Five to Try: Sydney Restaurants for Imagining Yourself on a European Summer Getaway

You don’t need us to tell you the power that food, drinks and scenery have to trigger memories of travel – it’s as though the senses long for holiday good times (especially during these coronavirus bad times). But the venues on this list give off very specific vibes: those of a European summer. Waterside, refreshing drink in hand, snacking on tapas-style small plates. A grand dining room with views of the water and the aroma of fresh herbs; the classics of French cooking on a bustling, leafy inner-city street. And more. Vacay while you stay in Sydney.

The Amalfi Way
It says “Amalfi” on the tin, and those are the vibes this waterside venue delivers. It’s by Luigi Esposito, the “pizza king” of Crown Street (his other venues are Via Napoli and Pizza Fritta 180), and he has brought a touch of the Italian Riviera to this diner on Woolloomooloo’s Finger Wharf. “We think it’s a new way to serve seafood for Australians. Italians, and people who have been to Amalfi, will recognise the ripe flavours and the simplicity of the fish. You can taste what you’re eating,” he says.

Esposito’s father and grandfather were pizzaiolos. “My career started with them. All my life I’ve done pizzas; it’s what I love to do,” he told Broadsheet in December 2020. The range is big. And there are house-made pastas such as the scialatielli all’Amalfitana (a pasta from Sorrento made with milk, which helps the dough soak up the flavours of the sauce). It comes scattered with mussels, calamari, prawns and scampi.

Starters involve crudo that features the local catch, including lobster carpaccio. And tuna tartare served with peas done three ways: fresh, pureed and sous-vide. The highlight is a kingfish carpaccio with lemon, olive oil, capers and sundried tomatoes.

The decor says “summer in Amalfi”: yellow; clean, crisp whites; lemon trees; and ceramics from Italy’s south. It’s an environment for light and fresh spritzes, Mimosas and Bellinis, and Italian wines (there are local drops, too).

Bar Sopra
Bar Sopra is a few doors down from Spanish-influenced Potts Point diner La Bomba , and both are by husband-wife duo Nick Stone (Mona, Hugo’s, Hotel Harry) and Aparna Gehlot. The newer Bar Sopra (which opened in October 2020) is larger than La Bomba and has a stronger focus on drinks. It does European-style dining with a modern-Australian twist, for example: jamon croquettes with truffle aioli; roasted Yamba prawns in curry oil, lemon and aioli; Spanish white anchovies; chicken-liver pate; charcuterie; tinned seafood; and Spanish and Australian cheeses. Wines are from boutique Australian and international winemakers, and cocktails are seasonal (there’s a summer spritz of gin, rosé, peach liqueur and sparkling wine). The wine list is mostly Australian and has a strong selection of preservative-free and natural wines. France, New Zealand, Italy and France are also represented.

It also feels luxe. A terrazzo bar, tan leather seats, stone-like floor tiles and tables facing the street on the other side of bi-fold windows imitate a casual Mediterranean environment.

Bistrot 916
And now, to France. Dan Pepperell (Restaurant Hubert , 10 William St) knows his way around French food. It was the cuisine he studied and he calls it “the backbone of Western cooking”. This is another one in Potts Point (right across the road from Bar Sopra, in fact) and it’s what is these days being called a “neo-bistro” (i.e. bistro-ish), serving classics from the French cannon with, yes, a twist.

Pepperell is one of three owners behind Bistrot 916. Also involved is Michael Clift (who worked in the development kitchen at Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck in England, as executive chef of the Kempinski Hotel in Turkey, and at Rockpool Dining Group), and Andy Tyson (ex-sommelier at Swillhouse Group, where he worked with Pepperell at Hubert and Alberto’s Lounge).

The boudin noir (blood sausage) comes in spring-roll format: wrapped in brik pastry and fried, then served with lettuce, fresh herbs and an apple-cider dipping sauce. There are also shucked oysters, chicken-liver parfait and steak au poivre (pepper steak) with duck frites (duck-fat fries). Also expect a few reinventions (the twists!) of stalwarts, including a playful reboot of classic escargots – Bistrot 916’s version has handmade pasta dressed with snails and a garlicky butter.

The space is dark, moody and classic, with Thonet bistro chairs, mirrors and chalkboard menus. The bathrooms, though, are something special. “Dan [cookbook designer and artist Daniel New] came in with a life-drawing model,” says Pepperell. The result is a space with large-scale nudes across the walls and stalls. Chic.

L’Heritage
Steak frites, garlicky escargot, and a waterfront champagne and oyster bar. It’s not the French Riviera – it’s Mosman. L’Heritage is by the couple that runs nearby Frenchy’s Cafe (the pair has also operated two brasseries in Paris; they know their stuff).

The game plan for a visit here is cannon: aperitif to start, entree, main, cheese, dessert, cognacs and digestifs. But you can also just enjoy decanted champagne (it’s a thing) and snacks such as chicken-liver pate, goat’s cheese salad and a salmon rillette.

Mains are a hit-list of classics, from head chef Julien Audibert-Lebon’s grandmother’s signature bouillabaisse, to an entrecôte frites (steak and chips) and classic duck à l’orange.
There are aged French cheeses, and desserts include a chocolate mousse and poached pear with Chantilly cream.
“It’s a lot of traditional dishes that I like, very typical French. If you go to a bistro in France, that’s the kind of dish you will find,” says Audibert-Lebon. Breakfast is a simple affair: fresh croissants and apple turnovers with house-made jams and coffee.
The building is heritage listed and the interior is rustic-chic with decorations and objects found at flea markets in Paris. Water views are unavoidable.

A’Mare
They had us at “roving gelato cart”. But if you’re into understated fanciness, you’ll have double the pleasure at A’mare. This restaurant’s 200-seat dining room and terrace – at the base of Crown – looks out over water so pretty that, if you squint, you might for a moment think you’re in Italy.

Chef Alessandro Pavoni (Ormeggio , Chiosco by Ormeggio) wants to give diners an unfussy Michelin experience. “We’re in Australia. I wanted to take away the stiffness from the European, Michelin-star service, but also have the theatre of a beautiful meal,” he says.

This aim is realised most obviously via the pesto smashed at the table and stirred through pasta in front of you. Pine nuts and macadamia are ground into a paste, then the staff adds sweet Genovese basil, sea salt, pecorino ligure and Parmigiano Reggiano. The pesto is finished with extra-virgin olive oil. (Broadsheet ’s national editor, Sarah Norris, says it’s the best pesto she’s ever had.) The scent of fresh basil wafts through the dining room.

The burrata and green tomato caprese is also prepared tableside, with the server piercing the wobbly orb to spill its cream. Coral trout is filleted at the table, and the previously alluded to gelato is served from a trolley that traverses the room.

The wine list is 15 pages and offers drops that stretch from Australia to Italy, plus, as you would expect, a selection of premium cocktails.

The setting is downright fancy, but un-intimidating and, like the food, bereft of fine-dining stuffiness.

Additional reporting by Ariela Bard, Bianka Dorman, Georgina Safe, Pilar Mitchell and Belinda Luksic.