
As spring ushers in a season of change, now's the time to explore Sydney's innovative experiences, with different cultures, creators and styles being combined and iterated on. This September see new takes on French pastries, Sri Lankan cuisine and high-end steak dining. Check into Penrith's new luxury precinct and explore how a dive bar is transforming into three levels of Sydney style.
Woodfired fine dining
Before you enter Poetica Bar and Grill, smell the smoke, charcoal and steak you're about to eat. Then walk in to see a light-filled dining room with stone tabletops, amber-coloured cocktails and a view of a flaming grill that's the restaurant's showpiece. The restaurant is a new high-end grill in North Sydney from the hospitality group behind The Charles Grand Brasserie and Bar, Loulou Bistro, and Tiva.
Hangover cure, Korean style
Perfect for party people needing a recovery, Yeodongsik is a cute Lidcombe restaurant that specialises in haejang-guk, a dish that literally translates to 'soup to chase a hangover'. The menu has only a few soups, a trio of shared dishes (including a perfectly crunchy pancake) and the house made banchan (free Korean side dishes).
Britain reimagined on the plate
What would English fish and chips look like at an award-winning restaurant? How would Paddington Bear's marmalade sandwich taste if a fine-dining chef made it? Nel provides the answers. From Wednesday 16 August to Saturday 30 September, the CBD restaurant will reimagine the classics of British cuisine across an eleven-course degustation under the title Great British Memories.
Pub reborn
When Jacksons on George reopens at Circular Quay this September, it will be one of the biggest transformations in Sydney hospitality. What was once a famous dive bar will become a sophisticated three-level wine-and-dine palace. Starting from the ground floor up, there will be a stylish pub, a restaurant headed by an ex-Iceberg's chef, and a rooftop cocktail bar up top.
Steak for all
This is the Alfie's promise: 15 minutes after you walk into the bistro, you'll be eating a dry-aged sirloin worthy of Sydney's best steakhouses. The new fast-fine-dining steak house is from the team who brought us Bistecca and The Gidley, when doors open next month, expect locally sourced, high-quality beef, a slick fit-out and exceptional service.
Hoppers and beer
Taste Sri Lankan spices and wash them down with a craft beer or Colombo gin at Kurumba, Surry Hills' brand-new Sri Lankan restaurant and bar. From the same owners of popular, now-closed cafe The Fold in Dulwich Hill, Kurumba offers creative renditions of traditional street food plus a modern bar serving both local- and Sri Lankan-influenced drinks.
Oaxaca in Glebe
Delve into the indigenous flavours of Oaxaca, Mexico with Nu'u, a new mid-range, modern-Mexican restaurant by Manuel Díaz (an alumni of Michelin-starred restaurants in France) and Diana Farrera. Find mezcal on the drink menu and, on the food menu, a 40-ingredient mole sauce used to cure pork belly.
Korean croissant
Imagine the surprise and joy in finding your chocolate croissant has not just two central batons of chocolate but a swirl enveloping your entire croissant. That is just one innovation at Layers, St Leonards' new patisserie and specialty coffee spot bringing a twist to traditional French baking.
Mangan's latest
Luke Mangan fans take note, the celebrity chef is launching a French- and Japanese-inspired restaurant in Potts Point. Named Luc-San after the chef-owner and the Japanese honorific, the smart-casual restaurant and bar will serve high-end Japanese whiskey and sake with French wine alongside a creative Mangan menu that twists the two cuisines together.
Five stars in Penrith
Experience $110 million of luxury development at Accor Penrith Pullman. Across 153 rooms, a new Modern-European bar and restaurant, a state-of-the-art fitness and wellness centre (designed in partnership with the Penrith Panthers) and an incredible function centre, the new hotel is a destination stay between the Blue Mountains and Sydney's west.
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