• World

Fishing for Compliments

3 minute read
ALEX PERRY, Sydney

From the harbor to the beaches to the brilliant ceramic sails of the Opera House, water is the soul of Sydney — so it’s not surprising to find that the fruits of the sea are the city’s soul food. Here you’ll find sashimi in every street, oysters within any budget and fish and chips raised to crisp, succulent art. Our pick of Sydney’s four fishiest experiences:

TETSUYA’S: To many, chef Tetsuya Wakada’s golden age was the time when he operated in an unmarked house in the suburb of Rozelle, and you had to knock on a graffiti-covered back door for admission. But the great man has proven that he can make the transition to a downtown operation without any loss of originality. A minimalist, city-center bungalow is now the setting for Tetsuya’s stunning 10-course degustation menus of Franco-Japanese cuisine (priced around $130). While this is not a seafood restaurant per se, fish features very prominently. Confit of ocean trout is 404 Not Found

404 Not Found


nginx/1.14.0 (Ubuntu)sublime, ditto the trevally fillet with preserved lemon and sushi rice. Book well in advance (in fact, several months ahead if you want the prized garden view from table 25), by calling (61-2) 9267 2900.

SYDNEY FISH MARKET: With its genial bustle and cornucopia of produce, the Sydney Fish Market at Pyrmont embodies all that is good about Australian eating. Graze the stalls in the covered hall and choose as you fancy — staff will cook fish, slice sashimi or shuck oysters to order. Then go grab a cold, dry Riesling and a couple of plastic cups from the on-site wine shop before finding a picnic table on the dockside. The best part? This exquisite feast should come in for less than $30 a head.

PIER: You want fresh? You got it. Fish at this Rose Bay restaurant, tel: (61-2) 9327 6561, are killed by the Japanese practice of ike jime (or driving a point through a fish’s brain to kill it instantaneously, minimizing stress to the creature and so optimizing the flavor of its flesh). Staff also advise diners to eat “from the thin end” as the fish is still cooking when it arrives at your table. But chef Greg Doyle’s dogmatic insistence on freshness and barely-there cooking pays divine dividends in such dishes as tuna belly with wasabi and sesame seeds, or butter-poached crayfish. Around $110 per head with wine.

JONAH’S: Lying 40 km to the city’s north, this is deservedly among Sydney’s best destination restaurants. Well-heeled tourists arrive by seaplane to find themselves in a gorgeous beachfront idyll, and gazing open-mouthed at the endless Pacific’s whitecaps and whale plumes. A recent renovation and a new chef have met with critical acclaim. As you sit in Jonah’s elegant interior, dining on the likes of king prawns in burnt butter or snapper with mussel bouillabaisse, you’ll be in a perfect position to understand why. For reservations, call (61-2) 9974 5599.

More Must-Reads from TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com