new in town, just in time for summer

Sydney's weather may not be playing nice, but that doesn't mean you have to haunt your old favourites this summer when there are plenty of amazing new restaurants and bars to check out.

Neild Avenue


Terry Durack says one of the biggest trends of the year is the kebab. It's a bit of a bold statement, but it's definitely obvious that fire, meat, sizzle and spice are all things we consider..er, nice. We're the land of the BBQ after all (aren't we?). So enter Neild Avenue - fronted by Maurizio Terzini (Icebergs, North Bondi Italian) and Robert Marchetti, the idea is a cross cultural blend of flavours, from Lebanese to Greek and Italian, but it's far less confused than it sounds. Start with expertly cured salumi, smokey Afgani flatbreads and kebabs: no, not your average corner store number, but variations including hand-minced meats seasoned with garlic and sprinkled cracked wheat, skewered on an impressively dramatic sword and served with fresh and spicy accompaniments like sumac onions, grilled chillis and cooling yoghurt.

Great for groups, Neild Avenue is tipped to be the 'must be seen' place this summer, so be prepared to queue for your BBQ. Just make sure you do it in Opening Ceremony heels and Alexander Wang threads.

Honeycomb

What do you get when you take a well-regarded Sydney chef, a popular neighbourhood restaurant site and add a new venture? Apparently exactly the same thing. This may sound odd, but when the chef in question is Café Sopra’s Andy Bunn, and the new venture promises more of the same tasty, unpretentious and uncomplicated cuisine he’s become renowned for, this is a very good thing, Sydney. Don’t know who he is? Well if you’ve ever fallen in love with Sopra’s banoffee pie, shredded cabbage salad with balsamic or one of many killer pastas, guess what? You’re already a convert. Tucked at the bottom of Liverpool Street in the old Phamish/Koi site, near stalwarts Buon Ricordo and Bill’s, with a bevy of new projects sprouting up nearby, it’s an eating precinct to keep your eye on. Featuring golden-hued light fixtures and hexagonal wooden touches, this is one chic looking hive in which to kick back and enjoy the talents of this Sydney treasure.

354 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst

Breakfast, Lunch

Dinner Thursday – Saturday

The Baxter Inn

Fans of obscure Melbournesque-bars, you may have just met your match. Darlinghurst's Shady Pines boys may just have outdone themselves with their latest bar, The Baxter Inn. Technically a street address should lead you to the right location, however it's much easier to do this: Walk across the road from Redoak microbrewery on Clarence Street, walk down the long lane way which takes you to a seedy spot between some high rises. In the right hand corner, there's a stairwell, which leads to Baxter Inn's front door. Do that, or go with someone who's been before. 

Inside, you'll find more of the same cool 'tude we've come to know and love from Shady Pines, along with great cocktails, a strong suit in whisky/whiskey/scotch and bourbon as well as an appropriately old-school atmosphere. 

Make sure you bring a GPS, after a few drinks, you might need some help finding your way home. 

154 Clarence Street, Sydney

Monday - Saturday 4pm - 1am

www.thebaxterinn.com

Restaurant no-shows should plate up or shut up

A recent article by Simon Thomsen in The Punch described a restaurateur's dilemma when it comes to no shows and last minute cancelled bookings. What many punters don't understand is that bookings dictate how a restaurant is run. From how many staff to put on, to ordering food stock, the system of booking exists not only so the punter is guaranteed a table, but also so a restaurant can plan how their business will run.

Behaviour such as booking multiple restaurants at the same time and then deciding on the night which one you'll go to, not turning up to a booking, or cancelling at the last minute is not only unconscionable, but impacts on the livelihood of others. For the full article, click here.

3 food books for christmas

It's December already - a notion that renders people confused as to what the hell just happened with the year and how it could possibly be Christmas in 23 days time. Each year, people make a commitment to getting all their Christmas shopping out of the way early and each year, people are still scrambling to get their shopping done on Christmas eve.

If you're a keen bean and are already powering your way through the 'nice' list, here are a few cookbook ideas for the cook in your life:

Heston At Home

Just dropping in book stores around the country at the moment, it's safe to say not many people have a copy of this new tome by the sultan of strange science-y food, Heston Blumenthal. Don't worry, you don't need a bunsen burner to carry out these recipes, just common sense and a keen palate for flavour. What's great about this book is that it covers the basics beautifully - the kind of things that, if you get right, make a meal great instead of good. Things like how to nail the perfect stock, right through to those famous triple cooked potato fries. Not only that, but it explains why things work the way they do. A brand new kitchen essential.

$65.00, out through Bloomsbury in all good book shops.

Rockpool

Recently, industry legend Neil Perry put out his very beautiful, heavy, sexy looking Rockpool Bar & Grill book. All to often, cook books are beautiful, heavy things to admire from afar, but live more often on a coffee table than in a kitchen. More than a cook book, Rockpool Bar & Grill is a collected tome of essential information about produce, how and why to cook it like it should be cooked but most of all, it makes you want to get into the kitchen and give it a go. The photography is pared back, simple and moody, and, like Heston At Home, it takes the essential information about what makes food good and makes it accessible for the home cook. Yes, the recipe for the famous David Blackmore wagyu burger is in there, but it's the simple things like recipes for anchovy butter, stocks and mayo that'll become kitchen staples for life.

$79.95, out through Murdoch Books

Great, Grand & Famous: Champagnes

The next part in the Great, Grand & Famous series, this bubbly little number is great for anyone who wants to know just what makes Champagne the king of all sparkling wines and why Champagne is only Champagne if it's from Champagne. Curated by a couple of Champagne experts including Twitter's @champagnejayne, it's a journey into the stories of the great Champagne houses, the people who helped make it great and the science and artistry behind it all. A beautiful coffee table book full of vintage art and popular culture moments where the bubbles were the 'the thing'.

$80.00, out through Arbon Publishing