There’s something comforting in having a local eatery that you can trust. You need the basics, a Thai restaurant that you can eat in or take away, the local pizzeria and a local serving up food that will satisfy you, your Mum or your little sister – and all within walking distance from home.

One of our favourites is Ill Baretto – famous in Sydney for serving up authentic and inexpensive Italian food in an informal manner.

Arriving mid-week and relatively early, we were able to secure the window bench without wait. If you leave it too late, you can leave your name with the staff and await a call whilst you can bide your time with a drink at the pub across the road. We attempted to dine here a few weeks back on a Friday night around 8pm and was told there was a 2 hour wait, so be warned.

It was a cause for a low-key celebration, a new job was in the wings – armed with a bottle of special red, and I knew what I was ordering without doubt. The duck ragu with parpadelle is something special here. A wonderfully rich sauce soaks coats the flat pasta with large chunks of flavoursome duck. The sauce is rich, but not so much that you’ll be keen to slurp it all up, so make sure you grab some bread to mop it up – that’s if you’ve got enough room, as the servings are large. Ever present staples include the arrabiata and puttanesca plus the gnocchi variations, all worthy of a try.

Dessert was a let down, the panna cotta was inviting, but the vanilla sauce was sickly sweet and overpowered the gentle flavour and interrupted the enjoyment of the fine texture.

Returnability: Without doubt. Duck lovers beware, you will become addicted and want nothing else which is a shame as there are some fantastic dishes available.

Score: 13.5/20
Entrees $6.0 to $15.0. Mains $11.0 to $19.5. Dessert $7.0.
BYO $1 per person
496 Bourke Street, Surry Hills
New South Wales

Steak and a glass of red, or perhaps even a beer. It’s a pretty simple combination, and one many can’t go past. Especially if you’re a bloke, or that’s how the stereotype would have you think. Another blokey thing is keeping things simple – if I’m going to have my steak, I don’t want a jus reduction or anything fancy. Just sear it, slow cook it, give me some fries or one of those iceberg lettuce salads that Grandma use to make. None of this frilly rocket-weed business, or parmesan on my salad! Parmesan’s for pasta for God’s sake!

Situated down on Woolloomooloo wharf, the last restaurant on the line keeps it simple with its steaks – take your pick from fillet, rib-eye, striploin, rump, or a t-bone not for the faint-hearted, tipping the scales at half a kilo.

One shouldn’t forget the seafood either. The soft-shell salt and pepper crab entrée was divine – tender and juicy, served with earthy mustard greens, lime aioli and chilli jam. Oysters in three flavours, natural, Kilpatrick and chilli and coriander are medium sized and very fresh. The chilli and coriander must have been good as they were the first to be consumed and I missed out.

I selected the Angus strip-loin, a generous 400g slab of 150 day grain-fed certified Australian Angus Beef. Unfortunately, my steak was slightly overcooked – rather than send it back I consumed, and whilst it was more medium-rare than rare, the outside was almost crispy whilst the moistness was held in. Not far off from perfect for a steak on the grill.

If you’re in an alfresco dining mood and craving a top-shelf steak, it’s hard to surpass.

Returnability: I’ve had marginally better steak, but not at a better location.
Score: 12.5/20
Entrees $6.9 to $28.9. Mains $15.9 to $58.9. Dessert $9.90 to $27.9.
BYO $25 per bottle
The Wharf, Cowper Wharf Road
Woolloomooloo

A short jaunt from home sees us amidst a multitude of Indian restaurants on Cleveland Street. With a hasty booking made an hour before, we were squeezed in. On arrival, the restaurant was serving only a few parties, but past 8pm, there was not a spare seat in the house.

The table layout in the restaurant certainly doesn’t allow for privacy – it certainly was of the ‘pack them in’ variety. The noise of the diners further amplified by the doof of the commercial dance in the background. I was bemused was this, and Kel was going to need to raise her voice to be heard!

The cheeky wait staff explained the specials and the details of the banquet. With the Stelvin unscrewed, we ordered the mixed entree plate. Generous in size, the samosas moist, the tandoori chicken portions smokey and flavoursome.

We selected the banquet option for mains – simply a selection of any two mains, accompanied by naans, pappadams, and the chutneys and cooling agents of ones’ choice.

We plumped with the prawn jhalfrezi and the lamb saagwala (one of my favourite Indian dishes); the serving sizes again were more than adequate (do I see a trend here?). The lamb being the standout, moist and tender cubes swathed in spinach.

The pappadams were a little on the oily side, the lime pickle lacked any punch whatsoever, a little disappointing.

Even more disappointing were the desserts. The mango kulfi and pistachio ice cream were icy and rock hard, seemingly frozen, defrosted and refrozen.

Returnability: Perhaps, and only with a group. The noise was too much, and I’m a deaf bastard.
Score: 12/20

Entrees $4.5 to $14.9. Mains $7.9 to $14.9. Dessert $2.5 – $5.5. Banquet $27.90 + $3 per seafood dish
BYO $2 per person
431 Cleveland Street, Surry Hills

Tucked away from prying eyes is the European charm of Bambini Trust Caf̩. One would be surprised to find the hustle and bustle of a main Sydney street on the exterior Рprobably because one could be justified in thinking that this was a Melbourne location.

Running ten minutes late shouldn’t have been a problem – a courtesy call was put in, seeing as it was around the Christmas lunching season. Unfortunately, we were made to wait for almost another thirty minutes, at which point we were rather hungry, and indeed thirsty!

Finally, a table was ready. Inside, the lights were down low and window shades at full-length. Seated, and with time at a premium. Sourdough roles with a shot of pea and sage soup were swiftly served, and ordered was the spice crusted ocean trout with spring fennel and mussel fumé.

The quality of food was evident Рocean trout one of my favourite types of fish was delicate and moist, however the fum̩ seemed to be a little confusing, sitting unbalanced with the fennel.

That said, I feel that this restaurant deserves a repeat visit. A location one could stay for several hours, oblivious to the world around, and your boss would be none the wiser.

Returnability: Yes. Seems to be a sleeper on the Sydney scene.
Score: unrated

Entrees $18 to $25. Mains $24 to $33.5. Dessert $12.5 to $15.5
Fully licensed
185 Elizabeth Street, Sydney.

Situated between the Shakespeare Hotel and its sibling restaurant, Mohr Fish isn’t your average fish and chippery. Whilst it does the $7.50 house special fish and chip takeaway, you’ll be best served bringing a long neck or two of Coopers Pale Ale, or perhaps a South Oz Riesling and prepare yourself.

Why? Well, you may need to prepare with a drink at the Shakespeare Hotel – that’s because there’s four small tables and about 6 bar stools, so you might need to add yourself to the short waiting list. If you can slide on in, you’ll need to prepare yourself for the large servings, reminiscent of the dishes at Mohr & Mohr.

The menu is simple, pick a fish and then select the salad and mash/fries/gratin option, or select the fish with one of a small selection of toppings. I tried the cucumber salad with my tuna with a side of pesto potatoes, whilst K plumped for the salmon, fries and salad option. Other toppings on offer include asparagus and hollandaise if you’re feeling a little naughty, otherwise there’s the avocado salsa or pan-fried eggplant. Additionally, there’s mussels, oysters, squid and even a Bouillabaisse to tempt you.

My tuna steak was rare (as desired), the quality high and the texture, like jelly. The accompanying pesto potatoes were indeed flavoursome, but perhaps a little over the top with the amount of dressing. Tartare sauce fans unite – the creamy, dill and gherkin punctuated sauce adding zest to any fish dish.

Once again, like Mohr and Mohr, one can’t complain at the value, nor the serving sizes on offer. We left full – sans the oft mentioned lemon tart – one of three desserts on offer, alongside a rhubarb and apple crumble and chocolate tart, and certainly appreciated the walk home.

Returnability: Yes, and a mental note to try the take-away fish’n'chips at $7.50
Score: 13/20

Entrees $10.5 to $14.4. Mains $16 to $22. Dessert $7.5
BYO – no charge
202 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills

There’s nothing better than being taken out for meal. Oh hang on, there is one thing better and that’s being taken out somewhere for a great meal. As a birthday treat, Kel was taking me to Omega, Peter Conistis’ relatively new basement setup on King Street in the city. Having been to his old restaurant Eleni’s several times I was keen to try the offerings from this venture.

Named as last year’s ‘Restaurant of the year’ by the SMH Good Food Guide certainly piqued my interest, and so the booking was made.

Decsending down the stairs with sounds of Jazzanova playing and quite an interesting lighting arrangment, it was more like entering a slick bar than a restaurant. We were greeted and seated at the bar and ordered a couple of drinks to start the night off. One thing that many have who have visited this restaurant is the decor – I suppose you either love it or you hate it. Moulded plastic chairs that snugly fit your posterior, panels of mirrored bulbs across the far wall – I was in the group that loved it.

Anyway, since we’re here to eat – on to the food. It’s not often that I’m confronted with a menu that simply says “Eat me!”. I simply wanted to try everything tonight – however I did start with the anchovy baklava, which was accompanied by a salad of marinated sardines, fennel and tomato whilst Kel had the herb crusted seared Hiramasa kingfish on a bed of tomato kibbeh with basil tzatziki and fetta fritters. The baklava was sweet with a wafer thin pastry that was melt in the mouth.

Again, the selection for main course was just as difficult. Kel had the Humpty Doo Barramundi with ras el hanout, scampi, nicola potatoes, cherry tomatoes and baby fennel whilst I had the herb crusted king George whiting in kataifi pastry with a blue swimmer crab, cavalo nero and savoro sauce. And again, the dishes were just as good as the entrees. The pastry was most unusual – I have only seen a sweetened version used as a dessert item, however this gave a crunchy texture to the whiting with a hint of almond.

The wine list was excellent, a wonderful cross section of Australian wines with a support cast of NZ sauv blanc’s and even a couple of Greek reds. By the glass there was 4 bubbles, 4 white and 5 red varietals to select from – by the bottle, the selection is almost endless. The only thing that felt lacking on the night was the lack of suggestion strength from the acting Sommellier on the light. However, it would have been the only (minor) flaw of the experience; the wait staff were otherwise knowledgable and friendly, without being apparent.

Having eaten so much, dessert was a shared affair, plumping for the bitter chocolate, rosewater and Turkish delight ice cream slice with Turkish delight fillo cigar. The fragrance of the dessert was divine, and more than ample for 2 people. This, with two glasses of dessert wine (thrown in as a ‘birthday present’ from the restaurant) capped off a splendid meal.

Returnability: Without hesitation
Score: 16/20

Entrees $22 to $28. Mains $30 to $38. Dessert $17 to $21
BYO ($10 corkage) plus extensive, impressive winelist
161 (Basement) King Street, Sydney

Isn’t living in Surry Hills grand? Well, I certainly think so! Only minutes away from a massive selection of restaurants of different cuisines, some wonderful and some terrible. Tonight, we toddled off to Mohr & Mohr for a very casual meal. I’ve been sick with the ‘flu all week and it was nice to get out of the house.

No wines by the bottle, not even a BYO tonight, it was a simple one course and “we’ll see if we need dessert” kind of night. Perusing the menu, the influence being largely German. We settled on the hearty cassoulet with duck, sausage and Kassler, and the braised lamb shanks with broad beans and cherry tomatoes. Also spotted on the menu were the influences of the sister restaurant Mohr Fish – salmon with green peppercorn beurre blanc and rudder fish with mango salsa.

The food was decent without being special – however I should note that the serving sizes are huge! It was just as well that we didn’t order an entree! The shanks weren’t melting off the bone, and the cassoulet nothing to write home about – the duck was dry and whilst the sausage was tasty, I was still feeling it digest at 11pm!

This is the sort of restaurant I could see a rugby team getting stuck into the meals without complaint simply due to the serving sizes. A good local bistro, relatively inexpensive and quick – we were in and out in an hour – and we certainly didn’t need dessert!

Returnability: Perhaps, in the middle of winter.
Score: 13/20

Entrees $8.5 to $25. Mains $18 to $23. Dessert $6.5 to $12.5
BYO ($5 corkage) plus small winelist
Entertainment Book discount available
204 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills

With the recent rating of Sydney’s favourite Asian restaurant, usurping longtime darling Longrain, we thought it was well worth another visit to Spice I Am. Set in what doesn’t go too far beyond the stock standard dining room for your average Thai restaurant, the variety of the menu had us interested from the get go. Harking to its more expensive neighbour, items such as pork Pad Prik King Crispy Pork Belly appear on the menu, infused with a slightly fired up blend of chilli. Fish cakes weren’t the oh-so-typical rubbery pads of fish composite, instead whitebait shreds with a hot and somewhat sweet chilli sauce. Did you say firey? Watch out for the Larb, this time with chicken and proved to hot for one of us (well it wasn’t me!) – yet those fresh flavours kept me wanting more.

This time around we got one success and one hmmph.. but we’ll be back, probably because the Papaya flower salad the first time around was wonderful (and truly reminiscent of a dish we ate in Hoi An!). Just remember they don’t do bookings, and we waited 40 mins for a table on a busy Friday night. Come with a small group, and don’t be afraid to order a few dishes.

Returnability: Yes. Bring a handkerchief to mop the brow! And extra beer!!
Score: 14/20

Entrees $6.5 to $10.9. Mains $10.9 to $24.9. Dessert $6.5
No bookings. No cards
BYO (no corkage)
90 Wentworth Avenue, Sydney

Updated review – August 2006.

The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Awards for 2006 were announced at the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay last night. Drumroll please…

Restaurant of the Year: est
Chef of the Year: Mark Best
Best New Restaurant: Pilu at Freshwater
Best Regional Restaurant: Collits Inn

Claude’s, est, Guillaume at Bennelong, Marque, Quay and Tetsuya’s

Aria, Bilson’s, Bistro Moncur, Buon Ricordo, Icebergs Dining Room & Bar, Longrain, Lucio’s, Omega, Pello, Pier, Pilu at Freshwater, Restaurant Balzac, Rockpool, Sean’s Panaroma and Yoshii.

The Bather’s Pavilion Restaurant, Bistro Lulu, Bistro Moore, Catalina Rose Bay, Fish Face, Flying Fish, Forty One, Galileo, Golden Century, Grand National, Hugo’s, Il Piave, Lotus, Manta, Milsons, Otto, Perama, Post Seafood Brasserie, Restaurant Atelier, Ristorante Riva, Sea Treasure, sushi e, Three Weeds, The Wharf and Ying’s.

Good Food Guide Editor Picks
Favourite Asian: Spice I Am
Favourite Bistro: Tabou
Favourite Mediterranean: Perama
Favourite Seafood: Pier
Favourite Yum Cha: Marigold Citymark
Favourite Bar: Bridge Bar
Favourite Café: Bertoni Casalinga

Epoque is Sydney’s answer to a Belgian beer cafe as such. A short jaunt from the North Sydney business district – a dozen of us from work sat down at the bar and started working our way through the beers, starting off with some of the lighter concoctions, including the most interestingly presented beer – Kwak, before we made our way to our table and lunch itself.

Some of the beers are quite easy to drink, and some quite difficult – with the Trappist beers being the hardest for most, particularly two drops tried, Orval and Rodenbach. As you’d expect the beer menu well and truly outweights the wine menu. Whilst the non-beer drinker is catered to, it is a Belgian beer cafe after all.

Time to order – the fare was a mixture, with everything from fried camembert to lightly panfried prawns. The main courses that showed the way to Belgium, with a plethora of mussel pots to try, to slabs of beef, or in my case, pork and pistachio sausages.

The sausages were quite good, served with sauerkraut, mashed potato and red wine jus. Quite heavy, and in association with the consumption of the heavy beers, it was hard to get through. That said, probably my favourtie beer for the day was the Chimay Bleue, which went with this dish quite well, a nutty aftertaste to compliment.

A cheese platter and a cherry beer to finish off, and I was well sated. A good location to enjoy a few different types of beers, and caters well to a work lunch crowd. The only downside is that it does get hot in warmer weather.

Returnability: If I was on the north shore having a few beers more than a session, sure.
Score: 11.5/20

Entrees $8.5 to $29.5. Mains $17.5 to $29.5. Desert $9.8. to $15.5
Fully licensed
429 Miller Street, Cammeray