm, Long Chim is every bit as sensational as its namesake sisters in Singapore and Perth. Standouts include the fiery
gaeng gati gung, a turmeric-tinted, southern Thai coconut-milk curry of mashed prawns, and the Chiang Mai–style laab, which delivers a hit of chili and holy basil only tempered by a gulp of the Muay Thai mai tai. longchimsydney.com