Overview
The ol' nine to five (or really six-thirty, seven o'clock) can be tough. With getting up on time, pretending to be awake during meetings and making deadlines, there's little brain space left for deciding where to have lunch each day. Never fear comrades, we've got you covered. We've teamed up with Australia Square to bring you the best places to break for lunch all week long.
Thr1ve, supplied.
MONDAY
If the weekend involved more drinks and grease food than were wise, then set things straight for the week ahead with lunch at Thr1ve. Build your own nourishing lunch bowl, starting with a protein of your choice — such as chicken, slow-cooked pulled beef in barbecue sauce, chicken satay, salmon fish cakes, scrambled eggs or marinated silk tofu for the herbivores — then plump things up with fresh salad and dressing. If you're lunching on the run, grab a freshly made wrap (from $7.50) and head back to your desk knowing you've started the week on the right track.
Ryans Bar, supplied.
TUESDAY
Tuesday. It's so far away from Friday afternoon. No matter — congratulate yourself for making it through over twenty per cent of the working week by hitting Ryan's Bar for lunch. Put deadlines aside and join the throng around the fountain to watch the world go by for a while. On Tuesdays, you can get a small pizza and a schooner of Coopers for a cool $15. Aside from the strong pizza game, you can also choose from the holy trinity of Aussie pub offerings: fish and chips, schnitties or burgers. Or, if you're feeling virtuous, salad nicoise may be more up your alley.
Catch 22, supplied.
WEDNESDAY
Work hours can sure seem long. Give your cooked brain a boost with some lunchtime omega-3s at Catch 22. If you're feeling traditional go for made-to-order battered NZ hoki and chips, or lighten things up with grilled fish served with garden salad and rice. Best of all, at under $11, you'll have plenty of change in your pockets by the time the weekend rolls around.
Bellucci, Chelsey Rader.
THURSDAY
Step away from your desk and smell the parmesan at Bellucci. This alfresco eatery atop of Australia Square offers the chance to get some wind in your work sails before heading back to the office. Former Fratelli Paradiso head chef, Teofilo Nobrega is behind the pans, so it's not surprising that the menu features tasty pizza and pasta. Escape reality for an hour and pretend you're in Italy by ordering an alpina porcini pizza ($21), lamb ragu pappardelle ($25) or saffron linguine with crab and chilli ($27). Or if the boss is calling, grab a freshly made panini ($10–12) to go.
O Bar and Dining, supplied.
FRIDAY
Remember when it was only Tuesday? Well, congratulations are in order because you made it all the way through to the end of the working week. To celebrate, go high into the sky and treat yourself to lunch at O Bar. Head chef Michael Moore's menu offers deliciousness without steering towards decadence. Think fresh seafood, seared meats and jazzed-up grains. Taking in the rotating view from the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, you'll forget those unanswered emails as you gaze over the harbour, and by the time you do a full revolution and reach the harbour sights again, those emails will be but a distant memory — a Monday problem if you will.
For a full list of Australia Square's food and drink venues, visit the website.