Bistro Dom

On weekdays, city workers pound the pavement along Waymouth Street looking for a place to disappear for lazy, long lunches or post-work dinners. Bistro Dom has both occasions covered.

Inside the long, narrow restaurant, mirrors and artwork line an exposed stone wall, adding a sense of space to the intimate dining area.

Chef Luke Southwood runs an a la carte menu inspired by Spain. He cut his teeth in Barcelona restaurants during the ’80s, before coming home to work at d’Arry’s Verandah Restaurant, Pheasant Farm Restaurant and The Flying Fish Cafe. TV fans may also recognise him as a contestant from 2013’s MasterChef: The Professionals. The five-course chef’s menu is a good way to experience his wealth of skills.

If making your own way is more your style, starters include wasabi cream, pickled cucumber and flying fish roe; and crispy jamón, carrot emulsion and chive oil.

Larger plates include Catalan seafood soup with shellfish, saffron and garlic picada; mar i muntanya (“sea and mountain”, aka spatchcock breast, confit leg, sugar-snap peas and langoustine); and slow-roasted shawarma lamb shoulder with cardamom-infused kefir cream. Grab a side of papas arrugadas (salt-crusted, “wrinkled” baby potatoes) for a taste of the Canary Islands.

A little express-dining area named “.dom cbd” caters for office workers who want decent Spanish flavours to go. The hole-in-the-wall eatery is located at the back of the restaurant on Halls Court. Look for splashes of red and yellow inspired by the Mediterranean and Balearic Islands.