Bush

Redfern’s Bush is a contender for Sydney’s most Australian eatery. Where native produce and invasive species such as boar have historically been the remit of high-end restaurants, chef-owner Grant Lawn serves (nay, celebrates) both on a menu that’s equal parts affordable and ambitious in a casual neighbourhood setting.

The concise menu is stacked with indigenous produce, from Warrigal greens in the pesto gnocchi to wattle seed in a sweet flan dessert with bruleed banana and macadamias. Inventive use of game is a calling card, with hits including kangaroo steak frites and a hefty venison chop recalling something you’d see in a German bierkeller. The Bush cheeseburger, while no longer on the menu, is the stuff of Sydney legend.

This is all served in a relaxed space where wait staff treat you like a mate. Inside is cluttered with bits from the bush, including tables hewn from a tree trunk. Australiana touches include stuffed marsupial toys and a motley selection of twigs, branches and native flowers. The outdoor area feels like the communal dining space at a school campground.