New in town
Akash Arora serves up Australia’s hottest new restaurants.
Sydney CHIN CHIN
Melbourne’s much-lauded Thai eatery is coming to Sydney – with a twist. A fire pit and a gas rotisserie are at the heart of the kitchen, which will churn out favourites like spanner crab omelette and new dishes such as grilled flank steak marinated in jungle-curry paste.
Michael Chem is behind the cocktail menu, while an everevolving wine list will include drops from Aussie producers, including Brokenwood.
This Sydney outpost looks nothing like the original. There are two dining rooms, one with an open kitchen.
The historic Griffiths Teas building in inner-city Surry Hills.
69 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills chinchinrestaurant. com.au Open seven days for lunch and dinner
Melbourne THE MAYFAIR
Inspired by the food and fervour of Sydney’s Restaurant Hubert, Melbourne hospitality supremo David Mackintosh has opened this French bistro. Everything you’d expect is on the menu, from fresh oysters to steak tartare.
About 150 wines and champagnes, plus a dozen 1930s- and ’40s-inspired cocktails by Joe Jones, who runs the nearby Romeo Lane bar.
Unmistakably French, thanks to candles, leather booths, white tablecloths, brass ceilings and an octopus-shaped chandelier.
Where Pei Modern used to be, in Melbourne’s CBD.
45 Collins Street, Melbourne themayfairrestaurant.com.au Open Friday for lunch and Tuesday-Saturday for dinner
Perth CABALLITOS
Bar owner Andy Freeman, of The Flour Factory and Varnish on King, has enrolled chef Danny Sanchez to oversee the menu at this tequila-bar-slashMexican-eatery. Must-order dish? The El Papus tortillas with pulled pork, burnt pineapple and pico de gallo.
More than 200 tequilas, mezcals and Mexican spirits, plus cocktails such as the Lagerita – a frozen margarita topped with ice-cold beer.
Dark, moody interiors, with the occasional pop of pastel, create a textbook Mexican-cantina feel.
Perth CBD, on the site of the former 1907 Restaurant and cocktail bar.
26 Queen Street, Perth caballitos.com.au Open Monday-Saturday for drinks and dinner
Sydney MARTA
Baked anchovies with sautéed endive, bucatini with mussels and Lazio-style lamb cutlets will populate the menu at chef Flavio Carnevale’s new restaurant inspired by the eateries of Rome.
Handmade terracotta decanters will be used to serve up to 120 Italian wines, including varietals such as bellone and greco.
A mix of communal and intimate seating and a separate bar give the venue a relaxed vibe.
On the site of now-closed Popolo, which is relocating to a city location next year.
30 McLachlan Avenue, Rushcutters Bay marta.com.au Open Sunday for lunch and Tuesday-Sunday for dinner