Ester Restaurant & Bar
Ask a group of fine-dining chefs where they like to eat on a day off. Chances are, one restaurant will come up a lot: Ester. The 45-seater has been reinventing fine dining since mid-2013. The mood is casual, the fit-out is sparse and the dishes are simple and honest but incredibly finessed.
Instead of copious ingredients, exotic materials and laboratory techniques, chef Mat Lindsay relies on a wood-fired oven and the best local produce that Sydney and its surrounds have to offer.
Typically, the menu changes with the season, but signatures to expect all-year-round are baked cauliflower with almond cream and mint; a pillowy blood sausage “sanga” and buttery roasted king prawns. With these you’ll be drinking a list of exclusively organic or biodynamic wines (including a good selection of oranges), premium-grade sakes and maybe even a homemade soda.
Like the food, the interior is accessible, minimalist and smart – similar to its sister restaurants, Vini, 121BC and Berta (all owned by Andrew Cibej) the furniture is basic, with most tables offering views over the bar and into the kitchen.
We do not seek or accept payment from the cafes, restaurants, bars and shops listed in the Directory – inclusion is at our discretion. Venue profiles are written by independent freelancers paid by Broadsheet.
