Nel's Native Australia Degustation

Overview

Degustation menus are an art and an experience, taking diners' tastebuds on a delicately curated journey — a journey that Sydney restaurant nel lives and breathes all year round. Chef and namesake Nelly Robinson likes pushing the concept further, however, as visitors to the Wentworth Avenue venue know. Maybe you tucked into his KFC-inspired spread in 2022 or gave his recent Christmas degustation a go. Either way, you can now add the restaurant's latest menu to your list: an 11-course lineup dedicated to native Australian ingredients.

On offer from Tuesday, January 16 through to Saturday, April 15, nel's current degustation is centred around the wonders of native produce, in a series of creative dishes that spotlight pepperberry, bush tomato, crocodile, saltbush, lemon myrtle and eel.

"This is a produce-driven menu," says Robinson. "As a Brit, I love learning about and celebrating the native ingredients my adopted country has to offer... Exploring and incorporating these incredible native ingredients into each and every dish has been a truly inspiring journey for me and my team."

A few of the dishes you can expect include a pepperberry jaffle filled with crocodile, chicken and native lemon grass; an eel mousse paired with fennel green powder served in a mini cone; kingfish carpaccio; and a spanner crab risotto.

To close out the meal, sweet tooths will be delighted with the Lemon Myrtle Twigs, a take on the classic lemon pie designed to look like pieces of driftwood washed up on a beach.

Sydneysiders can tuck in for $145 per person, with another $155 each on top for matched beverages. Or, you can sip paired non-boozy drinks for $75 instead.