Bayswater Brasserie
Since 1982, the "Bayz" has been the Sydney diner you visit for a lunch that lasts all afternoon
Bed down at the Bayz with a chilled Riesling and some heroes on a half shell
Before bistros were the next big thing, the chefs at the Bayswater were frying steaks and shucking oysters fresh to order. This New York style bistro is the home of "the three Martini lunch" and where Aussie
literary legend Frank Moorehouse does his best work (oysters on one side, a Martini on the other) and
although you can get plenty of straight shooting bistro food around Sydney today, if you want to smell culinary history, you head here.
Ignore the specials on the blackboard lest ye be disappointed by some lack-lustre Spanish influenced mod-Oz dishes. Instead, order a selection of the restaurant signature - briny, fresh-as-hell Sydney rock oysters from the outstanding range of five, paired with a glass of crisp Riesling. Follow it with a sirloin topped with porcini butter and pepped up with a little watercress and a mound of crisp, salty French fries on the side, requiring nothing more than a fat tempranillo. And for dessert, you can't go past one of head bartender Charlie Ainsbury's cocktails like the Batida da Casa - a Brazilian sweet milk punch.
The room is as classic as the food, too, with tiled floors and dark wood lines pervading the dining area as well as the bar which is as well manned as it is stocked with interesting booze. Service hits the right notes every time with a mixture of brevity, moxy and chattiness and the wine's always flowing with great suggestions by the glass or bottle. No matter which of the floor staff you ask, an educated suggestion is guaranteed. Here's lookin' at you, kid.
Bayswater Brasserie 32 Bayswater Rd Kings Cross, 2011. (02 9357 2177) Mon-Thu 6pm-10pm; Fri 12 noon-3.30pm, 6pm-10pm; Sat-Sun 6pm-10.30pm. Licensed. Around $65pp including wine.