Take a seat

It was late June 2021 and you could almost hear the sizzle of the charcoal and faint clink of cutlery at Neil Perry’s newest – and most personal – restaurant: Margaret, in Double Bay in Sydney’s east (margaretdoublebay.com), named for the chef’s late mother. Staff were trained. Produce was ordered. There were 4500 bookings confirmed. Then, on the day Margaret was due to welcome her first guests, Sydney went into lockdown.

Today, the city has finally begun to reopen and Margaret’s beautiful double doors have opened right along with it. The quartz bar gleams. The sweeping windows let in sparkling light. The woodfired grill is roasting King George whiting and the Sydney rocks are freshly shucked. And the atmosphere Perry (left) wanted to create – one of warmth and neighbourliness – is felt at every table.

“We want Margaret to become an institution people can rely on,” he says. “We want people to drop in and have a glass of wine or come by in the evening for a beautiful rotisserie chicken or bring the whole family for a celebration.”

Just as well – Sydney has more to celebrate than ever.

Melbourne Smith & Daughters

This month, vege visionary Shannon Martinez combines her two successful businesses – restaurant Smith & Daughters and delicatessen Smith & Deli – into a 500-square-metre plantbased super-hub in Collingwood (smithanddaughters.com). There will be cafeteria-style dining for 30 people, fine dining for 80 and takeaway meals, vegan “meats”, “cheese” and baked goods. The open-plan kitchen is worth a look.

Sydney Shell House

Built inside the former Menzies Hotel façade in the CBD, this fourstorey dining hub has two bars, a bistro and the oyster’s pearl: Shell House Dining Room & Terrace (shellhouse.com.au). Expect European flair, from the Milanese feel of the ground-floor Menzies Bar, which opened in October, to the Mediterranean vibe of 10th-floor rooftop Sky Bar, which will, with the dining room, serve its first guests this month.

Adelaide Arkhé

Adelaide locals have been following the breadcrumbs dropped by ex-Burnt Ends chef Jake Kellie as he popped up in kitchens across the city, from Leigh Street Wine Room to Pirate Life Brewing. Few guessed the trail would lead to a 200-seat eatery inside a heritage building with a huge woodfired stove and grills at its heart, which is due to open this month (arkhe.com.au). Everything is cooked over coals – no electric or gas stoves – and a quick wine-and-snack stop is as satisfying as a full sit-down.

Sydney Loulou

This light-hearted, all-day French bistro, boulangerie and traiteur (loulou.sydney) in Milsons Point sees locals drop by for croissants at breakfast, a crab souffle omelette for lunch and perhaps a côte du porc with a bottle of burgundy for dinner. The name is an affectionate French word for “darling” and its team – headed by Merivale alumnus Sebastien Lutaud, with graduates from Bistro Guillaume, Charlie Parker’s and Icebergs Dining Room & Bar – hope it will become a darling of the neighbourhood.