Ette Sydney
This sleek Bridge Street spot boldly reimagines fine dining, with creative snacks for less than a tenner and a seasonal menu of hearty mains all priced at $39.
Overview
Wedged between Bridge Street and the heritage-lined laneway of Underwood Street, on the ground floor of an otherwise unassuming office tower, Ette is the kind of place you could easily miss — but you definitely shouldn't. The sleek CBD dining room brings a new perspective to Sydney's dining scene, thanks to a 'fast fine dining' model that provides finesse without the fuss — and a tight menu of hearty, produce-driven mains all priced at $39.
Pairing the precision of fine dining with the pace and price point of a weeknight drop-in, Ette's menu revolves around ingredients sourced directly and daily from trusted local suppliers, ensuring the kitchen has the day's best produce at its disposal. These ingredients are showcased in its inventive snackEttes: small share plates all priced at $9.50 and designed to hit the table within five minutes. You might find the likes of pork crackling paired with a spiced apple dipping sauce, a seaweed cracker cone loaded with tuna tartare, Calabrian chill and whipped avo, or baked scallop with nduja, avocado and pineapple.
Those after something larger can take their pick from the Steak, Land, Sea and Grain menu. These hearty dishes are all priced at $39, with current highlights including the yuzu beurre blanc-topped fish of the day, wild mushroom linguine finished with black truffle, marsala and pecorino, and coq au vin jazzed up with pancetta and shimeji mushrooms. Whether you go for small or large dishes, you can whet your appetite with complimentary house-made focaccia and olive oil served on arrival.
The dining room itself is just as flexible. With opening hours of 11.30am–2am, the venue has been designed to easily transition from a restaurant by day to a buzzy bar by night and a fully equipped event space on weekends. On one side of the sleek, mood-lit space is a theatrical open kitchen helmed by Adam Grimsley (ex-Icebergs, Jacksons on George, two-Michelin-starred Oxford restaurant Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons), whose modern European training and love of local produce meet over a Scheer adjustable lava rock grill — the centrepiece of the kitchen and the key to Ette's clean, fire-backed flavours.
The other side of the space is home to an equally considered bar, with house infusions and creative twists in tipples like the seasonal sorbet-topped Sgroppino Affair or the South by Southwest, a rob roy and negroni love child featuring Woodford Reserve and Laphroaig. A standout feature is the restaurant's climate-controlled wine room that's maintained at 16 degrees celsius and equipped with internal fridges, ensuring wines remain at precise drinking temperatures ranging from 3–15 degrees celsius. On the list, you'll find a tight selection of half-bottles and full bottles by boutique Australian producers and prestige winemakers.
Open from Monday to Friday only, Ette is a smart new option for the city crowd, whether for a fast solo lunch, a slow night of cocktails and snacks, or a low-fuss, post-work dinner.
Images: Steven Woodburn.
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