Sydney Restaurants
  |   Create an account   |   Forgot password?

Join 11,000 other Sydney foodies and subscribe to the Eat Streets Newsletter !

Browse Restaurants By

Browse Articles By

Straight To

Sponsored Link

Sydney Eats 2009

On Plates Now from December 2008

Fruit

That weird little spell of cold weather we had last month slowed some of the early summer produce but, thankfully, raspberries have hit the markets and are excellent. Matt Barnett at Element Bistro is using them to accompany his chocolate terrine with honeycomb and they bring a welcome tang to the mix. There are also some good peaches around, which are being transformed into a peach and frangipane tart with vanilla bean icecream at Vicini. 

Vegetables

The cold weather has been a good thing for fennel this year with even the larger bulbs resisting the fibrousness they sometimes suffer. The Italians have always been huge fans of the stuff and you’ll find it done in several ways at Bondi Trattoria. It might be pureed and served alongside pork sausages or in avocado salad with grilled king prawns and scallops. Look out for wild mushrooms, too — they’re serving them at The Book Kitchen with pan-roasted pork cutlets and glazed apple crackling salad.

Meat

The good rain in recent months has been a godsend for farmers of grass-fed cattle, which is news we like: grass is better than grain for the cows and makes healthier beef because it’s higher in omega-3s. Sadly, too few restaurants tell you what the beef is fed on, but we like what they do with it at 42 Bannerman Trattoria, anyway: they roast a ribeye and serve it with pumpkin and an amaretto reduction. Pork is a little scarcer in the lead-up to Christmas because so much is going into ham making, but you’ll still find it at the Chinese Noodle Restaurant in Chinatown — it’s crunchy, sweet and shredded, served with special sauce and mini pancakes.

Fish

Fish lovers are well supplied at this time of year which, in a happy bit of timing, is when many of us start craving it. There are good sardines from WA, vongole from SA and that perennial favourite, flathead, which you’ll find in a crisp tempura batter at Whitewater served with hand-cut chips, tartare sauce and an avocado and grapefruit salad. Sydney rock oysters from Wallis Lake are in top condition at the moment and you can find them shucked to order and served either natural or with a red wine and eschalot vinaigrette at Vicini.

Previous Months On Plates Now