The July Hit List: Sou Ramen Lab, Vermuteria, Braci, and More

“Any debate about Sydney’s best pizza” needs to include Braci’s spicy pepperoni flavour. The day after this declaration appeared in Callan Boys’ glowing review in Good Weekend magazine, the pizzeria was hit with such unprecedented demand for its wood-fired slices, it actually ran out of dough. The Sydney restaurant critic and Good Food Guide editor was right to swivel the spotlight towards this unassuming restaurant, because its toppings and puffy crusts are worth your time. The ‘Queen Envy’, with its mini garden of greens and creamy wallop of briny feta, feels like a fast-tracked introduction to spring, while its ‘Leonardo’ pizza uses just a few painterly brushstrokes – thin potato ruffles, ripples of caramelised onion and some deftly applied gorgonzola – to convey a rich amount of flavour.

The Sydney Opera House site was originally called Tubowgule: it was a gathering place for the the Gadigal people and other First Nations clans. Their seafood feasts shaped the landscape: the leftover bones and oyster shells formed culturally significant middens. It’s apt that the landmark’s newest restaurant, Midden by Mark Olive, pays tribute to this Indigenous history. The menu is overseen by the eponymous chef, TV host and proud Bundjalung man (aka The Black Olive) and he showcases First Nations culture through its dishes: there’s a smoked kangaroo salad, salmon cured in pepperberry and lemon myrtle and a bush pavlova served with roasted wattleseed cream and native fruit coulis.

For reservations, call (02) 9250 7111.

A new winter menu can be a good defence against the coldest days and Nakano Darling’s latest dishes are all about blanketing you with warmth. There’s the doria (rice gratin) with its golden, crusty topcoat of grilled cheese; the izakaya also offers a take on the classic oden hot pot and kakuni, the Japanese pork dish that literally translates as “square simmered”. If you miss out on the limited serves of these specials, tap into Nakano Darling’s staples (such as its popular fried chicken, which you can flavour with mentaiko mayo, minced radish and ponzu or other toppings). The beer towers are a popular move with big groups, but if you prefer your fun to be booze-free, sink some money into the gachapon machines near the entrance – you might score a kawaii toy, like a pig that flexes kung fu poses or an onigiri toy with a salmon cut for a hairdo.

Not long ago, The Rocks was an area that locals completely ceded to tourists. But recently the harbourside precinct has levelled up significantly – particularly on the dining front. This once-daggy district is getting something of a glow-up, and the Swillhouse team unveiling Le Foote here is part of it. The stylish two-part venue sports a smart old-school bar up front and a breezy, open restaurant at the back. The dining area shares the yesteryear glam of its sister bistro, Hubert, although the menu stretches right across the Mediterranean. You’ll find char marks, smoke and a lot of warmth in Stefano Marano’s dishes, from house-made ricotta with grilled figs to its swordfish ribeye.

For reservations, call (02) 9232 0881.

Redfern is full of brilliant dining spots – take a few footsteps and you’ll go from RaRa Ramen (and its queue-attracting noodles) to Flyover Fritterie (with its inspired Indian jaffles and winter-friendly chai). So Time Out Sydney name-checking Fontana as the number one restaurant in this inner-city suburb says a lot about its charm and list-winning appeal. Although its unassuming entrance can be extremely easy to miss, Fontana’s menu is much harder to overlook. It, too, has an excellent house-made ricotta and if the latest iteration of the ceci e tria pasta is on offer, you should order it – this dish has followed chef Daniel Johnston over the years, from Fontana’s previous pop-up predecessors, and its long run is justified.

In 2008, Andrew Bao and his wife Dingjun Li opened Chairman Mao in Kensington – it was a chilli-charged reflection of Hunan, the Chinese region they’re from. Although she wasn’t a professional cook, she drew on generational knowledge and the restaurant rightly gained a following among locals and top chefs (from Neil Perry to Dan Hong), who loved the signature braised pork and the stir-fried cauliflower that buzzed with chilli and cumin (to name just a few of the wide-ranging items the kitchen offered). When that restaurant closed in 2021, the couple opened an inner-city follow-up with a more tightly edited menu. But at Mrs Ding in suburban Mascot, you’ll find a greater range of beloved dishes from the Chairman Mao heyday (like that cauliflower highlight).

For more info, click here.

Rewind a few months – back to late 2022 – and Gaku Robata Grill was getting rave reviews for its inventive and playful omakase menu: chefs Harunobu Inukai and Shimon Hanakura described the $280-a-head experience as a uniquely Australian take on kaiseki, with an emphasis on party-like cheer rather than the traditionally hushed Japanese tasting menu format. But given the changing economic landscape, they’ve shapeshifted back to an a la carte format that seems smartly and thoughtfully timed. Gobo chips, popcorn shrimp and chicken karaage are comfort foods that have hip-pocket appeal, too. You’ll still recognise some of flair and high-end flexes that made their omakase menu such a winner – the menu also features foie gras presented with a monaka wafer and spanner crab chawanmushi that’s flavoured with a Tasmanian truffle sauce.

After reviving the oldest cafe in Kings Cross, David Spanton then rescued another local institution: Cafe Hernandez. The coffee-roasting venue had lasted half a century and attracted celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Hugh Jackman and Marcia Hines. Spanton has since transformed the old cafe into an aperitivo bar and deli called Vermuteria, but you’ll still find a tribute to its remarkable history on the walls:  a painting of the Count-Duke of Olivares – which has been a fixture here for four decades – connects him to the family who used to run Cafe Hernandez. As the name of the new venue suggests, Vermuteria is about vermouth – and it might be the only bar in the country serving it on tap and via the barrel, like in Spain. Snacks from Penny’s Cheese Shop and LP’s Quality Meats will keep you busy in between vermouth toasts.

You can usually enjoy the food of acclaimed chef O Tama Carey at her award-winning Lankan Filling Station. But during July, her recipes are also the star of the Two Good Cafe menu (which reboots every month with a guest chef). Designed in collaboration with ‘Coco’ Corentin Kergall from her restaurant, the Two Good Cafe features a version of her pumpkin kola kanda (imagine a Sri Lankan congee and you’re close), cashew and cardamom milk toffee and a two-cheese toast spiced with seeni sambol (onion relish). The proceeds from all cafe sales will assist at-risk women (such as domestic violence survivors) with employment opportunities – so that’s another encouraging reason to order big.

Walk-ins only.

The Sydney Ramen Festival runs until the end of this month and it’s a good excuse to get face-deep in countless bowls of noodles and broth. Sou Ramen Lab is a relatively new addition to the city’s scene (it opened last year), but its chef Takeshi Sekigawa might be familiar to anyone who has slurped spoonfuls of collagen-rich tonkotsu around town. He was the launch chef at Gumshara and went onto flex his stock-making skills at Yasaka Ramen. At this cafe, his offering goes well beyond the classic pork broth – it even includes a light, soymilk ramen that’s vegetarian-friendly. Other options are flavoured with matcha, chicken bones, cold-brewed dashi and black garlic. The leftfield tomato soda might appeal to adventurous drinkers, and don’t miss the excellent coffee jelly.

For reservations, text 0481 955 138.