gowiththecountry-house
paraphernalia,andthe
dartboardandneoncoffee
signdecoratethebarwith
therestofthebric-a-brac.
Drinkstakethesame
line.A rosterofinteresting
butnottotallyoutréales,
bitters,stoutsandsours
complementyourVBs
andGuinnesses,while 10
“deluxewines”aretheonly
bottlesover$55.JoelAmos- founderofdrinkspurveyor
DRNKS– is a co-owner,
andhe’sstackedthedeluxe
blackboardwiththenatural
stuffhefavours.Ochota
Barrelsgrenacheinthelight-
redstakes;vibrantSi Vintnerscab-sav
intheheavierstakes;magnumsofthe
fabulousSerragghiaRiservaParadiso
intheultra-rarestakes.If buyinga $450
magnumfroma guyina baseballcap
isn’tundersellingI don’tknowwhatis.
Hill’sspecialsalsocomplementthe
regulars,withattentiontoseasonality.
I’vebeenwarmedona winter’sdaybythe
sauceFoyot– thatis Béarnaiseenriched
(enriched!)withvealglace– thatspills
froma marrowboneintoa crisp-shelled
vealandpig’s-trotterpie.I’vemarvelled
at thesweetflakinessofa burnt-onion
flanservedwitha slabofgoat’scheese
andfinesherbesona springevening.
Onitsown,thechipbuttycomprises
thickgoldenchips,slicedwhite,anda dish
ofbutter,butthesidesarethedraw:a fried
egg; bacon bits; mushy peas. Good orders,
butif thecurrysauceis on(a
Keen’sbase,dressedwithcurry
leaves)there’snobetterchoice.
Hill’sscopeis wideenough
forhimtosourcedry-aged
dairycowandputit onasa
specialfortwowith“Caféde
Fitz”butter(ananchovy-herb
number,withbonemarrow)
anddrippinggravy.If I was
beingpicky– and$65means
youcanbe– I’dwantthe
gravyontheside,thebutter
meltingover,theflesh
seasonedmoreastutely.
Butwhata pieceofbeef.
Desserts,suchasice-cream
dribbledwitholiveoiland
toppedwithjamtoast,are
shortandsharp.Butwhat’ssharperis the
vision,ledbya talentedchefwho’sably
exploringtheboundsofhisrolewithout
a hintofpretension.Stepin,order at the
bar, and see it in action.●STRAIGHTTOTHESAUCE
XOPP, theflagshipvenueatTheExchange
atDarlingSquare,hasfinallylanded.A
modernCantoneserestaurantfromthe
peoplebehindGoldenCentury,themenu
hitsthenotesthatmadeGC’sreputation- thelivepipisin XOsauce(fromwhich
thevenuetakesitsawkwardname),come
bythehalf-kilowithcrispvermicelliorfried
bread,whilechefZacharyNg(ex-Sepia)
addsflairwithtyphoonsheltercauliflower
andfriedmantoubunsstuffedwithXO-
mayoprawns.TheExchange,1 LittlePierSt,
DarlingSquare,Haymarket,(02) 8030 0000.
ONETIMESONEEQUALSTHREE
TheoriginalBodegamayhaveclosed,but
thenewversion,tuckedintotinyWyno,
haskeptthebestparts.Thebananasplit,
andthosesignaturefishfingers– charred
toaststoppedwithkingfish,cuttlefish
cevicheandmojama– remain,butthereal
trickatWynox Bodegais thateverything
fromthebottleshopis onbytheglass.
SeeingBenMilgateorElvisAbrahanowicz
workthekitchenis a welcomethrowback,
too. 50 HoltSt,SurryHills, (02) 9212 7766.BUSINESSTIME
Mary’shasaddedanothervenuetothe
CBDwithMary’sPittStreetin ThaiTown.
Everythingonthemenucanbemade
vegan,withhighlightsincludingthefried
cauliflowerburger,whilethestaples,from
theMary’sburgertothefriedchicken,
aresharpasever.Moreimpressiveis
thefit-out,completewithChesterfield
ceilings,burgundycarpetanda diorama
ofskeletonsdiningin thewindow.Caitlyn
Rees’swinelistis predictablysuperb,
buta DarkandStormyis anequallyfine
prospect.410 Pitt St, Haymarket.AND ALSO...
TheOld
FitzroyHotel
129 DowlingSt,
Woolloomooloo,
(02) 9356 3848,
oldfitzroy.com.au
Licensed
CardsAEMCV EFT
OpenSunnoon-
9pm;lunchWed-Sat
noon-2.30pm;dinner
Mon-Sat6pm-9.30pm
PricesEntrées$8-$14,
maincourses$17-$28,
desserts$12
VegetarianTwoentrées,
onemaincourse
NoiseSolidpubbuzzwith
a soundtracktomatch
WheelchairfriendlyYe s
MinusThedownstairs
tablescanfillquickly
PlusDailyspecials
reward return visitsDetailsLeft:pig’shead,grilledonionand
cheddar pie. Below: chip butty.Sydney review
54 GOURMET TRAVELLER