The ultimate Sydney foodie hit list

Need to get on top of your Sydney foodie ‘hit list’?

Block out a weekend, find a great hotel that will become your ‘base camp’, and launch yourself into an urban adventure.

While you want to make the most of the city’s great eateries, venture out into the inner suburbs to see how the ‘villages’ are also carving out their own unique flavour.

You’d be surprised how much you can fit into a weekend and still keep a relaxed pace. Here’s my picks for a busy foodie weekend in Sydney:

Foodie Stop #1 – Brunch at Paramount Coffee Project, Surry Hills

One thing this city does well is take an old iconic building and recreate the space in a fresh and exciting way. This former foyer of the heritage-listed Paramount House has been opened up and transformed, fusing the original art deco design with a cool industrial vibe.

It’s a place that draws a lively crowd with locals lining up for their take-away coffees and groups of friends clustered around big open tables.

The all-day menu is a tempting melting pot of healthy dishes like the Pearl Barley Porridge, poached apple, gingered rhubarb, almond milk and pistachio butter, and the more decadent options like a hearty Buttermilk Fried Chicken waffle and maple bacon gravy – because what is brunch without a touch of bacon?!

Every dish goes well with the café’s ‘grown- up’ milkshakes. Did someone say salted pistachio & Nutella – yes please!

Foodie Stop #2 – Lunch at Anason, Barangaroo

Now is the perfect time for a sneak peek into the business-end of Barangaroo, the eagerly awaited new business district, before the crowds descend. You can now head north past King Street Wharf and into the Wulugul Walk where fourteen handpicked dining options are starting to open.

This is casual dining Sydney style, with wide open-air colonnades right along the harbour foreshore, giving you that blast of sunshine, a fresh breeze and fantastic street-food.

Anason, opened by hugely successful chef Somer Sivrioglu of Efendy fame, brings the flavours of Istanbul, with bold splashes of blue and white décor giving you that instant Mediterranean feel. This place is casually elegant and is deserving of a long slow weekend lunch with a glass of wine in hand.

Be transported from Sydney Harbour to the Bosphorus by modern Turkish flavours like octopus, beetroot and herb salad that is given a local twist. You can’t go wrong with grilled chicken, pomegranate yahni,or lamb fillet, eggplant begendi either. It doesn’t take much to be persuaded into trying some of the Turkish wines imported directly by the restaurant – our interest was certainly taken by the Sauvignon Blanc, Isabey, Izmir.

Work off lunch by walking down to Barangaroo Reserve, where terraced pathways open up views the public hasn’t seen for over 100 years. Head right down to the water’s edge and snag a spot on the huge sandstone blocks (there are over 10,000 so take your pick).

Foodie Stop #3 – Mercado, Angel Place

Nathan Sasi’s, ‘Mercado’ makes for a great first impression, transporting you down the stairs from street-level into a moody cellar-like space with a bit of sparkle.

What hits you first are the rich, wood fired scents coming from the open kitchen. The restaurant’s focus is squarely on fresh produce based on strong Spanish traditions, so embrace the 20 plus tapas style dishes from scallops with smoked pork jowl, to salt cod croquettes, Ortiz anchovy tart, and house cured Wagyu beef cecina.

The rotisserie is what will really have your mouth watering. Try the wood fired snapper or chicken, spit roast pig, lamb and Wagyu beef short rib or the BBQ 850g rib eye, which taste as amazing as they smell.

But leave some room from the dessert – make a beeline for the Dulce de leche ice cream, butterscotch and candied bacon. Yum.

Foodie Stop #5 – Kensington Street Social, Chippendale

The entire suburb of Chippendale has undergone an exciting renewal, and thankfully that includes a huge spotlight on food. Right at the heart of this mini-food revolution is Kensington Street, whose industrial spaces and historic terraces have been transformed into an exciting array of restaurants, cafes and hawker-style diners. Kensington Street Social is a super smart restaurant making the most of its industrial style setting, with soaring ceilings and a kitchen which is a true focal point.

Sitting up at the counter that stretches around the kitchen gives you the chance to see all the action first-hand, and you feel super special watching your dishes being constructed in front of you.

The inspired brunch menu is conveniently divided into Raw & Cured, Sourdough Flatbreads, Fish, Shellfish and Meat, and Vegetables. Smoked Alpine salmon, coddled egg, konbu, vine tomato ketchup and Queensland Spanner crab, frozen cucumber gazpacho, rhubarb, gives you just a hint at where this exciting menu can take you.

Feel like adding a little kick to your brunch? Add a Vegemiteini or a Cucumber, Watermelon & Dill Bloody Mary in a nice twist on the classic cocktails.

Before heading home, take a wander around the Central Park urban-development and make sure you coordinate your visit on the 1^st or 3^rd Sundays of the month to take in the Brewery Yard Markets for fashion, art and music. Grabbing a deckchair and listening to some acoustic guitar is the perfect way to end this adventure.

After all that food, Check-in to the QT Sydney

This place is quirky with a capital Q, starting with a big welcome from the ‘Director of Chaos,’ the screaming red wigged door women who guard the entrance of the hotel.

Located in an iconic Sydney building in the heart of the CBD, the eye-popping designer features transport you ‘down the rabbit hole’ into a world of cool vibes. It’s bold, brash and a whole lot of fun.

Before you even check in, have a little fun with the music in the lift, which changes depending on the number of people inside. Wait around for a little crowd to get the music pumping. The wow factor continues as you settle into your room, packed to the brim with special touches like the black bathrobes, a coffee machine, bowler hat lamps, free Wi-Fi and the espresso martini kit sitting seductively in the corner.

Head up to the luxe Gilt Lounge before dinner and indulge in a cocktail that suits your mood from ‘Millionaire’ to ‘Summertime Sadness’.

Where’s your fave foodie spot in Sydney at the moment? Tweet us @lastminute_au.

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