Seven Restaurants to Book When a Catch-Up With Your Mates Is Long Overdue

The neon pink glow of Commonwealth Street’s Chin Chin Sydney brings about a pavlovian response. And luckily for you, opting for dining here with a group means you can try a good portion of the 50-item menu. Round the troops and sample your way through modern Asian flavours with a quintessentially Aussie twist. There’s the slow-cooked pulled pork pancakes, the rendang beef curry, fresh kingfish sashimi paired with a spicy green papaya salad, oh and those egg noodles with the hellfire chilli oil. Can’t narrow your choices down? Let the chefs do it for you with the Feed Me Favourites set menu ($69.50 per person) or Cookbook Feed Me menu ($88 per person). Then let the food comas ensue.

When the group wasn’t organised enough to plan that trip overseas for European summer this year, look to Hubert. While it may not scream summer, it’s certainly French. And as the climes cool in Sydney, the warming food, drink and atmosphere will be just what you’re looking for. Although most tables are reserved for walk-ins, we recommend booking ahead to nab a table in the dining room — and hopefully catch some live music on the stage. Groups under eight have their pick of the a la carte menu, featuring French classics like oysters mignonette, beef tartare and bavette steak, or the banquet menus (required for larger groups) at $95 or $145 a head. Either way, you’ll be able to order the chicken fricassée, available on either the a la carte or $95 banquet menus.

Image: Daniel Boud.

With 185-seats to choose from and a kitchen headed up by chefs Mike Eggert (ex-Mr Liquor’s Dirty Italian Disco) and Khan Danis (ex-Rockpool), this casual Mediterranean eatery is one to add to your list. Head through to the back of Bondi’s no-frills The Royal, and you’ll find cooked-to-order Italian flatbreads; grilled fish, Bannockburn chicken and schnitzels straight from the Josper oven; and, of course, plenty of pasta. If the group’s big enough, go for the full Italian meal with antipasti, primi, secondi, contorni, insalata and the like, and pretend you’re eating in a small trattoria on the Mediterranean coastline with a glass vino or a negroni in hand.

Image: Nikki To.

Hankering for a slice of damn fine pizza? Rally the troops and head for the laidback King Street digs of Bella Bruta, the latest contender on the Inner West’s growing list of ‘best pizzerias’. It’s a casual 50-seat affair brought to life by Luke Powell of LP’s Quality Meats and Joseph Valore and Elvis Abrahanowicz of Porteño. Come hungry and order to your heart’s content from the variety of blistered wood-fired bases loaded with everything. There’s house-made mortadella, garlic and green olives; roast mushrooms, truffle cream and fontina; and yes, that clam pizza everyone’s been raving about. Hot tip? Plan your catch-up on a Sunday afternoon so you can soak up some sunshine while you dine in the back courtyard.

Image: Kitti Gould.

If you’ve yet to taste Chica Bonita’s famous fish tacos, the new CBD outpost gives you no excuse not to. Packed with Baja sauce, cabbage, cilantro and lime and at $8 a pop, these tacos will make you want to order copious quantities — plus, there are four other flavours you’ll want to try like duck carnitas or poblano pepper with Oaxaca cheese and lemon balm. Finding its home on Clarence Street in a 100-seat heritage-listed building, this is top-quality, group-friendly Mexican street food. Beyond the taco menu, you’ll find share plates like chipotle and arbol chilli king prawns, mole pork belly and pickled watermelon rind ensalada. Our pick of the menu? Start with bebé corn topped with fermented chilli mayo, queso fresco and cacao; split the Oaxaca cheese and saltbush tamale as an entree; and wash it all down with a classic margarita.

Image: Kitti Gould.

Gather your mates, sink into plush blue velvet banquettes and get ready for a taste of ‘in-authentic’ Indian cuisine. Don’t Tell Aunty throws out the rule book, delivering innovative foods and wine fusing Indian flavours with American, Australian and Chinese tastes. Expect whiskey in your chai, ghee-free curry and delightful little snacks dubbed ‘balls of happiness’. The street food menu includes many a must-try item like the papadi chaat, motherland-inspired nachos and salsa and proteins from the tandoor. But the real winner is the Chef’s Tasting Menu for $65 that brings you a thali-like serve of each curry served — including the unauthentic butter chicken with tomato, ginger, garlic and fenugreek and without the traditional ghee.

When a nice, long, belly-filling reunion with mates is in order, look to Canton Kitchen. This Castelcrag eatery dishes out modern Cantonese fare using local meats and produce via several menus fit for a hungry crew. A new addition to the Lower North Shore, the venue is the brainchild of Jason Chan, former Queen Chow head chef, and delivers dishes like locally sourced duck served Peking-style with steamed pancakes, silken tofu with vegetarian XO sauce and even ‘typhoon shelter’-style Alaskan crab fried rice. Can’t decide? Order the Feed Me menu at $68 per person, and put your appetite in the very adept hands of the kitchen, or come between 11.30am and 3pm Thursday to Sunday for unlimited yum cha at $38 a head (or $65 per person with unlimited wine, beer, soft drink and juice).