The February Hit List: Jane, Bay Nine Omakase, Bones Ramen, and More

It’s apt that Tristan Rosier would follow his Arthur restaurant (named after his grandfather) with Jane (christened after his grandmother). With the help of Luchetti Krelle, he’s transformed the former Bar Ume site in Surry Hills into his grandparents’ vibrant-looking home. His new venture is a little looser than Arthur’s degustation-only format, but shares its appreciation for local ingredients: Jane’s tartare is flavoured with kangaroo and bush tomato, its Sydney rock oysters come with a zesty hit of desert lime and you can ask for a macadamia and wattleseed savarin for dessert.

Billed as a ‘micro ramen bar’, this new noodle joint has been adapted from a takeaway concept the Farmhouse crew first ladled out during lockdown. Mike Mu Sung has opened Bones Ramen, with head chef Jacob Riwaka (Rising Sun Workshop) tending to the soy eggs and shoyu tare. Here, your ramen is flavoured with pork, chicken, seafood, or a vegetarian broth that gets its body and heft from shiitake mushrooms and Jerusalem artichokes. The menu also offers pickles, karaage and a clever remix of prawn toast.

Long before Pablo Galindo Vargas established his nine-venue-strong hospitality empire (which includes the recently opened Londres 126), he started it all with Taqiza: it originated in his tiny apartment before landing its permanent location at Bondi Beach in 2017. Taqiza’s name is slang for ‘taco party’ and it’s apt that the chef’s Mexico-showcasing portfolio of eateries began with this. Diners can find a spot at Taqiza’s breezy venue or opt to take their order to the beach. The menu takes on Mexican staples (birria, al pastor, suadero), with a few multicultural twists – like the governor’s taco reconfigured with XO sauce.

COVID-19 has been tough on the dining world, but one pandemic-proof trend has been omakase restaurants – their imitate, chef-focused settings have endured just as well as bakeries have during this time. Bay Nine Omakase – which features an intimate 11-seat counter – is the city’s latest addition to this high-end style of dining. So yes, there are caviar bumps, wagyu beef ‘sukiyaki’, paradise prawn nigiri and an eyebrow-raising selection of high-roller drinks (kudos to anyone who asks about the $3500 Penfolds Grange Hermitage Bin 95 Magnum from 1996 with a straight face). If you miss out an elusive counter seat, you can book a table for a shorter set-menu option.

In a former life, Frederic Mariage was an écailler – a seafood chef that specialised in presenting shellfish to diners. Since leaving France, he’s done quite the culinary U-turn: he now runs a vegan French deli in Newtown called Le Gourmand, which offers jars of his meat-free foie gras and pâté, butterless croissants (plain, almond-crusted, choc-filled or sometimes loaded with sautéed mushrooms lavished with truffle oil) and the rainbow range of macarons that originally made his stall a hit at the Sydney Vegan Markets.

Golden Century, with its three-decade-solid history (its memorable 4am closing time, world-famous XO pipi dish endorsed by Momofuku’s David Chang, and  truly eclectic demographic which combined shift workers, Cantonese families, international leaders and actual royalty) might have closed up shop last year, but its spirit lives on at sister restaurant XOPP in Darling Square; some  staff, key dishes and seafood tanks have taken residence here. Of course, XOPP is doing its own thing, too, with playful, nostalgia-inducing dishes (the pub-style potato wedges with salted egg yolk, the coconut bao sandwiches that spark fried ice-cream memories) and a vegan menu executed with Omnimeat. P.S. You can get your XOPP fix takeaway, delivered or in finish-at-home Providoor form (there’s a Golden Century option, too).

With its cheery terrace setting, Tequila Daisy in Barangaroo is a summer-friendly spot to savour wagyu flank steak with mole pasilla, kingfish tostadas and fried fish tacos with chipotle mayo. In the mood for takeaway? You can pick up roast carrot tacos, beef cheek empanadas, five mushroom escabeche, watermelon salad with queso fresco, mint and lime and enjoy it by the water (or pack the kids menu for a park-friendly picnic).

If the neon bottle sign isn’t already a sign, this restaurant in Manly has a soft spot for wines – particularly smaller producers with a natural, biodynamic lean. There are also cocktails that taste like eating banana bread for breakfast, pisco with a Davidson plum twist and a non-alcoholic G&T that hints of saltbush and seaweed. With award-winning bartender Kurtis Bosley behind Banco, perhaps it’s no surprise that good things are being poured here. To help line your stomach, there are lobster rolls, cured ocean trout with nectarines, and confit duck and foie gras pie served with cauliflower purée.

Yes, Pamana offers adobo, lechon, pata and three kinds of pancit (noodles): your Filipino favourites are happily covered here. If you’re in the mood for a boodle fight – a generous Filipino spread set on banana leaves that brings out the competitive eater in us all – you can book ahead for one, if you’ve got three other people willing to take on the challenge. Then there are the desserts, from serves of sago-topped taho which might conjure up memories of the bucket-carrying taho vendors, gloriously golden turon (banana jackfruit fritters) and leche flan. The takeaway option makes the idea of loading up on the couch very attractive.

Being part of Coco Republic’s flagship Balgowlah showroom gives L’Americano Espresso Bar an advantage in the style department. Its sleek, breezy look is very Pinterest-friendly and mood-wise, it cites the Italian Riviera of The Talented Mr Ripley as an inspiration (minus the scheming and murder, presumably). L’Americano Espresso Bar might convincingly transport you to The Boot via its roast pumpkin and ricotta piadina, pumpkin and toasted kale crostini, fresh-cut fettuccine with pistachio pesto and Italian sausage, Tuscan fries and ricotta cannoli.