Sydney's Best Set Plate Menus

"Ask not what you can do for your country, ask what's for lunch." - Orson Welles

Assiette

Surry Hills

Three courses, $30

If the boys at Bodega bring rock ‘n' roll to food, then Warren Turnbull brings electro. Strange samples, twisted riffs and teased textures cause an explosion of flavour that, while not always safe, is always superb. Dishes like pan-fried John Dory with potato puree and crisp capers make appearances, as does a crunchy, spicy fresh salad of confit chicken. "The idea behind it came from the Michelin restaurants in Europe," says restaurant manager and sommelier, Sharon Timms. "We want to expose people to what we do without the pressure of being in a fine dining establishment. It's on a smaller scale, but it retains the essence of Warren's cooking."

Bentley Bar and Dining

Surry Hills

Eight courses, $50

Chef Brent Savage is a culinary rocket scientist and he's doing eight (yep, eight)  tapas-sized courses of wildness for pocket change. The man doesn't just push the boat out, he shoves the QE2. Start with the tuna tartare and avocado and work your way through smoked eel parfait to egg with pork bubble and chickpea chips. Fork out a little extra dough and sommelier Nick Hildebrandt will pour a few glasses of some of the most exciting wine in town."This is a good direction for us and it stays in line with what we do," says Savage. "It gives diners a taste of what we're about."

Foveaux

Surry Hills

Three courses, $40

Darrell Felstead's menu dances between traditional French with British leanings and kooky touches like Murray cod with popcorn cream and cock's comb or slow roasted pork and braised hare with chestnut chips. "It's basically so people can experience Foveaux in a shorter time," says Felstead of the lunch deal. If you're in a real hurry, the Foveaux folks can get you in and out within an hour. And hey, you're right next door to one of Sydney's biggest taxi ranks.
 

Marque

Surry Hills

Three courses, $45

Imagine the most complex French cooking turned on its head with new wave molecular techniques and you've got an idea of what the hell Mark Best is doing. And while the lunch menu is a little more modest than the a la carte or degustation menu, you still receive some of the most stunningly crafted dishes in town. "The cheap lunch deal is a long tradition in the grand Parisian restaurants," says Best, "and there's a demand for lunch at this level. We do not want to be known as an expensive or ‘special occasion' restaurant and the prix fixe reinforces the value perception, opening us to a new audience and rewarding the existing." The menu changes week to week but you could be eating the likes of yellowfin tuna carpaccio with frozen tomato vinaigrette, boudin blanc with puy lentils and sautéed butter lettuce. And for dessert? Poached cumquats with yoghurt sorbet and honey powder.

Quay

The Rocks

Three courses, $85 or two for $75

Chef Peter Gilmore's food is as close to perfection on a plate as it gets - a flawless dance of texture and flavour. Dishes for the prix fixe are picked from the main a la carte menu. "For us, the fixed price lunch is less about the money and more about simplifying things for our customers at lunchtime. Most are business people, and they want elegant food, they want discreet service and they want to be back in the office by 2-2.30pm. This menu gives them an alternative to the more leisurely four-course menu designed for evening," says owner John Fink. That means you might see mud crab congee (a play on that classic Chinese rice porridge only here it's also mixed with shreds of sweet crab) or rare breed pork belly with braised abalone and tofu. Don't miss the custard apple snow egg with custard apple granita for dessert.

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