Australian cuisine used to mean bland British hand-me-downs like fish and chips and meat pies. But anything is possible in the cuisine of Modern Australian, or Mod Oz, and the country’s increasingly erudite palate has given rise to a gastronomy-obsessed culture.

Celebrity chefs rule Australia’s glamour capital. And while Sydney’s superstar restaurateurs may host flashy TV shows and pen glossy coffee-table cookbooks, there’s superlative food behind all the hype. Here are the top five restaurants run by the Sydney culinary elite.

1. Tetsuya Wakuda’s Tetsuya’s
Ranking thirteenth, Tetsuya’s was one of only two Sydney restaurants to make the U.K.’s venerable Restaurant magazine’s “50 Best Restaurants in the World” list. The design is modern Japanese, the service impeccable, and the star of the show is the degustation menu of twelve diminutive yet wondrous courses. Wakuda’s signature brand of Japanese fusion makes ingenious, artistic use of French and Mediterranean accents. Case in point: his infamous confit of ocean trout served with unpasteurized ocean trout roe. Pure epicurean heaven.
529 Kent Street, Sydney, (61.02) 9267.2900
www.tetsuyas.com

2. Neil Perry’s Rockpool
Twenty-ninth on the Restaurant list, this fine dining institution has just had a facelift and is looking better than ever, with a new seafood bar and a streamlined, contemporary aesthetic. Rockpool’s food has a heavy Asian influence and an emphasis on the freshest possible seafood and produce. With his signature ponytail and line of Neil Perry Fresh food products, Perry is a Sydney cultural fixture. Though the menu has changed over the years, some dishes, such as the China Roast Pigeon, remain time-honoured favourites.
107 George St, The Rocks
(61.02) 9252.1888,
www.rockpool.com

3. Matt Moran’s Aria
With its gorgeous water views of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, Aria is a favourite with international travelers and post-opera crowds alike. Matt Moran’s high-profile gigs include the Australian reality TV show My Restaurant Rules and a consultancy for Singapore Airlines. Everything from gazpacho to roasted rack of lamb or lobster ravioli is on the menu at Aria. The rabbit terrine entrée will have you begging for more.
1 Macquarie St, East Circular Quay, (61. 02) 9252-2555, www.ariarestaurant.com

4. Kylie Kwong’s Billy Kwong
Chinese-Australian chef Kylie Kwong started out at Rockpool, but within four years she set out on her own. Billy Kwong, her modern Chinese restaurant in Sydney’s hip Surry Hills neighborhood, is now famous thanks to her hit TV cooking show and two accompanying cookbooks. Signature dishes include a mind-blowingly delicious crispy-skin duck with blood plum sauce and an incredible, classic chili-salt squid entrée. 3/355 Crown Street, Surry Hills, (61. 02) 9332.3300

5. Bill Granger’s bills & bills 2
bills is a café-restaurant; bills 2 is a gutsier, meatier bistro-type venture. Granger’s TV cooking show has charmed viewers in Australia and the U.K., and his snazzy cookbooks promote the same relaxed, Australian family-style of entertaining. His restaurants dish up delicious yet simple meals at breakfast, lunch and dinner. The ricotta hot cakes come highly recommended.
bills, 433 Liverpool St, Darlinghurst (61.02) 9360.9631
bills 2, 359 Crown Street, Surry Hills, (61.02) 9360.4762

Getting There
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