16 GOURMET TRAVELLER
RESTAURANT NEWS
THE LATEST FROM CHEFS AND RESTAURANTS AROUND AUSTRALIASYDNEY
As restaurants slowly but surely return
to a (new) normality, we’re tipping our
hats to smaller venues that opened
just weeks or months before Covid-
hit. For those filing back into the CBD,
Ho Jiak’s Town Hall outpost will cure
lunchtime woes with char kuey teow
and laksa. Newtown’s Lonely Mouth
is back open, offering vegan ramen,
while nearby, Cafe Paci has
recommenced its normal trading
hours. Meanwhile, Yan is continuing
with its Covid-pivot pop-up at
Woolloomooloo’s John Montagu café
on Thursday, Friday and Saturday
evenings, firing up lamb ribs and
smoked chicken katsu for those who
haven’t made it out to its original
Asian smokehouse in Wolli Creek.
Bigger restaurants are also switching
things up – North Bondi Fish is now
doing fish and chips, tacos and
sashimi to take away, while also
resuming restaurant service. In the
same neck of the woods, Ciccia Bella
has farewelled Mitch Orr, as Nic Wong
(ex-Cho Cho San) steps into the kitchen
and refocuses the menu on nine
wood-fired mains, including whole
sardines with parsley and lemon,
king prawns with caper butter and
a grand bistecca alla fiorentina.MELBOURNE
Windsor’s Firebird is back in action
after being forced to close just
20 days after its launch. Head chef
Steven Ngo (ex-Long Chim) is serving
up Vietnamese-style wood-fired fish
and chicken, served with burnt chilli
or brown butter citrus nouc mam. In
St Kilda, Soi 10 is the new Thai-style
pop-up from Michael Lambie, located
within the Grosvenor Hotel, while
Brunswick is now home to Green
Acre. The veg-focused pizzeria is
placing an emphasis on sustainability,
with mostly meat-free pizzas, topped
with ingredients like vegan feta and
plant-based pepperoni. Carnivores
can still get their hands on a classic
prosciutto-topped pizza, too.Clockwise from
above: Ho Jiak
Town Hall; Soi 10;
Firebird; fragrant
fish curry from
North Bondi Fish.PHOTOGRAPHY PARKER BLAIN (FIREBIRD), GRIFFIN SIMM (SOI 10), ALEXANDER SIMS(NORTH BONDI FISH),ELLYNA TJOHNARDI (HO JIAK).