Quintessentially Sydney, ARIA is chef Matt Moran’s love serenade to fine dining in the Harbour City. Stunning views and flawless service whet the appetite for culinary thrills: spiced scallops, pork belly, chicken foie gras parfait, with over 1,000 wine choices.
Ancient Japan and modern Sydney collide at Ocean Room. An elegant restaurant of exquisite food creations, against a harbour backdrop. Festivalgoers can feast on chef Raita Noda’s innovative menu of dishes ranging from ‘chotto’ (small plates) to his famous 1kg tuna wings!
Already one of Sydney’s most talked about venues. This 120-seat dining space from executive chef Michael Rantissi serves woodfired pizzas, inspired share plates and ‘Middle-Eastern street food’. Featuring locally sourced meat and seafood cooked with exciting French flourishes.
A piazza that spills onto the Harbour? A view overlooking the Opera House? A bar packed with deluxe drinks? Welcome to Opera Bar. Day or night, this is a place to impress out-of-towners in Sydney for the Festival. And if you’re local, where prettier to soak up a unique drinking and dining vibe with a live music soundtrack over summer?
Waterfront views over Walsh Bay and stylish décor set the stage for this newly established fine diner. A
menu fusing the best of traditional and modern Middle-Eastern cuisines is perfectly matched by an exciting wine list devoloped by noted Sydney sommelier Nicole Galloway. Also located at Walsh Bay, Sydney.
A New York steakhouse with a very Sydney twist. Chophouse specialises in Australian produce – on the plate and in the cellar. There’s a huge and well-priced wine list of local varietals, all perfect with the 10 types of steak on offer... or the house specialty, a double lamb chop that arrives juicy, thick and perfectly seasoned.
Glass is all class, with a menu from Luke Mangan that offers fresh seasonal produce fusing flavours, textures and infl uences... with a 900- bottle wine wall for company!
A legend with late-night carousers for their “floorshow” of 24 tanks of live crab, lobster, abalone and fish of all flavours, the Golden C is a Cantonese- Honkers-styled food palace as suited to lavish feasts as cheap feeds. House specials include pork and preserved egg congee, salt ‘n’ pepper squid, crisp-skinned chicken, steamed parrot fish and pipis in XO sauce.
Beneath a pulsating retail strip and close to a host of key Festival venues lurks this underground diner -part New York den, part Barcelona tavern. Choose from 25 tapas and espetada grills or a range of degustations and set menus for 10-plus, all neatly paired with 30 Spanish wines by the glass.
A unique dining experience, Summit revolves 47 floors above the Sydney CBD with uninterrupted 360-degree views. Equally breathtaking is chef Michael Moore’s food using quality local produce in an innovative menu.
An open kitchen, wood-fire grill and deluxe cuts of meat and seafood. Throw in a cocktail on the balcony or one of their 2,000-plus wines and Steel will steal your heart (via your belly).
By day it’s an elegantly furnished and always buzzing bistro and espresso bar filled to the gills with scrumptious cakes, pastries and a famous croque madame. By night BCF evolves into something altogether more elegant, inventive and upmarket – a showcase for chef Alex Herbert’s fresh, bold and exciting cooking.
A refined yet relaxed diner from chef Jared Ingersoll, Cotton Duck draws its greatest strength from the integrity of the ingredients. Dishes detonate on the palate with quirky textures and flavour profiles, all underpinned by the fresh zest of sustainable produce. Favourites include the organic pork, Hiramasa kingfish and pumpkin pie.
Even with its fireplace, industrial lights and Wall of Nails over the bar, Concrete Blonde’s visual smorgasbord runs second to the food itself as chef Patrick Dang sizzles Berkshire pork and Murrylands Farm lamb to pretty, pink perfection on an open rotisserie.
El Capo means “the boss of bosses”and this fantastic diner decorated with gun, girl and bling murals and
specialising in Latin flavours has a menu that commands respect. Lamb cutlets excel with thick horchata
cream, deep-fried school prawns with shredded jamon are perfect paired with Pacifico beer on the side and the tres leches (cake of three milks) is sublime. Definitely worth a drive-by.
Now in its eighth year, the popular, award-winning Victoria Room is a cocktail bar exuding all the opulence and olde-worlde glamour of bygone eras (think Indian summers and Brazilian nights). A stunning fit-out is matched by a peripatetic cocktail list, enjoyed on chaises longues or al fresco.
Rubyos offers heritage charm, a relaxed room and a seasonal menu showcasing a selection of sensational grazing dishes combining ingredients and cooking techniques from all over the world, all designed to be shared in the manner of tapas and yum cha.
On the riverbanks of Parramatta River opposite the Rivercat terminal you’ll enjoy Port’s mouth-watering menu of seafood, steak and vegetarian dishes. There’s also an extensive range of wines, cocktails and beers on offer.
Here's how it works:
Visit any Fast Festival Feasts restaurant between 12-1pm or 6-7pm during the Festival for a main course and a glass of wine from the McGuigan “The Shortlist” range of award winning, limited release wines or, alternatively, a bottle of Tasmanian Rain water - total price: $30. Or treat yourself to a Premium Fast Festival Feast - two courses, a glass of McGuigan “The Shortlist” wine and a bottle of Tasmanian Rain for just $55. Grab the Big Night Out guide for full details - it’s your culinary passport to Sydney in summer. FREE with Dec-Jan issue on sale now
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