All that glitters is not always gold when it comes to restaurants with multi-million-dollar waterfrontages, but Sydney caters sublimely to those in the market for splashing out.
All that glitters is not always gold when it comes to restaurants with multi-million-dollar waterfrontages, but harbourside Sydney, cradled within the crown of New South Wales’s breathtaking coastline, caters sublimely to those in the market for splashing out.
Sydney’s shorefront dining scene is nothing short of spectacular – a blend of world-class cuisine and jaw-dropping views that showcase the Australian city at its best. Here, dining isn’t just about the food; it’s an experience where sparkling waters meet the creativity of some of Australia’s top chefs.
Despite an often-glamorous clientele, you’ll find an approach of relaxed sophistication in even the most upmarket of spots. Service is never stiff or overformal, with conviviality and conversation always central to the dining experience. Chefs use indigenous, borrowed and blended flavours, with enormous respect for homegrown ingredients, resulting in a refined cuisine that has a lightness of touch appropriate to the sun-drenched climate.
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THE SPECIALIST
After many years working as a chef in Sydney, Jane Lawson is a food and travel writer who has published Australia’s best culinary authors and operates and hosts in-depth culinary tours. She has devoured an embarrassingly decadent list of incredible food around the globe but finds that few destinations successfully marry awesome cuisine and scenery like her hometown, Sydney.
From tranquil breakfasts through to romantic suppers, locals grab any opportunity to be in proximity to their beloved beaches and bays. And for travellers, these five restaurants offer not just a meal, but an opportunity to savour Sydney at its finest.
Nikki To Quay restaurant offers unpretentious yet exquisite cuisine along with world-class views (Credit: Nikki To)Nikki To
Quay restaurant offers unpretentious yet exquisite cuisine along with world-class views (Credit: Nikki To)
- Best for celebrations: Quay
Referring to Quay as “world class” barely describes the sum of its glorious parts. With unobstructed views over Sydney’s Opera House and Harbour Bridge, this stunningly located restaurant is the perfect home for exquisite dishes that honour organic ingredients.
Executive chef Peter Gilmore’s obsession with the life cycle of plants, from seed to stamen, is the first clue the diner is in for an exceptional experience. His artful, ethereal cuisine presents like tiny gardens of native vegetables, flowers and fronds, while luxurious rockpools of aquatic fascinations are exquisite in technique and execution. Quay’s four-, six- or eight-course menus are served on hand-crafted vessels, and textures dance both on the plate and palate.
Incredibly, there’s no hint of the pomp or pretentiousness usually associated with such temples of culinary art; nary a white cloth on a sleek timber tabletop lest it masks the natural grain. An extensive and considered wine list is a melodious match for this culinary ode to the country’s vast, bountiful land and ocean, where every dish is a perfect pleasure.
