Posted: November 7, 2022
Featuring: RAFI, Fontana, Bar Louise... EVEN the most committed restaurant aficionados tend to restrict their going out activities during winter. But summer in Sydney almost begs you to eat out, especially on weekends. This year has seen an explosion of...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine November December 2022 / 10 View / November 7, 2022
Posted: September 1, 2022
Featuring: M.I.M by 1821, Maydanoz, Manon Brasserie... DISCRIMINATING diners have flocked back to Sydney’s CBD restaurants this year. Social media has been awash with comments on how difficult it has become to snag weekend bookings in the area’s top-flight restaurants....Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine September October 2022 / 27 View / September 1, 2022
Posted: July 22, 2022
Featuring: Buena Hotel, Bistro Mosman, Civico 47... The Buena Hotel in Mosman has been an institution for decades. In late 2016, the Public House Management Group (PHMG) bought the much-loved pub and teamed with celebrity chef Guillaume Brahimi to open...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine July August 2022 / 14 View / July 22, 2022
Posted: May 15, 2022
Featuring: Ploos, Bouillon L'Entrecote, MuMu... THE location of Ploos couldn't be more redolent of Sydney's history and modern development. Housed in the renovated, heritage-listed Campbell's Store with its convict-hewn sandstone interiors, Peter Conistis' new harbourfront restaurant also offers in-your-face views...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine May June 2022 / 26 View / May 15, 2022
Posted: March 15, 2022
Featuring: Cabana Bar, Odd Culture Newtown... THE iconic MLC Centre in Sydney's CBD has been given a $170 million facelift and re-branded as 25 Martin Place. One of the first venues to highlight the redevelopment is Cabana Bar. Opened in...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine March April 2022 / 16 View / March 15, 2022
Posted: January 11, 2022
Featuring: XOPP by Golden Century, About Time, La Salut... LEGENDARY has become a very over-used words these days. But its usage is sometimes justified. Dave Chang, founder of the Momofuku Group and creator of the Netflix series Ugly Delicious, called...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine Annual 2022 / 15 View / January 11, 2022
Posted: September 10, 2021
Featuring: Alpha, Marrickville Metro, The Rice Pantry... THERE’S beeen a swathe of modern Greek restaurant openings in Sydney over the past few months. Perama, the longtime Inner-West favourite helmed by noted chef David Tsirekas, returned to its original Petersham location...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine September October 2021 / 13 View / September 10, 2021
Posted: August 12, 2021
Featuring: Lorraine's Bistro, Robin Hood Hotel... I USED to live around the corner from The Robin Hood Hotel in Waverley and have driven past its Art Deco exterior countless times. But the grand old dame of Charing Cross has had...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine July August 2021 / 59 View / August 12, 2021
Posted: May 5, 2021
Featuring: Seta Sydney, The Athenian, Novecento... ONE of the most noticeable things about going to the CBD when office workers were mainly working from home was that the few people on the streets had almost exclusively adopted casual clothing. Restaurants...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine May June 2021 / 55 View / May 5, 2021
Posted: March 4, 2021
Featuring: Hello Auntie's, Tequila Mocking Bird, Forrester's... Switching tacks has become a common MO among restaurants worldwide during the Covid-19 pandemic. Noma, the Michelin-starred Copenhagen restaurant voted best in the world multiple times, re-opened in mid-2020 as a burger and...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine March April 2021 / 48 View / March 4, 2021
Posted: January 19, 2021
Featuring: The Mill, Civic Hotel, Rivareno Gelato... BONDI Junction has seen a blizzard of new developments in recent years, including a spate of residential apartments. Walking past soaring blocks such as Bondi Central, you are left in no doubt that...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine December 2020 / 28 View / January 19, 2021
Posted: October 1, 2020
Featuring: La Disfida, Hendrik’s Cognac & Wine, Little Lagos... PETER Zuzza, the owner of La Disfida, is a member of Sydney’s restaurant royalty. His family ran The Mixing Pot in Glebe, long one of the best Italian restaurants in the...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine October 2020 / 178 View / October 1, 2020
Posted: August 12, 2020
Featuring: The Wine Library, Estate Coogee, Mary's on Top... THE Wine Library re-opened post-lockdown in early June and word spread like wildfire - by mouth and social media. We popped in soon after and the chic, welcoming space was packed....Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine August 2020 / 58 View / August 12, 2020
Posted: April 24, 2020
Featuring: Onyx Grill, Totti's, Meu Jardim... IT NEVER fails to amaze me when journalists and writers openly admit their ignorance in an article. Yet early reviews of the Marsden Hotel in Burwood were peppered with comments such as – “Why Burwood?” and...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine May June 2020 / 143 View / April 24, 2020
Posted: March 3, 2020
Featuring: The Big Easy, Nikkei Bar & Restaurant, Ragazzi... THINGS change fast in Stanley Street, Darlinghurst, even in the same building. Over the past few years, four restaurants have filled the two-storey terrace at number 77 in the city-fringe eat...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine March April 2020 / 35 View / March 3, 2020
Posted: January 8, 2020
Featuring: Coogee Wine Room, Sandro Di Marino, Gyusha... THERE’S a lot of fast food outlets, chic casual cafes and beach bars in Coogee, as you would expect in a beachside suburb, but few venues for serious wine buffs. The Coogee...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine Annual 2020 / 49 View / January 8, 2020
Posted: November 29, 2019
Featuring: Hello Auntie, Franca Brasserie, Bund... DARLING Square, Sydney's newest lifestyle precinct, is wedged between Darling Harbour and Chinatown. Anchored by The Exchange, a stunning spiral-shaped building designed by Kengo Kuma, one of the world’s leading architect firms, the glamorous...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine November December 2019 / 49 View / November 29, 2019
Posted: September 5, 2019
Featuring: Metisse, Kitchen by Mike CBD, Bar Clementine... I FIRST went to Metisse on a Thursday night and the restaurant was packed. The second time I visited on a chilly Tuesday evening, the sleek grey and black space was also...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine September October 2019 / 90 View / September 5, 2019
Posted: July 1, 2019
Featuring: Don't Tell Aunty, The Charleston, Eliza Food & Wine... WHEN I first tried to make a dinner reservation at Eliza Food & Wine soon after it opened, the only spots available were children’s meal times - 5.30pm to 6.30pm....Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine July August 2019 / 121 View / July 1, 2019
Posted: May 2, 2019
Featuring: The Butcher’s Block, Alberto’s Lounge, Tayim... THERE'S been a spate of restaurants that started in the burbs opening spin-offs in the CBD. The latest entrant to try its luck in the Big Smoke is The Butcher’s Block, a Wahroonga...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine May June 2019 / 187 View / May 2, 2019
Posted: March 1, 2019
Featuring: Flying Fish, Peter Robertson, Sang by Mabasa, Ivan Orkin... STAYING open and remaining popular for 14 years is the equivalent of a Jurassic Age in Sydney’s fast-moving dining scene. I enjoyed many lunches, dinners and events at the original...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine March April 2019 / 96 View / March 1, 2019
Posted: January 10, 2019
Featuring: Acme & Co, Quarrymans Hotel, The Rooftop, Gweilo... IN the middle of Sydney’s long run of wet weather in October, Matteo Downtown was packed for lunch on a dreary Tuesday. Once inside the dining room, after traversing the bar...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine Annual 2019 / 60 View / January 10, 2019
Posted: November 2, 2018
Featuring: Chubby Cheeks, Bang Bang, Bistecca... WHEN a restaurant is packed with locals, not the foodie equivalent of tyre-kickers, within a week of opening it’s a sure sign of longevity. Chubby Cheeks is named after the toddler daughter of owners...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine November – December 2018 / 80 View / November 2, 2018
Posted: September 1, 2018
Featuring: Ortzi, Mama Mulan, The Wine Library... IT’S strange that it’s taken so long for someone to open a restaurant dedicated to Basque cuisine in Sydney. San Sebastian in northern Spain is one of the food capitals of Europe and...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine September – October 2018 / 77 View / September 1, 2018
Posted: July 1, 2018
Featuring: Jaaks Restaurant and Bar, The Imperial Hotel... THE LOCAL joke in the southern waterfront enclaves of Kyle Bay, Oatley and Connells Point is that most people leave the area on a one way trip - in a coffin. Full...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine July – August 2018 / 136 View / July 1, 2018
Posted: May 1, 2018
Featuring: Mama’s Buoi, Bert’s Bar & Brasserie, Seventeen... MIRVAC’S Tramsheds development at Forest Lodge attracted hordes of sticky beaks from its opening in September last year and the fascination with one of Sydney’s most interesting urban renewal projects shows no...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine May – June 2018 / 48 View / May 1, 2018
Posted: March 1, 2018
Featuring: Ete, Culina et Vinum, Monte... IN a strange twist of fate, Ete (French for summer) finally opened in December during the appropriate season. Originally the debut date was in the autumnal month of May last year. It was worth...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine March – April 2018 / 51 View / March 1, 2018
Posted: January 6, 2018
Featuring: Alex & Co, Frenchies Bistro & Brewery, Banksia Hotel... IT’S always interesting to discover how people acquire their nicknames. Following their arrival in Australia after an adventure trip of a lifetime hiking through eastern Siberia, Vincent de Soyres and...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine Annual 2018 / 97 View / January 6, 2018
Posted: November 1, 2017
Featuring: The Grill at The Four, Verace Pizzeria, District Brasserie... DUBLIN-native Colin Fassnidge redefined Sydney pub dining in the 10 years he presided over the kitchen at the Four in Hand in Paddington. His nose-to-tail philosophy produced memorable dishes such...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine November – December 2017 / 106 View / November 1, 2017
Posted: September 1, 2017
Featuring: Nour, Mordeo, Flour Eggs Water... WHAT happens when a cuisine becomes so popular that an outpost springs up in every suburb? In the case of Chinese, Indian, Lebanese and more, it gets a contemporary makeover. There’s still plenty of...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine September – October 2017 / 199 View / September 1, 2017
Posted: June 27, 2017
Featuring: Nola Steakhouse & Bar, Johnny Fontane’s, Tokyo Laundry... A MAJOR point-of-difference or a theme has become crucial to success in Sydney’s rapid-fire dining scene where a clutch of new eateries seems to open on a monthly basis. At Nola...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine July – August 2017 / 105 View / June 27, 2017
Posted: April 11, 2017
Featuring: Eastside Grill, The Provincial, Frisco Hotel... THE Eastside Grill acquired its liquor licence on the day we fronted up at the latest addition to the Kensington St eating precinct in Chippendale, aka Hippendale. But the New York-style grill with...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine May – June 2017 / 116 View / April 11, 2017
Posted: February 22, 2017
Featuring: Gateway Sydney, Popina Kitchen, The Plump Duck, Queen’s Hotel... APART from Cafe Sydney, the culinary delights of Circular Quay used to begin and end with chips and indifferent pizza. Last September, the first stage of Gateway Sydney opened, a...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine March – April 2017 / 75 View / February 22, 2017
Posted: February 22, 2017
Featuring: The Garden, Cirrus, Paddington Inn... IN 2014 The Vine took over the back street location in Double Bay once occupied by Zigolini’s. Success was instantaneous, thanks to owners Gavin Douchkov and Manny Karson and gun chef Drew Barton. You...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine Annual 2017 / 136 View / February 22, 2017
Posted: February 22, 2017
Featuring: One Penny Red, Luis Tans, Trunk Road... THE social wheel has turned full circle in Summer Hill. The inner west suburb boomed with the arrival of the railway in the late 19th century, becoming the swanky area of choice...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine Special Edition 2016 / 81 View / February 22, 2017
Posted: November 1, 2016
Featuring: The Resident, Alpha Restaurant, Beta Bar, Yellow... SENIOR police officers must have wept when NSW Police Headquarters were relocated from College St in the CBD to Parramatta in 2003. No more million-dollar views of Hyde Park and a quiet lunch...Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine November – December 2016 / 79 View / November 1, 2016
Posted: August 19, 2016
Featuring: Lazy Suzie Restaurant, Nomad, Folonomo… To read the full article click here.
Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine September – October 2016 / 77 View / August 19, 2016
Posted: July 1, 2016
Featuring: Anason, Bistrot Gavroche, Four in Hand by Guillaume… To read the full article click here.
Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine July – August 2016 / 63 View / July 1, 2016
Posted: May 1, 2016
Featuring: Indu restaurant, Primus, Stambuli… To read the full article click here.
Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine May – June 2016 / 68 View / May 1, 2016
Posted: March 1, 2016
Featuring: One Ford Street, The Cricketers Arms, Cho Cho San… To read the full article click here.
Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine March – April 2016 / 74 View / March 1, 2016
Posted: January 15, 2016
Featuring: Nel Restaurant, Mercado Europa, Majestic Harvest Restaurant, Old Clare Hotel… To read the full article click here.
Comments Off on Sydney Grapevine Annual 2016 / 69 View / January 15, 2016