The September Hit List: Poly, Little Lagos, XOPP, and More

After going dark at the start of lockdown, XOPP is taking bookings again. So step inside Kengo Kuma’s landmark building and enjoy typhoon shelter cauliflower, barbecued pork buns and signature wok-fried pipis with XO sauce (aka “the best dish in the world”, per David Chang). Prefer to stay couch-bound? The takeout menu includes sofa-friendly bento boxes and fried potato wedges with salted duck egg yolk that you shouldn’t skimp on (Pro tip: Order at least two serves). Open Thursday-Sunday, 5 p.m.  to 10 p.m.

Open for dine in, takeaway, pre-order pickup, and delivery.

Daero Lee’s Korean upbringing inspires many dishes here — the abalone risotto recalls the times his truck driver father hauled produce to Jeju Island and its surrounds, while the 12-hour galbi jjim sparks family memories of the Moon Festival and other holiday celebrations. His menu has a local influence, too; the chef calls his kingfish in kimchi water “the best of Australia and Korea coming together”, while the prawn subeji is served with grilled Aussie king prawns instead of the traditional soup. Details here.

Open for indoor and outdoor dining, plus pickup and delivery.

Yu Ozone’s menu of vegan sushi and sourdough doughnuts is highly personal. It’s inspired by her dairy, egg and wheat allergies and her wish to create food that her husband Masa Haga could also enjoy. Her natto and eggplant miso, meanwhile, evokes her Japanese grandmother, who made traditional fermented foods from scratch. At this gluten-free cafe, the doughnuts are produced with organic brown rice that’s ground on site. The results are so good, it’s led to customers crying. Open Tuesday to Friday midday to 5 p.m. and weekends 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for walk-ins (vegan sushi only available on weekends).

Open for indoor dining, pre-order pickup and takeaway.

Located near the Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace, this eatery is as worldly and character-filled as the cinema’s programming selections. The menu’s stars include Aunt Betty’s West Indian fried chicken (with “Hot Ass” side sauce), “Jamaican in New York” jerk pork ribs and “num num” roti wraps that evoke one of Peter Sellers’ most controversial roles. The spice-dusted “Afro” fries, Cuban steaks and Ugandan Nile perch braised in coconut milk are further reasons you shouldn’t overdo it on the popcorn before paying a post-movie visit. Open Monday to Saturday 5 p.m. to 9.30 p.m, Sunday 5 p.m. to  9 p.m.

Open for indoor dining and takeaway.

Lennox Hastie’s restaurant is famously powered by smoke and char. Need water boiled? Better get a fire going. His devotion to cooking with wood and coal only has led to him being profiled in Netflix’s upcoming series Chef’s Table: BBQ. Hastie shares the spotlight at Firedoor, though: junior sous-chef Ahana Dutt recently created a North Indian “Thali Feast” take-home dinner box option of smoked butter chicken, jeera rice, kaali dal, and more that recalled the roadside ‘dhabas’ of her homeland. 

Open for indoor dining, takeaway and delivery.

José Alkon’s new eatery is a tribute to his Peruvian heritage, so it’s apt that you can follow a serve of leche de tigre with a pisco shot here. Also on the menu: ox-heart anticuchos, a popular street food that makes resourceful use of offal and owes its origins to the African enslaved brought to the country by Spanish conquerers. Alkon’s local twist on a taberna is named after his father and is open for dinner from Wednesday to Saturday, and for lunch from midday on Sunday.

Open for indoor dining.

Above Par has a Middle Eastern focus, and new head chef Enver Katranci hails from Turkey, trained in Istanbul and Antalya, and spent three years working in Dubai before landing in Australia. His latest gig follows his four-year-stint at The Cut Bar & Grill, and sees him serving lamb liver with sumac-spiced onions and grilled Aleppo peppers, calamari with baba ganoush, and vegan lentil patties with bulgur. Drop in from Monday to Saturday.

Open for indoor dining, pre-order pickup and takeaway.

After years of running his popular Little Lagos pop-up, Adetokunboh Adeniyi finally opened the permanent location of his Nigerian eatery earlier this year – except the city was in lockdown and he was only allowed to operate via takeaway. Now that restrictions have eased, it’s worth dining in to try his Nigerian meat pies, asaro (yam porridge), fried plaintains, and jollof rice with goat stew (the latter was a big favourite when he was growing up in Lagos).

Open from Tuesday to Sunday for walk-ins, bookings, pick-up and delivery.

Whether you’re wrapping tortillas around the six-hour beef barbacoa, settling in for vegan-friendly cauliflower ceviche tostadas, starting with a jalapeño margarita, or staying low-key with a non-alcoholic horchata, Chula’s Mexican-inspired menu is designed to please everyone. Want to outsource the ordering? Opt for the $55 set menus – there’s even a veg version featuring mushroom tacos and huitlacoche enchiladas if you’re going meat-free. Dinner from Tuesday to Sunday nights, open for brunch from Saturday midday. Walk-ins welcome, but reservations recommended.

Open for indoor and outdoor dining.

Yes, the much-loved fried potato with salted egg yolk and chives is still available. And the sticky date doughnut, too. COVID-19 might have changed the way we check in to venues (how many QR codes have you scanned lately?), but there are still dependable greats at the wine bar that Isabelle Caulfield first opened in 2018. There’s comfort food aplenty (soup dumpling soup, anchovy toast) and wines worth toasting, from Jean Foillard Beaujolais to Borachio pinot gris. Open Tuesday to Friday from 5 p.m., Saturday from midday, for walk-ins and bookings.