BEST EATS, presented by The Thousands Sydney
Youeni Provides
Youeni Provides does exactly that. You want super fresh fruit and vegetables and pastas and meats waiting to take you home and treat you right? You want slow-roasted lamb and thin charred potato slices on a chunky sandwich, or a juicy fennel, orange and avocado salad? You want great coffee and cute baristas and a leafy Darlinghurst locale? And you want owners who care enough about your health and heart to peddle adorable love stories about beetroot. Website
Orto Trading
It’s lucky Orto’s smoked kingfish wellington with buttered leek and wild rice is so tempting and tasty. We were so paralysed by this joint’s cute look and candles and sweet suspended flower arrangements we couldn’t move our arms until it came out. This industrial chic sweetheart is the evening spin-off from Redfern’s Baffi and Mo, and the cafe’s great ingredients and warm service stay out to play after dark. This is bistro food made with love, and it’s a great excuse to dress up and drag your finger along a wine list. Website
The Dip
We wish we could wrap The Dip in one sweet, soft hot dog bun and down the whole place whole. They’ve been pumping out down-home American diner delights for the happy groovers at Goodgod since May this year; stop dribbling pulled pork nachos down your top for a minute to say cheers. This is greasy food gone good – think chipotle dawgs and smokey beans with apple and cabbage slaw. There is much to dig at the Dip. Website
Feather and Bone
Who knew blood-covered, knife-wielding big men could have such sweet hearts? Feather and Bone are all about the sustainable steak; they sell meats that are ethically sourced, treated and distributed. Now you can eat meat and still play good cop (and also satisfied cop – their products change weekly, but include aged steaks, free range pork and eggs from porridge-fed chooks!). These guys are changing the world through chicken and chops, and your taste buds are better off for it. Website
Bar H Surry Hills
If we could date a dining place, it’d be Bar H. It feels dark and confident and sexy, but also experienced enough to call you back on time. The former corner cafe transformed in to this elegant lunch and dinner haunt, and the menu and wine list has upscaled some. The bits-and-pieces dishes ranges from salty roast duck pancakes to mussels with spicy dippy red pepper sauce, and you can watch prodigal chef Hamish Ingham make it all happen at the long bar. Leave your number on a napkin. Website
Izakaya Fujiyama
So one day someone was all like “hey Japan, nice raw fish and rice, but I’m really hungry and maybe hung-over and I need something greasier. Any ideas?” And Japan was all like “*bows* Izakaya Fujiyama in Waterloo Street, Surry Hills.” Owner chef Kenji Maeneka has brought a small plate sensibility to revved up Japanese dishes – all the fresh fish and usual miso suspects are here, but they’re chilling with orgasmic crunchy chicken and lime kingfish with fried tortilla. The sake list is extensive and the ambience is sexy. Good one Japan. Website
FourAteFive
It takes a special kind of cafe to stand out on Crown Street. FourAteFive doesn’t just stand out; this joint executes a series of cartwheels and backflips and slips them all in a sandwich to die for. The roast beef comes with pickled Polish cucumbers, the ricotta cheese with a balsamic reduction and the three-cheese and Italian meatball comes with a cushion for when you faint with pleasure. The juices are fresh, the location is handy and the coffee is spot on. Numbers were never this appealing at school. Website
