Best seafood
Seafood and Sydney go together like peanuts and beer. We deliver you the freshest and best
Winner
Sepia, Sydney
Sepia is serving up piscatorial pleasures in a big, beautiful space not unlike a New York brasserie. After years working with the likes of Marco Pierre White and Tetsuya Wakuda, not to mention running the Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay, chef Martin Benn has opened Sepia, his first solo venture with long-term partner (in both business and lurve) Vicki Wild. Benn utilises mod techniques such as soils and foams and while there are occasions when you may find yourself thinking the dishes are underseasoned, it's a cumulative affect - you need to have faith. Try the entree of smoky-yet-briny Silver Lake eel - it rests on a rectangle of sushi rice with a line of liquorice powder racked up on the side and is a perfect balance of texture and barbecue sweetness. Or striations of Queensland spanner crab that meld with buckwheat risotto enriched with sinus-clearing mustard butter. The butter-roasted hapuka is something else: the fillet of meaty, white, flaky fish is seasoned with bacon powder. Smoked cuttlefish ink frames the dish while thin curls of firm-yet-gelatinous cuttlefish lightly pickled in rice wine vinegar rest in little piles around the plate. Wow. Superb service, a cracker wine list and, of course, first-class fish make Sepia the winner it is.
Runners-up
Tetsuya's Sydney
Everyone who loves food should try Tetsuya's. Chef Tetsuya Wakuda sources stunning ingredients – the confit Petuna ocean trout has been a highlight for some years now. The restaurant offers outstanding service and BYO, too.
Manta Woolloomooloo
Woolloomooloo Wharf is one of the nicest spots to eat at in town. You can sit in the sun (when it's out, that is), order off the interesting wine list and eat a piece of fish. We love the John Dory crumbed and served with a salad of kipfler potatoes and capers.
Fish Face Darlinghurst
Having worked with all things piscine for about as long as Methuselah, chef/restaurateur Steve Hodges knows fish better than just about anyone in town. Oh, and he can cook like buggery.
Pier Rose Bay
Pier, perched on the water overlooking Rose Bay, offers smooth service and sheer delight on a plate. It's mostly seafood centred with a bit of meat on the side, and you'll want to be fully cashed up before dining here.
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