Taste of Sydney Photos

Photograph by Susan Seubert

Acknowledged as one of the great iconic pieces of 20th-century architecture, the Sydney Opera House has come to represent not only the city of Sydney but the entire country/continent of Australia. The striking expressionist structure is home to several performance spaces and restaurants.

Photograph by Susan Seubert

Guillaume at Bennelong, tucked into the southernmost shell of the Sydney Opera House, offers up a medley of menus—lunch, pre-theater, tapas (one of which is pictured here), dinner—as well as enchanting views of Sydney Harbour, Harbour Bridge, and Circular Quay.

Photograph by Susan Seubert

Known for strict quality control and dazzling culinary flair, the chefs at Pier Restaurant—located on Rose Bay—work with some of the freshest fish in town. Indeed, Australian Gourmet Traveller named Pier the National Restaurant of the Year for 2008.

Photograph by Susan Seubert

Tasty and good-looking, Pier's tian of spanner crab with scallop seviche and pea salad underscores the ability of chefs Greg Doyle, Grant King, and Katrina Kanetani to marry beauty with good taste.

Photograph by Susan Seubert

A beloved on-the-go food bastion for more than 70 years, Harry's Cafe de Wheels has 'em lining up for all manner of savory pies (beef and curry, chicken and mushroom, seafood, and more), pasties, sausage rolls, and chili dogs. A big hit with locals, Harry's also has a fair share of visitors. Yes, word gets around when the food's tasty and easy on the pocketbook. Among the big names who've dined at Harry's: Frank Sinatra, Robert Mitchum, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Billy Crystal, Colonel Sanders, and Elton John.

Photograph by Susan Seubert

Covering hundreds and hundreds of square feet on two floors of a large warehouse, Fratelli Fresh not only offers satisfying Italian food at its light, bright, and casual Café Sopra, it also functions as a well-edited grocery store with unparalleled produce, worth-the-calories baked goods, farm-made cheeses, nuts, meat, flowers, and more. But that's not the end of it. In its capacity as a wholesaler, Fratelli Fresh supplies many of Sydney's top restaurants.

Photograph by Susan Seubert

With floor-to-ceiling windows and a blackboard filled with options, Café Sopra has become a magnet for those seeking honest, basic, tasty Italian fare. Wildly successful, Café Sopra is nearly always full. Says one Sydney restaurant reviewer, "In the four years I've been eating at Sopra, I don't think I've ever had a bad meal." Raw materials for the dishes come from the on-premises mother ship, Fratelli Fresh, which supplies produce and more to Sydneysiders as well as fine restaurants throughout town.

Photograph by Susan Seubert

A traveler's hankering for exquisite Chinese dumplings can be satisfied seven nights a week at Billy Kwong. Open since 2000, this Sydney restaurant—in the Surry Hills area—made a commitment to using organic and biodynamic fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, and noodles in 2005. Teas and chocolates are fair trade; the restaurant's carbon footprint is neutral.

Photograph by Susan Seubert

At the Rocks Farmers' Market, farmers display and sell the fruits of their labors. Vegetables, too. Here, farmer Yuri Hulak for Pineleigh halves his organic potatoes to reveal bright, fresh interiors. Also for sale are free-range meat and poultry, catch of the day, cheese, eggs, bread, gourmet foods, and all sorts of condiments. What you won't find here: plastic bags.

Photograph by Susan Seubert

In addition to pretty gingerbread-detailed homes, the Paddington suburb of Sydney boasts Buon Ricordo, a restaurant that specializes in Neapolitan fare, though offerings show influence from other parts of Italy, too. The signature dish is fettucine al tartufovo, pasta in a cream sauce topped with a lightly fried truffle-infused egg. It is many a Sydneysider's favorite pasta dish. What's not to like?

Photograph by Susan Seubert

A stop-you-in-your-tracks mural sets the stage at Rockpool, a seafood-centric Sydney restaurant. The flagship of chef Neil Perry's culinary empire, Rockpool tops many a foodie's Don't Miss list. Using the very best denizens of the water, Rockpool chefs do justice to the natural, preparing food that is elegant in presentation and delish to the taste buds. Treat of treats? The tasting menu, a multi-course extravaganza of wee portions.

Photograph by Susan Seubert

At Rockpool, snapper gets the Neil Perry treatment. A seared fillet with a crispy crust marries asparagus three ways: velouté, raw, and sautéed.