Maydanoz

It’s the low-lit luxury of the dining room at Maydanoz that strikes you first. But it’s the menu by Somer Sivrioğlu – one of the city’s most esteemed Turkish chefs – that probably brought you here in the first place. This 100-seat CBD restaurant by Sivrioğlu’s Origins Dining Group (Efendy, Anason) is an ode to the cuisine of the Aegean coastline, where meat usually plays second fiddle to veg.

When Broadsheet spoke to Sivrioğlu, the chef’s favourite dishes were vegan coconut-yoghurt dip, and a fava bean puree topped with stalks of charred baby cauliflower. More meze – perhaps barbequed haloumi with honey, and beetroot falafel with spinach pita, pickles and tahini – is followed by the occasional protein, such as chicken with bulgar pilaf, chilli and tomato.

The wine list includes European and Australian options alongside a selection of new and old-style Turkish wines. Cocktails also nod to Turkey, and we love the signature Rose Garden with a fresh combo of gin, rose, hibiscus, cucumber and lemon.

An interior by Guru Projects is also influenced by the Aegean coast, with the deep greens and blues of the coastline incorporated into the furniture. The front side of the restaurant opens up to a candlelit outdoor seating area, and the chef’s table offers a more communal dining experience for the restaurant’s events and chef collabs.