Botswana Butchery Sydney

A staple of New Zealand's hospitality scene for more than a decade, Botswana Butchery has now brought its expansive menus and luxe style to Sydney with the opening of its first Australian restaurant in Martin Place's new dining precinct. The huge multi-storey venue can house 940 guests including 350 on its openair city rooftop.

Botswana Butchery's menu is all about presenting Australian and New Zealand meat, seafood and wine in the best possible way. Depending on when you head to the restaurant, you'll be presented with a menu spanning several pages of entrees and mains before you even get to the main attraction — the Butcher's Block — a selection of exclusive cuts of meat from some of the country's best producers. Here you'll find the likes of black opal wagyu rump ($46), whole slow-roasted lamb shoulder ($90), heritage wagyu scotch fillet ($112) and 1.6-kilogram servings of mb7+ Rangers Valley tomahawk ($300).

If the Butcher's Block is a bit intimidating, there's plenty of more approachable options on offer. Start your meal with beef tartare ($29.95), black sesame and blood plum quail slow-roasted over flames ($32) or your choice of selections from the Australian cheeses on offer. Highlights from the mains include the duck breast served with a spiced duck jus and roasted heirloom pumpkin ($48.95) or the Milly Hill lamb rump, fermented eggplant and roasted sugarloaf cabbage ($48.95).

If you're looking to recline with a view rather than experience a meal to end all meals, the rooftop offers an array of snacks, nibble and charcuterie perfect for a catch up with friends. And, if decisions aren't your strong suit, there is a decadent banquet menu on offer for groups of over eight. Take the stress out of ordering with the $89.95 degustation featuring the likes of Sonoma sourdough, hiramasa kingfish, beef tartare, market fish, grass-fed tenderloin, duck fat potatoes and mango parfait.

The interior of the restaurant tries to balance a sense of playfulness with the premium price-point of its food. Plush and colourful furniture is paired with muted tones and floor-to-ceiling windows revealing the surrounding cityscape.

While the Sydney iteration of Botswana Butchery is the first outside of New Zealand, transporting the essence of the original across the ditch, Melburnians should watch out, with another iteration on its way to the corner of Flinders Lane and Exhibition Street.

Images: Sander Dalhuisen