Overview
There's nothing worse than being weeks out from payday and feeling like you need to resort to two-minute noodles and canned goods, particularly when Sydney is flaunting such damn fine food in front of you. When it comes to the calibre of food in Sydney, missing out is not an option. Thankfully, some of Sydney's top restaurants understand that fancy food shouldn't require a savings plan or be reserved solely for special occasions.
Here are ten fancy spots that you can get to without breaking the budget.
LUNCH AT AUTOMATA
Keeping up with all of Sydney's best restaurants can be exhausting, not to mention expensive. But thanks to Automata's three-course lunch degustation ($60) you can indulge without blowing in excess of $200 Wednesday to Saturday. The dishes at Automata are one-of-a-kind, intricate and experimental, and ever-changing based on what's in season. Set in an industrial warehouse space, Automata offers fancy food with an edge. It's the kind of place where the beer list – which features some different contenders, like the Rodenbach Flemish Red Ale from Belgium ($12) — is given just as much emphasis as the cocktails or wine.
DINNER AT MOMOFUKU SEIOBO
Momofuku embraces the best part of fine dining — fresh, unusual and inventive dishes cooked expertly — but leaves the formalities behind. While the best seats in the house wrap around the kitchen, giving you a full view of Paul Carmichael's creative Caribbean flair, they don't come cheap at $185 for the degustation (and $105 for the wine pairing). Hardly a budget option. The loophole is that there are five coveted seats at the bar that give you access to fried chicken or black pudding sangas ($18), lamb tartare with mango hot sauce and black eye peas ($18) and the intriguing option of fish head with chickpea and hot sauce ($24).
LUNCH AT LUMI
With a long list of awards and a picturesque waterfront location, LuMi has real clout in the Sydney dining scene. And it treads its own unique path — chef Federico Zanellato adding a Japanese twist to modern Italian cuisine. Offering degustation-only menus (ten courses for $150, or seven courses for $120), the $85 Friday lunch menu is your best bet if you're on a budget. But don't think for a second that you're missing out, there's not a better time of day to be sitting by the water discovering how these unlikely pairings come together in dishes, like miso-strone, for example.
LUNCH OR DINNER AT MERCADO
With the care and energy that goes into making everything from scratch, you'd expect Mercado to come with a sizeable price tag. An opulent setting hidden below street level, Mercado does all its pickling, curing and smoking on-site and boasts an ever-changing seasonal menu that offers a modern take on Moorish food. Head in during the day — Monday to Wednesday — for the express lunch ($35), which includes John Dory, barbecue rump or a vegetarian option, and sides. At dusk, grab a table before 6pm and order the pre-theatre menu ($55) for three courses and the restaurant's famed dulce de leche ice cream with candied bacon.
Nikki To
CURED & CULTURED AT BENNELONG
When it comes to getting value for money, it doesn't get better than a meal and a show. Sit at the Cured & Cultured counter for a full view of the chefs at work, and for a meal that'll cost you less than the main restaurant. Drop in for a glass of Priory Ridge, Sauvignon Blanc ($18 a glass) and a not-so-quintessentially-Aussie suckling pig sausage roll ($24). You can try a bit of everything – including the Tasmanian-inspired scallop pie, black pig ham and polenta and five textures of raspberry — for $65 with the chef's tasting menu. Not bad considering three courses in the restaurant will set you back $140.
LUNCH AT PENDOLINO
Boasting a dedicated pasta kitchen, Pendolino takes pride in its traditional approach to regional Italian cuisine and the quality of its ingredients. Tucked away on the second floor of The Strand Arcade, Pendolino has all the marks of a sophisticated fine dining venue, right down to the white linen tablecloths. Dining at Pendolino usually costs, at minimum, $90 for an entree and a main, but if you're in town Monday to Saturday head in for an express lunch, it'll only set you back $57. Enjoy a main — the milk-braised pork belly with sage, the char-grilled quail or the Piemontese-style mushroom pie, to name a few — and a side (green beans, say, or the savoy cabbage salad).
DINNER AT THE GANTRY
Waterfront views rarely come cheap, unless you get in early for The Gantry's pre-show menu. Overlooking Walsh Bay, this lauded restaurant celebrates Australian produce in an intricate and intriguing way. To snag the bargain meal, head in before 7pm and choose from either two ($60) or three courses ($75) — and, if you have the money to spare, end end the evening with a cocktail at The Gantry bar. You can start with spanner crab, move on to Berkshire pork neck or snapper, and end with one of three desserts.
LUNCH AT NEL.
Given that the restaurant is housed in a bunker, nel. starts off on the right foot when it comes to its promise to deliver an experience like no other. Committed to keeping things interesting, nel.'s degustation-only menu changes every six weeks, meaning it always maintains the element of surprise. Not just a case of switching up what they serve, chef Nelly Robinson loves to experiment with seasonal Australian ingredients. While the dinner degustation costs $118, dropping in for lunch will set you back a surprisingly affordable $69 for four courses and snacks.
DINNER AT ROCKPOOL BAR & GRILL
Rockpool is a Sydney institution, which is why no budget should stand in the way of you experiencing it. The more relaxed of all of Neil Perry's Sydney venues, you can get away with spending a fraction of the price by sitting at the bar — the only requirement being that David Blackmore's wagyu burger with bacon, gruyere cheese and pickle ($26) be eaten with two hands. Not fancy enough for you? Start with some freshly shucked oysters and build your meal from the range of small plates. If you're a seafood lover, go for the tuna tartare with moroccan eggplant ($13), Don Bocarte anchovy with smoked tomato ($7 each) and king prawn cutlet with aioli ($11 each). Offering a detailed list of wines by the glass, it's easy to walk away from Rockpool Bar and Grill without racking up an exorbitant booze bill.
BAR PINCER AT RESTAURANT HUBERT
Restaurant Hubert may specialise in fancy French fare, but it's a setting fit for a meeting of Italian Mafiosi. Equally as impressive a space as the main dining room, the adjoining Bar Pincer is heavy on the timber with lashes of red in the booth seat upholstery. It's moody and deserving of a quintessential French meal of escargot with Hubert XO sauce ($24) or wagyu topside beef tartare with fries ($24), and of course a good glass of plonk — described as broad, dark, weighty and handsome, the '15 Della Staffa 'Rosso' Sangiovese Blend, Italy ($16) is a perfect match for Bar Pincer. As well as being a touch cheaper than the main dining room, it's also a lot easier to snag a table in Bar Pincer.