Flinders Inn

Morgan McGlone spent much of his young chefing life with Luke Mangan before leaving to cook in New York. But here's the French twist: he decided to take some time out to become a modelling agent in Paris. "I was working as a private chef in New York," he explains. "I met an Australian photographer at a party, we got talking and I started off just helping out. My first job was a Devon Aoki shoot where we were moving Andy Warhols around like coasters. It was just crazy."

Several years on and he's left the world of fashion and come back to Sydney to cook straight-up bistro food in a tiny restaurant with an A-grade team. Morgan and his brother Rick McGlone have teamed up with manager Darran Smith and sommelier Rob Young (you might recognise Darran from the floor at Icebergs and Rob from North Bondi Italian Food), who provide seamless service that's professional as well as fun. You'll also find Dave Harris (star barista and ex-owner of Ten Buck Alley) knocking about on the coffee machine on Fridays. All the floor staff speak fluent wine list too.

Much of said list is broken up into glasses, mini carafes (250ml), regular carafes (500ml) and bottles. There's interesting stuff on there under $50 but if you're interested in spending a bit of coin, you've got the option to do so with their 'reserve wines'.

Start with the salad of roast beetroot - bumps of creamy goat's cheese mess with little hunks of roast beetroot, all crunched up with a scattering of walnuts. It's perfect if you're planning on hitting the proteins later on. The look of it is very bistro, down to the mirrors covered in red lippy advertising the specials such as the firm-yet-tender scallops. They're slightly cool in the middle but, paired with fine slices of sweet, crunchy pickled Jerusalem artichokes, it's a winner dish. Mains wise, we're all about the confit duck served with peas, bacon and lettuce braised in pork stock (ask for a spoon or some bread to capture that last bit of sauce and any rogue peas). And we're very keen on going back for the Flinders Inn burger, Frenched up with frites. The chocolate fondant is a firm puddingy exterior holding a blob of chocolate ooze paired with smooth, creamy honey ice cream. Tasty. If chocolate desserts make your eyes glaze over, the lemon tart is straight-up, no-fuss creamy citrus zing with incredibly light pastry on a plate.

Flinders Inn is your ultimate neighbourhood restaurant: simple, straightforward food with peerless service and a fun wine list. It's perfect for a laidback midweek meal or an early Friday night dinner before you hit the Local Taphouse a few doors down.