Silvester's

Silvester’s is the flagship of the Marriott’s multi-million-dollar dining development. It serves only Australian produce in a hall decorated with gold and leather, and with high ceilings. The man in charge is Raphael Szurek, a French chef who is a veteran of Marriott Hotels. He uses minimalist French-Japanese technique and ideas, but local, top quality products.

Silvester’s is an all-day venue. One dinner-menu option is simple: Grima Brothers vegetables, a selection of whatever the south-Sydney farmers harvested that day. Berkshire pork from Byron Bay is served with carrots basted in Tasmanian miso. And Tasmanian saltbush lamb shoulder is confit and served whole. A nice homage to Szurek’s new surroundings comes in a textural “modern pavlova” made with white chocolate frozen by liquid nitrogen, meringue and berries.

The lunch offering is similar, but the breakfast menu features a few new ideas and a hotel buffet. The French toast with freeze-dried mandarin, crème fraîche and strawberries is an Instagram pick. There are also fresh pastries.

There are about 90 wines, 70 per cent of which are Australian. Beers, spirits and cocktails, like the food, are focused on boutique suppliers.