Fred's, Paddington

Chef Danielle Alvarez is bringing back the hearth. It's hard not to stare as soon as you enter the dining room at Fred's, a scene that looks more like the bustling kitchen of Downton Abbey than Paddington's newest restaurant. The open kitchen is a heart-warming display of raw abundance: rounds of freshly baked fougasse spilling across the counter, a leg of lamb slowly spinning in front of a fireplace and a mountain of fat green broadbeans piled up high on a footed platter.


Chef Danielle Alvarez checking dockets in the open kitchen

Fred's is one of Sydney's most anticipated restaurant openings, conceived two years ago and finally opening last Tuesday. It's the newest addition to the Merivale restaurant group, led by a seasonal and produce-driven philosophy.


Wood-fired oven

Alvarez worked for almost five years at Chez Panisse, Alice Water's Berkeley restaurant that pioneered what is now called California cuisine. High-quality local ingredients are prioritised over any fancy techniques. Before Chez Panisse, Alvarez worked at three Michelin starred restaurant, French Laundry by Thomas Keller.


Counter seating at the prep counter

Farm-to-table cooking isn't new to Sydney but its integration as part of the dining room experience is deftly executed. If there's any seat I'd covet on my next visit, it would be one of the stools on the prep counter, directly opposite a rainbow of mis en place in ceramic bowls.


View of the open kitchen from the dining area

Realistically though, every dining room table scores a view of the kitchen.


Chickpea patties with pickled carrot and parmesan

The menu is as refreshingly old-fashioned as the kitchen, a return to a structured three course offering without a share plate in sight. A complimentary snack provides a hospitable start, an assembly of crisped chickpea patties with crunchy pickled carrots and shavings of parmesan.


Wood oven fougasse with butter and olive oil $6

Menu snacks include oysters, grilled school prawns, baby artichokes and grilled snow peas but we're happy with a serve of the wood oven fougasse - fresh out of the oven - with housemade butter and extra virgin olive oil. The bread is beautifully soft and chewy and we could have eaten twice as much of that virgin butter.


Wood oven squid and ink, celery, preserved lemon and dill $28

The wood oven squid turns out to be one of our favourite dishes of the evening, a trio cooked to an impressive tenderness.


Wood oven squid 

A puddle of squid ink and the crunch of celery add a salty tinge, countered by the gentle acidity of a preserved lemon and dill dressing.


Coral trout in a fig leaf, pencil leeks, white asparagus and sorrel buerre blanc $46

Unwrapping the coral trout from its fig leaf packaging is like unwrapping a present on Christmas morning. The fish flakes apart majestically, served alongside seared pencil leeks and white asparagus. The sorrel buerre blanc is so luscious we lick the plate clean.


Spring lamb, laver, broad beans, gem lettuce and mint $44

Spring lamb is cooked to perfection too. A lamb cutlet arrives the perfect shade of juicy pink. Underneath it all is another slice of lamb, carved from the lamb leg that has been slowly spinning in front of the wood fire. An assembly of seared gem lettuce and artichoke exemplifies spring.


Berkshire pork, spigariello, fennel puree, honey and lemon gremolata $45

Our Berkshire pork involves a longer wait. We'd been hoping for a bubbly tile of crackling across the top (as seen on the kitchen hearth) but must have missed the first round. There's a glimmer of crunch on the skin but it's still a long way off. The pork flesh itself is succulent though, ribboned with layers of fat that are tasty without feeling overwhelmingly greasy.

Spigariello is an Italian leaf broccoli, thinner in stalk than broccolini, and more tender.


New potatoes, black garlic vinaigrette and fine herbs $12

And if carbs are your jam, then definitely order the new potatoes. You'll score a pile of squashed potatoes roasted in their skins and then glazed with a black garlic vinaigrette. The potatoes are terrifically waxy in texture with a buttery creaminess. The ingenious use of black garlic adds an earthy meatiness that is guaranteed to trigger addiction.


Chopping boards in the stair well

Menu prices are undoubtedly on the higher end, but so too is the cost of quality produce. There's a sense of specialness here though, including an appreciation of time and tradition in cooking.


Making cocktails at the bar

If you miss out on a dining room reservation, you can order from the full menu in the front bar. Downstairs you'll find Charlie Parker's, a cocktail bar that will be running a thoughtful selection of dishes above the usual bags of crisps and peanuts. Expect to find chicken liver mousse with currant jelly, veal tartare caesar, salt beef croquettes and sliced porchetta.

Fred's
380 Oxford Street, Paddington, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9240 3000

Opening hours
Lunch Friday to Sunday 12pm-3pm
Dinner Tuesday to Saturday 5.30pm-12am, Sunday 5.30pm-10pm


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The Dolphin Hotel Dining, Surry Hills

It's no coincidence if you're feeling Bondi vibes in the newly renovated Dolphin Hotel in Surry Hills. The new collaboration between Icebergs Dining Room and Hotel Harry has resulted in a bright and cheery dining area awash with natural light, blonde timber white wooden chairs and off-white walls.

The Italian menu is summery and casual, dominated by a comprehensive pizza selection cooked in a woodfired oven. The flexible menu allows diners to pick and choose between platters of salumi, starters or larger mains featuring meat or seafood.

Expect sophistication and attention to detail in everything. Our grilled octopus ($26 - pictured above) features an enormous coiled tentacle cooked to an impressive level of tenderness. It's surrounded by sweet roasted fennel, kipfler potatoes and a bright and zingy salsa verde.


Chilled prawns, broad beans, garlic shoots, saffron and herb dressing $28

Chilled prawns are just what you want on a hot summer's day. The peeled and halved sweet prawns are livened with bright green broad beans, soft herbs, extra virgin olive oil and a saffron dressing.


Ricotta and herb crochette, black garlic and bresaola $24

Even the humble crochette is lifted here. Hidden beneath thin blankets of bresaola are the tiniest ricotta and herb crochettes, fried to a golden crunch. We scoop them up with the dab of black garlic beneath and relish the molten cheese within.


Polenta chips $12

If you're looking for the best budget item on the menu, order the polenta chips. It's a mammoth portion of polenta blocks, stacked up like a game of jenga. Dip them into the whipped feta for maximum lushness.


Spaghetti with blue swimmer crab, fine herbs, white wine and bottarga $30

The spaghetti with blue swimmer crab is fast becoming a signature dish and there's a good reason. It's brilliantly done. Don't expect the usual spaghetti with olive oil and crab. This one is doused in a rich tomato sauce filled with hunks of blue swimmer crab, dusted over with finely shaved bottarga.


Grilled 250g boneless rib eye $36

Boneless rib eye is simply but expertly done, served with a red wine vinaigrette. Three large red radicchio leaves provide bitter relief against the richness of meat.


Whole snapper with sorrel and herb butter $34

The market fish changes every day. Today it's whole snapper, grilled to fork-flaking succulence, served with fresh sorrel leaves and a sorrel and herb butter.


Twice cooked free range chicken cacciatore, asparagus, spring pea and dragoncello $32

The classic chicken cacciatore has been revived, given a fresh spin here with a medley of greens that include crisp asparagus stalks, spring peas and dragoncello, Italian for tarragon. The sauce is worth drinking with a spoon.


Pizza prep

The steps to the bathroom give you the best view of the open kitchen and pizza area, both elevated above the dining area on raised platforms. The pizza dough is made from organic flour and fermented for 48 hours.


Saltimbocca king prawn $26
King prawn, prosciutto, sage, mozzarella, lemon and fresh basil

You won't find ham and pineapple or supremes but you can delight in the modest simplicity of king prawns and prosciutto buried beneath a puddle of stretchy mozzarella cheese.


Sorbello $18
Marinated Sorbello family tomatoes, garlic, basil and mozzarella

Humbleness reins, too, in the Sorbello family tomatoes marinated and then scattered across a red base pizza, accented with pops of garlic and fresh basil. Bases are Roman-style thin and crispy, not the soft and floppy Napoli version.


Wood fired pizza oven in action


Wood fired lemon pudding $16

The wood fired oven works overtime, doubling as an oven for desserts. The wood fired lemon pudding is terrific, its tang of lemon balanced with the caramelised sugary crust at the bottom. Chunky pistachios provide textural crunch and a quenelle of vanilla ice cream adds a cool creaminess against the piping hot pudding.


Zokoko chocolate tiramisu $16

And save room for the tiramisu, served in a rustic scoop on the plate. Soaked sponger fingers, whipped cream and Zokoko chocolate is worth lingering over. Who needs Bondi when you can beach yourself here.




The Dolphin Hotel
412 Crown Street, Surry Hills, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9331 4800

Opening hours
Monday to Saturday 10am-12 midnight
Sunday 10am-10pm

Chat Thai at Gateway Sydney, Circular Quay

The latest Chat Thai at Gateway Sydney opened last weekend, bringing the Chat Thai tally to six restaurants. Already well-ensconced in Randwick, Manly, Thaitown, Westfield Sydney and The Galeries, the new Circular Quay outlet is their biggest yet, seating 145 diners.

They haven't cut back on the menu either. It's a heavy album of offerings that runs over 100 dishes. And if an opening weekend wasn't a big enough challenge, they enticed even bigger crowds with a half-price offer on the entire menu.


Steamers

The fit-out is bright and modern with customers led through an entrance that passes both open kitchens. On the left side you'll see chefs making dumplings, making tapioca noodles and manning the ice machine for desserts. The right hand side is the main kitchen, including a charcoal grill and som tum station.


Som tum station

Counter seats around the kitchen provide a front row view of all the action. The main dining room is L-shaped with an assortment of rectangular tables. A large circular table in the middle seats eight.


Mhu bhing $7
Grilled pork skewers

We kick off with the classic moo ping grilled pork skewers. Few places do them as well as Chat Thai. The fatty pork is lusciously tender, its sweet marinade charred and caramelised in the best way possible.


Khanom bueng youan $16
Prawn, tofu, coconut and turmeric crepe with house pickled cucumber

Khanom bueng youan is one of the tastiest starters, a jumble of prawn, tofu, coconut, shallots and chilli piled into a super thin and crisp turmeric crepe. It reminds me of a Vietnamese banh xeo, especially with its accompaniments of bean sprouts and pickled cucumber. The crepe is light and delicate, the filling is zingy on the palate.


Tua bup goong $13
Steamed prawn and coconut dumplings

We'd watched staff make the tau bup goong while we waited in line. The crescent-shaped prawn and coconut dumplings are warm from the steamer, served with a thick coconut milk sauce. Rolled in fresh coconut, these dumplings seem to veer deliciously between savoury and sweet.


Bun sip pla $13
Steamed tapioca dumplings with snapper and black pepper

Bun sip pla is a new dish that was originally created for the staff of Noma, served at one of their final staff hurrahs hosted at Chat Thai.


Snapper and black pepper inside the bpun sip bpla

The chewy tapioca dumplings hold a filling of snapper floss (made in-house) mixed with black pepper. The fish floss is soft and tender against the sticky tapioca dough. It's another example of sweet and savoury notes combined so well.


Kai jiew bpu $26
Mud crab omelette

The mud crab omelette is a golden and puffy quilt of egg hiding pockets of picked mud crab. There are huge chunks in here, best eaten with a drizzle of sriracha chilli sauce.


Larb gai $16
Spicy minced chicken salad with soft herbs and roasted chilli

There are only three of us eating today, but that doesn't stop us going wild and crazy with the menu. We pounce on the larb gai, the classic minced chicken salad seasoned expertly with chilli, herbs and roasted rice powder.


Som dtum Thai $14
Green papaya salad with peanuts and dried shrimp

We'd ordered the som tum with pickled crab but end up receiving the som tum Thai instead. There's no salted crab funkiness but still plenty of heat in the shredded green papaya pounded with chilli, dried shrimp, green beans and cherry tomatoes.


Gaeng bpu $30
Yellow curry with mud crab and betel leaves

And because everything is half-price on our visit, we go straight for the yellow curry with mud crab. It's a marvel of tastiness - not just because of the resplendence of mud crab, but the balance of flavours in the yellow curry is so amazing I end up drinking it with a spoon. More cultured diners use the bundles of vermicelli noodles to soak up the goodness.


Pad Thai goong woon sen $26
Stir fried glass noodles with Spencer Gulf king prawns, dried shrimps, bean sprouts, 
garlic chives, tamarind and palm sugar

Pad Thai goong woon sen is a pad thai take using glass noodles. The green bean noodles are sauced up with tamarind and palm sugar, then draped with enormous Spencer Gulf king prawns, garlic chives, coriander and fresh bean sprouts. Add a squeeze of lime and eat these fast before the noodles all stick together.


Khao pad tom yum $20
Fried rice with prawns, soft boiled hens egg and herbs

Khao pad tom yum is fried rice with tom yum flavours. It's as tasty as it sounds, a giant mound of rice that's sweet, sour, salty and spicy all at once. A soft boiled egg yields a sticky lush yolk and there's a generous number of prawns littered throughout. Spears of green beans and cucumber provide a refreshing crunch.


Guay tiew pak mor $15
Pork short ribs, daikon, winter melon, trio stuffed rice dumplings in pork bone
broth with smoked chilli oil

The pork short rib soup is just what we need to soothe our now groaning stomachs. The clear broth comes with an assortment of rice dumplings as well as slow simmered daikon and winter melon. A dab of smoked chilli oil drifts through the soup, adding a fiery punch when you least expect it.


Tub tim grob $8
Coconut milk dumpings, fresh coconut and water chestnuts rolled in tapioca

The dessert menu is just as comprehensive as the savoury one. You'll have to agonise over 14 offerings that include sticky rice with mango, coconut ice cream and the very intriguing black sticky rice with caramelised fish and coconut.

We narrow our dessert choices to just four. The tub tim grob or red ruby dessert has always been one of my favourites, a mix of tinted water chestnuts rolled in tapioca flour and boiled. Bite through the jellied coating of tapioca and you'll hit the crunch of water chestnut. The bright red jewels are served in candle-scented coconut milk with fresh coconut shreds and finely shaved ice.


Salim $8
Coconut milk pudding with fresh coconut and pandan infused mung bean noodles

Salim is another dessert we'd watched them make out the front. The mung bean dough is forced through a metal sieve that creates fine strands of noodles. Tinted white, pink and green, the pandan-infused noodles are immediately cooling, and not just from the shaved ice in more candle-scented coconut milk.

It's an addictive dessert albeit a little tricky to slurp up with a spoon. And that's not a glace cherry but luk chup, the Thai artform of making realistic miniature fruits out of mung beans.


Som chun $9
Makrut lime syrup infused seasonal fruits with ginger and fried shallots

One of the most unusual desserts here - and rarely found elsewhere - is the som chun, a tropical fruit salad marinated in makrut (kaffir) lime syrup. We find peeled green grapes, lychees, rambutan and mandarin. Add fresh ginger shreds, fried shallots and makrut zest and our tastebuds score a refreshing ride of savoury, sour and sweet.


Young coconut granita $9
Textures of fresh coconut and coconut cream

Whatever you do though, order the young coconut granita. It's like a young coconut drink in slushy form, buried with cubes of young coconut jelly. On the side is a crepe filled with meringue and golden egg yolk threads. The two go together brilliantly.



I expect Circular Quay office workers will take to the latest Chat Thai like ducks to water. The entire Gateway development is a food godsend for tourists and locals alike. And in a telling display of Thai hospitality, I love how their latest branch has been designed with waiting lounges for the inevitable queues.






Chat Thai Gateway
1 Macquarie Place, Circular Quay, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9247 3503

Open 7 days 11am-11pm


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