We’ve scoured the Sydney Morning Herald’s 2015 Good Food Guide for their top picks on the North Shore, organised by suburb.
Tess Gibney
Artarmon
Salvage Speciality Coffee; Cafe
5 Wilkes Avenue, Artarmon
Website: salvagecoffee.com
A new venture started by coffee royalty Toby Cutler, Matt Goto and Dan Yee (all from distinguished Air Coffee in Castle Hill), Salvage Speciality Coffee is a hole-in-the-wall cafe spilling out of the quiet side of Artarmon train station. Using coffee beans roasted by Mecca, the coffee is smooth and aromatic and the shop is small but character-filled. Though the menu is short, it’s also pretty sweet: they stock current buzz-food, the ‘cronut’, if you’re desperate for a fix in the area.
Chatswood
Khao Pla; Restaurant
Cuisine: Thai
370 Victoria Avenue (entrance on Anderson Street), Chatswood
Ph: 9412 4978
Website: www.khaopla.com.au
Situated in the heart of Chatswood, Khao Pla is a modern albeit cosy hub of eclectic contemporary Thai food. Headed by alumini of acclaimed Asian-dining hotspots Ms G’s, Spice I Am and Mr Wong’s, Pla Rojratanavichai, Khao Pla’s menu melds a combination of traditional Thai food with daring stand out dishes such as sea scallop sashimi with lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf. Rated 14/20 by the Good Food Guide, Khao Pla is labelled as excellent for its authentic vibe of “true Thai-town tastes”.
New Shanghai; Restaurant
Cuisine: Chinese
345 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood Chase
Ph: 9412 3358
Website: www.newshanghai.com.au
You won’t even realise you’re in a food court once you enter the colourful confines of New Shanghai. With a live ‘dumpling theatre’ to keep guests enraptured, New Shanghai’s menu is comprised of ancient family recipes learned in Shanghai and passed down from generation to generation. Bringing in a 13.5/20 score, this busy hub in the centre of Chatswood’s shopping precinct is renowned for the unique soup dumplings; that is, dumplings filled with delicious, hot broth.
Lindfield
The Blackout; Bar
304 Pacific Highway, Lindfield
Ph: 9416 9172
Website: www.theblackout.com.au
Labelled in the Good Food Guide as a “bar with good food”, Lindfield’s The Blackout is a Surry Hills-esque watering hole with a tantalising menu to boot. Showcasing live music 2 to 3 nights a week, the bar is renowned for its dishes to share – including caramelised haloumi with warm cherry tomatoes, oregano and olives, and Moroccan spring rolls with a filling of mince, almonds, cinnamon and honey. Full almost every night of the week, this bustling hangout is a long-awaited addition to North Shore night life.
Cafe Lyon; Restaurant
Cuisine: French
366 Pacific Highway, Lindfield
Ph: 9416 5026
Website: www.cafelyon.com.au
Brainchild of former Berowra Waters Inn head chef Rainer Korobacz, Cafe Lyon is a French bistro with flair. Scoring a solid rating of 14/20, the Good Food Guide recommends the pork belly with boudin noir and the pear tarte tatin with salted caramel and vanilla ice-cream, described in the review as “enough to bring us back again and again for that little touch of Lindfield Lyon”.
Willoughby
The Incinerator; Cafe
2 Small Street, Willoughby
Ph: 8188 2220
Website: theincinerator.com.au
Located on the ground floor of the stunning 1930s Walter Burley Griffin designed Willoughby Incinerator building, The Incinerator is an absolute must-do. High-ceilinged and airy, this fresh-faced eatery offers a “seasonable and sustainable menu from the freshest produce available”. Coffee is from the Grounds of Alexandria and picks from an exceptional menu include wood roast chicken and quinoa salad with smoked yoghurt.
