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Wine Bar

The Stinking Bishops

There’s just something oh-so-indulgent about having nothing but charcuterie for dinner. I’d like to think it’s because it makes me feel a little bit refined, but really I think it’s more like a meal of chicken nuggets – you know you shouldn’t, but that’s part of what makes it so good. And whilst there are plenty of places around town that’ll serve you up a decent plate of meat and cheese, where you really want to go if you’re serious is The Stinking Bishops. With over 40 cheeses (both local and international) on rotation at any one time, as well as a respectable selection of cured meats, even the most discerning cheese aficionados should find something new and exciting to…

23/09/2020

European, French, Impress Your Date ($35-$50), Newtown, Tapas, Wine Bar

Love, Tilly Devine

One good thing about Covid – hold on, hear me out here – is the fact that restaurants that never used to take bookings are now pretty much forced to do so. I’m usually pretty resigned to having to show up to a restaurant early and still run the risk of not getting a table, but frankly Sydney is a such a pain to get around compared to Melbourne that I’m much less keen to make that gamble. And that is also pretty much the reason I’ve never visited Love, Tilly Devine up until now, despite it being exactly the kind of wine bar I love and miss so much.

29/07/2020

Darlinghurst, European, Impress Your Date ($35-$50), Modern Australian, Tapas, Wine Bar

Ester

Up to now, dinner at Poly was probably my favourite upscale dining experience in Sydney, the poor service notwithstanding. Given that I’m currently trying to make one income stretch between two people however, I don’t really have a whole lot of time to be exploring the fine dining scene in Sydney, which is notoriously expensive as it is. But one really nice meal out at the end of the year for Chris’ birthday, our anniversary, and Christmas has always been a constant, and this year I chose Ester, the elder sister to Poly. Ester looks like every other popular Modern Australian restaurant that has ever been, but that’s not a bad thing. The interior is sleek yet warm, the bare…

29/01/2020

Best Of Sydney, Chippendale, Modern Australian, Mr. Moneybags ($50 Plus), Wine Bar

Poly

Nothing tastes as good as a celebratory meal, and oh do I have reason to be celebrating today. After barely 3 years out of university, Chris (aka my other half) has been promoted to a senior software developer! He’s of course stoked, and don’t tell him I said this because he’s already had so many congratulations that he’s running the risk of getting a big head, but I’m also completely thrilled – for him, and for this excellent excuse to splash out on dinner at Poly.

01/05/2019

Best Of Sydney, Hatted, Modern Australian, Mr. Moneybags ($50 Plus), Surry Hills, Wine Bar

Restaurant Hubert

I’m not much of a birthday person. I know plenty of people who use birthdays as an excuse to have a month-long celebration but frankly? I just don’t have that much energy. For me, what birthdays really amount to is a chance to have a good meal, where you splurge a bit on something you normally wouldn’t have. This year however, things are a little different. Not only am I in a brand-new city, instead of one full of restaurants I’ve been lusting over for years, I’m also on a significantly tighter budget on account of living away from home. But after much research and changing of minds, I eventually settled on Restaurant Hubert to celebrate turning 25 (ugh).

20/06/2018

European, French, Hatted, Mr. Moneybags ($50 Plus), Sydney CBD, Wine Bar

Osteria Ilaria

Rarely has a restaurant impressed me on the first visit the way Tipo00 did. Their meticulously hand-crafted pasta dishes were melt-in-the-mouth scrumptious, and each subsequent visit has been similarly astounding, and well worth the ridiculous wait times. So when the geniuses behind Tipo opened Osteria Ilaria a couple years later, all of Melbourne were waiting with bated breath to see if it lived up to its reputation. As it turns out, we needn’t have worried. Following Tipo’s example, Osteria Ilaria soon snapped up another Best New Restaurant of the Year Award, with accolades coming out of its ears, and queues extending down the street. But unlike Tipo, Osteria Ilaria is not a quaint little pasta bar. Hot on the tail…

17/01/2018

European, Hatted, Italian, Melbourne CBD, Mr. Moneybags ($50 Plus), Tapas, Victoria, Wine Bar

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